Continuous renal replacement therapy with the adsorptive oXiris filter may be associated with the lower 28-day mortality in sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The oXiris is a novel filter for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) featuring an adsorption coating to adsorb endotoxins and remove inflammatory mediators. Given that no consensus has been reached on its potential benefits in treating sepsis, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess its impact on the clinical outcomes of this patient population. METHODS: Eleven databases were retrieved to find relevant observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was employed to assess the certainty of evidence. The 28-day mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were 7-, 14-, and 90-day mortality, length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, ICU and hospital mortality, norepinephrine (NE) dose, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and lactate levels, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. RESULTS: The meta-analysis, pooling data from 14 studies, involving 695 patients, showed significant reductions in 28-day mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.77, p = 0.001] and length of ICU stay [weighted mean difference (WMD) - 1.91; 95% CI - 2.56 to - 1.26, p < 0.001)] in patients with sepsis using the oXiris filter compared to other filters. Besides, the SOFA score, NE dose, IL-6 and lactate levels, and 7- and 14-day mortalities were lower in the oXiris group. However, the 90-day mortality, ICU and hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay were comparable. The quality assessment of the ten observational studies indicated intermediate to high quality (average Newcastle-Ottawa score: 7.8). However, all four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) had an unclear risk of bias. The evidence for all outcomes had a low or very low level of certainty because the original study design was mainly observational studies and the RCTs included had an unclear risk of bias and a small sample size. CONCLUSION: The treatment with the oXiris filter during CRRT in sepsis patients may be associated with lower 28-, 7-, and 14-day mortalities, lactate levels, SOFA score, NE dose, and shorter length of ICU stay. However, due to the low or very low quality of evidence, the effectiveness of oXiris filters was still uncertain. Besides, no significant difference was observed for the 90-day mortality, ICU and hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the sustained immune cell dysfunction in the pathogenesis of sepsis secondary to bacterial pneumonia.

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in intensive care unit worldwide, it's accompanied by immune cell dysfunction induced by multiple factors. However, little is known about the specific alterations in immune cells in the dynamic pathogenesis of sepsis secondary to bacterial pneumonia. Here, we used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in a healthy control and two patients with sepsis secondary to bacterial pneumonia, including acute, stable and recovery stage. We analyzed the quantity and function of immune cells. During disease course, interferon gamma response was upregulated; T/NK cell subtypes presented activation and exhaustion properties, which might be driven by monocytes through IL-1ß signaling pathways; The proportion of plasma cells was increased, which might be driven by NK cells through IFN signaling pathways; Additionally, interferon gamma response was upregulated to a greater degree in sepsis secondary to pneumonia induced by SARS-COV-2 compared with that induced by influenza virus and bacteria.

Intestinal Microbiota Mediates the Susceptibility to Polymicrobial Sepsis-Induced Liver Injury by Granisetron Generation in Mice.

Sepsis-induced liver injury is recognized as a key problem in intensive care units. The gut microbiota has been touted as an important mediator of liver disease development; however, the precise roles of gut microbiota in regulating sepsis-induced liver injury are unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of the gut microbiota in sepsis-induced liver injury and the underlying mechanism. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to induce polymicrobial sepsis and related liver injury. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was used to validate the roles of gut microbiota in these pathologies. Metabolomics analysis was performed to characterize the metabolic profile differences between sepsis-resistant (Res; survived to 7 days after CLP) and sepsis-sensitive (Sen; moribund before or approximately 24 hours after CLP) mice. Mice gavaged with feces from Sen mice displayed more-severe liver damage than did mice gavaged with feces from Res mice. The gut microbial metabolic profile between Sen and Res mice was different. In particular, the microbiota from Res mice generated more granisetron, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3 ) receptor antagonist, than the microbiota from Sen mice. Granisetron protected mice against CLP-induced death and liver injury. Moreover, proinflammatory cytokine expression by macrophages after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was markedly reduced in the presence of granisetron. Both treatment with granisetron and genetic knockdown of the 5-HT3A receptor in cells suppressed nuclear factor kappa B (NF-кB) transactivation and phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) accumulation in macrophages. Gut microbial granisetron levels showed a significantly negative correlation with plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in septic patients. Conclusion: Our study indicated that gut microbiota plays a key role in the sensitization of sepsis-induced liver injury and associates granisetron as a hepatoprotective compound during sepsis development.

