Abstract Survivors experiencing acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACMP) tend to develop white matter injury (WMI). The mechanism of ACMP-induced WMI remains unclear. Considering the role of ferroptosis in initiating oligodendrocyte damage to deteriorate WMI, exploring therapeutic options to attenuate ferroptosis is a feasible approach to managing WMI. Our results indicated that ACMP induced accumulation of iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) eventually leading to WMI and motor impairment after ACMP. Further, ferrostatin-1 reduced iron and ROS deposition to alleviate ferroptosis, thereafter reducing WMI to promote the recovery of motor function. The nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway was found to be involved in alleviating ferroptosis as seen with the administration of ferrostatin-1. The present study rationalizes that targeting ferroptosis to alleviate WMI is a feasible therapeutic strategy for managing ACMP.
FFA2 (GPR43) has been identified as a receptor for short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that include acetate and propionate. FFA2 is highly expressed in islets, a subset of immune cells, and adipocytes. Although the potential roles of FFA2 activation in these tissues have previously been described, the physiological functions are still unclear. The potency for SCFAs on FFA2 is low, in the high micromolar to millimolar concentrations. To identify better pharmacological tools to study receptor function, we used high-throughput screening (HTS) to discover a series of small molecule phenylacetamides as novel and more potent FFA2 agonists. This series is specific for FFA2 over FFA1 (GPR40) and FFA3 (GPR41), and it is able to activate both the Galpha(q) and Galpha(i) pathways in vitro on Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing FFA2. Treatment of adipocytes with these compounds also resulted in Galpha(i)-dependent inhibition of lipolysis similar to that of endogenous ligands (SCFAs). It is noteworthy that these compounds not only acted as FFA2 agonists but also exhibited positive cooperativity with acetate or propionate. The observed allosteric modulation was consistent in all the functional assays that we have explored, including cAMP, calcium mobilization, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate binding, and lipolysis. Molecular modeling analysis of FFA2 based on human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor structure revealed potential nonoverlapping binding sites for the endogenous and synthetic ligands, further providing insight into the binding pocket for the allosteric interactions. This is the first report describing the identification of novel allosteric modulators with agonist activity for FFA2, and these compounds may serve as tools for further unraveling the physiological functions of the receptor and its involvement in various diseases.
FGF19 is a hormone that regulates bile acid and glucose homeostasis. Progress has been made in identifying cofactors for receptor activation. However, several functions of FGF19 have not yet been fully defined, including the actions of FGF19 on target tissues, its FGF receptor specificity, and the contributions of other cofactors, such as heparin. Here, we explore the requirements for FGF19-FGFR/co-receptor interactions and signaling in detail. We show that betaKlotho was essential for FGF19 interaction with FGFRs 1c, 2c, and 3c, but FGF19 was able to interact directly with FGFR4 in the absence of betaKlotho in a heparin-dependent manner. Further, FGF19 activated FGFR4 signaling in the presence or absence of betaKlotho, but activation of FGFRs 1c, 2c, or 3c was completely betaKlotho dependent. We then generated an FGF19 molecule, FGF19dCTD, which has a deletion of the C-terminal region responsible for betaKlotho interaction. We determined that betaKlotho-dependent FGFR1c, 2c, and 3c interactions and activation were abolished, and betaKlotho-independent FGFR4 activation was preserved; therefore, FGF19dCTD is an FGFR4-specific activator. This unique FGF19 molecule specifically activated FGFR4-dependent signaling in liver and suppressed CYP7A1 expression in vivo, but was unable to activate signaling in adipose where FGFR4 expression is very low. Interestingly, unlike FGF19, treatment of ob/ob mice with FGF19dCTD failed to improve glucose levels and insulin sensitivity. These results suggest that FGF19-regulated liver bile acid metabolism could be independent of its glucose-lowering effect, and direct FGFR activation in adipose tissue may play an important role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.
Objective
To identify independent risk factor(s) in deaths of patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage.
Methods
A total of 132 patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage (survival in 88 cases and death in 44 cases) were retrospectively enrolled into this study who were admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University from January 2000 to December 2016. Chi-square test for age, sex, medical history, vital signs at admission or the rank sum test for hematoma volume was performed between the two groups to identify risk factor(s) affecting the survival at 30 days post primary brainstem hemorrhage. Furthermore, multivariate Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify independent risk factors of deaths in patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage.
Results
Univariate regression analysis related to the survival rate within 30 days indicated that risk factors were as follows: age (P=0.017), hypertension (P=0.002), GCS (Glasgow coma scale) score (P<0.001), NIHSS (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) score (P<0.001), hematoma volume (P<0.001), combined ventricular hemorrhage (P=0.014) and hydrocephalus (P<0.001). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis data showed that GCS score on admission (OR=0.619, 95% CI: 0.414-0.926, P=0.019) was an independent risk factor in patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage.
Conclusion
GCS score on admission is an independent risk factor inducing death in patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage.
Key words:
Cerebral hemorrhage; Cause of death; Risk factors; Glasgow coma scale
Ischemic stroke is one of the most leading diseases causing death/long-term disability worldwide. Activating endogenous neural stem/progenitors cells (NSPCs), lining in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus, facilitates injured brain tissue recovery in both short and long-term experimental settings. While, only a few proliferated NSPCs migrate toward the lesions to enhance endogenous repair after ischemia. Here, the results indicated that the functional recovery was evidently improved and the infarct volume was significantly reduced with ascorbic acid (AA) treatment in a dose-dependent manner from 125 to 500 mg/Kg, and the suitable therapeutic concentration was 250 mg/Kg. The possible mechanism might be due to activating sodium-vitamin C cotransporter 2 (SVCT2), which was down-regulated in SVZ after ischemia. Furthermore, immunostaining images depicted the number of migrated NSPCs from SVZ were significantly increased with 250 mg/Kg AA treatment or SVCT2 overexpression under the physiological and pathological condition in vivo. Besides, the data also represented that 250 mg/Kg AA or SVCT2 overexpression facilitated NSPCs migration via promoting F-actin assembling in the manner of up-regulating CDC42 expression using oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro. Collectively, the present study indicates that SVCT2 promotes NSPCs migration through CDC42 activation to facilitate F-actin assembling, which enlarges the therapeutic scope of AA and the role of SVCT2 in NSPCs migration after brain injury.
In article number 1805549, Xiaowei Chen, Jie Liu, Hua Feng, and co-workers prepare a new aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen (AIEgen) through molecular engineering by varying a single atom from sulfur to selenium. The resultant AIE nanoparticles have an emission tail extending to 1200 nm with a high quantum yield. The light from these nanoparticles allow for clear vessel imaging.
Decompressive craniectomy (DC), a surgery to remove part of the skull and open the dura mater, maybe an effective treatment for controlling intracranial hypertension. It remains great interest to elucidate whether DC is beneficial to intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients who warrant clot removal (CR) to prevent intracranial hypertension.
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