An endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H-TM) is able to hydroxylate the α subunit of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) in vitro and in cultured cells, but nothing is known ...about its roles in mammalian erythropoiesis. We studied such roles here by administering a HIF-P4H inhibitor, FG-4497, to P4h-tm−/− mice. This caused larger increases in serum Epo concentration and kidney but not liver Hif-1α and Hif-2α protein and Epo mRNA levels than in wild-type mice, while the liver Hepcidin mRNA level was lower in the P4h-tm−/− mice than in the wild-type. Similar, but not identical, differences were also seen between FG-4497–treated Hif-p4h-2 hypomorphic (Hif-p4h-2gt/gt) and Hif-p4h-3−/− mice versus wild-type mice. FG-4497 administration increased hemoglobin and hematocrit values similarly in the P4h-tm−/− and wild-type mice, but caused higher increases in both values in the Hif-p4h-2gt/gt mice and in hematocrit value in the Hif-p4h-3−/− mice than in the wild-type. Hif-p4h-2gt/gt/P4h-tm−/− double gene-modified mice nevertheless had increased hemoglobin and hematocrit values without any FG-4497 administration, although no such abnormalities were seen in the Hif-p4h-2gt/gt or P4h-tm−/− mice. Our data thus indicate that P4H-TM plays a role in the regulation of EPO production, hepcidin expression, and erythropoiesis.
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether expression of monocyte and lymphocyte surface molecules differs between patients with severe sepsis and non‐septic patients treated in the ...intensive care unit (ICU). The expression of monocyte CD14, CD40, CD80 and HLA‐DR, and lymphocyte CD69 were analyzed using quantitative flow cytometry on three consecutive days in 27 patients with severe sepsis and in 15 non‐septic patients. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed and each corresponding area under the curve (AUC) was determined. The results showed that the expression levels of CD40 on monocytes and CD69 on CD4+ T cells and on natural killer (NK) cells were highest in patients with severe sepsis (p < 0.05). Monocyte CD40 and NK cell CD69 expression levels were higher in patients with severe sepsis and positive blood culture compared with those with negative blood culture (p < 0.05). The highest values of AUC for severe sepsis detection were 0.836 for CD40, 0.872 for CD69 on NK cells, and 0.795 for CD69 on CD4+ T cells. These findings suggest that monocyte CD40 and CD69 on NK cells and CD4+ T cells could prove useful for new approaches in the identification of severe sepsis in the ICU.
Hematoma volume and impaired level of consciousness are the most potent predictors of outcome after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The effect of preceding aspirin-use on outcome after ...ICH is poorly investigated. We investigated short-term mortality and hematoma enlargement in subjects with ICH to find the predictors for these outcomes.
This population-based study included all subjects with ICH during a period of 33 months in the population of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The subjects were identified, and their clinical characteristics and outcomes were checked from hospital records or death records.
Three-month mortality of the 208 identified subjects with ICH was 33%. The independent risk factors for death were regular aspirin-use at the onset of ICH (relative risks RR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.6; P=0.004), warfarin-use at the onset of ICH (RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.6 to 6.1; P=0.001), and ICH score higher than 2 on admission (RR, 13.8; 95% CI, 6.0 to 31.4; P<0.001). Regular aspirin-use preceding the onset of ICH associated significantly with hematoma enlargement during the first week after ICH (P=0.006).
We observed poor short-term outcomes and increased mortality, probably attributable to rapid enlargement of hematomas, in the subjects with ICH who had been taking regularly moderate doses of aspirin (median 250 mg) immediately before the onset of the stroke.
To study the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin 8, vascular endothelial growth factor, erythropoietin, complement factor H, complement component C3, and LOC387715 genes ...with the response to bevacizumab treatment in exudative age-related macular degeneration.
Clinical records, smoking history, optical coherence tomography, and angiographies of 96 bevacizumab-treated exudative age-related macular degeneration patients were analyzed retrospectively. Blood DNA was collected. Based on the disappearance of intra- or subretinal fluid in optical coherence tomography, patients were graded as responders, partial responders, or nonresponders after 3 initial treatment visits and a median time of 3.5 months.
Interleukin 8 promoter polymorphism -251A/T was significantly associated with persisting fluid in optical coherence tomography. The A allele was more frequent in nonresponders than in responders (P = 0.033). In multivariate modeling, the AA genotype of -251A/T (P = 0.043) and occult (P = 0.042) or predominantly classic (P = 0.040) lesions predicted poorer outcome. Visual acuity change was better in responders than in nonresponders (P = 0.006). Baseline lesion size (P = 0.006) and retinal cysts after the treatment (P < 0.001) correlated with less visual acuity gain.
