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1.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 15285, 2024 07 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38961098

ABSTRACT

Unplanned hospital readmission is a safety and quality healthcare measure, conferring significant costs to the healthcare system. Elderly individuals, particularly, are at high risk of readmissions, often due to issues related to medication management. Pharmacists play a pivotal role in addressing medication-related concerns, which can potentially reduce readmissions. This retrospective single-centre cohort study, conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 in an emergency department, aimed to determine if integrating emergency medicine pharmacists into Emergency Department care models reduces unplanned hospital readmissions within 28 days and to identify the interventions they employ. The inclusion criteria included patients aged ≥ 65, taking ≥ 3 medications, and presenting with falls, cognition changes, or reduced mobility and were planned for discharge to home from the emergency department. Collaborating with the Emergency Department Aged Care Service Emergency Team, a pharmacist provided comprehensive medication management consultations, discharge liaison services, and other pharmacy related interventions to eligible participants whenever the pharmacist was available. Patients who met the eligibility criteria but did not receive pharmacist interventions due to the pharmacist's unavailability served as the control group. This method was chosen to ensure that the control group consisted of comparable patients who only differed in terms of receiving the pharmacist intervention. The study included 210 participants, with 120 receiving pharmacist interventions and 90 acting as controls. The results revealed a significant reduction in unplanned hospital readmissions among participants who received pharmacist interventions (10.0%, n = 12) compared to controls (22.2%, n = 20), with a notable difference of 12.2% (95% confidence interval 2.4-23.4%, p = 0.01). A total of 107 interventions were documented, emphasising medication selection recommendations (28.0%) and identification of adverse drug reactions/drug-drug interactions (21.5%) as primary areas of focus. These findings suggest that integrating skilled pharmacists into Emergency Department Aged Care Service Emergency Team (ASET) lowered the rate of unplanned hospital readmission within 28 days resulting in improved hospital performance metric outcomes. This highlights the potential role of pharmacists in addressing medication-related issues and enhancing the quality and safety of healthcare delivery, particularly for elderly patients transitioning from the ED to home care settings.


Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital , Patient Discharge , Patient Readmission , Pharmacists , Humans , Patient Readmission/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Retrospective Studies , Female , Male , Aged, 80 and over , Pharmacy Service, Hospital/organization & administration , Medication Therapy Management/organization & administration
2.
bioRxiv ; 2023 Oct 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37873292

ABSTRACT

Axo-axonic cells (AACs) provide specialized inhibition to the axon initial segment (AIS) of excitatory neurons and can regulate network output and synchrony. Although hippocampal dentate AACs are structurally altered in epilepsy, physiological analyses of dentate AACs are lacking. We demonstrate that parvalbumin neurons in the dentate molecular layer express PTHLH, an AAC marker, and exhibit morphology characteristic of AACs. Dentate AACs show high-frequency, non-adapting firing but lack persistent firing in the absence of input and have higher rheobase than basket cells suggesting that AACs can respond reliably to network activity. Early after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), dentate AACs receive fewer spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs and have significantly lower maximum firing frequency. Paired recordings and spatially localized optogenetic stimulation revealed that SE reduced the amplitude of unitary synaptic inputs from AACs to granule cells without altering reliability, short-term plasticity, or AIS GABA reversal potential. These changes compromised AAC-dependent shunting of granule cell firing in a multicompartmental model. These early post-SE changes in AAC physiology would limit their ability to receive and respond to input, undermining a critical brake on the dentate throughput during epileptogenesis.

