Intensive care medicine experimental
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Intensive Care Med Exp · Dec 2014
Neutrophil extracellular traps in the host defense against sepsis induced by Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis).
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are a central player in the host response to bacteria: neutrophils release extracellular DNA (nucleosomes) and neutrophil elastase to entrap and kill bacteria. We studied the role of NETs in Burkholderia pseudomallei infection (melioidosis), an important cause of Gram-negative sepsis in Southeast Asia. ⋯ B. pseudomallei is a potent inducer of NETosis which was reflected by greatly increased levels of NET-related components in melioidosis patients. Although NETs exhibited antibacterial activity against B. pseudomallei, NET formation did not protect against bacterial dissemination and inflammation during B. pseudomallei-induced sepsis.
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Intensive Care Med Exp · Dec 2014
The effect of vitamin C on plasma volume in the early stage of sepsis in the rat.
Previous experimental studies have shown that vitamin C has several beneficial effects in sepsis and burns, such as decreased tissue oedema, improved endothelial barrier function and decreased transcapillary leakage of plasma markers. It has still not been investigated, though, if vitamin C has any impact specifically on plasma volume. The present study aims at testing the hypothesis that vitamin C decreases plasma volume loss in sepsis. ⋯ Vitamin C treatment did not decrease the loss of plasma volume in the septic rat. The diuretic effect of vitamin C was in accordance with previous studies.
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Intensive Care Med Exp · Dec 2014
'Chronomics' in ICU: circadian aspects of immune response and therapeutic perspectives in the critically ill.
Complex interrelations exist between the master central clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus, and several peripheral clocks, such as those found in different immune cells of the body. Moreover, external factors that are called 'timekeepers', such as light/dark and sleep/wake cycles, interact with internal clocks by synchronizing their different oscillation phases. Chronobiology is the science that studies biologic rhythms exhibiting recurrent cyclic behavior. ⋯ The aims of this article are to describe circadian physiology during acute stress and to discuss the effects of ICU milieu upon circadian rhythms, in order to emphasize the value of considering circadian-immune disturbance as a potential tool for personalized treatment. Thus, besides neoplastic processes, critical illness could be linked to what has been referred as 'chronomics': timing and rhythm. In addition, different therapeutic perspectives will be presented in association with environmental approaches that could restore circadian connection and hasten physical recovery.
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Intensive Care Med Exp · Dec 2014
Effect of PEEP on breath sound power spectra in experimental lung injury.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is known to be associated with the emergence of inspiratory crackles and enhanced transmission of artificial sounds from the airway opening to the chest wall. Recently, we described the effect of ALI on the basic flow-induced breath sounds, separated from the crackles. In this study, we investigated the effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on these noncrackling basic lung sounds augmented during ALI. ⋯ We confirm a gravity-related spectral amplitude increase of basic flow-induced breath sounds recorded over lung regions affected by permeability-type pulmonary edema and show that such changes are reversible by alveolar recruitment with PEEP.