Social disruption stress increases IL-6 levels and accelerates atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice

IntroductionWe have previously shown that different forms of stress have distinctive effects on atherogenesis in mice. We showed that social stress increase atherosclerosis in ApoE^?/? mice, while more physical forms of stress do not. Here we evaluated the effect of social disruption (SDR) stress on atherogenesis and evaluated cytokine release after SDR-stress and five more physical stressors.MethodsMale ApoE^?/? mice were exposed to SDR-stress during 12 weeks, and atherosclerotic plaque area was assessed in aorta, aortic root and innominate artery. Further, male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to SDR-stress or five physical stressors, and cytokine and corticosterone levels were analyzed in plasma/serum samples immediately after stress.ResultsWe found a correlation between the level of SDR-stress and atherosclerotic plaque area in aorta and a numerical increased plaque area in aortic root. SDR stress did not affect histological features of plaque composition. However, SDR-stress increased levels of corticosterone, IL-6 and CXCL1. Plasma corticosterone increased for all five physical stressors, but IL-6 and CXCL1 only increased in the group exposed to restraint combined with rat odor.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that SDR-stress is indeed atherogenic, in contrast to our previous results using the physical stressors. A possible explanation to this difference is that SDR-stress, but not physical stressors, leads to release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and CXCL1.     

Cardiorespiratory fitness predicts insulin action and secretion in healthy individuals

Long-term cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus are inversely correlated. Here, we examined the relationships between peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)peak), on the one hand, and glucose infusion rate at rest (GIR(rest)) and during exercise (GIR(exercise)), as well as insulin secretion (both the early and late phases of response [area under the curve {AUC}(insulin)]), on the other. Eight male and 4 female healthy, lean, nonsmoking volunteers were recruited. The VO(2)peak was measured during graded exercise on a cycle ergometer until exhaustion was reached. The GIR(rest) and GIR(exercise) were determined using a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, and insulin secretion at rest was evaluated with an intravenous glucose tolerance test. The VO(2)peak correlated positively to GIR(rest) (r = 0.81, P = .001) and GIR(exercise) (r = 0.87, P < .001) and negatively to AUC(insulin) (r = -0.64, P = .03). The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during insulin infusion was positively correlated to GIR(rest) (r = 0.83, P < .001) and GIR(exercise) (r = 0.86, P < .01) and negatively correlated to both the early insulin response (r = -0.86, P < .0001) and AUC(insulin) (r = -0.87, P = .001). The VO(2)peak accounted for 45% of the variability in RER (R(2) = 0.45, P = .035). In this healthy population, CRF and RER were highly correlated to insulin sensitivity and secretion, as well as to the ability to alter the substrate being oxidized during exercise. These findings highlight the importance of good CRF to maintaining normal insulin action.     

Pre-vaccination incidence of genital warts in 15-23-year-old women and men attending youth clinics in Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were introduced to the market in 2006 and 2007. The present pilot study was designed to examine the incidence of genital warts in the population up to 23 y of age in the county of Stockholm before the start of mass HPV vaccination. Methods: Data from the electronic health records of 9 youth clinics in the county of Stockholm were collected retrospectively for the y 2006-2008. Results: In total, 49,985 patients visited the study youth clinics during 2006-2008. Of these, 1817 were denoted genital warts patients. An extrapolation of the study data was done in an attempt to estimate the annual number of genital warts cases in the full Stockholm County population aged 15-23 y. Results showed that there were approximately 1792 genital warts patients in the age group 15-23 y each year in Stockholm County. Female cases represented approximately 62% of all cases in the age group 15-23 y. The peak incidence was at around 20 y of age for females, while males had a more flattened peak incidence around 19-23 y of age. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that, compared to other reported data, genital warts are at least as common in Sweden as in other countries among 15-23 y old females and males.     

A high-affinity, dimeric inhibitor of PSD-95 bivalently interacts with PDZ1-2 and protects against ischemic brain damage

Inhibition of the ternary protein complex of the synaptic scaffolding protein postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is a potential strategy for treating ischemic brain damage, but high-affinity inhibitors are lacking. Here we report the design and synthesis of a novel dimeric inhibitor, Tat-NPEG4(IETDV)(2) (Tat-N-dimer), which binds the tandem PDZ1-2 domain of PSD-95 with an unprecedented high affinity of 4.6 nM, and displays extensive protease-resistance as evaluated in vitro by stability-measurements in human blood plasma. X-ray crystallography, NMR, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) deduced a true bivalent interaction between dimeric inhibitor and PDZ1-2, and also provided a dynamic model of the conformational changes of PDZ1-2 induced by the dimeric inhibitor. A single intravenous injection of Tat-N-dimer (3 nmol/g) to mice subjected to focal cerebral ischemia reduces infarct volume with 40% and restores motor functions. Thus, Tat-N-dimer is a highly efficacious neuroprotective agent with therapeutic potential in stroke.