Environmental Enrichment in Postoperative Pain and Surgical Care: Potential Synergism With the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Holistic biopsychosocial care has been underemphasized in perioperative pathway designs. The importance and a cost-effective way of implementing biopsychosocial care to improve postoperative pain and facilitate surgical convalescence are not well established, despite the recent popularization of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs. OBJECTIVE: We have explored the evidence and rationale of environmental enrichment (EE) as a complementary multimodal psychosocial care pathway to reduce postoperative pain, optimize patient recovery and improve existing weaknesses in surgical care. METHODS: We conducted a database search to identify and grade potential EE techniques for their evidence quality and consistency in the management of acute postoperative pain, perioperative anxiety and the etiologically comparable acute procedural or experimental pain. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of music, virtual reality, educational information, mobile apps, or elements of nature into the healthcare environment can likely improve patients' experience of surgery. Compared with traditional psychological interventions, EE modalities are voluntary, therapist-sparing and more economically sustainable. We have also discussed practical strategies to integrate EE within the perioperative workflow. Through a combination of sensory, motor, social and cognitive modalities, EE is an easily implementable patient-centered approach to alleviate pain and anxiety in surgical patients, create a more homelike recovery environment and improve quality of life.

Deletion of Rap1 protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury through suppressing cell apoptosis via activation of STAT3 signaling.

Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1), an established telomere-associated protein, is a novel modulator of hypoxia-induced apoptosis. This study aimed to explore the potential direct role of Rap1 in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/RI) and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism. In a mouse model of myocardial I/RI (30-min of left descending coronary artery ligation followed by 2-h reperfusion), Rap1 deficiency significantly reduced myocardial infarct size (IS) and improved cardiac systolic/diastolic function. This was associated with a reduction in apoptosis in the post-ischemic myocardium. In H9C2 and primary cardiomyocytes, Rap1 knockdown or knockout significantly suppressed hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cell injury and apoptosis through increasing the phosphorylation/activation of STAT3 at site Ser727 and translocation of STAT3 to the nucleus. We surmise this since Stattic (selective STAT3 inhibitor) pretreatment canceled the abovementioned protective effect. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed a direct interaction between Rap1 and STAT3, but not JAK2, suggesting that the association of Rap1 with STAT3 may contribute to the reduced activity of STAT3 (Ser727 ) upon H/R stimulation. In conclusion, Rap1 deficiency protects the heart from ischemic damage through STAT3-dependent reduction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which may yield viable target for pharmacological intervention in ischemic heart disease.

Comparison of the Efficiency and Usability of Aerosol Box and Intubation Tent on Intubation of a Manikin Using Personal Protective Equipment: A Randomized Crossover Study.

BACKGROUND: The aerosol box and intubation tent are improvised barrier-enclosure devices developed during the novel coronavirus pandemic to protect health care workers from aerosol transmission. OBJECTIVE: Using time to intubation as a crude proxy, we aimed to compare the efficiency and usability of the aerosol box and intubation tent in a simulated manikin. METHODS: This was a single-center, randomized, crossover manikin study involving 28 participants (9 anesthetists, 16 emergency physicians, and 3 intensivists). Each participant performed rapid sequence intubations in a random sequence of three different scenarios: 1) no device use; 2) aerosol box; 3) intubation tent. We compared the time to intubation between different scenarios. RESULTS: The median total intubation time with no device use, aerosol box, and intubation tent were 23.7 s (interquartile range [IQR] 19.4-28.4 s), 30.9 s (IQR 24.1-52.5 s), and 26.0 s (IQR 22.1-30.8 s), respectively. Post hoc analysis showed a significantly longer intubation time using the aerosol box compared with no device use (p < 0.001) and compared with the intubation tent (p < 0.001). The difference between the intubation tent and no device use was not significant. The first-pass intubation success rate did not differ between the groups. Only aerosol box use had resulted in breaches of personal protective equipment. Participants considered intubation with the intubation tent more favorable than the aerosol box. CONCLUSIONS: The intubation tent seems to have a better barrier-enclosure design than the aerosol box, with a reasonable balance between efficiency and usability. Further evaluation of its efficacy in preventing aerosol dispersal and in human studies are warranted prior to recommendation of widespread adoption.

