Publications by authors named "S A Thom"
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how human subjects react to elevated pressures of helium and nitrogen, focusing on inflammatory and oxidative stress responses.
- Both gases activated neutrophils and led to slight increases in inflammatory markers and urinary IL-6, alongside a decrease in plasma gelsolin, indicating an inflammatory response.
- The results suggest that typical diving gas exposure can trigger inflammation, which might contribute to decompression sickness, while the mixed oxidative stress responses imply complex interactions within the body's systems.
Aberrant activation of NLRP3 due to persistent tissue damage, misfolded proteins or crystal deposits has been linked to multiple chronic inflammatory disorders such as cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), neurodegenerative diseases, gouty arthritis, and numerous others. Hence, there has been an increasing interest in NLRP3 inhibitors as therapeutics. A first generation of NLRP3 inhibitors bearing a sulfonylurea core such as MCC950 (developed by Pfizer) were discovered by phenotypic screening, however their mode of action was only elucidated later.
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- Research examines how tunnel workers experience high pressure exposure compared to SCUBA divers, focusing on inflammation linked to decompression sickness (DCS).
- Despite longer high-pressure exposure in tunnel workers (4.1-4.9 hours) versus shorter exposure for divers (0.61 hours), blood analysis showed similar increases in blood microparticles and interleukin levels for both groups.
- Neutrophil counts and activation were significantly higher in tunnel workers, indicating that while microparticle levels stabilize quickly, neutrophil activation requires more time under high pressure conditions.
Article Synopsis
- Recent research challenges the traditional view that decompression sickness (DCS) is solely linked to nitrogen bubbles in the body, as bubble presence doesn't always match DCS severity.
- The study tested how different gas pressures affected immune responses in human lung-on-a-chip models, focusing on immune cell reactions under pressurized conditions.
- Findings indicate that heightened levels of oxygen and nitrogen can trigger significant immune activation within just one hour, implying that immune reactions at high pressure may play a role in developing DCS.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the role of plasma gelsolin (pGSN), a protein that breaks down actin filaments, in inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in a mouse model of decompression sickness (DCS).
- - Mice exposed to high pressure showed a significant decrease in pGSN levels and increased inflammatory microparticles (MPs), which led to neuroinflammation and cognitive/motor function impairments lasting over 12 days.
- - Administering recombinant human plasma gelsolin (rhu-pGSN) effectively reduced inflammation, restored synaptic protein levels, and improved neurological function, suggesting that rhu-pGSN could be a potential treatment for DCS.