Age-Related Comparisons of Evolution of the Inflammatory Response After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

In the hours to days after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), there is an inflammatory response within the brain characterized by the infiltration of peripheral neutrophils and macrophages and the activation of brain-resident microglia and astrocytes. Despite the strong correlation of aging and ICH incidence, and increasing information about cellular responses, little is known about the temporal- and age-related molecular responses of the brain after ICH. Here, we monitored a panel of 27 genes at 6 h and 1, 3, and 7 days after ICH was induced by injecting collagenase into the striatum of young adult and aged rats. Several molecules (CR3, TLR2, TLR4, IL-1β, TNFα, iNOS, IL-6) were selected to reflect the classical activation of innate immune cells (macrophages, microglia) and the potential to exacerbate inflammation and damage brain cells. Most of the others are associated with the resolution of innate inflammation, alternative pathways of macrophage/microglial activation, and the repair phase after acute injury (TGFβ, IL-1ra, IL-1r2, IL-4, IL-13, IL-4Rα, IL-13Rα1, IL-13Rα2, MRC1, ARG1, CD163, CCL22). In young animals, the up-regulation of 26 in 27 genes (not IL-4) was detected within the first week. Differences in timing or levels between young and aged animals were detected for 18 of 27 genes examined (TLR2, GFAP, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-1r2, iNOS, IL-6, TGFβ, MMP9, MMP12, IL-13, IL-4Rα, IL-13Rα1, IL-13Rα2, MRC1, ARG1, CD163, CCL22), with a generally less pronounced or delayed inflammatory response in the aged animals. Importantly, within this complex response to experimental ICH, the induction of pro-inflammatory, potentially harmful mediators often coincided with resolving and beneficial molecules

A Novel Doppler Flowmetry Shaft for Postoperative Monitoring after Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery

Summary:. Doppler flowmetry is one of the most popular methods of monitoring Doppler signals during reconstructive surgery of the body surface. However, because of the thick and straight structure of the shaft, it is difficult to perform in areas with limited space, such as the oral cavity. We used a new type of Doppler flowmetry shaft to postoperatively monitor the flap in the oral cavity. Compared with conventional Doppler flowmetry, the new type uses a thinner metal probe shaft that can easily be inserted in narrow and limited spaces, such as the oral cavity. Additionally, the tip of the metal probe is gently bent, thereby allowing the Doppler tip to be placed perpendicular to the surface of the skin flap. We used this new type of Doppler flowmetry shaft for 30 patients after head and neck reconstruction using free flap transfer because Doppler signals were difficult to hear using conventional Doppler flowmetry. For all 30 patients, the new Doppler flowmetry shaft was able to monitor free flaps. Vascular thrombosis or vascular spasm occurred in three patients; two patients had inadequate arterial flow caused by vasospasm and arterial thrombus, and one patient had a venous thrombus. These three patients required re-exploration, and all flaps survived. This new type of Doppler flowmetry is simple and noninvasive. Furthermore, it can easily be performed by nonphysician medical personnel, and is useful for monitoring patients after head and neck reconstructive surgery

Digital therapeutics for essential hypertension using a smartphone application: A randomized, open‐label, multicenter pilot study

Abstract Hypertension is the most considerable but treatable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although physicians prescribe multiple antihypertensive drugs and promote lifestyle modifications, the real‐world blood pressure (BP) control rate remains poor. To improve BP target achievement, we developed a novel digital therapeutic—the HERB software system —to manage hypertension. Here, we performed a randomized pilot study to assess the safety and efficacy of the HERB system for hypertension. We recruited 146 patients with essential hypertension from March 2018 to March 2019. We allocated eligible patients to the intervention group (HERB system + standard lifestyle modification) or control group (standard lifestyle modification alone). The primary outcome was the mean change from baseline to 24 weeks in 24‐hour systolic BP (SBP) measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The baseline characteristics in each group were well balanced; the mean age was approx. 57 years, and 67% were male. In the primary end point at 24 weeks, HERB intervention did not lower the mean change of 24‐hour SBP by ABPM compared with the controls (adjusted difference: −0.66 mmHg; p = .78). In an exploratory analysis focusing on antihypertensive drug‐naïve patients aged <65, the effects of the HERB intervention were significantly greater than the control for reducing 24‐hour SBP by ABPM at 16 weeks (adjusted difference: −7.6 mmHg; p = .013; and morning home SBP at 24 weeks (adjusted difference − 6.0 mmHg; p = .012). Thus, the HERB intervention did not achieve a primary efficacy end point. However, we observed that antihypertensive drug‐naïve adult hypertensive patients aged <65 years could be a potential HERB system‐effective target for further investigations of the efficacy of the system