Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Platelets, cell fragments traditionally thought of as important only for hemostasis, substantially and dynamically contribute to the immune system's response to infection. In addition, there is increasing evidence that externally active platelet entities, including platelet granules and platelet extracellular vesicles (PEVs), play a role not only in hemostasis, but also in inflammatory actions previously ascribed to platelets themselves. Given the functions of platelets and PEVs during inflammation and infection, their role in sepsis is being investigated. ⋯ Similar to cells traditionally ascribed to the immune system, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages, platelets are instrumental in helping a host clear an infection, but are also implicated in the uncontrolled amplification of the immune response that leads to sepsis. Clearly, the function of platelets is more complicated than its simple structure and primary role in hemostasis initially suggest. This review provides an overview of platelet and platelet extracellular vesicle structure and function, highlighting the complex role platelets and PEVs play in the body in the context of infection and sepsis.
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ClC-5, the electrogenic chloride/proton exchanger strongly expressed in renal proximal tubules, belongs to the endocytic macromolecular complex responsible for albumin and low-molecular-weight protein uptake. ClC-5 was found to be overexpressed in glomeruli of glomerulonephritis and in cultured human podocytes under albumin overload. The transcriptional regulation of human ClC-5 is not fully understood. ⋯ The expression profile for all variants in normal and glomerulonephritis biopsies was similar, and variant 3 and alternative variant 4 were the most abundantly expressed in both sets. In glomerulonephritis biopsies, isoforms under the control of a weak promoter (variants 4, 6 and 7) showed an increased expression leading to an increase in the CLCN5 translated region, underscoring their importance in kidney pathophysiology. Since weak promoters can be turned on by different stimuli, these data support the hypothesis that proteinuria could be one of the stimuli capable of starting a signaling pathway that induces an increase in CLCN5 transcription.
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Lack of clear evidence in red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during gastrointestinal bleeding has led to varied recommendations over the years. However, studies in broad areas of medicine have provided evidence about appropriate RBC transfusion thresholds, and a 'landmark' study published in 2013 provided evidence in patients with upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding. We hypothesized that the response to the evidence would lead to improved RBC transfusion practice. Our aim was to determine the response in RBC transfusion practices at our institution. ⋯ The data suggest that there was an improvement in RBC transfusion practices after a landmark study. However, the data also highlight that RBC transfusion practices in UGI bleeding remain imperfect.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic, complex and challenging disease. Advances in treatment are for the subset of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Selected review of the literature was conducted incorporating the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society 2015 guidelines and recommendations from the Sixth World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension. ⋯ Treatment selection is based on individual risk stratification of patients, and early referral to specialized PH centers improves outcomes of patients. Treating PH is complex and is best carried out in PH centers and with multidisciplinary approach. Early diagnosis and referral to those centers are key not to delay treatment.
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This study tests our hypothesis that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, we used a subset of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, involving 1 million randomly selected beneficiaries. Patients with newly diagnosed COPD between 2000 and 2008 were identified. ⋯ The highest risk was observed in the 'COPDAE+' group that aged <65 (the adjusted HR was 1.92; 95% CI 1.39 to 2.64). COPD has been linked to complications beyond the respiratory system. In this study we showed that COPD is associated with an increased risk of TBI.