Preliminary evidence for therapeutic impact of intravesical glucosamine on protamine sulfate and potassium chloride-induced bladder overactivity in rat model.

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of intravesical glucosamine in treating overactive bladder (OAB).

Methods: Ninety-two female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into 4 groups i.e.

Promotion of ROS-mediated apoptosis, G2/M arrest, and autophagy by naringenin in non-small cell lung cancer.

As lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, the development of new medicines is a crucial endeavor. Naringenin, a flavanone derivative, possesses anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and has been reported to have cytotoxic effects on various cancer cells. The current study investigated the underlying molecular mechanism by which naringenin induces cell death in lung cancer.

CXCL14 promotes metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer through ACKR2-depended signaling pathway.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with metastatic potential. Chemokine ligand 14 (CXCL14) has been reported to be associated with different cancer cell migration and invasion. However, few studies have explored the function of CXCL14 and its specific receptor in lung cancer metastasis.

Bromelain activates the AMP-activated protein kinase-autophagy pathway to alleviate hepatic lipid accumulation.

Bromelain, a cysteine protease found in pineapple, is known to exert protective effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of bromelain using in vivo and in vitro models. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with or without bromelain (20 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks.

Potentiality of impulse oscillometry to evaluate bronchodilator reversibility in untreated adult patients with newly diagnosed asthma.

Background: Identifying positive bronchodilator reversibility (BDR) helps the diagnosis of asthma. However, not all patients can adequately perform the forced expiration during the spirometry test. An alternative test is required.

Influencing factors for tracheostomy in patients with acute traumatic C3-C5 spinal cord injury and acute respiratory failure.

Background: Patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) at C3-C5 have a wide range of tracheostomy rates (27%-75%), and the influencing factors for tracheostomy remain unclear. We conducted a retrospective case-control study to identify the influencing factors for tracheostomy in this subset of patient population.

Methods: A total of 101 acute traumatic C3-C5 SCI patients with acute respiratory failure requiring translaryngeal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for more than 48 hours were identified and divided into the no tracheostomy (No-TCO, n = 59) and tracheostomy group (TCO, n = 42) groups.

Efficacy of intratracheal budesonide-surfactant combined therapy in surfactant-insufficient rat lungs with lipopolysaccharide insult.

Background: Intratracheal steroid therapy for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains challenging particularly in surfactant-insufficient lungs, a common problem of neonatal or pediatric ALI. Surfactant has been used as a vehicle for intratracheal steroid in the treatment of other types of ALI. This study investigated the efficacy of intratracheal budesonide (BUD) delivered by two concentrations of surfactant in the treatment of LPS-induced ALI in surfactant-insufficient rat lungs.

Role of TRPA1 in Tissue Damage and Kidney Disease.

TRPA1, a nonselective cation channel, is expressed in sensory afferent that innervates peripheral targets. Neuronal TRPA1 can promote tissue repair, remove harmful stimuli and induce protective responses via the release of neuropeptides after the activation of the channel by chemical, exogenous, or endogenous irritants in the injured tissue. However, chronic inflammation after repeated noxious stimuli may result in the development of several diseases.

Renal Tubular Epithelial TRPA1 Acts as An Oxidative Stress Sensor to Mediate Ischemia-Reperfusion-Induced Kidney Injury through MAPKs/NF-κB Signaling.

Oxidative stress and inflammation play important roles in the pathophysiology of acute kidney injury (AKI). Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is a Ca2+-permeable ion channel that is sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS). The role of TRPA1 in AKI remains unclear.

Lung Epithelial TRPA1 Mediates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Lung Inflammation in Bronchial Epithelial Cells and Mice.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 was originally thought to be the sole pattern recognition receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), a Ca-permeant channel, has been suggested as a non-TLR receptor membrane-bound sensor of LPS. We recently reported that TRPA1 is expressed in lung epithelial cells (LECs) and mediates lung inflammation induced by cigarette smoke.

Food preservative sorbic acid deregulates hepatic fatty acid metabolism.

Sorbic acid (SA) is one of the most commonly used food preservatives worldwide. Despite SA having no hepatotoxicity at legal dosages, its effect on hepatic lipid metabolism is still unclear. We investigated the effect of SA on hepatic lipid metabolism and its mechanism of action in C57BL/6 mice.

Bromelain Confers Protection against the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Male C57bl/6 Mice.

We aimed to investigate the effect of bromelain, the extract from stems of pineapples on the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced deregulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and its underlying mechanism in mice. Mice were daily administrated with HFD with or without bromelain (20 mg/kg) for 12 weeks, and we found that bromelain decreased the HFD-induced increase in body weight by ~30%, organ weight by ~20% in liver weight and ~40% in white adipose tissue weight. Additionally, bromelain attenuated HFD-induced hyperlipidemia by decreasing the serum level of total cholesterol by ~15% and triglycerides level by ~25% in mice.

TLC388 Induces DNA Damage and G2 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.

