Physicochemical Properties and Bioreactivity of Sub-10 μm Geogenic Particles: Comparison of Volcanic Ash and Desert Dust.

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM) is a well-established health hazard. There is increasing evidence that geogenic (Earth-derived) particles can induce adverse biological effects upon inhalation, though there is high variability in particle bioreactivity that is associated with particle source and physicochemical properties. In this study, we investigated physicochemical properties and biological reactivity of volcanic ash from the April 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano, St.

Effects of sevoflurane on lung alveolar epithelial wound healing and survival in a sterile in vitro model of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious lung condition that often leads to hospitalization in intensive care units and a high mortality rate. Sevoflurane is a volatile anesthetic with growing interest for sedation in ventilated patients with ARDS. It has been shown to have potential lung-protective effects, such as reduced inflammation and lung edema, or improved arterial oxygenation.

Inflammation of Dry Eye Syndrome: A Cellular Study of the Epithelial and Macrophagic Involvement of NFAT5 and RAGE.

Dry eye inflammation is a key step in a vicious circle and needs to be better understood in order to break it. The goals of this work were to, first, characterize alarmins and cytokines released by ocular surface cells in the hyperosmolar context and, second, study the role of NFAT5 in this process. Finally, we studied the potential action of these alarmins in ocular surface epithelial cells and macrophages via RAGE pathways.

Effects of sevoflurane on lung epithelial permeability in experimental models of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: Preclinical studies in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have suggested that inhaled sevoflurane may have lung-protective effects and clinical trials are ongoing to assess its impact on major clinical outcomes in patients with ARDS. However, the underlying mechanisms of these potential benefits are largely unknown. This investigation focused on the effects of sevoflurane on lung permeability changes after sterile injury and the possible associated mechanisms.

Characterization of RAGE and CK2 Expressions in Human Fetal Membranes.

At the feto-maternal interface, fetal membranes (FM) play a crucial role throughout pregnancy. FM rupture at term implicates different sterile inflammation mechanisms including pathways activated by the transmembrane glycoprotein receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. As the protein kinase CK2 is also implicated in the inflammation process, we aimed to characterize the expressions of RAGE and the protein kinase CK2 as a candidate regulator of RAGE expression.

Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products Promotes Activation of Alveolar Macrophages through the NLRP3 Inflammasome/TXNIP Axis in Acute Lung Injury.

The roles of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE)-dependent mechanisms of NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-driven macrophage activation during acute lung injury are underinvestigated. Cultured THP-1 macrophages were treated with a RAGE agonist (S100A12), with or without a RAGE antagonist; cytokine release and intracytoplasmic production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed in response to small interfering RNA knockdowns of TXNIP and NLRP3. Lung expressions of TXNIP and NLRP3 and alveolar levels of IL-1β and S100A12 were measured in mice after acid-induced lung injury, with or without administration of RAGE inhibitors.

Dysregulation of the Amniotic PPARγ Pathway by Phthalates: Modulation of the Anti-Inflammatory Activity of PPARγ in Human Fetal Membranes.

Phthalates are reprotoxic pollutants that are omnipresent in the environment. Detectable in amniotic fluid, these compounds (with the most concentrated being mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP)) are in direct contact with fetal membranes (FMs). They can lead to the premature rupture of FMs by deregulating cellular and molecular pathways, such as, for example, the nuclear transcription factor peroxysome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) pathway.

Physiological TLR4 regulation in human fetal membranes as an explicative mechanism of a pathological preterm case.

The integrity of human fetal membranes is crucial for harmonious fetal development throughout pregnancy. Their premature rupture is often the consequence of a physiological phenomenon that has been exacerbated. Beyond all the implied biological processes, inflammation is of primary importance and is qualified as 'sterile' at the end of pregnancy.

Dysregulation of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) Expression as a Biomarker of Keratoconus.

Background: Because of the implications of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) in keratoconus (KC), we describe a differential expression of RAGE transcripts and proteins in corneal tissues and tears of KC and healthy patients.

Methods: Using a case-controlled study, corneal epitheliums and tears of KC and healthy subjects were obtained during corneal collagen cross-linking and photorefractive keratectomy (PKR) and during usual consultations. Quantitative reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) and Western-Blot were performed to analyze RAGE transcripts and proteins' expression in corneal tissues and tears.

Pathophysiological Implication of Pattern Recognition Receptors in Fetal Membranes Rupture: RAGE and NLRP Inflammasome.

Preterm prelabor ruptures of fetal membranes (pPROM) are a pregnancy complication responsible for 30% of all preterm births. This pathology currently appears more as a consequence of early and uncontrolled process runaway activation, which is usually implicated in the physiologic rupture at term: inflammation. This phenomenon can be septic but also sterile.

Cigarette Smoke Condensate Exposure Induces Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products (RAGE)-Dependent Sterile Inflammation in Amniotic Epithelial Cells.

Maternal smoking is a risk factor of preterm prelabor rupture of the fetal membranes (pPROM), which is responsible for 30% of preterm births worldwide. Cigarettes induce oxidative stress and inflammation, mechanisms both implicated in fetal membranes (FM) weakening. We hypothesized that the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and its ligands can result in cigarette-dependent inflammation.

