Treatment of calcific arterial disease via enhancement of autophagy using GSK343.

Vascular calcification is a hallmark of atherosclerotic disease and serves as a strong predictor and risk factor for cardiovascular events. Growing evidence suggests that autophagy may play a protective role in early atherosclerosis. The precise effects of autophagy on VSMC-mediated calcification remain unknown.

Oral Administration of Glutathione Trisulfide Increases Reactive Sulfur Levels in Dorsal Root Ganglion and Ameliorates Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Mice.

Peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy with paclitaxel. Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is typically characterized by a predominantly sensory neuropathy presenting with allodynia, hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain. Oxidative mitochondrial damage in peripheral sensory neurons is implicated in the pathogenesis of PIPN.

Electronic cigarette vaping with aged coils causes acute lung injury in mice.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been used widely as an alternative to conventional cigarettes and have become particularly popular among young adults. A growing body of evidence has shown that e-cigarettes are associated with acute lung injury and adverse effects in multiple other organs. Previous studies showed that high emissions of aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) in aerosols were associated with increased usage of the same e-cigarette coils.

Late-Stage Chemoenzymatic Installation of Hydroxy-Bearing Allyl Moiety on the Indole Ring of Tryptophan-Containing Peptides.

The late-stage functionalization of indole- and tryptophan-containing compounds with reactive moieties facilitates downstream diversification and leads to changes in their biological properties. Here, the synthesis of two hydroxy-bearing allyl pyrophosphates is described. A chemoenzymatic method is demonstrated which uses a promiscuous indole prenyltransferase enzyme to install a dual reactive hydroxy-bearing allyl moiety directly on the indole ring of tryptophan-containing peptides.

Physiological roles of mammalian transmembrane adenylyl cyclase isoforms.

Adenylyl cyclases (ACs) catalyze the conversion of ATP to the ubiquitous second messenger cAMP. Mammals possess nine isoforms of transmembrane ACs, dubbed AC1-9, that serve as major effector enzymes of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The transmembrane ACs display varying expression patterns across tissues, giving the potential for them to have a wide array of physiological roles.

An 18-Year-Old With Acute-on-Chronic Abdominal Pain.

An 18-year-old woman with a complex past medical history presented with 2 days of vomiting and lower abdominal pain. She had been admitted for the majority of the previous 5 months for recurrent pancreatitis and had undergone a cholecystectomy. Additional symptoms included nausea, anorexia, constipation, and a 40-lb weight loss over 4 months.

Association Between Implementation of a Cardiovascular Step-Down Unit and Process-of-Care Outcomes in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: The Joint Commission's 2009 National Patient Safety Goals aimed to improve identification of and response to clinical deterioration in hospital-ward patients. Some hospitals implemented intermediate-care units for patients without intensive care-level support needs. No studies have evaluated what effect changes associated with a move to a pediatric cardiovascular step-down unit (CVSDU) has on process-of-care outcomes.

Effect of progestin compared with combined oral contraceptive pills on lactation: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To estimate the effect of progestin-only compared with combined hormonal contraceptive pills on rates of breastfeeding continuation in postpartum women. Secondary outcomes include infant growth parameters, contraceptive method continuation, and patient satisfaction with breastfeeding and contraceptive method.

Methods: Postpartum breastfeeding women who desired oral contraceptives were randomly assigned to progestin-only and combined hormonal contraceptive pills.

Decreased regurgitation with a soy formula containing added soy fiber.

The objective of this randomized study was to determine if fiber-supplemented soy formula reduced regurgitation in young infants. We compared regurgitation in 179 infants randomly assigned cow's milk-based (CM, 90) formula or soy formula with fiber (SF, 89). Initial daily incidence was similar (CM, 3.

Uterine evacuation with misoprostol during radiotherapy for cervical cancer in pregnancy.

Radiotherapy as definitive treatment for invasive cervical cancer during pregnancy causes spontaneous abortion in most cases. Surgical evacuation of the uterus is indicated when abortion does not occur, exposing patients to additional morbidity. Two Latin American women, diagnosed with FIGO stage IB2 cervical cancer at approximately 15 weeks gestation, underwent radiotherapy with radiosensitizing chemotherapy.

Lower calcium absorption in infants fed casein hydrolysate- and soy protein-based infant formulas containing palm olein versus formulas without palm olein.

Objective: Quantitative balance studies were performed to compare fat and calcium absorption in healthy, full term infants fed casein hydrolysate-based (CHF) and soy protein-based (SPF) infant formulas with or without palm olein (PO). Previous studies have reported that PO significantly reduced absorption of both fat and calcium in cow's milk-based formulas in which most of the calcium is inherent in the milk protein. In both SPF and CHF virtually all calcium is added as calcium salts.

Immune status of infants fed soy-based formulas with or without added nucleotides for 1 year: part 2: immune cell populations.

Background: Infants fed a soy protein isolate-based formula have immunization responses similar to breast-fed infants. However, cellular aspects of the immunologic development of soy-fed infants have not been studied extensively. Nucleotides added to milk-based formula benefit infant immune status, but reports of the immunologic effects of adding nucleotides to soy-based formula are not available.