Allopurinol reduces oxidative stress and activates Nrf2/p62 to attenuate diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats.

Allopurinol (ALP) attenuates oxidative stress and diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), but the mechanism is unclear. Activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) following the disassociation with its repressor Keap1 under oxidative stress can maintain inner redox homeostasis and attenuate DCM with concomitant attenuation of autophagy. We postulated that ALP treatment may activate Nrf2 to mitigate autophagy over-activation and consequently attenuate DCM. Streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats were untreated or treated with ALP (100 mg/kg/d) for 4 weeks and terminated after heart function measurements by echocardiography and pressure-volume conductance system. Cardiomyocyte H9C2 cells infected with Nrf2 siRNA or not were incubated with high glucose (HG, 25 mmol/L) concomitantly with ALP treatment. Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase, 15-F2t-Isoprostane and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured with colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. ROS, apoptosis, was assessed by dihydroethidium staining and TUNEL, respectively. The Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to assess protein and mRNA variations. Diabetic rats showed significant reductions in heart rate (HR), left ventricular eject fraction (LVEF), stroke work (SW) and cardiac output (CO), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVVs) as compared to non-diabetic control and ALP improved or normalized HR, LVEF, SW, CO and LVVs in diabetic rats (all P < .05). Hearts of diabetic rats displayed excessive oxidative stress manifested as increased levels of 15-F2t-Isoprostane and superoxide anion production, increased apoptotic cell death and cardiomyocytes autophagy that were concomitant with reduced expressions of Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and Keap1. ALP reverted all the above-mentioned diabetes-induced biochemical changes except that it did not affect the levels of Keap1. In vitro, ALP increased Nrf2 and reduced the hyperglycaemia-induced increases of H9C2 cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, oxidative stress, apoptosis and autophagy, and enhanced cellular viability. Nrf2 gene silence cancelled these protective effects of ALP in H9C2 cells. Activation of Nrf2 subsequent to the suppression of Keap1 and the mitigation of autophagy over-activation may represent major mechanisms whereby ALP attenuates DCM.

Up-regulation of FoxO1 contributes to adverse vascular remodelling in type 1 diabetic rats.

Vascular complications from diabetes often result in poor outcomes for patients, even after optimized interventions. Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) is a key regulator of cellular metabolism and plays an important role in vessel formation and maturation. Alterations of FoxO1 occur in the cardiovascular system in diabetes, yet the role of FoxO1 in diabetic vascular complications is poorly understood. In Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rats, FoxO1 expression was up-regulated in carotid arteries at 8 weeks of diabetes that was accompanied with adverse vascular remodelling characterized as increased wall thickness, carotid medial cross-sectional area, media-to-lumen ratio and decreased carotid artery lumen area. This adverse vascular remodelling induced by hyperglycaemia in diabetic rats required FoxO1 activation as pharmacological inhibition of FoxO1 with 50mg/kg AS1842856 (AS) reversed vascular remodelling in type 1 diabetic rats. The adverse vascular remodelling in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) occurred concomitantly with increases in pro-inflammatory factors, adhesion factors, apoptosis, NOD-like receptor family protein-3 inflammasome activation and the phenotypic switch of arterial smooth muscle cells, which were all reversed by AS. In addition, FoxO1 inhibition counteracted the down-regulation of its upstream mediator PDK1 in T1DM. PDK1 activator reduced FoxO1 nuclear translocation, which serves as the basis for subsequent transcriptional regulation during hyperglycaemia. Taken together, our data suggest that FoxO1 is a critical trigger for type 1 diabetes-induced vascular remodelling in rats, and inhibition of FoxO1 thus offers a potential therapeutic option for diabetes-associated cardiovascular diseases.

