The activation of α₂-adrenergic receptor in the spinal cord lowers sepsis-induced mortality

The effect of clonidine administered intrathecally (i.t.) on the mortality and the blood glucose level induced by sepsis was examined in mice. To produce sepsis, the mixture of D-galactosamine (GaLN; 0.6 g/10 ml)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 27 µg/27 µl) was treated intraperitoneally (i.p.). The i.t. pretreatment with clonidine (5 µg/5 µl) increased the blood glucose level and attenuated mortality induced by sepsis in a dose-dependent manner. The i.t. post-treatment with clonidine up to 3 h caused an elevation of the blood glucose level and protected sepsis-induced mortality, whereas clonidine post-treated at 6, 9, or 12 h did not affect. The pre-treatment with oral D-glucose for 30 min prior to i.t. post-treatment (6 h) with clonidine did not rescue sepsis-induced mortality. In addition, i.t. pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PTX) reduced clonidine-induced protection against mortality and clonidine-induced hyperglycemia, suggesting that protective effect against sepsis-induced mortality seems to be mediated via activating PTX-sensitive G-proteins in the spinal cord. Moreover, pretreatment with clonidine attenuated the plasma tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) induced by sepsis. Clonidine administered i.t. or i.p. increased p-AMPKα1 and p-AMPKα2, but decreased p-Tyk2 and p-mTOR levels in both control and sepsis groups, suggesting that the up-regulations of p-AMPKα1 and p-AMPKα2, or down-regulations of p-mTOR and p-Tyk2 may play critical roles for the protective effect of clonidine against sepsis-induced mortality.

Three Cases of IgG4-Related Sclerosing Disease in Nasal Cavity

IgG4-related sclerosing disease (IgG4-RSD) is characterized by extensive IgG4-positive plasma cell and T-lymphocyte infiltration of various organs. However, the nasal cavity is an extremely rare site of involvement. The authors experienced three cases of igG4-RSD in the nasal cavity. A 54-year-old woman presented with a nasal cavity mass on endoscopic exam and computed tomography (CT) revealed not only a hypoenhancing mass in the right nasal cavity but also a pituitary gland macroadenoma. Endoscopic removal and endoscopic TSA were performed. A 20-year-old man diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. A 26-year-old woman showed thickening of the nasal septum and cribriform plate, and an infiltrating soft tissue lesion in right the alveolar process on CT and an endoscopic biopsy was performed. Pathologic specimens of all cases showed IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration, consistent with IgG4-RSD. Serum IgG4 levels were checked in two of the cases, and the results were within normal range. All cases were further treated with methylprednisolone and all showed clinical improvement.