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Microorganisms May 2024, group A streptococci (GAS) bacteriaemia, is a life-threatening infection with high mortality, requiring fast diagnosis together with the use of appropriate antibiotic...
, group A streptococci (GAS) bacteriaemia, is a life-threatening infection with high mortality, requiring fast diagnosis together with the use of appropriate antibiotic therapy as soon as possible. Our study analysed data from 93 patients with GAS bacteraemia at the General University Hospital in Prague between January 2006 and March 2024. In the years 2016-2019 there was an increase in GAS bacteraemia. Mortality in the period 2006-2019 was 21.9%; in the period 2020-2024, the mortality increased to 41.4%, = 0.08. At the same time, in the post-2020 period, the time from hospital admission to death was reduced from 9.5 days to 3 days. A significant predictor of worse outcome in this period was high levels of procalcitonin, >35.1 µg/L (100% sensitivity and 82.35% specificity), and lactate, >5 mmol/L (90.91% sensitivity and 91.67% specificity). Myoglobin was a significant predictor in both compared periods, the AUC was 0.771, = 0.044, and the AUC was an even 0.889, ≤ 0.001, respectively. All isolates of were susceptible to penicillin, and resistance to clindamycin was 20.3% from 2006-2019 and 10.3% in 2020-2024. Appropriate therapy was initiated in 89.1%. and 96.6%, respectively. We hypothesise that the increase in mortality after 2020 might be due to a decrease in the immune status of the population.
PubMed: 38792824
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050995 -
Translational Animal Science 2024In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, which ultimately led to many meat processors temporarily shutting down or reducing processing...
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, which ultimately led to many meat processors temporarily shutting down or reducing processing capacity. This backlog in processing capacity forced many feedlots to retain cattle for longer periods of time and assume the risk of major market fluctuations. The aim of this study was to understand how a dietary insult affects meat quality and muscle metabolism in market-ready steers (590 kg). Sixteen market-ready (590 kg) commercial Angus crossbred steers were subjected to a maintenance diet of either forage or grain for 60 d. Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle samples were collected immediately postmortem and processed for characteristics reflecting the underlying muscle fiber type and energy state of the tissue. Despite cattle being subjected to a 60-d feeding period, there were no detectable differences ( > 0.05) in carcass characteristics, color of lean, or ultimate pH (pH). Moreover, our data show that muscle plasticity is rather resilient, as reflected by lack of significance ( > 0.05) in oxidative and glycolytic enzymes, myosin heavy chain isoforms (MyHC), myoglobin, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contents. These data show that market-ready steers are capable of withstanding a low-input feeding strategy up to 60 d without dramatically impacting underlying muscle characteristics and meat quality development.
PubMed: 38770036
DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae064 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2024To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and etiology of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis.
OBJECTIVES
To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and etiology of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis.
METHODS
Cases of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis in Wuhan were monitored, and professional training of city's surveillance personnel was conducted. Unified questionnaires were used to collect data.
RESULTS
The first case of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis occurred on July 12, 2016. Subsequently, 423 patients were reported over the next 7 years, with muscle pain, weakness, and chest distress as main symptoms. In total, 64.54% (273/423) of patients were females, and young adults (aged 20-49 years) account for 86.22% (363/423) of patients. The primary clinical presentations were muscle pain, muscle weakness, and chest discomfort. The median incubation time was 6 h. And the number of cases may be related to water levels in Yangzi river. Laboratory tests revealed elevated creatine kinase and myoglobin levels. In total, 95.16% (236/248) of patients had consumed crayfish tail shrimp and 91.53% (227/248) had consumed crayfish liver and pancreas (Female crayfish also contain ovaries). Only 25.00% (62/248) of patients had a history of alcohol consumption. On average, 227 patients consumed 15 (3-50) crayfish, of whom 84.14% (191/227) consumed more than 10 crayfish. All patients had a favorable prognosis.
CONCLUSION
Crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis is a kind of a case or cluster of patients present with severe myalgia or weakness of unknown etiology and mechanism disease in Wuhan, China, 2016-2022. Excessive consumption of crayfish may be a risk factor for the disease. The relationship between the specific parts of crayfish consumed and the onset of the disease is unclear, suggesting further research is needed to identify the relevant risk factors for the disease.
