PGC-1α expression is increased in leukocytes in experimental acute pancreatitis.

Severe acute pancreatitis (AP) induces a systemic inflammatory disease that is responsible for high mortality rates, particularly when it is complicated by infection. Therefore, differentiating sepsis from the systemic inflammation caused by AP is a serious clinical challenge. Considering the high metabolic rates of leukocytes in response to stress induced by infection, we hypothesized that the transcription coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1α), a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and function, would be distinctly expressed during inflammation or infection and, therefore, could constitute a useful marker to differentiate between these two conditions.

Hypertonic saline solution drives neutrophil from bystander organ to infectious site in polymicrobial sepsis: a cecal ligation and puncture model.

The effects of hypertonic saline solution (HSS) have been shown in several animal models of ischemia and shock. Literature has shown potential benefits of HSS modulating inflammatory response after sepsis in an animal model. We studied the HSS effects in sepsis through cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in Balb-C mice.

A TRbeta-selective agonist confers resistance to diet-induced obesity.

Thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRbeta also listed as THRB on the MGI Database)-selective agonists activate brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, while only minimally affecting cardiac activity or lean body mass. Here, we tested the hypothesis that daily administration of the TRbeta agonist GC-24 prevents the metabolic alterations associated with a hypercaloric diet. Rats were placed on a high-fat diet and after a month exhibited increased body weight (BW) and adiposity, fasting hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance, increased plasma levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, nonesterified fatty acids and interleukin-6.