Dexamethasone Blunts Lung Inflammation in Cholestatic Mice

Cholestasis/cirrhosis is a multifaceted clinical complication that influences many organs, including the liver, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle, and lung. Cirrhosis-associated lung injury could lead to severe and lethal consequences, including acute respiratory syndrome and patient dearth. Unfortunately, there is no specific pharmacological intervention to manage cholestasis-induced lung injury. It has been revealed that severe inflammation and its associated complications, such as oxidative stress, are involved in the pathogenesis of cholestasis-associated pulmonary damage. The current study was designed to evaluate the role of dexamethasone (DXM) on lung inflammation in cholestatic mice. For this purpose, bile duct ligated (BDL) mice received DXM (1 and 2.5 mg/kg, i.p, 2 times/week) for 14 days. On day 15, the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was prepared. Several markers, including inflammatory cell infiltration, TNF-α, and IgG, were assessed in the BALF of BDL animals. Significant infiltration of inflammatory cells along with increased TNF-α and IgG were detected in the BALF of BDL mice (14 days after surgery). Moreover, significant ROS formation, glutathione depletion, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation were evident in the lung tissue of the BDL group. It was found that DXM (1 and 2.5 mg/kg) significantly blunted inflammation and oxidative stress in the lung of cholestatic mice. Moreover, lung tissue histopathological changes, including inflammatory cell infiltration, were significantly mitigated in DXM-treated mice. These data offer the potential therapeutic effects of DXM against cholestasis-related complications. Therefore, patients with cholestasis-induced lung injury might benefit from repurposing DXM in clinical settings

Eccentric compression behaviour of concrete columns reinforced with steel-FRP composite bars

YesEccentric compression behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) columns reinforced by steel-FRP composite bars (SFCBs) was investigated through experimental work and theoretical analyses. The tension and compression test results show that SFCBs demonstrate a stable post-yield stiffness. The mechanical properties of the composite reinforcement have a significant influence on eccentric compression behaviour of the reinforced concrete columns, in terms of failure mode, crack width, deformation and bearing capacity. Formulae were also developed to discriminate failure mode and to determine moment magnification factor, bearing capacity and crack width of the columns studied, with the theoretical predictions being in a good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of mechanical properties of reinforcement, reinforcement ratio, eccentricity, slenderness ratio, types of reinforcement and concrete on the eccentric compression behaviour of RC columns. The results show that the compressive performance is significantly improved by using the high performance concrete, i.e. reactive powder concrete (RPC) and engineered cementious composites (ECC).financial supports of the work by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678514), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20201436), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M642335), the Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Construction System (2018ZD047), the Deputy General Manager Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Province (FZ20200869), the Cooperative Education Project of Ministry of Education, China (201901273053), the Blue Project Youth Academic Leader of Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (2020), the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (JZ-038, 2016), the Yangzhou University Top Talents Support Project and the Jiangsu Government Scholarship for Overseas Studies

Taurine mitigates the development of pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and histopathological alterations in a rat model of bile duct ligation

Abstract Lung injury is a significant complication associated with cholestasis/cirrhosis. This problem significantly increases the risk of cirrhosis-related morbidity and mortality. Hence, finding effective therapeutic options in this field has significant clinical value. Severe inflammation and oxidative stress are involved in the mechanism of cirrhosis-induced lung injury. Taurine (TAU) is an abundant amino acid with substantial anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. The current study was designed to evaluate the role of TAU in cholestasis-related lung injury. For this purpose, bile duct ligated (BDL) rats were treated with TAU (0.5 and 1% w: v in drinking water). Significant increases in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) level of inflammatory cells (lymphocytes, neutrophils, basophils, monocytes, and eosinophils), increased IgG, and TNF-α were detected in the BDL animals (14 and 28 days after the BDL surgery). Alveolar congestion, hemorrhage, and fibrosis were the dominant pulmonary histopathological changes in the BDL group. Significant increases in the pulmonary tissue biomarkers of oxidative stress, including reactive oxygen species formation, lipid peroxidation, increased oxidized glutathione levels, and decreased reduced glutathione, were also detected in the BDL rats. Moreover, significant myeloperoxidase activity and nitric oxide levels were seen in the lung of BDL rats. It was found that TAU significantly blunted inflammation, alleviated oxidative stress, and mitigated lung histopathological changes in BDL animals. These data suggest TAU as a potential protective agent against cholestasis/cirrhosis-related lung injury