85; 95% confidence

interval[CI] = 1 03-3 32) and in using

85; 95% confidence

interval[CI] = 1.03-3.32) and in using an interpreter (OR = 3.97; 95% CI = 1.19-13.31). Formal training on using interpreters was also associated with high self-efficacy in interpreter use(OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.22-2.14).\n\nConclusions Many residents who care for patients with LEP have never received educational sessions on interpreter use. Such training is associated with high self-efficacy click here and may enhance patient-provider communication. Incorporating this training into residency programs is necessary to equip providers with skills to communicate with patients and families with LEP.”
“Objective: To assess the impact of postoperative complications on the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy. Background: Randomized trials have demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with improved long-term survival. However, pancreatic surgery is associated

with significant morbidity and the degree to which complications limit subsequent treatment CP 456773 options is unknown. Methods: Patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the National Cancer Data Base who underwent pancreatic resection for cancer were linked (2006-2009). The associations between complications and adjuvant chemotherapy use or treatment delay ( bigger than = 70 days from surgery) were assessed using multivariable regression methods. Results: From 149 hospitals, 2047 patients underwent resection for stage I-III pancreatic adenocarcinoma of which 23.2% had at least 1 serious complication. Overall adjuvant chemotherapy receipt was 57.7%: 61.8% among patients not experiencing any complication and 43.6% among those who had a serious complication. Serious complications increased the likelihood of not receiving adjuvant therapy over twofold [odds ratio (OR) = 2.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.73-2.80]. Specific complications

associated with adjuvant chemotherapy omission were reintubation (OR = 7.79, 95% CI: 3.59-16.87), prolonged ventilation (OR = 5.92, 95% CI: 3.23-10.86), pneumonia (OR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.63-4.90), sepsis/shock (OR EPZ5676 = 2.76, 95% CI: 2.02-3.76), organ space/deep surgical site infection (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.53-3.13), venous thromboembolism (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.08-3.43), and urinary tract infection (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.02-2.54). Serious complications also doubled the likelihood of delaying adjuvant treatment administration (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.42-3.05). Sensitivity analysis in a younger, healthier patient cohort demonstrated similar associations. Conclusions: Postoperative complications are common following pancreatic surgery and are associated with adjuvant chemotherapy omission and treatment delays.

These results suggest that spontaneous motor behavior and recepto

These results suggest that spontaneous motor behavior and receptor expression are differentially modulated by nicotine exposure during larval development and/or zygote formation. As well, these findings demonstrate that C. elegans, as a model system, is also sensitive to nicotine exposure during early development and provides the basis for future research to uncover specific mechanisms by which early nicotine exposure modifies neuronal signaling and alters behavior.

(C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“To report the clinical efficiency and complications in patients treated with retrograde transvenous ethanol embolization of high-flow peripheral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Retrograde transvenous ethanol embolization of high-flow AVMs is a technique that can be used to treat

check details AVMs with a dominant outflow vein whenever conventional interventional JIB-04 datasheet procedures have proved insufficient.\n\nThis is a retrospective study of the clinical effectiveness and complications of retrograde embolization in five patients who had previously undergone multiple arterial embolization procedures without clinical success.\n\nClinical outcomes were good in all patients but were achieved at the cost of serious, although transient, complications in three patients.\n\nRetrograde transvenous ethanol embolization is a highly effective therapy for high-flow AVMs. However, because of the high complication rate, it should be reserved as a last resort, to be used after conventional treatment options have failed.”
“The

physiologic changes that occur in ventilation during sleep contribute to nocturnal oxygen desaturation in those with lung disease. Nocturnal supplemental oxygen is often used as therapy, although convincing data exist only for those who are hypoxemic both during sleep and wake. Ongoing trials may learn more help address whether oxygen should be used in those with only desaturation during sleep. If used, oxygen should be dosed as needed, and patients should be monitored for hypercapnia. Because of its prevalence, obstructive sleep apnea may commonly overlap with lung disease in many patients and have important consequences. Patients with overlap syndromes may be good candidates for noninvasive ventilation during sleep.”
“Anemia-associated factors in infants born at term with normal weight\n\nObjective: To investigate the factors involved in the genesis of infant iron deficiency anemia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, which evaluated 104 children in their second year of life who were born at term with adequate weight in Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. An interview, a 24-hour recall to parents, and anthropometric assessment were used. Laboratory exams included blood count, ferritin, and serum retinol. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of UFMG and UFV. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Epi Info and SPSS softwares.

