Caveolin-1-dependent tenascin C inclusion in extracellular vesicles is required to promote breast cancer cell malignancy

Background: Elevated expression of CAV1 in breast cancer increases tumor progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from CAV1-expressing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells contain Tenascin C (TNC), but the relevance of TNC remained to be defined. Methods: EVs were characterized by nanotracking analysis, microscopy and western blotting. The uptake of EVs by cells was studied using flow cytometry. The effects of EVs on breast cancer cells were tested in migration, invasion, colony formation and in vivo assays. Results: EVs were taken up by cells; however, only those containing TNC promoted invasiveness. In vivo, EVs lacking TNC ceased to promote tumor growth. Conclusion: CAV1 and TNC contained in breast cancer cell-derived EVs were identified as proteins that favor progression of breast cancer.

Nurse follow-up visit after the atrial complex ablation: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter are complex arrhythmias to ablation because their anatomical location. A navigation system is required to map the ablationable area and in addition, the patient are under general anesthesia. In our hospital, the expert nurse control these patients 10 days afters discharge.

Purpose

To identify the complications and recurrences of arrhythmia that the nurse has detected early and how it has been managed.

Methods

Cross-sectional descriptive study, from September 2020 to January 2022, all patients who underwent complex atrial ablation under total anaesthesia and who were assessed by a nurse 10 days later were included. In the event that any problem arises, the nurse is in charge of managing the network of referrals to specialist doctors.

Results

A total of 159 patients were included with a mean age of 62 years (SD 10.4) and 34% were women. Arrhythmias were 73.5% AF, 11.3% flutter, 14.5% re-do ablations mixed AF/Flutter. CHA2DS2-VASc scale mean 2 points (SD 1.2). Nine cardioversions were scheduled due to early AF recurrence documented. 35% (n=55) of the patients underwent a blood test to control risk factors such as cholesterol, diabetes, kidney failure or thyroid problems. 17.6% (n=28) were programmed for a polysomnography. Cardiologist was consulted in 6.3% (n=10) due to edema of the lower legs, ventricular extrasystoles, asthenia and bradycardia. Interconsultations were also made with endocrinology 1.2%, urology 0.6%, vascular surgery 6.2% and neurology 2.5%. Finally, 12% of patients were referred to their GP for minor controls.

Conclusion

There is little evidence to suggest that nursing consultation could be useful for the early detection of complications and the management of arrhythmia recurrences. More experimental studies are necessary to know the impact of nurse follow-up in the management of patients undergoing complex atrial ablation.

Prognostic benefit of urgent cardiac surgery in left-sided infective endocarditis

Background

Cardiac surgery is required in approximately 50% of patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (IE) being a high-risk procedure specially during active phase of the disease.

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of cardiac surgery in the in-hospital mortality of left-sided IE.

Methods

We used a prospective cohort of consecutive patients with definite left-sided IE between 2000 and 2017 (n=1002). A predictive model of in-hospital mortality was derived by adding the variable cardiac surgery to the already published ENDOVAL score. The benefit of cardiac surgery was calculated with the mean difference between the risk of in-hospital mortality considering urgent surgery and considering no surgery for each patient.

Results

The predictive model showed good discriminative capacity with an area under the ROC curve of 0.861 (95% CI: 0.830 - 0.891) and a good calibration (p-value in the Hosmer-Lemeshow test of 0.353). Figure shows the in-hospital mortality prediction of each patient in case of no-surgery (orange), urgent surgery (yellow) or real decision (blue). Mean reduction of in-hospital mortality risk in case of surgery for patients with a theoretical risk of in-hospital mortality between 0–20% in absence of surgery was 3.2±1.6%. For patients with a theoretical risk between 20–40% in absence of surgery the mean reduction was 8.1±1.1%. For patients with a theoretical risk between 40–60% in absence of surgery the mean reduction was 10.7±0.3%. For patients with a theoretical risk between 60–80% in absence of surgery the mean reduction was 9.7±0.9%. For patients with a theoretical risk between 80–100% in absence of surgery the mean reduction was 4.6±2.1%.

Conclusion

Urgent cardiac surgery is a protective factor of in-hospital mortality for all patients with left-sided IE but especially for those with intermediate risk.

Figure 1

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Gerencia Regional de Salud, Junta de Castilla y Leόn

Conception, fetal growth, and calving seasonality of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Salish Sea waters of Washington, USA, and southern British Columbia, Canada

We evaluated harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758)) strandings in the Salish Sea to determine calving seasonality (1980–2015). A total of 443 strandings were analyzed, of which 134 were calves and 53 were neonates. Stranded calves were reported every month, but peaked in July, August, and September. Based on fetal size and an estimated fetal growth rate of 80 mm/month, mean (±SD) conception date (and range) was back-calculated to 11 October ± 30 days (16 August – 31 December) and was later than in most other studies. Using mean (±SD) length at birth (80 ± 5.8 cm), gestation was estimated to be approximately 10.8 months. Estimated birthing period was 16 July – 27 November, with a mean (±SD) birth date of 10 September (±30.7 days) and a birth length of 80.0 cm. Estimated pregnancy rate (0.28–0.29) is lower than reported in other areas and is likely an underestimate due to missed early embryos, poor postmortem condition of a large proportion of the stranded adult females, and potential biases related to the animals that strand and are available. This study of harbor porpoise reproduction and calving in the Salish Sea is the first assessment of calving seasonality for this species in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