PubMed: 38765823
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1333888 -
Food Science of Animal Resources Mar 2024The color, lipid oxidation, heme iron (HI) and non-heme iron (NHI) contents, metmyoglobin content and Soret band of myoglobin of ground pork subjected to supercritical...
The color, lipid oxidation, heme iron (HI) and non-heme iron (NHI) contents, metmyoglobin content and Soret band of myoglobin of ground pork subjected to supercritical CO treatment under different conditions, or to heat treatment (40°C, 2 h) and subsequent storage at 4°C were evaluated during 9-day period. Supercritical CO treatment significantly increased CIE L* and CIE b* values of ground pork during subsequent storage, while the HI content was slightly affected. In general, CIE a* value and metmyoglobin content were decreased. Supercritical CO treatment for 2 h could increase the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) value, while treatment for 1 h or less had no effect. The NHI content could be increased only after treatment at above 40°C or 17.2 MPa for 2 h. The Soret band of myoglobin was shifted to longer wavelength. Increasing treatment temperature from 35°C to 45°C could increase CIE L*, CIE a*, CIE b* and TBARS values, HI and NHI contents of the ground pork, while decreasing metmyoglobin content. As the treatment pressure increased from 13.8 MPa to 20.7 MPa, CIE b* and TBARS values were decreased, while the NHI and metmyoglobin contents were increased. However, the other parameters were unchanged. Extending exposure time from 0.5 h to 2 h could increase CIE L*, CIE b* and TBARS values, HI contents, while decreasing CIE a* value and metmyoglobin content. Correlation analysis showed that the TBARS value was significantly and negatively correlated with the HI content or metmyoglobin content in samples treated at 40°C or above for 2 h.
PubMed: 38764518
DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2024.e77 -
Journal of Inflammation Research 2024Some patients with COVID-19 rapidly develop respiratory failure or mortality, underscoring the necessity for early identification of those prone to severe illness....
Association Between Artificial Intelligence Based Chest Computed Tomography and Clinical/Laboratory Characteristics with Severity and Mortality in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients.
BACKGROUND
Some patients with COVID-19 rapidly develop respiratory failure or mortality, underscoring the necessity for early identification of those prone to severe illness. Numerous studies focus on clinical and lab traits, but only few attend to chest computed tomography. The current study seeks to numerically quantify pulmonary lesions using early-phase CT scans calculated through artificial intelligence algorithms in conjunction with clinical and laboratory helps clinicians to early identify the development of severe illness and death in a group of COVID-19 patients.
METHODS
From December 15, 2022, to January 30, 2023, 191 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Xinhua Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were consecutively enrolled. All patients underwent chest CT scans and serum tests within 48 hours prior to admission. Variables significantly linked to critical illness or mortality in univariate analysis were subjected to multivariate logistic regression models post collinearity assessment. Adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals, sensitivity, specificity, Youden index, receiver-operator-characteristics (ROC) curves, and area under the curve (AUC) were computed for predicting severity and in-hospital mortality.
RESULTS
Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that myoglobin (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 1.001-1.005), APACHE II score (OR = 1.387, 95% CI 1.216-1.583), and the infected CT region percentage (OR = 113.897, 95% CI 4.939-2626.496) independently correlated with in-hospital COVID-19 mortality. Prealbumin stood as an independent safeguarding factor (OR = 0.965, 95% CI 0.947-0.984). Neutrophil counts (OR = 1.529, 95% CI 1.131-2.068), urea nitrogen (OR = 1.587, 95% CI 1.222-2.062), SOFA score(OR = 3.333, 95% CI 1.476-7.522), qSOFA score(OR = 15.197, 95% CI 3.281-70.384), PSI score(OR = 1.053, 95% CI 1.018-1.090), and the infected CT region percentage (OR = 548.221, 95% CI 2.615-114,953.586) independently linked to COVID-19 patient severity.
