Publications by authors named "W W Tourtellotte"

Background: Delirium affects 50-85% of patients on mechanical ventilation and is associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and a three-fold higher risk of dementia. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, exhibit both neuroprotective and neurotoxic functions; however, their effects in mechanical ventilation-induced acute lung injury (VILI) are unknown. We hypothesize that in a model of short-term VILI, microglia play a neuroprotective role to ameliorate delirium-like phenotypes.

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  • * In a study of 982 cancer patients from 2020 to 2023, most received the initial vaccine and one booster, but the uptake for the newer bivalent booster was significantly low at only 30.1%.
  • * Despite low booster rates, nearly all participants showed improved immune responses after receiving at least two boosters, and those who got boosted had a lower risk of mortality, highlighting the need for better strategies to encourage vaccinations among this vulnerable group.
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  • * Researchers analyzed retinal samples from AD patients (both mild cognitive impairment and dementia) and matched controls, finding significant increases in various tau isoforms, particularly in advanced AD cases.
  • * Strong correlations were identified between specific retinal tau isoforms and brain pathology, indicating that changes in the retina could reflect the severity of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in AD patients.
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The global scientific response to COVID 19 highlighted the urgent need for increased throughput and capacity in bioanalytical laboratories, especially for the precise quantification of proteins that pertain to health and disease. Acoustic ejection mass spectrometry (AEMS) represents a much-needed paradigm shift for ultra-fast biomarker screening. Here, a quantitative AEMS assays is presented, employing peptide immunocapture to enrich (i) 10 acute phase response (APR) protein markers from plasma, and (ii) SARS-CoV-2 NCAP peptides from nasopharyngeal swabs.

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As part of the classical renin-angiotensin system, the peptidase angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) makes angiotensin II which has myriad effects on systemic cardiovascular function, inflammation, and cellular proliferation. Less well known is that macrophages and neutrophils make ACE in response to immune activation which has marked effects on myeloid cell function independent of angiotensin II. Here, we discuss both classical (angiotensin) and nonclassical functions of ACE and highlight mice called ACE 10/10 in which genetic manipulation increases ACE expression by macrophages and makes these mice much more resistant to models of tumors, infection, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

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