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OBJECTIVE@#To compare the safety and effectiveness of active migration technique and in situ lithotripsy technique in the treatment of 1-2 cm upper ureteral calculi by retrograde flexible ureteroscopy.@*METHODS@#A total of 90 patients with 1-2 cm upper ureteral calculi treated in the urology department of Beijing Friendship Hospital from August 2018 to August 2020 were selected as the subjects. The patients were divided into two groups using random number table: 45 patients in group A were treated with in situ lithotripsy and 45 patients in group B were treated with active migration technique. The active migration technique was to reposition the stones in the renal calyces convenient for lithotripsy with the help of body position change, water flow scouring, laser impact or basket displacement, and then conduct laser lithotripsy and stone extraction. The data of the patients before and after operation were collected and statistically analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The age of the patients in group A was (51.6±14.1) years, including 34 males and 11 females. The stone diameter was (1.48±0.24) cm, and the stone density was (897.8±175.9) Hu. The stones were located on the left in 26 cases and on the right in 19 cases. There were 8 cases with no hydronephrosis, 20 cases with grade Ⅰ hydronephrosis, 11 cases with grade Ⅱ hydronephrosis, and 6 cases with grade Ⅲ hydronephrosis. The age of the patients in group B was (51.8±13.7) years, including 30 males and 15 females. The stone diameter was (1.52±0.22) cm, and the stone density was (964.6±214.2) Hu. The stones were located on the left in 22 cases and on the right in 23 cases. There were 10 cases with no hydronephrosis, 23 cases with grade Ⅰ hydronephrosis, 8 cases with grade Ⅱ hydronephrosis, and 4 cases with grade Ⅲ hydronephrosis. There was no significant diffe-rence in general parameters and stone indexes between the two groups. The operation time of group A was (67.1±16.9) min and the lithotripsy time was (38.0±13.2) min. The operation time of group B was (72.2±14.8) min and the lithotripsy time was (40.6±12.6) min. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Four weeks after operation, the stone-free rate in group A was 86.7%, and in group B was 97.8%. There was no significant difference between the two groups. In terms of complications, 25 cases of hematuria, 16 cases of pain, 10 cases of bladder spasm and 4 cases of mild fever occurred in group A. There were 22 cases of hematuria, 13 cases of pain, 12 cases of bladder spasm and 2 cases of mild fever in group B. There was no significant difference between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Active migration technique is safe and effective in the treatment of 1-2 cm upper ureteral calculi.
Subject(s)
Male , Female , Humans , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Ureteral Calculi/surgery , Hematuria/therapy , Ureteroscopy/methods , Lithotripsy/methods , Lithotripsy, Laser/methods , Hydronephrosis/complications , Pain , Treatment Outcome , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
AIM: To comparatively analyze the efficacy and safety between 25-gauge(25G+)and 27G+ micro-invasive vitrectomy for the treatment of vitreoretinal diseases.METHODS: The clinical data of 89 cases(89 eyes)of vitreoretinal disease who received vitrectomy at our hospital from March 2019 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into two groups according to surgery. A total of 45 cases(45 eyes)who received 25G+ micro-invasive vitrectomy were included in group A, and 44 cases(44 eyes)who received 27G+ micro-invasive vitrectomy were included in group B. Vitrectomy time, operation time, preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), intraocular pressure, subjective comfort evaluation results and complications of the both groups were analyzed.RESULTS: There were no differences in vitrectomy time of the two groups(P>0.05), while the operation time of group B was shorter than that of group A(35.50±14.27min vs. 41.73±14.25min, P=0.042). The postoperative BCVA of the two groups were better than that before operation(P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between two groups(P>0.05). The postoperative intraocular pressure of the two groups was lower than that before operation(P<0.05), and it was slightly lower than group B at 1 and 7d after operation(P<0.05). As for the subjective comfort evaluation results, the scores of group A was higher than that of group B at 1d after operation(6.13±1.20 vs. 3.45±1.17, P<0.001); and there were no differences between two groups at 7d after operation(2.18±1.01 vs. 1.93±0.87, P=0.215). During the follow-up, 7(16%)eyes of incision leakage occurred in group A, of which 6(13%)eyes were transient hypotony, and 10(22%)eyes had conjunctival chemosis. In the group B, there was no incision leakage and transient hypotony, while conjunctival chemosis occurred in 2(4%)eyes at 1d after operation.CONCLUSION: Both 25G+ and 27G+ micro-invasive vitrectomy can improve visual acuity, stabilize intraocular pressure and be safe in patients with vitreoretinal disease. However, 27G+ micro-invasive vitrectomy has less leakage, stable intraocular pressure, shorter operation time and lower incidence of conjunctival chemosis.
