Clinical Application Value of Pharmacokinetic Parameters of Vancomycin in Children Treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of vancomycin as measured by pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters in children with severe infection in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and to determine the appropriate threshold for avoiding nephrotoxicity.

Methods: The medical records of hospitalized children with severe infection treated with vancomycin in the PICU of a tertiary pediatric hospital from September 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively collected. Univariate analysis was used to assess the correlation between vancomycin pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters and therapeutic efficacy or vancomycin-related nephrotoxicity.

Antenatal exposure to betamethasone induces placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 expression and the adult metabolic disorders in mice.

Antenatal overexposure to glucocorticoids causes fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and adult metabolic disorders. 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) 1 and 2 are key enzymes for glucocorticoid metabolism, however, the detailed effects of antenatal overexposure to glucocorticoids on placental 11β-HSD1 and 2 expression and adult metabolic disorders remain obscure. Here, we report that, in placenta 11β-HSD1 is diffusely localized, whereas 11β-HSD2 is specifically expressed in labyrinthine layer.

Up-regulation of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 Expression by Hedgehog Ligand Contributes to the Conversion of Cortisol Into Cortisone.

The cortisol-inactivating enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) that catalyzes the intracellular inactivation of glucocorticoids plays a pivotal role in human pregnant maintenance and normal fetal development. Given the fact that the main components of Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway are predominantly expressed in syncytial layer of human placental villi where 11β-HSD2 is robustly expressed, in the present study, we have investigated the potential roles and underlying mechanisms of HH signaling in 11β-HSD2 expression. Activation of HH signaling by a variety of approaches robustly induced 11β-HSD2 expression as well as the 11β-HSD2 activity, whereas suppression of HH signaling significantly attenuated 11β-HSD2 expression as well as the 11β-HSD2 activity in both human primary cytotrophoblasts and trophoblast-like BeWo cells.

Glioma-associated Oncogene 2 Is Essential for Trophoblastic Fusion by Forming a Transcriptional Complex with Glial Cell Missing-a.

Cell-cell fusion of human villous trophoblasts, referred to as a process of syncytialization, acts as a prerequisite for the proper development and functional maintenance of the human placenta. Given the fact that the main components of the Hedgehog signaling pathway are expressed predominantly in the syncytial layer of human placental villi, in this study, we investigated the potential roles and underlying mechanisms of Hedgehog signaling in trophoblastic fusion. Activation of Hedgehog signaling by a variety of approaches robustly induced cell fusion and the expression of syncytial markers, whereas suppression of Hedgehog signaling significantly attenuated cell fusion and the expression of syncytial markers in both human primary cytotrophoblasts and trophoblast-like BeWo cells.

Hedgehog signaling through GLI1 and GLI2 is required for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human trophoblasts.

Background: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical for human placental development, trophoblastic differentiation, and pregnancy-associated diseases. Here, we investigated the effects of hedgehog (HH) signaling on EMT in human trophoblasts, and further explored the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Human primary cytotrophoblasts and trophoblast-like JEG-3 cells were used as in vitro models.

Hedgehog signaling stimulates the conversion of cholesterol to steroids.

Cholesterol modification of Hedgehog (Hh) ligands is fundamental for the activity of Hh signaling, and cholesterol biosynthesis is also required for intracellular Hh signaling transduction. Here, we investigated the roles and underlying mechanism of Hh signaling in metabolism of cholesterol. The main components of the Hh pathway are abundantly expressed in both human cytotrophoblasts and trophoblast-like cells.