Etiology-dependent impairment of relaxation kinetics in right ventricular end-stage failing human myocardium.

Background: In patients with end-stage heart failure, the primary etiology often originates in the left ventricle, and eventually the contractile function of the right ventricle (RV) also becomes compromised. RV tissue-level deficits in contractile force and/or kinetics need quantification to understand involvement in ischemic and non-ischemic failing human myocardium.

Methods And Results: The human population suffering from heart failure is diverse, requiring many subjects to be studied in order to perform an adequately powered statistical analysis.

Exposure to a Social Stressor Induces Translocation of Commensal Lactobacilli to the Spleen and Priming of the Innate Immune System.

Studies have shown that exposure to psychological stressors leads to inflammation throughout the body. This has been widely studied using social disruption (SDR), a social stressor that involves repeated social defeat in subordinate mice. Exposure to SDR increases serum cytokine levels, results in accumulation of spleen CD11b myeloid cells, and primes macrophages for increased cytokine and microbicidal activity.

Differential involvement of various sources of reactive oxygen species in thyroxin-induced hemodynamic changes and contractile dysfunction of the heart and diaphragm muscles.

Thyroid hormones are key regulators of basal metabolic state and oxidative metabolism. Hyperthyroidism has been reported to cause significant alterations in hemodynamics, and in cardiac and diaphragm muscle functions, all of which have been linked to increased oxidative stress. However, the definite source of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) in each of these phenotypes is still unknown.

SapF-mediated heme-iron utilization enhances persistence and coordinates biofilm architecture of Haemophilus.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is a common commensal bacterium that resides in the human upper respiratory tract of healthy individuals. NTHI is also a known causative agent of multiple diseases including sinusitis, otitis media, as well as exacerbates disease severity of patients with cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We have previously shown that the Sap transporter mediates resistance to host antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and import of the iron-containing compound heme.