How to manage exacerbation of respiratory failure in a patient diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease of unclear pathogenesis, which leads to the damage of motor neurons. The majority of patients survive two to five years after a diagnosis is made. Despite numerous clinical trials and some progress in understanding ALS pathology, no treatment that effectively inhibits the disease progression has been developed. The aim of this paper is to review a patient’s disease history from diagnosis, through the occurrence of respiratory failure features, until the start of non-invasive ventilation (NIV), including the assessment of the efficacy of this therapy during respiratory failure exacerbation. ALS is an incurable disease, but many of its symptoms may be relieved, and therapy should be aimed at quality of life improvement and maintaining the patient’s independence and comfort as long as possible. Better quality of life and longer survival are currently well-established advantages of NIV. Palliat Med Pract 2020; 14, 1: 44–50Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease of unclear pathogenesis, which leads to the damage of motor neurons. The majority of patients survive two to five years after a diagnosis is made. Despite numerous clinical trials and some progress in understanding ALS pathology, no treatment that effectively inhibits the disease progression has been developed. The aim of this paper is to review a patient’s disease history from diagnosis, through the occurrence of respiratory failure features, until the start of non-invasive ventilation (NIV), including the assessment of the efficacy of this therapy during respiratory failure exacerbation. ALS is an incurable disease, but many of its symptoms may be relieved, and therapy should be aimed at quality of life improvement and maintaining the patient’s independence and comfort as long as possible. Better quality of life and longer survival are currently well-established advantages of NIV. Palliat Med Pract 2020; 14, 1: 44–5

Mast cells influence neoangiogenesis in prostatic cancer independently of ERG status

A significant proportion of prostatic adenocarcinomas show recurrent translocation leading to ERG expression. Previously we found that ERG+ cases have higher microvessel density than negative ones. One factor influencing angiogenesis in cancer is mast cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between microvessels, mast cells and ERG status. Tissue microarrays prepared from 113 radical prostatectomy specimens were analyzed with immunohistochemistry for CD31, tryptase and chymase. Vascular profiles and tryptase-positive and chymase-positive cells were counted. The average number of tryptase-positive cells was 28.93/mm 2 and chymase-positive cells 9.91/mm 2 . The average number of CD31+ vascular profiles was 352.66/mm 2 . The average number of tryptase-positive cells was 26.35/mm 2 for ERG– cases and 32.12/mm 2 for ERG+ cases. The average number of chymase-positive cells was 8.14/mm 2 for ERG– cases and 12.06/mm 2 for ERG+ cases. The average number of CD31+ vascular profiles was 321.34/mm 2 for ERG– cases and 390.74/mm 2 for ERG+ cases. The number of CD31+ vascular profiles was positively correlated with the number of tryptase-positive and chymase-positive cells (R = 0.26 and R = 0.20). In summary, we demonstrated an interrelationship between mast cells, microvascular density and ERG status in prostatic carcinoma

Neutrophils in Staphylococcus aureus Infection - research on the model organism Danio rerio