Preoperative dexamethasone for pain relief after total knee arthroplasty: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids can reduce pain but the optimal dose and safety profiles are still uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate two different doses of dexamethasone for pain management and their side effects after total knee arthroplasty. DESIGN: A prospective randomised, controlled trial. SETTING: A tertiary teaching hospital in Hong Kong. PATIENTS: One hundred and forty-six patients were randomly allocated to one of three study groups. INTERVENTIONS: Before operation, patients in group D8, D16 and P received dexamethasone 8 mg, dexamethasone 16 mg and placebo (0.9% saline), respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was postoperative pain score. Secondary outcomes were opioid consumption, physical parameters of the knees and side effects of dexamethasone. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, group D16 patients had significantly less pain during maximal active flexion on postoperative day 3 [-1.3 (95% CI, -2.2 to -0.31), P = 0.005]. There was also a significant dose-dependent trend between pain scores and dexamethasone dose (P = 0.002). Compared with placebo, patients in group D16 consumed significantly less opioid [-6.4 mg (95% CI, -11.6 to -1.2), P = 0.025] and had stronger quadriceps power on the first three postoperative days (all P < 0.05). They also had significantly longer walking distance on postoperative day 1 [7.8 m ([95% CI, 0.85 to 14.7), P = 0.023] with less assistance during walking on the first two postoperative days (all P < 0.029) and significantly better quality-of-recovery scores on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.018). There were significant dose-dependent trends between all the above parameters and dexamethasone dose (all P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the incidence of chronic pain or knee function 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone 16 mg given before total knee arthroplasty led to a reduction in postoperative pain, less opioid consumption, stronger quadriceps muscle power, better mobilisation and better overall quality-of-recovery after operation. No long-term improvement in reduction in pain and function of the knee was found. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02767882.

Perioperative Quality Initiative consensus statement on the physiology of arterial blood pressure control in perioperative medicine.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative arterial blood pressure management is a physiologically complex challenge influenced by multiple factors. METHODS: A multidisciplinary, international working subgroup of the Third Perioperative Quality Initiative (POQI) consensus meeting reviewed the (patho)physiology and measurement of arterial pressure as applied to perioperative medicine. We addressed predefined questions by undertaking a modified Delphi analysis, in which primary clinical research and review articles were identified using MEDLINE. Strength of recommendations, where applicable, were graded by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. RESULTS: Multiple physiological factors contribute to the perioperative physiological importance of arterial pressure: (i) arterial pressure is the input pressure to organ blood flow, but is not the sole determinant of perfusion pressure; (ii) blood flow is often independent of changes in perfusion pressure because of autoregulatory changes in vascular resistance; (iii) microvascular dysfunction uncouples microvascular blood flow from arterial pressure (haemodynamic incoherence). From a practical clinical perspective, we identified that: (i) ambulatory measurement is the optimal method to establish baseline arterial pressure; (ii) automated and invasive arterial pressure measurements have inherent physiological and technical limitations; (iii) individualised arterial pressure targets may change over time, especially in the perioperative period. There remains a need for research in non-invasive, continuous arterial pressure measurements, macro- and micro-circulatory control, regional perfusion pressure measurement, and the development of sensitive, specific, and continuous measures of cellular function to evaluate blood pressure management in a physiologically coherent manner. CONCLUSION: The multivariable, complex physiology contributing to dynamic changes in perioperative arterial pressure may be underappreciated clinically. The frequently unrecognised dissociation between arterial pressure, organ blood flow, and microvascular and cellular function requires further research to develop a more refined, contextualised clinical approach to this routine perioperative measurement.