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Objective:Clinicopathological features, treatment and prognosis of urinary and male reproductive system soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and sarcomatoid carcinoma in adults were compared.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 73 patients with STS and 15 patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma in adult urinary and male reproductive system in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. There were 59 males and 14 females in STS group, with a median age of 41 (18-78)years old. The maximum tumor diameter ranged from 0.5 to 19.0 cm. The primary tumors were located in testis and peritesticular (23 cases), kidney (23 cases), prostate (15 cases), bladder (8 cases), ureter(3 cases), other parts(1 case). There were 18 cases of lymph node metastasis and 8 cases of distant metastasis. Among 73 patients with STS, 66 patients underwent surgical resection, of which 31 patients underwent radical resection. Among the 66 patients who underwent surgery, 3 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 22 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy; 5 patients were treated with adjuvant radiotherapy. Among 7 patients with STS did not receive surgical treatment, 2 patients received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, 2 patients received chemotherapy alone, and 3 patients received symptomatic support treatment.There were 11 males and 4 females in sarcomatoid carcinoma group, with a median age of 65 (23 - 84)years old. The measurable tumor diameter ranged from 0.4 to 16.9 cm. The primary tumors were located in kidney (6 cases), bladder (5 cases), ureter(2 cases) and prostate(2 cases). There were 2 patients of lymph node metastasis and 4 patients of distant metastasis. Of the 15 patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma, 12 patients underwent surgical resection, of which 5 patients underwent radical resection. 2 patients were treated with adjuvant therapy after operation. Among the 12 patients who received surgical treatment, 2 patients had distant metastasis before operation, all of which originated from the kidney. Among the 3 patients without surgical treatment, 1 patients received systemic chemotherapy and 2 patients received symptomatic supportive treatment. There was no significant difference in gender, tumor maximum diameter, distant metastasis and operation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and operation combined with chemotherapy ( P>0.05) and there were significant differences in age, tumor primary location and lymph node metastasis ( P<0.05) between STS and sarcomatoid carcinoma patients.The categorical variables of the two groups were compared by χ2.With Kaplan-Meier method for univariate survival analysis, the Cox was used for multivariate analysis. Results:The median follow-up time was 18.3(0.3-90.4) months.In STS group, there were 14 patients of synovial sarcoma, 11 patients of liposarcoma, 15 patients of rhabdomyosarcoma, 16 patients of leiomyosarcoma, 10 patients of other types, and 7 patients of spindle cell sarcoma without specific classification. Among 66 patients with STS, 8 patients recurred, 14 patients metastasized after operation, 4 patients recurred and metastasized after operation. The 7 patients without surgical treatment all progressed. Among the 10 patients of sarcomatoid carcinoma without distant metastasis before operation, 3 patients recurred and 3 patients metastasized after operation. Two patients of renal sarcomatoid carcinoma with distant metastasis were treated with nephrectomy and chemotherapy. One of them had overall survival (OS) up to 2 years, and one recurred 2 months after operation. The 3 patients without surgical treatment all progressed without remission. The median OS of STS patients were 59.3 (95% CI 24.1-94.5) months and that of sarcomatoid carcinoma patients were 8.7 (95% CI 6.1-11.2) months. The OS of STS patients were better than those of sarcomatoid carcinoma patients ( HR=2.874, 95% CI 1.118-7.386, P=0.022). Conclusions:The onset age of STS in adult urinary and male reproductive system was lower than that in sarcomatoid carcinoma. The primary lesions of STS were mainly in testis, peritesticular and kidney. The primary lesions of sarcomatoid carcinoma were mainly in kidney. Among STS, leiomyosarcoma was the most common type.STS and sarcomatoid carcinoma should be diagnosed and treated with surgery quickly, and systemic therapy should be performed for patients who cannot be treated with surgery.
