Diverse NKT cells regulate early inflammation and neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

Neurological injury drives most deaths and morbidity among patients hospitalized for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Despite its clinical importance, there are no effective pharmacological therapies targeting post-cardiac arrest (CA) neurological injury. Here, we analyzed circulating immune cells from a large cohort of patients with OHCA, finding that lymphopenia independently associated with poor neurological outcomes.

Albino tadpoles prefer dark environments compared to wild type.

Tadpoles display preferences for different environments but the sensory modalities that govern these choices are not well understood. Here, we examined light preferences and associated sensory mechanisms of albino and wild-type tadpoles. We found that albino tadpoles spent more time in darker environments compared to the wild type, although they showed no differences in overall activity.

Post-sepsis immunosuppression depends on NKT cell regulation of mTOR/IFN-γ in NK cells.

As treatment of the early, inflammatory phase of sepsis improves, post-sepsis immunosuppression and secondary infection have increased in importance. How early inflammation drives immunosuppression remains unclear. Although IFN-γ typically helps microbial clearance, we found that increased plasma IFN-γ in early clinical sepsis was associated with the later development of secondary Candida infection.

mTORC2/Akt activation in adipocytes is required for adipose tissue inflammation in tuberculosis.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has co-evolved with the human host, adapting to exploit the immune system for persistence and transmission. While immunity to tuberculosis (TB) has been intensively studied in the lung and lymphoid system, little is known about the participation of adipose tissues and non-immune cells in the host-pathogen interaction during this systemic disease.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice were aerosol infected with M.

Spinal clearance in unconscious children following traumatic brain injury.

Spinal clearance in unconscious children following traumatic brain injury is an area of controversy. The risk of significant injury in this high-risk group needs to be balanced against that of prolonged spinal immobilization and all its implications. No national or international guideline exists to aid clinicians faced with such a scenario.

Perioperative management of the severely obese patient: a selective pathophysiological review.

Purpose: Obesity is widespread, yet it is often understood primarily as a disorder of body structure. This article provides anesthesiologists with a synopsis of recent research into the complex pathophysiology of obesity. It emphasizes the importance of this information for the perioperative planning and management of this patient group and for reviewing some of the major perioperative challenges.