Interleukin (IL)-17A contributes to hypertension in preclinical models. T helper 17 and dendritic cells are activated by NaCl, which could involve the epithelial Na channel (ENaC). We hypothesized that the ENaC blocker amiloride reduces plasma IL-17A and related cytokines in patients with hypertension.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep is often severely disturbed in hospitalized patients due to multiple factors such as noise, pain, and an unfamiliar environment. Since sleep is important for patient recovery, safe strategies to improve sleep in hospitalized patients are warranted. Music interventions have been found to improve sleep in general, and the aim of this systematic review is to assess the effect of music on sleep among hospitalized patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Diabetic nephropathy is a common diabetes mellitus complication associated with hypertension, proteinuria, and excretion of urinary plasmin that activates the epithelial sodium channel, ENaC, . Here we hypothesized that the deletion of plasminogen and amiloride treatment protect against hypertension in diabetes mellitus. Methods and Results Male plasminogen knockout (plasminogen-deficient [Plg]) and wild-type mice were rendered diabetic with streptozotocin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) signified by hepatic steatosis, inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and fibrosis is a growing cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatic fibrosis resulting from accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins secreted by hepatic myofibroblasts plays an important role in disease progression. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) have been identified as the primary source of myofibroblasts in animal models of hepatotoxic liver injury; however, so far HSC activation and plasticity have not been thoroughly investigated in the context of NASH-related fibrogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The rapid and strong clinical efficacy of the first-in-class, ingenol mebutate, against actinic keratosis (AK) has resulted in its recent approval. We conducted the first comprehensive analysis of the cellular and molecular mode of action of topical ingenol mebutate 0.05% gel in both AK and uninvolved skin of 26 patients in a phase I, single-center, open-label, within-patient comparison.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) in groundwater is susceptible to a variety of natural degradation mechanisms. Evidence of intrinsic decay of TCA in aquifers is commonly observed; however, TCA remains a persistent pollutant at many sites and some of the daughter products that accumulate from intrinsic decay of TCA have been determined to be more toxic than the parent compound. Research advances from the past decade indicate that in situ enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) offers promise as a cost-effective solution toward the cleanup of groundwater contaminated with TCA and its transformation daughter products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDehalococcoides bacteria that produce catabolic vinyl chloride (VC) reductive dehalogenase enzymes have been implicated as a requirement for successful biological dechlorination of VC to ethene in groundwater systems. Therefore, the functional genes in Dehalococcoides that produce VC reductase (e.g.
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