(C) 2011 Elsevier B V All rights reserved “
“We report a co

(C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“We report a combined dynamic light scattering (DLS) and neutron spin-echo (NSE) study on the local bilayer selleck chemical undulation dynamics of phospholipid vesicles composed of 1,2-dimyristoyl-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) under the influence of temperature and the additives cholesterol and trehalose. The additives

affect vesicle size and self-diffusion. Mechanical properties of the membrane and corresponding bilayer undulations are tuned by changing lipid headgroup or acyl chain properties through temperature or composition. On the local length scale, changes at the lipid headgroup influence the bilayer bending rigidity is less than changes at the lipid acyl chain: We observe selleck screening library a bilayer softening around the main phase transition temperature T. of the single lipid system, and stiffening when more cholesterol is added, in concordance with literature. Surprisingly, no effect on the mechanical properties of the vesicles is observed upon the addition of trehalose. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Objective. To clarify the clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile

in patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Methods. Clinical records of 13 pregnant patients (15 pregnancies) with obstetrical APS were reviewed over 10 years. Patients who met the Sapporo Criteria fully were studied, whereas those with only early pregnancy loss were excluded. In addition to classical aPL: lupus

anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin antibody (aCL), and anti-beta(2)-glycoprotein I (a beta 2GPI); phosphatidylserine-dependent anti-prothrombin antibody (aPS/PT) and kininogen-dependent anti-phosphatidylethanolamine antibody (aPE) were also examined in each case. Results. Cases were divided into two groups according to patient response to standard treatment: good and poor outcome groups. All cases with poor outcome presented LA, with IgG a beta 2GPI and IgG aPS/PT were also frequently observed. IgG aPE did not correlate with pregnancy outcome. Conclusion. aPL profile may predict pregnancy outcome in patients with this subset of obstetric APS.”
“Tokita K, Yamamoto T, Boughter JD S63845 Jr. Gustatory neural responses to umami stimuli in the parabrachial nucleus of C57BL/6J mice. J Neurophysiol 107: 1545-1555, 2012. First published December 14, 2011; doi:10.1152/jn.00799.2011.-Umami is considered to be the fifth basic taste quality and is elicited by glutamate. The mouse is an ideal rodent model for the study of this taste quality because of evidence that suggests that this species, like humans, may sense umami-tasting compounds as unique from other basic taste qualities. We performed single-unit recording of taste responses in the parabrachial nucleus (PbN) of anesthetized C57BL/6J mice to investigate the central representation of umami taste.

58, P = 0 010) Sensitivity analyses of the primary efficacy vari

58, P = 0.010). Sensitivity analyses of the primary efficacy variable and results of the analysis of secondary efficacy variables supported the efficacy of BTDS relative to placebo. During the double-blind phase, the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was 55% for the BTDS treatment group and 52% for the placebo treatment group. Laboratory,

vital sign, and electrocardiogram evaluations did not CT99021 reveal unanticipated safety findings.\n\nConclusion. BTDS was efficacious in the treatment of opioid-naive patients with moderate to severe chronic low back pain. Most treatment-emergent adverse events observed were consistent with those associated with the use of opioid agonists and transdermal patches. J Pain Symptom Manage 2011;42:903-917. (C) 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Selleckchem Entinostat Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Eukaryotic positive-strand RNA viruses replicate using the membrane-bound replicase complexes, which contain multiple viral and

