Hypertriglyceridemia-modulated gut microbiota promotes lysophosphatidylcholine generation to aggravate acute pancreatitis in a TLR4-dependent manner.

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) can lead to the disorder of gut microbiota in mice, resulting in the increase of endotoxin content. HTG can also aggravate the damage of intestinal barrier function and intestinal bacterial translocation in acute pancreatitis (AP) mice. Toll-like receptor 4 gene knockout can significantly reduce gut permeability and endotoxin invasion in AP mice.

Recurrent Hospitalizations for Fluid Overload in Diabetes with Kidney Failure Treated with Dialysis.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in Singapore. ESKD patients have high disease burden and are at increased risk of recurrent hospitalizations, including fluid overload. This study aimed to characterize the risk factors associated with readmissions for fluid overload that will identify high-risk hospitalizations for interventions to reduce readmissions.

Intradialytic cardiovascular injury is lowest in high-volume haemodiafiltration: a randomized cross-over trial in four intermittent dialysis strategies.

Background: Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) and subsequent tissue damage may contribute to the poor outcome of chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients. While the IDH-incidence is lower in high-volume haemodiafiltration (HV-HDF) than in standard HD (S-HD), survival is better in HV-HDF. Tissue injury, as measured by extracellular vesicle (EV)-release, was compared between four modalities.

Prophylactic supplementation with selenium nanoparticles protects against foodborne toxin zearalenone-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been used as a potential alternative to other forms of selenium in nutritional supplements for the treatment and prevention of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related diseases. Zearalenone (ZEA) is a foodborne mycotoxin present in grains that poses a health threat. Here, we investigated the adverse impacts of ZEA on intestinal homeostasis and explored the protective effects of probiotic-synthesized SeNPs against its damage.

A purified fraction of polysaccharides from the fruits of L. improves glucose homeostasis and intestinal barrier function in high-fat diet-fed mice.

High-fat diet (HFD) consumption can induce intestinal barrier dysfunction and disrupt glucose metabolism. Our previous studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides obtained from the fruits of L. (LBPs) could suppress acute experimental diabetes as well as colitis in mice.

The Main Anthocyanin Monomer from Murray Fruit Mediates Obesity via Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Improving the Intestinal Barrier.

Anthocyanins have been shown to exert certain antiobesity properties, but the specific relationship between anthocyanin-induced beneficial effects and the gut microbiota remains unclear. Petunidin-3--[rhamnopyranosyl-(trans--coumaroyl)]-5--(β-D-glucopyranoside) (P3G) is the main anthocyanin monomer from the fruit of Murray. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the antiobesity and remodeling effects of P3G on gut microbiota through a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model and a fecal microbiota transplantation experiment.

Outcomes of arteriovenous fistula in elderly patients on maintenance haemodialysis.

Background: The optimal vascular access strategy in elderly patients receiving haemodialysis (HD) remains controversial. We aim to report the outcomes of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in elderly patients initiated on maintenance HD in our centre.

Methods: Medical records of 688 incident patients initiated on HD from 2010 to 2012 in a tertiary centre were retrospectively reviewed.

The correlations between Th1 and Th2 cytokines in human alveolar echinococcosis.

Background: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis larval tapeworm infections in humans that severely impairs the health of affected patients in the northern hemisphere.

Methods: The expression levels of 20 cytokines associated with AE infection were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the correlations between these cytokines were analysed in the R programming language.

Results: Serum cytokine levels differed among individuals in both the AE patient and healthy control groups.

Non-randomized safety and performance evaluation of the av-Guardian vascular access system.

Introduction: The ability to successfully cannulate the arteriovenous fistula reliably is a critical step in the delivery of hemodialysis therapy. The av-Guardian vascular access system (Advent Access, Singapore) is designed to overcome the technical barrier to establishing reliable blunt needle access in patients with mature arteriovenous fistula.

Methods: This was a first-in-man, prospective, non-randomized trial (registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12617000501347)) performed to assess the safety and feasibility of achieving repeatable successful cannulation via av-Guardian vascular access system to facilitate blunt needling in patients with mature arteriovenous fistula.

MAPK/ERK signalling is required for zebrafish cardiac regeneration.

Objectives: To better understand the molecular mechanisms of regeneration and explore the potential signalling pathways as therapeutic targets for heart attacks.

Results: After treatment with the MEK inhibitor AZD6244 upon cardiac injury, the core members in MAPK/ERK signalling-mek and erk-demonstrate elevated expression, and these proteins are deposited at the injury site in zebrafish. pERK is also induced in non-cardiomyocytes near the injury site.

[An Epidemiological Survey on Echinococcosis in Yushu Prefecture of Qinghai Province].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of echinococcosis in Yushu Prefecture of Qinghai Province in 2012.

