Učinci pripravka zeljaste biljke Cistanche deserticola na in vitro ekspresiju citokina osteoblasta štakora.

Osteoblasts (OB) play an important role in bone remodeling through the release of cytokines such as osteoprotegerin (OPG), a receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and osteopontin (OPN). The objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of Chinese herb extracts of Cistanche (Cistanche deserticola) on the in vitro expression of these cytokines in rat OB cell culture. The primary OBs were isolated from the rat skull by trypsin and collagenase digestion. The cellular phenotype was determined by the Swiss dyeing method, alkaline phosphatase staining, Von Kossa staining, and Alizarin red staining. The gene expression of OPG, RANKL and OPN were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. All treatments with herbaceous plant extracts of Cistanche increased the gene expression of OPG and RANKL at 72 hours of culturing, especially at concentrations of 5×10-2 mg/mL, which were significantly different compared to the control cultures. Treatment significantly reduced the expression of the OPG/RANKL ratio at 48 hours and the expression of OPN mRNA at 72 hours of culturing. The in vitro exposure of OB to the plant preparation of Cistanche promoted the gene expression of OPG and RANKL and reduced the gene expression of OPG/RANKL and OPN, and thus, could maintain the balance of bone formation and resorption during bone metabolism.Osteoblasti (OB) imaju važnu ulogu u remodeliranju kostiju tako što izlučuju citokine, kao što su osteoprotegerin (OPG), ligand receptora aktivacije jezgrenog činitelja kappa-B (engl. receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand; RANKL) i osteopontin (OPN). Cilj našeg istraživanja bio je vrednovanje učinaka ekstrakata kineske biljke Cistanche deserticola na in vitro ekspresiju tih citokina u OB štakora u staničnoj kulturi. Primarni OB bili su izdvojeni iz lubanje štakora digestijom pomoću tripsina i kolagenaze, a njihov je fenotip bio određen uporabom Swiss metode bojenja, bojenjem alkalnom fosfatazom, te bojenjem crvenom bojom po Von Kossi i alizarinom. Ekspresije gena za OPG; RANKL i OPN analizarne su pomoću kvantitativne RT-PCR metode. Svi su tretmani s biljnim iscrpcima biljke Cistanche povećali ekspresiju gena za OPG i RANKL nakon 72 sata kultiviranja, posebice u koncentraciji od 5×10-2 mg/mL, kad su one bile značajno različite u usporedbi s vrijednostima dobivenima za kontrolne kulture, dok je većina tretmana značajno umanjila ekspresiju OPG/RANKL nakon 48 sati te ekspresiju OPN mRNA nakon 72 sata kultiviranja. In vitro izlaganje OB biljnom pripravku Cistanche u primijenjenim koncentracijama potaknulo je ekspresiju gena za OPG i RANKL te umanjilo ekspresiju gena za OPG/RANKL i OPN, pa bi stoga moglo uspostaviti ravnotežu pri obnavljanju i resorbiranju kostiju tijekom koštanog metabolizma

Loss of Asxl1 Alters Self-Renewal and Cell Fate of Bone Marrow Stromal Cell, Leading to Bohring-Opitz-like Syndrome in Mice

De novo ASXL1 mutations are found in patients with Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a disease with severe developmental defects and early childhood mortality. The underlying pathologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using Asxl1-targeted murine models, we found that Asxl1 global loss as well as conditional deletion in osteoblasts and their progenitors led to significant bone loss and a markedly decreased number of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) compared with wild-type littermates. Asxl1(-/-) BMSCs displayed impaired self-renewal and skewed differentiation, away from osteoblasts and favoring adipocytes. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed altered expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, skeletal development, and morphogenesis. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis showed decreased expression of stem cell self-renewal gene signature, suggesting a role of Asxl1 in regulating the stemness of BMSCs. Importantly, re-introduction of Asxl1 normalized NANOG and OCT4 expression and restored the self-renewal capacity of Asxl1(-/-) BMSCs. Our study unveils a pivotal role of ASXL1 in the maintenance of BMSC functions and skeletal development

Occupational Exposure to Benzene and Chromosomal Structural Aberrations in the Sperm of Chinese Men

Background: Benzene is an industrial chemical that causes blood disorders, including acute myeloid leukemia. We previously reported that occupational exposures near the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit (8 hr) of 1 ppm was associated with sperm aneuploidy

Non-Standard Errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Response to Comments on Zheng et al. “Association between Promoter Methylation of Gene ERCC3 and Benzene Hematotoxicity” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1393

We would like to thank Moshammer and Poteser for their comments [...