The transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life that occurs at the time of birth requires timely anatomic and physiologic adjustments to achieve the conversion from placental gas exchange to pulmonary respiration. This transition is brought about by initiation of air breathing and cessation of the placental circulation. Air breathing initiates marked relaxation of pulmonary vascular resistance, with considerable increase in pulmonary blood flow and increased return of now-welloxygenated blood to the left atrium and left ventricle, as well as increased left ventricular output. Removal of the lowresistance placental circuit will increase systemic vascular resistance and blood pressure and reduce right-to-left shunting across the ductus arteriosus. The systemic organs must equally and quickly adjust to the dramatic increase in blood pressure and oxygen exposure. Similarly, intrauterine thermostability must be replaced by neonatal thermoregulation with its inherent increase in oxygen consumption.Approximately 85% of babies born at term will initiate spontaneous respirations within 10 to 30 seconds of birth, an additional 10% will respond during drying and stimulation, approximately 3% will initiate respirations after positive-pressure ventilation (PPV), 2% will be intubated to support respiratory function, and 0.1% will require chest compressions and/or epinephrine to achieve this transition. [1][2][3] Although the vast majority of newborn infants do not require intervention to make these transitional changes, the large number of births worldwide means that many infants require some assistance to achieve cardiorespiratory stability each year.Newly born infants who are breathing or crying and have good tone immediately after birth must be dried and kept warm so as to avoid hypothermia. These actions can be provided with the baby lying on the mother's chest and should not require separation of mother and baby. This does not preclude the need for clinical assessment of the baby. For the approximately 5% of newly born infants who do not initiate respiratory effort after stimulation by drying, and providing warmth to avoid hypothermia, 1 or more of the following actions should be undertaken: providing effective ventilation with a face mask or endotracheal intubation, and administration of chest compressions with or without intravenous medications or volume expansion for those with a persistent heart rate less than 60/min or asystole, despite strategies to achieve effective ventilation (Figure 1).The 2 vital signs that are used to identify the need for an intervention as well as to assess the response to interventions are heart rate and respirations. Progression down the algorithm should proceed only after successful completion of each step, the most critical being effective ventilation. A period of only approximately 60 seconds after birth is allotted to complete each of the first 2 steps, ie, determination of heart rate and institution of effective ventilation. Subsequent progression to the next step will depend o...

Therapy with the probiotic bacteria B. Subtilis and E. faecalis are an effective and safe means for preventing VAP and the acquisition of PPMO colonization in the stomach.

Background & Aims HFE and transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2) are each necessary for the normal relationship between body iron status and liver hepcidin expression. In murine Hfe and Tfr2 knockout models of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), signal transduction to hepcidin via the bone morphogenetic protein 6 (Bmp6)/Smad1,5,8 pathway is attenuated. We examined the effect of dietary iron on regulation of hepcidin expression via the Bmp6/Smad1,5,8 pathway using mice with targeted disruption of Tfr2, Hfe, or both genes. Methods Hepatic iron concentrations and mRNA expression of Bmp6 and hepcidin were compared with wild-type mice in each of the HH models on standard or iron-loading diets. Liver phospho-Smad (P-Smad)1,5,8 and Id1 mRNA levels were measured as markers of Bmp/Smad signaling. Results While Bmp6 expression was increased, liver hepcidin and Id1 expression were decreased in each of the HH models compared with wild-type mice. Each of the HH models also demonstrated attenuated P-Smad1,5,8 levels relative to liver iron status. Mice with combined Hfe/Tfr2 disruption were most affected. Dietary iron loading increased hepcidin and Id1 expression in each of the HH models. Compared with wild-type mice, HH mice demonstrated attenuated (Hfe knockout) or no increases in P-Smad1,5,8 levels in response to dietary iron loading. Conclusions These observations demonstrate that Tfr2 and Hfe are each required for normal signaling of iron status to hepcidin via Bmp6/Smad1,5,8 pathway. Mice with combined loss of Hfe and Tfr2 up-regulate hepcidin in response to dietary iron loading without increases in liver BMP6 mRNA or steady-state P-Smad1,5,8 levels.