Halogenated Agent Delivery in Porcine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via an Intensive Care Unit Type Device.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of hypoxemic respiratory failure and death in critically ill patients, and there is an urgent need to find effective therapies. Preclinical studies have shown that inhaled halogenated agents may have beneficial effects in animal models of ARDS. The development of new devices to administer halogenated agents using modern intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators has significantly simplified the dispensing of halogenated agents to ICU patients.

Human Amnion Epithelial Cells (AECs) Respond to the FSL-1 Lipopeptide by Engaging the NLRP7 Inflammasome.

Inflammation is the leading mechanism involved in both physiological and pathological rupture of fetal membranes. Our aim was to obtain a better characterization of the inflammasome-dependent inflammation processes in these tissues, with a particular focus on the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor, pyrin domain containing protein 7 (NLRP7) inflammasome. The presence of NLRP7 inflammasome actors [NLRP7, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD domain (ASC), and caspase-1] was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in human amnion and choriodecidua at the three trimesters and at term.

Occurrence of a RAGE-Mediated Inflammatory Response in Human Fetal Membranes.

Context: Sterile inflammation has been shown to play a key role in the rupture of the fetal membranes (FMs). Moreover, an early and exacerbated runaway inflammation can evolve into a preterm premature rupture of membranes and lead to potential preterm birth. In this context, we investigated the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), an axis implied in physiological sterile inflammation, in conjunction with two major ligands: AGEs and High-Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1).

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products enhances lung epithelial wound repair: An in vitro study.

Re-epithelialization of the alveolar surface is a key process of lung alveolar epithelial barrier repair after acute lung injury. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) pathway plays key roles in lung homeostasis, and its involvement in wound repair has been already reported in human bronchial epithelial cells. However, its effects on lung alveolar epithelial repair after injury remain unknown.

Inhibition of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Randomised Laboratory Trial in Piglets.

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) modulates the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). RAGE inhibition attenuated lung injury and restored alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in a mouse model of ARDS. However, clinical translation will require assessment of this strategy in larger animals.

In Vitro Method to Control Concentrations of Halogenated Gases in Cultured Alveolar Epithelial Cells.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a syndrome of diffuse alveolar injury with impaired alveolar fluid clearance and severe inflammation. The use of halogenated agents, such as sevoflurane or isoflurane, for the sedation of intensive care unit (ICU) patients can improve gas exchange, reduce alveolar edema, and attenuate inflammation during ARDS. However, data on the use of inhaled agents for continuous sedation in the ICU to treat or prevent lung damage is lacking.

Driving pressure and acute respiratory distress syndrome in critically ill patients.

Background And Objective: Elevated driving pressure (ΔP) may be associated with increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients admitted via the emergency department and with post-operative pulmonary complications in surgical patients. This study investigated the association of higher ΔP with the onset of ARDS in a high-risk, intensive care unit (ICU) population.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective multicentre observational study.

Clinical and Biological Predictors of Plasma Levels of Soluble RAGE in Critically Ill Patients: Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

Rationale: Although soluble forms of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) have been recently proposed as biomarkers in multiple acute or chronic diseases, few studies evaluated the influence of usual clinical and biological parameters, or of patient characteristics and comorbidities, on circulating levels of soluble RAGE in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting.

Objectives: To determine, among clinical and biological parameters that are usually recorded upon ICU admission, which variables, if any, could be associated with plasma levels of soluble RAGE.

Methods: Data for this ancillary study were prospectively obtained from adult patients with at least one ARDS risk factor upon ICU admission enrolled in a large multicenter observational study.

Retinoic acid and tracheal occlusion for diaphragmatic hernia treatment in rabbit fetuses.

Introduction: Lung hypoplasia and pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic hernia lead to a high perinatal mortality. Although sustained fetoscopic tracheal occlusion (TO) improves lung development, a major side effect is abnormal pneumocyte differentiation. This study evaluated the potential ability of intratracheal retinoic acid (RA) administration to reduce adverse effects of sustained TO in a rabbit model of diaphragmatic hernia.

Receptor for advanced glycation end-products and ARDS prediction: a multicentre observational study.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) prediction remains challenging despite available clinical scores. To assess soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE), a marker of lung epithelial injury, as a predictor of ARDS in a high-risk population, adult patients with at least one ARDS risk factor upon admission to participating intensive care units (ICUs) were enrolled in a multicentre, prospective study between June 2014 and January 2015. Plasma sRAGE and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) were measured at baseline (ICU admission) and 24 hours later (day one).

Cigarette smoke condensate affects the retinoid pathway in human amnion.

Introduction: The preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is a frequent pathology responsible of more than 30% of preterm births. Tobacco smoking is one of the most frequently described risk factors identified and contributes to the pre term weakening of fetal membranes. As previously demonstrated, all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) regulates several genes involved in the extracellular matrix dynamics, an essential actor in fetal membrane ruptures.