Patients with early-onset primary Sjögren's syndrome have distinctive clinical manifestations and circulating lymphocyte profiles.

OBJECTIVES: To further investigate the clinical characteristics and circulating lymphocyte profiles of patients with early-onset primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHOD: Data of 333 patients with pSS were analysed retrospectively. Early onset was defined as a pSS diagnosis at an age of 35 years or younger. The clinical, laboratory and immunophenotypic profiles of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were compared between early- and later-onset pSS. RESULTS: Thirty-six (10.81%) patients matched the definition of early-onset pSS, with age at disease onset being 28.97 (5.53) years. Elevated serum IgG level (77.14% vs 31.16%, P <0.001), low C3 (41.67% vs 20.20%, P =0.004) and C4 levels (27.78% vs 6.40%, P <0.001), anti-SSA positivity (91.67% vs 51.85%, P <0.001) and anti-SSB positivity (50% vs 20.54%, P <0.001) were more frequent in early-onset patients. The frequencies of hematological (80.56% vs 52.53%, P =0.001), renal (19.44% vs 5.05%, P =0.005) and mucocutaneous involvement (50% vs 22.56%, P <0.001) were significantly higher in the early-onset pSS group, which showed a higher 2010 EULAR SS Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) [11(6.25-17) vs 7(3-12); P =0.003], compared with the later-onset group. In addition, profound CD4+ T-cell lymphopenia was found in patients with early-onset. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early-onset pSS have distinctive clinical manifestations and greater activation of the cellular immune system, present with more severe clinical symptoms and immunological features, have increased activation of circulating T cells and have an unfavourable prognosis. Thus, they require more positive treatment with glucocorticoids and/or immunosuppressants and merit closer follow-up and regular monitoring.

Small caliber vascular tissue engineering progress / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Review preparations about small caliber artificial blood vessels,cell cultivation,nano materials and growth factors in the research of vascular tissue engineering.The main method of keeping small diameter vascular graft patency is to promote the small-diameter artificial vascular cells,using nanometer encapsulated growth factor delivery system which can promote the growth of endothelial cells at the luminal surface adhesion,and using anticoagulant drug delivery system.

Construction of vascular sustained release model of vascular endothelial growth factor / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To construct a model of small caliber vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in tissue engineering,to investigate the performance of the sustained-release microspheres and vascular stent,and to provide materials and theoretical basis for animal experiment.Methods The sheep carotid arteries were treated with a cellular reagents,the cellular conditions and the stent properties were observed.Preparation of sustained release microspheres containing VEGF,particle size,encapsulation efficiency,drug loading and release curve were measured.The effective combination of the slow release microsphere and the vascular stent was used in the freeze drying technology.The rat vascular endothelial cells grown in tissue engineered blood vessel model release lumen,observe the growth of endothelial cells.Results After the treatment,the original performance of the vascular stent can be maintained.The average particle size of the microspheres was (9.8 ± 6.0) μm,which could be released slowly in 20 days,and the release rate was 70％.Microspheres can effectively with the tissue.engineering blood vessel tight binding.Rat vascular endothelial cells can grow in the vascular stent surface.Conclusion Using Triton X-100,DNA/RNA ribozyme for acellular reagent,stent performance is good.PLGA microspheres have good sustained release performance,and constructing appropriate tissue engineered small caliber vascular release model by using freeze drying technology can make the stent compact structure.

Innate immunology research of glutaraldehyde-treated xenogenic blood vessels / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To conduct a systematic study of the immunologic response of rats to transplanted glutaraldehyde ( GA)-treated porcine blood vessels in vivo.Methods: The experiment was divided into two groups:fresh group and glutaraldehyde-treated group.Twenty cases of fresh and glutaraldehyde-treated porcine pulmonary arteries were subcutaneously embedded in rats.We compared the changes using HE staining and immunohistochemistry.Results:HE staining showed that there were stronger expression on day 12 and day 30 in the fresh group than that in the glutaraldehyde group.There were similar results in morphology in CD68,C3,IgG.The results of integral optical density ( IOD) in immunohistochemistry showed that IOD started rising from day 4 and got the peak on day 12 or day 30 and or fell on day 60.Conclusion: Innate immunity played an important role in the research on xenogenic immunological rejection mechanism.The immunogenicity of glutaraldehyde-treated xenogenic blood vessels is lower than that in fresh blood vessels.However there is still immunogenicity in glutaraldehyde-treated xenogenic blood vessels.We will explore better ways to obviously weaken the rejection.