Prospective multicentre study on barbed reposition pharyngoplasty standing alone or as a part of multilevel surgery for sleep apnoea

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to demonstrate in a prospective multicentre study that Barbed Reposition Pharyngoplasty (BRP) procedure is safe and effective in management of obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Multicentre study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Values of postoperative apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), epworth sleepiness scale (ESS).

RESULTS

111 Barbed Reposition Pharyngoplasty procedures standing alone or as a part of multilevel surgery for OSAHS, performed between January and September 2016, were analysed in 15 different centres. The average hospitalisation period was 2.5 ± 0.5 days. The mean patient age was 46.3 ± 10.5 years. The average body mass index at the time of the procedure was 27.9 ± 3.2, and the majority of the patients were men (83%). The mean preoperative and postoperative apnoea/hypopnea index was 33.4 ± 19.5 and 13.5 ± 10.3, respectively (P < .001). The mean preoperative and postoperative ESS score was 10.2 ± 4.5 and 6.1 ± 3.6, respectively (P < .001). The mean preoperative and postoperative ODI were 29.6 ± 20.7 and 12.7 ± 10.8, respectively (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing BRP standing alone or as part of a multilevel approach for the treatment of OSAHS have a reasonable expectation for success with minimal morbidity.

GSK-J4 a potent and selective inhibitor of the H3K27 demethylase JMJD3/UTX limits acute colitis by de novo synthesis Retinoic Acid in dendritic cells

JMJD3 a demethylase of lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27) plays an important role in immune cells and inflammatory responses, and thus appears as an attractive target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Recently, GSK-J4, a selective and potent JMJD3 inhibitor was synthesized. We previously showed that GSK-J4 induced a tolerogenic phenotype on dendritic cells (DCs) promoting the generation and stability of induced Tregs as well as enhancing their suppressive function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Because GSK-J4 acts upon DCs, we evaluated RA synthesis as underlying pro-tolerogenic mechanisms affected by this drug.

Here we report that GSK-J4 treatment promoted RALDH activity on DCs and induced the expression of RALDH1 and RALDH3 enzymes in DCs, resulting in an increase in the expression of Foxp3, CCR9 and α4β7 in CD4+ T cells.

The increased RALDH1 and RALDH3 expression correlated with changes on the ratio of repressive (H3K27me3) versus active marks (H3K4me3) on RALDH1 and RALDH3 promoters in GSK-J4-treated DCs. Moreover, we demonstrated that systemic administration of GSK-J4 ameliorates the severity of DSS-induced acute colitis in mice.

Collectively this study demonstrates that GSK-J4 attenuates DSS-induced acute colitis, an effect that may be attributed to the de novo RA synthesis on DCs.

This drug may be a promising approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The histone demethylase inhibitor GSK-J4 limits inflammation through the induction of a tolerogenic phenotype on DCs

As it has been established that demethylation of lysine 27 of histone H3 by the lysine-specific demethylase JMJD3 increases immune responses and thus elicits inflammation, we hypothesize that inhibition of JMJD3 may attenuate autoimmune disorders. We found that in vivo administration of GSK-J4, a selective inhibitor of JMJD3 and UTX, ameliorates the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In vitro experiments revealed that the anti-inflammatory effect of GSK-J4 was exerted through an effect on dendritic cells (DCs), promoting a tolerogenic profile characterized by reduced expression of costimulatory molecules CD80/CD86, an increased expression of tolerogenic molecules CD103 and TGF-β1, and reduced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF. Adoptive transfer of GSK-J4-treated DCs into EAE mice reduced the clinical manifestation of the disease and decreased the extent of inflammatory CD4+ T cells infiltrating the central nervous system. Notably, Treg generation, stability, and suppressive activity were all exacerbated by GSK-J4-treated DCs without affecting Th1 and Th17 cell production. Our data show that GSK-J4-mediated modulation of inflammation is achieved by a direct effect on DCs and that systemic treatment with GSK-J4 or adoptive transfer of GSK-J4-treated DCs ex vivo may be promising approaches for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Palm tree mulch as substrate for primary treatment wetlands processing high strength urban wastewater

The life span of subsurface flow treatment wetlands is determined by the clogging of the substrate. Thus, the influent should undergo primary treatment to reduce loadings of suspended solids and dissolved organic matter. An-organic based substrate should be less prone to clogging because of its remarkably higher porosity and plasticity. Mulch obtained from branches of the Canarian palm tree (Phoenix canariensis) has been tested as substrate for mixed flow, intermittently fed treatment wetland mesocosms processing high strength urban wastewater. The effect of the presence of plants (Phragmites and Cyperus), influent pressure and hydraulic loading rate was studied. The best removals (SS: 89%, COD: 77%, turbidity: 82%) have been obtained with planted reactors treating highly concentrated influents at the lower hydraulic loading rates tested. The palm tree mulch units achieved similar removals of SS, COD and turbidity to one having gravel as substrate and planted with common reed. Mulch obtained from stems of giant reed (Arundo donax) provided similar removals of SS and turbidity but that of COD was lower. The combination of organic-based TWs with gravel-based ones provided high removals (SS: 95%, COD: 78%, turbidity: 95%) while the risk of clogging was strongly reduced.