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Objective: To investigate the current status and real performance of the detection of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion transcript levels and WT1 transcript levels in China through interlaboratory comparison. Methods: Peking University People's Hospital (PKUPH) prepared the samples for comparison. That is, the fresh RUNX1-RUNX1T1 positive (+) bone morrow nucleated cells were serially diluted with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 negative (-) nucleated cells from different patients. Totally 23 sets with 14 different samples per set were prepared. TRIzol reagent was added in each tube and thoroughly mixed with cells for homogenization. Each laboratory simultaneously tested RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels of one set of samples by real-time quantitative PCR method. All transcript levels were reported as the percentage of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 or WT1 transcript copies/ABL copies. Spearman correlation coefficient between the reported transcript levels of each participated laboratory and those of PKUPH was calculated. Results: ①RUNX1-RUNX1T1 comparison: 9 samples were (+) and 5 were (-) , the false negative and positive rates of the 20 participated laboratories were 0 (0/180) and 5% (5/100) , respectively. The reported transcript levels of all 9 positive samples were different among laboratories. The median reported transcript levels of 9 positive samples were from 0.060% to 176.7%, which covered 3.5-log. The ratios of each sample's highest to the lowest reported transcript levels were from 5.5 to 12.3 (one result which obviously deviated from other laboratories' results was not included) , 85% (17/20) of the laboratories had correlation coefficient ≥0.98. ②WT1 comparison: The median reported transcript levels of all 14 samples were from 0.17% to 67.6%, which covered 2.6-log. The ratios of each sample's highest to the lowest reported transcript levels were from 5.3-13.7, 62% (13/21) of the laboratories had correlation coefficient ≥0.98. ③ The relative relationship of the reported RUNX1-RUNX1T1 transcript levels between the participants and PKUPH was not always consistent with that of WT1 transcript levels. Both RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels from 2 and 7 laboratories were individually lower than and higher than those of PKUPH, whereas for the rest 11 laboratories, one transcript level was higher than and the other was lower than that of PKUPH. Conclusion: The reported RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels were different among laboratories for the same sample. Most of the participated laboratories reported highly consistent result with that of PKUPH. The relationship between laboratories of the different transcript levels may not be the same.
Subject(s)
Humans , China , Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Transcription, Genetic , WT1 ProteinsABSTRACT
Accompanied with more elaborate and deeper exploration, immunotherapy has been considered one of the most important therapeutic manners for tumor treatment besides conventional operative, chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic and targeted-therapeutic strategies. The application of programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibody has provided a new therapeutic option for patients and becomes a research focus of immunotherapy field. PD-1 antibody has been permitted to apply to the treatment of different types of cancers such as melanoma. PD-1 has been demonstrated to be highly effective, including the steady tumor growth control, even complete remission acquired. Although the PD-1 antibody displays great therapeutic effectiveness and application prospects, an increasingly number of drug resistant phenomena have also occurred. Little has been known about the mechanisms of PD-1 antibody resistance by now. However, exploring this mechanism, innovating new treatment mode of drug combination, avoiding the occurrence of drug resistance and decreasing the adverse influence of drug resistance, even reversing it, will be useful to guide the adjustment of treatment strategies, continuously improve the effects of immunotherapy, and give patients long-term survival benefit.
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Aim To investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide ( LBP ) on LPS-induced ARDS in mice and the potential mechanisms. Methods Thirty-two C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control group, LPS group, LBP group and LY294002 ( Akt inhibitor) group, with eight mice in each group. The pathological changes in lung tissues were evaluated by HE staining, pulmonary edema was measured by wet/dry ratio( W/D) , and the concentra-tions of total protein and the levels of inflammatory cy-tokines in BALF were determined. MDA and SOD lev-els in lung tissues and the apoptosis of lung tissues were detected. The protein expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, p-Akt and p-eNOS were determined by Western blot. Results Compared with control group, severe pathological lung injury changes were observed in LPS group, and the W/D ratio, levels of total pro-tein and inflammatory cytokines in BALF, levels of MDA in lung tissues and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 significantly increased(P<0.05), while the lung SOD activity, the p-Akt and p-eNOS expression decreased( P<0.05) . LBP could significantly attenu-ate the indexes above(P<0.05). However, the pro-tective effects of LBP on ARDS were inhibited by Akt inhibitor LY294002. Conclusions LBP protects a-gainst LPS-induced ARDS in mice by alleviating EC barrier dysfunction via the suppression of inflamma-tion, oxidative stress and apoptosis, at least partially via activation of the Akt/eNOS singaling pathway.
