ABSTRACT
Acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD), also known as type A and B Niemann-Pick disease, is a group of intra-lysosomal lipid storage diseases caused by mutations in the SMPD1 gene that decrease acid sphingomyelinase activity or even cause deletion, resulting in abnormal deposition of sphingolipids. This disease can be diagnosed by bone marrow aspiration, pathological biopsy, acid sphingomyelinase activity measurement and SMPD1 gene testing. In recent years, with the rapid progress of molecular diagnostic techniques, new insights have been gained in the laboratory diagnosis of ASMD by means of molecular genetic tests, biomarkers and acid sphingomyelinase activity assay. This article will review the diagnostic progress of ASMD, aiming to reduce the misdiagnosis and leakage of the disease and improve the clinicians′ understanding of the disease.
ABSTRACT
Rituximab (RTX), as a monoclonal antibody of CD20 acting on B cell epitopes, has been applied to the field of kidney since 2005, and has become a research hotspot in the clinical treatment of glomerulonephritis. At present, in addition to its clinical safety and efficacy, some researchers are still committed to explore the mechanism of RTX in the treatment of renal diseases, trying to find out whether there is a specific target in renal tissue. In this paper, the mechanism of RTX in the treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is reviewed.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the roles of neutral sphingomyelinase-2 (nSMase2) pathway on cerebral edema and cerebral injury in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Methods Seventy-six adult male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (n = 12), modeling group (n = 16), vehicle group (n = 16), SB203580 (a p38 mitogen activated protein kinase [MAPK] inhibitor) treatment group (n = 16) , and MRS1754 (a selective adenosine A2B receptor [A2B AR] antagonist) treatment group (n = 16) according to the random number table. A suture-occluded method was used to induce a middle cerebral artery ischemia-reperfusion model. Vehicle, SB203580, and MRS1754 were injected into the lateral ventricles 30 min before model preparation, the neurological function score was performed after ischemia-reperfusion for 24 h. 2,3,5 triphenyltetrazolium staining was used to detect the infarct volume. The water content of brain tissue was detected by dry-wet weight method. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of nSMase 2 and p38 MAPK in ischemic brain tissue. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of nSMase 2 in ischemic brain tissue. Results MRS1754 significantly decreased neurobehavioral score (P < 0. 05) and reduced cerebral infarction volume (P < 0. 05) in rats. Both MRS1754 and SB203580 significantly decreased the water content of ischemic brain tissue (all P < 0. 05). In addition, MRS1754 also significantly decrease the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK after ischemia-reperfusion and decreased the expression level of nSMase 2 (P < 0. 01). Conclusion Regulation of A2BAR and p38 MAPK of nSMase upstream may play a neuroprotective role after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.
ABSTRACT
Our understanding of the functions of neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) signaling has advanced over the past decade. In this review, we focus on the roles and regulation of N-SMase 1, N-SMase 2, N-SMase 3, an enzyme that generates the bioactive lipid ceramide through the hydrolysis of the membrane lipid sphingomyelin. A large body of work has now implicated N-SMase 2 in a diverse set of cellular functions, physiological processes, and disease pathologies. We focus on different aspects of this enzyme's regulation from transcriptional, post-translational, and biochemical. Furthermore, we expected N-SMase involvement in cellular processes including inflammatory signaling, cell growth, apoptosis, and tumor necrosis factor which in turn play important roles in pathologies such as cancer metastasis, variable disease, and other organ system disorders. Lastly, we examine avenues where targeted N-SMase inhibition may be clinically beneficial in disease scenarios.