Mice with mutations in Mahogunin ring finger-1 (Mgrn1) exhibit abnormal patterning of the left-right axis.

Mahogunin Ring Finger 1 (Mgrn1) encodes a RING-containing protein with ubiquitin ligase activity that has been implicated in pigment-type switching. In addition to having dark fur, mice lacking MGRN1 develop adult-onset spongy degeneration of the central nervous system and have reduced embryonic viability. Observation of complete situs inversus in a small proportion of adult Mgrn1 mutant mice suggested that embryonic lethality resulted from congenital heart defects due to defective establishment and/or maintenance of the left-right (LR) axis. Here we report that Mgrn1 is expressed in a pattern consistent with a role in LR patterning during early development and that many Mgrn1 mutant embryos show abnormal expression of asymmetrically expressed genes involved in LR patterning. A range of complex heart defects was observed in 20-25% of mid-to-late gestation Mgrn1 mutant embryos and another 20% were dead. This finding was consistent with 46-60% mortality of mutants by weaning age. Our results indicate that Mgrn1 acts early in the LR signaling cascade and is likely to provide new insight into this developmental process as Nodal expression was uncoupled from expression of other Nodal-responsive genes in Mgrn1 mutant embryos. Our work identifies a novel role for MGRN1 in embryonic patterning and suggests that the ubiquitination of MGRN1 target genes is essential for the proper establishment and/or maintenance of the LR axis.     

The interaction of ethanol with central histaminergic stimulation of the pituitary-adrenocortical and hyperlipemic activity

Ethanol introduced intragastrically (i.g.) in rats increased the pituitary-adrenocortical activity, measured indirectly through corticosterone concentration in blood serum. Since this increase reached only about 40% of the maximum hormone levels observed in that species after another stimuli, ethanol may be considered as a relatively weak stimulus. Ethanol induced also a significant decrease in serum free fatty acid (FFA) levels which was blocked totally by a prior intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of either H₁- or H₂-histamine receptor antagonists, mepyramine or metiamide and cimetidine. The ethanol-induced increase in serum corticosterone was insensitive to a central histamine H₁- and H₂-receptors blockade. Ethanol abolished the rise in serum FFA levels induced by an i.c.v. administration of histamine, pyridylethylamine (PEA)-a H₁-receptor agonist, and dimaprit — a H₂-receptor agonist. The histamine- and histamine-agonists induced increases of serum coricosterone were generally slightly intensified by a prior i.g. administration of ethanol.     

A Vicious Cycle of Osteosarcopenia in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases—Aetiology,Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Perspectives

Sarcopenia is a disorder characterized by a loss of muscle mass which leads to the reduction of muscle strength and a decrease in the quality and quantity of muscle. It was previously thought that sarcopenia was specific to ageing. However, sarcopenia may affect patients suffering from chronic diseases throughout their entire lives. A decreased mass of muscle and bone is common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since sarcopenia and osteoporosis are closely linked, they should be diagnosed as mutual consequences of IBD. Additionally, multidirectional treatment of sarcopenia and osteoporosis including nutrition, physical activity, and pharmacotherapy should include both disorders, referred to as osteosarcopenia.     

How Do Dieticians on Instagram Teach? The Potential of the Kirkpatrick Model in the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Nutritional Education in Social Media

The growing popularity of health education on social media indicates the need for its appropriate evaluation. This paper aims to present the potential of the Kirkpatrick Model (KM) with New World Kirkpatrick Model (NWKM) additions to evaluate the nutritional education provided by dieticians via Instagram. Instagram profiles of ten dieticians providing nutritional education for their followers were analyzed in March and April 2021. The study sample included profiles of both macro- and micro-influencers. The analyzed quantitative data included Instagram Engagement Rate and the number of likes and comments per post. The qualitative analysis of the comments was performed following the theoretical framework provided by the KM and NWKM. Collected data showed followers’ satisfaction, commitment, and relevance of the presented content, fulfilling the Level 1 of NWKM. Level 2 of NWKM was represented by 4 out of 5 dimensions (knowledge, attitude, confidence, commitment). No comments were found only for skills. Both Levels 3 (Behavior) and 4 (Results) of the KM were met. However, the use of the NWKM for them seems limited. The KM can be used to evaluate nutritional education on social media. The NWKM additions seem applicable mostly for Levels 1 and 2.     

How to perform high ultrasound examination of skin involvement among patients with systemic sclerosis – proposition of a unified protocol

IntroductionA fast and cheap method of skin assessment in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an area of extensive research. Established in 1979, the Rodnan skin score is a palpation-based method used among clinicians. This method has some limitations, such as: examiner’s skills, subjective results, and no standardization. In the last few years researchers have been exploring ultrasound-based techniques as a possible tool for skin assessment among patients with SSc. The aim of the study is to develop a protocol of elastography-based skin imaging evaluation among patients with SSc.Material and methodsReview of the literature and own experience.ResultsProposition of elastography-based skin imaging protocol among patients with SSc.ConclusionsThe authors present a potential protocol of ultrasound-based examination of skin involvement among patients with SSc.     