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Objective?To analyze the clinical efficacy and related X-ray findings of patients underwent arthroscopic treatment of femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome with different anatomical features.?Methods?Twenty-four patients with FAI underwent arthroscopic surgery from September 2015 to December 2016 were selected to analyze the clinical features, postoperative pain, knee joint function, activity and complications.?Results?Compared with those before treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of patients at 7 d, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment, while the Harris scores were significantly increased, at the same time patients’ knee activity was significantly increased, The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The α angle of the hip joint of the cam-type patient was significantly higher than that of the jaw-type, while the eccentricity, acetabular depth, acetabular coverage and centerline (CE) angle were significantly lower than the jaw-type, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05); The α angle of the cam-type patient was significantly higher than that of the healthy person’s hip joint, and the eccentricity was significantly lower than that of the healthy person’s hip joint. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05); the acetabular depth and hip of the clamp-type patient Radon coverage and CE angle were higher than those of hip joints in healthy people, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in acetabular anterior tilt between the three groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of complications in 24 patients underwent arthroscopy was 20.83%.?Conclusion?Hip arthroscopic treatment of hip impingement syndrome can shorten the patient’s pain relief, improve knee function and activity, its effect is good, and different hip anatomical X-ray film was significantly different.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of Vaspin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in mice and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male C57B/L6 mice were randomized equally into control group, LPS group, Vaspin group and wortmannin group with corresponding treatments. The pathological changes of the lung tissues were evaluated by HE staining, and the severity of pulmonary edema was measured according to the wet/dry ratio (W/D) of the lung tissue. The lung permeability was evaluated by detecting total protein concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) using bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lung tissue was detected using a MPO assay kit, and the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the lungs were measured using ELISA. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and p-Akt in the lung tissues.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the mice in LPS group displayed typical ARDS pathological changes in the lungs with significantly increased W/D, total protein concentrations in BALF, lung MPO activity, levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, and pulmonary expressions of VCAM-1 and cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.05) but decreased expression of p-Akt (P<0.05). These changes induced by LPS were significantly alleviated by the administration of Vaspin (P<0.05). The protective effects of Vaspin against ARDS were obviously attenuated by the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Vaspin protects against LPS-induced ARDS in mice possibly by inhibiting inflammation and protecting vascular endothelium through upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signal pathway.</p>
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<p><b>Background</b>Serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) test is the most used noninvasive method to detect cryptococcal infection. However, false-negative CrAg test is not uncommon in clinical practice. Then, the aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with false-negative CrAg test among non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) adult patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis and its clinical features.</p><p><b>Methods</b>One hundred and fourteen non-HIV adult patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis, proven by biopsy, were retrospectively reviewed. Finally, 85 patients were enrolled; 56 were CrAg positive (CrAg+ group) and 29 were negative (CrAg- group). It was a cross-sectional study. Then, baseline characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and chest radiological findings were reviewed and analyzed. Chi-square test was used to analyze categorical variable. Odds ratio (OR) was used to measure correlation. Student's t- test was obtained to analyze continuous variable.</p><p><b>Results</b>No difference in baseline characteristics, underlying diseases, clinical symptoms, and laboratory findings were found between two groups (P > 0.05 in all). Nevertheless, diffuse extent lesion was 82.1% in CrAg+ group and 10.3% in CrAg- group (χ = 40.34, P < 0.001; OR = 39.87).