Background: Propofol and sevoflurane are widely used in clinical anesthesia, and both have been reported to exert a protective effect in organ ischemia/reperfusion (IR). This study aims to investigate and compare the effects of propofol and sevoflurane on liver ischemia/reperfusion and the precise molecular mechanism. Methods and Materials: Rats were randomized into four groups: the sham group, I/R group, propofol treatment group (infused with 1% propofol at 500 µg· kg-1· min-1), and sevoflurane treatment group (infused with 3% (2 L/min) sevoflurane). The liver ischemia/reperfusion model was used to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect on ischemic injury. Liver enzyme leakage, liver cytokines and histopathological examination were used to evaluate the extent of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. Oxidative stress was investigated by evaluating the levels of Malondialdehyde(MDA), Superoxide Dismutase(SOD) and NO. The terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase(TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and western blot were applied to detect apoptosis in the ischemic liver tissue and its mechanism. Results: Both propofol and sevoflurane attenuated the extent of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury which is evident from the hisopathological studies and alterations in liver enzymes such as AST and LDH by inhibiting Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) activation and subsequent alterations in inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1(IL-1), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and increased IL10 release. Propofol exhibited a similar protective effect and a lower IL-1 release, while sevoflurane decreased TNF-a leakage more significantly. Meanwhile, oxidative stress was attenuated by reduced MDA and NO and elevated SOD release. The expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl were enhanced while that of apoptotic protein Bax and Bak were reduced by both propofol and sevoflurane to regulate hepatic apoptosis. In addition, propofol downregulated the phosphorylation of AKT and Bad protein, while sevoflurane downregulated the phosphorylation of p38. In addition, Both the treatments had no effect on the expression of AKT, Bad and p38. Conclusion: Both propofol and sevoflurane can protect the liver from ischemia/reperfusion injury by modulating the inflammatory responses reducing oxidative stress and liver apoptosis.

Hepcidin is a hepatocellular hormone that inhibits the release of iron from certain cell populations, including enterocytes and reticuloendothelial cells. The regulation of hepcidin ( HAMP) gene expression by iron status is mediated in part by the signaling molecule bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6). We took advantage of the low iron status of juvenile mice to characterize the regulation of Bmp6 and Hamp1 expression by iron administered in three forms: 1) ferri-transferrin (Fe-Tf), 2) ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), and 3) liver ferritin. Each of these forms of iron enters cells by distinct mechanisms and chemical forms. Iron was parenterally administered to 10-day-old mice, and hepatic expression of Bmp6 and Hamp1 mRNAs was measured 6 h later. We observed that hepatic Bmp6 expression increased in response to ferritin but was unchanged by Fe-Tf or FAC. Hepatic Hamp1 expression likewise increased in response to ferritin and Fe-Tf but was decreased by FAC. Exogenous ferritin increased Bmp6 and Hamp1 expression in older mice as well. Removing iron from ferritin markedly decreased its effect on Bmp6 expression. Exogenously administered ferritin and the derived iron localized in the liver primarily to sinusoidal lining cells. Moreover, expression of Bmp6 mRNA in isolated adult rodent liver cells was much higher in sinusoidal lining cells than hepatocytes (endothelial >> stellate > Kupffer). We conclude that exogenous iron-containing ferritin upregulates hepatic Bmp6 expression, and we speculate that liver ferritin contributes to regulation of Bmp6 and, thus, Hamp1 genes.

The clinical use of cisplatin, a potent antineoplastic agent, is limited by its severe adverse effects. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of resveratrol on cisplatin-induced cardiac injury. Resveratrol is a potent free radical scavenger. In the present study, we tested whether resveratrol would prevent cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Plasma-enzyme activities and histologic myocardial changes were examined. The anticancer role of resveratrol and/or cisplatin were measured by MTT. Our data showed that cisplatin led to cardiac-function deterioration, myocardial injury, increased lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, malondialdehyde activities, and decreased activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Treatment with resveratrol effectively hindered the adverse effects of cisplatin in a dose-dependent manner, such as myocardial injury and impaired heart function. An in vitro cytotoxic study showed that resveratrol could increase the antineoplastic activity of cisplatin to A549 adenocarcinoma cells. All the above lines of evidence suggest that resveratrol protects cardiomyocytes from cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity via the suppression of oxidative stress.

BackgroundHyperthyroidism affects about 0.2%-2.7% of all pregnancies, and is commonly managed with antithyroid drugs (ATDs). However, previous studies about the effects of ATDs on congenital anomalies are controversial. Therefore, the present meta-analysis was performed to explore the risk of congenital anomalies in children exposed to ATDs in-utero.MethodsEmbase, Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, and BIOSIS Citation Index were searched to find out studies about congenital anomalies in children exposed to ATDs in-utero reported up to May 2014. The references cited by the retrieved articles were also searched. The relative risks (RRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for the individual studies were pooled by fixed effects models, and heterogeneity was analyzed by chi-square and I 2 tests.ResultsEight studies met the inclusion criteria. Exposure to propylthiouracil (PTU), methimazole/carbimazole (MMI/CMZ), and PTU & MMI/CMZ was investigated in 7, 7 and 2 studies, respectively. The pooled RR was 1.20 (95%CI: 1.02-1.42), 1.64 (95%CI: 1.39-1.92), and 1.83 (95%CI: 1.30-2.56) for congenital anomalies after exposure to PTU, MMI/CMZ, and PTU & MMI/CMZ, respectively.ConclusionsThe meta-analysis suggests that exposure to ATDs in-utero increases the risk of congenital anomalies. The use of ATDs in pregnancy should be limited when possible. Further research is needed to delineate the exact teratogenic risk for particular congenital anomaly.

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