MITOCHONDRIA-ASSOCIATED MEMBRANES ARE NOT ALTERED IN IMMUNE CELLS IN T2D.

Metabolism research is increasingly recognizing the contributions of organelle crosstalk to metabolic regulation. Mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), which are structures connecting the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), are critical in a myriad of cellular functions linked to cellular metabolism. MAMs control calcium signaling, mitochondrial transport, redox balance, protein folding/degradation, and in some studies, metabolic health.

Emerging concepts in alcohol, infection & immunity: A summary of the 2023 alcohol and immunology research interest group (AIRIG) meeting.

On December 8th 2023, the annual Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting was held at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. The 2023 meeting focused broadly on how acute and chronic alcohol exposure leads to immune dysregulation, and how this contributes to damage in multiple tissues and organs. These include impaired lung immunity, intestinal dysfunction, autoimmunity, the gut-Central Nervous System (CNS) axis, and end-organ damage.

Unfolded Von Willebrand Factor Binds Protein S and Reduces Anticoagulant Activity.

Protein S (PS), the critical plasma cofactor for the anticoagulants tissue factor (TF) pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and activated protein C (APC), circulates in two functionally distinct pools: free (anticoagulant) or bound to complement component 4b-binding protein (C4BP) (anti-inflammatory). Acquired free PS deficiency is detected in several viral infections, but its cause is unclear. Here, we identified a shear-dependent interaction between PS and von Willebrand Factor (VWF) by mass spectrometry.

Deep learning, 3D ultrastructural analysis reveals quantitative differences in platelet and organelle packing in COVID-19/SARSCoV2 patient-derived platelets.

Platelets contribute to COVID-19 clinical manifestations, of which microclotting in the pulmonary vasculature has been a prominent symptom. To investigate the potential diagnostic contributions of overall platelet morphology and their α-granules and mitochondria to the understanding of platelet hyperactivation and micro-clotting, we undertook a 3D ultrastructural approach. Because differences might be small, we used the high-contrast, high-resolution technique of focused ion beam scanning EM (FIB-SEM) and employed deep learning computational methods to evaluate nearly 600 individual platelets and 30 000 included organelles within three healthy controls and three severely ill COVID-19 patients.

Post-intensive care syndrome and pulmonary fibrosis in patients surviving ARDS-pneumonia of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 etiologies.

The purpose was to examine patient-centered outcomes and the occurrence of lung fibrotic changes on Chest computed tomography (CT) imaging following pneumonia-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We sought to investigate outpatient clinic chest CT imaging in survivors of COVID19-related ARDS and non-COVID-related ARDS, to determine group differences and explore relationships between lung fibrotic changes and functional outcomes. A retrospective practice analysis of electronic health records at an ICU Recovery Clinic in a tertiary academic medical center was performed in adult patients surviving ARDS due to COVID-19 and non-COVID etiologies.

Assessment of Opioid-Induced Immunomodulation in Experimental and Clinical Sepsis.

Unlabelled: Opioids remain a standard supportive therapy in patients admitted to the ICU with sepsis. However, as preclinical models indicate an association between opioid exposure and immunosuppression, the use of this class of drugs warrants investigation. The objective of this study was to investigate whether opioid exposure causes immunosuppression in patients with sepsis, and to use a murine sepsis model to determine the effects of opioid exposure on secondary infection.

A reflection on noncognitive factors affecting spatial cognitive testing: Examples from nonmodel species.

Probing for spatial cognitive processes in model rodent species has a long history in the psychological literature, with well-established protocols and paradigms successfully revealing the mechanisms underlying spatial learning and memory. There has also been much interest in examining the ecological and evolutionary context of spatial cognition, with a focus on how selection has molded spatial cognitive abilities in nonmodel species, how spatial cognitive traits vary across species, the neural mechanisms underlying spatial cognitive abilities, and the fitness outcomes of spatial cognition. Behavioral ecologists have been able to take advantage of paradigms from experimental psychology's rich history of spatial cognitive testing for use in nonmodel species.

Simple, accurate calculation of mechanical power in pressure controlled ventilation (PCV).

Background: Mechanical power is a promising new metric to assess energy transfer from a mechanical ventilator to a patient, which combines the contributions of multiple parameters into a single comprehensive value. However, at present, most ventilators are not capable of calculating mechanical power automatically, so there is a need for a simple equation that can be used to estimate this parameter at the bedside. For volume-controlled ventilation (VCV), excellent equations exist for calculating power from basic ventilator parameters, but for pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV), an accurate, easy-to-use equation has been elusive.