</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>Among patients with limited pulmonary involvement, a negative serum CrAg does not preclude the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis. However, among patients with extensive pulmonary involvement, serum CrAg is a useful diagnostic tool for pulmonary cryptococcosis. Furthermore, we also noticed that the untypical and mild presentations with extensive pulmonary lesion might be the features of pulmonary cryptococcosis, which needs further investigation.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Humans , Male , Cross-Sectional Studies , Cryptococcosis , Allergy and Immunology , Pathology , Lung Diseases , Allergy and Immunology , Pathology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To explore the role of SIRT1 in the occurrence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in EC-9706 and Eca-109 cells and the possible mechanism.@*METHODS@#Three chemically synthesized siRNA targeting SIRT1 were transfected into EC-9706 and Eca-109 cells with the non-transfected cells and cells transfected with the negative siRNAs as controls. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expressions of SIRT1, E-cadherin, vimentin, Snail, Twist1 and ZEB in the cells. Transwell invasion assay and wounding healing assay were used to examine the changes in the invasion and metastasis abilities of the cells after transfection.@*RESULTS@#EC-9706 and Eca-109 cells transfected with SIRT1 siRNA1 and SIRT1 siRNA3 showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expressions of SIRT1 ( < 0.05). Transwell invasion assay and wounding healing assay showed that transfection with SIRT1 siRNA1 and SIRT1 siRNA3 caused significantly lowered invasion and metastasis abilities in EC-9706 and Eca-109 cells ( < 0.05). In EC-9706 and Eca-109 cells transfected with SIRT1 siRNA1 and SIRT1 siRNA3, the expression level of E-cadherin was significantly increased while the expressions of vimentin, Snail and Twist were significantly lowered ( < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#SIRT1 participates in the invasion and metastasis of EC-9706 and Eca- 109 cells probably by inducing EMT via regulating the expression of Snail.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antigens, CD , Metabolism , Cadherins , Metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement , Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition , Physiology , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Nuclear Proteins , Metabolism , RNA, Messenger , Metabolism , RNA, Small Interfering , Metabolism , Sirtuin 1 , Genetics , Metabolism , Snail Family Transcription Factors , Metabolism , Transfection , Twist-Related Protein 1 , Metabolism , Vimentin , Metabolism , Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1 , MetabolismABSTRACT
In this study, four light color treatments (red blue, white, natural light) were tested to determine effects of light spectrum on the growth of larval Whitmania pigra (30 days old) at the same intensity. The experiment lasted for 50 days. The specific growth rate (SGR) under blue light condition was significantly higher during 30 days to 40 days. At the end of the experiment, specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain rate under red light condition were higher (P<0.05) than those under other groups. Meanwhile, the enzymes activities of digestive enzymes (protease, amylase and lipase) were higher under red light condition. However, the enzymes activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, ALP) were lower under white light condition compared with the other treatments（P＜0.05）. In addition, no significant changes were observed for water content, total ash, acid insoluble ash, pH and antithrombin activity in the all treatments. After 50 days, the digestive enzymes and growth rate were higher under red light condition but antioxidant enzymes were lower under white light condition. Furthermore, light spectrum has no significant effect on the internal quality of Wh. pigra.
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The investigation aims to better understand the resource status of Rhodiola kirilowii, analysis the suitable habitat of wild Rh. kirilowii and protect the wild resources of Rh. Kirilowii, promoting the sustainable utilization of Rh. kirilowii resources. In this paper, we investigated the wild resources of Rh. kirilowii in 16 counties of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan by means of investigation and sampling investigation combined with interview. The results showed that the population densities of wild Rh. kirilowii in 4 provinces were very different and the reserve of wild resources decreased gradually in many areas. According to the survey results, the current total reserve of Rh. kirilowii in four provinces was about 1 100 t. The reserve of wild Rh. kirilowii in Sichuan province was the largest. Simultaneously, the Rh. kirilowii had a certain ecological value. We found that a sand control base with planting Rh. kirilowii was set up in Hongyuan County of Sichuan Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The investigation provides a scientific basis for the development and sustainable utilization of Rh. kirilowii resources.