Enteric dysbiosis is associated with sepsis in patients.

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to microbial infection. For decades, the potential role of gut microbiota in sepsis pathogenesis has been revealed. However, the systemic and functional link between gut microbiota and sepsis has remained unexplored. To address this gap in knowledge, we carried out systematic analyses on clinical stool samples from patients with sepsis, including 16S rDNA sequencing, metabolomics, and metaproteomics analyses. In addition, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation from human to mice to validate the roles of gut microbiota on sepsis progression. We found that the composition of gut microbiota was significantly disrupted in patients with sepsis compared with healthy individuals. Besides, the microbial functions were significantly altered in septic feces as identified by metabolomics and metaproteomics analyses. Interestingly, mice that received septic feces exhibited more severe hepatic inflammation and injury than mice that received healthy feces after cecal ligation and puncture. Finally, several strains of intestinal microbiota and microbial metabolites were corelated with serum total bilirubin levels in patients with sepsis. Taken together, our data indicated that sepsis development is associated with the disruption of gut microbiota at both compositional and functional levels, and such enteric dysbiosis could promote organ inflammation and injury during sepsis.-Liu, Z., Li, N., Fang, H., Chen, X., Guo, Y., Gong, S., Niu, M., Zhou, H., Jiang, Y., Chang, P., Chen, P. Enteric dysbiosis is associated with sepsis in patients.

Gut microbiota mediates diurnal variation of acetaminophen induced acute liver injury in mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acetaminophen (APAP) induced hepatotoxicity is a leading cause of acute liver failure worldwide. It is well established that the liver damage induced by acetaminophen exhibits diurnal variation. However, the detailed mechanism for the hepatotoxic variation is not clear. Herein, we aimed to determine the relative contributions of gut microbiota in modulating the diurnal variation of hepatotoxicity induced by APAP. METHODS: Male Balb/C mice were treated with or without antibiotics and a single dose of orally administered APAP (300 mg/kg) at ZT0 (when the light is on-start of resting period) and ZT12 (when the light is off-start of active period). RESULTS: In agreement with previous findings, hepatic injury was markedly enhanced at ZT12 compared with ZT0. Interestingly, upon antibiotic treatment, ZT12 displayed a protective effect against APAP hepatotoxicity similar to ZT0. Moreover, mice that received the cecal content from ZT12 showed more severe liver damage than mice that received the cecal content from ZT0. 16S sequencing data revealed significant differences in the cecal content between ZT0 and ZT12 in the compositional level. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis showed that the gut microbial metabolites were also different between ZT0 and ZT12. Specifically, the level of 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione (PPD) was significantly higher at ZT12 than ZT0. Treatment with PPD alone did not cause obvious liver damage. However, PPD synergistically enhanced APAP-induced hepatic injury in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we found Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which could reduce intestinal PPD levels, was able to markedly alleviate APAP-induced liver damage at ZT12. CONCLUSIONS: The gut microbial metabolite PPD was responsible, at least in part, for the diurnal variation of hepatotoxicity induced by APAP by decreasing glutathione levels. LAY SUMMARY: Acetaminophen (APAP) induced acute liver failure because of over dose is a leading public health problem. APAP-induced liver injury exhibits diurnal variation, specifically APAP causes more severe liver damage when taken at night compared with in the morning. Herein, we showed that gut microbial metabolite, 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione is involved in the rhythmic hepatotoxicity induced by APAP, by depleting hepatic glutathione (an important antioxidant) levels. Our data suggest gut microbiota may be a potential target for reducing APAP-induced acute liver injury.