Spinal anaesthesia but not general anaesthesia enhances neutrophil biocidal activity in hip arthroplasty patients

The purpose of this study was to compare neutrophil cidal activity during general or spinal anaesthesia. Assays were performed on neutrophils extracted from the blood of patients after surgery had been under way for one hour. First, the ability of the neutrophils to kill a standard laboratory strain of S. aureus was examined. Neutrophils extracted from the blood during surgery in the spinal anaesthetic group and incubated with the staphylococci for one hour killed twice as many bacteria than those from two groups of patients that received halothane or isoflurane general anaesthesia (P < 0.05). This effect persisted, to a lesser extent, in the spinal group neutrophils after two hours of incubation with the bacteria. Second, neutrophils from patients under the same conditions of surgery and anaesthesia were tested to examine the effect of the different anaesthetic techniques on neutrophil biocidal mechanisms. Neutrophils extracted during surgery in the spinal group released more superoxide in response to phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) than those from both groups of patients that received general anaesthesia (P < 0.05). It is concluded that there is an increased state of reactivity of the neutrophil cell membrane NADPH oxidase system in patients receiving spinal anaesthesia than in patients receiving general anaesthesia.     

Enzymatic Markers of Cyclosporine Nephrotoxicity in Patients after Renal Transplantation

Toxicity of cyclosporine (CsA), an immunosuppressive drug widely used in transplantation, to the transplanted kidney creates a serious side effect. Therefore, searching for sensitive indicators of nephrotoxic action is well worth the effort. In this work we decribe the results of estimation of urine concentration of lysosomal enzymes widely present in the kidney: N-acetyl--D-glucosaminidase (NAG), its isoenzyme NAG-B and -glucuronidase (-Gr). The studies were conducted in various periods after transplantation of kidneys, on patients under various treatments and receiving different doses of CsA. The results indicate a substantial dependence of the activity of NAG and NAG-B on CsA doses and the period after transplantation. The enzyme proved to be also a sensitive indicator of graft rejection. No such dependence was observed in the case of -Gr.     

Diagnostic Application of AAP Isoenzyme Separation

We describe the separation of alanylaminopeptidase (AAP) from urine into two isoenzymes: a particulate and a soluble form. The separation was accomplished using ion-exchange column chromatography on DEAE-52 cellulose. The purity of the isolated forms was confirmed electrophoretically. We attempted to create a method allowing the quantitative assessment of AAP isoenzymes in urine based on electrophoretic separation in 7.5% polyacrylamide gel with subsequent densitometric analysis. The content of AAP isoenzymes in examined urine was estimated using ultracentrifugation. The differences in the content of cytosolic and microsomal forms were observed suggesting the possibilities of using AAP isoenzymes in diagnostics. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on the activity of AAP separated on DEAE-52 cellulose was studied.     

Antibiotic Administration in Patients Undergoing Common Surgical Procedures in a Community Teaching Hospital: The Chaos Continues

The influence of recently published guidelines by the Surgical Infection Society (SIS) on current surgical practice are not well documented. The appropriateness of antibiotic administration in a cohort of surgical patients undergoing elective and emergency surgery in a department of surgery in an urban, community-based, private, 560-bed teaching hospital was retrospectively reviewed. The following were the criteria defining administration as appropriate as modified from SIS guidelines: Prophylactic use: (1) started prior to operation; (2) spectrum appropriate to the specific operation; (3) duration ≤ 24 hours. Therapeutic use: (1) started prior to operation; (2) spectrum appropriate to pathology; (3) Duration ≤ 24 hours for contamination or “resectable” infection and ≤ 5 days for established infection in the absence of clinical evidence of persisting infection. Any switchover from an appropriate agent to another appropriate or inappropriate agent in the same patient in the absence of microbiologic or clinical indication was considered inappropriate administration. We reviewed the charts of 211 randomly selected patients who underwent elective (n= 132) or emergency (n= 79) procedures during 1996. The operations included gastrectomy (n= 22), appendectomy (n= 27), open (n= 5) or laparoscopic (n= 27) cholecystectomy, colectomy (n= 28), hysterectomy (n= 8), laparotomy for intestinal obstruction (n= 11), mastectomy (n= 26), and ventral hernia repair (n= 37). A total of 17 antibiotics were used for prophylaxis and 21 for therapy. In 156 patients (74%) the administration was considered inappropriate. Eight patients in the inappropriate group developed diarrhea (two cases of Clostridium difficile-induced colitis) compared to two cases of diarrhea in the appropriate group (nonsignificant). The average duration of administration after elective and emergency operations was 3.3 and 5.7 days, respectively. The total expense for excessive duration of administration was $18,533. Many surgeons are not familiar with the spectrum of antimicrobials and often do not distinguish between prophylactic and therapeutic administration. Antibiotic usage in current surgical practice is often inappropriate, excessive, and chaotic.