Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is an endogenous gasotransmitter that has vasodilatory properties. It may be a novel therapy for intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. We hypothesized that ) HS would improve postischemic survival, mesenteric perfusion, mucosal injury, and inflammation compared with vehicle and ) the benefits of HS would be mediated through endothelial nitric oxide. C57BL/6J wild-type and endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout (eNOS KO) mice were anesthetized, and a midline laparotomy was performed. Intestines were eviscerated, the small bowel mesenteric root identified, and baseline intestinal perfusion was determined using laser Doppler. Intestinal ischemia was established by temporarily occluding the superior mesenteric artery. Following ischemia, the clamp was removed, and the intestines were allowed to recover. Either sodium hydrosulfide (2 nmol/kg or 2 µmol/kg NaHS) in PBS vehicle or vehicle only was injected into the peritoneum. Animals were allowed to recover and were assessed for mesenteric perfusion, mucosal injury, and intestinal cytokines. values< 0.05 were significant. HS improved mesenteric perfusion and mucosal injury scores following I/R injury. However, in the setting of eNOS ablation, there was no improvement in these parameters with HS therapy. Application of HS also resulted in lower levels of intestinal cytokine production following I/R. Intraperitoneal HS therapy can improve mesenteric perfusion, intestinal mucosal injury, and intestinal inflammation following I/R. The benefits of HS appear to be mediated through endothelial nitric oxide-dependent pathways. HS is a gaseous mediator that acts as an anti-inflammatory agent contributing to gastrointestinal mucosal defense. It promotes vascular dilation, mucosal repair, and resolution of inflammation following intestinal ischemia and may be exploited as a novel therapeutic agent. It is unclear whether HS works through nitric oxide-dependent pathways in the intestine. We appreciate that HS was able to improve postischemic recovery of mesenteric perfusion, mucosal integrity, and inflammation. The beneficial effects of HS appear to be mediated through endothelial nitric oxide-dependent pathways.

Background Transplantation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may be a novel treatment for intestinal ischemia. The optimal stromal cell source that could yield maximal protection following injury, however, has not been identified. We hypothesized that: 1) MSCs would increase survival and mesenteric perfusion, preserve intestinal histological architecture, and limit inflammation following intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury (I/R), and 2) MSCs harvested from different sources of tissue would have equivalent protective properties to the intestine following I/R. Methods Adult male mice were anesthetized and a midline laparotomy performed. The intestines were eviscerated, the small bowel mesenteric root identified, and baseline intestinal perfusion was determined using Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI). Intestinal ischemia was established by temporarily occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 60 minutes with a non-crushing clamp. Following ischemia, the clamp was removed and the intestines were allowed to recover. Prior to abdominal closure, 2 × 106 human umbilical (USCs), bone-marrow (BMSCs) derived MSCs, or keratinocytes in 250μl of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) vehicle were injected into the peritoneum. Animals were allowed to recover for 12 or 24 hours (perfusion, histology, inflammatory studies), or 7 days (survival studies). Survival data was analyzed using log rank test. Perfusion was expressed as percentage of baseline and 12 and 24 hour data was analyzed using one way ANOVA and student’s t-test. Non parametric data was compared using Mann-Whitney-U test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was significant. Results All MSCs increased seven day survival following I/R and were superior to vehicle or keratinocytes (P<0.05). All MSCs increased mesenteric perfusion above vehicle at 12 and 24 hours following injury (P<0.05). All MSCs provided superior perfusion compared to keratinocytes at 24 hours post-injury (P<0.05). Administration of each MSC line improved intestinal histology after I/R (P<0.05). Multiple pro-inflammatory chemokines were down-regulated following application of MSCs suggesting a decreased inflammatory response following MSC therapy. Conclusion Transplantation of MSCs following intestinal I/R, irrespective of source tissue, significantly increases survival and mesenteric perfusion while limiting intestinal damage and inflammation. Further studies are needed to identify the mechanism that these cells utilize to promote improved outcomes following injury.

BACKGROUND: De novo hypoxemic respiratory failure is defined as significant hypoxemia in the absence of chronic lung disease such as COPD, and excluding respiratory failure occurring in the immediate postoperative or postextubation period. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various oxygenation strategies including noninvasive ventilation (NIV), high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), and conventional oxygen therapy in patients with de novo hypoxemic respiratory failure. METHODS: We performed electronic database searches of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase from inception to December 2018 to include randomized controlled trials that compared various oxygenation strategies in cases of de novo hypoxemic respiratory failure occurring in adult subjects without a preexisting chronic lung disease and excluding respiratory failure in the immediate postoperative or postextubation periods. We performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis to calculate odds ratio (OR) and Bayesian 95% credible intervals (CrI). RESULTS: 16 studies were included, involving 2,180 subjects with a mean age of 61 ؎ 17 y (66% were male; 46% of the included subjects were treated with conventional oxygen, 27.8% were treated with NIV, and 25.8% were treated with HFNC). Compared to conventional oxygen, NIV was associated with reduced intubation rates (OR 0.42, 95% CrI 0.26-0.62) but no significant reduction in short-term (OR 0.73, 95% CrI 0.47-1.02) or long-term mortality (OR 0.60, 95% CrI 0.29-1.06). There was no significant difference between NIV and HFNC or between HFNC and conventional oxygen regarding all outcomes. In a sensitivity analysis, the results remained consistent after exclusion of studies that included subjects with respiratory failure secondary to cardiogenic pulmonary edema. CONCLUSION: Among subjects with hypoxemic respiratory failure, NIV was associated with a significant reduction in intubation rates but not short-or long-term mortality when compared to conventional oxygen therapy. There was no significant difference between NIV and HFNC or between HFNC and conventional oxygen regarding all outcomes.