Glutathione Supplementation Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Apoptosis in a Mouse Model of Acute Lung Injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life threatening condition associated with hypoxemia, diffuse alveolar damage, inflammation, and loss of lung function. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; endotoxin) from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is a major virulence factor involved in the development of ALI. The depletion of glutathione (GSH), an essential intra- and extra-cellular protective antioxidant, by LPS is an important event that contributes to the elevation in reactive oxygen species. Whether restoring GSH homeostasis can effectively ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular apoptosis in ALI is unknown and therefore, was the focus of this study. In peripheral lung tissue of LPS-treated mice, hydrogen peroxide and protein nitration levels were significantly increased. Pre-treatment with GSH-ethyl ester (GSH-EE) prevented this increase in oxidative stress. LPS also increased the lactate/pyruvate ratio, attenuated SOD2 protein levels, and decreased ATP levels in the mouse lung indicative of mitochondrial dysfunction. Again, GSH-EE treatment preserved the mitochondrial function. Finally, our studies showed that LPS induced an increase in the mitochondrial translocation of Bax, caspase 3 activation, and nuclear DNA fragmentation and these parameters were all prevented with GSH-EE. Thus, this study suggests that GSH-EE supplementation may reduce the mitochondrial dysfunction associated with ALI

Simulating Flaring Events in Complex Active Regions Driven by Observed Magnetograms

We interpret solar flares as events originating from active regions that have reached the Self Organized Critical state, by using a refined Cellular Automaton model with initial conditions derived from observations. Aims: We investigate whether the system, with its imposed physical elements,reaches a Self Organized Critical state and whether well-known statistical properties of flares, such as scaling laws observed in the distribution functions of characteristic parameters, are reproduced after this state has been reached. Results: Our results show that Self Organized Criticality is indeed reached when applying specific loading and relaxation rules. Power law indices obtained from the distribution functions of the modeled flaring events are in good agreement with observations. Single power laws (peak and total flare energy) as well as power laws with exponential cutoff and double power laws (flare duration) are obtained. The results are also compared with observational X-ray data from GOES satellite for our active-region sample. Conclusions: We conclude that well-known statistical properties of flares are reproduced after the system has reached Self Organized Criticality. A significant enhancement of our refined Cellular Automaton model is that it commences the simulation from observed vector magnetograms, thus facilitating energy calculation in physical units. The model described in this study remains consistent with fundamental physical requirements, and imposes physically meaningful driving and redistribution rules.Comment: 14 pages; 12 figures; 6 tables - A&A, in pres

Developmental changes associated with cross-language similarity in bilingual children

Online publication 30/9/2015The main goal of the present study was to investigate how the degree of orthographic overlap between translation equivalents influences bilingual word recognition processes at different stages of reading development. Spanish–Basque bilingual children with ages ranging from 8 to 15 years were tested in an explicit translation recognition task with a large set of items. Critically, the degree of cross-language similarity (i.e. the cognate status) between the references and the correct targets was manipulated along a continuum in order to investigate how the reliance on crosslanguage orthographic overlap varies as a function of reading experience. Results showed that younger children were significantly more sensitive to the cognate status of words than older children while recognising translation equivalents, and that this difference did not depend on the speed of response of the participants. These results demonstrate that the influence of cross-language similarity progressively diminishes as a function of increased exposure to print together with the maturation of the mechanisms responsible for language interference suppression, as suggested by developmental models of bilingual lexical access.This research has been partially funded by the Spanish Government [grant number PSI2012-32123], the European Research Council [grant number ERC-AdG-295362], and by the AThEME project funded by the European Union [grant number 613465]

HSP70 is a Critical Regulator of HSP90 Inhibitor\u27s Effectiveness in Preventing HCL-Induced Chronic Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis

Exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) can provoke acute and chronic lung injury. Because of its extensive production for industrial use, frequent accidental exposures occur, making HCl one of the top five chemicals causing inhalation injuries. There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for HCl exposure. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors modulate transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling and the development of chemical-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, little is known on the role of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) during injury and treatment with HSP90 inhibitors. We hypothesized that administration of geranylgeranyl-acetone (GGA), an HSP70 inducer, or gefitinib (GFT), an HSP70 suppressant, alone or in combination with the HSP90 inhibitor, TAS-116, would improve or worsen, respectively, HCl-induced chronic lung injury in vivo and endothelial barrier dysfunction in vitro. GGA, alone, improved HCl-induced human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) barrier dysfunction and, in combination with TAS-116, improved the protective effect of TAS-116. In mice, GGA reduced HCl toxicity and while TAS-116 alone blocked HCl-induced chronic lung injury, co-administration with GGA, resulted in further improvement. Conversely, GFT potentiated HCl-induced barrier dysfunction and impaired the antidotal effects of TAS-116. We conclude that combined treatments with HSP90 inhibitors and HSP70 inducers may represent a novel therapeutic approach to manage HCl-induced chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis

155-day Periodicity in Solar Cycles 3 and 4

The near 155 days solar periodicity, so called Rieger periodicity, was first detected in solar flares data and later confirmed with other important solar indices. Unfortunately, a comprehensive analysis on the occurrence of this periodicity during previous centuries can be further complicated due to the poor quality of the sunspot number time-series. We try to detect the Rieger periodicity during the solar cycles 3 and 4 using information on aurorae observed at mid and low latitudes. We use two recently discovered aurora datasets, observed in the last quarter of the 18th century from UK and Spain. Besides simple histograms of time between consecutive events we analyse monthly series of number of aurorae observed using different spectral analysis (MTM and Wavelets). The histograms show the probable presence of Rieger periodicity during cycles 3 and 4. However different spectral analysis applied has only confirmed undoubtedly this hypothesis for solar cycle 3.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, to appear in New Astronom

The Protective Role of MLCP-Mediated ERM Dephosphorylation in Endotoxin-Induced Lung Injury in Vitro and in Vivo

The goal of this study was to investigate the role of MLC phosphatase (MLCP) in a LPS model of acute lung injury (ALI). We demonstrate that ectopic expression of a constitutively-active (C/A) MLCP regulatory subunit (MYPT1) attenuates the ability of LPS to increase endothelial (EC) permeability. Down-regulation of MYPT1 exacerbates LPS-induced expression of ICAM1 suggesting an anti-inflammatory role of MLCP. To determine whether MLCP contributes to LPS-induced ALI in vivo, we utilized a nanoparticle DNA delivery method to specifically target lung EC. Expression of a C/A MYPT1 reduced LPS-induced lung inflammation and vascular permeability. Further, increased expression of the CS1β (MLCP catalytic subunit) also reduced LPS-induced lung inflammation, whereas the inactive CS1β mutant increased vascular leak. We next examined the role of the cytoskeletal targets of MLCP, the ERM proteins (Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin), in mediating barrier dysfunction. LPS-induced increase in EC permeability was accompanied by PKC-mediated increase in ERM phosphorylation, which was more prominent in CS1β depleted cells. Depletion of Moesin and Ezrin, but not Radixin attenuated LPS-induced increases in permeability. Further, delivery of a Moesin phospho-null mutant into murine lung endothelium attenuated LPS-induced lung inflammation and vascular leak suggesting that MLCP opposes LPS-induced ALI by mediating the dephosphorylation of Moesin and Ezrin

Alpha-fetoprotein detection of hepatocellular carcinoma leads to a standardized analysis of dynamic AFP to improve screening based detection

Detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through screening can improve outcomes. However, HCC surveillance remains costly, cumbersome and suboptimal. We tested whether and how serum Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) should be used in HCC surveillance. Record linkage, dedicated pathways for management and AFP data-storage identified i) consecutive highly characterised cases of HCC diagnosed in 2009-14 and ii) a cohort of ongoing HCC-free patients undergoing regular HCC surveillance from 2009. These two well-defined Scottish patient cohorts enabled us to test the utility of AFP surveillance. Of 04 cases of HCC diagnosed over 6 years, 42% (129) were identified by a dedicated HCC surveillance programme. Of these 129, 47% (61) had a detectable lesion first identified by screening ultrasound (US) but 38% (49) were prompted by elevated AFP. Despite pre-HCC diagnosis AFP >20kU/L being associated with poor outcome, 'AFP-detected' tumours were offered potentially curative management as frequently as 'US-detected' HCCs; and had comparable survival. Linearity of serial log10 -transformed AFPs in HCC cases and in the screening 'HCC-free' cohort (n = 1509) provided indicators of high-risk AFP behaviour in HCC cases. An algorithm was devised in static mode, then tested dynamically. A case/control series in hepatitis C related disease demonstrated highly significant detection (p-5) of patients at high risk of developing HCC. These data support the use of AFP in HCC surveillance. We show proof-of-principle that an automated and further refineable algorithmic interpretation of AFP can identify patients at higher risk of HCC. This approach could provide a cost-effective, user-friendly and much needed addition to US surveillance

