Angiographic and Clinical Profile of Patients With COVID-19 Referred for Coronary Angiography During SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Results From a Collaborative, European, Multicenter Registry.

Data regarding angiographic characteristics, clinical profile, and inhospital outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) referred for coronary angiography (CAG) are scarce. This is an observational study analyzing confirmed patients with COVID-19 referred for CAG from 10 European centers. We included 57 patients (mean age: 66 ± 15 years, 82% male) , of whom 18% had previous myocardial infarction (MI) and 29% had renal insufficiency and chronic pulmonary disease. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was the most frequent indication for CAG (58%). Coronavirus disease 2019 was confirmed after CAG in 86% and classified as mild in 49%, with 21% fully asymptomatic. A culprit lesion was identified in 79% and high thrombus burden in 42%; 7% had stent thrombosis. At 40 days follow-up, 16 (28%) patients experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE): 12 deaths (92% noncardiac), 1 MI, 2 stent thrombosis, and 1 stroke. In an European multicenter registry, patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection referred for CAG during the first wave of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic presented mostly with STEMI and were predominantly males with comorbidities. Severity of COVID-19 was in general noncritical and 21% were asymptomatic at the time of CAG. Culprit coronary lesions with high thrombus burden were frequently identified, with a rate of stent thrombosis of 7%. The incidence of MACE at 40 days was high (28%), mostly due to noncardiac death.

miR-192, miR-194 and miR-215: a convergent microRNA network suppressing tumor progression in renal cell carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in tumor progression and metastasis. We, and others, recently identified a number of miRNAs that are dysregulated in metastatic renal cell carcinoma compared with primary renal cell carcinoma. Here, we investigated three miRNAs that are significantly downregulated in metastatic tumors: miR-192, miR-194 and miR-215. Gain-of-function analyses showed that restoration of their expression decreases cell migration and invasion in renal cell carcinoma cell line models, whereas knockdown of these miRNAs resulted in enhancing cellular migration and invasion abilities. We identified three targets of these miRNAs with potential role in tumor aggressiveness: murine double minute 2, thymidylate synthase, and Smad Interacting protein 1/zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2. We observed a convergent effect (the same molecule can be targeted by all three miRNAs) and a divergent effect (the same miRNA can control multiple targets) for these miRNAs. We experimentally validated these miRNA-target interactions using three independent approaches. First, we observed that miRNA overexpression significantly reduces the mRNA and protein levels of their targets. In the second, we observed significant reduction of the luciferase signal of a vector containing the 3'UTR of the target upon miRNA overexpression. Finally, we show the presence of inverse correlation between miRNA changes and the expression levels of their targets in patient specimens. We also examined the prognostic significance of miR-215 in renal cell carcinoma. Lower expression of miR-215 is associated with significantly reduced disease-free survival time. These findings were validated on an independent data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas. These results can pave the way to the clinical use of miRNAs as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.

The groESL chaperone operon of Lactobacillus johnsonii.

The Lactobacillus johnsonii VPI 11088 groESL operon was localized on the chromosome near the insertion element IS1223. The operon was initially cloned as a series of three overlapping PCR fragments, which were sequenced and used to design primers to amplify the entire operon. The amplified fragment was used as a probe to recover the chromosomal copy of the groESL operon from a partial library of L. johnsonii VPI 11088 (NCK88) DNA, cloned in the shuttle vector pTRKH2. The 2,253-bp groESL fragment contained three putative open reading frames, two of which encoded the ubiquitous GroES and GroEL chaperone proteins. Analysis of the groESL promoter region revealed three transcription initiation sites, as well as three sets of inverted repeats (IR) positioned between the transcription and translation start sites. Two of the three IR sets bore significant homology to the CIRCE elements, implicated in negative regulation of the heat shock response in many bacteria. Northern analysis and primer extension revealed that multiple temperature-sensitive promoters preceded the groESL chaperone operon, suggesting that stress protein production in L. johnsonii is strongly regulated. Maximum groESL transcription activity was observed following a shift to 55 degrees C, and a 15 to 30-min exposure of log-phase cells to this temperature increased the recovery of freeze-thawed L. johnsonii VPI 11088. These results suggest that a brief, preconditioning heat shock can be used to trigger increased chaperone production and provide significant cross-protection from the stresses imposed during the production of frozen culture concentrates.

Percutaneous cuffed catheter insertion by nephrologists.

The use of Dacron cuff double-lumen permanent catheters for hemodialysis has become more common in the dialysis unit as patients await for creation or maturation of a permanent hemoaccess for various reasons. Placement of these catheters is often done by surgeons. Nephrologists skilled in the placement of temporary central vein accesses can extend their skill to placement of cuff catheters with the current available peel-away insertion technique. Data are presented on the percutaneous placement of 77 Dacron cuff permanent catheters by 4 nephrologists in two medical centers in a nonoperating room setting with minimal complications.

The anti-growth properties of extracts from momordica charantia L

Crude and purified extracts from M. charantia plants were tested for their anti-growth properties on a variety of biological materials. These extracts inhibited the germination of maize, cotton and broad bean seeds, as well as the formation of adventitious roots on Bryophyllum leaves. The neutralized acidic fraction also inhibited the division of sea urchin eggs and foetal development in rats, caused a slight increase of the life expectancy of mice bearing tumours of Sarcoma 180, and suppressed the growth of Her2 cells in tissue culture. Oral administration of the crude whole plant extract to a lymphatic leukaemic patient caused a marked increase in the haemoglobin content of teh blood and a noticeable decrease in the white bloob cells. When the crude extract was fractionated on resin columns and then on chromatographic paper, a yellow material was separated and analysed for its elemental constituents. Where tested, it proved to be a more potent growth inhibitor than the whole plant extract or other fractions thereof (AU)

Some biological observations of hypoglycin A in presence of leucine - abstract

The present work was carried out to investigate the effect of leucine on the biological activity of hypoglycin A. Leucine-free hypoglycin A, prepared from the ackee (Blighia sapida) seeds, has been shown to cause inhibition of the growth of broad bean radicles. When supplied simultaneously, leucine had no effect on the degree of inhibition produced by hypoglycin A even when the leucine concentration was four times that of hypoglycin A. Although the acceped structure of hypoglycin A bears a relationship to that of leucine, yet leucine does not antagonise the inhibitory action of hypoglycin A. When injected intraperitoneally into rats, fasted for 48 hours to ensure complete depletion of their liver glycogen, hypoglycin A induced hypoglycemia. This hypoglycemia was potentiated by leucine when administered one hour before hypoglycin A. These findings indicate that the hypooglycemia induced by hypoglycin A is not a result of the exhaustion of the liver glycogen as was suggested by Patrick (1954). They also indicate that the liver is not the principal site of action as thought by Chen et al. (1957).(AU)