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BACKGROUND: Despite increasing ethical standards for conducting animal research, death is still often used as an endpoint in mouse sepsis studies. Recently, the Murine Sepsis Score (MSS), Mouse Clinical Assessment Score for Sepsis (M-CASS), and Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) were developed as surrogate endpoint scoring systems for assessing pain and disease severity in mice. The objective of our study was to compare the effectiveness of these scoring systems and monitoring of body temperature for predicting disease progression and death in the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis model, in order to better inform selection of surrogate endpoints for death in experimental sepsis. METHODS: C57Bl/6J mice were subjected to control sham surgery, or moderate or severe CLP sepsis. All mice were monitored every 4 h for surrogate markers of death using modified versions of the MSS, M-CASS, and MGS scoring systems until 24 h post-operatively, or until endpoint (inability to ambulate) and consequent euthanasia. RESULTS: Thirty percent of mice subjected to moderate severity CLP reached endpoint by 24 h post-CLP, whereas 100% undergoing severe CLP reached endpoint within 20 h. Modified MSS, M-CASS, and MGS scores all increased, while body temperature decreased, in a time-dependent and sepsis severity-dependent manner, although modified M-CASS scores showed substantial variability. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrate that the last recorded body temperature (AUC = 0.88; 95% CI 0.77-0.99), change in body temperature (AUC = 0.89; 95% CI 0.78-0.99), modified M-CASS (AUC = 0.93; 95% CI 0.85-1.00), and modified MSS (AUC = 0.95; 95% CI 0.88-1.01) scores are all robust for predicting death in CLP sepsis, whereas modified MGS (AUC = 0.78; 95% CI 0.63-0.92) is less robust. CONCLUSIONS: The modified MSS and body temperature are effective markers for assessing disease severity and predicting death in the CLP model, and should thus be considered as valid surrogate markers to replace death as an endpoint in mouse CLP sepsis studies.

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OBJECTIVES: Data concerning outcomes of Canadian patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are limited. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the healing rates and identify the predictors of poor outcomes following advanced wound care in patients presenting with DFUs. METHODS: We conducted retrospective cohort study of adult patients who had DFUs and were referred to a single Canadian advanced diabetic foot and wound care centre between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2010. The primary outcome was the healing rate at 52 weeks. The generalized estimating equation model was used to identify potential risk factors associated with delayed healing of DFUs. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients for whom there were complete follow ups, 35 (87.5%) had healing of all DFUs by 52 weeks. Predictors of poor healing were the presence of chronic ulcers, ulcer sizes >1 cm2, peripheral vascular disease and multiple ulcers at first presentation. Of the patients, 7.1% required amputation, and 8.9% of patients receiving our treatment died before 52 weeks. At 52 weeks of follow up, 16 of 17 recurrent ulcers and 68 of 108 pre-existing ulcers had healed. Compared to the unadjusted healing rate of preexisting ulcers (63.0%), the unadjusted healing rate of recurrent ulcers (94.1%) was significantly higher (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that patients with DFUs in Canada who receive early and continued care from specialized, outpatient, advanced wound care centres experience significantly improved rates of healing of recurrent DFUs compared to pre-existing DFUs.

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Sepsis is characterized by systemic activation of coagulation and inflammation in response to microbial infection. Although cell-free DNA (cfDNA) released from activated neutrophils has antimicrobial properties, it may also exert harmful effects by activating coagulation and inflammation. The authors aimed to determine whether deoxyribonuclease (DNase) administration reduces cfDNA levels, attenuates coagulation and inflammation, suppresses organ damage, and improves outcome in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of polymicrobial sepsis. Healthy C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to CLP, a surgical procedure involving two punctures of the ligated cecum, or sham surgery (no ligation/puncture). Mice were given DNase or saline by intraperitoneal injection 2, 4, or 6 h after surgery. Two hours after treatment, organs were harvested and plasma levels of cfDNA, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, thrombin-antithrombin complexes, lung myeloperoxidase, creatinine, alanine transaminase, and bacterial load were quantified. Survival studies were also performed. The CLP-operated mice had rapid time-dependent elevations in cfDNA that correlated with elevations in IL-6, IL-10, and thrombin-antithrombin complexes and had organ damage in the lungs and kidneys. Administration of DNase at 2 h after CLP resulted in increased IL-6 and IL-10 levels and organ damage in the lungs and kidneys. In contrast, DNase administration at 4 or 6 h after CLP resulted in reduced cfDNA and IL-6 levels, increased IL-10, and suppressed organ damage and bacterial dissemination. Deoxyribonuclease administration every 6 h after CLP also rescued mice from death. Our studies are the first to demonstrate that delayed but not early administration of DNase may be protective in experimental sepsis.

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OBJECTIVE: Activation of neutrophils by microbial or inflammatory stimuli results in the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that are composed of DNA, histones, and antimicrobial proteins. In purified systems, cell-free DNA (CFDNA) activates the intrinsic pathway of coagulation, whereas histones promote thrombin generation through platelet-dependent mechanisms. However, the overall procoagulant effects of CFDNA/histone complexes as part of intact NETs are unknown. In this study, we examined the procoagulant potential of intact NETs released from activated neutrophils. We also determined the relative contribution of CFDNA and histones to thrombin generation in plasmas from patients with sepsis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: NETs released from phorbyl myristate-activated neutrophils enhance thrombin generation in platelet-poor plasma. This effect was DNA dependent (confirmed by DNase treatment) and occurred via the intrinsic pathway of coagulation (confirmed with coagulation factor XII- and coagulation factor XI-depleted plasma). In platelet-rich plasma treated with corn trypsin inhibitor, addition of phorbyl myristate-activated neutrophils increased thrombin generation and shortened the lag time in a toll-like receptor-2- and toll-like receptor-4-dependent mechanism. Addition of DNase further augmented thrombin generation, suggesting that dismantling of the NET scaffold increases histone-mediated, platelet-dependent thrombin generation. In platelet-poor plasma samples from patients with sepsis, we found a positive correlation between endogenous CFDNA and thrombin generation, and addition of DNase attenuated thrombin generation. CONCLUSIONS: These studies examine the procoagulant activities of CFDNA and histones in the context of NETs. Our studies also implicate a role for the intrinsic pathway of coagulation in sepsis pathogenesis.

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