Applying Regional Citrate Anticoagulation in Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy for Acute Kidney Injury Patients with Acute Liver Dysfunction: a Retrospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI) patients. It has become a controversy about whether patients with liver dysfunction should perform CRRT with regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA). METHODS: This retrospective observational study enrolled 145 AKI patients (275 CRRT sessions) who received CRRT with RCA and had no history of chronic liver disease. Circuit survival time, blood pressure, trans-membrane pressure (TMP), acid-base and electrolyte status were recorded and analyzed. The severity of liver dysfunction was determined by total bilirubin (TBil) and international normalized ratio (INR), while the accumulation degree of citrates was quantified by total/ ionized calcium (tCa/iCa) raito. RESULTS: Our results showed that there was no correlation of tCa/iCa ratio with TBil or INR. And tCa/iCa ratio was not related to the disturbances of pH, lactates, sodium, magnesium, blood pressure or TMP despite that high tCa/iCa ratios might be related to the decrease of circuit survival time. TBil did not correlate with the above indexes, except for lactates levels. INR did not correlate with the above indexes except for lactates levels and blood pressure. In addition, neither was TBil, INR, nor tCa/iCa ratio, related with fatal outcomes (22.76% of the patients). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that, with proper monitoring and adjustment of citrates and calcium infusion, applying RCA in CRRT is reasonably safe for AKI patients with acute liver dysfunction, as long as circuit time stays below roughly 50 hours.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid Suppresses Extracellular Histone-Induced Release of the Infammatory Mediator Tumor Necrosis Factor-α by Macrophages.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated signaling pathways via which extracellular histones induce the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) release from the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). METHODS: ELISA and western blotting analyses were conducted to detect the release of TNF-α from histone-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and the associated phospho-activation of MAPKs (ERK and p38) and NF-κB p65. The effects of ALA on the release of TNF-α and phospho-activation of the MAPKs and NF-κB p65 were studied. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Extracellular histones dose-dependently induced TNF-α release from RAW 264.7 cells and increased the phosphorylation of p38, ERK, and NF-κB p65. TNF-α release was markedly suppressed by p38, ERK, and NF-kB inhibitors. ALA reduced histone-induced TNF-α release, ERK/p38 MAPK activation, and NF-kB activation without affecting macrophage viability. CONCLUSION: Histones induce TNF-α release from macrophages by activating the MAPK and NF-kB signaling pathways, while ALA suppresses this response by inhibiting ERK, p38 and NF-kB. These findings identify potentially critical inflammatory signaling pathways in sepsis and molecular targets for sepsis treatment.

MAGNESIUM SULFATE AMELIORATES HISTONE-INDUCED COAGULATION DYSFUNCTION AND LUNG DAMAGE IN MICE.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Extracellular histones have been determined as significant mediators of sepsis, which can induce endothelial cell injury and promote coagulation activation, and ultimately contribute to multiorgan failure. Evidence suggests that magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) exerts a potential coagulation-modulating activity; however, whether MgSO 4 ameliorates histone-induced coagulation dysfunction and organ damage remains unclear. Methods: To measure circulating histone levels, blood specimens were collected from septic patients and mice, and the relationship between circulating histone levels, coagulation parameters, and Mg 2+ levels in sepsis was investigated. Furthermore, to explore the possible protective effects of MgSO 4 , we established a histone-induced coagulation model in mice by intravenous histone injection. The survival rate of mice was assessed, and the histopathological damage of the lungs (including endothelial cell injury and coagulation status) was evaluated using various methods, including hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: The circulating histone levels in septic patients and mice were significantly associated with several coagulation parameters. In septic patients, histone levels correlated negatively with platelet counts and positively with prothrombin time and D-dimer levels. Similarly, in cecal ligation and puncture mice, histones correlated negatively with platelet counts and positively with D-dimer levels. Interestingly, we also observed a positive link between histones and Mg 2+ levels, suggesting that Mg 2+ with anticoagulant activity is involved in histone-mediated coagulation alterations in sepsis. Further animal experiments confirmed that MgSO 4 administration significantly improved survival and attenuated histone-mediated endothelial cell injury, coagulation dysfunction, and lung damage in mice. Conclusion: These results suggest that therapeutic targeting of histone-mediated endothelial cell injury, coagulation dysfunction, and lung damage, for example, with MgSO 4 , may be protective in septic individuals with elevated circulating histone levels.

Magnesium alleviates extracellular histone-induced apoptosis and defective bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages by regulating intracellular calcium signal.

