High-volume hemofiltration reduces the expression of myocardial tumor necrosis factor-alpha in septic shock pigs

Clinical effects of hemoperfusion combined with pulse high-volume hemofiltration on septic shock

Sepsis can cause septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction and even death. The combination of different blood purification would be the certain trend in the treatment of sepsis.This study was to evaluate the clinical effects of hemoperfusion (HP) combined with pulse high volume hemofiltration (PHVHF) on septic shock.Thirty cases were involved in this study and were randomly divided into two groups: HP and PHVHF group (n = 15) and CVVH (continuous veno-venous hemofiltration) group (n = 15). Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores as well as biochemical changes were measured before and after the treatment. The levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α in plasma were assessed by ELISA before and after treatment for 2 and 24 h. The norepinephrine doses were also analyzed. The 28-day mortalities in both groups were also compared.In both groups, body temperature (BT), respiratory rate (RR), white blood cells (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT), lactic acid, serum creatinine, APACHE II scores and SOFA scores decreased after hemofiltration (P < .05). The HP&PHVHF group was superior to the CVVH group in CRP, APACHE II score (P < .01), and heart rate (HR), WBC, PCT, SOFA (P < .05). The doses of norepinephrine were also decreased after treatment (P < .01), with more reduction in the HP&PHVHF group (P < .05). After 24 h of treatment, the levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α decreased in both groups (P < .05), and the decrease was more significant in HP&PHVHF group (P < .05). In combined group, after 2 h of hemoperfison, there was a significant reduction in these inflammatory factors (P < .01). Combined therapy group's mortality was 26.7%, while CVVH group's was 40%.HP combined with PHVHF has a significant effect on septic shock and can be an important therapy for septic shock.

The Systemic Alterations of Lipids, Alanine-Glucose Cycle and Inter-Organ Amino Acid Metabolism in Swine Model Confirms the Role of Liver in Early Phase of Septic Shock

Septic shock is a medical emergency and is one of the main causes of mortality in critically ill patients. Given the pathophysiological complexity of sepsis spectrum and progression in clinical settings, animal models become essential tools to improve patient care, and to understand key mechanisms that may remain masked from the heterogeneity of clinical practice. Our aim was to verify whether the metabolic constellations we previously reported for septic shock patients appear also in our septic shock swine model as systemic markers of early disturbances in energy metabolism and hepatic homeostasis. Septic shock was induced in anesthetized, instrumented, and ventilated adult swines by polymicrobial peritonitis. Hemodynamic and serial measurements of arterial and mixed venous blood gasses were made. Laboratory measurements and mass spectrometry-based targeted quantitative plasma metabolomics were performed in blood samples collected at baseline, at shock and at fully resuscitation after fluids and vasopressors administration. Data elaboration was performed by multilevel and multivariate analysis. Changes in hemodynamic, blood chemistry, and inflammatory markers were in line with a septic shock phenotype. Time course alteration of systemic metabolites were characterized by marked decreased in phosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidylcholines species, altered alanine-glucose cycle and inter-organ amino acid metabolism, pointing toward an early hepatic impairment similarly to what we previously reported for septic shock. This is the first study in which an experimental swine model of septic shock recapitulates the main metabolic derangements reported in a clinical setting of shock. These events occur within hours from infections and may act as early metabolic features to assist in evaluating subclinical hepatic alterations and pave the way to improve the management of septic shock.

Effect of pulse high-volume hemofiltration on Toll-like receptor in patients with severe sepsis

The expression level and prognosis of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with severe sepsis after applying pulse high-volume hemofiltration (PHVHF) were investigated. Sustained PHVHF treatment was carried out on 40 patients on the basis of conventional treatment for up to 72 h. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores of patients were compared before and after the treatment. CD4⁺, CD8⁺ lymphocyte counts and ratios in the peripheral blood were detected using FASort before and 24 and 48 h of PHVHF treatment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted to detect tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentrations in plasma at different time points before and after 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment, while semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technology was used to test TLR2 mRNA expression. After PHVHF treatment, APACHE II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were decreased (P<0.05). After 72 h of PHVHF treat-ment, TNF-α, IL-10, TLR2 mRNA expression levels in the plasma of patients were significantly decreased compared to before treatment (P<0.05), and the IL-10 / TNF-α ratio was much higher than before treatment (p<0.05). In conclusion, PHVHF can restore the pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance of the body, thereby improving the overall condition of the patients by removing inflammatory mediators and lowering TLR2 expression of mononuclear cell surface in peripheral blood.

Artificial Organs 2013: a year in review

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2013 are organized by category and briefly summarized. We aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, the International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support, and the Vienna International Workshop on Functional Electrical Stimulation, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level". Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide so meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected and especially to those whose native tongue is not English. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, Wiley Periodicals, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years.