CT-measured lung air-trapping is associated with higher carotid artery stiffness in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Early stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized by the loss and narrowing of terminal bronchioles in the lung, resulting in "air-trapping," often occurring before overt emphysema manifests. Individuals with an airway-predominant phenotype of COPD display extensive lung air-trapping and are at greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than COPD patients with an emphysema-predominant phenotype. We hypothesized that the degree of computed tomography (CT)-quantified lung air-trapping would be associated with greater aortic and carotid artery stiffness and lower endothelial function, known biomarkers of CVD risk.

Femoral vascular conductance and peroneal muscle sympathetic nerve activity responses to acute epidural spinal cord stimulation in humans.

New Findings: What is the central question of this research? Does acute spinal cord stimulation increase vascular conductance and decrease muscle sympathetic nerve activity in the lower limbs of humans? What is the main finding and its importance? Acute spinal cord stimulation led to a rapid rise in femoral vascular conductance, and peroneal muscle sympathetic nerve activity demonstrated a delayed reduction that was not associated with the initial increase in femoral vascular conductance. These findings suggest that neural mechanisms in addition to attenuated muscle sympathetic nerve activity might be involved in the initial increase in femoral vascular conductance during acute spinal cord stimulation.

Abstract: Clinical cases have indicated an increase in peripheral blood flow after continuous epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and that reduced muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) might be a potential mechanism.

Nervous System Expression of PPARγ and Mutant PPARγ Has Profound Effects on Metabolic Regulation and Brain Development.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPARγ) is a nuclear receptor transcription factor that regulates adipogenesis and energy homeostasis. Recent studies suggest PPARγ may mediate some of its metabolic effects through actions in the brain. We used a Cre-recombinase-dependent (using Nestin) conditionally activatable transgene expressing either wild-type (WT) or dominant-negative (P467L) PPARγ to examine mechanisms by which PPARγ in the nervous system controls energy balance.

mTORC1 Signaling Contributes to Drinking But Not Blood Pressure Responses to Brain Angiotensin II.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a molecular node that couples extracellular cues to a wide range of cellular events controlling various physiological processes. Here, we identified mTORC1 signaling as a critical mediator of angiotensin II (Ang II) action in the brain. In neuronal GT1-7 cells, we show that Ang II stimulates neuronal mTORC1 signaling in an Ang II type 1 receptor-dependent manner.

Enlargement and hypervascularity of both the epididymis and testis do not exclude involvement with lymphoma or leukemia.

We present 3 cases of diffuse infiltration of the testes and epididymides by malignant lymphoma and leukemia. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonograms showed diffuse hypoechoic enlargement and hypervascularity of the involved testes and epididymides. The authors emphasize that enlargement and hypervascularity of both the epididymis and testis can be caused by lymphomatous/leukemic involvement and is not always indicative of epididymo-orchitis.

Gas-forming abdominal wall abscess: unusual manifestation of perforated retroperitoneal appendicitis extending through the superior lumbar triangle.

We present a case of an extensive gas-forming abdominal wall abscess secondary to ruptured retroperitoneal appendicitis in a diabetic patient. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a retroperitoneal abscess extending to the abdominal subcutaneous tissue through the superior lumbar triangle pathway, a known anatomical defect of the lumbar musculature. This case not only represents an unusual manifestation of acute appendicitis, but also alerts us to the importance of anatomical considerations in the imaging interpretation of disease extent.