Extracellular histones have been determined as important mediators of sepsis, which induce excessive inflammatory responses in macrophages and impair innate immunity. Magnesium (Mg2+), one of the essential nutrients of the human body, contributes to the proper regulation of immune function. However, no reports indicate whether extracellular histones affect survival and bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages and whether Mg2+ is protective against histone-induced macrophage damage. Our clinical data revealed a negative correlation between circulating histone and monocyte levels in septic patients, and in vitro experiments confirmed that histones induced mitochondria-associated apoptosis and defective bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages. Interestingly, our clinical data also indicated an association between lower serum Mg2+ levels and reduced monocyte levels in septic patients. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that Mg2+ attenuated histone-induced apoptosis and defective bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages through the PLC/IP3R/STIM-mediated calcium signaling pathway. Importantly, further animal experiments proved that Mg2+ significantly improved survival and attenuated histone-mediated lung injury and macrophage damage in histone-stimulated mice. Additionally, in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) + histone-induced injury mouse model, Mg2+ inhibited histone-mediated apoptosis and defective phagocytosis in macrophages and further reduced bacterial load. Overall, these results suggest that Mg2+ supplementation may be a promising treatment for extracellular histone-mediated macrophage damage in sepsis.

Effect of Si3N4 Additive on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti(C,N)-Based Cermet Cutting Tools.

Development of high-performance cutting tool materials is one of the critical parameters enhancing the surface finishing of high-speed machined products. Ti(C,N)-based cermets reinforced with and without different contents of silicon nitride were designed and evaluated to satisfy the requirements. In fact, the effect of silicon nitride addition to Ti(C,N)-based cermet remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of Si3N4 additive on microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of Ti(C,N)-based cermet cutting tools. In the present work, α-Si3N4 "grade SN-E10" was utilized with various fractions up to 6 wt.% in the designed cermets. A two-step reactive sintering process under vacuum was carried out for the green compact of Ti(C,N)-based cermet samples. The samples with 4 wt.% Si3N4 have an apparent solid density of about 6.75 g/cm3 (relative density of about 98 %); however, the cermet samples with 2 wt.% Si3N4 exhibit a superior fracture toughness of 10.82 MPa.m1/2 and a traverse rupture strength of 1425.8 MPa. With an increase in the contents of Si3N4, the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of Ti(C,N)-based cermets have an inverse behavior trend. The influence of Si3N4 addition on thermal stability is clarified to better understand the relationship between thermal stability and mechanical properties of Ti(C,N)-based cermets.

Oral magnesium prevents acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury by modulating microbial metabolism.

Acetaminophen overuse is a common cause of acute liver failure (ALF). During ALF, toxins are metabolized by enzymes such as CYP2E1 and transformed into reactive species, leading to oxidative damage and liver failure. Here, we found that oral magnesium (Mg) alleviated acetaminophen-induced ALF through metabolic changes in gut microbiota that inhibit CYP2E1. The gut microbiota from Mg-supplemented humans prevented acetaminophen-induced ALF in mice. Mg exposure modulated Bifidobacterium metabolism and enriched indole-3-carboxylic acid (I3C) levels. Formate C-acetyltransferase (pflB) was identified as a key Bifidobacterium enzyme involved in I3C generation. Accordingly, a Bifidobacterium pflB knockout showed diminished I3C generation and reduced the beneficial effects of Mg. Conversely, treatment with I3C or an engineered bacteria overexpressing Bifidobacterium pflB protected against ALF. Mechanistically, I3C bound and inactivated CYP2E1, thus suppressing formation of harmful reactive intermediates and diminishing hepatocyte oxidative damage. These findings highlight how interactions between Mg and gut microbiota may help combat ALF.

Temporal trends and barriers for inpatient palliative care referral in metastatic gynecologic cancer patients receiving specific critical care therapies.

Objective: Existing evidence suggests that palliative care (PC) is highly underutilized in metastatic gynecologic cancer (mGCa). This study aims to explore temporal trends and predictors for inpatient PC referral in mGCa patients who received specific critical care therapies (CCT). Methods: The National Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2015 was used to identify mGCa patients receiving CCT. Basic characteristics were compared between patients with and without PC. Annual percentage change (APC) was estimated to reflect the temporal trend in the entire cohort and subgroups. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to explore potential predictors of inpatient PC referral. Results: In total, 122,981 mGCa patients were identified, of whom 10,380 received CCT. Among these, 1,208 (11.64%) received inpatient PC. Overall, the rate of PC referral increased from 1.81% in 2003 to 26.30% in 2015 (APC: 29.08%). A higher increase in PC usage was found in white patients (APC: 30.81%), medium-sized hospitals (APC: 31.43%), the Midwest region (APC: 33.84%), and among patients with ovarian cancer (APC: 31.35%). Multivariable analysis suggested that medium bedsize, large bedsize, Midwest region, West region, uterine cancer and cervical cancer were related to increased PC use, while metastatic sites from lymph nodes and genital organs were related to lower PC referral. Conclusion: Further studies are warranted to better illustrate the barriers for PC and finally improve the delivery of optimal end-of-life care for mGCa patients who receive inpatient CCT, especially for those diagnosed with ovarian cancer or admitted to small scale and Northeast hospitals.