host components. Virus infection induces the remodeling of intracellular membranes. Virus-induced membrane structures are thought to increase the local concentration of the components that are required for replication and provide a scaffold for tethering the replicase complexes. However, the mechanisms underlying virus-induced membrane remodeling are poorly understood. RNA replication of red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV), a positive-strand RNA plant virus, is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, and ER morphology is perturbed in RCNMV-infected cells. Here, we identified ADP ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1) in the affinity-purified RCNMV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase fraction. Arf1 is a highly conserved, ubiquitous, small GTPase that is implicated in the formation

of the coat protein complex I (COPI) vesicles on Golgi membranes. Using in vitro pulldown and bimolecular fluorescence selleck screening library complementation analyses, we showed that Arf1 interacted with the viral p27 replication protein within the virus-induced large punctate structures of the ER membrane. We found that inhibition of the nucleotide exchange activity of Arf1 using the inhibitor brefeldin A (BFA) disrupted the assembly of the viral replicase complex and p27-mediated ER remodeling. We also showed that BFA treatment and the expression of dominant negative Arf1 mutants compromised RCNMV RNA replication in protoplasts. Interestingly, the expression of a dominant negative mutant of Sar1, a key regulator of the biogenesis of COPII vesicles at ER exit sites, also compromised RCNMV RNA replication. These results suggest that the replication of RCNMV depends on the host membrane traffic machinery.”
“Purpose I read the article “An Inside View of Autism” written by a 44-year-old autistic woman who had a successful international career designing livestock equipment.

Recombinant proteins of the functional Ws TPS02 and Col-0 TPS03 g

Recombinant proteins of the functional Ws TPS02 and Col-0 TPS03 genes both showed (E)-beta-ocimene and (E, E)-alpha-farnesene synthase

activities. However, differential OICR-9429 Epigenetics inhibitor subcellular compartmentalization of the two enzymes in plastids and the cytosol was found to be responsible for the ecotype-specific differences in (E)-beta-ocimene/(E, E)-alpha-farnesene emission. Expression of the functional TPS02 and TPS03 alleles is induced in leaves by elicitor and insect treatment and occurs constitutively in floral tissues. Our studies show that both pseudogenization in the TPS family and subcellular segregation of functional TPS enzymes control the variation and plasticity of induced volatile emissions in wild plant species.”
“Quality assurance work requires acquisition of valid data, as well as mechanisms for enforcing quality criteria, detecting (non-)adherence to these criteria, and for improving inadequate performance. This chapter deals primarily

with the various tools available to acquire information at the various steps of the patient CA4P cost journey. Different challenges arise in the prehospital phase, in the endoscopy room, and in the follow-up phase. The endoscopy report is a vital tool for much of the quality work, but other adjoining systems may be equally important to ensure completeness of the dataset required to ensure the requested quality. Future development is discussed briefly, since many of the present challenges may be solved with improved mechanics. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Two trials were conducted to study the effects of two Chinese herbal polysaccharides, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) and Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS), and one Chinese herbal saponin, Acantbepanax senticosus saponin (ASS), on the immunity and growth performance of selleck weaned pigs. Experiment I was a 14-day growth assay, in which 32 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control: ii) 0.05% APS; iii) 0.05%

mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight; and iv) 0.05% mixture of APS. ASS, and ABPS in a ratio of 1:1:1 by weight. Blood samples were collected on day 14 to determine plasma parameters. Feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency were also determined. Experiment 2 was a 21-day immunity assay, in which 16 weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of two dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; and ii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight. On day 21, pigs were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 3 h later blood samples were collected and analyzed for lymphocyte proliferation as well as interleukin 6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol levels. In Experiment I. feeding Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin increased growth performance of the pigs.