PubMed: 38764494
DOI: 10.2147/JIR.S456440 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2024Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a common complication that significantly impedes patient recovery. In the study, we investigated the correlation... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Correlation Between Early Serum Myoglobin Levels and the Incidence and Prognosis of Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) in Septic Shock Patients: A Comparative Study.
Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a common complication that significantly impedes patient recovery. In the study, we investigated the correlation between early serum myoglobin levels in patients with septic shock due to pneumonia, and the incidence of ICU-AW, duration of mechanical ventilation, and prognosis. Patients were classified based on the development of ICU-AW within the first 10 days of ICU admission. We measured serum myoglobin levels upon ICU entry, and analyzed demographic data, APACHE II scores, use of mechanical ventilation, and clinical outcomes, including mortality and duration of mechanical ventilation. The results indicated significantly elevated serum myoglobin levels in the ICU-AW group, correlated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and increased mortality. ROC analysis revealed myoglobin as a promising biomarker for predicting ICU-AW, with an area under the curve of 0.843 (95% CI: 0.819~0.867), demonstrating a sensitivity of 76.00% and specificity of 82.30%. These findings underscored serum myoglobin as a predictive biomarker for early ICU-AW in septic shock patients, highlighting its potential to guide clinical decision-making.
Topics: Humans; Shock, Septic; Myoglobin; Male; Intensive Care Units; Female; Middle Aged; Biomarkers; Prognosis; Muscle Weakness; Aged; Incidence; Respiration, Artificial; APACHE; ROC Curve
PubMed: 38747799
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420231164 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... May 2024The monomeric heme protein myoglobin (Mb), traditionally thought to be expressed exclusively in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is now known to be expressed in...
UNLABELLED
The monomeric heme protein myoglobin (Mb), traditionally thought to be expressed exclusively in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is now known to be expressed in approximately 40% of breast tumors. While Mb expression is associated with better patient prognosis, the molecular mechanisms by which Mb limits cancer progression are unclear. In muscle, Mb's predominant function is oxygen storage and delivery, which is dependent on the protein's heme moiety. However, prior studies demonstrate that the low levels of Mb expressed in cancer cells preclude this function. Recent studies propose a novel fatty acid binding function for Mb via a lysine residue (K46) in the heme pocket. Given that cancer cells can upregulate fatty acid oxidation (FAO) to maintain energy production for cytoskeletal remodeling during cell migration, we tested whether Mb-mediated fatty acid binding modulates FAO to decrease breast cancer cell migration. We demonstrate that the stable expression of human Mb in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells decreases cell migration and FAO. Site-directed mutagenesis of Mb to disrupt Mb fatty acid binding did not reverse Mb-mediated attenuation of FAO or cell migration in these cells. In contrast, cells expressing Apo-Mb, in which heme incorporation was disrupted, showed a reversal of Mb-mediated attenuation of FAO and cell migration, suggesting that Mb attenuates FAO and migration via a heme-dependent mechanism rather than through fatty acid binding. To this end, we show that Mb's heme-dependent oxidant generation propagates dysregulated gene expression of migratory genes, and this is reversed by catalase treatment. Collectively, these data demonstrate that Mb decreases breast cancer cell migration, and this effect is due to heme-mediated oxidant production rather than fatty acid binding. The implication of these results will be discussed in the context of therapeutic strategies to modulate oxidant production and Mb in tumors.
HIGHLIGHTS
Myoglobin (Mb) expression in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells slows migration.Mb expression decreases mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid oxidation.Mb-dependent fatty acid binding does not regulate cell migration or respiration.Mb-dependent oxidant generation decreases mitochondrial metabolism and migration.Mb-derived oxidants dysregulate migratory gene expression.
PubMed: 38746370
DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.30.591659 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... May 2024This study aimed to investigate the changes in angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with pulmonary...
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the changes in angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with pulmonary infection.
METHODS
Retrospective selection was conducted on 61 patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with pulmonary infection and 122 patients with simple acute myocardial infarction. A comparison was made between the two groups regarding general information and serum myocs. The distribution and drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria were also explored.
