Negative air ions through the action of antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis and angiogenesis ameliorate lipopolysaccharide induced acute lung injury and promote diabetic wound healing in rat.

Negative air ions (NAIs) being bioactive and negative charged molecules may confer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. We assessed the effect of NAIs on two inflammatory diseases in animal models including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced acute lung injury (ALI) and wound healing in diabetic rats. We used intra-tracheal infusion of LPS to induce ALI and made a full-thickness cutaneous wound in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female Wistar rats. We evaluated NAIs effects on reactive oxygen species amount, leukocyte infiltration, wound healing rate, western blot, and immunohistochemistry in the lungs of ALI and skin sections of wounds. Our data found NAIs exposed saline displayed higher antioxidant activity vs. non-exposed saline. NAIs exposure did not significantly affect arterial blood pressure and respiratory frequency in control and LPS treated groups. LPS increased leukocyte infiltration, caspase 3/Poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase-mediated apoptosis formation and decreased Beclin-1/LC3-II-mediated autophagy in lungs. NAIs exposure conferred pulmonary protection by depressed leukocyte infiltration and caspase 3/Poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase mediated apoptosis and enhanced LC3-II-mediated autophagy in LPS induced ALI. NAIs treatment resulted in a significantly accelerated wound closure rate, decreased erythrocyte accumulation and leukocyte infiltration mediated oxidative stress and inflammation, and upregulated expression of skin collagen, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and factor transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) vs non-treated group. Based on these results, it is suggested that NAIs conferred a protection through the upregulating LC3-II-dependent autophagy mechanism and downregulating leukocyte infiltration mediated inflammation and caspase 3/Poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase signaling in the LPS-treated ALI and promoted diabetic wound healing through the enhancing skin collagen synthesis, VEGFR-2 and TGF-ß1 pathways.

Impact of warm ischemia time on the change of split renal function after minimally invasive partial nephrectomy in Taiwanese patients.

BACKGROUND: Nephron-sparing surgery has become the standard treatment for T1 renal tumors. However, relevant data on the Taiwanese population are lacking, and most of the current literature uses global instead of split renal function (SRF) for postoperative renal function follow-up. We evaluated the postoperative renal function after minimally invasive partial nephrectomy in Taiwanese patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our database from April 2004 to July 2012 and enrolled patients who received laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) or robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and SRF were calculated as representatives of renal function. The preoperative and 6- and 12-month postoperative renal functions were assessed. Freidman test was used to evaluate pre- and postoperative renal function changes; Wilcoxon test was used for comparing the renal function of each period. RESULTS: The 6- and 12-month postoperative SRF values were decreased compared with the preoperative values. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age was related to a lower postoperative eGFR, and a longer warm ischemia time was related to a decreased postoperative SRF. Patients with a warm ischemia time of >30 minutes were correlated with a larger mean tumor size, higher "preoperative aspects and dimensions used for an anatomical" score, greater amount of blood loss during the operation, longer postoperative hospital stay, and lower postoperative SRF compared with patients with a warm ischemia time of <30 minutes. Patients in the RPN group had shorter warm ischemia time and higher 6-month postoperative SRF compared with patients in the LPN group. CONCLUSION: SRF is more sensitive for postoperative follow-up than eGFR. Longer warm ischemia time is associated with poorer postoperative renal function. RPN is a safe and feasible alternative to LPN.