Effects of acute substance use and pre-injury substance abuse on traumatic brain injury severity in adults admitted to a trauma centre.

J Trauma Manag Outcomes. 2010;4:6

Authors: Andelic N, Jerstad T, Sigurdardottir S, Schanke AK, Sandvik L, Roe C

ABSTRACT:

PMID: 20504353 [PubMed - in process]

Leptin and leptin receptor genes in Atlantic salmon: Cloning, phylogeny, tissue distribution and expression correlated to long-term feeding status.

Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2010 Aug 1;168(1):55-70

Authors: Rønnestad I, Nilsen TO, Murashita K, Angotzi AR, Gamst Moen AG, Stefansson SO, Kling P, Thrandur Björnsson B, Kurokawa T

The present study reports the complete coding sequences for two paralogues for leptin (sLepA1 and sLepA2) and leptin receptor (sLepR) in Atlantic salmon. The deduced 171-amino acid (aa) sequence of sLepA1 and 175 aa sequence for sLepA2 shows 71.6% identity to each other and clusters phylogenetically with teleost Lep type A, with 22.4% and 24.1% identity to human Lep. Both sLep proteins are predicted to consist of four helixes showing strong conservation of tertiary structure with other vertebrates. The highest mRNA levels for sLepA1 in fed fish (satiation ration=100%) were observed in the brain, white muscle, liver, and ovaries. In most tissues sLepA2 generally had a lower expression than sLepA1 except for the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and mid-gut) and kidney. Only one leptin receptor ortholog was identified and it shares 24.2% aa sequence similarity with human LepR, with stretches of highest sequence similarity corresponding to domains considered important for LepR signaling. The sLepR was abundantly expressed in the ovary, and was also high in the brain, pituitary, eye, gill, skin, visceral adipose tissue, belly flap, red muscle, kidney, and testis. Fish reared on a rationed feeding regime (60% of satiation) for 10 months grew less than control (100%) and tended to have a lower sLepA1 mRNA expression in the fat-depositing tissues visceral adipose tissue (p<0.05) and white muscle (n.s.). sLepA2 mRNA levels was very low in these tissues and feeding regime tended to affect its expression in an opposite manner. Expression in liver differed from that of the other tissues with a higher sLepA2 mRNA in the feed-rationed group (p<0.01). Plasma levels of sLep did not differ between fish fed restricted and full feeding regimes. No difference in brain sLepR mRNA levels was observed between fish fed reduced and full feeding regimes. This study in part supports that sLepA1 is involved in signaling the energy status in fat-depositing tissues in line with the mammalian model, whereas sLepA2 may possibly play important roles in the digestive tract and liver. At present, data on Lep in teleosts are too scarce to allow generalization about how the Lep system is influenced by tissue-specific energy status and, in turn, may regulate functions related to feed intake, growth, and adiposity in fish. In tetraploid species like Atlantic salmon, different Lep paralogues seems to serve different physiological roles.

PMID: 20403358 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Post-hypoxic hypothermia is protective in human NT2-N neurons regardless of oxygen concentration during reoxygenation.

Brain Res. 2009 Mar 9;1259:80-9

Authors: Dalen ML, Frøyland E, Saugstad OD, Mollnes TE, Rootwelt T

Perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage is an important cause of neonatal death and permanent neurological impairment. Therapeutic hypothermia may reduce the development of brain damage after hypoxia. Whether to use room-air or 100% oxygen for resuscitation of the asphyxiated neonate is still debated, and there is little knowledge about the combined effects of therapeutic hypothermia and room air resuscitation. We used human NT2-N neurons to test whether oxygen level during reoxygenation would influence the protective effect of hypothermia. Oxygen-glucose deprived (OGD) human NT2-N neurons were exposed to 20 min of low (1%), medium (21%) or high (95%) oxygen concentrations immediately after hypoxia, followed by 20.5 h of hypothermia (33 degrees C) or normothermia (37 degrees C). Cell viability was determined by a methyltetrazolium assay (MTT), cellular energy failure by hypoxanthine release to supernatant, and inflammatory response by the release of IL-8 (Interleukin-8), bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor), IP-10 (interferon-inducible protein-10) and MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) to supernatant. Post-hypoxic hypothermia resulted in significantly higher MTT cleavage (average 27% of control (SD 11%) vs 24% (SD 12%), p=0.005). Hypoxanthine release was increased both immediately after hypoxia and 21 h later, however less in hypothermic (median increase 2.0 mumol/L, IQR 1.2-3.2) compared to normothermic cells (2.7 mumol/L, IQR 2.1-4.1, p<0.05). All four inflammatory markers increased after hypoxia but not differently between normothermic and hypothermic cells. Oxygen level had no significant effect on cell viability, inflammatory markers or energy status, irrespective of temperature level. We conclude that hypothermia protects isolated neurons after in vitro hypoxia, and that this protection is not affected by hyperoxic, normoxic or hypoxic reoxygenation.

PMID: 19146835 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Differential regulation of AMP-activated kinase and AKT kinase in response to oxygen availability in crucian carp (Carassius carassius).

Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Dec;295(6):R1803-14

Authors: Stensløkken KO, Ellefsen S, Stecyk JA, Dahl MB, Nilsson GE, Vaage J

We investigated whether two kinases critical for survival during periods of energy deficiency in anoxia-intolerant mammalian species, AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), and protein kinase B (AKT), are equally important for hypoxic/anoxic survival in the extremely anoxia-tolerant crucian carp (Carassius carassius). We report that phosphorylation of AMPK and AKT in heart and brain showed small changes after 10 days of severe hypoxia (0.3 mg O2/l at 9 degrees C). In contrast, anoxia exposure (0.01 mg O2/l at 8 degrees C) substantially increased AMPK phosphorylation but decreased AKT phosphorylation in carp heart and brain, indicating activation of AMPK and deactivation of AKT. In agreement, blocking the activity of AMPK in anoxic fish in vivo with 20 mg/kg Compound C resulted in an elevated metabolic rate (as indicated by increased ethanol production) and tended to reduce energy charge. This is the first in vivo experiment with Compound C in a nonmammalian vertebrate, and it appears that AMPK plays a role in mediating anoxic metabolic depression in crucian carp. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of the investigated AMPK subunit revealed that the most likely composition of subunits in the carp heart is alpha2, beta1B, gamma2a, whereas a more even expression of subunits was found in the brain. In the heart, expression of the regulatory gamma2-subunit increased in the heart during anoxia. In the brain, expression of the alpha1-, alpha2-, and gamma1-subunits decreased with anoxia exposure, but expression of the gamma2-subunit remained constant. Combined, our findings suggest that AMPK and AKT may play important, but opposing roles for hypoxic/anoxic survival in the anoxia-tolerant crucian carp.

PMID: 18922957 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]