3.
Exp Neurol ; 370: 114578, 2023 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37858696

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury leads to cellular and circuit changes in the dentate gyrus, a gateway to hippocampal information processing. Intrinsic granule cell firing properties and strong feedback inhibition in the dentate are proposed as critical to its ability to generate unique representation of similar inputs by a process known as pattern separation. Here we evaluate the impact of brain injury on cellular decorrelation of temporally patterned inputs in slices and behavioral discrimination of spatial locations in vivo one week after concussive lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in mice. Despite posttraumatic increases in perforant path evoked excitatory drive to granule cells and enhanced ΔFosB labeling, indicating sustained increase in excitability, the reliability of granule cell spiking was not compromised after FPI. Although granule cells continued to effectively decorrelate output spike trains recorded in response to similar temporally patterned input sets after FPI, their ability to decorrelate highly similar input patterns was reduced. In parallel, encoding of similar spatial locations in a novel object location task that involves the dentate inhibitory circuits was impaired one week after FPI. Injury induced changes in pattern separation were accompanied by loss of somatostatin expressing inhibitory neurons in the hilus. Together, these data suggest that the early posttraumatic changes in the dentate circuit undermine dentate circuit decorrelation of temporal input patterns as well as behavioral discrimination of similar spatial locations, both of which could contribute to deficits in episodic memory.


Subject(s)
Brain Injuries , Dentate Gyrus , Mice , Animals , Reproducibility of Results , Hippocampus , Neurons
4.
Prog Neurobiol ; 231: 102542, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37898313

ABSTRACT

Axo-axonic cells (AACs) provide specialized inhibition to the axon initial segment (AIS) of excitatory neurons and can regulate network output and synchrony. Although hippocampal dentate AACs are structurally altered in epilepsy, physiological analyses of dentate AACs are lacking. We demonstrate that parvalbumin neurons in the dentate molecular layer express PTHLH, an AAC marker, and exhibit morphology characteristic of AACs. Dentate AACs show high-frequency, non-adapting firing but lack persistent firing in the absence of input and have higher rheobase than basket cells suggesting that AACs can respond reliably to network activity. Early after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), dentate AACs receive fewer spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs and have significantly lower maximum firing frequency. Paired recordings and spatially localized optogenetic stimulation revealed that SE reduced the amplitude of unitary synaptic inputs from AACs to granule cells without altering reliability, short-term plasticity, or AIS GABA reversal potential. These changes compromised AAC-dependent shunting of granule cell firing in a multicompartmental model. These early post-SE changes in AAC physiology would limit their ability to receive and respond to input, undermining a critical brake on the dentate throughput during epileptogenesis.


Subject(s)
Dentate Gyrus , Status Epilepticus , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Neurons/physiology , Axons , Status Epilepticus/chemically induced
5.
bioRxiv ; 2023 Sep 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37745454

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury leads to cellular and circuit changes in the dentate gyrus, a gateway to hippocampal information processing. Intrinsic granule cell firing properties and strong feedback inhibition in the dentate are proposed as critical to its ability to generate unique representation of similar inputs by a process known as pattern separation. Here we evaluate the impact of brain injury on cellular decorrelation of temporally patterned inputs in slices and behavioral discrimination of spatial locations in vivo one week after concussive lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in mice. Despite posttraumatic increases in perforant path evoked excitatory drive to granule cells and enhanced ΔFosB labeling, indicating sustained increase in excitability, the reliability of granule cell spiking was not compromised after FPI. Although granule cells continued to effectively decorrelate output spike trains recorded in response to similar temporally patterned input sets after FPI, their ability to decorrelate highly similar input patterns was reduced. In parallel, encoding of similar spatial locations in a novel object location task that involves the dentate inhibitory circuits was impaired one week after FPI. Injury induced changes in pattern separation were accompanied by loss of somatostatin expressing inhibitory neurons in the hilus. Together, these data suggest that the early posttraumatic changes in the dentate circuit undermine dentate circuit decorrelation of temporal input patterns as well as behavioral discrimination of similar spatial locations, both of which could contribute to deficits in episodic memory.