Anaesthetic considerations in nonagenarians and centenarians.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The ageing population is a global public health issue and we can expect to encounter more and more older patients requiring anaesthetic care. Age itself is no longer the sole reason for declining a patient for anaesthesia and surgery. Undoubtedly, managing patients at the extremities of age is challenging and demanding, not only because of multiple comorbidities, but also the poorer functional status, frailty and decline in general well being that must be managed during the perioperative journey. In this article, we will focus on three important aspects of anaesthetic care for this patient group, namely, comorbidity, frailty and perioperative cognitive dysfunction; and give recommendations on how anaesthetists should tackle these aspects for the 'older old' and the 'oldest old', based on current best evidence. RECENT FINDINGS: The 'oldest old' (nonagerians and centenarians) are the fastest-growing geriatric population worldwide. Evidence has demonstrated that an enhanced care programme designed for elderly patients is safe, feasible and could diminish both complications and length of stay after surgery. Studies are emerging on frailty measurement and the association with outcomes of anaesthesia and surgery and have resulted in new recommendations on best practices for postoperative brain health and nomenclature of perioperative neurocognitive disorder. SUMMARY: Comorbidity, frailty and perioperative cognitive dysfunction are significant perioperative concerns specific to elderly patients and clearly associated with adverse outcomes after surgery. These anaesthetic concerns should be anticipated and properly managed through the perioperative pathway so that their potential complications can be mitigated.

Repeated Non-Invasive Limb Ischemic Preconditioning Confers Cardioprotection Through PKC-Ԑ/STAT3 Signaling in Diabetic Rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Protein kinase C(PKC)-ε activation is a mechanism of preconditioning cardioprotection but its role in repeated non-invasive limb ischemic preconditioning (rNLIP) mediated cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in diabetes is unknown. METHODS: Eight-week streptozotocin-induced diabetic and non-diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to I/R without or with rNLIP. In vitro, H9C2 cells were cultured with high glucose (HG) and subjected to hypoxia/re-oxygenation (H/R) without or with PKC-ε or STAT3 gene knock-down in the absence or presence of remote time hypoxia preconditioning (HPC). RESULTS: Diabetic rats displayed larger post-ischemic myocardial infarct size and higher troponin-I release with concomitant cardiac PKC-ԑ overexpression and activation manifested as increased membrane translocation, while phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) and Akt (p-Akt) were lower compared to non-diabetic rats (all P<0.05). rNLIP reduced infarct size in both non-diabetic and diabetic rats. rNLIP reduced post-ischemic cardiac PKC-ԑ activation in diabetic while increased PKC-ԑ activation in non-diabetic rats, resulting in increased cardiac p-STAT3 and p-Akt. In H9C2 cells, HG increased PKC-ԑ expression and exacerbated post-H/R injury, accompanied with reduced p-STAT3 and p-Akt, which were all reverted by HPC. These HPC protective effects were abolished by either PKC-ԑ or STAT3 gene knock-down, except that PKC-ԑ gene knock-down reverted HG and H/R-induced reduction of p-STAT3. CONCLUSION: rNLIP attenuates diabetic heart I/R injury by mitigating HG-induced PKC-ԑ overexpression and, subsequently, activating STAT3.

AMPK Contributes to Cardioprotective Effects of Pterostilbene Against Myocardial Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury in Diabetic Rats by Suppressing Cardiac Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pterostilbene (PT) exerts antidiabetic effects by decreasing blood glucose and modulating lipid metabolism and has been shown to attenuate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in non-diabetic subjects. However, whether PT can protect against myocardial IR injury in diabetes is unknown. AMPK stimulation is indispensable in offering cardioprotection against myocardial IR injury in diabetes by limiting cardiac apoptosis. Thus, we hypothesized that PT may confer protection against myocardial IR injury in diabetes via AMPK activation. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats at eight weeks of diabetes induction (induced by an intravenous dose of 65 mg/kg streptozotocin) were administered with vehicle or PT (20 and 40 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for four weeks (starting from week 9 to 12). At the end of week 12, myocardial IR injury was induced by subjecting the diabetic rats to 30 minutes of coronary artery ligation and followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. In in vitro studies, rat primary cardiomyocytes were incubated with low glucose (LG, 5.5 mM) or high glucose (HG, 30 mM) and exposed to 45 minutes hypoxia and 2 hours reoxygenation in the presence or absence of PT (0.5 µM) or the AMPK inhibitor compound C (CC, 5 µM). RESULTS: PT significantly reduced post-ischemic cardiac infarct size, oxidative stress, plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB levels and apoptosis in diabetic rats. In cardiomyocytes, PT decreased hypoxia/ reoxygenation-induced oxidative stress, attenuated LDH and cleaved caspase3/caspase3 ratio and increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio and AMPK phosphorylation. However, CC administration blunted the cardioprotective effects of PT both in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSION: Suppressing cardiac oxidative stress and apoptosis via AMPK stimulation may represent a primary mechanism whereby pterostilbene attenuates diabetic myocardial IR injury.

Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) as a biomarker for acute myocardial injury and long-term post-ischemic prognosis.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a life-threatening event. Even with timely treatment, acute ischemic myocardial injury and ensuing ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) can still be difficult issues to tackle. Apart from radiological and other auxiliary examinations, laboratory tests of applicable cardiac biomarkers are also necessary for early diagnosis and close monitoring of this disorder. Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), which mainly exists inside cardiomyocytes, has recently emerged as a potentially promising biomarker for myocardial injury. In this review we discuss the sensitivity and specificity of H-FABP in the assessment of myocardial injury and IRI, especially in the early stage, and its long-term prognostic value in comparison with other commonly used cardiac biomarkers, including myoglobin (Mb), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), C-reactive protein (CRP), glycogen phosphorylase isoenzyme BB (GPBB), and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT). The potential and value of combined application of H-FABP with other biomarkers are also discussed. Finally, the prospect of H-FABP is summarized; several technical issues are discussed to facilitate wider application of H-FABP in clinical practice.

Evaluating Patient-Centered Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Procedural Sedation, Part 2 Safety: Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research Recommendations.

The Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research, established by the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks, a public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, convened a second meeting of sedation experts from a variety of clinical specialties and research backgrounds to develop recommendations for procedural sedation research. The previous meeting addressed efficacy and patient- and/or family-centered outcomes. This meeting addressed issues of safety, which was defined as "the avoidance of physical or psychological harm." A literature review identified 133 articles addressing safety measures in procedural sedation clinical trials. After basic reporting of vital signs, the most commonly measured safety parameter was oxygen saturation. Adverse events were inconsistently defined throughout the studies. Only 6 of the 133 studies used a previously validated measure of safety. The meeting identified methodological problems associated with measuring infrequent adverse events. With a consensus discussion, a set of core and supplemental measures were recommended to code for safety in future procedural clinical trials. When adopted, these measures should improve the integration of safety data across studies and facilitate comparisons in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Anesthetic management of thoracoscopic resection of lung lesions in small children.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has dramatically increased over the last decade because of both medical and cosmetic benefits. Anesthesia for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in small children is more challenging compared to adults due to the considerable problems posed by small airway dimensions and ventilation. The optimal technique for one-lung ventilation has yet to be established and the use of remifentanil infusion in this setting is not well described. AIMS: This study investigated the use of extraluminal bronchial blocker placement for one-lung ventilation and the effect of infusion of remifentanil in infants and small children undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the technique of one-lung ventilation and the hemodynamic effects of remifentanil infusion in 31 small children during elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for congenital lung lesions under anesthesia with sevoflurane or isoflurane, oxygen, and air. Patients' heart rate, blood pressure, and endtidal carbon dioxide at baseline (after induction of anesthesia), immediately after one-lung ventilation, during carbon dioxide insufflation, and at the end of one-lung ventilation were extracted from the database and analyzed. The use of vasopressors or dexmedetomidine was also recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Extraluminal placement of a bronchial blocker alongside the tracheal tube was successfully performed in 90.3% of cases (28 patients) without any serious complications or arterial oxygen desaturation. There was no significant rise in blood pressure or heart rate even with the rise of endtidal carbon dioxide concentration during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. In 58% of patients (18 patients), phenylephrine was administered to maintain the blood pressure within 20% of the baseline value. There was no significant change in the heart rate of all patients at each time point. CONCLUSION: One-lung ventilation with an extraluminal parallel blocker was used effectively in this series of young children undergoing thoracoscopic excision of congenital pulmonary lesions. Remifentanil infusion attenuated surgical stress effectively in infants and small children undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Evaluating Patient-Centered Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Procedural Sedation, Part 1 Efficacy: Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research Recommendations.

The Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research, established by the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, convened a meeting of sedation experts from a variety of clinical specialties and research backgrounds with the objective of developing recommendations for procedural sedation research. Four core outcome domains were recommended for consideration in sedation clinical trials: (1) safety, (2) efficacy, (3) patient-centered and/or family-centered outcomes, and (4) efficiency. This meeting identified core outcome measures within the efficacy and patient-centered and/or family-centered domains. Safety will be addressed in a subsequent meeting, and efficiency will not be addressed at this time. These measures encompass depth and levels of sedation, proceduralist and patient satisfaction, patient recall, and degree of pain experienced. Consistent use of the recommended outcome measures will facilitate the comprehensive reporting across sedation trials, along with meaningful comparisons among studies and interventions in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Remifentanil Preconditioning Reduces Postischemic Myocardial Infarction and Improves Left Ventricular Performance via Activation of the Janus Activated Kinase-2/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription-3 Signal Pathway and Subsequent Inhibition of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3ß in Rats.

OBJECTIVES: Remifentanil preconditioning attenuates myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury, but the underlying mechanism is incompletely understood. The Janus activated kinase-2 (JAK2)/signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (STAT3) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways are critical in both ischemic and pharmacologic preconditioning cardioprotection, which involve the inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß. We hypothesized that remifentanil preconditioning confers cardioprotection via the JAK2/STAT3 and/or PI3K/Akt activation-mediated glycogen synthase kinase-3ß inhibition. DESIGN: Pharmacologic intervention. SETTING: Research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTIONS: In vivo and in vitro treatments. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6 per group) were sham operated or subjected to myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. The JAK2 inhibitor AG490 (3 mg/kg), the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin (15 µg/kg), or the glycogen synthase kinase-3ß inhibitor SB216763 (600 µg/kg) were given before inducing in vivo myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury achieved by occluding coronary artery for 30 minutes followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion in the absence or presence of remifentanil preconditioning (6 µg/kg/min). Also, isolated rat hearts were Langendorff perfused and subjected to 30 minutes of global ischemia and 120 minutes of reperfusion without or with remifentanil preconditioning (100 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of AG490 and/or SB216763. Isolated rat cardiomyocytes and H9C2 cells were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation alone or in combination with AG490 (100 µM), wortmannin (100 nM), or SB216763 (3 µM) without or with remifentanil preconditioning (2.5 µM). Remifentanil preconditioning reduced postischemic myocardial infarction and hemodynamic dysfunction induced by myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury concomitant with increased phosphorylation of STAT3 at tyr-705 (p-STAT3) and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß but not Akt. AG490 but not wortmannin cancelled remifentanil preconditioning cardioprotection, and SB216763 restored it despite the presence of AG490. In Langendorff-perfused hearts, AG490-mediated cancellation of remifentanil preconditioning cardioprotection in attenuating postischemic myocardial infarction and creatinine kinase-MB release was reverted by concomitant administration of SB216763. Remifentanil preconditioning also attenuated posthypoxic cardiomyocyte injury and increased p-STAT3 and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß in isolated primary cardiomyocytes and H9C2 cells. STAT3 gene knockdown with specific synthetic RNA cancelled remifentanil preconditioning cardioprotection, whereas glycogen synthase kinase-3ß gene knockdown, which per se did not affect STAT3 under hypoxia/reoxygenation condition, preserved remifentanil preconditioning cardioprotection regardless of STAT3 abrogation. CONCLUSIONS: Remifentanil preconditioning confers cardioprotection primarily via activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling that can function independent of PI3K/Akt activation. Glycogen synthase kinase-3ß is a critical downstream effector of remifentanil preconditioning cardioprotection.