Novel Mechanism of Attenuation of LPS-Induced NF-Kappab Activation by the Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor, 17-N-Allylamino-17-Demethoxygeldanamycin, in Human Lung Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Heat shock protein (hsp) 90 inhibition attenuates NF-kappaB activation and blocks inflammation. However, the precise mechanism of NF-kappaB regulation by hsp90 in the endothelium is not clear. We investigated the mechanisms of hsp90 inhibition by 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) on NF-kappaB activation by LPS in primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells. Transcriptional activation of NF-kappaB was measured by luciferase reporter assay, gene expression by real-time RT-PCR, DNA binding of transcription factors by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, protein-protein interaction by coimmunoprecipitation/immunoblotting, histone deacetylase (HDAC)/histone acetyltransferase enzyme activity by fluorometry, and nucleosome eviction by partial microccocal DNase digestion. In human lung microvascular endothelial cells, 17-AAG-induced degradation of IKBalpha was accomplished regardless of the phosphorylation/ubiquitination state of the protein. Hence, 17-AAG did not block LPS-induced NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity. Instead, 17-AAG blocked the recruitment of the coactivator, cAMP response element binding protein binding protein, and prevented the assembly of a transcriptionally competent RNA polymerase II complex at the kappaB elements of the IKBalpha (an NF-kappaB-responsive gene) promoter. The effect of LPS on IKBalpha mRNA expression was associated with rapid deacetylation of histone-H3(Lys9) and a dramatic down-regulation of core histone H3 binding. Even though treatment with an HDAC inhibitor produced the same effect as hsp90 inhibition, the effect of 17-AAG was independent of HDAC. We conclude that hsp90 inhibition attenuates NF-kappaB transcriptional activation by preventing coactivator recruitment and nucleosome eviction from the target promoter in human lung endothelial cells

Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase II Overexpression Attenuates LPS-Mediated Lung Leak in Acute Lung Injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe hypoxemic respiratory insufficiency associated with lung leak, diffuse alveolar damage, inflammation, and loss of lung function. Decreased dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) activity and increases in asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), together with exaggerated oxidative/nitrative stress, contributes to the development of ALI in mice exposed to LPS. Whether restoring DDAH function and suppressing ADMA levels can effectively ameliorate vascular hyperpermeability and lung injury in ALI is unknown, and was the focus of this study. In human lung microvascular endothelial cells, DDAH II overexpression prevented the LPS-dependent increase in ADMA, superoxide, peroxynitrite, and protein nitration. DDAH II also attenuated the endothelial barrier disruption associated with LPS exposure. Similarly, in vivo, we demonstrated that the targeted overexpression of DDAH II in the pulmonary vasculature significantly inhibited the accumulation of ADMA and the subsequent increase in oxidative/nitrative stress in the lungs of mice exposed to LPS. In addition, augmenting pulmonary DDAH II activity before LPS exposure reduced lung vascular leak and lung injury and restored lung function when DDAH activity was increased after injury. Together, these data suggest that enhancing DDAH II activity may prove a useful adjuvant therapy to treat patients with ALI

Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitors Prevent LPS-Induced Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction by Disrupting Rhoa Signaling

Permeability of the endothelial monolayer is increased when exposed to the bacterial endotoxin LPS. Our previous studies have shown that heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 inhibitors protect and restore LPS-mediated hyperpermeability in bovine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells. In this study, we assessed the effect of Hsp90 inhibition against LPS-mediated hyperpermeability in cultured human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVECs) and delineated the underlying molecular mechanisms. We demonstrate that Hsp90 inhibition is critical in the early phase, to prevent LPS-mediated hyperpermeability, and also in the later phase, to restore LPS-mediated hyperpermeability in HLMVECs. Because RhoA is a well known mediator of endothelial hyperpermeability, we investigated the effect of Hsp90 inhibition on LPS-mediated RhoA signaling. RhoA nitration and activity were increased by LPS in HLMVECs and suppressed when pretreated with the Hsp90 inhibitor, 17-allylamino-17 demethoxy-geldanamycin (17-AAG). In addition, inhibition of Rho kinase, a downstream effector of RhoA, protected HLMVECs from LPS-mediated hyperpermeability and abolished LPS-induced myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, a target of Rho kinase. In agreement with these findings, 17-AAG or dominant-negative RhoA attenuated LPS-induced MLC phosphorylation. MLC phosphorylation induced by constitutively active RhoA was also suppressed by 17-AAG, suggesting a role for Hsp90 downstream of RhoA. Inhibition of Src family kinases also suppressed RhoA activity and MLC phosphorylation. Together, these data indicate that Hsp90 inhibition prevents and repairs LPS-induced lung endothelial barrier dysfunction by suppressing Src-mediated RhoA activity and signaling