0629) There was no statistical significance between males and fe

0629). There was no statistical significance between males and females in all parameters.”
“Human clonorchiasis, caused by infection with the trematode Clonorchis sinensis, is a common health problem

in East Asia. In an attempt to develop a new, sensitive method for the diagnosis of the disease, the use of a real-time PCR (targeting the internal-transcribed-spacer-2 sequence of the parasite) to detect C. sinensis-specific DNA in faecal samples has recently been evaluated. The PCR-based assay, which included an internal control to detect any inhibition of the amplification by faecal constituents in the sample, was performed on stool samples and on DNA controls representing a wide range of intestinal microorganisms. The assay appeared very specific, Vactosertib TGF-beta/Smad inhibitor only showing positivity with C. sinensis and Opisthorchis felineus. The sensitivity of the assay was explored by testing 170 pre-selected samples of human faeces, from an endemic area of South Korea, which had known (microscopically-determined) densities of C. sinensis eggs. The sensitivity of the assay was 100% for the 74 samples that each had >100

eggs/g and 91.4% for the other 70 samples found egg-positive by microcopy (i.e. those that had <= 100 eggs/g). Three of the 26 samples that appeared egg-negative by microscopy were found PCR-positive. selleckchem Encouragingly, the PCR cycle-threshold values, which reflect parasite-specific DNA loads, showed significant correlation with the egg counts. The real-time PCR used in this study therefore appears to be a powerful tool for both the detection and quantification of C. sinensis infections.”
“Autoantibodies from patients with celiac disease (CD) can influence transglutaminase 2 (TG2) activity and its cellular functions, but the exact mechanisms have remained unknown. Our objective was to

study whether autoantibodies could modulate TG2 binding to heparin/heparan sulfate (HS) and intestinal epithelial cell attachment to fibronectin-TG2 matrix. Anti-TG2 antibodies were purified by TG2 affinity chromatography from sera of patients with active CD. Serum and antibody effects on TG2 binding to heparin/HS, on transamidase activity of TG2, as well as on Caco-2 cell attachment to fibronectin-TG2 matrix were assessed using microplate assays. Both sera and purified anti-TG2 antibodies from CD patients with high anti-TG2 IgA JNK-IN-8 purchase levels reduced TG2 binding to heparin/HS as compared with those with low anti-TG2 IgA or controls. There was a negative correlation between anti-TG2 IgA levels and TG2 binding to heparin/HS. Treatment of fibronectin-TG2 coated wells with CD patients’ sera or purified anti-TG2 antibodies reduced attachment of Caco-2 cells onto the plate as compared with the control samples. The effect of CD patients’ antibodies on Caco-2 cell attachment to fibronectin-TG2 matrix occurred independently of the inhibition of cell adhesion by Arg-Gly-Asp sequence containing peptides.

Many bacterial infections involve biofilms which protect bacteria

Many bacterial infections involve biofilms which protect bacteria from host defenses and antibiotics. To gain insight into the genetics of biofilm formation by S. pneumoniae, we conducted an in vitro screen for biofilm-altered mutants with the serotype 4 clinical isolate TIGR4. In a first screen of 6,000 mariner transposon mutants, we repeatedly isolated biofilm-overproducing acapsular mutants, suggesting that the capsule was antagonistic to biofilm formation. Therefore, we screened 6,500 additional transposon mutants in an

S. pneumoniae acapsular background. Following this approach, we isolated check details 69 insertions in 49 different genes. The collection of mutants includes genes encoding bona fide and putative choline binding proteins, adhesins, synthases of membrane and cell wall components, extracellular and cell wall proteases, efflux pumps, ABC and PTS transporters, and transcriptional regulators, as well as several conserved and novel hypothetical proteins. Interestingly, while

four insertions mapped to rrgA, encoding a subunit of a recently described surface pilus, rrgB and rrgC ( encoding the other two pilus subunits) mutants had no biofilm defects, implicating the RrgA adhesin but not the pilus structure per se in biofilm formation. To correlate our findings to the process of colonization, we transferred a set of 29 mutations into the wild-type encapsulated strain and then tested the fitness of the mutants in vivo. Strikingly, 3-Methyladenine cell line we found that 23 of these mutants were impaired C59 inhibitor for nasopharyngeal colonization, thus establishing a link between biofilm formation and colonization.”
“A growing body of experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that the 3D structure of chromatin in the nucleus is closely linked to important functional processes, including DNA replication and gene regulation. In support of this hypothesis, several research groups have examined sets of functionally associated genomic loci, with the aim of determining whether those loci are statistically significantly colocalized. This work presents a

critical assessment of two previously reported analyses, both of which used genome-wide DNA-DNA interaction data from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and both of which rely upon a simple notion of the statistical significance of colocalization. We show that these previous analyses rely upon a faulty assumption, and we propose a correct non-parametric resampling approach to the same problem. Applying this approach to the same data set does not support the hypothesis that transcriptionally coregulated genes tend to colocalize, but strongly supports the colocalization of centromeres, and provides some evidence of colocalization of origins of early DNA replication, chromosomal breakpoints and transfer RNAs.

