Intracellular and Extracellular Effects of S100B in the Cardiovascular Response to Disease

S100B, a calcium-binding protein of the EF-hand type, exerts both intracellular and extracellular functions. S100B is induced in the myocardium of human subjects and an experimental rat model following myocardial infarction. Forced expression of S100B in neonatal rat myocyte cultures and high level expression of S100B in transgenic mice hearts inhibit cardiac hypertrophy and the associated phenotype but augments myocyte apoptosis following myocardial infarction. By contrast, knocking out S100B, augments hypertrophy, decreases apoptosis and preserves cardiac function following myocardial infarction. Expression of S100B in aortic smooth muscle cells inhibits cell proliferation and the vascular response to adrenergic stimulation. S100B induces apoptosis by an extracellular mechanism via interaction with the receptor for advanced glycation end products and activating ERK1/2 and p53 signaling. The intracellular and extracellular roles of S100B are attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of both cardiac and vascular diseases

Prevalence and Correlates of Psychiatric Disorders in a National Survey of Iranian Children and Adolescents

Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services

S100B Expression Modulates Diabetic Myocardium following Myocardial Infarction and Development of Diabetes

S100B regulates left ventricular (LV) remodelling following myocardial infarction (MI) by interaction with the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Since S100B and RAGE are induced in diabetic vasculature, we hypothesized that i) hyperglycemia will augment expression or functional impact of S100B and RAGE post-MI and ii) abrogated or forced expression of S100B will alter post-MI structure and remodeling specifically in diabetes. Also, as S100B Knockout (BKO) mice appear resistant to streptozotocin (STZ)–induced diabetes, we postulated a role for S100B in development of diabetes. In mouse, post-MI remodeling in diabetes exhibited an attenuation of LV dilation, myocyte hypertrophy, S100B expression and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity, increased apoptosis and fibrosis. Despite reduced LV dilation, impairment of cardiac function was similar to non-diabetic controls. Following MI, diabetic BKO demonstrated increased LV dilation compared to S100B transgenic (BTG) and WT with greater impairment of cardiac function, decreased glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) mRNA expression and increased AGE levels. These data suggest that S100B expression may serve to limit adverse diabetic post-MI remodeling and regulate associated metabolic changes in the heart. In addition, we have defined a novel role of S100B in the development of diabetes. As BKO mice were resistant to STZ induced-diabetes with lower value for food and water intake and urine volume and increased body weight compared to WT mice, we hypothesized that S100B played a role in islet cell damage and/or insulin sensitivity. BKO exhibited enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity with increased insulin in serum. S100B deficiency prevented β-cell disruption and functional impairment in response to STZ. Expression of S100B was increased in the WT islet after induction of diabetes and S100B induced apoptosis in β cells. These findings indicate that S100B expression is involved in islet dysfunction and in peripheral insulin resistance, at least in an STZ model. In conclusion, our findings support a differential, paradoxical effect of S100B signalling in post-MI diabetic hearts, serving to limit dilation and functional impairment. Moreover, S100B may play a role in diabetes itself contributing to β-cell loss in pancreas and peripheral insulin resistance.Ph

Assessing the Performance of Nurses in the Proper Adjustment of Monitoring Instruments in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: Monitoring serves to maintain physiologic variables within normal limits and when a parameter crosses a set threshold, an alarm is triggered. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether alarm limits are properly adjusted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by nursing staff or not.Methods: The data concerning alarm limits corresponding to the three shifts of nursing work were recorded for the newborns with cardiorespiratory problems, such as hyaline membrane disease, transient tachypnea of the newborns, and pneumonia, who were admitted to the NICU of Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran during March 2016-December 2016.Results: The findings of this study showed that 75.1% of the 95 subjects of this study were preterm infants, while the others were cases with a gestational age of more than 37 weeks. The mean birth weight of the neonates was 1939.15±899.2 g. The upper alarm limit of pulse oximetry (95%) had been set correctly just in almost 26% of the patients. On the other hand, only at about 21% of all the cases, a normal lower alarm limit (85%) was observed for this variable. Compliance with the normal lower and upper limits of alarm for heart rate (i.e., 90 and 180 beats/min, respectively) was reported only in 10.46% and 18.6% of the infants, respectively.Conclusion: This study revealed that the alarm limits in NICU for unstable neonates were frequently set outside the normal range