Evaluation of Disease Activity of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by D-dimer Combined with Red Blood Cell Distribution Width.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the value of D-dimer combined with red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in evaluating the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: A total of 105 SLE patients confirmed in our hospital from July 2018 to September 2020 were collected as the SLE group, and 60 healthy persons matched in age and gender during the same period were collected as the control group. According to the SLEDAI score, SLE patients were divided into SLE active group and SLE inactive group, and RDW and D-Dimer levels were detected. RESULTS: The level of RDW in the SLE active group [14.8 (13.4, 16.8)] was significantly higher than that in the SLE inactive group [13.4 (12.6, 14.37)] and control group [12.3 (12, 12.7)], with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The D-dimer level in the SLE active group was 1.36 (0.9, 2.25) mg/L, which was significantly higher than that in SLE inactive group [0.34 (0.22, 0.52)] mg/L and control group [0.15 (0.08, 0.19)] mg/L, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Both RDW and D-dimer were positively correlated with the SLEDAI score (r = 0.393, p = 0.000), (r = 0.483, p = 0.000). The results of receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of RDW and D-Dimer alone was 0.875 and 0.954, respectively, while the area under the curve of RDW combined with D-Dimer was the largest, 0.984. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of RDW and D-dimer are closely related to the disease activity of SLE patients, and RDW combined with D-dimer is more valuable in assessing the disease activity of SLE patients.

[Analysis of pancreatic cancer peripheral blood by comparative proteomics].

OBJECTIVE: To identify protein markers for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by a comparative proteomic method. METHODS: Comparative analysis on the pancreatic peripheral blood protein profiling from 20 pancreatic cancer patients, 10 chronic pancreatitis patients and 20 cancer-free controls from May 2007 to September 2008 was carried out by two-dimensional fluorescence electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The significance difference proteins were confirmed by Western-blot. RESULTS: A differentially expressed proteins: complement 3 (C3) was identified. The gray level of C3 in pancreatic cancer tissue, chronic pancreatitis, and normal control group were 1.63 ± 0.28, 0.65 ± 0.13 (t = 11.81, P = 0.00) and 0.88 ± 0.19 (t = 9.93, P = 0.00), respectively. C3 was high expression in pancreatic cancer group compared with normal control group. The expression of C3 was higher in pancreatic cancer group than in chronic pancreatitis group. The high expression of C3 in pancreatic carcinoma was confirmed by Western blot. CONCLUSIONS: 2D-DIGE and MALDI-TOF-MS technology is a quick, easy and practical method to screen for specific biomarkers in serum of patients with pancreatic carcinoma. The identified protein C3 in this study may be as specific serum biomarkers of pancreatic carcinoma.

[Correlation between sex hormone and insulin and various TCM syndrome types in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationships of sex hormone and insulin with various TCM syndrome types of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and their significance. METHODS: Levels of testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E2), and insulin (INS) in 120 patients with PCOS were determined respectively, among them, 30 patients were classified by TCM syndrome differentiation as Shen-yin deficiency type (SYiD), 30 as Shen-yang deficiency type (SYaD), 30 as Pi-yang deficiency type (PYD) and 30 as Gan-stagnancy transformed heat type (GSH). RESULTS: It was shown that T level in SYiD, serum LH and LH/FSH ratio in SYaD, PRL in GSH and INS in PYD patients were higher as compared with those in patients of other three types (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), except for the above-mentioned, the differences in all the paired comparisons of all the indexes between TCM types were insignificant. CONCLUSION: Elevated level of T, LH and LH/FSH ratio, PRL and INS are correlated with the TCM syndrome type of SYiD, SYaD, GSH and PYD in patients with PCOS respectively, and being the clinical characteristics of the corresponding syndromes.