Evaluation of serum and salivary transforming growth factor beta, vascular endothelial growth factor and tumor necrosis factor alpha in oral lichen planus / Evaluación sérica y salival del factor de crecimiento transformante beta, factor de crecimiento endotelial vascular y factor de necrosis tumoral alfa en liquen plano oral

Introduction: Lichen planus is one of the most common oral mucosal lesions. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF- ß) has a marked effect on epithelial­mesenchymal transition and immune cells function. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mediates T-lymphocyte homing and apoptosis of epithelial cells. Objetive: The present study was conducted in order to compare the expression of serum and salivary TGF- ß, VEGF, TNF-α between OLP patients and control individuals to investigate if saliva can be used as an alternative to serum for diagnostic purposes and for monitoring disease. Materials and Methods: 23 OLP patients and 23 control individuals were included to evaluate serum and salivary TGF-ß, VEGF, TNF-α using ELISA kits. Five milliliters of venous blood was collected and unstimulated saliva was collected by the spitting method. Results: Serum and salivary levels of TGF- ß, VEGF, TNF-α are higher in OLP patients compared to normal controls. Mean difference is higher in saliva than serum. Moreover, there was a significant difference in serum and salivary VEGF and TNF-α between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Conclusions: Saliva can be a used as a substitute for serum to evaluate levels of the assessed biomarkers.

Introducción: El liquen plano oral es una de las lesiones de la mucosa oral más comunes. El factor de crecimiento transformante ß (TGF-ß) tiene un efecto marcado sobre la transición epitelial-mesenquimal y la función de las células inmunes. El factor de crecimiento endotelial vascular (VEGF) es un regulador clave de la vasculogénesis y la angiogénesis. El factor de necrosis tumoral α (TNF-α) media la localización de los linfocitos T y la apoptosis de las células epiteliales. Objetivo: El presente estudio se realizó con el fin de comparar la expresión en suero y saliva de TGF-ß, VEGF, TNF-α entre pacientes con OLP y personas de control para investigar si la saliva se puede utilizar como alternativa al suero para fines de diagnóstico y monitoreo de la enfermedad. Material y Métodos: Se incluyeron 23 pacientes con OLP y 23 individuos control para evaluar los niéveles en suero y en saliva de TGF- ß, VEGF, TNF-α utilizando kits ELISA. Se recogieron cinco mililitros de sangre venosa y se recogió saliva no estimulada por el método de escupir. Resultado: Los niveles séricos y salivales de TGF-ß, VEGF, TNF-α son más altos en pacientes con OLP en comparación con los controles normales. La diferencia media es mayor en saliva que en suero. Además, hubo una diferencia significativa de VEGF y TNF-α en suero y saliva entre los grupos sintomáticos y asintomáticos. Conclusion: La saliva puede usarse como un sustituto del suero para evaluar los niveles de los biomarcadores estudiados

Establishment of rat heart-kidney insomnia model consistent with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome and its serum metabolomics / 中国中药杂志

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and metabolomics were used to analyze and compare two animal models of heart-kidney insomnia, in order to explore a more ideal animal model and preliminarily explore the essence of heart-kidney insomnia. Based on the clinical symptoms and disease characteristics of heart-kidney insomnia, the animal model of heart-kidney insomnia was reproduced through intraperitoneal injection with p-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA) and multi-factor interaction. The animal model of disease-syndrome combination was evaluated by behavioral observation, ELISA and metabolomics. Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group, PCPA group and compound model group(FH). The rats' behavior, body weight, adrenal index and spleen index were recorded. The levels of corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH) and adrenocorticotropin(ACTH) in serum were detected by ELISA, and the differential metabolites in serum were detected by UPLC-QE-MS. The body weight and adrenal index in FH group were significantly lower than those in PCPA group(P<0.05); whereas ACTH and CRH in FH group were significantly higher than those in PCPA group by ELISA; nine potential biomarkers were identified by serum sample statistics. There were four main metabolic pathways in cardiorenal insomnia: pentose phosphate metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid metabolism, histidine metabolism, and taurine and subtaurine metabolism. PCPA and multi-factor interaction method can successfully replicate the insomnia model, but multi-factor modeling method is more similar to clinical traditional Chinese medicine syndrome. Animal behavior, ELISA and metabolomics were used to evaluate the rat model of cardiorenal insomnia from in vitro to in vivo, from macro to micro, and from individual to the whole.

Outcome of Transurethral Plasmakinetic Vaporization for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Purpose To assess the outcome of transurethral plasmakinetic vaporization (PKVP) in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Patients and methods From August 2010 to May 2012, 60 patients with obstructive LUTS due to BPH were included in the study. All patients were evaluated by International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), general examination, digital rectal examination, PSA, routine laboratory examinations, pelvi-abdominal ultrasound, trans-rectal ultrasound, and uroflowmetry. Patients with Qmax of <10 mL/sec., an IPSS of >8 and a prostate volume of >40 mL underwent transurethral PKVP. Results Mean age of the patients was 66.8±4.5 years. The mean times of the operation, post-operative bladder irrigation, and post-operative catheterization were 63.8±13.9 minutes, 15.2±5.7 hours, and 23.9±5.2 hours, respectively. At 3 months of follow-up, there were significant reductions in the mean IPSS from 23.4±3.5 to 9.2±3.7 (P=0.4), mean PSA from 3.03±2.2 ng/mL to 1.2±1.04 ng/mL (P value=0.02), mean post voiding residual urine from 149.8±59.5 mL to 46.9±24.1 mL (P value <0.01), and mean prostate volume from 72.8±10.3 mL to 22.7±6.1 mL (P value <0.01). Also, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean Q max. from 8.7±2.4 mL/s to 19.5±3.5 mL/s (P value <0.01). Conclusion PKVP is an effective and safe treatment option in the management of symptomatic BPH. .

Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha in pre eclampsia.

Cytokines are major contributors in pathogenesis of pre eclampsia. Serum TNF-alpha was determined in 10 normal and 30 pre-eclamptic pregnant females with special reference to maternal age, parity and levels of mean arterial blood pressure. TNF-alpha was determined using sandwich ELISA technique. Serum TNF-alpha level in normal pregnant females was 9.3 +/- 0.56 pg/ml, while in pre-eclamptic pregnant females it was 67.66 +/- 61.83 pg/ml. This increase TNF-alpha was highly significant (P < 0.001). There was no significant changes in serum TNF-alpha with respect to maternal age, parity and mean arterial pressure in both normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

Partial suppressive effect of melatonin on indomethacin-induced renal injury in rat.

Intramuscular injection of a single high dose of indomethacin (20 mg/kg) in fasted rats produced renal injury. The results showed increases in the level of lipid peroxidation and cholesterol, and activity of acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase in the kidney. Also, the renal contents of both reduced glutathione and activity of total adenosine triphosphatase were decreased by the toxicant. In serum, indomethacin increased activity of lactate dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase, and levels of creatinine and inorganic phosphorus. Paradoxically, administration of melatonin (0.75 mg/rat/day) alone for 7 days decreased significantly the activity of lipid peroxidation and acid phosphatase, and increased, but not significantly, the level of reduced glutathione in the kidney. Also, serum level of creatinine tended to decrease, but not significantly. Pretreatment with melatonin prevented the increase by subsequently administered indomethacin in the renal activity of lipid peroxidation and acid phosphatase. However, this pretreatment regimen partially suppressed the adverse changes in the remaining analyzed cytotoxic parameters induced by indomethacin in both serum and kidney. These results indicate that oral administration of melatonin at a low dose level exerted moderate antioxidant action, thereby it protected against some of the renal detrimental effects produced by indomethacin.

Transforming variant of Met receptor confers serum independence and anti-apoptotic property and could be involved in the mouse thymic lymphomagenesis

Met tyrosine kinase receptor, the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), is present in mouse tissues as two major isoforms differing by a 47-aminoacid segment in the juxtamembrane domain via alternative splicing of exon 14. We found that the smaller isoform of Met (Sm-Met) was highly transformable in both in vitro and in vivo tumorigenesis assays. In this report, close examination of the transforming activity of the Sm-Met showed that the expression of Sm-Met conferred the cells serum independence and anti- apoptotic property when treated with doxorubicin. These properties of Sm-Met seemed to be originated from its far longer maintenance of tyrosine kinase activity after the binding of HGF/SF. Interestingly, the longer maintenance of activated status was accompanied with more increase of tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat3 protein. Moreover, we have tried to find (an) animal tumorigenesis model(s) showing the increase in the expression of this transforming variant of Met. In gamma-ray-induced mouse thymic lymphoma model, the expression of the mRNAs for Sm-Met was significantly increased as well as those of wild type Met and HGF/SF, suggesting a possible role of the Sm-Met in tumorigenesis in vivo.

Dengue na Bahia: estudo soro-epidemiológico na população da cidade de Ipupiara / Dengue in Bahia: seroepidemiological study in the population of the city of Ipupiara

A expansão dos vírus do dengue nas Américas, provocando sucessivas epidemias desta doença reemergente, tem colocado em risco número significativo de pessoas com relação à aquisição do dengue hemorrágico. Entretanto, os estudos soro-­epidemiológicos no Brasil restringiram-se a estudar epidemias do dengue em populações de cidades de grande porte. Objetivos: avaliar, na população de cidade de pequeno porte (Ipupiara) do Estado da Bahia, as repercussões de epidemia pelo dengue ocorrida em 1987. Casuística, Material e Métodos: Estudo transversal. Coleta de material em equipes após a divisão da cidade de Ipupiara em quadras, segundo o mapa da Fundação Nacional de Saúde. As amostras de sangue foram coletadas dos indivíduos nascidos antes de janeiro de 1987 e residentes no município de Ipupiara - Bahia durante a epidemia pelo DEN-1 em 1987, após consentimento verbal e preenchimento de questionário. A pesquisa de anticorpos anti-DEN-1 e de outros 18 arbovírus, inclusive o vírus 17D da febre amarela, foi realizada pelo teste de inibição da hemaglutinação (IH). Resultados: Dos 461 indivíduos testados 153 (33,2%) foram soropositivos, para DEN-1 (6,5%), outros arbovírus (2,7%) e 24,0% apresentaram resposta de padrão heterotípico (reações cruzadas) para os arbovírus testados. A sorologia (IH) positiva para DEN-1 foi associada à idade < 40 anos, moradia em região mais central da cidade em 1995, residência na zona urbana em 1987 e história de moradia e viagens prévias para outras regiões do país. Os soropositivos para flavivírus foram associados à idade> 40 anos, história vacinal anti-amarílica, grupos raciais mais claros, moradia na zona mais central da cidade e história de viagens e moradia prévia em outras regiões do país. A história de dengue em 1987 foi estatisticamente significante nos dois grupos soropositivos (anti­DEN-1 e anti-flavivírus). Dos 461 indivíduos pesquisados 117 (25,4%) referiram vacinação para febre amarela. Conclusões: A freqüência de soropositivos para DEN-1 foi baixa (6,5%), podendo ser decorrente da menor expansão de epidemia em cidade de pequeno porte ou porque na época do estudo (1995) os anticorpos inibidores da hemaglutinação tinham títulos baixos; a freqüência de indivíduos com história vacinal para 17D foi alta (25,4%) e talvez isto explique a maior freqüência de indivíduos com resposta heterotípica para flavivírus.