No abstract

Inflammation contributes to the tubulointerstitial lesions of diabetic nephropathy. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) modulate immune responses and inflammatory diseases, but their role in diabetic nephropathy is not well understood. In this study, we found increased expression of TLR4 but not of TLR2 in the renal tubules of human kidneys with diabetic nephropathy compared with expression of TLR4 and TLR2 in normal kidney and in kidney disease from other causes. The intensity of tubular TLR4 expression correlated directly with interstitial macrophage infiltration and hemoglobin A1c level and inversely with estimated glomerular filtration rate. The tubules also upregulated the endogenous TLR4 ligand high-mobility group box 1 in diabetic nephropathy. In vitro, high glucose induced TLR4 expression via protein kinase C activation in a time-and dose-dependent manner, resulting in upregulation of IL-6 and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL-2) expression via IkB/NF-kB activation in human proximal tubular epithelial cells. Silencing of TLR4 with small interfering RNA attenuated high glucose-induced IkB/NF-kB activation, inhibited the downstream synthesis of IL-6 and CCL-2, and impaired the ability of conditioned media from high glucosetreated proximal tubule cells to induce transmigration of mononuclear cells. We observed similar effects using a TLR4-neutralizing antibody. Finally, streptozotocin-induced diabetic and uninephrectomized TLR4-deficient mice had significantly less albuminuria, renal dysfunction, renal cortical NF-kB activation, tubular CCL-2 expression, and interstitial macrophage infiltration than wild-type animals. Taken together, these data suggest that a TLR4-mediated pathway may promote tubulointerstitial inflammation in diabetic nephropathy.

The problem of minimizing the total tardiness for a set of independent jobs on one machine is considered. Lawler has given a pseudo-polynomial-time algorithm to solve this problem. In spite of extensive research efforts for more than a decade, the question of whether it can be solved in polynomial time or it is NP-hard (in the ordinary sense) remained open. In this paper the problem is shown to be NP-hard (in the ordinary sense).

No abstract

Renal tubulointerstitial injury is characterized by inflammatory cell infiltrate; however, the stimuli for leukocyte recruitment are not fully understood. IL-8 is a potent chemokine produced by proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs). Whether nephrotic proteins stimulate tubular IL-8 expression remains unknown. Acute exposure of human PTECs to albumin induced IL-8 gene and protein expression time-and dose-dependently. Apical albumin predominantly stimulated basolateral IL-8 secretion. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated nuclear translocation of NF-κB, and the p65/p50 subunits were activated. NF-κB activation and IL-8 secretion were attenuated by the NF-κB inhibitors pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and cell-permeable peptide. Albumin upregulated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, while exogenous H 2 O 2 stimulated NF-κB translocation and IL-8 secretion. Albumin-induced ROS generation, NF-κB activation, and IL-8 secretion were endocytosis-and PKC-dependent as these downstream events were abrogated by the PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin, and the PKC inhibitors GF109203X and staurosporin, respectively. In vivo, IL-8 mRNA expression was localized by in situ hybridization to the proximal tubules in nephrotic kidney tissues. The intensity of IL-8 immunostaining was higher in nephrotic than non-nephrotic subjects. In conclusion, albumin is a strong stimulus for tubular IL-8 expression, which occurs via NF-κB-dependent pathways through PKC activation and ROS generation.

No abstract

Although urgent colonoscopy identified a definite source of LGIB more often than a standard care algorithm based on angiography and expectant colonoscopy, the approaches are not significantly different with regard to important outcomes. Thus, decisions concerning care for patients with acute LGIB should be based on individual experience and local expertise.

No abstract