4 0 Biochemical failure was defined as a prostate-specific antig

4.0. Biochemical failure was defined as a prostate-specific antigen increase of more than 2 ng/ml above the nadir value excluding a benign bounce. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the variables associated with biochemical failure-free survival.\n\nPostimplant target coverage was similar in the two groups, with a small difference in risk organ doses. Mean V100 was 96.3 vs. 96.7 (P 0.205), D90 was 119.6 vs. 119.4 (P 0.884), urethral D10 was 157.5 vs. 146.1 (P 0.010), rectal V100 was 0.57 vs. 0.43 cc (P 0.002) in the preplanning and Nutlin-3 research buy intraoperative planning groups, respectively. Acute and late Grade 3 genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities were

1 for both methods. The 5-year biochemical failure-free survival rate was 95.4 for the preplanning and 94.0 for the intraoperative planning group (P 0.776). Multivariate analysis revealed Gleason score, biopsy positive rate and V100 to be predictors of biochemical failure-free survival, while the planning technique was not significant.\n\nThis large-scale analysis of high-quality implants revealed similar postimplant dosimetry, toxicity profiles and biochemical failure-free survival for the preplanning and intraoperative planning methods.”
“Acute pancreatitis is rare cause in pregnancy and gallstones are clearly the most common cause of pancreatitis during pregnancy. Only a small percentage of women with acute

pancreatitis are associated with hypertriglyceridemia selleck compound and it is most often noted during the last two trimesters of pregnancy. Hypertriglyceridemia is a rare cause of pancreatitis in pregnant women and complication such as pancreatitis carries a higher risk of mortality for both the mother and the fetus. Our purpose was to report our experience with acute pancreatitis as a lethal complication of hypertriglyceridemia during the third trimester of pregnancy.”
“Aim: The abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle

cells (VSMCs) in arterial walls is an important pathogenic factor of vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis and restenosis after Stem Cell Compound high throughput screening angioplasty. During atherogenesis or in response to vessel injury, VSMC proliferation is induced by a number of peptide growth factors released from platelets and VSMCs. Cilostazol is a phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 inhibitor that increases intracellular cAMP levels and decreases intracellular Ca2+ levels, inhibiting platelet aggregation and inducing vasodilatation. Cilostazol is also known to have an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of VSMCs, but the anti-proliferative mechanism of cilostazol in VSMCs has not yet been established. In the present study, we investigated whether the anti-proliferative mechanism of cilostazol is associated with the suppression of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways.

Histomorphometric analysis of bone to implant contact (BIC) and b

Histomorphometric analysis of bone to implant contact (BIC) and bone area was performed at 4 h, 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks.\n\nWound healing initiated with a coagulum that was substituted by a provisional matrix at 1 week. Bone formation started concomitant to a marked bone resorption. R788 cell line At

2 weeks, woven bone formation was evident and gradually remodelled into lamellar bone at 4 and 8 weeks. BIC increased similarly throughout the study in both groups with a tendency to higher percentages for the test devices at 2 and 4 weeks. The influence of the DCD nano-particles was more evident at the fourth premolar site.\n\nOsseointegration occurred similarly at both implant groups, although the socket dimension appeared to influence bone healing. It is suggested that the enhanced nano-topography has a limited effect in the immediate implant surgical protocol.”
“Purpose: Improving dose calculation accuracy is crucial in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). We have developed a method for generating a phase-space-based dose kernel for IMRT planning of lung cancer patients.\n\nMethods: GS-9973 concentration Particle transport in the linear accelerator treatment head of a 21EX, 6 MV photon beam (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) was simulated using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc code system. The phase space information was recorded under the secondary jaws. Each particle in the phase space file was associated with a beamlet whose index was

calculated and saved in the particle’s Screening Library cell line LATCH variable. The DOSXYZnrc code was modified to accumulate the energy deposited by each particle based on its beamlet index. Furthermore, the central axis of each beamlet was calculated from the orientation of all the particles in this beamlet.

