[Comparison of age-based clinical and abnormal immune parameters in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura].

Objective: To explore age-based clinical and immune parameters in Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) to determine clinically useful markers reflecting disease characteristic. Methods: A cohort of 502 patients with HSP were enrolled into this retrospective study to evaluate their clinical and immune data. Results: Majority HSP cases occurred at age ≤14 years and showed significant immune imbalances of ESR, CD3(+) cells, CD4(+) cells, CD3(-)CD16(+)CD56(+) cells, CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, complements C3/C4 and ASO in the acute phase. Compared to patients aged >14 years, symptoms of joint were more frequent at disease onset in patients aged ≤14 years (20.8% vs 7.6%, χ(2)=13.547, P<0.001) , and involvement of digestive tract and joint were also more frequent (57.4% vs 33.8%, χ(2)=24.106, P<0.001; 55.9% vs 32.5%, χ(2)=23.768, P<0.001, respectively) , but not for involvement of kidney (21.4% vs 51.3%, χ(2)=42.440, P<0.001) . The patients aged ≤14 years had distinct immune state, reductions of CD3(+) cells, CD4(+) cells and IgG were more frequent than patients aged >14 years, also increase of ASO (33.1% vs 20.0%, χ(2)=6.656, P=0.010) , but not increase of IgA (2.6% vs 39.4%, χ(2)=15.582, P<0.001) . In addition, reduction of IgG and increase of IgE were positively associated with digestive tract involvement (P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively) , reduction of CD3(+)CD4(+) cells and normal IgM were positively associated with joint involvement (P=0.004, P=0.003, respectively) , increase of CD3(+)CD8(+) cells and normal CD3(+) cells were positively associated with kidney involvement (P=0.032, P=0.014, respectively) . Conclusion: HSP showed significant immune imbalance in the acute phase, patients between aged ≤14 and >14 years had distinct clinical and immune characteristic, and abnormal immune parameters were significantly associated with organ involvements.

Compensated Semimetal LaSb with Unsaturated Magnetoresistance.

By combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and quantum oscillation measurements, we performed a comprehensive investigation on the electronic structure of LaSb, which exhibits near-quadratic extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) without any sign of saturation at magnetic fields as high as 40 T. We clearly resolve one spherical and one intersecting-ellipsoidal hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) at the Brillouin zone (BZ) center Γ and one ellipsoidal electron FS at the BZ boundary X. The hole and electron carriers calculated from the enclosed FS volumes are perfectly compensated, and the carrier compensation is unaffected by temperature. We further reveal that LaSb is topologically trivial but shares many similarities with the Weyl semimetal TaAs family in the bulk electronic structure. Based on these results, we have examined the mechanisms that have been proposed so far to explain the near-quadratic XMR in semimetals.

Gene expression profiling analysis of 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathway in rat regenerating liver and different types of liver cells.

We examined the gene expression profiles of the 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathway in the regenerating liver and 8 types of liver cells during rat liver regeneration, and explored expression differences in 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathway genes at the level of tissues and cells, as well as the role of the pathway on liver regeneration. Eight types of rat regenerating liver cells were isolated using Percoll density-gradient centrifugation and immunomagnetic bead methods. Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array was used to detect expression changes in 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathway genes. The results showed that 26, 47, 8, 21, 16, 19, 22, 27, and 20 genes changed significantly in hepatocytes, biliary epithelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, oval cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, pit cells, dendritic cells, and the regenerating liver, respectively. Synthetic effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathway genes in 8 types of liver cells showed that 26 genes were expressed significantly; the expression trends of 10 genes were the same in the regenerating liver, while others were different. Based on the gene expression profiles of the 8 types of liver cells, 5-hydroxytryptamine promoted hepatocyte proliferation through the RAS and STAT3 signaling pathways, proliferation and differentiation of sinusoidal endothelial cells through the STAT3 signaling pathway, and proliferation and apoptosis of pit cells through the AKT3 signaling pathway. There were large differences in genes involved in 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling at the tissue and cellular levels; thus, liver regeneration should be studied in-depth at the cellular level to reveal the molecular mechanism of liver regeneration.

[Clinical observation on treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes with yisuikang].

20 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients were treated with Yisuikang (YSK) including MDS-RA 17 cases, MDS-RAEB 2 cases, MDS-RAEB-T 1 case. 14 patients were treated with YSK only, 6 cases were treated with both YSK and Western medicine. The result showed that 4 cases were remitted, 5 cases markedly improved, 6 cases improved and 5 cases ineffective, the total effective rate was 75.0%. It was found that YSK was effective in the treatment of MDS-RA or Qi-Blood Deficiency and Yu-Re Syndrome in TCM, while any other types were ineffective. They also found that types of TCM might be correlated with MDS.