Methods: Two to three towns were selected in each of Chengduo, Nangqian, Qu malai, Yushu, Zaduo and Zhiduo Counties from June to August in 2012. Ultrasound examination was conducted for residents aged over 1 year, and ELISA was performed to detect serum antibody against Echinococcus.

Surveillance of Echinococcus isolates from Qinghai, China.

Echinococcosis is highly endemic over large parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China. Based on a large number of samples, we present data on the current presence, host distribution, and genetic diversity of Echinococcus in the Qinghai Province, located in the northeastern corner of the QTP and constituting >25% of the area of the plateau. We used 521 samples (including 451 newly collected samples and 70 samples from our previous study) from humans, yaks, sheep, goats, dogs, fox, plateau pikas, and voles in 36 counties, and genotyped them using the mitochondrial DNA marker cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene and the maximum parsimony and Bayesian reconstruction methods.

The use of parenteral nutrition in an acute care hospital.

Introduction: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is an important supportive therapy. However, it is expensive and associated with significant complications. Our aim is to describe the patients given PN in 2006, to compare with the 2001 cohort and determine if PN had been prescribed for the appropriate indications.

Transient knockdown of tyrosine hydroxylase during development has persistent effects on behaviour in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Abnormal dopamine (DA) signaling is often suggested as causative in schizophrenia. The other prominent hypothesis for this disorder, largely driven by epidemiological data, is that certain adverse events during the early stages of brain development increase an individual's risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. However, the clinical and preclinical literature consistently implicates behavioural, cognitive, and pharmacological abnormalities, implying that DA signaling is abnormal in the adult brain.

A denatured collagen microfiber scaffold seeded with human fibroblasts and keratinocytes for skin grafting.

Biomaterial scaffolds are categorized into artificial or natural polymers, or combinations of the two. Artificial polymers often undergo serum protein adsorption, elicit foreign body and encapsulation immune responses post-implantation. Large pore bovine electrospun collagen I was therefore screened as a candidate for human keratinocyte and fibroblast cell scaffolds.

The optimal duration and delay of first aid treatment for deep partial thickness burn injuries.

Using our porcine model of deep dermal partial thickness burn injury, various durations (10min, 20min, 30min or 1h) and delays (immediate, 10min, 1h, 3h) of 15 degrees C running water first aid were applied to burns and compared to untreated controls. The subdermal temperatures were monitored during the treatment and wounds observed weekly for 6 weeks, for re-epithelialisation, wound surface area and cosmetic appearance. At 6 weeks after the burn, tissue biopsies were taken of the scar for histological analysis.

Fetuin-A promotes primary keratinocyte migration: independent of epidermal growth factor receptor signalling.

Previously, we reported that fetuin-A is a major component of ovine foetal skin and significantly enhances 'wound closure' in primary keratinocyte cultures. In this study, we found that in human newborn foreskin, a high level of fetuin-A protein is detected throughout the dermis. However, in adult skin a low level of fetuin-A is observed throughout the epidermal and dermal layers, except at regions surrounding hair follicles and at the epidermal-dermal junction where the level of fetuin-A is relatively high.

Cyanoacrylate glue as an alternative mounting medium for resin-embedded semithin sections.

Commercially available generic Superglue (cyanoacrylate glue) can be used as an alternative mounting medium for stained resin-embedded semithin sections. It is colourless and contains a volatile, quick-setting solvent that produces permanent mounts of semithin sections for immediate inspection under the light microscope. Here, we compare the use of cyanoacrylate glue for mounting semithin sections with classical dibutyl phthalate xylene (DPX) in terms of practical usefulness, effectiveness and the quality of the final microscopic image.

Silver deposits in cutaneous burn scar tissue is a common phenomenon following application of a silver dressing.

Background: Silver dressings have been widely and successfully used to prevent cutaneous wounds, including burns, chronic ulcers, dermatitis and other cutaneous conditions, from infection. However, in a few cases, skin discolouration or argyria-like appearances have been reported. This study investigated the level of silver in scar tissue post-burn injury following application of Acticoat, a silver dressing.

The evaluation of a clinical scar scale for porcine burn scars.

This study describes the evaluation of a clinical scar scale for our porcine burn scars, which includes scar cosmetic outcome, colour, height and hair, supplemented with reference porcine scar photographs representing each scar outcome and scar colour scores. A total of 72 porcine burn scars at week 6 after burn were rated in vivo and/or on photographs. Good agreements were achieved for both intra-rater reliability (correlation is 0.

Silver absorption on burns after the application of Acticoat: data from pediatric patients and a porcine burn model.

Silver dressings have been widely used to successfully prevent burn wound infection and sepsis. However, a few case studies have reported the functional abnormality and failure of vital organs, possibly caused by silver deposits. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum silver level in the pediatric burn population and also in several internal organs in a porcine burn model after the application of Acticoat.