6.
Front Immunol ; 14: 1122451, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37006283

ABSTRACT

A key aspect of parasitic nematode infection is the nematodes' ability to evade and/or suppress host immunity. This immunomodulatory ability is likely driven by the release of hundreds of excretory/secretory proteins (ESPs) during infection. While ESPs have been shown to display immunosuppressive effects on various hosts, our understanding of the molecular interactions between individual proteins released and host immunity requires further study. We have recently identified a secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) released from the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Steinernema carpocapsae we have named Sc-sPLA2. We report that Sc-sPLA2 increased mortality of Drosophila melanogaster infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and promoted increased bacterial growth. Furthermore, our data showed that Sc-sPLA2 was able to downregulate both Toll and Imd pathway-associated antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) including drosomycin and defensin, in addition to suppressing phagocytosis in the hemolymph. Sc-sPLA2 was also found to be toxic to D. melanogaster with the severity being both dose- and time-dependent. Collectively, our data highlighted that Sc-sPLA2 possessed both toxic and immunosuppressive capabilities.


Subject(s)
Nematoda , Phospholipases A2, Secretory , Animals , Drosophila melanogaster , Hemocytes , Immunity, Humoral , Host-Parasite Interactions , Nematoda/microbiology , Nematoda/physiology
7.
Can J Urol ; 29(3): 11136-11141, 2022 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35691034

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Sunitinib is a multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Patients on sunitinib do require regular in-person appointments to monitor for adverse events (AEs). Given the Covid-19 pandemic, regular in-person visits expose patients to an increased risk of infection in addition to potentially preventable travel costs. This study investigated the feasibility of implementing a remote monitoring strategy for patients being treated with sunitinib for mRCC by examining the time trends of AEs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective chart review of patients with a diagnosis of mRCC, 167 patients received sunitinib during their treatment. The time between initiation of treatment and the first AE was recorded. The AEs were categorized according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 5. Survival analysis was used to calculate the time-to-AE. RESULTS: Of the 167 patients identified, 145 experienced an AE (86.8%). Hypertension was the most common AE with 80% of AEs were ≤ Grade 2. Incidence of AE dropped by 91% after 3 months follow up and a further 36% after 6 months. The cumulative incidence of AEs were 87.8%, 94.6% and 98.0%, at 3, 6 and 9 months respectively. The severity of AEs observed were 39.3%, 38.6%, 20.7%, 1.4%,0% of Grade 1-5 events respectively. A trend of grade migration to less severe grades was also shown over time, with percentage of Grade ≥ 3 toxicity dropping from 22% between 0-3 months to 14% beyond 6 months follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The role of remote monitoring for mRCC patients on sunitinib remains relevant now with new waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, triggered by novel variants. The majority of AEs observed were of low severity ≤ Grade 2, with a trend of reduced AE frequency and severity most prevalent beyond 3 months of follow up. This data appears to support the implementation of a remote monitoring strategy 3 months after initiation of treatment.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19 , Carcinoma, Renal Cell , Kidney Neoplasms , Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects , COVID-19/epidemiology , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology , Humans , Indoles/adverse effects , Indoles/chemistry , Kidney Neoplasms/pathology , Pandemics , Pyrroles/adverse effects , Pyrroles/chemistry , Retrospective Studies , Sunitinib/adverse effects , Sunitinib/chemistry
8.
PLoS Pathog ; 18(4): e1010424, 2022 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35446920

ABSTRACT

Fatty acid-and retinol-binding proteins (FARs) belong to a unique family of excreted/secreted proteins (ESPs) found exclusively in nematodes. Much of our understanding of these proteins, however, is limited to their in vitro binding characteristics toward various fatty acids and retinol and has provided little insight into their in vivo functions or mechanisms. Recent research, however, has shown that FARs elicit an immunomodulatory role in plant and animal model systems, likely by sequestering lipids involved in immune signaling. This alludes to the intricate relationship between parasitic nematode effectors and their hosts.


