Articles: function.
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Critical care medicine · Aug 2014
Observational StudyMannose-Binding Lectin Is Expressed After Clinical and Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Deletion Is Protective.
Mannose-binding lectin protein is the activator of the lectin complement pathway. Goals were (1) to investigate mannose-binding lectin expression after human and experimental traumatic brain injury induced by controlled cortical impact and (2) to evaluate whether mannose-binding lectin deletion is associated with reduced sequelae after controlled cortical impact. ⋯ Mannose-binding lectin expression was documented after traumatic brain injury. The reduced sequelae associated with mannose-binding lectin absence suggest that mannose-binding lectin modulation might be a potential target after traumatic brain injury.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Aug 2014
Clinical TrialBedside monitoring of ventilation distribution and alveolar inflammation in community-acquired pneumonia.
It is unclear whether bedside monitoring tools such as exhaled nitric oxide measurements (FENO) and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) could help guiding patient management in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We hypothesized that exhaled NO would be increased in CAP patients and could be used to assess resolution of inflammation in the course of CAP therapy. Feasibility of multiple-breath (mb) and single-breath (sb) approach has been investigated. ⋯ EIT images at T2 showed a more homogeneous ventilation distribution in displayed EIT. FENO could be a prospective supplementary tool to describe local lung inflammation as individual trend parameter. EIT could be a suitable supplementary tool to monitor functional lung status in CAP.
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Phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) is an evolutionarily conserved enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of the cyclic nucleotides, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, and/or cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Recent studies reported the expression of PDE2A in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, pointing to a potential contribution to the processing of pain. However, the functions of PDE2A in spinal pain processing in vivo remained elusive. ⋯ Our findings indicate that PDE2A contributes to the processing of inflammatory pain in the spinal cord.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2014
The Role of Hippocampal Tau Protein Phosphorylation in Isoflurane-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction in Transgenic APP695 Mice.
Previous studies have shown that exposure to inhaled anesthetics can cause cognitive dysfunction, suggesting that general anesthesia might be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer disease. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we tested our hypothesis that enhanced tau protein phosphorylation in hippocampus contributes to isoflurane-induced cognitive dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease. ⋯ Isoflurane may induce cognitive dysfunction by enhancing phosphorylation of hippocampal tau protein at Ser262 site, and this effect is more significant in transgenic APP695 mice.