[Receptor pathways of glycated basic fibroblast growth factor affecting the proliferation and vascularization of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells].

Objective: To investigate the receptor pathways of glycated basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on proliferation and vascularization of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs). Methods: The experimental research method was used. Glycated bFGF stimulating solution was prepared with glucose and bFGF. HDMECs of the third to sixth passages were used in the experiment. Cells were divided into small interfering RNA (siRNA)-positive control group, siRNA-negative control group, siRNA-receptor for advanced glycation end product (RAGE) group, and siRNA-receptor for fibroblast growth factor (FGFR) group and transfected with siRNA-positive control glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, siRNA-negative control, siRNA-RAGE, and siRNA-FGFR for 4 to 6 hours, and then were added into HDMEC culture medium for routine culture. The transfection effect of siRNA was identified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The cells were divided into normal control group, glycated bFGF alone group, siRNA-RAGE alone group, and siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group, and seeded into 96-well plate and 6-well plate. Cells in siRNA-RAGE alone group and siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group were transfected with siRNA-RAGE and then were added into HDMEC culture medium for routine culture. After two days, the original HDMEC culture medium was discarded, and cells in siRNA-RAGE alone group were routinely cultured in HDMEC culture medium, cells in siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group were routinely cultured in glycated bFGF stimulating solution. Cells in normal control group were routinely cultured in HDMEC culture medium, and cells in glycated bFGF alone group were routinely cultured in glycated bFGF stimulating solution. After transfection with siRNA-RAGE, cells were seeded into 48-well plate and divided into siRNA-RAGE alone group and siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group. Another cells were directly seeded into 48-well plate without transfection and divided into normal control group and glycated bFGF alone group. Cells in the 4 groups were conducted with the corresponding treatment as above. Cells were divided into normal control group, glycated bFGF alone group, siRNA-FGFR alone group, and siRNA-FGFR+ glycated bFGF group and seeded into 96-, 6-, and 48-well plates, respectively, with the corresponding treatment the same as above. Only siRNA-RAGE was replaced by siRNA-FGFR. Cell counting kit 8 method was used to determine the proliferation of cells after 2 days of culture (sample number was 6), flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of cells after 2 days of culture (sample number was 3), tube forming test was used to detect the angiogenesis of cells after 6 hours of culture (sample number was 4). Data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference t test. Results: At the 200 bp band, there were no target genes in siRNA-positive control group, siRNA-RAGE group, or siRNA-FGFR group, but target genes were detected in siRNA-negative control group, indicating the success of siRNA transfection. After 2 days of culture, the absorbance value of cells in glycated bFGF alone group was significantly lower than that of normal control group (t=2.359, P<0.05); absorbance value of cells in siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group was significantly higher than that of glycated bFGF alone group (t=3.858, P<0.01), which was similar to that of siRNA-RAGE alone group (t=2.148, P>0.05). The absorbance value of cells in siRNA-FGFR+ glycated bFGF group was similar to that of glycated bFGF alone group (t=0.805, P>0.05), but significantly lower than that of siRNA-FGFR alone group (t=4.201, P<0.01). After 2 days of culture, the apoptotic rate of cells in glycated bFGF alone group was significantly higher than that of normal control group (t=2.416, P<0.05). The apoptotic rate of cells in siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group was significantly lower than the rates in glycated bFGF alone group and siRNA-RAGE alone group (t=3.861, 2.724, P<0.05 or P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in apoptosis rate of cells among normal control group, glycated bFGF alone group, siRNA-FGFR alone group, and siRNA-FGFR+ glycated bFGF group (F=2.218, P>0.05). After 6 hours of culture, the number of tubules of cells in normal control group (636±5) was significantly more than that of glycated bFGF alone group (580±8, t=10.825, P<0.01), and the number of tubules of cells in siRNA-RAGE+ glycated bFGF group (647±10) was significantly more than those of glycated bFGF alone group and siRNA-RAGE alone group (628±4, t=13.040, 3.641, P<0.01). After 6 hours of culture, the number of tubules of cells in siRNA-FGFR+ glycated bFGF group (619±5) was more than that of glycated bFGF alone group (t=9.000, P<0.01), but less than that of siRNA-FGFR alone group (632±3, t=2.814, P<0.05). Conclusions: Glycated bFGF affects the proliferation and angiogenesis of HDMEC through RAGE pathway, which may be one of the reasons for impaired wound healing of diabetic skin.

