Publications by authors named "K Nakahira"
Article Synopsis
- Type 2 alveolar epithelial (AT2) cells play a key role in managing inflammation in the lungs after injury, and their function may be affected by poor mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism.
- The expression of an enzyme called CPT1a, crucial for fatty acid breakdown in these cells, is notably reduced in conditions like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
- Deleting Cpt1a or related enzymes in AT2 cells can limit inflammation in lung injury by decreasing the production of a specific inflammatory signal (CXCL2), suggesting that impaired fatty acid metabolism serves as an anti-inflammatory mechanism in ARDS.
Article Synopsis
- Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) released from injured cells can worsen inflammation, and COVID-19 patients often face severe respiratory issues requiring oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation.
- This study analyzed cfDNA levels in 95 hospitalized COVID-19 patients to see if these levels could predict the need for treatment.
- Findings showed that higher levels of cf-nuclear DNA (cf-nDNA) and cf-mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) were linked to a greater need for oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation, suggesting these could be early biomarkers for assessing patient severity.
Immunosuppression increases the risk of nosocomial infection in patients with chronic critical illness. This exploratory study aimed to determine the immunometabolic signature associated with nosocomial infection during chronic critical illness. We prospectively recruited patients who were admitted to the respiratory care center and who had received mechanical ventilator support for more than 10 days in the intensive care unit.
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