Attention and Specificity in Unconscious Perceptual Learning

Practicing perceptual tasks improves performance. This is known as perceptual learning (PL). Visual PL is highly specific to trained stimulus locations, indicating neural plasticity in early retinotopic visual regions. Attention facilitates PL, but would it also affect PL of stimuli that observers remain unaware of? Here, we first measured performance on a texture discrimination task used commonly in PL studies. In seven subsequent training sessions, similar textures were presented monocularly and suppressed from awareness by continuous flash suppression, where monocular stimuli are rendered invisible by dynamic displays presented to the other eye. Observers performed an attentional task on dominant-eye stimuli; texture discrimination targets were presented at attended and unattended locations in the suppressed eye. In a final session, we assessed texture discrimination again. We expected PL (improved texture discrimination) to be greatest at locations that were attended during training. Surprisingly, we found significant PL at both attended and unattended locations. Control experiments ruled out the possibility that improvements were due to either repeated testing or training on the dominant eye's task. As observers were unaware of the texture stimuli during training, this finding indicates that attention can facilitate PL without awareness, and furthermore, can generalize it to untrained locations.

Kinin-B2 receptor exerted neuroprotection after diisopropylfluorophosphate-induced neuronal damage

The kinin-B2 receptor (B2BKR) activated by its endogenous ligand bradykinin participates in various metabolic processes including the control of arterial pressure and inflammation. Recently, functions for this receptor in brain development and protection against glutamate-provoked excitotoxicity have been proposed. Here, we report neuroprotective properties for bradykinin against organophosphate poisoning using acute hippocampal slices as an in vitro model. Following slice perfusion for 10min with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) to initiate the noxious stimulus, responses of pyramidal neurons upon an electric impulse were reduced to less than 30% of control amplitudes. Effects on synaptic-elicited population spikes were reverted when preparations had been exposed to bradykinin 30min after challenging with DFP. Accordingly, bradykinin-induced population spike recovery was abolished by HOE-140, a B2BKR antagonist. However, the kinin-B1 receptor (B1BKR) agonist Lys-des-Arg(9)-bradykinin, inducing the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK/MAPK) and cell death, abolished bradykinin-mediated neuroprotection, an effect, which was reverted by the ERK inhibitor PD98059. In agreement with pivotal B1BKR functions in this process, antagonism of endogenous B1BKR activity alone was enough for restoring population spike activity. On the other hand pralidoxime, an oxime, reactivating acetylcholinesterase (AChE) after organophosphate poisoning, induced population spike recovery after DFP exposure in the presence of bradykinin and Lys-des-Arg(9)-bradykinin. Lys-des-Arg(9)-bradykinin did not revert protection exerted by pralidoxime, however when instead bradykinin and Ly-des-Arg(9)-bradykinin were superfused together, recovery of population spikes diminished. These findings again confirm the neuroprotective feature of bradykinin, which is, diminished by its endogenous metabolites, stimulating the B1BKR, providing a novel understanding of the physiological roles of these receptors.

Circulating free testosterone in obese men after bariatric surgery increases in parallel with insulin sensitivity

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Male hypogonadism has been linked to obesity and diabetes. We aimed to study the association of changes in insulin sensitivity and testosterone levels in severe obese patients submitted to bariatric surgery.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Prospective intervention study with twenty consecutive patients who underwent bariatric surgery studied before and after significant weight loss. Serum testosterone, SHBG, fasting glucose, and insulin were measured among others. Free testosterone was calculated with the Vermeulen formula and insulin sensitivity with the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA).

RESULTS

At baseline, thirteen patients had low total testosterone levels, whereas eight of these patients also had free testosterone levels below the reference range obtained from the control group. After bariatric surgery total testosterone, SHBG, and free testosterone significantly increased and achieved normal values in all evaluated patients. Insulin sensitivity improved in all of them. Multivariate linear regression showed that changes in fasting glucose (β=-1.868, p=0.001), insulin (β=-3.782, p=0.001), weight (β=-0.622, p=0.002), and SHBG (β=-0.635, p=0.022) were associated with changes in free testosterone (adjusted R2=0.936, F=26.613, p=0.001). When insulin resistance calculated by HOMA was in the model instead of insulin and glucose, it also was associated (β=-3.488, p=0.008) with free testosterone (adjusted R2=0.821, F=11.111, p=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating tes tos terone in obese men increases after bariatric surgery in parallel with an improvement in insulin sensitivity.