Potential benefits of vitamin D for sepsis prophylaxis in critical ill patients.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common in critically ill patients with suspected infection and is strongly associated with the predisposition of sepsis and a poor prognosis. The effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation for preventing sepsis remains unclear. This retrospective cohort study investigated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on sepsis prophylaxis in critically ill patients with suspected infection. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 19,816 adult patients with suspected infection in intensive care units (ICU) from 2008 to 2019 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA. The included patients were divided into the vitamin D cohort or non-vitamin D cohort according to vitamin D administration status. The primary outcomes were the incidence of sepsis in ICU. The secondary outcomes included 28-day all-cause mortality, length of ICU and hospital stay and the requirements of vasopressors or mechanical ventilation. A propensity score matching cohort was used to test the differences in primary and secondary outcomes between groups. Results: The results showed that vitamin D supplementation demonstrated a lower risk of sepsis (odd ratio 0.46; 95% CI 0.35-0.60; P < 0.001) and a lower risk of new mechanical ventilation requirement (odd ratio 0.70; 95% CI 0.53-0.92; P = 0.01), but no significant difference in the risk of 28-day mortality was observed (hazard ratio 1.02; 95% CI 0.77-1.35; P = 0.89). In the sensitive analysis, among the patients who suspected infection within 24 h before or after ICU admission, a lower risk of sepsis and a lower percentage of new mechanical ventilation also were detected in the vitamin D cohort. Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation may have a positively prophylactic effect on sepsis in critically ill patients with suspected infection.

Extracellular vesicle-derived circHIPK3: Novel diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer (LC) is a common malignancy worldwide. A great number of circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified that serve crucial roles in cancer development. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their contents have been shown to be biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of LC. Thus, we intended to clarify the functional role of EVs-derived circRNA homology domain interacting protein kinase 3 (EVs-circHIPK3) and its underlying mechanism of action. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis was performed to validate the potential of partially circulating HIPK3 in LC diagnosis. EVs were isolated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation from plasma of 52 LC patients and 30 healthy controls. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to evaluate the expressions of candidate circRNAs (circHIPK3) and microRNA-637 (miR-637, a target of circHIPK3). RESULTS: CircHIPK3 is significantly up-regulated in LC, while miR-637 expression is significantly reduced (p â€‹< â€‹0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, based on the expression of EVs-circHIPK3, allowed us to distinguish LC from healthy controls (area under the curve, AUC 0.897). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study shows that EV-derived circHIPK3 can serve as a promising biomarker for LC patient diagnosis. However, the downstream mRNA of the circHIPK3/miR-637 axis requires further exploration to enrich our understanding of circHIPK3's mechanism in LC.

Adjunctive granisetron therapy in patients with sepsis or septic shock (GRANTISS): A single-center, single-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Background: In preclinical experiments, we demonstrated that the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist granisetron results in reduced inflammation and improved survival in septic mice. This randomized controlled trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of granisetron in patients with sepsis. Methods: Adult patients with sepsis and procalcitonin ≥ 2 ng/ml were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive intravenous granisetron (3 mg every 8 h) or normal saline at the same volume and frequency for 4 days or until intensive care unit discharge. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included the duration of supportive therapies for organ function, changes in sequential organ failure assessment scores over 96 h, procalcitonin reduction rate over 96 h, the incidence of new organ dysfunction, and changes in laboratory variable over 96 h. Adverse events were monitored as the safety outcome. Results: The modified intention-to-treat analysis included 150 septic patients. The 28-day all-cause mortalities in the granisetron and placebo groups were 34.7% and 35.6%, respectively (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.49-1.89). No differences were observed in secondary outcomes. In the subgroup analysis of patients without abdominal or digestive tract infections, the 28-day mortality in the granisetron group was 10.9% lower than mortality in the placebo group. Adverse events were not statistically different between the groups. Conclusion: Granisetron did not improve 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis. However, a further clinical trial targeted to septic patients without abdominal/digestive tract infections perhaps is worthy of consideration.