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The biological characteristics, oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption rate, and activities of amylase, lipase and protease of Whitmania pigra at different temperature were studied by using direct observational method, the still water method and 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid colorimetry, right-nitrophenyl palmitate ester（ρ-NPP）colorimetry and folin-phenol method.The results revealed that with decreasing water temperature, the daily activity and the daily feeding ration were decreased. As the temperature was lowered to 4 ℃, the head and tail of Wh.pigra curved, showing a crescent-shape without feeding and daily activity. Oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption rate and digestive enzyme activities reduced along with temperature drops. The downward trend slowed below 10 ℃, began to stabilize below 4 ℃ and doesn't change with the decrease of temperature since then. During the 40 days treatment at 4 ℃, the changes of amylase were not significant, the lipase and protease activity decreased at the 20th day, and the lipase showed an slightly increase after the decrease and finally remained at a low level.In conclusions, the pivotal temperature of hibernation of Wh.pigra is 4 ℃ and the crescent shape can be considered as a symbol of hibernation.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in alveolar fluid clearance in mice with acute lung injury (ALI) and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixteen IL-17-knockout mice and 16 wild-type mice were both randomized for intratracheal instillation of PBS (control) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce ALI. Forty-eight hours after the treatments, the wet-dry ratio (W/D) of the lungs, IL-8 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and histopathological changes of the lung tissues were examined. The expressions of epithelial sodium channel α subunit (α-ENaC) was detected with Western blotting and liver kinase B1 (LKB1) was detected with immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with wild-type mice treated with LPS, IL-17 knockout mice showed significantly decreased W/D of the lungs (9.739∓3.3 vs 5.351∓0.56) and IL-8 level in the BALF (67.50∓7.33 vs 41.00∓3.16 pg/mL) following LPS challenge. Pathological examination revealed reduced alveolar edema fluid aggregations and lower lung injury score in IL-17 knockout mice with also higher expression levels of ENaC and LKB1 compared with the wild-type mice.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Knocking out IL-17 in mice not only alleviates inflammation of the lung tissue following ALI but also reduces the loss of ENaC protein and promotes alveolar fluid clearance, mechanism of which is probably associated with LKB1.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Acute Lung Injury , Metabolism , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid , Chemistry , Epithelial Sodium Channels , Metabolism , Gene Knockout Techniques , Interleukin-17 , Genetics , Metabolism , Interleukin-8 , Metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides , Lung , Pathology , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases , MetabolismABSTRACT
Wildlife tending and artificial cultivation is an important way to protect the wild resources of Rhodiola crenulata. It is a study hotspot at present. The distribution information of R. crenulata was collected by query data and field survey, the ecological suitability regionalization was conducted based on maximum entropy model combine with ecological factors, including climate, soil and altitude. To provide the reference for production layout, suitable planting area and the selection of artificial planting base by studying the ecological suitability regionalization of R. crenulata. The potential distribution areas mainly concentrated in the easen Tibet, western Sichuan, southern Qinghai, and Gansu Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. There were 5 major environmental factors to have obvious influence on ecology suitability distributions of R. crenulata, including altitude (contribution rate of 61.8%), precipitation of warmest quarter (contribution rate of 19%), the coefficient of variation of precipitation seasonality (contribution rate of 4.7%), the SD of temperature seasonality (contribution rate of 4%), mean temperature of driest quarter (contribution rate of 2.5%). The AUCs of ROC curve were both above 0.9, indicating that the predictive results with the Maxent model were highly precise. The study of the ecological suitability regionalization of R. crenulata based on Maxent can provide a scientific basis for the selection of artificial planting base.
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The effects of stocking density and exchanging water frequency on growth, digestive enzyme activity, anti-oxidative enzyme and inner quality of Whitmania pigra Whitman were evaluated with corresponding measures. The results showed that the eventual biomass, specific growth rate, gained weight rate, activities of amylase, lipase, protease, SOD, CAT, and ALP correlated positively with stocking density and negatively with exchanging water frequency (P<0.05). Exchanging water frequency had negative correlation with ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, and hydrogen sulfide while revealed positive correlation with dissolved oxygen in the water. Stocking density and exchanging water frequency showed no significant effects on the contents of moisture, total ash, and acid-insoluble ash. It suggested that the optimum stocking density was 7.5 million per hectare and the appropriate exchanging water interval was 72 h.
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The effects of harvest and different processing methods on the anti-thrombin activity of Poecilobdella manillensis were respectively studied. The indicators included processing methods (vacuum freeze drying, fresh homogenate, drying under sunlight, freezing, scalding, baking under different temperatures), different parts (entire body, cephalon, pygidium, exudate) and body weights (≤10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, ≥40 g). The anti-thrombin activities of P. manillensis with different processing methods were evaluated by direct anti-thrombin titration. The results indicated that the processing methods significantly affected the anti-thrombin activities of P. manillensis. Among the 11 groups, the anti-thrombin activity of P. manillensis processed with vacuum freeze drying (1 303.56 U•g⁻¹) was significantly highest than the other groups (P<0.05), and that processed with baking under 90 ℃ (15.44 U•g⁻¹) was the lowest. The anti-thrombin activity of the cephalon of P. manillensis (226.42 U•g⁻¹) was the highest, and that of the pygidium (102.12 U•g⁻¹) was lowest; the anti-thrombin activities for different body weights were significantly different (P<0.05); and among the five groups, the body weight of ≤10 g (328.86 U•g⁻¹) was the highest (P<0.05), and the body weight of ≥40 g (87.71 U•g⁻¹) was the lowest. In conclusion, harvest and different processing methods had a significant impact on the anti-thrombin activities of P. manillensis. In the study, for the optimal processing method for P. manillensis, the body weight between 20-30 g is recommended, and the vacuum freeze drying is preferred, which is followed by the drying under sunlight.
