Preliminary Observations of the Loke Microdialysis in an Experimental Pig Model: Are We Ready for Continuous Monitoring of Brain Energy Metabolism?

Background: Brain energy metabolism is often disturbed after acute brain injuries. Current neuromonitoring methods with cerebral microdialysis (CMD) are based on intermittent measurements (1-4 times/h), but such a low frequency could miss transient but important events. The solution may be the recently developed Loke microdialysis (MD), which provides high-frequency data of glucose and lactate.

Comparison of Sucrose and Trehalose for Protein Stabilization Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry.

The disaccharide trehalose is generally acknowledged as a superior stabilizer of proteins and other biomolecules in aqueous environments. Despite many theories aiming to explain this, the stabilization mechanism is still far from being fully understood. This study compares the stabilizing properties of trehalose with those of the structurally similar disaccharide sucrose.

The inhibition of fibril formation of lysozyme by sucrose and trehalose.

The two disaccharides, trehalose and sucrose, have been compared in many studies due to their structural similarity. Both possess the ability to stabilise and reduce aggregation of proteins. Trehalose has also been shown to inhibit the formation of highly structured protein aggregates called amyloid fibrils.

New insights into the protein stabilizing effects of trehalose by comparing with sucrose.

Disaccharides are well known to be efficient stabilizers of proteins, for example in the case of lyophilization or cryopreservation. However, although all disaccharides seem to exhibit bioprotective and stabilizing properties, it is clear that trehalose is generally superior compared to other disaccharides. The aim of this study was to understand this by comparing how the structural and dynamical properties of aqueous trehalose and sucrose solutions influence the protein myoglobin (Mb).

Lyotropic liquid crystal elastomers for drug delivery.

Silicone elastomers like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) possess a combination of attractive material and biological properties motivating their widespread use in biomedical applications. Development of elastomers with capacity to deliver active therapeutic substances in the form of drugs is of particular interest to produce medical devices with added functionality. In this work, silicone-based lyotropic liquid crystal elastomers with drug-eluting functionality were developed using PDMS and triblock copolymer (diacrylated Pluronic F127, DA-F127).

Groundwater chemistry affected by trace elements (As, Mo, Ni, U and V) from a burning alum shale waste deposit, Kvarntorp, Sweden.

Worldwide, black shales and shale waste are known to be a potential source of metals to the environment. This project demonstrates ongoing weathering and evaluates leaching processes at a 100-m-high shale waste deposit closed in the 1960s. Some deep parts of the deposit are still burning with temperatures exceeding 500 °C.

Abdominal organ perfusion and inflammation in experimental sepsis: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) uses water as contrast and enables the study of perfusion in many organs simultaneously in situ. We used DW-MRI in a hypodynamic sepsis model, comparing abdominal organ perfusion with global hemodynamic measurements and inflammation. Sixteen anesthetized piglets were randomized into 3 groups: 2 intervention (sepsis) groups: HighMAP (mean arterial pressure, MAP > 65 mmHg) and LowMAP (MAP between 50 and 60 mmHg), and a Healthy Control group (HC).

Pulmonary effects of remote ischemic preconditioning in a porcine model of ventilation-induced lung injury.

Background: One-lung ventilation (OLV) may result in lung injury due to increased mechanical stress and tidal recruitment. As a result, a pulmonary inflammatory response is induced. The present randomized, controlled, animal experiment was undertaken to assess the effects of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIP) on diffuse alveolar damage and immune response after OLV.

Extended exome sequencing identifies BACH2 as a novel major risk locus for Addison's disease.

Background: Autoimmune disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Addison's disease, the adrenal glands are targeted by destructive autoimmunity. Despite being the most common cause of primary adrenal failure, little is known about its aetiology.

T-cell receptor-HLA-DRB1 associations suggest specific antigens in pulmonary sarcoidosis.

In pulmonary sarcoidosis, CD4(+) T-cells expressing T-cell receptor Vα2.3 accumulate in the lungs of HLA-DRB1*03(+) patients. To investigate T-cell receptor-HLA-DRB1*03 interactions underlying recognition of hitherto unknown antigens, we performed detailed analyses of T-cell receptor expression on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid CD4(+) T-cells from sarcoidosis patients.