High-Fat Diet-Induced Fatty Liver Is Associated with Immunosuppressive Response during Sepsis in Mice.

High-fat diet-induced fatty liver is an indolent and chronic disease accompanied by immune dysfunction and metabolic disturbances involving numerous biological pathways. This study investigated how this abnormal metabolic disorder influences sepsis in mice. Mice were fed with normal chow (NC) or high-fat diet (HFD), and palmitic acid (PA) was used to treat hepatocytes to mimic fat accumulation in vitro. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce sepsis and related immune responses. Mice fed on a high-fat diet displayed higher mortality and more severe liver damage but compromised immunoreaction. The supernatant from PA-treated primary hepatocytes markedly diminished the inflammatory cytokine expression of macrophages after LPS stimulation, which showed a state of immunosuppression. Metabolomics analysis indicated the level of many key metabolites with possible roles in immunoreaction was altered in the HFD and PA groups compared with corresponding controls; specifically, ß-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) showed an immunosuppressive effect on Raw264.7 cells during the LPS stimulation. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that several differential signaling pathways may be associated with the alteration of immune function between the NC and HFD groups, as well as in the in vitro model. Our study suggests that the consumption of HFD may alter the hepatic metabolic profile, and that certain metabolites may remold the immune system to immunosuppressive state in the context of sepsis.

Soyasaponin II protects against acute liver failure through diminishing YB-1 phosphorylation and Nlrp3-inflammasome priming in mice.

Acute liver failure is characterized by the rapid development of liver dysfunction and remarkably high mortality. Accumulating evidence suggests that soyasaponin possesses potential anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential role of soyasaponin II in acute liver failure and establish the underlying mechanism. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine (LPS/GalN) was employed to induce acute liver failure. We applied liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to characterize the changes of soyasaponin II levels in the cecal content and liver. Transcriptomics and proteomics analysis were used to evaluate the functional molecule mediated by soyasaponin II in macrophages. Results: LPS/GalN administration markedly decreased fecal and hepatic soyasaponin II levels. Soyasaponin II treatment protected mice against LPS/GalN induced acute liver injury. Additionally, soyasaponin II markedly diminished Y-Box Binding Protein 1 (YB-1) phosphorylation and nuclear translocation, Nlrp3 inflammasome priming, and interleukin 1ß (Il-1ß) production in macrophages. Phosphorylated YB-1 could activate Nlrp3 mRNA transcription by binding the promoter region. Finally, immunofluorescence analysis showed elevated p-YB-1 nuclear translocation in macrophages of acute liver failure patients compared to controls. Conclusion: Our data shows that soyasaponin II which serves as a novel inhibitor for YB-1 phosphorylation and Nlrp3 inflammasome priming could protect mice against LPS/GalN induced acute liver failure.

Combined Treatment With Hydrocortisone, Vitamin C, and Thiamine for Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Whether hydrocortisone, vitamin C, and thiamine treatment can reduce the mortality of patients with sepsis is controversial. RESEARCH QUESTION: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydrocortisone, vitamin C, and thiamine combination treatment for patients with sepsis or septic shock (HYVCTTSSS). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluated treatment with hydrocortisone (50 mg every 6 h for 7 days), vitamin C (1.5 g every 6 h for 4 days), and thiamine (200 mg every 12 h for 4 days) vs placebo (normal saline) in patients with sepsis. The intention-to-treat analysis was used. Primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes were organ protection, procalcitonin reduction, and adverse events related to hydrocortisone, vitamin C, and thiamine. RESULTS: Eighty patients were randomized to receive combination treatment (n = 40) or normal saline (n = 40). No difference in 28-day all-cause mortality was observed (27.5% vs 35%, respectively; P = .47); however, treatment was associated with a significant improvement of 72-h change in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (P = .02). In adverse events analysis, the treatment group exhibited more incidents of hypernatremia (P = .005). In prespecified subgroup analysis, patients of the treatment subgroup diagnosed with sepsis within 48 h showed lower mortality than those in the control subgroup (P = .02). The study was terminated after the midterm analysis. INTERPRETATION: Among patients with sepsis or septic shock, the combination of hydrocortisone, vitamin C, and thiamine did not reduce mortality compared with placebo. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03258684; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.