Background: Non-invasive helmet respiratory support is suitable for several clinical conditions. Continuous-flow helmet CPAP systems equipped with HEPA filters have become popular during the recent Coronavirus pandemic. However, HEPA filters generate an overpressure above the set PEEP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElectrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a groundbreaking, non-invasive, and radiation-free imaging technique for continuous, real-time ventilation monitoring. It also has an application in pulmonary perfusion monitoring. EIT quantifies ventilation and perfusion patterns across the lung from the measurement and processing of impedance changes in the thorax.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The superimposed pressure is the primary determinant of the pleural pressure gradient. Obesity is associated with elevated end-expiratory esophageal pressure, regardless of lung disease severity, and the superimposed pressure might not be the only determinant of the pleural pressure gradient. The study aims to measure partitioned respiratory mechanics and superimposed pressure in a cohort of patients admitted to the ICU with and without class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m), and to quantify the amount of thoracic adipose tissue and muscle through advanced imaging techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by a redistribution of regional lung perfusion that impairs gas exchange. While speculative, experimental evidence suggests that perfusion redistribution may contribute to regional inflammation and modify disease progression. Unfortunately, tools to visualize and quantify lung perfusion in patients with ARDS are lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Sepsis and septic shock are major challenges and economic burdens to healthcare, impacting millions of people globally and representing significant causes of mortality. Recently, a large number of quality improvement programs focused on sepsis resuscitation bundles have been instituted worldwide. These educational initiatives have been shown to be associated with improvements in clinical outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNoninvasive ventilation, mainly helmet CPAP, was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, even outside of intensive care units. Both the ROX index and the LUS score (LUSS) have been proposed as tools to predict negative outcomes in patients with hypoxemia treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) outside of ICUs. We aim to evaluate whether the combination of LUSS with the ROX index improves the predictive performance of these indices in patients with hypoxemia due to COVID-19 pneumonia, treated with NIV outside of ICUs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a transmembrane enzyme that regulates pH in hypoxic tumors and promotes tumor cell survival. Its expression is associated with the occurrence of metastases and poor prognosis. Here, we present nine derivatives of the cobalt bis(dicarbollide)(1-) anion substituted at the boron or carbon sites by alkysulfamide group(s) as highly specific and selective inhibitors of CAIX.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConstitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a key regulator of xenobiotic and endobiotic metabolism. Together with pregnane X (PXR) and aryl hydrocarbon (AHR) receptors, it is referred to as "xenobiotic receptor". The unique properties of human CAR, such as its high constitutive activity, both direct (ligand-binding domain-dependent) and indirect activation have hindered the discovery of direct selective human CAR ligands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF7-(2-Thienyl)-7-deazaadenosine (AB61) showed nanomolar cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines but only mild (micromolar) activities against normal fibroblasts. The selectivity of AB61 was found to be due to inefficient phosphorylation of AB61 in normal fibroblasts. The phosphorylation of AB61 in the leukemic CCRF-CEM cell line proceeds well and it was shown that AB61 is incorporated into both DNA and RNA, preferentially as a ribonucleotide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe assembly of two covalently linked monomers into dimeric complexes is a prerequisite for metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) function. The former concept of a strictly homodimeric subunit contribution in metabotropic glutamate receptor complexes has recently been brought into question. Alternative splicing of the GRM1 gene results in expression of variants that vary within their intracellular C-termini.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF