Incidence and risk factors of post-operative delirium in glioma patients: A prospective cohort study in general wards.

AIMS: Glioma patients are at high risk for postoperative delirium (POD), yet studies focusing on this population in general neurosurgical ward settings are limited. This paper investigates the incidence of POD and related risk factors in glioma patients hospitalized in general wards. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. METHODS: This prospective study included 133 adult glioma patients hospitalized in the general neurosurgery ward. In addition to collecting routine perioperative general clinical data, patients' psychological status was assessed preoperatively using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). POD was assessed within 3 days postoperatively using the Confusion of Consciousness Assessment method, twice daily. The incidence of POD was calculated, and risk factors were identified using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of POD in glioma patients admitted to the general ward was 31.6% (40/133). Multivariate regression revealed advanced age (age > 50 years), frontal lobe tumour, presence of preoperative anxiety or depression, retention of a luminal drain, postoperative pain, indwelling catheter these six factors were independent risk factors for the development of delirium in patients after surgery. CONCLUSION: In general ward settings, supratentorial glioma patients exhibit a high risk of POD. Critical risk factors include preoperative psychological conditions, as well as postoperative pain, drainage and catheterization. Rigorous preoperative evaluations, effective pain management strategies and the integration of humanistic care principles are essential in mitigating the risk of POD for glioma patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: In general ward settings, this study reveals the high occurrence of POD in glioma patients and identifies preoperative psychological states, age, tumour location and several postoperative factors as significant risk factors for POD, which provides a framework for targeted interventions. By integrating these insights into clinical practice, healthcare teams can better identify glioma patients at risk for POD and implement preventive measures, thereby enhancing recovery and overall care quality for glioma patients in general neurosurgical wards. REPORTING METHOD: This study adheres to the STROBE guidelines, ensuring a transparent and comprehensive reporting of the observational research methodology and results. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients involvement was limited to the provision of data through their participation in the study's assessments and the collection of clinical information. The study did not involve a direct patient or public contribution in the design, conduct, analysis, or interpretation of the data, nor in the preparation of the manuscript.

Salvianolic acid A shows selective cytotoxicity against multidrug-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause for incurable breast cancer. Salvianolic acid A (SAA), the hydrophilic polyphenolic derivative of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen/Red Sage), was examined for cytotoxicities to MDR MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and their parental counterparts. We have shown that SAA inhibited proliferation, caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase, and induced apoptosis dose dependently to the two kinds of cancer cells. However, the resistant cells were significantly susceptible to the inhibition of SAA compared with the parental cells. SAA increased the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 6.2-fold in the resistant cells, whereas the level of SAA-induced ROS changed only by 1.6-fold in their parental counterparts. Thus, the data showed that the selective cytotoxicity resulted from the hypersensitivity of the resistant cells to the strongly elevated ROS by SAA. In addition, SAA-triggered apoptosis was associated with increased caspase-3 activity, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, downregulated Bcl-2 expression, and upregulated Bax expression in the resistant cells. Moreover, SAA downregulated the level of P-glycoprotein, which was overexpressed in the resistant cells. This indicated that SAA modulated MDR. Furthermore, SAA showed higher antitumor activity than did doxorubicin in xenografts established from the resistant cells. The present work raised a possibility that SAA might be considered a potential choice to overcome MDR for the selective susceptibility of the resistant breast cancer cells to SAA treatment.

Intrinsic oxidase-mimicking activity of nitrite upon visible light illumination and its colorimetric detection in saliva.

Small molecules with enzyme-like properties have recently attracted considerable attention. Herein, we discovered that nitrite possesses intrinsic oxidase-mimicking activity upon visible light, catalyzing the oxidation of the typical chromogenic substrate in the absence of H2O2. Notably, nitrite exhibited a markedly high value of Kcat, approximately 4, 7, and 4000-fold greater than that of Acr+-Mes, Eosin Y, and Diacetyl, respectively. Comprehensive investigation elucidated that O2•⁻ and •OH are the primary reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride hydrate (TMB). Leveraging the linear correlation between the absorbance of oxidized TMB (oxTMB) at 652 nm and nitrite concentration, a simple colorimetric approach for nitrite detection was successfully established in the range of 1-75 µM with a detection limit of 0.14 µM. Moreover, the proposed strategy could be applied to determine the nitrite concentration in saliva, exhibiting a great prospect for clinical diagnosis. This work contributes novel insights into the exploration of small-molecule enzyme mimics.

People are an organic unity: Gut-lung axis and pneumonia.