[Thoughts and principles of diagnosis and treatment of chronic refractory wounds in China].

The correct thoughts and principles of diagnosis and treatment of chronic refractory wounds need to be formulated. Through the relevant domestic and international consensus and based on clinical experience, the Thoughts and principles of diagnosis and treatment of chronic refractory wounds in China is proposed. It is considered that in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic refractory wounds, in the case of fully understanding the patient's medical history, the following thoughts and principles should be complied in order. (1) Pay attention to the cleanliness of the wound after being cleaned. (2) Reasonably perform debridement to avoid being " excessive" or " not thorough". (3) Reasonably perform examination, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis of pathogenic factors. (4) Treat according to etiology. (5) Find comorbidities and prevent adverse outcomes. (6) Select the correct wound treatment method reasonably and timely. When the conservative wound care treatment is considered, pay attention to embodying the concept of etiological treatment, treat the wound according to the principles of safety, phase, selectivity, and effectiveness, and make a reasonable choice of continuing conservative treatment or surgical treatment in time after completing the preparation of the wound bed. When surgical treatment is considered, pay attention to the selection of reasonable surgical method and donor site, pay attention to the healing rate of surgical wound site and the outcome of donor site, and give reasonable protection to the wound site after surgery. (7) Carry out rehabilitation treatment after wound healing and related health education.

[Application value of endoscope in probing chronic wound with sinus tract in clinic].

Objective: To explore the application value of endoscope in probing the chronic wound with sinus tract in clinic. Methods: Twenty-eight chronic wounds with sinus tracts from 27 patients conforming to the inclusion criteria admitted to Outpatient Department of Wound Healing Center of Ruijin Hospital from December 2017 to March 2018 were investigated in a prospective and self-controlled trial. After being cleaned, the diameter of the opening of sinus tract was measured with a rule. A probe was used to measure the depth of a sinus tract according to the touch from the probe extremity in operation, and to measure the depth of a sinus tract that could be observed with naked eyes with the help of a pair of hemostatic forceps. Five minutes later, a probe was inserted deeply into the sinus tract to measure the depth under the endoscopic view combined with touch from the probe extremity in operation. Afterwards, the sinus tract was observed with endoscope, and the depth of the tract which could be observed under the endoscopic view was measured using a probe inserted deeply into the sinus tract. After completion of the above exploration, the sinus tract was infused with contrast agent Omnipaque 350 and scanned by computed tomography (CT) later to obtain its depth. The following indicators were calculated: the ratio of the depth of the sinus tract measured by CT to the diameter of the opening of the sinus tract (hereinafter referred to as the depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract), the deviation rate comparing the depth of the sinus tract measured by conventional method (measured by probe only) and by endoscope (measured by probe under the endoscope view) with the depth of the sinus tract measured by CT (hereinafter referred to as the deviation rate of the measured depth of the sinus tract), the deviation rate comparing the depth of the sinus tract that could be observed measured by conventional method and by endoscope with the depth of the sinus tract measured by CT (hereinafter referred to as the deviation rate of the depth of the sinus tract that could be observed). Data were processed with paired t test. Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the correlation between the depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the measured depth of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the depth of the sinus tract that could be observed by conventional method and by endoscope. Results: The depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract of this group of wounds was 1-32 (8±7). The deviation rate of the measured depth of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the depth of the sinus tract that could be observed by conventional method were (19±14)% and (79±18)%, respectively, both obviously larger than (9±9)% and (25±25)% by endoscope (t=3.837, 13.626, P<0.01). Positive correlation existed between the depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the measured depth of the sinus tract by conventional method, and between the depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the depth of the sinus tract that could be observed by conventional method and by endoscope (r=0.514, 0.585, 0.651, P<0.01). However, there was no obvious correlation between the depth/diameter ratio of the sinus tract and the deviation rate of the measured depth of the sinus tract by endoscope (r=0.113, P>0.05). Conclusions: Compared with the conventional method, application of endoscope is able to get more accurate data of chronic wounds with sinus tracts and observe the wounds with wider range.

[The effect on myocardial perfusion and clinical outcome of intracoronary nicorandil injection prior to percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction].