The A allele and the homozygous AA genotype of interleukin 8 -251A/T were associated with anatomical nonresponse to bevacizumab treatment.
To evaluate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Retrospective, comparative case series.
Patients with recent ...exudative AMD (n = 162) and age-matched subjects without AMD (n = 85).
Fluorescein angiography (FA), clinical examination, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping.
The frequencies of 3 VEGF gene SNPs were analyzed, 1 at the promoter site (rs699947, A-->C) and 2 intronic SNPs (rs2146323, A-->C, and rs3025033, A-->G), in relation to the risk of AMD, to choroidal neovascular (CNV) lesion size and configuration, and to the anatomic response to photodynamic therapy (PDT). These SNPs were chosen to cover all the haploblocks of the VEGF gene. The 86 patients who had undergone PDT were classified as either PDT responders or PDT nonresponders based on the outcome of PDT after the last treatment session. For the PDT responders, the treating physician had deemed the lesion to be clinically dry and without leakage from CNV in FA at a visit scheduled at least 12 weeks after the last PDT treatment. For the PDT nonresponders, the PDT sessions had been discontinued by the treating retina specialist because of an apparently poor response and a still exudative lesion after several PDT sessions.
The presence of exudative AMD or lesion size or configuration was not associated with the SNPs studied here. The frequencies of the rs699947 were significantly different in PDT nonresponders and PDT responders. The AA, AC, and CC genotypes were 14%, 39%, and 46%, respectively, in PDT nonresponders, compared with 40%, 48%, and 12%, respectively, in the PDT responders (P = 0.0008). The corresponding frequencies for the rs2146323 AA, AC, and CC genotypes were 4%, 32%, and 64%, respectively, in nonresponders and 24%, 38%, and 38%, respectively, in responders (P = 0.0369). The genotypes of the rs3025033 SNP were distributed evenly between the responders and nonresponders.
The VEGF gene polymorphic SNPs at rs699947 and rs2146323 are strong determinants of the anatomic outcome after PDT, but the SNPs studied were not associated with the presence of exudative AMD or with the CNV lesion size or configuration.
The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Aims To assess the efficacy and safety of bone marrow cell (BMC) therapy after thrombolytic therapy of an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods and results Patients with STEMI ...treated with thrombolysis followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) 2–6 days after STEMI were randomly assigned to receive intracoronary BMCs (n = 40) or placebo medium (n = 40), collected and prepared 3–6 h prior PCI and injected into the infarct artery immediately after stenting. Efficacy was assessed by the measurement of global left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by left ventricular angiography and 2-D echocardiography, and safety by measuring arrhythmia risk variables and restenosis of the stented vessel by intravascular ultrasound. At 6 months, BMC group had a greater absolute increase of global LVEF than placebo group, measured either by angiography (mean ± SD increase 7.1 ± 12.3 vs. 1.2 ± 11.5%, P = 0.05) or by 2-D echocardiography (mean ± SD increase 4.0 ± 11.2 vs. −1.4 ± 10.2%, P = 0.03). No differences were observed between the groups in the adverse clinical events, arrhythmia risk variables, or the minimal lumen diameter of the stented coronary lesion. Conclusion Intracoronary BMC therapy is associated with an improvement of global LVEF and neutral effects on arrhythmia risk profile and restenosis of the stented coronary lesions in patients after thrombolytic therapy of STEMI.
Autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is an established treatment option in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In this prospective multicenter study, the effect of infused blood ...graft cellular composition on post-transplant outcome was analyzed in 129 NHL patients. Higher graft CD34
+
cell content (>2.5 × 10
6
/kg) correlated with better progression-free survival (PFS) (p=.009) and overall survival (OS) (p=.004). Higher graft CD34
+
CD133
+
CD38
-
counts (>0.08 × 10
6
/kg) were also linked with better PFS (p=.03) and OS (p=.004), and these survival benefits retained in multivariate analyses. Higher infused CD3
+
CD4
+
cell count (>37 × 10
6
/kg) predicted better PFS (p=.013) and OS (p=.007) in multivariate analysis. Autograft cellular composition seems to impact outcome in NHL patients. These observations regarding composition of optimal graft in autologous setting should be validated in an independent patient series or in a randomized study.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK