A serum metabonomic study on the difference between alcohol- and HBV-induced liver cirrhosis by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry plus quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Liver cirrhosis is the fatal consequence of chronic hepatitis, making early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis critical. Liver biopsy is still the standard diagnostic method for liver cirrhosis, although its use in a broad population with alcoholism or hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains difficult. In this study, we used a metabonomic approach to detect potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum specimens were collected prospectively from normal control subjects (n = 22) and patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 18) or HBV-induced cirrhosis (n = 19). The serum metabonome was analyzed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography (LC)/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) integrated with chemometrics. The acquired LC-MS data were normalized and processed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant differences in the metabonomics among the three groups were observed. Lysophosphatidyl cholines (LPCs) (LPC C16:0, LPC C18:0, LPC C18:2, LPC C18:3, LPC C20:3, LPC C20:5) were decreased in the serum of patients with hepatic cirrhosis, whereas bile acids (glycocholic acid, glycochenodeoxycholic acid), hypoxanthine, and stearamide were increased in the serum of patients with hepatic cirrhosis. These metabolites are considered "common" biomarkers for hepatic cirrhosis. Oleamide and myristamide were increased in the serum of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis but decreased in those with HBV-induced cirrhosis. These could be specific biomarkers for differential diagnosis between alcohol- and HBV-induced hepatic cirrhosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There are significant metabonomic differences between alcohol- and HBV-induced liver cirrhosis. Metabonomics is a top-down systems biology tool for conducting research on clinical problems.</p>

The expression of lefty protein in adult normal skin, human embryonic skin and hyperplastic scar / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the expression of lefty in adult normal skin (ANS), human embryonic skin (HES) and hyperplastic scar (HS), and to explore the effect of lefty on HS and the relationship between lefty and scarless wound healing in embryo.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Samples of ANS, HES and HS were collected for frozen section for immunofluorescence staining. The morphology of fibroblast and the expression of the lefty were observed by laser confocal microscopy, and the positive cell rates were calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fibroblasts in ANS and HS were long and fusiform with regularity, their nuclei were fusiform or stellate and irregular. Fibroblasts in HES were fusiform, while nuclei were elliptic or fusiform and regular. Positive cell rates of lefty protein in HS (15.38%) were lower than that in NS (67.92%) and FS (81.67%, P < 0.01), and it was lower in ANS compared with HES (P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Lefty protein may inhibit the formation of scar, its high expression may be related to the embryo scarless wound healing.</p>