Int J Med Sci
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is associated with short-term and long-term adverse outcomes. Novel biomarkers have been identified for the early detection of AKI; however, examining these in every patient who undergoes cardiac surgery is prohibitively expensive. Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) scores have been proven to predict mortality in bypass surgery. The aim of this study was to determine whether these scores can be used to predict AKI after mitral valve repair. ⋯ In conclusion, the STS renal failure score can be used to accurately predict stage 2 and 3 AKI after mitral valve repair. The ACEF score is a simple tool with satisfactory power in screening patients at risk of all AKI stages. Additional studies can aim to determine the clinical implications of combining preoperative risk stratification and novel biomarkers.
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It has been shown that forced expression of four mouse stem cell factors (OCT4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc) changed the phenotype of rat endothelial cells to vascular progenitor cells. The present study aimed to explore whether the expression of OCT4 alone might change the phenotype of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to endothelial progenitor cells and, if so, to examine the possible mechanism involved. A Matrigel-based in vitro angiogenesis assay was used to evaluate the angiogenesis of the cells; the gene expression profile was analyzed by an oligonucleotide probe-based gene array chip and validated by RT-QPCR. ⋯ We found that induced ectopic expression of mouse OCT4 in HUVECs significantly enhanced angiogenesis of the cells, broadly changed the gene expression profile and particularly increased the expression of CD133, CD34, and VEGFR2 (KDR) which are characteristic marker molecules for endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Furthermore by analyzing the cellular functions that were targeted by the mRNAs altered by OCT4 we found that stem cell maintenance and cell differentiation were among the top functional response targeted by up-regulated and down-regulated mRNAs upon forced expression of OCT4. These results support the argument that OCT4 remodels the phenotype of HUVECs from endothelial cells to EPCs by up-regulating the genes responsible for stem cell maintenance and down-regulating the genes for cell differentiation.
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Currently increasing importance is attributed to the inflammatory process as a crucial factor responsible for the progressive damage to vascular walls and progression of atherosclerosis in obese people. We have studied the relationship between clinical and biochemical parameters and C-peptide and anti-inflammatory IL-10, as well as selected markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction such as: CCL2, CRP, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and E-selectin in obese women with various degree of glucose metabolism disturbance. ⋯ Disturbed lipid and carbohydrate metabolism are manifested by enhanced inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in patients with simply obesity. These disturbances are associates with an increase of adhesion molecules. The results suggest the probable active participation of higher concentrations of C-peptide in the intensification of inflammatory and atherogenic processes in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. In patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, altered serum concentrations of Il-10 seems to be dependent on the degree of insulin resistance and proinflammatory status.
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Objectives: In dentistry, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have drawn particular attention because of their wide antimicrobial activity spectrum. However, controversial information on AgNPs toxicity limited their use in oral infections. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activities against a panel of oral pathogenic bacteria and bacterial biofilms together with potential cytotoxic effects on human gingival fibroblasts of 10 nm AgNPs: non-functionalized - uncapped (AgNPs-UC) as well as surface-functionalized with capping agent: lipoic acid (AgNPs-LA), polyethylene glycol (AgNPs-PEG) or tannic acid (AgNPs-TA) using silver nitrate (AgNO3) as control. ⋯ Additionally, AgNPs-LA eradicated Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus mutans 1-day biofilm at concentration nontoxic to oral cells. Conclusions: Our results proved that a capping agent had significant influence on the antibacterial, antibiofilm activity and cytotoxicity of AgNPs. Clinical significance: This study highlighted potential usefulness of AgNPs against oral anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infections and aerobic Staphylococci strains provided that pharmacological activity and risk assessment are carefully performed.
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Purpose: Some studies have suggested that the use of benzodiazepines in the elderly is associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, this association might be due to confounding by indication and reverse causation. To examine the association between benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug use and the risk of dementia, we conducted data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a large organized database of prescriptions. ⋯ In the PSSA, a significant association was found, with adjusted sequence ratios of 1.24 (1.05-1.45), 1.20 (1.06-1.37), 1.23 (1.11-1.37), 1.34 (1.23-1.47), 1.41 (1.29-1.53), and 1.44 (1.33-1.56) at intervals of 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively. Furthermore, the additional PSSA, in which patients who initiated a new treatment with benzodiazepines and anti-dementia drugs within 12- and 24-month periods were excluded from the analysis, demonstrated significant associations of benzodiazepine use with dementia risk. Conclusion: Multi-methodological approaches using different methods, algorithms, and databases suggest that long-term use of benzodiazepines and long-acting benzodiazepines are strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia.