Recombinant Human Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Provides Cardioprotection During Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion in the Mouse

Purpose

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) drives an intense inflammatory response that contributes to infarct healing and cardiac remodeling. Recently, different studies have identified a role of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the development of adverse cardiac remodeling. However, in animal models of AMI IL-1 has been shown to be cardioprotective in preconditioning, raising the question of clinical safety of therapeutic IL-1 blockade for autoinflammatory diseases or for the prevention or the treatment of AMI. In this study we proposed to evaluate the effects of pretreatment with recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1Ra) on ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury to the heart.

Methods

RhIL-1Ra was given 4?h or 30?min before the surgical induction of I/R. Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and infarct size were assessed to determine the effects of the drug pretreatment compared to vehicle treated mice.

Results

RhIL-1Ra, given 4?h or 30?min before the onset of the ischemia, showed marked cardioprotection though preservation of the LVEF (no change vs sham operated mice) and the reduction of the infarct size (?40?% vs vehicle-treated mice). No differences were observed between the two groups of rhIL-1Ra treatment.

Conclusions

IL-1 blockade therapies using rhIL-1Ra prior the onset of AMI protects the myocardium and preserves cardiac function.     

Ultra-wide field retinal imaging: A wider clinical perspective

The peripheral retina is affected in a variety of retinal disorders. Traditional fundus cameras capture only a part of the fundus even when montaging techniques are used. Ultra-wide field imaging enables us to delve into the retinal periphery in greater detail. It not only facilitates assessing color images of the fundus, but also fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, fundus autofluorescence, and red and green free images. In this review, a literature search using the keywords “ultra-widefield imaging”, “widefield imaging”, and “peripheral retinal imaging” in English and non-English languages was done and the relevant articles were included. Ultra-wide field imaging has made new observations in the normal population as well as in eyes with retinal disorders including vascular diseases, degenerative diseases, uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, retinal and choroidal tumors and hereditary retinal dystrophies. This review aims to describe the utility of ultra-wide field imaging in various retinal disorders.     

Correlation of adipose tissue with liver histology in Asian Indian patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Background. There is sparse literature on the association of adipose tissue with liver histology in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Aim. To study the correlation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and total adipose tissue (TAT) with liver histology in Indian patients with NAFLD.Material and methods. A single slice CT scan at the level of L4-L5 vertebrae was done to assess the abdominal VAT and SAT volumes in 21 patients with histological diagnosis of NAFLD. Adult treatment panel III criteria with modified abnormal waist were used to define metabolic syndrome (MS). Histological grading was done according to the NAFLD activity score (NAS).Results. Twenty-one patients with NAFLD [13 males, median age: 35 years, median BMI: 25.97 kg/m²] were included prospectively. Even though overweight/obese patients had severe liver disease, there was no difference in the volume of VAT adjusted for BMI between 6 (28.5%) lean and 15 (71.5%) overweight/obese patients. Patients with NASH and borderline NASH were older, obese with higher VAT and SAT volumes than no-NASH group. SAT volume (SATV) correlated significantly with hepatic steatosis but none of the adipose tissue volumes had any correlation with other histological variables. Both SATV and TAT volume (TATV) correlated significantly with severity of liver disease as determined by NAS score whereas presence of MS or insulin resistance had no correlation with histological severity.Conclusion. Both subcutaneous and total adipose tissue volume are related to the disease severity as determined by NAFLD activity score in Indian patients with NAFLD.     

Magnetic ion oxidation state dependent magnetoelectric coupling strength in Fe doped BCT ceramics

Polycrystalline samples of Ba_0.96Ca_0.04Ti_0.91Fe_0.09O₃ were prepared using a conventional solid state reaction route with different Fe starting precursors (Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄). The Rietveld refined XRD data confirmed the phase purity and tetragonal crystal structure of both the samples. The average grain size measured using SEM was ≈0.40 μm in both the samples. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of only Fe²⁺ and both Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ in Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ doped BCT samples. The P_r and M_r values have been measured to be 1.34 μC cm⁻², 2.88 μC cm⁻² and 0.0015 emu g⁻¹ and 0.135 emu g⁻¹ in Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ doped BCT samples, respectively. The Fe₃O₄ doped samples exhibit much better M-E coupling (≈22%) as compared to Fe₂O₃ (≈7%) doped BCT samples. The results obtained hence suggest that Fe₃O₄ doping in BCT is better suited for multiferroic applications.

Polycrystalline samples of Ba_0.96Ca_0.04Ti_0.91Fe_0.09O₃ were prepared using a conventional solid state reaction route with different Fe starting precursors (Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄). A significant difference in the magnetic and ferroelectric properties was observed.     

Comparative evaluation of surgical outcome after removal of impacted mandibular third molars using a Piezotome or a conventional handpiece: a prospective study

Our aim was to compare the use of a conventional rotary handpiece and a Piezosurgical unit for extraction of lower third molars. We studied 40 patients, who were allocated alternately to have the third molar removed with either the handpiece or the Piezosurgical unit. Pain, trismus, and oedema were evaluated at baseline and then postoperatively, together with paraesthesiae, on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 15. Damage to surrounding tissue was checked on the same day whereas dry socket was evaluated from postoperative day 3 onwards. More patients complained of pain in the conventional group, they also required more analgesics, and they developed trismus more often than in the Piezosurgery group. There was also significantly more postoperative swelling in the conventional group. Patients were also evaluated using the subjective Postoperative Symptom Severity (PoSSe) scale. Our results suggest that apart from some inherent limitations with the Piezotome, it is a valuable alternative for extraction of third molars.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of piperic acid amides and their lower homologues

Seven piperic acid amides along with their lower homologs (12) were synthesized using HATU-DIPEA coupling reagent. All the synthesized derivatives were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and vancomycin-resistant P. aeruginosa. They were found to be more active on P. aeruginosa than on S. aureus. However, they did not exhibit potent activity on Vancomycin resistant P. aeruginosa. Among the tested compounds, methylenedioxycinnamic acid amide of anthranilic acid (MDCA-AA, 2a) was found to be most active against S. aureus with MIC of 3.125 μg/ml. The PAS and INH amides of piperic acid were screened against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37R_a strain. They were found to be most active among all the tested compounds but were found to be less active than the standard drug, isoniazid.