Neutrofile stanowią kluczowy element w obronie organizmu przed infekcjami. Są toruchliwe komórki pełniące rolę głównych fagocytów. Stanowią one najliczniejszą grupękrążących leukocytów u kręgowców i odgrywają kluczową rolę w odpowiedzi na infekcje orazuszkodzenia tkanek. Jedną z funkcji neutrofili jest produkcja wolnych rodników jako częśćswojej obrony przeciwbakteryjnej. Reaktywne formy tlenu, takie jak nadtlenek wodoru, sąwysoce toksyczne dla bakterii i pomagają w niszczeniu ich struktury komórkowej. Dodatkowoneutrofile posiadają zdolność eliminacji wewnątrzkomórkowych patogenów na drodzeautofagii. Neutrofile powstają z hematopoetycznych komórek macierzystych, a następniedojrzewają w celu osiągnięcia funkcji obronnych. Proces dojrzewania cechuje się zmianąkształtu jądra neutrofili.Larwy danio pręgowanego są obiecującym narzędziem do badania procesówinfekcyjnych w żywym organizmie kręgowca zakażonym bakteriami takimi jakStaphylococcus aureus.W niniejszej pracy zbadano odpowiedź neutrofili podczas zakażenia bakteriąStaphylococcus aureus przy użyciu larw danio pręgowanego. W trakcie badań przy pomocymikroskopii konfokalnej przeanalizowano kształty jąder neutrofili różnych stadiów larwalnychdanio, a także poziom infekcji bakteriami w komórce, poziom autofagii oraz wybuchutlenowego.Obserwacje konfokalne, a także późniejsza analiza wykazała większą różnorodnośćkształtu jąder dla larw w późniejszym stadium. Przeprowadzona analiza korelacji odpowiedzineutrofili na zakażenie bakterią Staphylococcus aureus ujawniła wyższy współczynnikkorelacji między kształtem jądra neutrofili a poziomem bakterii, autofagii oraz wybuchutlenowego u jednodniowego danio pręgowanego. Wykazano także brak istotności statystycznejdla przeważającej analiz związków pomiędzy badanymi czynnikami dla dwudniowych larwdanio pręgowanego.Podsumowując prezentowana praca wykazuje znaczące różnice w odpowiedzi neutrofilizakażonych Staphylococcus aureus w zależności od stadium larwalnego.Neutrophils constitute a pivotal element in the body's defense against infections. These highly motile cells serve as the principal phagocytes, representing the most abundant group of circulating leukocytes among vertebrates. They play a crucial role in responding to infections and tissue damage. One of the functions of neutrophils is the production of reactive oxygen species as part of their antibacterial defense, where oxygen species like hydrogen peroxide are highly toxic to bacteria and aid in the destruction of their cellular structures. Additionally, neutrophils possess the capability to eliminate intracellular pathogens through autophagy. Neutrophils originate from hematopoietic stem cells and subsequently mature to fulfill their defensive functions. The maturation process is characterized by changes in the shape of neutrophil nuclei.Zebrafish larvae are a promising tool for investigating infectious processes in a live vertebrate organism infected with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus.In this study, the response of neutrophils during Staphylococcus aureus infection was examined using zebrafish larvae. Using confocal microscopy, the shapes of neutrophil nuclei at various larval stages of zebrafish were analyzed, alongside assessments of bacterial infection levels within the cells, autophagy levels, and oxidative burst. Confocal observations, as well as subsequent analysis, revealed greater diversity in nuclear shape for larvae in later stages. The correlation analysis of neutrophil responses to Staphylococcus aureus infection unveiled a higher correlation coefficient between the shape of neutrophil nuclei and the levels of bacteria, autophagy, and oxidative burst in one-day-old zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, no statistical significance was observed in the predominant analysis of relationships between the studied factors for two-day-old zebrafish larvae.In summary, this study demonstrates significant variations in the responses of Staphylococcus aureus-infected neutrophils depending on the larval stage

Achillea Species as Sources of Active Phytochemicals for Dermatological and Cosmetic Applications

Achillea spp. is well known for its broad range of applications and long history of use in traditional medicine around the world. Health benefits of Achillea extracts result from the multitude of secondary metabolites identified in the plants from this genus that include flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, guaianolides, phytosterols, fatty acids, and organic acids. The properties of several Achillea extracts meet also the expectations of a vividly developing cosmetic market. An increasing number of studies on the dermatological properties of Achillea spp. are observed in the recent years, with Achillea millefolium L. being the most studied and used representative of the genus. There is strong scientific evidence showing that also other yarrow species might be rich sources of effective cosmetic ingredients, with skin calming and rejuvenating properties, wound healing activity, and anti-inflammatory potential. Several Achillea extracts and isolated compounds were also shown to display significant tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties and thus are interesting candidates for active ingredients of medications and cosmetic products protecting the skin from the harmful impact of environmental stressors. The aim of this review is to collect the current information on the composition and cosmeceutical significance of different Achillea species