Serum Levels of Neurofilament-H are Elevated in Patients Suffering From Severe Burns.

In previous studies, after injury, burn patients experienced an increase in neuro-inflammation, edema, and neuronal cell death. As demonstrated in other brain injury models, fluid-based biomarkers such as phosphorylated neurofilament-H (pNFL-H) have been shown to correlate with injury severity. In this study the authors hypothesized that burn-injured patients have an increase in pNFL-H in the blood during the acute and chronic time-points after injury.

Hypertonic HBOC-201 decreases neutrophil activation after hemorrhagic shock.

Objective: To evaluate neutrophil activation after exposure to standard HBC-201 (suspended in lactate Ringer's solution) versus HBOC-201 suspended in hypertonic 7.5% saline solution.

Methods: We use plasma and tissue obtained from pigs subjected to controlled hemorrhagic shock and an ex vivo model of stimulated human whole blood.

A TREM-1 Polymorphism A/T within the Exon 2 Is Associated with Pneumonia in Burn-Injured Patients.

Background. The triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells (TREM-1) is a key mediator in the activation of the local inflammatory response during lung infections. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a functionally relevant TREM-1 single nucleotide polymorphism within the exon 2 (A→T) on the development of pneumonia in burn patients.

Examination with next-generation sequencing technology of the bacterial microbiota in bronchoalveolar lavage samples after traumatic injury.

Background: We examined the microbiota of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples with next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to determine whether its results correlate with those of standard culture methods or affect patient outcome or both.

Methods: We collected BAL samples in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) as part of the standard of care for intubated individuals who had a Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS)≥6 points. A portion of the BAL fluid was sequenced for the 16S region of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) with the Roche 454 FLX Titanium sequencer.

IL-10 polymorphism associated with decreased risk for mortality after burn injury.

Objective: Evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin-10 promoter (-592 and -819) on risk for death after burn injury.

Methods: Association between the IL-10 SNPs and outcome after burn injury was evaluated in a cohort of 265 patients from Parkland Hospital, Dallas, TX with ≥ 15% TBSA burns without non-burn trauma (ISS ≤ 16), traumatic or anoxic brain injury or spinal cord injury, who survived >48 h under an IRB-approved protocol. Clinical data were collected prospectively and genotyping was conducted by TaqMan assay.

Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 is an early marker of infection in the surgical intensive care unit.

Background: To determine the value of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in early differentiation of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from infection in patients in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: Patients were enrolled if there was clinical suspicion of infection and they fulfilled at least two criteria of SIRS at the time of admission to the ICU. The patients were classified as having SIRS (no infection; n = 37) or infection (n = 56) on the basis of the decision of the treating physician and bacteriological evidence of infection.

Inflammatory mediators of liver ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Liver ischemia and reperfusion--which cause liver damage that is significant in a variety of diseases, injuries, and procedures (including but not limited to trauma and transplant)--have been the focus of many investigations in recent years. Although the mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury are numerous and complex, many advances in treatment have been made. The following review considers recent advances in the understanding of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury and focuses on inflammatory mediators of significance.

Role of p38 and JNK in liver ischemia and reperfusion.

Background/purpose: The signal transduction of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) has appeared to be an important mediator of ischemic-related events. Because of this, we analyzed the participation of p38 and JNK in liver ischemia and reperfusion, as two individual members of the MAPK family of proteins.

Methods: All papers referred to in PubMed for the past 15 years were analyzed to determine how and when these MAPKs were considered to be an intricate part of the ischemic event.

Resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock comparing standard hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC)-201 versus 7.5% hypertonic HBOC-201.

Background: Hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) resuscitation has been associated with increased systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances (SVR, PVR), which may result in reduced blood flow and severe pulmonary hypertension. The physiologic and immunologic properties of 7.5% hypertonic saline solution (HTS), such as reduction of SVR and PVR, as well as inhibition of neutrophil and endothelial activation may be beneficial in reducing some of these undesirable effects of HBOCs.

Innate immunity genes influence the severity of acute appendicitis.

Objective: Using acute appendicitis as a model, we tested the hypothesis that polymorphisms in genes involved in host defense can be associated with the severity of local infection-inflammation in humans.

Summary Background Data: Innate immunity is the body's front-line system for antimicrobial host defense. Local inflammation is a major innate immune mechanism for containing and destroying microbes, but it may also contribute to tissue injury.

Interleukin-6 promoter haplotypes and interleukin-6 cytokine responses.

Genetic variations contribute to differences in the inflammatory response and are markers for disease risk and outcomes. We studied three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (-597 G-->A, -572 G-->C, and -174 G-->C) in the IL-6 promoter to determine associations with ex vivo LPS-stimulated IL-6 production by leukocytes. We also measured nuclear protein binding to synthetic oligonucleotides representing the -174 polymorphic region, located in proximity to important transcription factor motifs.

Regional and systemic cytokine responses to acute inflammation of the vermiform appendix.

Objective: To measure local (peritoneal fluid) and systemic (plasma) cytokine profiles in patients with infection-inflammation of the vermiform appendix, a relatively mild, localized inflammatory process.

Summary Background Data: The systemic host response to invading microorganisms, often termed the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), includes changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, and circulating white blood cell numbers. Although these changes can be induced experimentally by administering proinflammatory cytokines, the mediators that appear in the bloodstream during early, localized infection in humans have not been defined.