Expression of von Willebrand factor, pulmonary intravascular macrophages, and Toll-like receptors in lungs of septic foals

Sepsis causes significant mortality in neonatal foals; however, there is little data describing the cellular and molecular pathways of lung inflammation in septic foals. This study was conducted to characterize lung inflammation in septic foals. Lung tissue sections from control (n = 6) and septic (n = 17) foals were compared using histology and immunohistology. Blinded pathologic scoring of hematoxylin and eosin stained samples revealed increased features of lung inflammation such as thickened alveolar septa and sequestered inflammatory cells in septic foals. Septic foal lungs showed increased expression of von Willebrand factor in blood vessels, demonstrating vascular inflammation. Use of MAC387 antibody to detect calprotectin as a reflection of mononuclear cell infiltration revealed a significant increase in their numbers in alveolar septa of lungs from septic foals compared to those from control foals. The mononuclear cells appeared to be mature macrophages and were located in the septal capillaries, suggesting they were pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs). Finally, lungs from septic foals showed increased expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and 9 in mononuclear cells relative to the control. Taken together, this study is the first to show the expression of inflammatory molecules and an increase in PIMs in lungs from foals that died from sepsis.

Dietary fiber psyllium based hydrogels for use in insulin delivery

The present article is related to the development of psyllium based oral insulin delivery systems that could release insulin in a controlled and sustained manner. Psyllium is a medicinally important gel, forming glucoe lowering dietary fiber and drug delivery system developed by its functionalization will have the double potential of curing diabetes. Psyllium and acrylamide/methacrylamide based hydrogels were prepared, and the effect of pH on the release dynamics of insulin from drug loaded hydrogels has been studied to evaluate the drug release mechanism. Non-Fickian diffusion mechanism has been observed for the release of insulin in the pH 7.4 buffer

Retrograde catheter guided intubation in a difficult airway patient

Two cases of tracheal intubation failure with conventional methods were successfully intubated with retrograde catheter guided, awake, blind nasal technique. Routinely, such patients undergo elective tracheostomy preoperatively for airway control. Successfully tracheal intubation in both the patients avoided potentially serious complications associated with tracheostomy. We conclude that retrograde catheter guided blind nasal intubation should be attempted to secure a patent airway before resorting to preoperatively elective tracheostomy