Objective: To investigate the effect of intracoronary administration of nicorandil prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) on myocardial perfusion and short-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: A total of 158 patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI from January 2014 to December 2015 in Fuzhou General Hospital were enrolled consecutively in this prospective controlled randomized trial. Patients were assigned into three groups with random number table: the nicorandil group (patients received intracoronary administration of 6 mg nicorandil after guide wire or balloon successfully crossed the target lesion, n=53), the nitroglycerin group (patients received intracoronary administration of 300 µg nitroglycerin after after guide wire or balloon successfully crossed the target lesion, n=52) and the control group(patients received routine treatment, n=53). The primary outcomes were myocardial perfusion, including the levels of corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC), and the incidence of no reflow or slow flow after PPCI. The secondary outcomes included the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization (all-cause death, reperfusion arrhythmia within 2 hours after PPCI, angina within 24 hours after PPCI, new heart failure or worsening cardiac function, and repeat revascularization) and within 3 months of follow-up (all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, post-infarction angina, and re-hospitalization for congestive heart failure). Results: The age of enrolled patients was (62.9±11.3) years old, and 130 cases (82.3%) of them were male. The median time of symptom-onset to balloon was 4.50 (3.20, 6.43) hours. There were significantly difference in cTFC immediately after PPCI((21.68±7.43)frames, (24.74±8.66)frames, and(27.06±10.40)frames), incidence of no reflow or slow flow after PPCI(5.7%(3/53), 13.5%(7/52), and 22.6%(12/53)), ST-segment resolution at 2 hours after procedure(90.6%(48/53), 84.6%(44/52), and 74.5%(38/53)), and reperfusion arrhythmia at 2 hours after procedure(15.1%(8/53), 36.6%(19/52), and 34.0%(18/53)) among the 3 groups(P<0.01 or 0.05). In the multivariate logistic regression models, intracoronary administration of nicorandil could lower the cTFC level (OR=0.17, 95%CI 0.10-0.41, P=0.001), acted as a protecting factor on lowering the incidence of no reflow or slow flow (OR=0.13, 95%CI 0.02-0.96, P=0.045) and reperfusion arrhythmia (OR=0.26, 95%CI 0.09-0.74, P=0.012), as well as facilitating the ST-segment resolution at 2 hours after procedure (OR=4.62, 95%CI 1.14-18.82, P=0.033). However, observed parameters were similar between intracoronary administration of nitroglycerin group compared with control group (all P>0.05). MACE within 3 months of follow-up were similar among the 3 groups(all P>0.05). Conclusion: Intracoronary administration of nicorandil prior to balloon dilation can significantly improve the myocardial perfusion and reduce the occurrence of reperfusion arrhythmia during PPCI for STEMI, but does not affect the short-term prognosis in STEMI patients.

The ability of the Coincidence Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy to characterize polymers containing different chemical elements.

Hydrocarbon polymers, O-containing, F-containing and Cl-containing polymers are comprehensively studied by Coincidence Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy (CDBS). It is shown that for polymers with different chemical structure, CDBS results can effectively distinguish polar groups CO, CCl, and CF. For polymers with similar chemical structure, the intensity of the element-specific peak in the CDBS ratio curve is dependent not only on the fraction of free positrons, but also on the content of characteristic atom in polymer repeated unit, and the polarity of the polymer molecule. For polymers containing several different polar groups, such as PCTFE (CF & CCl) and PFA (CF & CO), whether the element-specific peak appears or not depends on the amount of the polar groups and its positron capture ability. This work may provide insights into potential applications of CDBS for studying complex polymer systems.

Effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers.

We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers. One hundred and sixty moderately nicotine-dependent smokers were randomly divided into the atorvastatin group (N = 80) and the control group (N = 80). Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose levels, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, creatine phosphokinase, and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation function (FMD) were measured before and 12 months after atorvastatin treatment. After a 12-month atorvastatin therapy, the TC and LDL-C levels of patients were decreased significantly (P < 0.05) and the FMD of patients were improved significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, TC and LDL-C of the patients were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and the FMD of the patients were significantly improved (P < 0.05). Atorvastatin may significantly improve endothelial function in moderately nicotine-dependent smokers.

Treatment of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) wastewater by internal electrolysis--biological contact oxidation process.

Surfactant wastewater is usually difficult to treat due to its toxicity and poor biodegradability. A separate physico-chemical or biochemical treatment method achieves a satisfactory effect with difficulty. In this study, treatment of the wastewater collected from a daily chemical plant by the combination processes of Fe/C internal electrolysis and biological contact oxidation was investigated. For the internal electrolysis process, the optimal conditions were: pH = 4-5, Fe/C = (10-15):1, air-water ratio = (10-20):1 and hydraulic retention time (HRT)= 2 h. For the biological contact oxidation process, the optimal conditions were: HRT = 12 h, DO = 4.0-5.0 mg/L. Treated by the above combined processes, the effluent could meet the I-grade criteria specified in Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard of China (GB 8978-1996). The results provide valuable information for full-scale linear alkylbenzene sulfonate wastewater treatment.

