Schwinger variational principle applied to long-range potentials

We discuss an adaptation of the Schwinger variational principle which is particularly suitable for dealing with long-range potentials. The method treats the direct interaction potential exactly by numerical integration and assumes a separable representation of the Schwinger type for the exchange potential. The method should be very effective for obtaining the electronic continuum solutions of strongly polar molecular ions. The related photoionization cross sections can be shown to be variationally stable

Direct detection of blood nitric oxide reveals a burn-dependent decrease of nitric oxide in response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

Burn injury is associated with severe immune dysfunction, including an anti-inflammatory state that occurs late after burn injury. While increased nitric oxide (NO) production is associated with severe infection and sepsis, the effect of burn trauma on these levels during a non-lethal infection remains unknown. We hypothesized that in a mouse model, 1) NO levels would be increased after infection without trauma and 2) burn injury would lead to decreased NO production even during infection

Timeline of health care–associated infections and pathogens after burn injuries

Infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality after burn injuries. Here, we describe the timeline of infections and pathogens after burns

Innate Immune Cell Recovery Is Positively Regulated by NLRP12 during Emergency Hematopoiesis

With enhanced concerns of terrorist attacks, dual exposure to radiation and thermal combined injury (RCI) has become a real threat with devastating immunosuppression. NLRP12, a member of the NOD-like receptor family, is expressed in myeloid and bone marrow cells and has been implicated as a checkpoint regulator of inflammatory cytokines as well as an inflammasome activator. We show that NLRP12 has a profound impact on hematopoietic recovery during RCI by serving as a checkpoint of TNF signaling and preventing hematopoietic apoptosis. Using a mouse model of RCI, increased NLRP12 expression was detected in target tissues. Nlrp12−/− mice exhibited significantly greater mortality, inability to fight bacterial infection, heightened levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, overt granulocyte/monocyte progenitor cell apoptosis and failure to reconstitute peripheral myeloid populations. Anti-TNF antibody administration improved peripheral immune recovery. These data suggest that NLRP12 is essential for survival after RCI by regulating myelopoiesis and immune reconstitution

Differential regulation of innate immune cytokine production through pharmacological activation of Nuclear Factor-Erythroid-2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) in burn patient immune cells and monocytes

Burn patients suffer from immunological dysfunction for which there are currently no successful interventions. Similar to previous observations, we find that burn shock patients (≥15% Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA) injury) have elevated levels of the innate immune cytokines Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1)/CC-motif Chemokine Ligand 2(CCL2) early after hospital admission (0–48 Hours Post-hospital Admission (HPA). Functional immune assays with patient Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) revealed that burn shock patients (≥15% TBSA) produced elevated levels of MCP-1/CCL2 after innate immune stimulation ex vivo relative to mild burn patients. Interestingly, treatment of patient PBMCs with the Nuclear Factor-Erythroid-2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) agonist, CDDO-Me(bardoxolone methyl), reduced MCP-1 production but not IL-6 or Interleukin-10 (IL-10) secretion. In enriched monocytes from healthy donors, CDDO-Me(bardoxolone methyl) also reduced LPS-induced MCP1/CCL2 production but did not alter IL-6 or IL-10 secretion. Similar immunomodulatory effects were observed with Compound 7, which activates the NRF2 pathway through a different and non-covalent Mechanism Of Action (MOA). Hence, our findings with CDDO-Me(bardoxolone methyl) and Compound 7 are likely to reflect a generalizable aspect of NRF2 activation. These observed effects were not specific to LPS-induced immune responses, as NRF2 activation also reduced MCP-1/CCL2 production after stimulation with IL-6. Pharmacological NRF2 activation reduced Mcp-1/Ccl2 transcript accumulation without inhibiting either Il-6 or Il-10 transcript levels. Hence, we describe a novel aspect of NRF2 activation that may contribute to the beneficial effects of NRF2 agonists during disease. Our work also demonstrates that the NRF2 pathway is retained and can be modulated to regulate important immunomodulatory functions in burn patient immune cells

Involvement of extracellular vesicles in the progression, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of whole-body ionizing radiation-induced immune dysfunction

