The dynamic expression of aquaporins 1 and 4 in rats with hydrocephalus induced by subarachnoid haemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION: Hydrocephalus is a common complication of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). As transmembrane water channels, aquaporins 1 and 4 (AQP1 and AQP4) are involved in the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus. We aimed to assess the association between the expressions of AQP1 and AQP4 and the severity and duration of hydrocephalus after SAH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A double haemorrhage model by injection of autologous blood into the cisterna magna was used to induce SAH in rats. Sham rats received the same procedures, but with the injection of normal saline. The SAH group was divided into the SAH with hydrocephalus group and SAH without hydrocephalus group after identifying hydrocephalus histologically. AQP1 and AQP4 in ventricle regions were detected by immunofluorescence, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot. RESULTS: Hydrocephalus was the most severe at day 3 after SAH. AQP1 and AQP4 mRNA and protein levels increased at day 1 and peaked at day 3. The SAH with hydrocephalus group had a higher expression of AQP1 and AQP4 than the SAH without hydrocephalus group. Higher AQP1 levels were found at the apical and basolateral membrane of the choroid plexus epithelium, while higher AQP4 levels were found in the ependymal cells. A positive correlation between the relative lateral ventricle area and the ratio of AQP1/AQP4 proteins was identified. CONCLUSIONS: AQP1 and AQP4 are remarkably correlated with the severity of hydrocephalus induced by SAH. AQP1 and AQP4 are potential drug targets for developing therapeutic strategies against hydrocephalus.

Imbalance of T-helper 17 and regulatory T cells in patients with alopecia areata.

There is mounting evidence that T helper (Th)17 cells and regulatory T cells (Treg) play parts in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. Hence, levels of these T-cell subsets in patients with alopecia areata (AA) merit investigation. Our goal was to assess Th17 and Treg levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and scalp lesions of patients with AA, correlating the findings with clinical characteristics. PBMC of 177 patients with AA (test group) and 42 healthy controls and scalp tissues of 33 patients and 15 healthy controls were collected. Levels of Th17 and Treg subsets were then determined via flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining, correlating results in test subjects with clinical features of AA. Th17 levels were significantly higher in patients, whereas Treg levels were lower by comparison. Furthermore, Th17 levels in patients with disease of short duration or in the active phase were significantly higher, relative to their respective counterparts. Th17 levels also negatively correlated with disease duration. While Treg levels were higher in severe AA than in mild AA. Results of lesions were parallel to findings of PBMC. Our data indicates an imbalance in the immune state of patients with AA.

Therapeutic effect of Jinzhen oral liquid for hand foot and mouth disease: a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: No specific antiviral agent against hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is available for clinical practice today. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jinzhen oral solution in treating uncomplicated HFMD. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 399 children aged 1 to 7 years with laboratory confirmed HFMD were randomized to receive Jinzhen oral liquid or placebo 3 times daily for 7 days with a 3-day follow-up. The primary outcomes were time to the first disappearance of oral ulcers and vesicles on hand or foot and time to the first normalization of temperature (fever clearance). RESULTS: There were 199 children enrolling into the Jinzhen group including 79 with fever and 200 into the placebo group including 93 with fever. Jinzhen reduced the time to the first disappearance of oral ulcers and vesicles on hand or foot to 4.9 days (95% CI, 4.6 to 5.2 days), compared with 5.7 days (95% CI, 5.4 to 6.0 days) in the placebo group (P = 0.0036). The median time of fever clearance was shorter in the 79 children who received Jinzhen (43.41 hrs, 95% CI, 37.05 to 49.76) than that in the 93 children who received placebo (54.92 hrs, 95% CI, 48.16 to 61.68) (P = 0.0161). Moreover, Jinzhen reduced the risk of symptoms by 28.5% compared with placebo (HR, 0.7150, 95% CI, 0.5719 to 0.8940, P = 0.0032). More importantly, treatment failure rate was significantly lower in the Jinzhen group (8.04%) compared with that in the placebo group (15.00%) (P = 0.0434). The incidence of serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups (9 in Jinzhen group vs. 18 in placebo, P = 0.075). CONCLUSIONS: Children with HFMD may benefit from Jinzhen oral liquid treatment as compared with placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org/en/) ChiCTR-TRC-10000937.

[Comparison of techniques irrigating and reversing rabbit ear vein to digest, isolate and culture endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the better method for isolating and culturing the endothelial cells (ECs). METHODS: The "irrigative digestion" and "reverse interiorly-exteriorly digestion" methods were performed for digesting, isolating, collecting and culturing the ear vein endothelial cells of rabbit. The trypan blue stain was used to test the cell activity. The third-passage cell was identified by factor VI related antigen. The differences between the methods in cell number, activity and purity were compared to get an optimal method. RESULTS: The number of ECs deriving from the "irrigative digestion" method had no significant difference from that deriving from the "reverse interiorly-exteriorly" method when cells were isolated from rabbit ear vein originally. However, after cultured for 5 or 10 days, the vein endothelial cells from the "irrigative digestion" method showed the growth status superior to those from the "reverse interiorly-exteriorly" method. The cultured cells had a cobble stone appearance with a strict monolayer growth, it could be observed under inverted microscope. The factor VIII related antigen was tested by immunohistochemistry, it supported that the cultured cells was ECs. CONCLUSION: The "irrigative digestion" method is the better choice to isolate endothelial cells from small vessel.

[Effect of different FSB concentration and first-time exchange of total volume medium on proliferation of bone marrow stromal cells from GFP transgenic mouse in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of different fetal bovine serum (FBS) concentration and first-time exchange of total volume medium on the proliferation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from green fluorescence protein (GFP) transgenic mouse in vitro. METHODS: Bone marrow cells isolated from GFP transgenic mice were cultured in DMEM/F12 containing 10%, 20%, 30% FBS respectively; the first exchange of the total volume medium was made at different times (4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 10 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h) after 3 d primary culture; then the total volume medicum was exchanged every three days. The amplification of BMSCs was determined. The passage 5 BMSCs cultured in DMEM/F12 containing 10% and 20% FBS were examined with the antibodies CD44, CD45 and CD54 at the time of first exchange of the total volume medium. RESULTS: The cultured cells proliferated well in DMEM/F12 containing 10% FBS and 20% FBS. With the extension of the time for first exchange of total volume medium, the density of the adhered cells increased, but the purity of BMSCs decreased. CONCLUSION: The method of making cells adhere to culture plastic in different time for cultivating and purifying BMSCs from GFP transgenic mice is effective, the appropriate concentration of FBS is 10%-20% and the best time for the the first exchange of total volume medium is 8 hour.