Defective monocyte oxidative burst predicts infection in alcoholic hepatitis and is associated with reduced expression of NADPH oxidase.

Objective: In order to explain the increased susceptibility to serious infection in alcoholic hepatitis, we evaluated monocyte phagocytosis, aberrations of associated signalling pathways and their reversibility, and whether phagocytic defects could predict subsequent infection.

Design: Monocytes were identified from blood samples of 42 patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis using monoclonal antibody to CD14. Phagocytosis and monocyte oxidative burst (MOB) were measured ex vivo using flow cytometry, luminometry and bacterial killing assays.

Effect of regional trauma centralization on volume, injury severity and outcomes of injured patients admitted to trauma centres.

Background: Centralization of complex healthcare services into specialist high-volume centres is believed to improve outcomes. For injured patients, few studies have evaluated the centralization of major trauma services. The aim of this study was to evaluate how a regional trauma network affected trends in admissions, case mix, and outcomes of injured patients.

Uranium levels in Cypriot groundwater samples determined by ICP-MS and α-spectroscopy.

The uranium concentration and the isotopic ratio (238)U/(234)U have been determined in Cypriot groundwater samples by ICP-MS after ultrafiltration and acidification of the samples and α-spectroscopy after pre-concentration and separation of uranium by cation-exchange (Chelex 100 resin) and electro-deposition on stainless steel discs. The uranium concentration in the groundwater samples varies strongly between 0.1 and 40 μg l(-1).

Does endotoxaemia contribute to osteoarthritis in obese patients?

OA (osteoarthritis) is a degenerative condition associated with obesity. A number of metabolic explanations have been proposed to explain the association between obesity and OA in non-weight-bearing joints; however, none of these hypotheses have been demonstrated empirically. In the present Hypothesis article, we recognize that obesity is associated with compromised gut mucosa, translocation of microbiota and raised serum LPS (lipopolysaccharide).

Eeyarestatin 1 interferes with both retrograde and anterograde intracellular trafficking pathways.

Background: The small molecule Eeyarestatin I (ESI) inhibits the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-cytosol dislocation and subsequent degradation of ERAD (ER associated protein degradation) substrates. Toxins such as ricin and Shiga/Shiga-like toxins (SLTx) are endocytosed and trafficked to the ER. Their catalytic subunits are thought to utilise ERAD-like mechanisms to dislocate from the ER into the cytosol, where a proportion uncouples from the ERAD process, recovers a catalytic conformation and destroys their cellular targets.