Endoplasmic reticulum stress is involved in ventilator-induced lung injury in mice via the IRE1α-TRAF2-NF-κB pathway

Inflammation plays a critical role in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with a variety of diseases through the modulation of inflammatory responses. However, little is known about how ER stress is implicated in VILI. In this study, murine mechanical ventilation models were constructed. Total protein and inflammatory cytokines were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue injury was assessed by histology. Our data revealed that mice subjected to high tidal ventilation (TV) for 4 h showed more severe pulmonary edema and inflammation than those of mice with spontaneous breathing and low TV-treatment. In addition, the high TV-treated animals upregulated the ER stress markers GRP78, CHOP, p-IRE1α, TRAF2, and p-NF-κB expression at both the mRNA and protein levels in lung tissue. Administration of thapsigargin exacerbated the histological changes, inflammation and expression of GRP78 and CHOP after high TV, but treatment with ER stress and IRE1α kinase inhibitors attenuated the pathological damage and downregulated the high expression of GRP78, CHOP, p-IRE1α, TRAF2, and p-NF-κB, suggesting that ER stress is involved in VILI though the IRE1α/TRAF2/NF-κB signaling pathway in mice.     

高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定氯沙坦钾中的遗传毒性杂质N-亚硝基-N-甲基-4-氨基丁酸

目的建立了一种高效液相色谱-三重四极杆串联质谱法,对氯沙坦钾原料药中遗传毒性杂质N-亚硝基-N-甲基-4-氨基丁酸(NMBA)进行测定。方法色谱柱为岛津Shim-pack XR-ODSⅡ色谱柱(2.0 mm×150 mm,2.2μm),流动相为0.1%甲酸水溶液(A)和甲醇(B),进行梯度洗脱,流速0.3 mL·min^-1,柱温为40℃,采用ESI离子化-三重四极杆质谱多反应监测(MRM)正离子模式检测,碰撞电压分别为-11,-13和-13 V,碰撞气氩气270 kPa,NMBA的离子对分别为m/z 147.15→117.10,147.15→87.10和147.15→44.10。结果该方法中NMBA在1~100 ng·mL^-1内线性关系良好,日内和日间的保留时间和峰面积的重复性良好(RSD均小于1.10%,n=6和n=18),低、中、高3个浓度的平均回收率在94.40%~98.04%之间。结论本方法简单方便,可快速有效的对氯沙坦钾原料药中NMBA进行限度检查并实现定量分析。     

Assessment of heavy metals by ICP-OES and their impact on insulin stimulating hormone and carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) have recently emerged as major health concerns owing to their strong association with diabetes mellitus (DM). We aimed to investigate the heavy metals exposure towards incidence of DM at various enzymatic and hormonal levels. Additionally, association of As and Cd with Zinc (Zn, essential metal) was also evaluated. Spot urine samples were collected to assess As, Cd and Zn through ICP-OES. Serum was analyzed by assay method for fasting blood glucose, liver and renal function biomarkers. ELISA was performed to investigate the impact of heavy metals on HbA1c, α-amylase, DPP-IV, IGF-1, leptin, GSH, MDA, SOD, HDL, FFA, TG and interleukin (IL)-6. Association of heavy metals with DM was measured by odds ratio (OR) and level of significance was assessed by Chi-squared test. Unpaired student's t-test was used to compare DM-associated risk factors in heavy metals-exposed and unexposed participants. As and Cd were detectable in 75.4% and 83% participants with mean concentration of 75.5 ppb and 54.5 ppb, respectively. For As exposure, OR in the third quartile was maximum ie 1.34 (95% CI, 0.80 to 2.23), however the result was not statistically significant (P > .05). For Cd exposure, OR in the fourth quartile was considerably high, 1.62 (95% CI, 1.00 to 2.61), with a significant probability value (P < .05). Urinary Cd was negatively associated with Zn. As and Cd exposure increases the incidence of DM in the general population. Impaired hormonal and enzymatic levels in diabetic and non-diabetic exposed participants reflect the multiple organ damage by heavy metal exposure.     

Sensory evoked potentials in patients with Rett syndrome through the lens of animal studies: Systematic review

ObjectiveSystematically review the abnormalities in event related potential (ERP) recorded in Rett Syndrome (RTT) patients and animals in search of translational biomarkers of deficits related to the particular neurophysiological processes of known genetic origin (MECP2 mutations).MethodsPubmed, ISI Web of Knowledge and BIORXIV were searched for the relevant articles according to PRISMA standards.ResultsERP components are generally delayed across all sensory modalities both in RTT patients and its animal model, while findings on ERPs amplitude strongly depend on stimulus properties and presentation rate. Studies on RTT animal models uncovered the abnormalities in the excitatory and inhibitory transmission as critical mechanisms underlying the ERPs changes, but showed that even similar ERP alterations in auditory and visual domains have a diverse neural basis. A range of novel approaches has been developed in animal studies bringing along the meaningful neurophysiological interpretation of ERP measures in RTT patients.ConclusionsWhile there is a clear evidence for sensory ERPs abnormalities in RTT, to further advance the field there is a need in a large-scale ERP studies with the functionally-relevant experimental paradigms.SignificanceThe review provides insights into domain-specific neural basis of the ERP abnormalities and promotes clinical application of the ERP measures as the non-invasive functional biomarkers of RTT pathophysiology.     