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) develops after exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation and features immune suppression and organ failure. Currently, there are no diagnostics to identify the occurrence or severity of exposure and there are limited treatments and preventative strategies to mitigate ARS. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mediators of intercellular communication that contribute to immune dysfunction across many diseases. We investigated if EV cargo can identify whole body irradiation (WBIR) exposure and if EVs promote ARS immune dysfunction. We hypothesized that beneficial EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EVs) would blunt ARS immune dysfunction and might serve as prophylactic radioprotectants. Mice received WBIR (2 or 9 Gy) with assessment of EVs at 3 and 7 days after exposure. LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of WBIR-EVs found dose-related changes as well as candidate proteins that were increased with both doses and timepoints (34 total) such as Thromboxane-A Synthase and lymphocyte cytosolic protein 2. Suprabasin and Sarcalumenin were increased only after 9 Gy suggesting these proteins may indicate high dose/lethal exposure. Analysis of EV miRNAs identified miR-376 and miR-136, which were increased up to 200- and 60-fold respectively by both doses of WBIR and select miRNAs such as miR-1839 and miR-664 were increased only with 9 Gy. WBIR-EVs (9 Gy) were biologically active and blunted immune responses to LPS in RAW264.7 macrophages, inhibiting canonical signaling pathways associated with wound healing and phagosome formation. When given 3 days after exposure, MSC-EVs slightly modified immune gene expression changes in the spleens of mice in response to WBIR and in a combined radiation plus burn injury exposure (RCI). MSC-EVs normalized the expression of certain key immune genes such as NFκBia and Cxcr4 (WBIR), Map4k1, Ccr9 and Cxcl12 (RCI) and lowered plasma TNFα cytokine levels after RCI. When given prophylactically (24 and 3 hours before exposure), MSC-EVs prolonged survival to the 9 Gy lethal exposure. Thus, EVs are important participants in ARS. EV cargo might be used to diagnose WBIR exposure, and MSC-EVs might serve as radioprotectants to blunt the impact of toxic radiation exposure

Functional Modularity of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element Contributes to the Success of USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The successful USA300 Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) lineage predominantly causes skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and is highly associated with carriage of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element (ACME). However, the contribution of ACME to USA300 fitness during SSTIs remains incompletely understood. We show that the constitutive ACME-encoded arginine-deiminase system (Arc) allows USA300 to thrive in acidic environments that mimic human skin. Consequently, ACME-Arc drives excessive production of host polyamines, compounds uniquely toxic to S. aureus. To mitigate this, ACME also encodes SpeG, a polyamine-resistance enzyme that is essential for combating excess host polyamines in a murine SSTI model. Inhibiting host polyamine production not only restored ΔspeG persistence within infected wounds but also severely altered the host healing process, implying that polyamines play integral roles in coordinating the wound-healing response. Together, these data underscore the functional modularity of ACME and its contribution to the success of USA300 CA-MRSA

Flagellin Treatment Prevents Increased Susceptibility to Systemic Bacterial Infection after Injury by Inhibiting Anti-Inflammatory IL-10+ IL-12- Neutrophil Polarization

Severe trauma renders patients susceptible to infection. In sepsis, defective bacterial clearance has been linked to specific deviations in the innate immune response. We hypothesized that innate immune modulations observed during sepsis also contribute to increased bacterial susceptibility after severe trauma. A well-established murine model of burn injury, used to replicate infection following trauma, showed that wound inoculation with P. aeruginosa quickly spreads systemically. The systemic IL-10/IL-12 axis was skewed after burn injury with infection as indicated by a significant elevation in serum IL-10 and polarization of neutrophils into an anti-inflammatory (“N2”; IL-10+ IL-12−) phenotype. Infection with an attenuated P. aeruginosa strain (ΔCyaB) was cleared better than the wildtype strain and was associated with an increased pro-inflammatory neutrophil (“N1”; IL-10−IL-12+) response in burn mice. This suggests that neutrophil polarization influences bacterial clearance after burn injury. Administration of a TLR5 agonist, flagellin, after burn injury restored the neutrophil response towards a N1 phenotype resulting in an increased clearance of wildtype P. aeruginosa after wound inoculation. This study details specific alterations in innate cell populations after burn injury that contribute to increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. In addition, for the first time, it identifies neutrophil polarization as a therapeutic target for the reversal of bacterial susceptibility after injury