Subject(s)
Nematoda , Retinol-Binding Proteins , Animals , Fatty Acids/metabolism , Helminth Proteins/genetics , Helminth Proteins/metabolism , Nematoda/genetics , Nematoda/metabolism , Retinol-Binding Proteins/genetics , Retinol-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Vitamin A/metabolism
9.
Can Urol Assoc J ; 16(3): E146-E149, 2022 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34672938

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: In light of COVID-19, reducing patient exposure via remote monitoring is desirable. Patients prescribed abiraterone/ enzalutamide are scheduled for monthly in-person appointments to screen for adverse events (AEs). We determined time trends of drug-specific actionable AEs among users of abiraterone/enzalutamide to assess the safety of remote monitoring. METHODS: A chart review was conducted on 828 prostate cancer patients prescribed abiraterone and/or enzalutamide. Data were collected to determine time to actionable first AEs, including hypertension, elevated liver enzymes (aspartate transaminase [AST], alanine transaminase [ALT]), hyperbilirubinemia, and hypokalemia. Survival analysis was used to determine time to AEs. RESULTS: In this study, 425 and 403 patients received enzalutamide and abiraterone, respectively. In total, 25.6% of those who took enzalutamide experienced an AE, compared to 28.8% of patients on abiraterone. For patients using abiraterone and experiencing an AE, cumulative incidence of AEs at three, six, nine, and 12 months were: 67.2%, 81.9%, 90.5%, and 93.9%, respectively. Among enzalutamide users experiencing an AE, cumulative incidence of AEs at three, six, nine, and 12 months were 51.4%, 70.7%, 82.6%, and 88.1%, respectively. The AEs associated with enzalutamide were hypertension and liver dysfunction (77.1% and 22.9%, respectively). In the abiraterone group, associated AEs were liver dysfunction (47.4%), hypertension (47.4%), and hypokalemia (5.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Attaining AEs secondary to abiraterone/enzalutamide decreases over time and tends to occur within the first six months of therapy. Most actionable AEs can be remotely monitored. Given COVID-19, remote monitoring after six months of initiating abiraterone or enzalutamide appears appropriate.

10.
PLoS Pathog ; 17(10): e1010027, 2021 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34714893

ABSTRACT

Parasitic nematodes cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. Excretory/secretory products (ESPs) such as fatty acid- and retinol- binding proteins (FARs) are hypothesized to suppress host immunity during nematode infection, yet little is known about their interactions with host tissues. Leveraging the insect parasitic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae, we describe here the first in vivo study demonstrating that FARs modulate animal immunity, causing an increase in susceptibility to bacterial co-infection. Moreover, we show that FARs dampen key components of the fly immune response including the phenoloxidase cascade and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production. Our data also reveal that FARs deplete lipid signaling precursors in vivo as well as bind to these fatty acids in vitro, suggesting that FARs elicit their immunomodulatory effects by altering the availability of lipid signaling molecules necessary for an efficient immune response. Collectively, these data support a complex role for FARs in immunosuppression in animals and provide detailed mechanistic insight into parasitism in phylum Nematoda.


Subject(s)
Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Helminth Proteins/metabolism , Host-Parasite Interactions/physiology , Nematode Infections/immunology , Retinol-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Animals , Animals, Genetically Modified , Drosophila melanogaster , Nematoda , Nematode Infections/parasitology
12.
Brain Behav Immun ; 88: 381-395, 2020 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32259563

ABSTRACT

The mechanisms by which the neurophysiological and inflammatory responses to brain injury contribute to memory impairments are not fully understood. Recently, we reported that the innate immune receptor, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) enhances AMPA receptor (AMPAR) currents and excitability in the dentate gyrus after fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) while limiting excitability in controls. Here, we examine the cellular mediators underlying TLR4 regulation of dentate excitability and its impact on memory performance. In ex vivo slices, astrocytic and microglial metabolic inhibitors selectively abolished TLR4 antagonist modulation of excitability in controls, but not in rats after FPI, demonstrating that glial signaling contributes to TLR4 regulation of excitability in controls. In glia-depleted neuronal cultures from naïve mice, TLR4 ligands bidirectionally modulated AMPAR charge transfer consistent with neuronal TLR4 regulation of excitability, as observed after brain injury. In vivo TLR4 antagonism reduced early post-injury increases in mediators of MyD88-dependent and independent TLR4 signaling without altering expression in controls. Blocking TNFα, a downstream effector of TLR4, mimicked effects of TLR4 antagonist and occluded TLR4 agonist modulation of excitability in slices from both control and FPI rats. Functionally, transiently blocking TLR4 in vivo improved impairments in working memory observed one week and one month after FPI, while the same treatment impaired memory function in uninjured controls. Together these data identify that distinct cellular signaling mechanisms converge on TNFα to mediate TLR4 modulation of network excitability in the uninjured and injured brain and demonstrate a role for TLR4 in regulation of working memory function.