Forkhead box transcription factor 1: role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disorder of the heart muscle in people with diabetes that can occur independent of hypertension or vascular disease. The underlying mechanism of DCM is incompletely understood. Some transcription factors have been suggested to regulate the gene program intricate in the pathogenesis of diabetes prompted cardiac injury. Forkhead box transcription factor 1 is a pleiotropic transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in a variety of physiological processes. Altered FOXO1 expression and function have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and the important role of FOXO1 in DCM has begun to attract attention. In this review, we focus on the FOXO1 pathway and its role in various processes that have been related to DCM, such as metabolism, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and apoptosis.

Cardioprotection from emulsified isoflurane postconditioning is lost in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes due to the impairment of Brg1/Nrf2/STAT3 signalling.

Isoflurane postconditioning (IsoPostC) attenuates myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) is critical in ischaemic postconditioning cardioprotection, which can be regulated by the Brahma-related gene (Brg1) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), although they are both reduced in diabetic hearts. We hypothesized that reduced Brg1/Nrf2 and STAT3 activation may jeopardize IsoPostC-mediated cardioprotection in diabetic hearts. In the present study, Langendorff-perfused, non-diabetic (control) and 8-week-old streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischaemia and 120 min of reperfusion without or with IsoPostC, which was achieved by administering emulsified isoflurane (2.0%, v/v) in Krebs-Henseleit (KH) solution immediately at the onset of reperfusion for 10 min and switching to KH solution perfusion alone thereafter. Cultured H9C2 cells were exposed to normal glucose (NG, 5.5 mM) or high glucose (HG, 30 mM) and subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) in the presence or absence of IsoPostC. Diabetic rats displayed larger post-ischaemic myocardial infarction and more severe haemodynamic dysfunction, associated with increased myocardial oxidative stress and reduced cardiac Brg1, Nrf2 and STAT3 phosphorylation/activation (p-STAT3), compared with controls. These changes were reversed/prevented by IsoPostC in control but not in diabetic rats. In H9C2 cells exposed to NG but not HG, IsoPostC significantly attenuated HR-induced cellular injury and superoxide anion production with increased Brg1, Nrf2 and p-STAT3. These beneficial effects of IsoPostC were abolished by Brg1, Nrf2 or STAT3 gene knockdown. Brg1 or Nrf2 gene knockdown abolished IsoPostC-induced STAT3 activation. N-acetylcysteine restored Brg1, Nrf2 and p-STAT3, and IsoPostC-induced protection in H9C2 cells exposed to HG and HR. In conclusion, IsoPostC confers cardioprotection through Brg1/Nrf2/STAT3 signalling, and impairment of this pathway may be responsible for the loss of IsoPostC cardioprotection in diabetes.

Sevoflurane pretreatment attenuates TNF-α-induced human endothelial cell dysfunction through activating eNOS/NO pathway.

Endothelial dysfunction induced by oxidative stress and inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The anesthetic sevoflurane confers cytoprotective effects through its anti-inflammatory properties in various pathologies such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome and ischemic-reperfusion injury but mechanism is unclear. We hypothesized that sevoflurane can protect against tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced endothelial dysfunction through promoting the production of endothelium-dependent nitric oxide (NO). Primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were pretreated with different concentrations (0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 minimum alveolar concentration, MAC) of sevoflurane for 30 min before TNF-α (10 ng/mL) stimulation for 4 h. Sevoflurane pretreatment significantly reduced TNF-α-induced VCAM-1, ICAM-1, IκBα, and NF-κB activation, and blocked leukocytes adhesion to HUVECs. Meanwhile, sevoflurane (1.5 and 2.5 MAC) significantly induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and enhanced NO levels both intracellularly and in the cell culture medium. All these cytoprotective effects of sevoflurane were abrogated by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a non-specific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Collectively, these data indicate that sevoflurane protects against TNF-α -induced vascular endothelium dysfunction through activation of eNOS/NO pathway and inhibition of NF-κB.