Bridging Energy Need and Feeding Behavior: The Impact of eIF2α Phosphorylation in AgRP Neurons.

Unlabelled: Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) is a key mediator of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced unfolded protein response (UPR). In mammals, eIF2α is phosphorylated by overnutrition-induced ER stress and is related to the development of obesity. Here, we studied the function of phosphorylated eIF2α (p-eIF2α) in agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons using a mouse model (AgRPeIF2αA/A) with an AgRP neuron-specific substitution from Ser 51 to Ala in eIF2α, which impairs eIF2α phosphorylation in AgRP neurons.

Performance Evaluation of AFIAS ST2 and Ichroma ST2 Assays in Comparison with Presage ST2 Assay.

Background: Elevated soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) levels may predict mortality in heart failure (HF) patients. The AFIAS ST2 assay (AFIAS ST2, Boditech Med Inc., Chuncheon, Korea) and ichroma ST2 assay (ichroma ST2, Boditech Med Inc.

Postmortem injury evaluation using the Forensic Injury Severity Score Template (FISST): a preliminary study.

The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) are important evaluation tools used in clinical practice to determine the degree of injury in patients with trauma. However, they are not suitable for forensic practice and their use in forensic applications is limited. This study aimed to present a system that can objectively and quantitatively determine the severity of postmortem injuries and that can be applied to forensic medicine.

Clinical Impact of Recipient-Derived Isoagglutinin Levels in ABO-Incompatible Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

ABO incompatibility is not considered a contraindication for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We hypothesized that recipient-derived isoagglutinin (RDI) levels could play a critical role in clinical outcomes. In this study, we compared clinical outcomes such as survival, GVHD, infection, relapse, transfusion, and engraftment, among ABO-compatible patients (ABOc), ABO-incompatible patients (ABOi) with low RDI, and ABOi patients with high RDI.

Hypothalamic TTF-1 orchestrates the sensitivity of leptin.

Objective: Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), a homeodomain-containing transcription factor, is predominantly expressed in discrete areas of the hypothalamus, which acts as the central unit for the regulation of whole-body energy homeostasis. Current study designed to identify the roles of TTF-1 on the responsiveness of the hypothalamic circuit activity to circulating leptin and the development of obesity linked to the insensitivity of leptin.

Methods: We generated conditional knock-out mice by crossing TTF-1 mice with leptin receptor (ObRb) or proopiomelanocortin (POMC) transgenic mice to interrogate the contributions of TTF-1 in leptin signaling and activity.

Transcriptional Regulatory Role of NELL2 in Preproenkephalin Gene Expression.

Preproenkephalin (PPE) is a precursor molecule for multiple endogenous opioid peptides Leu-enkephalin (ENK) and Met-ENK, which are involved in a wide variety of modulatory functions in the nervous system. Despite the functional importance of ENK in the brain, the effect of brain-derived factor(s) on PPE expression is unknown. We report the dual effect of neural epidermal growth factor (EGF)-likelike 2 (NELL2) on PPE gene expression.

Spexin Regulates Hypothalamic Leptin Action on Feeding Behavior.

Spexin (SPX) is a recently identified neuropeptide that is believed to play an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Here, we describe a mediating function of SPX in hypothalamic leptin action. Intracerebroventricular (icv) SPX administration induced a decrease in food intake and body weight gain.

"The armor phenomenon" in obese patients with penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Obesity represents a growing global health threat, which generally portends increased morbidity and mortality in the context of traumatic injuries. We hypothesized that there may exist a protective effect related to increased weight and truncal girth provided for obese patients in penetrating torso injuries, although this may not exert a significant positive impact overall upon clinical outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted across five databases up to March 2021 (Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane library) to examine the effect of obesity on penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries.

Transcription Factor TonEBP Stimulates Hyperosmolality-Dependent Arginine Vasopressin Gene Expression in the Mouse Hypothalamus.

The hypothalamic neuroendocrine system is strongly implicated in body energy homeostasis. In particular, the degree of production and release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the hypothalamus is affected by plasma osmolality, and that hypothalamic AVP is responsible for thirst and osmolality-dependent water and metabolic balance. However, the osmolality-responsive intracellular mechanism within AVP cells that regulates AVP synthesis is not clearly understood.

Performance of digital morphology analyzer Vision Pro on white blood cell differentials.

Objectives: Vision Pro (West Medica, Perchtoldsdorf, Austria) is a recently developed digital morphology analyzer. We evaluated the performance of Vision Pro on white blood cell (WBC) differentials.