The Influence of an Enriched Environment in Enhancing Recognition Memory in Zebrafish ().

Environmental enrichment is used to increase social and physical stimulation for animals in captivity which can lead to enhanced cognition. Fundamental to the positive effect enrichment has on the brain is that it provides opportunities for captive animals to recognize and discriminate between different stimuli in the environment. In the wild, being able to discriminate between novel or familiar stimuli has implications for survival, for example finding food, hiding from predators, or even choosing a mate.

Mechanical Power: A New Concept in Mechanical Ventilation.

Mechanical ventilation is a potentially life-saving therapy for patients with acute lung injury, but the ventilator itself may cause lung injury. Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is sometimes an unfortunate consequence of mechanical ventilation. It is not clear however how best to minimize VILI through adjustment of various parameters including tidal volume, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP).

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Regulation of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 and Tissue Renin-Angiotensin Systems: Influence of Biologic Sex.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an enzyme that limits activity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and also serves as a receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein. Binding of S protein to ACE2 causes internalization which activates local RAS. ACE2 is on the X chromosome and its expression is regulated by sex hormones.

Eosinophilia and fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels in chronic obstructive lung disease.

Introduction: COPD is a heterogeneous disorder with varied phenotypes. We aimed to determine the prevalence of asthma history, peripheral eosinophilia and elevated FeNO levels along with the diagnostic utility of peripheral eosinophilia in identifying airway eosinophilic inflammation.

Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data were analysed for the study period 2007-2010.

Striatal dopamine mediates hallucination-like perception in mice.

Hallucinations, a central symptom of psychotic disorders, are attributed to excessive dopamine in the brain. However, the neural circuit mechanisms by which dopamine produces hallucinations remain elusive, largely because hallucinations have been challenging to study in model organisms. We developed a task to quantify hallucination-like perception in mice.

"What you see may not be what you get": Reverse contingency and perceived loss aversion in pigeons.

The reverse-contingency task is a task in which one is given a choice between two rewards, but one receives the larger amount only if one chooses the smaller amount. This task is very difficult for chimpanzees unless the choice is between symbolic representations of the amounts. We found that pigeons can learn this task easily, if the reward amounts are associated with distinctive colors and the choice is delayed by 5 s.

Ceramide in apoptosis and oxidative stress in allergic inflammation and asthma.

Background: Nothing is known about the mechanisms by which increased ceramide levels in the lung contribute to allergic responses and asthma severity.

Objective: We sought to investigate the functional role of ceramide in mouse models of allergic airway disease that recapitulate the cardinal clinical features of human allergic asthma.

Methods: Allergic airway disease was induced in mice by repeated intranasal administration of house dust mite or the fungal allergen Alternaria alternata.

Recovery from COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: the potential role of an intensive care unit recovery clinic: a case report.

Background: In this case report, we describe the trajectory of recovery of a young, healthy patient diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the potential role of intensive care unit recovery or follow-up clinics for patients surviving acute hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019.

Case Presentation: Our patient was a 27-year-old Caucasian woman with a past medical history of asthma transferred from a community hospital to our medical intensive care unit for acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to bilateral pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation (ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fraction of inspired oxygen, 180).

ENDS use among college students: Salivary biomarkers and persistent cough.

Though e-cigarette aerosol has been associated with altered lung cell function, few studies have examined the effects of use on immune response and respiratory symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine if recent persistent cough or cytokine levels are related to Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) use in college students. In April 2019, 61 undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky completed surveys and provided a salivary sample to evaluate cytokine levels (Interleukin (IL-) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13 and TNFα, INFγ), using quota sampling to obtain comparable numbers of ENDS users and non-ENDS users.

A Standardized Protocol for Preference Testing to Assess Fish Welfare.

Animal welfare assessment techniques try to take into consideration the specific needs and wants of the animal in question. Providing enrichment (the addition of physical objects or conspecifics in the housing environment) is often a way to give captive animals the opportunity to choose who or what they interact with and how they spend their time. A fundamental component of the aquatic environment that is often overlooked in captivity, however, is the ability for the animal to choose to engage in physical exercise.

Mast Cells Are Mediators of Fibrosis and Effector Cell Recruitment in Dermal Chronic Graft-vs.-Host Disease.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) is often used to treat acute leukemia or defects of hematopoiesis. Its widespread use is hampered by graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), which has high morbidity and mortality in both acute and chronic subtypes.