AIM: To explore the protective effect and mechanism of dexmedetomidine on intestinal mucosal barrier injury in septic rats. METHODS: Forty eight SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=12): sham operation group (sham group), sepsis group (sepsis group), sepsis + dexmedetomidine group (DEX group), and sepsis + DEX + HIF-1ɑ inhibitor Bay87-2243 (Bay87-2243 group). Sepsis model was established by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). The rats in both DEX and Bay87-2243 groups were given 30 μg/kg of DEX intraperitoneally 30 minutes before CLP and 2 hours after CLP; while the rats in Bay87-2243 group received oral gavage of Bay87-2243 (9 mg/kg) for 3 days before CLP. The other groups were intraperitoneally injected and orally with the same amount of normal saline. The HIF-1ɑ and the tight junction protein (tight junction protein, TJs) was detected by western blot; the plasma concentrations of diamine oxidase (DAO), intestinal fatty acid binding protein (FABP2) and D-lactic acid (D-LAC) were detected by ELISA; the morphological changes of intestinal mucosa were detected by HE staining. RESULTS: DEX significantly increased the expression level of HIF-1ɑ (P<0.05) on intestinal mucosa in rats with sepsis injury (P<0.05), thus ameliorated intestinal mucosal pathological injury, reduced Chiu's score (P<0.05), decreased intestinal mucosal permeability (P<0.05), and up-regulated TJs protein expression (P<0.05). Moreover, effect on sepsis induced intestinal mucosal injury of DEX was reversed by HIF-1ɑ Bay87-2243. CONCLUSION: DEX could protect against sepsis-induced intestinal mucosal injury by up-regulating HIF-1ɑ expression in rats.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of the mutational status of the ND4 gene and the clinical features of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patients with ND4 mutations.

METHODSUsing PCR combined with directly sequencing, we identified somatic mutations of ND4 in 121 primary AML patients to couple with their clinical features.

RESULTSThere were 58 male patients and 63 female patients (median age 49 years, 10-86 years). Eight of 121 patients (6.6%) with de novo AML were found harboring missense mutation of ND4 gene, including 3 patients with A131V (3/8, 37.5%), 2 patients with A404T (2/8, 25%), 1 patient with F149L (1/8, 12.5%), 1 patient with G242D (1/8, 12.5%) and 1 patient with Y409H (1/8, 12.5%), respectively. Patients with ND4 mutations were associated with good karyotype (P=0.049), regardless of gender, age, white blood cell, hemoglobin, platelet, blast cells of bone marrow or immunophenotype (P>0.05). There were no statistical significance in mutations of FLT3-ITD, NPM1, CEBPA, c-KIT and DNMT3A between patients with ND4 mutation and wild-type (wt) ND4 (P>0.05). The median overall survival of patients with ND4 mutations and wt ND4 were all not reached. The median relapse-free survival were not reached and 29(2-53) months, respectively (P>0.05). There was no significance in the ratio of CR and RR patients between wt ND4 and ND4 mutated groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONIt was concluded that novel ND4 mutations could be found in de novo AML patients, especially in patients with good karyotype. Thus, ND4 mutations might play an important role in AML prognosis. However, whether the mitochondria dysfunction contribute to leukemogenesis needs to be further investigated.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; NADH Dehydrogenase ; genetics ; Prognosis ; Young Adult