Accumulated evidences show that neuroinflammation play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of depression. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammative as well as antidepressant effects. In the present study, the ability of NPY to modulate depressive-like behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in rats and the receptors and signaling mechanisms involved were investigated. Continuous injection LPS (i.p) for 4 days led to development of depressive-like behaviors in rats, accompanied with M1-type microglia activation and increased levels of IL-1β as well as decreased levels of NPY and Y2R expression in the mPFC selectively. Local injection of NPY into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ameliorated the depression-like behaviors and suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway. Y2R agonist PYY (3-36) mimicked and Y2R antagonist BIIE0246 abolished the NPY effects in the mPFC. All these results suggest that NPY and Y2R in the mPFC are involved in the pathophysiology of depression and NPY plays an antidepressant role in the mPFC mainly via Y2R, which suppresses the NLRP3 signaling pathway, in LPS-induced depression model rats.

Background Potent immune-suppressive therapy has been demonstrated to increase the risk of infective endocarditis (IE) in renal recipients. Reports of Corynebacterium striatum ( C. striatum ) endocarditis in renal recipients are scarce, thus limiting understanding of the disease. Case Presentation We describe a case of native valve endocarditis caused by C. striatum in a 35-year-old male patient. The young man with end-stage renal failure underwent kidney transplantation because of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Ceftazidime was administered after the surgery according to routine procedures, and the patient was discharged on the 14th day after the surgery without any evidence of infection. The patient experienced fever on the 56th day, and Corynebacterium was cultured from the patient’s blood, in agreement with the results of testing of the donor kidney preservation solution. On the 64th day, multiple thromboses were found in the right external iliac artery, particularly around the anastomotic orifice of the transplanted renal artery. Vegetation was found in the posterior mitral valve tip on the 65th day. The patient had symptoms of persistent angina pectoris and chest tightness and underwent mitral valve replacement and vegetative resection. The patient eventually died. C. striatum was detected in the mitral valve and vegetation tissue with metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Conclusion C. striatum may cause endocarditis and endanger patients’ lives and thus warrants greater attention. Genotypic assays such as metagenomic next-generation sequencing are demonstrated to be effective in confirming species identity. Adequate anti-infection therapy and early surgery are required after IE is discovered.

Background De novo urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a leading cause of death after kidney transplant (KT). The efficacy of various treatments, apart from surgery, and the prognosis for patients with urothelial carcinoma after kidney transplantation remain unclear. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the efficacy of chemotherapy with gemcitabine + cisplatin (GC) or gemcitabine + carboplatin (GCa), bladder infusion chemotherapy, and immunosuppression therapy for de novo UC in kidney transplantation recipients at different sites and T stages. We evaluated the prognosis and compared the difference using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test. Results Of the 97 kidney transplantation recipients with de novo UC, 51 (52.6%) were diagnosed with upper urinary tract carcinoma (UTUC), 17 (17.5%) with bladder carcinoma (BC), and 29 (29.9%) with both UTUC and BC. The five-year survival rates for BC, UTUC, and BC + UTUC with ≤ T1 stage were 100%, 88.2%, and 57.7%, respectively, while the survival rates for UTUC, BC + UTUC with ≥ T2 stage were 90.2% and 48.2%. Cyclosporine A significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in UTUC with ≤ T1 stage (p = 0.017). Rapamycin significantly improved PFS in UTUC with ≥ T2 stage (p = 0.026). Bladder infusion chemotherapy and GC/GCa chemotherapy had no significant effect on each T stage and site. Patients with UTUC + BC had the poorest overall survival (OS) compared with those with BC and UTUC. Conclusion The prognosis of UC in different sites varies. GC/GCa chemotherapy and bladder infusion chemotherapy appear to have no effect on prognosis. Rapamycin can delay the progression of advanced UTUC.

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