A retrospective matched case-control comparison of non-fatal hanging to non-fatal self-poisoning in a sample of Australian men and women.

Objective: Our study examined the characteristics of individuals who survived attempted hanging and compared this group to a randomly selected comparison group of patients with non-fatal self-poisoning.

Method: Non-fatal hanging cases were identified from case files from an Australian public hospital. They were matched by age, sex, and month of presentation with double the number of non-fatal self-poisoning cases.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Infection Mimicking Recurrent Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Paracoccidioides infection is a rare entity in the USA. This dimorphic fungus is found in Central and South America and is thought to be acquired by inhalation through the soil. We report a case of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection presenting as a clavicular bone lesion, peripancreatic mass, and various skin lesions.

Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor downregulates inflammasome activity and liver inflammation via a β-arrestin-2 pathway.

Activation of the cytosolic inflammasome machinery is responsible for acute and chronic liver inflammation, but little is known about its regulation. The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor families are heterotetrameric ligand-gated ion channels that are activated by a range of metabolites, including aspartate, glutamate, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the brain NMDA receptors are present on neuronal and nonneuronal cells and regulate a diverse range of functions.

Lactate reduces liver and pancreatic injury in Toll-like receptor- and inflammasome-mediated inflammation via GPR81-mediated suppression of innate immunity.

Background & Aims: The NACHT, LRR, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome induces inflammation in response to organ injury, but little is known about its regulation. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) provide the first signal required for activation of the inflammasome and stimulate aerobic glycolysis to generate lactate. We examined whether lactate and the lactate receptor, Gi-protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81), regulate TLR induction of signal 1 and limit inflammasome activation and organ injury.

Adenosine is required for sustained inflammasome activation via the A₂A receptor and the HIF-1α pathway.

Inflammasome pathways are important in chronic diseases; however, it is not known how the signalling is sustained after initiation. Inflammasome activation is dependent on stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and ATP that provide two distinct signals resulting in rapid production of interleukin (IL)-1β, with the lack of response to repeat stimulation. Here we report that adenosine is a key regulator of inflammasome activity, increasing the duration of the inflammatory response via the A(2A) receptor.

Inflammasome biology in fibrogenesis.

Pathogens and sterile insults both result in an inflammatory response. A significant part of this response is mediated by cytosolic machinery termed as the inflammasome which results in the activation and secretion of the cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. Both of these are known to result in the activation of an acute inflammatory response, resulting in the production of downstream inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), chemotaxis of immune cells, and induction of tissue injury.

Nilotinib induces apoptosis and autophagic cell death of activated hepatic stellate cells via inhibition of histone deacetylases.

Increasing hepatic stellate cell (HSC) death is a very attractive approach for limiting liver fibrosis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been shown to have anti-fibrotic properties, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we identified the mechanism of action of the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib in inducing HSC death.

P2X7 receptor-mediated purinergic signaling promotes liver injury in acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in mice.

Inflammation contributes to liver injury in acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity in mice and is triggered by stimulation of immune cells. The purinergic receptor P2X7 is upstream of the nod-like receptor family, pryin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in immune cells and is activated by ATP and NAD that serve as damage-associated molecular patterns. APAP hepatotoxicity was assessed in mice genetically deficient in P2X7, the key inflammatory receptor for nucleotides (P2X7-/-), and in wild-type mice.

Inflammasome components Asc and caspase-1 mediate biomaterial-induced inflammation and foreign body response.

Implantation of biomaterials and devices into soft tissues leads to the development of the foreign body response (FBR), which can interfere with implant function and eventually lead to failure. The FBR consists of overlapping acute and persistent inflammatory phases coupled with collagenous encapsulation and currently there are no therapeutic options. Initiation of the FBR involves macrophage activation, proceeding to giant cell formation, fibroblast activation, and collagen matrix deposition.