Rosiglitazone alleviates myocardial apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction via inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8479.].

Rosiglitazone alleviates myocardial apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction via inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Influence of rosiglitazone on the myocardial apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) via the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway was explored. A total of 30 healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into group A (Sham group, n=10), group B (AMI model group, n=10) and group C (AMI model + rosiglitazone group, n=10) using a random number table. It was observed through H&E staining that group A had myocardial cells with normal morphology and infiltration of few inflammatory factors, while group B had swollen myocardial cells with disorderly and irregular morphology, large and dark-colored nuclei, infiltration of massive inflammatory factors, large amounts of fibrous tissue hyperplasia in the intercellular space, disorderly arranged, thickened and lengthened myocardial fibers with widened gaps. Moreover, group C exhibited infiltration of fewer inflammatory factors and more normal myocardial tissue structure compared with group B. According to the sirius-red staining results, group A had normally arranged myocardial cells with a small amount of collagen hyperplasia, while group B had collagen interstitial hyperplasia and higher content of myocardial collagen than group A. Compared with that in group B, the myocardial collagen deposit was substantially reduced in group C. TUNEL staining results showed that the apoptosis rate of rat myocardial cells in group B was obviously higher than that in group A (40.37 vs. 5.23%), and it was notably lower in group C than that in group B (24.82 vs. 40.37%). According to the western blot results, the protein expression levels of the inflammatory factors TLR-4 and NF-κB in rat myocardial tissues were notably raised in group B compared with those in group A, and they were evidently lower in group C than those in group B. Rosiglitazone inhibits the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to produce a myocardioprotective effect.

Effect of Remifentanil Combined Anesthesia on Cytokines and Oxidative Stress in Patients undergoing Laparoscopic Surgery for Colon Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of remifentanil combined anesthesia on serum cytokines and oxidative stress indices in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Anesthesiology, Yuhuangding Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Yantai, China, from May 2016 to March 2018. METHODOLOGY: A total of 154 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer were randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 77 cases in each group. Control group received fentanyl combined anesthesia, and observation group received remifentanil combined anesthesia. Levels of serum cytokines IL-8, IL-6, CRP, TNF- α and the levels of oxidative stress indices SOD, MDA, CAT, and GSH on the first day after operation were compared. Occurrence of adverse reactions during anesthesia recovery was observed and recorded in both groups. RESULTS: On the first day after surgery, levels of serum cytokines IL-8, IL-6, CRP, TNF- α and MDA in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (all p<0.001); levels of serum SOD, GSH, and CAT in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (all p<0.001). The frequency of adverse reactions such as nausea and vomiting, chills, restlessness, cough, and tachycardia in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (p=0.029, 0.016, 0.009, 0.025, and 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with fentanyl combined anesthesia, the remifentanil combined anesthesia can significantly reduce serum levels of cytokines IL-8, IL-6, CRP, TNF- α and oxidative stress level, and is, therefore, more secure for patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer.

Hesperetin attenuates ventilator-induced acute lung injury through inhibition of NF-κB-mediated inflammation.

Hesperetin, a major bioflavonoid in sweet oranges and lemons, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of hesperetin on ventilator-induced acute lung injury has not been studied. In present study, we investigated the protective effect of hesperetin on ventilator-induced acute lung injury in rats. Rats were orally administered hesperetin (10, 20, or 40mg/kg) two hour before acute lung injury was induced by mechanical ventilation. Rats were then randomly divided into six groups: the lung protective ventilation group (n=20, LV group), injurious ventilation group (n=20, HV group), vehicle-treated injurious ventilation group (n=20, LV+vehicle group), hesperetin (10mg/kg)-treated acute lung injury group (n=20, HV+Hsp (10mg)), hesperetin (20mg/kg)-treated acute lung injury group (n=20, HV+Hsp (20mg)), and hesperetin (40mg/kg)-treated acute lung injury group (n=20, HV+Hsp (40mg)). The lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were isolated for subsequent measurements. Treatment with hesperetin dramatically improved the histology of lung tissue, and reduced the wet/dry ratio, myeloperoxidase activity, protein concentration, and production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, and MIP-2 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of rats with ventilator-induced acute lung injury. Additionally, our study indicated that this protective effect of hesperetin results from its ability to increase the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and inhibit the activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway. These results suggest that hesperetin may be a potential novel therapeutic candidate for protection against ventilator-induced acute lung injury.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Free Fatty Acid Levels Are Associated with Stroke Subtypes and Severity in Chinese Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical significance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free fatty acid (FFA) levels in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: From December 2011 to October 2014, all patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were recruited to participate in the study. CSF levels of FFAs were assayed at 4 time points, and severity of stroke was evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission. RESULTS: Median CSF FFA levels were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher in patients with stroke compared with control subjects. CSF FFA levels reflected the disease severity of acute ischemic stroke. There were significant positive associations between CSF FFA levels and NIHSS scores (r = 0.424, P < 0.0001) and infarct volume (r = 0.289, P < 0.0001). CSF FFA levels in patients with cardioembolic (CE) stroke were significantly higher compared with patients with non-CE stroke (0.34 mmol/L [interquartile range, 0.26-0.42] vs. 0.14 mmol/L [interquartile range, 0.08-0.23]; P < 0.0001). Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff value of CSF FFA levels as an indicator for the diagnosis of CE stroke was projected to be 0.22 mmol/L, which yielded a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 75.3%, and the area under the curve was 0.873 (95% confidence interval, 0.810-0.935). CONCLUSIONS: CSF FFA levels at the time of admission were associated with stroke severity and lesion volumes. In addition, CE stroke can be distinguished from other stroke etiologies by measuring CSF FFA levels very early.

The impact of anesthetic techniques on survival for patients with colorectal cancer: evidence based on six studies.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Epidural-supplemented general anesthesia is perceived as a more beneficial method over general anesthesia since it reduces incidence of side effects, provides better postoperative pain relief and lowers the possibility to use immunosuppressive anesthetics. However, previous prospective and retrospective studies reported conflicting results in the effects of epidural anesthesia on post-operative outcomes of colorectal cancer surgery. Therefore, this study aims to pool available evidence to assess the association between epidural anesthesia and the post- operative outcomes in this group of patients. METHODOLOGY: Relevant studies were searched in databases and a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the association between epidural anesthesia and overall survival and recurrence free survival. RESULTS: Compared with the anesthetic choice without epidural anesthesia, epidural-supplemented anesthesia is associated with significantly longer overall survival (HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.55-0.94, p = 0.01) but not with prolonged recurrence free survival (HR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.96-1.16, p = 0.23). These results showed a highlevel of robustness in sensitive test. CONCLUSION: Although epidural anesthesia might not lead to improved recurrence free survival, it had significant benefit in improving overall survival and reducing all-cause of death. It might be a useful anesthetic technique for colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgery. However, prospective studies are required to confirm whether this benefit is causative with epidural anesthesia.