Surviving a stroke in South Africa: outcomes of home-based care in a low-resource rural setting

Background: Little is known of stroke outcomes in low- and middle-income countries with limited formal stroke rehabilitation services and of homebased-stroke services delivered within the primary health care (PHC) context by community health workers (CHWs).

Objectives: To describe and analyze the outcomes of patients with stroke from a rural PHC setting in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Methods: In a longitudinal survey, 93 stroke patients, referred to home and community-based care services (HCBC) between June 2015 and December 2017, were assessed at baseline, one month and three months. Changes in function (Barthel Index (BI)), caregiver strain (Caregiver Strain Index (CSI)), impact of environmental factors and satisfaction with stroke care were measured.

Results: HCBC was delayed, fragmented and brief (median session duration 20 minutes (IQR 15.0–30.0)). Although function improved significantly, dependence remained high: median BI score changed from 40.0 (IQR 15.0–70.0) to 62.5 (IQR 30.0–81.25) (p = .019). A third (33.0% (30/91)) of caregivers initially experienced strain and the median CSI score remained 3.0 (IQR 0.0–7.0) (p = .672). Overall, patient and caregiver satisfaction with HCBC was low with only 46.9% (31/66) of caregivers and 17.4% (12/69) of patients satisfied with all aspects of care. Only 47.6% of assistive product needs were met. Environmental factors negatively impacted on patient function and caregiving.

Conclusions: Clinical practice pathways and referral guidelines should be developed for the HCBC platform. Specific training of CHWs, focusing on how to educate, support and train family caregivers, provide assistive devices and refer to health services is needed.     

Perioperative management of diabetes

Diabetes is a complex, chronic metabolic disorder affecting approximately 9.3% of the adult population with the estimated number of adults with diabetes worldwide having more than tripled since 2000. This increase has largely been attributed to global urbanization and lifestyle changes. Diabetes affects 10–15% of the surgical population. These patients are frequently elderly, have complex medical co-morbidities and present for both high-risk elective and emergency surgery. This multisystem disease poses a significant challenge to both anaesthesia and surgery with patients with diabetes demonstrating higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to their non-diabetic counterparts. It is crucial that good glycaemic control is maintained throughout the perioperative period as this has been shown to correlate with positive patient outcomes. It is well-recognized that a co-ordinated, multidisciplinary approach aimed at optimizing every point in the patient pathway from GP referral to post-discharge care is required to obtain the best outcomes for the surgical patient with diabetes. The anaesthetist has a key role in the perioperative diabetes multidisciplinary team. Patients themselves are well experienced in manging their own diabetes and should be involved in doing so whenever possible.     

Immunohistochemical and molecular analysis of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in esophageal carcinoma

Among the numerous signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis, PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR is a key one that regulates diverse cellular functions. However, its prognostic value in esophageal carcinoma remains unclear. In our study, we examined the immunohistochemical expression of phosphorylated (p‐) AKT, mTOR, p70S6K and 4E‐BP1 along with the mutational status of PIK3CA and AKT1 genes by High Resolution Melting Analysis and Pyrosequencing in 44 esophageal carcinomas. The results were correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients in an effort to define their possible prognostic significance. Total p‐mTOR cytoplasmic expression, assessed in 10 random areas, was positively correlated with tumor stage (Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA, I/II vs III/IV, p = 0.0500). Μoreover, maximum p‐mTOR cytoplasmic immunoexpression, estimated in hot spot areas, was positively associated with tumor grade (Mann–Whitney U test, I/II vs III, p = 0.0565). Interestingly, p‐4E‐BP1 immunoreactivity was negatively correlated with tumor histological grade (Mann–Whitney U test, I/II vs III, p = 0.0427). No mutation was observed in exons 9 and 20 of PIK3CA gene and in exon 4 of AKT1 gene. In conclusion, our findings depict the presence of activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in esophageal cancer bringing forward p‐mTOR and p‐4E‐BP1 for their potential role in esophageal carcinogenesis. Additional studies are warranted to validate our findings.     

lncRNA/miRNA在胰腺癌发生发展中的研究进展

ncRNA/miRNA在多种实体肿瘤中表达异常，参与肿瘤的增殖、侵袭、转移。胰腺癌是发病率较高、死亡率高的恶性肿瘤，通过深入研究lncRNA/miRNA在胰腺癌发生发展中的分子机制，可为胰腺癌的治疗提供新的靶点。