TLC388, a camptothecin-derivative targeting topoisomerase I, is a potential anticancer drug. In this study, its effect on A549 and H838 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells was investigated. Cell viability and proliferation were determined by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide and clonogenic assays, respectively, and cell cycle analysis and detection of phosphorylated histone H3 (Ser10) were performed by flow cytometry.

Renal Tubular TRPA1 as a Risk Factor for Recovery of Renal Function from Acute Tubular Necrosis.

Background: Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), a redox-sensing Ca-influx channel, serves as a gatekeeper for inflammation. However, the role of TRPA1 in kidney injury remains elusive.

Methods: The retrospective cohort study recruited 46 adult patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and biopsy-proven acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and followed them up for more than three months.

Wasabi Compound 6-(Methylsulfinyl) Hexyl Isothiocyanate Induces Cell Death with Coexisting Mitotic Arrest and Autophagy in Human Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia K562 Cells.

A natural compound from , 6-(methylsulfinyl) hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC) was investigated for its anti-leukemia activity and mechanism of action. It was found that 6-MITC inhibited the viability of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells along with extensive mitotic arrest, spindle multipolarity, and cytoplasmic vacuole accumulation. The evidence of autophagy included the validation of autophagosomes with double-layered membranes under transmission electron microscopy, LC3I/II conversion, and the induction of G2/M phase arrest observed with acridine orange staining of treated cells, as well as the elevation of phosphorylated-histone H3 expression at the M phase.

Expression of IL-1β, HMGB1, HO-1, and LDH in malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions.

IL-1β, HMGB1, HO-1, and LDH in the pleural effusions (PE) of patients with transudative, infectious, and malignant etiologies were determined using ELISA and enzymatic assays. IL-1β, HMGB1, HO-1, and LDH showed significant differences between the three etiologies. Post-hoc analysis revealed higher levels of HO-1 and HMGB1 in infectious versus transudative effusion.

Opposite effects of statins on the risk of tuberculosis and herpes zoster in patients with diabetes: A population-based cohort study.

Unlabelled: It remains uncertain whether statin use is associated with the risks of tuberculosis (TB) and herpes zoster in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study aims to assess the effects of statins vs nonstatin lipid-lowering agents on the risk of these infectious diseases in patients with diabetes.

Methods: Participants in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2001-2013 were classified as statin users, nonstatin users and lipid-lowering drug-free groups.

The detrimental effect of asymmetric dimethylarginine on cholesterol efflux of macrophage foam cells: Role of the NOX/ROS signaling.

Background: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and has been proposed to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about its role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effect of ADMA on cholesterol metabolism and its underlying molecular mechanism.

Prolonged use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation after extubation among patients in the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery: The predictors and its impact on patient outcome.

This retrospective, observational cohort study aimed to determine the independent risk factors and impact of prolonged non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) after extubation among patients in the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery. Patients who received prophylactic NIPPV after extubation were categorized into prolonged (NIPPV duration >3 days, n = 83) and non-prolonged groups (NIPPV duration ≤3 days, n = 105). The perioperative characteristics and hospital outcomes were recorded.

Post-intensive care unit respiratory failure in older patients liberated from intensive care unit and ventilator: The predictive value of the National Early Warning Score on intensive care unit discharge.

Aim: The older adult population is continuously growing worldwide and there is increasing use of medical recourse in older patients, especially for those requiring intensive care unit (ICU) care and mechanical ventilation (MV). The present study aimed to investigate the burden and predictors of post-ICU respiratory failure in older ICU patients weaned from MV.

Methods: In the present retrospective study, older ICU patients aged ≥60 years, who were successfully weaned from MV and discharged to the general ward from the ICU of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2011, were included.

Menthol Cigarette Smoke Induces More Severe Lung Inflammation Than Non-menthol Cigarette Smoke Does in Mice With Subchronic Exposure - Role of TRPM8.

In smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, more severe lung inflammation is associated with menthol cigarette smoking compared to non-menthol cigarette smoking. However, the mechanisms remain unclear. Menthol is an activator of transient receptor potential melastatin-8 (TRPM8), which is also sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Glycopyrronium bromide inhibits lung inflammation and small airway remodeling induced by subchronic cigarette smoke exposure in mice.

The effects of long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists (LAMAs) have not been evaluated in a model with simultaneous lung inflammation and small airway remodeling induced by cigarette smoke (CS). We exposed the mice to CS for four weeks with daily treatment with a LAMA (glycopyrronium bromide, NVA237) or its vehicle. Human bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) and lung fibroblasts were exposed to CS extract (CSE) or acetylcholine with or without NVA237 treatment.

The Risk of TB in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Initiating Metformin vs Sulfonylurea Treatment.

Background: Metformin and the sulfonylureas are common initial antidiabetic agents; the former has demonstrated anti-TB action in in vitro and animal studies. The comparative effect of metformin vs the sulfonylureas on TB risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients without chronic kidney disease who received a T2DM diagnosis during 2003 to 2013 were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.