Suaeda glauca Attenuates Liver Fibrosis in Mice by Inhibiting TGFß1-Smad2/3 Signaling in Hepatic Stellate Cells.

Chronic liver injury due to various hepatotoxic stimuli commonly leads to fibrosis, which is a crucial factor contributing to liver disease-related mortality. Despite the potential benefits of Suaeda glauca (S. glauca) as a natural product, its biological and therapeutic effects are barely known. This study investigated the effects of S. glauca extract (SGE), obtained from a smart farming system utilizing LED lamps, on the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the development of liver fibrosis. C57BL/6 mice received oral administration of either vehicle or SGE (30 or 100 mg/kg) during CCl4 treatment for 6 weeks. The supplementation of SGE significantly reduced liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in mice as evidenced by histological changes and a decrease in collagen accumulation. SGE treatment also led to a reduction in markers of HSC activation and inflammation as well as an improvement in blood biochemical parameters. Furthermore, SGE administration diminished fibrotic responses following acute liver injury. Mechanistically, SGE treatment prevented HSC activation and inhibited the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Smad2/3, which are induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 in HSCs. Our findings indicate that SGE exhibits anti-fibrotic effects by inhibiting TGFß1-Smad2/3 signaling in HSCs.

Prediction of respiratory complications by quantifying lung contusion volume using chest computed tomography in patients with chest trauma.

Pulmonary contusion is an important risk factor for respiratory complications in trauma patients. Hence, we aimed to determine the relationship between the ratio of pulmonary contusion volume to the total lung volume and patient outcomes and the predictability of respiratory complications. We retrospectively included 73 patients with a pulmonary contusion on chest computed tomography (CT) from 800 patients with chest trauma admitted to our facility between January 2019 and January 2020. Chest injury severity was expressed as the ratio of pulmonary contusion volume to total lung volume by quantifying pulmonary contusion volume on chest CT. The cut-off value was 80%. Among the 73 patients with pulmonary contusion (77% males, mean age: 45.3 years), 28 patients had pneumonia, and five had acute respiratory distress syndrome. The number of patients in the severe risk group with > 20% of pulmonary contusion volume was 38, among whom 23 had pneumonia. For predicting pneumonia, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the ratio of pulmonary contusion volume was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.95, p = 0.008); the optimal threshold was 70.4%. Quantifying pulmonary contusion volume using initial CT enables identifying patients with chest trauma at high risk of delayed respiratory complications.

Relationship between door-to-embolization time and clinical outcomes after transarterial embolization in trauma patients with complex pelvic fracture.

BACKGROUND: While transarterial embolization (TAE) is an effective way to control arterial bleeding associated with pelvic fracture, the clinical outcomes according to door-to-embolization (DTE) time are unclear. This study investigated how DTE time affects outcomes in patients with severe pelvic fracture. METHODS: Using a trauma database between November 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019, trauma patients undergoing TAE were retrospectively reviewed. The final study population included 192 patients treated with TAE. The relationships between DTE time and patients' outcomes were evaluated. Multiple binomial logistic regression analyses, multiple linear regression analyses, and Cox hazard proportional regression analyses were performed to estimate the impacts of DTE time on clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The median DTE time was 150 min (interquartile range, 121-184). The mortality rates in the first 24 h and overall were 3.7% and 14.6%, respectively. DTE time served as an independent risk factor for mortality in the first 24 h (adjusted odds ratio = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20-3.34, p = 0.008). In Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio of DTE time for mortality at 28 days was 1.24 (95% CI = 1.04-1.47, p = 0.014). In addition, there was a positive relationship between DTE time and requirement for packed red blood cell transfusion during the initial 24 h and a negative relationship between DTE time and ICU-free days to day 28. CONCLUSION: Shorter DTE time was associated with better survival in the first 24 h, as well as other clinical outcomes, in patients with complex pelvic fracture who underwent TAE. Efforts to minimize DTE time are recommended to improve the clinical outcomes in patients with pelvic fracture treated with TAE.

Chemoenzymatic valorization of agricultural wastes into 4-hydroxyvaleric acid via levulinic acid.

