Down-Regulation of miR-218-5p Promotes Apoptosis of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Through Regulating High-Mobility Group Box-1 in Henoch-Schonlein Purpura.

BACKGROUND: Apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) plays an important role in the progression of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). In the present study, we explored the function of miR-218-5p in HUVEC apoptosis and HSP development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HSP rat model was established and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated. The expression of miR-218-5p and high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein in HUVECs was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot, respectively. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. The association between miR-218-5p and HMGB1 was determined by luciferase assay. The endogenous expression of related genes was modulated with recombinant plasmids and cell transfection. RESULTS: MiR-218-5p was down-regulated and HMGB1 was up-regulated in vessels of the lower limb of HSP rats and in HUVECs co-cultured in HSP PBMC supernatant. MiR-218-5p negatively regulated HMGB1 by targeting its 3'-untranslated regions. Over expression of miR-218-5p reversed the increased apoptosis and HMGB1 expression observed in HUVECs co-cultured in PBMC supernatant, whereas miR-218-5p knockdown showed the opposite outcomes. Furthermore, the miR-218-5p mimic demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the apoptosis of HUVECs co-cultured in PBMC supernatant, which was reversed by over expression of HMGB1. In HSP rats, over expression of miR-218-5p attenuated HSP and decreased the level of HMGB1. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-218-5p attenuated HSP at least partly through regulating HMGB1 expression and affecting the function of HUVECs.

Kawasaki disease in children: Epidemiology, clinical symptoms and diagnostics of 231 cases in 10 years.

The present study was a retrospective analysis of the dynamic changes and clinical characteristics of 231 cases of Kawasaki disease (KD) in pediatric patients admitted to the People's Hospital of Inner Mongolia between January 2003 and December 2012. A total of 37.23% of the cases occurred in the first 5 years, compared with 62.77% in the latter 5 years. The age distribution ranged from 3 months to 10 years, with a peak age of <1 year. The male-to-female ratio was 2.12:1, and the reoccurrence rate was 1.3%. Among the patient cohort, 7.8% were Mongolian children. The most common clinical symptom was fever (87.6%), while perianal skin peeling was the most rare (14.1%). With regard to the analyzed biomarkers, 90.4% of patients had abnormal platelet (PLT) counts; the next highest abnormality rates were associated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (74.46%) and white blood cell (WBC) counts (59.74%), followed by levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (57.58%), creatinine kinase-MB (40.26%) and hemoglobin (Hb) (38.53%). In conclusion, the present study has found that approximately two-thirds of cases of KD over a 10-year period occurred in the latter 5 years. Changes in a number of experimental indicators, including PLT, ESR and WBC, could be used in the diagnosis of the condition and to reflect the success of the clinical treatment.