Subject(s)
Brain Injuries , Toll-Like Receptor 4 , Animals , Memory, Short-Term , Mice , Neurons/metabolism , Rats , Receptors, AMPA , Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism
14.
BMJ Open ; 7(6): e017002, 2017 06 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28647727

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Explore the experience of patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programme. Use these experiential data to inform the development of a framework to support ongoing, meaningful patient engagement in ERAS. DESIGN: Qualitative patient-led study using focus groups and narrative interviews. Data were analysed iteratively using a Participatory Grounded Theory approach. SETTING: Five tertiary care centres in Alberta, Canada, following the ERAS programme. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-seven patients who had undergone colorectal surgery in the last 12 months were recruited through purposive sampling. Seven patients participated in a codesign focus group to set and prioritise the research direction. Narrative interviews were conducted with 20 patients. RESULTS: Patients perceived that an ERAS programme should not be limited to the perioperative period, but should encompass the journey from diagnosis to recovery. Practical recommendations to improve the patient experience across the surgical continuum, and enhance patient engagement within ERAS included: (1) fully explain every protocol, and the purpose of the protocol, both before surgery and while in-hospital, so that patients can become knowledgeable partners in their recovery; (2) extend ERAS guidelines to the presurgery phase, so that patients can be ready emotionally, psychologically and physically for surgery; (3) extend ERAS guidelines to the recovery period at home to avoid stressful situations for patients and families; (4) consider activating a programme where experienced patients can provide peer support; (5) one size does not fit all; personalised adaptations within the standardised pathway are required.Drawing upon these data, and through consultation with ERAS Alberta stakeholders, the ERAS team developed a matrix to guide sustained patient involvement and action throughout the surgical care continuum at three levels: individual, unit and ERAS system. CONCLUSION: This patient-led study generated new insights into the needs of ERAS patients and informed the development of a framework to improve patient experiences and outcomes.


Subject(s)
Digestive System Surgical Procedures/rehabilitation , Patient Participation , Perioperative Care , Postoperative Care , Program Evaluation , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alberta , Colon/surgery , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male , Middle Aged , Postoperative Complications/therapy , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Qualitative Research , Rectum/surgery , Recurrence
15.
Front Physiol ; 7: 520, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27895589

ABSTRACT

Mutations in human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) have been associated with restrictive, dilated, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. The most commonly occurring residue on cTnI associated with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is arginine (R), which is also the most common residue at which multiple mutations occur. Two FHC mutations are known to occur at cTnI arginine 204, R204C and R204H, and both are associated with poor clinical prognosis. The R204H mutation has also been associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). To characterize the effects of different mutations at the same residue (R204) on the physiological function of cTnI, six mutations at R204 (C, G, H, P, Q, W) were investigated in skinned fiber studies. Skinned fiber studies showed that all tested mutations at R204 caused significant increases in Ca2+ sensitivity of force development (ΔpCa50 = 0.22-0.35) when compared to wild-type (WT) cTnI. Investigation of the interactions between the cTnI mutants and WT cardiac troponin C (cTnC) or WT cardiac troponin T (cTnT) showed that all the mutations investigated, except R204G, affected either or both cTnI:cTnT and cTnI:cTnC interactions. The R204H mutation affected both cTnI:cTnT and cTnI:cTnC interactions while the R204C mutation affected only the cTnI:cTnC interaction. These results suggest that different mutations at the same site on cTnI could have varying effects on thin filament interactions. A mutation in fast skeletal TnI (R174Q, homologous to cTnI R204Q) also significantly increased Ca2+ sensitivity of force development (ΔpCa50 = 0.16). Our studies indicate that known cTnI mutations associated with poor prognosis (R204C and R204H) exhibit large increases in Ca2+ sensitivity of force development. Therefore, other R204 mutations that cause similar increases in Ca2+ sensitivity are also likely to have poor prognoses.