Age-related bone mineral density, osteoporosis rate and risk of vertebral fracture in mainland Chinese women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Few data are available regarding bone mineral density (BMD) and the risk of vertebral fracture among mainland Chinese women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A decrease in the bone projective area (BPA) can be an indirect marker reflecting compressed vertebral fracture. We investigated age-related BMD, BPA, and the prevalence of osteoporosis in women with T2DM in mainland China. BMD and BPA of the posteroanterior lumbar spine (L1-L4) and hip were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 1253 women with T2DM and 1194 control subjects without diabetes aged 40-80 yr. BMD of the lumbar spine and hip decreased with age. BMD of the lumbar spine was higher in T2DM than controls (p<0.05-0.001), as was BPA at some vertebral bodies (p<0.05-0.001), whereas no significant intergroup differences in BPA were observed at the hip. The prevalence of osteoporosis in the women with T2DM increased with age: 0-2.58% at age 40-49 yr, 6.94-28.4% at age 50-59 yr, 32.7-76.7% at age 70-80 yr, with the range reflecting differences between skeletal sites. In subjects over 60 yr, the rates of osteoporosis at posteroanterior spine were significantly lower in T2DM patients than in controls (p<0.05-0.001). In conclusion, women with T2DM had higher BMD and lower risk of osteoporosis. Higher BPA of the vertebrae indicated that women with T2DM in mainland China would have a lower risk of vertebral fracture than non-diabetic women.

Effects of the sample size of reference population on determining BMD reference curve and peak BMD and diagnosing osteoporosis.

UNLABELLED: Establishing reference databases generally requires a large sample size to achieve reliable results. Our study revealed that the varying sample size from hundreds to thousands of individuals has no decisive effect on the bone mineral density (BMD) reference curve, peak BMD, and diagnosing osteoporosis. It provides a reference point for determining the sample size while establishing local BMD reference databases. INTRODUCTION: This study attempts to determine a suitable sample size for establishing bone mineral density (BMD) reference databases in a local laboratory. METHODS: The total reference population consisted of 3,662 Chinese females aged 6-85 years. BMDs were measured with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry densitometer. The subjects were randomly divided into four different sample groups, that is, total number (Tn) = 3,662, 1/2n = 1,831, 1/4n = 916, and 1/8n = 458. We used the best regression model to determine BMD reference curve and peak BMD. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the full curves between the four sample groups at each skeletal site, although some discrepancy at the end of the curves was observed at the spine. Peak BMDs were very similar in the four sample groups. According to the Chinese diagnostic criteria (BMD >25% below the peak BMD as osteoporosis), no difference was observed in the osteoporosis detection rate using the reference values determined by the four different sample groups. CONCLUSIONS: Varying the sample size from hundreds to thousands has no decisive effect on establishing BMD reference curve and determining peak BMD. It should be practical for determining the reference population while establishing local BMD databases.

Relationship of circulating MMP-2, MMP-1, and TIMP-1 levels with bone biochemical markers and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoblast-derived matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 have been shown to play a role in bone metabolism by degrading the bone matrix. METHODS: The present study was performed to investigate the relationships between serum MMP-2, MMP-1, or TIMP-1 levels and bone mineral density (BMD), as well as bone biochemical markers, in 297 Chinese postmenopausal women aged 42-80 years. RESULTS: We found a significant negative weak correlation between MMP-2 and BMD at various skeletal regions. After adjustment for age and BMI, the correlation with BMD at the femoral neck and total hip disappeared. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that MMP-2 was not a determinant factor for BMD. The significant positive correlations between MMP-2 and bone cross-linked N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTX), alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and osteocalcin (OC) and were found, and remained significant after adjustment for age and BMI. Moreover, serum MMP-2 concentrations were significantly higher in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis than in age-matched normal controls. There were no significant correlations between MMP-1, TIMP-1 and BMD. There were no significant relationships between MMP-1 and BAP, OC, and NTX. The associations between TIMP-1 and BAP and OC were not specific and constant. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results suggest that circulating MMP-2 and markers of bone turnover are correlated, and serum MMP-2 levels may rise with increase in bone turnover.