Plos One
-
SIRT3, a mitochondrial sirtuin belonging to nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NAD) dependent deacetylases, is implicated in metabolism, longevity and carcinogenesis. SIRT3 expression and its significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that SIRT3 expression in HCC tissue was much lower than that in paracarcinoma tissue, at both mRNA and protein levels. ⋯ The prognostic impact of SIRT3 was further confirmed by stratified survival analysis. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed that low SIRT3 expression was an independent poor prognostic marker for overall survival (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.555, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.344-0.897, P = 0.016). Collectively, we conclude that SIRT3 is decreased in HCC and is a novel unfavorable marker for prognosis of patients with this fatal disease.
-
Dementia increases the risk of death in older patients hospitalized for acute illnesses. However, the effect of dementia on the risks of developing acute organ dysfunction and severe sepsis as well as on the risk of hospital mortality in hospitalized older patients remains unknown, especially when treatments for these life-threatening situations are considered. ⋯ In hospitalized older patients, the presence of dementia increased the risks of acute organ dysfunction, severe sepsis and hospital mortality. However, after intervention using life-support treatments, dementia only exhibited a minor role on short-term mortality.
-
In patients who experience unilateral chronic pain, abnormal sensory perception at the non-painful side has been reported. Contralateral sensory changes in these patients have been given little attention, possibly because they are regarded as clinically irrelevant. Still, bilateral sensory changes in these patients could become clinically relevant if they challenge the correct identification of their sensory dysfunction in terms of hyperalgesia and allodynia. ⋯ Our results show that bilateral sensory dysfunction in patients with unilateral neuropathic pain is more rule than exception. Therefore, this phenomenon should be taken into account for appropriate diagnostic evaluation in clinical practice. This is particularly true for mechanical stimuli where the 95% Confidence Interval for the prevalence of sensory abnormalities at the non-painful side ranges between 33% and 50%.
-
Recently, the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) has been recommended for adults. We analyzed the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in older adults in Spain before PCV13 introduction. ⋯ In our older adult population two serotypes (19A and 3) included in PCV13 accounted for about a quarter of IPD episodes in people ≥65 years. Non-PCV13 emerging serotypes should be carefully monitored in future surveillance studies.
-
Bisphenol A (BPA) has attracted considerable public attention as it leaches from plastic used in food containers, is detectable in human fluids and recent epidemiologic studies link BPA exposure with diseases including cardiovascular disorders. As heart-toxicity may derive from modified cardiac electrophysiology, we investigated the interaction between BPA and hNav1.5, the predominant voltage-gated sodium channel subtype expressed in the human heart. Electrophysiology studies of heterologously-expressed hNav1.5 determined that BPA blocks the channel with a K(d) of 25.4±1.3 µM. ⋯ Docking predictions position both ligands in a cavity delimited by F1760 and contiguous with the DIII-IV pore fenestration. Steered molecular dynamics simulations used to assess routes of ligand ingress indicate that the DIII-IV pore fenestration is a viable access pathway. Therefore BPA block of the human heart sodium channel involves the local anesthetic receptor and both BPA and mexiletine may enter the closed-state pore via membrane-located side fenestrations.