ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of serum Apelin level, silicosis stage and lung function in patients with occupational silicosis(hereinafter referred to as silicosis). METHODS: A case-control study was conducted. A total of 85 patients with silicosis were selected as the silicosis group(44, 28 and 13 patients with stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ silicosis, respectively), and 120 healthy individuals without occupational hazard exposure were selected as the control group. Serum samples were collected from the cases of the two groups and the level of Apelin was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pulmonary function of the silicosis group was examined. RESULTS: The median and the 25 th and 75 th percentiles \[M(P_(25),P_(75))\] of serum Apelin levels in the control group and silicosis group were 1.29(0.92, 1.77) and 0.80(0.62, 1.04) mg/L, respectively. The level of serum Apelin M(P_(25),P_(75)) in stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ silicosis patients was 1.03(0.82, 1.31), 0.66(0.60, 0.80) and 0.50(0.30, 0.65) mg/L, respectively. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the level of serum Apelin in the silicosis group was higher than that in the control group after excluding the influence of age and smoking(P<0.01). The level of serum Apelin decreased with the increase of silicosis stage in the silicosis group(P<0.001). Serum Apelin level in silicosis group was positively correlated with lung vital capacity, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in the first second, and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75%(all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The lower level of serum Apein in silicosis patients, the more serious the disease and the more serious the damage to lung function. Apelin is of significance in the diagnosis, staging, treatment appraisal and prognostic evaluation of silicosis, and it can be use as a potential therapeutic target for silicosis.
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OBJECTIVE: To observe whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell( BMMSC) could be induced by alveolar epithelial cell( AEC) of rats exposed to silica dust or not. METHODS: BMMSCs were isolated and cultivated from 6specific pathogen free healthy male SD rats through bone marrow adherent method. The AECs from other 6 rats randomly selected from the same batch were cultivated by immune adherent purification method. Three rats were treated with 1. 0 m L( 40 g/L mass concentration) of silicosis dust suspension by one time intratracheal injection as silicosis dust exposure model,and the other 3 rats were given 0. 9% sodium chloride solution as normal. Experimental group was the co-culture of BMMSCs and AECs from silicosis dust exposure rats. Control group A was the co-culture of BMMSCs and AECs from normal rats. Control group B was the culture of BMMSCs alone. The morphology changes were observed by the inverted phase contrast microscope at the time points of the 4th and the 8th day. Double immunofluorescence staining using aquaporin 5( AQP5) and surfactant protein C( SP-C) was performed on the treated BMMSCs. The fluorescence staining was observed using the inverted fluorescence microscope( IFM) and laser scanning confocal microscope( LSCM). Integral optical density( IOD) analysis was conducted on fluorescence of 2 kinds of proteins by Image-pro plus 6. 0 graphic analysis software. RESULTS: After the co-culture,the BMMSCs in experimental group and control group A changed from long spindle shape to cubic and polygonal shape,the variation of morphology on day 8 was more obvious than that on day 4,and the change in control group A was less obvious than that of experimental group. There was no obvious morphology change in BMMSCs of control group B. By IFM and LSCM,on day 4 and day 8,the expression of green fluorescence AQP5 and red fluorescence SP-C were all observed in BMMSCs of experimental group and control group A. The BMMSCs of control group B only showed a little green fluorescence expression of AQP5,no expression of red SP-C fluorescence was seen. Both by IFM and LSCM,on day 4 and day 8,the 2 kinds of IOD of BMMSCs in experiment group were higher than those of control group A and B at the same time points( P < 0. 01); the IOD of control group A was higher than that of control group B at the same time point( P < 0. 01). The IOD of experiment group and control group A on day 8 were higher than those on day4 in the same group( P < 0. 01). CONCLUSION: AEC of rats exposed to silica dust can effectively induce BMMSC to be differentiated into AEC.
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Objective To evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)on differential diagnosis of intracranial cystic lesions.Methods Seventy-six patients with surgically and pathologically confirmed intracranial cystic lesions undergone conventional MRI,DWI and contrast enhanced MRI examination.The signal characteristics of intracrania]cystic lesions on DWI were analysed retrospectively, the apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values of cystic areas were measured quantitatively.Results Nineteen brain abscesses showed hyperintense signal on DWI.Among 34 brain tumors,3 brain gliomas were hyperintense signal,1 brain glioma was isointense signal and 1 metastasis was hyperintense signal;the other 29 brain tumors showed hypointense signal on DWI.The ADC values of all lesions were:(0.62?0.15)? 10~(-3)mm~2/s in brain abscesses,(2.39?0.78)?10~(-3)mm~2/s in brain gliomas,(2.68?0.40)? 10~(-3)mm~2/s in brain hemangioblastomas,(2.79?0.79)?10~(-3)mm~2/s in brain metastases,respectively. There were significant differences between the ADC values of brain abscess and the cystic or necrotic portions of brain glioma,hemangioblastoma,metastasis(P0.05). Seven intracranial arachnoid cysts showed hypointense signal and 16 epidermoid cysts strikingly hyperintense signal on DWI.The ADC values of arachnoid cysts and epidermoid cysts were(2.96?0.36)?10~(-3)mm~2/s and(0.94?0.13)?10~(-3)mm~2/s respectively.There was significant difference between the ADC values of arachnoid cysts and epidermoid cysts(P