Recurrent high fever with macular papules in an elderly male: a case report

Immunologic Research -     

Preserving GABAergic interneurons in acute brain slices of mice using the N-methyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-glucamine-based artificial cerebrospinal fluid method

Defects in the function and development of GABAergic interneurons have been linked to psychiatric disorders, so preservation of these interneurons in brain slices is important for successful electrophysiological recording in various ex vivo methods. However, it is difficult to maintain the activity and morphology of neurons in slices from mice of >30 days old. Here we evaluated the N-methyl-D-glucamine(NMDG)-based artificial cerebrospinal fl uid(a CSF) method for the preservation of interneurons in slices from mice of up to ~6 months old and discussed the steps that may affect their quality during slicing. We found that the NMDG-a CSF method rescued more cells than sucrose-a CSF and successfully preserved different types of interneurons including parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons. In addition, both the chemical and electrical synaptic signaling of interneurons were maintained. These results demonstrate that the NMDG-a CSF method is suitable for the preservation of interneurons, especially in studies of gap junctions.     

Evaluations of guided bone regeneration in canine radius segmental defects using autologous periosteum combined with fascia lata under stable external fixation

BackgroundAlthough bone defect is one of the most common orthopaedic diseases, treatment remains a challenge and an issue of debate. Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is primarily accompanied by barrier membranes; however, optional membranes show some inherent flaws in clinical application. The purpose of this study was to observe the healing velocity and quality of repairing canine radius segmental defect using transferred autologous periosteum combined with fascia lata, which can provide better biological safety than other materials.ResultsBone union was seen in most individuals from the autologous periosteum combined with fascia lata group, within an average of 14.2 weeks. Histopathologic and SEM examinations both showed the different osteogenesis state between groups. Necropsy confirmed US findings with regard to distance of bone defects and location.ConclusionThese findings suggest that autologous periosteum combined with fascia lata is as effective as a GBR membrane, even in long tubular bone defects. With reliable biological safety, the autologous periosteum combined with fascia lata is expected to achieve increasing application in orthopaedic trauma patients.

Level of evidence

Not applicable, animal study.     

Short-term Rosuvastatin Treatment for the Prevention of Contrast-induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Receiving Moderate or High Volumes of Contrast Media: A Sub-analysis of the TRACK-D Study

Background:

Current randomized trials have demonstrated the effects of short-term rosuvastatin therapy in preventing contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI). However, the consistency of these effects on patients administered different volumes of contrast media is unknown.

Methods:

In the TRACK-D trial, 2998 patients with type 2 diabetes and concomitant chronic kidney disease (CKD) who underwent coronary/peripheral arterial angiography with or without percutaneous intervention were randomized to short-term (2 days before and 3 days after procedure) rosuvastatin therapy or standard-of-care. This prespecified analysis compared the effects of rosuvastatin versus standard therapy in patients exposed to (moderate contrast volume [MCV], 200–300 ml, n = 712) or (high contrast volume [HCV], ≥300 ml, n = 220). The primary outcome was the incidence of CIAKI. The secondary outcome was a composite of death, dialysis/hemofiltration or worsened heart failure at 30 days.

Results:

Rosuvastatin treatment was associated with a significant reduction in CIAKI compared with the controls (2.1% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.050) in the overall cohort and in patients with MCV (1.7% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.029), whereas no benefit was observed in patients with HCV (3.4% vs. 3.9%, P = 0.834). The incidence of secondary outcomes was significantly lower in the rosuvastatin group compared with control group (2.7% vs. 5.3%, P = 0.049) in the overall cohort, but it was similar between the patients with MCV (2.0% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.081) or HCV (5.1% vs. 8.8%, P = 0.273).

Conclusions:

Periprocedural short-term rosuvastatin treatment is effective in reducing CIAKI and adverse clinical events for patients with diabetes and CKD after their exposure to a moderate volume of contrast medium.     

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment reduced the lung injury of type II decompression sickness

Objective: To detect the ultrastructural changes in rabbits with type II decompression sickness (DCS), and study the therapeutic effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). Methods: Twenty-seven male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided equally into the DCS group, HBO treatment group and control group. Experimental models of each group were prepared. Lung apex tissues were harvested to prepare paraffin- and EPON812-embedded tissues. Results: In the DCS group, macroscopic and histological examination revealed severe and rapid damage to lung tissue. Ultrastructural examination revealed exudation of red blood cells in the alveolar space. Type I alveolar epithelial cells exhibited retracted cell processes and swollen mitochondria, and type II cells showed highly swollen mitochondria and decrease in cytoplasmic lamellar bodies. Dilatation and congestion of capillary vessels were accompanied by swelling of endothelial cells and incomplete basement membrane. In the HBO treatment group, the findings were somewhat similar to those in the DCS group, but the extent of damage was lesser. Only a small amount of tiny bubbles could be seen in the blood vessels. Type I alveolar epithelia cells and endothelial cells of the capillaries illustrated slight shortening of cells, swollen cytoplasm and decreased cell processes. Type II alveolar epithelial cells showed slight swelling of the mitochondria, decreased vacuolar degeneration of lamellar bodies, and increase in the number of free ribosomes. Conclusions: Our microscopic and ultrastructural findings confirm that the lung is an important organ affected by DCS. We also confirmed that HBO can alleviate DCS-induced pulmonary damage.     

Combined identification of long non-coding RNA XIST and HIF1A-AS1 in serum as an effective screening for non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) XIST and HIF1A-AS1 have been shown to play important regulatory roles in cancer biology, and lncRNA-XIST and HIF1A-AS1 are upregulated in several cancers such as glioblastoma, breast cancer and thoracoabdominal aorta aneurysm, however, its value in the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical significance of serum XIST and HIF1A-AS1 as a biomarker in the screening of NSCLC. Methods: Expression levels of lncRNA-XIST and HIF1A-AS1 in tumor tissues and serum from NSCLC patients were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR, and its association with overall survival of patients was analyzed by statistical analysis. Moreover, the XIST and lncRNA-XIST expression correlation between tumor tissues and plasma was demonstrated by linear regression analysis. Results: The levels of XIST (P < 0.05) and HIF1A-AS1 (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in tumor tissues or serum from NSCLC patients as compared to those of control group. Correlation of lncRNA-XIST or HIF1A-AS1 expression between tumor tissues and serum from the same individuals was confirmed in NSCLC patients. Moreover, serum levels of XIST and HIF1A-AS1 were significantly decreased after surgical treatment as compared to pre-operative. The ROC curves illustrated strong separation between the NSCLC patients and control group, with an AUC of 0.834 (95% CI: 0.726-0.935; P < 0.001) for XIST and 0.876 (95% CI: 0.793-0.965; P < 0.001) for HIF1A-AS1, however, the combination of XIST and HIF1A-AS1 yielded an AUC of 0.931 (95% CI: 0.869-0.990; P < 0.001), which was significantly improved as compared to XIST or HIF1A-AS1 alone. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that increased serum XIST and HIF1A-AS1 could be used as a predictive biomarker for NSCLC screening, and that combination of XIST and HIF1A-AS1 had a higher positive diagnostic efficiency of NSCLC than XIST or HIF1A-AS1 alone.