A High Frequency of Peripheral Blood IL-22(+) CD4(+) T Cells in Patients With New Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed at investigating the frequency of different functional IL-22(+) CD4(+) T cells in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The frequency of circulating IFN-γ+IL-17-IL-22-CD4(+) (Th1), IFN-γ-IL-17A+IL-22-CD4(+) (Th17), and IFN-γ-IL-17A-IL-22(+) CD4(+) (Th22), and other subsets of IL-22(+) CD4(+) T cells in 31 patients with new onset T2DM and 16 healthy controls was characterized by flow cytometry. The levels of serum IL-22, IL-17, IFN-γ, insulin C-peptide, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, and insulin were examined. RESULTS: The frequency of Th1, Th17, Th22, IFN-γ(+) IL-17(-) IL-22(+) , and IFN-γ(-) IL-17(+) IL-22(+) CD4(+) T cells and the concentrations of IL-22, but not IL-17 and IFNγ, in the patients were significantly higher than controls. The percentages of Th22 cells were correlated positively with the frequency of IFN-γ(-) IL-17(+) IL-22(+) CD4(+) T cells, the values of body mass index (BMI) and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and the levels of serum IL-22 in those patients. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that IL-22(+) CD4(+) T cells may contribute to the early process of T2DM.

Effect of penehyclidine hydrochloride on heart rate variability in hysteroscopy.

In order to evaluate the effect of different doses of penehyclidine hydrochloride (penehyclidine) on heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) in hysteroscopy, 180 patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I-II) were randomized equally to three groups: 0.5 mg penehyclidine and intravenous anesthesia (group I), 1.0 mg penehyclidine and intravenous anesthesia (group II) and saddle anesthesia combined with intravenous anesthesia (control group). HR and HRV, including total power (TP), low-frequency power (LF), high-frequency power (HF) and the LF to HF ratio (LF/HF), were recorded prior and subsequent to the induction of anesthesia (T0 and T1, respectively), following the start of surgery (T2) and following completion of surgery (T3). HR was lower at T2 than at T0 in the control patients, but no differences were observed in groups I and II. The HR at T2 was increased in group II compared with that in group I. TP in group II was significantly higher compared with that in group I at T2. At T1 and at T2, the LF and HF values were lower in group I than those in the controls. Patients in group II also had higher LF and HF at T2 than patients in group I. The HF was higher at T2 than that at T0 in the controls; however, the HF and LF did not change significantly within groups I and II. No significant differences were observed in the LF/HF ratio among the three groups. At a dose of 0.5 mg, penehyclidine stabilized HRV and did not alter the autonomic nervous modulation of HR. A penehyclidine dose of 1.0 mg may be superior to a dose of 0.5 mg in maintaining HR, but is less effective at balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic activity.

[Genetic transformation of OSISAP1 gene to onion (Allium cepa L.) mediated by amicroprojectile bombardment].

Microprojectile bombardment-mediated transformation method has been developed for onion (Allium cepa L.) using embryogenic calli, induced from stem discs, as target tissue. Zinc-finger protein gene OSISAP1 (Oryza sative subspecies indica stress-associated protein gene) was introduced into the open-pollinated onion cultivar (subs.) 'HG400B'. Bombardment parameters were optimized as: the pressure is 1,100 psi, the distance is 6 cm, two times, the ratio of mass between plasmid DNA and golden particles is 1:320. An efficient microprojectile bombardment-mediated transformation system of onion (Allium cepa L.) callus has been established. The binary vector used carried the nptII gene for kanamycin resistance and the GUS reporter gene. Transgenic cultures were screened for their ability to express the GUS reporter gene and to grow in the presence of kanamycin (150 mg/L). Transient expression of GUS reporter gene was observed through histochemical staining of embryogenic callus transformed by microprojectile bombardment. The putative transgenic plants were analysed at the molecular level using PCR, southern hybridization, and RT-PCR. The results confirmed that the OSISAP1 gene was integrated as one copy into the genome of onion and expression. Transgenic plants were produced efficiently with a transformation frequency of about 10%. Test of salinity-alkali stress showed that sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate at 200 mmol/L effectively killed non-transgenic plants within 1 week of irrigation, while the transgenic plants were completely unaffected by salinity of 400 mmol/L. So transformation with the OSISAP1 gene raised the salinity-alkali-tolerance of the transgenic plants to a high level.