People are an organic unity. Every organ of our body doesn't exist alone. They are a part of our body and have important connections with other tissues or organs. The gut-lung axis is a typical example. Here, we reviewed the current research progress of the gut-lung axis. The main cross-talk between the intestine and lungs was sorted out, i.e. the specific interaction content contained in the gut-lung axis. We determine a relatively clear concept for the gut-lung axis, that is, the gut-lung axis is a cross-talk that the gut and lungs interact with each other through microorganisms and the immune system to achieve bidirectional regulation. The gut and lungs communicate with each other mainly through the immune system and symbiotic microbes, and these two pathways influence each other. The portal vein system and mesenteric lymphatics are the primary communication channels between the intestine and lungs. We also summarized the effects of pneumonia, including Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), on intestinal microbes and immune function through the gut-lung axis, and discussed the mechanism of this effect. Finally, we explored the value of intestinal microbes and the gut-lung axis in the treatment of pneumonia through the effect of intestinal microbes on pneumonia.

Circular RNA expression in the lungs of a mouse model of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel endogenous RNAs with vital roles in the pathology of various diseases. However, their role in sepsis-induced lung injury is unknown. In this study, high-throughput gene sequencing was used to analyze the expression profiles of circRNAs in lung specimens of mice grouped by acute lung injury induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and sham. To identify differentially expressed circRNAs, the left lungs of sham (n = 3) and CLP (n = 3) mice were used for high-throughput sequencing. A total of 919 circRNAs were identified. Of these, 38 circRNAs showed significantly different expression levels between the groups (P < 0.05, fold change ≥2). The levels of 20 circRNAs were up-regulated and those of 18 others were down-regulated. In bioinformatics analysis of the source genes of these circRNAs, the genes were closely associated with the inflammatory response (e.g., the TGF-ß, MAPK, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytic, and VEGF pathways). Eight circRNAs with large intergroup differences, small intragroup differences, and high expression were selected for further validation by qRT-PCR. Two of the eight were significantly different. These two circRNAs were annotated with circRNA/miRNA interaction information downloaded from the TargetScan and miRanda databases and visualized. Our results provide novel insights into the roles of circRNAs in sepsis-induced acute lung injury.

Circular RNAs are abundant and dynamically expressed during the embryonic lung development of C57BL/6 mice.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel type of endogenous RNAs, can function as microRNA (miRNA) sponges capable of regulating gene transcription, binding to RNA-associated proteins, and even encoding proteins. CircRNAs are involved in various cell behaviors, such as proliferation and apoptosis. The mouse model has also been demonstrated to be similar to that of humans in many studies. To explore the profile of circRNAs during embryonic lung development and their potential functions in lung development-related diseases, mouse embryos at the pseudoglandular phase, canalicular phase, saccular phase, and alveolar phase were collected. High-throughput sequencing was then used to identify a total of 1,735 circRNAs (junction reads ≥5 and p < 0.05). It is well known that the functions of circRNAs are related to host genes. In our study, bioinformatics analysis indicated that the screened host genes were closely associated with lung development and included the Hippo signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and TGF-ß signaling pathways. Moreover, miRNA sponges are another mechanism involved in lung development. Therefore, we predicted many miRNAs binding to circRNAs, such as miR-17 and miR-20, using the TargetScan and miRanda databases. Previously, miRNAs were proven to be necessary for lung development. The peak expression of circRNAs is distributed at different time points, suggesting their involvement in different stages of embryonic mouse lung development.

Imaging observations of pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors in patients over 40 years old.

Pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (PIMTs) are extremely rare in adults. If occurring in patients >40 years old, PIMT should be rapidly distinguished from lung cancer. The present study aimed to characterize the imaging features of PIMT in patients >40 years old in order to improve the diagnosis of PIMT. The imaging data of 10 patients with PIMT were reviewed retrospectively. Of the patients, eight underwent computed tomography (CT), two underwent positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and four underwent single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Unenhanced CT revealed 10 lesions with a maximum diameter ranging between 5 and 57 mm located in the lower (n=6) or upper (n=4) lobe, in a peripheral (n=9) or central (n=1) region, and that were well- (n=4) or ill-defined (n=6), and round to oval (n=5) or irregular (n=5) in shape. Calcification (n=3), necrosis (n=6), cavity (n=4), air bronchogram (n=6) and obstructive pneumonia (n=1) were also observed in the patients. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed six lesions with moderate to high contrast enhancement in the arterial and venous phases, including four lesions with delayed enhancement. PET/CT identified two lesions with increased tracer uptake that were homogeneous and heterogeneous and each exhibited a maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax) of 6.0 and 5.4, respectively. The delayed PET/CT revealed foci that each exhibited an increased SUVmax of 6.9 and 5.9, respectively. SPECT demonstrated no definitive bone metastases, but did reveal atypical hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy in one patient. The combined imaging methods may lead to a more precise evaluation of PIMT in patients >40 years old.