16.
Arch Biochem Biophys ; 601: 88-96, 2016 07 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26919894

ABSTRACT

The C-terminal region of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is known to be important in cardiac function, as removal of the last 17 C-terminal residues of human cTnI has been associated with myocardial stunning. To investigate the C-terminal region of cTnI, three C-terminal deletion mutations in human cTnI were generated: Δ1 (deletion of residue 210), Δ3 (deletion of residues 208-210), and Δ5 (deletion of residues 206-210). Mammalian two-hybrid studies showed that the interactions between cTnI mutants and cardiac troponin C (cTnC) or cardiac troponin T (cTnT) were impaired in Δ3 and Δ5 mutants when compared to wild-type cTnI. Troponin complexes containing 2-[4'-(iodoacetamido) anilino] naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (IAANS) labeled cTnC showed that the troponin complex containing cTnI Δ5 had a small increase in Ca(2+) affinity (P < 0.05); while the cTnI Δ1- and Δ3 troponin complexes showed no difference in Ca(2+) affinity when compared to wild-type troponin. In vitro motility assays showed that all truncation mutants had increased Ca(2+) dependent motility relative to wild-type cTnI. These results suggest that the last 5 C-terminal residues of cTnI influence the binding of cTnI with cTnC and cTnT and affect the Ca(2+) dependence of filament sliding, and demonstrate the importance of this region of cTnI.


Subject(s)
Myocardium/metabolism , Troponin C/chemistry , Troponin I/chemistry , Actin Cytoskeleton/chemistry , Adenosine Triphosphatases/chemistry , Calcium/chemistry , Gene Deletion , Heart/physiology , Humans , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Mutation , Myocardial Stunning , Protein Domains , Two-Hybrid System Techniques
18.
J Neurol Surg Rep ; 74(2): 88-91, 2013 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24294565

ABSTRACT

Objective This case report is designed to illustrate an uncommon presentation of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the temporal bone and a treatment method for bloody otorrhea from a pseudoaneurysm of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Design This is a single patient case report Setting University of Missouri-Columbia Hospital and Clinics. Participants The report describes a patient with a history of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) who was previously treated with chemoradiation therapy and salvage bilateral neck dissections and then presented in a delayed fashion with profuse, episodic bloody otorrhea. Computed tomography (CT) was consistent with ORN of the temporal bone. The patient underwent emergent cerebral angiography. A pseudoaneurysm of the cervicopetrous ICA was confirmed to be the source of the patient's bloody otorrhea. The lesion was treated by endovascular sacrifice of the ICA using the two-catheter coiling technique. Results The patient had no neurologic sequelae or further bleeding after treatment. Conclusions Bloody otorrhea is an uncommon presentation of ORN. Sacrifice of the internal carotid can be considered as a treatment when the source is pseudoaneurysmal.