Given that (i) levulinic acid (LA) is one of the most significant platform chemicals derived from biomass and (ii) 4-hydroxyvaleric acid (4-HV) is a potential LA derivative, the aim of this study is to achieve chemoenzymatic valorization of LA, which was obtained from agricultural wastes, to 4-HV. The thermochemical process utilized agricultural wastes (i.e., rice straw and corncob) as feedstocks and successfully produced LA, ranging from 25.1 to 65.4 mM. Additionally, formate was co-produced and used as a hydrogen source for the enzymatic hydrogenation of LA. Finally, engineered 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from Alcaligenes faecalis (eHBDH) was applicable for catalyzing the conversion of agricultural wastes-driven LA, resulting in a maximum concentration of 11.32 mM 4-HV with a conversion rate of 48.2%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the production of 4-HV from actual biomass, and the results might provide insights into the valorization of agricultural wastes.

Clinical Results of Distal Embolization in Grade V Splenic Injury: Four-Year Experience from a Single Regional Trauma Center.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the benefits and risks of splenic artery embolization (SAE) in patients with American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade V blunt spleen injury (BSI) MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 88 patients treated with SAE between April 2013 and May 2017 at a regional trauma care center were reviewed retrospectively. The BSI grade according to the AAST spleen injury scale (revised version 2018) was determined by using computed tomography (CT) images. A total of 42 patients (46.6%) had AAST grade V injury and were included in the analysis. Patient demographics, angiographic findings, embolization techniques, and technical and clinical outcomes, including splenic salvage rate and procedure-related complications, were examined. RESULTS: SAE was performed within 2 hours after admission for 78.5% of the patients. All patients underwent selective distal embolization (n = 42). Primary clinical success rate was 80.9% (n = 34), and secondary clinical success rate was 88.1% (n = 37). The clinical failure group consisted of 5 patients. Four patients underwent splenectomy, and 1 patient died due to acute respiratory distress syndrome after embolization. The splenic salvage rate was 85.7% (n = 36). No patient had sepsis at follow-up (median, 247.0 days; interquartile range, 92.0-688.0). Clinical success rates (P = .356) and spleen salvage rates (P = .197) of patients who were hemodynamically stable (n = 19) showed no significant differences from those who were unstable (n = 23). CONCLUSIONS: Distal embolization of grade V BSI is a safe and feasible procedure which is effective for successful spleen salvage.

Pre-hospital modified shock index for prediction of massive transfusion and mortality in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Modified shock index (MSI) is a useful predictor in trauma patients. However, the value of prehospital MSI (preMSI) in trauma patients is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of preMSI in predicting massive transfusion (MT) and hospital mortality among trauma patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational, single-center study. Patients presenting consecutively to the trauma center between January 2016 and December 2017, were included. The predictive ability of both prehospital shock index (preSI) and preMSI for MT and hospital mortality was assessed by calculating the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). RESULTS: A total of 1007 patients were included. Seventy-eight (7.7%) patients received MT, and 30 (3.0%) patients died within 24 h of admission to the trauma center. The AUROCs for predicting MT with preSI and preMSI were 0.773 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.746-0.798) and 0.765 (95% CI, 0.738-0.791), respectively. The AUROCs for predicting 24-hour mortality with preSI and preMSI were 0.584 (95% CI, 0.553-0.615) and 0.581 (95% CI, 0.550-0.612), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PreSI and preMSI showed moderate accuracy in predicting MT. PreMSI did not have higher predictive power than preSI. Additionally, in predicting hospital mortality, preMSI was not superior to preSI.

Simultaneous independent measurement of strain and temperature based on long-period fiber gratings inscribed in holey fibers depending on air-hole size.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a simple and flexible scheme for the simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature using long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) based on versatile holey fibers (HFs) with different air-hole sizes. The strongly resonant LPFGs (as much as approximately 24 dB) can be successfully achieved. The LPFGs inscribed in the HFs have similar temperature sensitivities regardless of air-hole size because of the same material composition. The strain sensitivities of the LPFGs, however, are different, since holey fibers have different cross-sectional areas depending on the air-hole size. The strain sensitivities of the HF-based LPFGs are enhanced by a factor larger than 2 as the air-hole size increases.