RESULTS
The study showed significant differences in the duration of alcohol consumption, the proportion of diabetes mellitus, and levels of certain markers (serum cardiac troponin T, creatine kinase isoenzyme, myoglobin, angiopoietin-2, tumor necrosis factor α) between the two groups (P < .05). Logistic regression analysis identified elevated levels of serum angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α, along with diabetes mellitus, as independent risk factors for acute myocardial infarction complicated with pulmonary infection (P < .05). Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between serum angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α levels and CPI scores in patients (P < .05). ROC curve analysis indicated that combined diagnosis of serum angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α had an AUC of 0.867, with a sensitivity of 85.25% and specificity of 77.87% for detecting acute myocardial infarction complicated with pulmonary infection. Among the sputum culture specimens, gram-negative bacteria accounted for 55.34%, gram-positive bacteria for 39.81%, and fungi for 4.85%. Gram-negative bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli showed high resistance to various antibiotics, while gram-positive bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus had relatively low resistance to specific antibiotics.
CONCLUSION
Gram-negative bacteria were the main pathogens and exhibited resistance to several antibiotics. Increased levels of angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor α were observed. Early detection of these markers can assist in the clinical diagnosis and guide the appropriate use of antibiotics.
PubMed: 38743883
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B May 2024The disaccharide trehalose is generally acknowledged as a superior stabilizer of proteins and other biomolecules in aqueous environments. Despite many theories aiming to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The disaccharide trehalose is generally acknowledged as a superior stabilizer of proteins and other biomolecules in aqueous environments. Despite many theories aiming to explain this, the stabilization mechanism is still far from being fully understood. This study compares the stabilizing properties of trehalose with those of the structurally similar disaccharide sucrose. The stability has been evaluated for the two proteins, lysozyme and myoglobin, at both low and high temperatures by determining the glass transition temperature, , and the denaturation temperature, . The results show that the sucrose-containing samples exhibit higher than the corresponding trehalose-containing samples, particularly at low water contents. The better stabilizing effect of sucrose at high temperatures may be explained by the fact that sucrose, to a greater extent, binds directly to the protein surface compared to trehalose. Both sugars show elevation with an increasing sugar-to-protein ratio, which allows for a more complete sugar shell around the protein molecules. Finally, no synergistic effects were found by combining trehalose and sucrose. Conclusively, the exact mechanism of protein stabilization may vary with the temperature, as influenced by temperature-dependent interactions between the protein, sugar, and water. This variability can make trehalose to a superior stabilizer under some conditions and sucrose under others.
Topics: Trehalose; Sucrose; Muramidase; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Myoglobin; Protein Stability; Animals; Temperature
PubMed: 38733344
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00022 -
International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2024Smoke intoxication is a central event in mass burn incidents, and toxic smoke acts at different levels of the body, blocking breathing and oxygenation. The majority of...
Smoke intoxication is a central event in mass burn incidents, and toxic smoke acts at different levels of the body, blocking breathing and oxygenation. The majority of these patients require early induction of anesthesia to preserve vital functions. We studied the influence of hemoglobin (HMG) and myoglobin (MGB) blockade by hydrochloric acid (HCl) in an interaction model with gaseous anesthetics using molecular docking techniques. In the next part of the study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes to investigate the stability of the ligand-receptor complexes and the interactions between ligands and receptors in more detail. Through docking analysis, we observed that hemoglobin creates more stable complexes with anesthetic gases than myoglobin. Intoxication with gaseous hydrochloric acid produces conformational and binding energy changes of anesthetic gases to the substrate (both the pathway and the binding site), the most significant being recorded in the case of desflurane and sevoflurane, while for halothane and isoflurane, they remain unchanged. According to our theoretical model, the selection of anesthetic agents for patients affected by fire smoke containing hydrochloric acid is critical to ensure optimal anesthetic effects. In this regard, our model suggests that halothane and isoflurane are the most suitable choices for predicting the anesthetic effects in such patients when compared to sevoflurane and desflurane.
Topics: Humans; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Anesthesia, General; Molecular Docking Simulation; Myoglobin; Hydrochloric Acid; Smoke; Anesthetics, Inhalation; Hemoglobins; Halothane; Binding Sites
PubMed: 38731919
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094701