19.
Cancer Immunol Immunother ; 62(8): 1293-301, 2013 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23624851

ABSTRACT

First-generation, E1-deleted adenovirus subtype 5 (Ad5)-based vectors, although promising platforms for use as cancer vaccines, are impeded in activity by naturally occurring or induced Ad-specific neutralizing antibodies. Ad5-based vectors with deletions of the E1 and the E2b regions (Ad5 [E1-, E2b-]), the latter encoding the DNA polymerase and the pre-terminal protein, by virtue of diminished late phase viral protein expression, were hypothesized to avoid immunological clearance and induce more potent immune responses against the encoded tumor antigen transgene in Ad-immune hosts. Indeed, multiple homologous immunizations with Ad5 [E1-, E2b-]-CEA(6D), encoding the tumor antigen carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), induced CEA-specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses with antitumor activity in mice despite the presence of preexisting or induced Ad5-neutralizing antibody. In the present phase I/II study, cohorts of patients with advanced colorectal cancer were immunized with escalating doses of Ad5 [E1-, E2b-]-CEA(6D). CEA-specific CMI responses were observed despite the presence of preexisting Ad5 immunity in a majority (61.3 %) of patients. Importantly, there was minimal toxicity, and overall patient survival (48 % at 12 months) was similar regardless of preexisting Ad5 neutralizing antibody titers. The results demonstrate that, in cancer patients, the novel Ad5 [E1-, E2b-] gene delivery platform generates significant CMI responses to the tumor antigen CEA in the setting of both naturally acquired and immunization-induced Ad5-specific immunity.


Subject(s)
Cancer Vaccines/immunology , Carcinoembryonic Antigen/immunology , Colorectal Neoplasms/immunology , Genetic Vectors/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Adenoviridae/genetics , Adenoviridae/immunology , Adult , Aged , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , Cancer Vaccines/administration & dosage , Cancer Vaccines/genetics , Carcinoembryonic Antigen/genetics , Cohort Studies , Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Genetic Vectors/genetics , Humans , Immunization/methods , Interferon-gamma/immunology , Interferon-gamma/metabolism , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Male , Middle Aged , T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome
20.
J Biol Chem ; 287(44): 37362-70, 2012 Oct 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22977240

ABSTRACT

Human slow skeletal troponin T (HSSTnT) shares a high degree of homology with cardiac TnT (CTnT). Although the presence of HSSTnT has not been confirmed in the heart at the protein level, detectable levels of HSSTnT mRNA have been found. Whether HSSTnT isoforms are expressed transiently remains unknown. Because transient re-expression of HSSTnT may be a potential mechanism of regulating function, we explored the effect of HSSTnT on the regulation of cardiac muscle. At least three HSSTnT isoforms have been found to exist in slow skeletal muscle: HSSTnT1 (+exons 5 and 12), HSSTnT2 (+exon 5, -exon 12), and HSSTnT3 (-exons 5 and 12). Another isoform, HSSTnT hypothetical (Hyp) (-exon 5, +exon 12), has only been found at the mRNA level. Compared with HCTnT3 (adult isoform), Tn complexes containing HSSTnT1, -2, and -3 did not alter the actomyosin ATPase activation and inhibition in the presence and absence of Ca(2+), respectively. HSSTnTHyp was not evaluated as it did not form a Tn complex under a variety of conditions. Porcine papillary skinned fibers displaced with HSSTnT1, -2, or -3 and reconstituted with human cardiac troponin I and troponin C (HCTnI·TnC) complex showed a decrease in the Ca(2+) sensitivity of force development and an increase in maximal recovered force (HSSTnT1 and -3) compared with HCTnT3. In contrast, HSSTnTHyp showed an increase in the Ca(2+) sensitivity of force development. This suggests that re- or overexpression of specific SSTnT isoforms might have therapeutic potential in the failing heart because they increase the maximal force of contraction. In addition, circular dichroism and proteolytic digestion experiments revealed structural differences between HSSTnT isoforms and HCTnT3 and that HSSTnT1 is more susceptible to calpain and trypsin proteolysis than the other HSSTnTs. Overall, HSSTnT isoforms despite being homologues of CTnT may display distinct functional properties in muscle regulation.


Subject(s)
Myocardial Contraction , Myocardium/cytology , Myocytes, Cardiac/physiology , Troponin T/physiology , Animals , Calcium/physiology , Calpain/chemistry , Circular Dichroism , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Myocardium/enzymology , Myocardium/metabolism , Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism , Myosins/metabolism , Protein Isoforms/chemistry , Protein Isoforms/metabolism , Protein Isoforms/physiology , Protein Structure, Secondary , Proteolysis , Sus scrofa , Troponin T/chemistry , Troponin T/metabolism , Trypsin/chemistry
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