Exposure to Palladium Nanoparticles Affects Serum Levels of Cytokines in Female Wistar Rats

BACKGROUND: Information currently available on the impact of palladium on the immune system mainly derives from studies assessing the biological effects of palladium salts. However, in the last years, there has been a notable increase in occupational and environmental levels of fine and ultrafine palladium particles released from automobile catalytic converters, which may play a role in palladium sensitization. In this context, the evaluation of the possible effects exerted by palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) on the immune system is essential to comprehensively assess palladium immunotoxic potential. AIM: Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Pd-NPs on the immune system of female Wistar rats exposed to this xenobiotic for 14 days, by assessing possible quantitative changes in a number of cytokines: IL-1\u3b1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, GM-CSF, INF-\u3b3 and TNF-\u3b1. METHODS: Twenty rats were randomly divided into four exposure groups and one of control. Animals were given a single tail vein injection of vehicle (control group) and different concentrations of Pd-NPs (0.012, 0.12, 1.2 and 12 \u3bcg/kg). A multiplex biometric enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate cytokine serum levels. RESULTS: The mean serum concentrations of all cytokines decreased after the administration of 0.012 \u3bcg/kg of Pd-NPs, whereas exceeded the control levels at higher exposure doses. The highest concentration of Pd-NPs (12 \u3bcg/kg) induced a significant increase of IL-1\u3b1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, GM-CSF and INF-\u3b3 compared to controls. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that Pd-NP exposure can affect the immune response of rats inducing a stimulatory action that becomes significant at the highest administered dose. Our findings did not show an imbalance between cytokines produced by CD4+ T helper (Th) cells 1 and 2, thus suggesting a generalized stimulation of the immune system with a simultaneous activation and polarization of the na\uefve T cells towards Th1 and Th2 phenotype

Rhodium and iridium salts inhibit proliferation and induce DNA damage in rat fibroblasts in vitro

Environmental concentration of the platinum group elements is increased in the last years due to their use in automobile catalytic converters. Limited data are available on the effects of such elements at a cellular level and on their toxicity, especially for rhodium and iridium which have been more recently introduced in use. The toxic effects of rhodium and iridium salts were analyzed on a normal diploid rat fibroblast cell line in vitro. Both salts halted cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent fashion by inhibiting cell cycle progression, inducing apoptosis and modulating the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins. In fact, they both caused an accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and affected the expression levels of pRb, cyclins D1 and E, p21(Waf1) and p27(Kip1). DNA strand breaks, as assessed by comet test, and an increase in the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species also occurred in exposed cell cultures. These findings suggest a potential toxicity of both iridium and rhodium salts and emphasize the need for further studies to understand their effects at a cellular level to enable a better assessment of their toxic effects and to identify ways for their modulation and/or prevention

<i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> studies investigating cytokine production after exposure to Pd and Pd-NPs.

<p><i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> studies investigating cytokine production after exposure to Pd and Pd-NPs.</p

Serum levels of different cytokines in control and palladium nanoparticle exposed rats.

<p>In the exposure range from 0.12 to 1.2 μg/kg it was possible to observe a general, but not statistically significant (with the exception of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 at 0.12 μg/kg), increase in all cytokine serum levels, while at 12 μg/kg 7 out of 9 of the cytokines examined showed remarkable (and statistically significant) increases in serum concentrations. *Group mean significantly different from controls (p value < 0.05).</p

Long COVID: Clinical Framing, Biomarkers, and Therapeutic Approaches

: More than two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers are facing an emergency within an emergency, the so-called long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). Patients diagnosed with PCS develop an extended range of persistent symptoms and/or complications from COVID-19. The risk factors and clinical manifestations are many and various. Advanced age, sex/gender, and pre-existing conditions certainly influence the pathogenesis and course of this syndrome. However, the absence of precise diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers may further complicate the clinical management of patients. This review aimed to summarize recent evidence on the factors influencing PCS, possible biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches. Older patients recovered approximately one month earlier than younger patients, with higher rates of symptoms. Fatigue during the acute phase of COVID-19 appears to be an important risk factor for symptom persistence. Female sex, older age, and active smoking are associated with a higher risk of developing PCS. The incidence of cognitive decline and the risk of death are higher in PCS patients than in controls. Complementary and alternative medicine appears to be associated with improvement in symptoms, particularly fatigue. The heterogeneous nature of post-COVID symptoms and the complexity of patients with PCS, who are often polytreated due to concomitant clinical conditions, suggest a holistic and integrated approach to provide useful guidance for the treatment and overall management of long COVID

Impact of Malnutrition on Long-Term Mortality in Elderly Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a frequent condition in the elderly, and is associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased mortality. However, the impacts of malnutrition among elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction have not been clarified yet. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 174 patients aged 65 years and over, admitted with the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who underwent evaluation of nutritional status by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and evaluation of mortality risk by GRACE Score 2.0. All-cause mortality was the outcome considered for this study. Over a mean follow-up of 24.5 ± 18.2 months, 43 deaths have been registered (24.3%). Non-survivors were more likely to be older, with worse glomerular filtration rate, lower systolic blood pressure, lower albumin and MNA score, higher prevalence of Killip classification III-IV grade, and higher Troponin I levels. Multivariate Cox proportional analysis revealed that GRACE Score and MNA showed a significant and independent impact on mortality, (HR = 1.76, 95%, CI = 1.34⁻2.32, and HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.42⁻0.73, respectively). Moreover, the clinical decision curve revealed a higher clinical net benefit when the MNA was included, compared to the partial models without MNA. CONCLUSION: Nutritional status is an independent predictor of long-term mortality among elderly patients with AMI. MNA score in elderly patients with AMI may help prognostic stratification and identification of patients with, or at risk of, malnutrition in order to apply interventions to improve nutritional status, and maybe survival in this population