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The oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption rate and suffocation point of different quality Whitmania pigra and Bellamya purificata were determined by hydrostatic breathing room method. The effects of feeding modes on growth of W.pigra were determined by biomass. The results showed that the oxygen consumption correlated positively with the weight of W.pigra and B. purificata（P<0.05）, suffocation point increased with the increases of the weight（P<0.05）.Oxygen consumption correlated negatively with the weight of W. pigra, the oxygen consumption rate of B.purificata first increased and then decreased with the increasing of the weight. Feeding modes had no significant effects on the finial weight, SGR, WGR, death rates of W. pigra. Feeding modes had significant effects on eating ratio. It suggested that the optimum feeding frequency of W. pigra was once every three days. Scientific and reasonable feeding amount of B. purificata should be calculated based on oxygen consumption and suffocation point of W.pigra and B.purificata at every period. Meanwhile, stocking density, water area and water exchanging frequency should be taken into consideration.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the comparability of bcr-abl (P210) transcript levels detected in different hospitals.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ten hospitals in China took part in the four times of sample exchange and comparisons from April, 2010 to August, 2011. The exchange samples were prepared by Peking University People's Hospital. Firstly, the BCR-ABL (P210)(+) cells from a newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia patient were 10-fold serially diluted by BCR-ABL (P210)(-) cells and they covered 4 magnitudes. Then, TRIzol reagents were thoroughly mixed with cells in each tube. Every 12 samples (three samples per magnitude) were sent to the other 9 hospitals. The cell number of each sample was 8×10(6). The detection of bcr-abl transcript levels by real-time quantitative PCR were performed in every hospital according to their own protocols. Conversion factors (CF) were calculated using regression equation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Differences in bcr-abl transcript levels did exist among results of 10 hospitals in each comparison. In general, the results of the most of hospitals were in line with the dilutions of cells. CF of every hospital fluctuated. Three hospitals had relatively stable CF, and their ranges were 2.8 - 5.2, 1.2 - 2.8 and 2.2 - 6.8, respectively; two hospitals had unstable CF with ranges 0.76 - 7.0 and 2.1 - 18.7; three hospitals couldn't be calculated CF one or two times because of the significant deviation of the results from the actually bcr-abl transcript levels, and their ranges of CF which could be calculated were 1.9 - 19.2, 3.6 - 7.6 and 0.18 - 14.7; One hospital only had two CF (3.3 and 5.0) because of the replacement of an important reagent during the period of comparisons.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Comparability of bcr-abl (P210) transcript levels between different hospitals could be achieved through CF which acquired by sample exchange and comparison. The stable and reliable detection system is the premise to acquire correct CF.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Bone Marrow Cells , China , Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl , Genetics , Hospitals , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive , Diagnosis , Genetics , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by reversible bronchial constriction, pulmonary inflammation and airway remodeling. Current standard therapies for asthma provide symptomatic control, but fail to target the underlying disease pathology. Furthermore, no therapeutic agent is effective in preventing airway remodeling. A substantial amount of evidence suggests that statins have anti-inflammatory properties and immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we investigated the effect of rosuvastatin on airway inflammation and its inhibitory mechanism in mucus hypersecretion in a murine model of chronic asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin to induce asthma. The recruitment of inflammatory cells into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the lung tissues were measured by Diff-Quik staining and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. ELISA was used for measuring the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α in BALF. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was used for mucus secretion. Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAAR) β2 expression was measured by means of immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Rosuvastatin reduced the number of total inflammatory cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils recruited into BALF, the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α in BALF, along with the histological mucus index (HMI) and GABAAR β2 expression. Changes occurred in a dose-dependent manner.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Based on its ability to reduce the inflammatory response and mucus hypersecretion by regulating GABAAR activity in a murine model of chronic asthma, rosuvastatin may be a useful therapeutic agent for treatment of asthma.</p>