Salt intake induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of the peritoneal membrane in rats

Methods. Twenty-eight Wistar rats were randomized to a normal salt (NS) or a high salt (HS) intake. NS and HS rats had free access to tap water or NaCl 2% as drinking water, respectively. After 2 weeks, samples of peritoneum were taken, and TGF-beta(1), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression were quantified with qRT-PCR. Fibrosis and submesothelial PM thickness were scored. EMT was evaluated using fluorescence staining with cytokeratin and alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA). Results. Dietary salt intake caused peritoneal fibrosis and thickening of the submesothelial layer and induced EMT as identified by colocalization of cytokeratin and alpha-SMA in cells present in the submesothelial layer. Peritoneal TGF-beta(1) and IL-6 mRNA expression were upregulated in the HS group. Conclusion. High dietary salt intake induces EMT and peritoneal fibrosis, a process coinciding with upregulation of TGF-beta 1

Plasma Exosome MicroRNA Profiling Unravels a New Potential Modulator of Adiponectin Pathway in Diabetes: Effect of Glycemic Control

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Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS and Actinomyces naeslundii conditioned medium enhance the release of a low molecular weight, transcriptionally active, fragment of glycogen synthase-3 kinase in IMR-32 cell line

Background: Glycogen synthase-3 kinase (GSK3) is one of the major contributors of tau hyperphosphorylation linked to neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objectives: To determine a mechanism of GSK-3β activation by two periodontal bacteria consistently confirmed in AD autopsied brains. Methods: Porphyromonas. gingivalis FDC381 and Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC10301 (designated An) conditioned media were collected. IMR-32 cells were challenged for 48h with the conditioned media alongside P. gingivalis (ATCC33277) ultrapurified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) designated Pg.LPS under established cell culture conditions either, alone or combined. Gene expression, and protein analyses for GSK-3β were carried out. Results: qPCR demonstrated that GSK-3β gene was over-expressed in IMR-32 cells treated with Pg.LPS with a 2.09 fold change (p=0.0005) whilst An treated cells demonstrated 1.41 fold change (p=0.004). Western blotting of the cells challenged with Pg.LPS (p=0.01) and An conditioned medium (p=0.001) demonstrated the 37 kDa band for each treatment with variable intensity across the medium control. Immunohistochemistry with the GSK-3β of the IMR-32 cells challenged with Pg.LPS and An alone demonstrated cytoplasmic and nuclear localisation. Conclusions: Exposure to various bacterial factors up-regulated the gene expression of GSK-3β. Western blotting for GSK-3β confimed the presence of the cleaved fragment by Pg.LPS (37 kDa band p=0.01) and An conditioned medium (37 kDa band p=0.001). Immunostaining demonstrated both cytoplasmic and nuclear localisation of GSK-3β. Therefore, Pg.LPS and an unknown factor from the An conditioned medium mediated GSK-3β activation via its transcriptionally active, cleaved, fragment. These virulence factors in the body appear to be detrimental to brain health

Anatomía dentaria interna y externa de premolares superiores en una población argentina

Los rasgos dentales discretos constituyen un importante campo de investigación para la odontologíay la antropología dental. El conocimiento de las variaciones de la morfología dentaria permiteobtener resultados predecibles en la práctica endodóntica y contribuye tanto a la evaluaciónde las biodistancias como al proceso de identificación de personas desaparecidas. El objetivo deesta presentación es analizar la diversidad en el número de raíces y en la configuración anatómicainterna de primeros y segundos premolares superiores en una muestra de la población argentina,utilizando tomografía cone-beam. Se incluyeron 282 piezas dentarias, 156 (55%) de mujeres y 126(45%) de varones. Los datos se describieron mediante frecuencias absolutas, porcentajes e intervalosde confianza al 95% estimados mediante el método score. Para evaluar la asociación se utilizóla prueba exacta de Fisher con simulación Monte Carlo. La morfología más representada para losprimeros premolares correspondió a dos conductos (54%) y para los segundos premolares, a unconducto (58,5%), en los tres tercios radiculares. Se identificaron asociaciones significativas entre elnúmero de raíces y la pieza dentaria, y entre el grupo dentario y la morfología; no hubo asociaciónsignificativa en la cantidad de raíces y en la configuración interna, en relación con el lado. En conclusión,las variantes más representadas fueron las dos raíces y dos conductos en primeros premolares,y una raíz y un conducto en segundos premolares. La identificación de estas tendencias sonun aporte para la caracterización de la morfología dental de una población argentina.Fil: Consoli Lizzi, E.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaFil: Chaintiou Piorno, R.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaFil: Cimenton, C.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaFil: Aranda, Claudia Marcela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaFil: Gualtieri, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaFil: Luna, Leandro Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Museo Etnográfico "Juan B. Ambrosetti"; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, P.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología; ArgentinaXV Jornadas Nacionales de Antropología BiológicaLa PlataArgentinaAsociación de Antropología Biológica Argentin

Azithromycin therapy for prevention of chronic lung disease of prematurity (AZTEC): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background Systematic reviews have reported conflicting evidence on whether macrolide antibiotics reduce rates of chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) in at-risk preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation, including in those colonised with pulmonary Ureaplasma spp. Since an adequately powered trial has been lacking, we aimed to assess if the macrolide azithromycin improved survival without the development of physiologically defined moderate or severe CLD in preterm infants. Methods AZTEC was a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 28 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in the UK. Infants were eligible if they were born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation and had received at least 2 h of either non-invasive (continuous positive airway pressure or humidified high flow nasal cannula therapy) or invasive respiratory support (via endotracheal tube) within 72 h of birth. Eligible infants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio using random permuted blocks of four to receive either intravenous azithromycin at 20 mg/kg per day for 3 days followed by 10 mg/kg for 7 days, or to placebo. Allocation was stratified by centre and gestational age at birth (<28 weeks vs ≥28 weeks). Azithromycin and placebo vials were encased in tamper-evident custom cardboard cartons to ensure masking for clinicians, parents, and the research team. The primary outcome was survival without development of physiologically defined moderate or severe CLD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age. Outcomes and safety were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis (all randomly allocated infants, regardless of any post-randomisation events). The study was registered with ISRCRN (11650227) and is closed. Findings Infants were recruited between Oct 9, 2019, and March 22, 2022. 799 (53·1%) of 1505 eligible infants underwent random allocation; three infants were withdrawn, including consent to use their data, leaving 796 infants for analysis. Survival without moderate or severe CLD occurred in 166 (42%) of 394 infants in the intervention group and 179 (45%) of 402 in the placebo group (three-level adjusted OR [aOR] 0·84, 95% CI 0·55–1·29, p=0·43). Pulmonary Ureaplasma spp colonisation did not influence treatment effect. Overall, seven serious adverse events were reported for the azithromycin group (five graded as severe, two as moderate), and six serious adverse events were reported in the placebo group (two severe, two moderate, and two mild), as assessed by the local principal investigators. Interpretation Since prophylactic use of azithromycin did not improve survival without development of physiologically-defined CLD, regardless of Ureaplasma spp colonisation, it cannot be recommended in clinical practice

Sildenafil Reduces Insulin-Resistance in Human Endothelial Cells

The efficacy of Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors to re-establish endothelial function is reduced in diabetic patients. Recent evidences suggest that therapy with PDE5 inhibitors, i.e. sildenafil, may increase the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) proteins in the heart and cardiomyocytes. In this study we analyzed the effect of sildenafil on endothelial cells in insulin resistance conditions in vitro