Methods: In a total of 200 peripheral blood smear samples (100 normal and 100 abnormal samples), WBC preclassification and reclassification by Vision Pro were evaluated and compared with manual WBC count, according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines (H20-A2).

Function of astrocyte MyD88 in high-fat-diet-induced hypothalamic inflammation.

Background: A growing body of evidence shows that hypothalamic inflammation is an important factor in the initiation of obesity. In particular, reactive gliosis accompanied by inflammatory responses in the hypothalamus are pivotal cellular events that elicit metabolic abnormalities. In this study, we examined whether MyD88 signaling in hypothalamic astrocytes controls reactive gliosis and inflammatory responses, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of obesity.

Automation of Harboe method for the measurement of plasma free hemoglobin.

Background: Although plasma free hemoglobin (fHb) test is important for assessing intravascular hemolysis, it is still dependent on the gold standard Harboe method using manual and labor-intensive spectrometric measurements at the wavelength of 380-415-450 nm. We established an automated fHb assay using a routine chemistry autoanalyzer that can be tuned to a wavelength of 380-416-450 nm.

Methods: The linearity, precision, accuracy, correlation, and sample carryover of fHb measurement using TBA200FRneo method and manual Harboe method were evaluated, respectively.

Tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) regulates TNF-α-induced hypothalamic inflammation.

Tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) is a widely expressed transcription factor and is important in the regulation of inflammatory cytokines. Here, we have identified TonEBP expression in the hypothalamus, which is particularly high in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. TonEBP overexpression stimulates POMC transcription, and TonEBP haploinsufficiency in TonEBP (+/-) mice results in a decrease in hypothalamic POMC expression.

A Role of Central NELL2 in the Regulation of Feeding Behavior in Rats.

A brain-enriched secreting signal peptide, NELL2, has been suggested to play multiple roles in the development, survival, and activity of neurons in mammal. We investigated here a possible involvement of central NELL2 in regulating feeding behavior and metabolism. hybridization and an im-munohistochemical approach were used to determine expression of NELL2 as well as its colocalization with proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the rat hypothalamus.

Estimating the removal efficiency of refractory dissolved organic matter in wastewater treatment plants using a fluorescence technique.

The spectroscopic characteristics and relative distribution of refractory dissolved organic matter (R-DOM) in sewage have been investigated using the influent and the effluent samples collected from 15 large-scale biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Correlation between the characteristics of the influent and the final removal efficiency was also examined. Enhancement of specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) and a higher R-DOM distribution ratio were observed for the effluent DOM compared with the influent DOM.

Estimation of biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand for combined sewer systems using synchronous fluorescence spectra.

Real-time monitoring of water quality for sewer system is required for efficient sewer network design because it provides information on the precise loading of pollutant to wastewater treatment facilities and the impact of loading on receiving water. In this study, synchronous fluorescence spectra and its first derivatives were investigated using a number of wastewater samples collected in sewer systems in urban and non-urban areas, and the optimum fluorescence feature was explored for the estimation of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations of sewer samples. The temporal variations in BOD and COD showed a regular pattern for urban areas whereas they were relatively irregular for non-urban areas.

Spectroscopic and chromatographic characterization of wastewater organic matter from a biological treatment plant.

Spectroscopic and chromatographic changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics of influent and treated sewage were investigated for a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a biological advanced process. Refractory DOM (R-DOM) was defined as the dissolved organic carbon concentrations of the samples after 28-day incubation for this study. Specific UV absorbance (SUVA), hydrophobicity, synchronous fluorescence spectra and molecular weight (MW) distributions were selected as DOM characteristics.

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate decreases tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced fractalkine expression in endothelial cells by suppressing NF-kappaB.

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the main catechin in green tea, has anti-oxidant, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Fractalkine, a chemokine involved in inflammation and early atherosclerotic processes, acts as a chemoattractant as well as an adhesion molecule in endothelial cells activated by proinflammatory cytokines. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EGCG on fractalkine expression in TNF-alpha-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

COMP-angiopoietin-1 decreases lipopolysaccharide-induced acute kidney injury.

During sepsis endothelial dysfunction is an important pathogenetic mechanism in acute kidney injury (AKI). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia is associated with renal hemodynamic changes such as alterations of renal blood flow (RBF), vascular resistance, and glomerular filtration rate. We used adenoviral delivery of an engineered variant of native angiopoietin-1 (COMP-angiopoietin-1) containing anti-inflammatory and anti-permeability functions, to determine if regulation of renal endothelial cell dysfunction may have a beneficial role in preventing AKI during LPS-induced endotoxemia in mice.