NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to long-term behavioral alterations in mice injected with lipopolysaccharide.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) might affect the central nervous system by causing neuroinflammation, which subsequently leads to brain damage and dysfunction. In this study, we evaluated the role of nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in long-term behavioral alterations of 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice injected intraperitoneally with LPS (5mg/kg). At different time points after injection, we assessed locomotor function with a 24-point neurologic deficit scoring system and the rotarod test; assessed recognition memory with the novel object recognition test; and assessed emotional abnormality (anhedonia and behavioral despair) with the tail suspension test, forced swim test, and sucrose preference test.

[Relationship between the changes of beta2-microglobulin in blood and urine and kidney involvements in children with pneumonia].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the changes of serum and urine beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG) in children with pneumonia and the renal impairment, and to explore the sensitive index for early diagnosis of renal injury.

Methods: The contents of serum and urine beta2-MG were determined with radio immunoassay in 145 cases with pneumonia at the stages of acute and convalescence and 82 healthy controls, serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were also determined at the same time.

Results: The contents of serum and urine beta2-MG in children with pneumonia at the stages of acute were significantly higher than those in controls (both P<0.