THAM reduces CO2-associated increase in pulmonary vascular resistance - an experimental study in lung-injured piglets.

Introduction: Low tidal volume (VT) ventilation is recommended in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This may increase arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2), decrease pH, and augment pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). We hypothesized that Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (THAM), a pure proton acceptor, would dampen these effects, preventing the increase in PVR.

A method for generating pulmonary neutrophilia using aerosolized lipopolysaccharide.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe disease characterized by alveolar neutrophilia, with limited treatment options and high mortality. Experimental models of ALI are key in enhancing our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from gram positive bacteria induces neutrophilic inflammation in the airways and lung parenchyma of mice.

Lack of evidence for a role of islet autoimmunity in the aetiology of canine diabetes mellitus.

Aims/hypothesis: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders in dogs and is commonly proposed to be of autoimmune origin. Although the clinical presentation of human type 1 diabetes (T1D) and canine diabetes are similar, the aetiologies may differ. The aim of this study was to investigate if autoimmune aetiology resembling human T1D is as prevalent in dogs as previously reported.

T cell receptor-Vβ repertoires in lung and blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of pulmonary sarcoidosis patients.

Background: Sarcoidosis patients have accumulations of activated CD4+ T cells in affected organs, such as the lungs. T cell receptor (TCR) Vβ-chain usage has been incompletely characterized in these patients.

Methods: We surveyed the TCR Vβ usage in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 15 HLA-typed Scandinavian sarcoidosis patients.

Conditional DC depletion does not affect priming of encephalitogenic Th cells in EAE.

EAE, an animal model for multiple sclerosis, is a Th17- and Th1-cell-mediated auto-immune disease, but the mechanisms leading to priming of encephalitogenic T cells in autoimmune neuroinflammation are poorly understood. To investigate the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in the initiation of autoimmune Th17- and Th1-cell responses and EAE, we used mice transgenic for a simian diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) expressed under the control of the murine CD11c promoter (CD11c-DTR mice o nC57BL/6 background).EAE was induced by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) protein in CFA.

Measuring autoantibodies against IL-17F and IL-22 in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I by radioligand binding assay using fusion proteins.

Autoantibodies against interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 have recently been described in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS I), and their presence is reported to be highly correlated with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC). The aim of this study was to develop a robust high-throughput radioligand binding assays (RLBA) measuring IL-17F and IL-22 antibodies, to compare them with current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of IL-17F and IL-22 and, moreover, to correlate the presence of these antibodies with the presence of CMC. Interleukins are small molecules, which makes them difficult to express in vitro.

Increased IL-17A secretion in response to Candida albicans in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 and its animal model.

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a multiorgan autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, hypoparathyroidism and adrenal failure are hallmarks of the disease. The critical mechanisms causing chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis in APS-1 patients have not been identified although autoantibodies to cytokines are implicated in the pathogenesis.

Diabetes mellitus in elkhounds is associated with diestrus and pregnancy.

Background: Female Elkhounds are shown to be at increased risk for diabetes mellitus, and occurrence of diabetes during pregnancy has been described in several cases.

Hypothesis: Onset of diabetes mellitus in Elkhounds is associated with diestrus.

Animals: Sixty-three Elkhounds with diabetes mellitus and 26 healthy controls.

Glucagon stimulation test for estimating endogenous insulin secretion in dogs.

Fifty-one dogs (27 diabetic dogs, four that had recovered from diabetes and 20 healthy control dogs) were given 0.5 or 1.0 mg glucagon intravenously.

The Trauma Recovery Group: a cognitive-behavioral program for post-traumatic stress disorder in persons with severe mental illness.

To address the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in severe mental illness, the Trauma Recovery Group, a mixed gender cognitive-behavioral program, was developed and piloted at a community mental health center. The 21-week program includes breathing retraining, education about PTSD, cognitive restructuring, coping with symptoms, and making a recovery plan. Eighty clients were assessed at baseline and 41 provided follow-up data.

X-ray structure of potato epoxide hydrolase sheds light on substrate specificity in plant enzymes.

Epoxide hydrolases catalyze the conversion of epoxides to diols. The known functions of such enzymes include detoxification of xenobiotics, drug metabolism, synthesis of signaling compounds, and intermediary metabolism. In plants, epoxide hydrolases are thought to participate in general defense systems.