Immune status of infants fed soy-based formulas with or without added nucleotides for 1 year: part 1: vaccine responses, and morbidity.

Background: Immunologic development of soy-fed infants has not been extensively studied. Early studies of soy flour-based formulas showed decreased immunoglobulin production when soy protein intake was limited. However, there were no significant differences in rotavirus vaccine responses between breast-fed and soy protein isolate-based formula-fed infants.

Randomized clinical trial of soy formula with and without added fiber in antibiotic-induced diarrhea.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of soy formulas with and without added soy fiber in children who developed diarrhea while receiving antibiotics.

Design: In a masked, randomized parallel study, older infants and toddlers were fed commercial soy formulas with or without added soy fiber for 10 days on occurrence of diarrhea during the administration of antibiotics. Subjects were stratified by feeding (formula versus cow's milk).

Influence of purine intake on uric acid excretion in infants fed soy infant formulas.

Objective: These studies tested the hypothesis that increasing intake of purines, delivered as RNA from soy protein-based infant formula, would increase urinary uric acid excretion in infants.

Methods: Study One examined the influence of feeding on serum uric acid in a total of 178 infants from four separate trials with infants fed commercial and experimental soy-based and milk-based infant formulas or human milk. Studies Two and Three compared the effect of a standard purine soy formula (STD Purine; 180 mg purines/L from RNA) and a reduced purine soy formula (Reduced Purine; 65 mg purines/L; 26 mg/L from RNA and 39 mg/L from ribonucleotides) on urinary uric acid excretion in infants.

Growth of newborn, term infants fed soy formulas for 1 year.

Few studies have measured long-term growth in infants fed soy protein-based formulas. The effect of nucleotide (NT) supplementation of soy protein-based infant formulas on growth is unknown. Growth was therefore evaluated in healthy term infants fed a soy protein-based formula (SOY; n = 73), SOY with added NT (72 mg added NT/L) at human milk (HM) levels (SOYN, n = 73), or mixed feeding (MF, n = 67) in a randomized, masked, parallel 1-year feeding study.

Use of soy fiber in acute diarrhea in infants and toddlers.

Soy fiber has been shown to reduce the duration of watery stools during acute diarrhea caused by bacterial and viral pathogens in underdeveloped countries. A randomized blinded clinical trial was conducted with middle-class American children to assess the efficacy of soy fiber-supplemented infant formula. Stool characteristics, intake, and weight were recorded.

DNA damage enhances melanogenesis.

Although the ability of UV irradiation to induce pigmentation in vivo and in vitro is well documented, the intracellular signals that trigger this response are poorly understood. We have recently shown that increasing DNA repair after irradiation enhances UV-induced melanization. Moreover, addition of small DNA fragments, particularly thymine dinucleotides (pTpT), selected to mimic sequences excised during the repair of UV-induced DNA photoproducts, to unirradiated pigment cells in vitro or to guinea pig skin in vivo induces a pigment response indistinguishable from UV-induced tanning.

A role for interleukin-1 in epidermal differentiation: regulation by expression of functional versus decoy receptors.

Although human epidermis contains levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) up to 100 times higher than other tissues, the role of this cytokine in epidermal biology is unknown. Here, we show that interleukin-1 regulates the expression of mRNAs for two proteins associated with the differentiated phenotype of human keratinocytes, cellular retinoic acid-binding protein type II (CRABP II) and small, proline rich protein 1 (SPRR1). The ability of IL-1 to induce these transcripts correlates directly with keratinocyte expression of the IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1 RI) during differentiation and inversely with the expression of the type II IL-1 receptor (IL-1 RII), shown in other cell types to be a nonfunctional, decoy receptor.

Lipid inhibitors of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in normal human plasma.

Endogenous, human plasma-derived lipids that inhibit the platelet stimulating activity of platelet-activating factor (PAF) have been identified. Chromatographic fractionation of neutral lipid PAF inhibitors revealed a majority of PAF inhibitory activity comigrating with cholesterol and a second peak localized with free fatty acids. Plasma phospholipids demonstrated three distinct PAF inhibitory fractions in TLC regions corresponding to those of sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.

Effect of dietary fiber (soy polysaccharide) on the severity, duration, and nutritional outcome of acute, watery diarrhea in children.

Objective: To assess the effects of dietary fiber (soy polysaccharide) on the severity, duration, and nutritional outcome of acute, watery childhood diarrhea.

Methods: A total of 34 hospitalized Peruvian male infants between 2 and 24 months of age were randomly assigned to receive a soy-protein isolate, lactose-free formula with added soy polysaccharide (group SF, n = 19) or the same diet without added fiber (group S, n = 15). The consumption of formulas, stool amount and consistency, absorption of macronutrients, and change in anthropometric status were measured.

Prolactin concentrations in serum and milk of mothers with and without insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes may affect the secretion of prolactin, the principal lactogenic hormone. Because adequate amounts are critical to the establishment of lactation, we assessed the prolactin status of 33 women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 33 women without diabetes, and 11 reference women participating in a study of lactation from 2 to 84 d postpartum. Circulating concentrations of serum prolactin declined temporally for all women and did not differ significantly among any of the groups.