A cylinder was then defined around the central axis so that only the energy deposited within the cylinder was counted. A look-up table was established for each cylinder during the tallying process. The efficiency and accuracy of the cylindrical beamlet energy deposition approach was evaluated using a treatment plan developed on a simulated lung phantom.\n\nResults: Profile and percentage depth doses computed in a water phantom for an open, square field size were within 1.5% of measurements. Dose optimized with the cylindrical dose kernel was found to be within 0.6% of that computed with the nontruncated 3D kernel. The cylindrical truncation reduced optimization time by approximately 80%.\n\nConclusions: A method for generating a phase-space-based dose kernel, using a truncated cylinder for scoring dose, in beamlet-based optimization of lung treatment planning was developed and found to be in good agreement with the standard, nontruncated scoring approach. Compared to previous techniques, our method significantly reduces computational time and memory requirements, which may be useful for Monte-Carlo-based 4D IMRT or IMAT treatment planning. (C) 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [http://dx.doi.org.

A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the d

A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the dietary intake through a face-to-face interview. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjusting for various potential confounders.\n\nResults: A statistically significant inverse association

was found between total dietary fiber and fiber fractions intake and breast cancer risk. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for the highest versus the lowest quartile of intake were 0.31 (0.20-0.47) for total dietary fiber, 0.73 (0.48-1.11) for soy fiber, 0.48 (0.22-0.97) for vegetable fiber and 0.54 (0.31-0.92) for fruit fiber. No association was observed for cereal fiber intake and risk. An inverse association between dietary fiber intake and breast cancer risk was observed in ER+, ER-, PR+, ER+ PR+ and ER-PR+ tumors.\n\nConclusions: Our results suggest that consumption of total dietary fiber and fiber from vegetable and fruit was inversely SN-38 associated with breast cancer risk. These inverse associations were more prominent in some subtypes of ER and PR breast cancers. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011) 65, 929-936; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.57; published online 4 May 2011″
“The

current research aimed to investigate the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), aquaporin-4 (AQP-4), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and cerebral edema formation in a rat subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) model. The SAH model was induced by injection of 0.3 ml

fresh arterial, non-heparinized blood selleck into the prechiasmatic cistern in 20 s. Anti-AQP-4 antibody, minocycline (an inhibitor of MMP-9), or 2-methoxyestradiol (an inhibitor of HIF-1 alpha), was administered intravenously at 2 and 24 h after SAH. Brain samples were extracted at 48 h after SAH and examined for protein CDK inhibitor expressions, BBB impairment, and brain edema. Following SAH, remarkable edema and BBB extravasations were observed. Compared with the control group, the SAH animals have significantly upregulated expressions of HIF-1 alpha, AQP-4, and MMP-9, in addition to decreased amounts of laminin and tight junction proteins. Brain edema was repressed after inhibition of AQP-4, MMP-9, or HIF-1 alpha. Although BBB permeability was also ameliorated after inhibition of either HIF-1 alpha or MMP-9, it was not modulated after inhibition of AQP-4. Inhibition of MMP-9 reversed the loss of laminin. Finally, inhibition of HIF-1 alpha significantly suppressed the level of AQP-4 and MMP-9, which could induce the expression of laminin and tight junction proteins. Our results suggest that HIF-1 alpha plays a role in brain edema formation and BBB disruption via a molecular signaling pathway involving AQP-4 and MMP-9. Pharmacological intervention of this pathway in patients with SAH may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for early brain injury.”
“The capacity of bone for post-yield energy dissipation decreases with age.