Enhanced preservation of pig cardiac allografts by combining erythropoietin with glyceryl trinitrate and zoniporide

Erythropoietin has a tissue-protective effect independent of its erythropoietic effect that may be enhanced by combining it with the nitric oxide donor glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and the sodium-hydrogen exchange inhibitor zoniporide in rat hearts stored with an extracellular-based preservation solution (EBPS). We thus sought to test this combination of agents in a porcine model of orthotopic heart transplantation incorporating donor brain death and total ischaemic time of approximately 260 min. Pig hearts were stored in one of four storage solutions: unmodified EBPS (CON), EBPS supplemented with GTN and zoniporide (GZ), EBPS supplemented with erythropoietin and zoniporide (EZ), or EBPS supplemented with all three agents (EGZ). A total of 4/5 EGZ hearts were successfully weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass compared with only 2/5 GZ hearts, 0/5 CON hearts and 0/5 EG hearts (p = 0.017). Following weaning from bypass EGZ hearts demonstrated superior contractility and haemodynamics than GZ hearts. All weaned hearts displayed impaired diastolic function. Release of troponin I from EGZ hearts was lower than all other groups. In conclusion, supplementation of EBPS with erythropoietin, glyceryl trinitrate and zoniporide provided superior donor heart preservation than all other strategies tested.

Role of p300 in regulating neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene expression through nuclear factor-κB-mediated way in neuronal cells

Nuclear factor (NF)-κB acetylation has been shown to participate in a number of neurological processes by regulating the expression of certain genes. We have previously demonstrated the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) production may be regulated by NF-κB acetylation via an NF-κB responsive element within the nNOS promoter in neuronal cells. p300 is a ubiquitous transcription coactivator with intrinsic histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity, which is important in the nervous system. In the present study, we aimed at probing if p300 participated in regulating the nNOS expression through the NF-κB-mediated way. As a result, we found p300 enhanced the nNOS protein and mRNA levels in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells by enhancing the binding of NF-κB to the nNOS promoter and NF-κB-mediated nNOS transcription. Meanwhile, p300 was shown to directly acetylate NF-κB p65 and p50 subunits, interact with NF-κB and bind to the NF-κB responsive element region within the nNOS promoter. Taken together, our results indicate p300 acts as both an HAT and a coactivator in regulating NF-κB-mediated nNOS expression, which provide some correlations between p300 and nNOS in neuronal cell, and suggest that some p300-related neurological disorders may be partially based on its effect on the nNOS expression.

Dual role of interleukin-10 in the regulation of respiratory syncitial virus (RSV)-induced lung inflammation

RSV lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are among the most common diseases necessitating hospital admission in children. In addition to causing acute respiratory failure, RSV infections are associated with sequelae such as secondary bacterial infections and reactive airway disease. One characteristic host response observed in severe RSV-induced LRTI and/or subsequent development of asthma is increased expression of interleukin (IL)-10. However, contradictory results have been reported regarding whether IL-10 inhibits asthmatic responses or intensifies the disease. We aimed to reconcile these discordant observations by elucidating the role of IL-10 in regulating the host response to RSV LRTI. In this study, we used a lung-specific, inducible IL-10 over-expression (OE) transgenic mouse model to address this question. Our results showed that the presence of IL-10 at the time of RSV infection not only attenuated acute inflammatory process (i.e. 24 h post-infection), but also late inflammatory changes [characterized by T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokine and chemokine expression]. While this result appears contradictory to some clinical observations where elevated IL-10 levels are observed in asthmatic patients, we also found that delaying IL-10 OE until the late immune response to RSV infection, additive effects rather than inhibitory effects were observed. Importantly, in non-infected, IL-10 OE mice, IL-10 OE alone induced up-regulation of Th2 cytokine (IL-13 and IL-5) and Th2-related chemokine [monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) and regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES)] expression. We identified a subset of CD11b(+)CD11c(+)CD49b(+)F4/80(-)Gr-1(-) myeloid cells as a prinicipal source of IL-10-induced IL-13 production. Therefore, the augmented pathological responses observed in our 'delayed' IL-10 over-expression model could be attributed to IL-10 OE alone. Taken together, our study indicated dual roles of IL-10 on RSV-induced lung inflammation which appear to depend upon the timing of when elevated IL-10 is expressed in the lung.

First observation of CP violation in the decays of B(s)0 mesons

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1) and collected by LHCb in 2011 at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, we report the measurement of direct CP violation in B(s)(0)→K(-)π(+) decays, A(CP)(B(s)(0)→K(-)π(+)=0.27±0.04 (stat)±0.01 (syst), with significance exceeding 5 standard deviations. This is the first observation of CP violation in the decays of B(s)(0) mesons. Furthermore, we provide an improved determination of direct CP violation in B(0)→K(+)π(-) decays, A(CP)(B(0)→K(+)π(-)=-0.080±0.007 (stat)±0.003 (syst), which is the most precise measurement of this quantity to date.

Estimation of birth population-based perinatal-neonatal mortality and preterm rate in China from a regional survey in 2010

Objective:

To estimate birth population-based perinatal-neonatal mortality and preterm rate in China from a regional survey in 2010.

Study design:

Data of total births in 2010 obtained from 151 level I–III hospitals in Huai’an, Jiangsu, were prospectively collected and analyzed.

Results:

From 61 227 birth registries (including 60 986 live births and 241 stillbirths), we derive a birth rate of 11.3‰ (of 5.4 million regional population), a male-to-female ratio of 116:100 and valid data from 60 615 newborns. Mean birth weight (BW) was 3441 ± 491 g with 13.6% macrosomia. Low BW was 2.8% (1691/60 372) with 8.83% mortality. Preterm rate was 3.72% (2239/60 264) with 7.61% mortality. Cesarean section rate was 52.9% (31 964/60 445), multiple pregnancy 1.8% (1088/60 567) and birth defects 6.7‰ (411/61 227). There were 97.4% healthy newborns and 2.2% (1298) requiring hospitalized after birth. The perinatal mortality was 7.7‰ (471/61 227, including 241 stillbirths, 230 early neonatal deaths). The neonatal mortality was 4.4‰ (269/60 986). The main causes of neonatal death were birth asphyxia (24.5%), respiratory diseases (21.5%), prematurity related organ dysfunction (18.5%) and congenital anomalies (7.7%), whereas incidence of congenital heart disease and respiratory distress syndrome was 8.6‰ and 6.1‰, respectively.

Conclusions:

This regional birth population-based data file contains low perinatal-neonatal mortality rates, associated with low proportion of LBW and preterm births, and incidences of major neonatal disease, by which we estimate, in a nationwide perspective, in 16 million annual births, preterm births should be around 800 000, perinatal and neonatal mortality may be 128 000–144 000 and 80 000–96 000, respectively, along with 100 000 respiratory distress syndrome.