Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of pravastatin on serum levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tu- mor necrosis faetor-α(TNF-α) in patients with acute coronary syndromes(ACS). Methods50 patients with ACSwere randomly divided into pravastatin group( n = 25) and routine therapy group( n = 25). Serum TNF-α and IL-6levels were measured before and four weeks after the two treatment options respectively. ResultsThe level of TNF- α and IL-6 were higher than routine therapy group before therapy(P < 0.01 ). The level of TNF-α and IL-6 weredecreased significantly after pravastatin therapy,and higher thancontrols(P < 0.05). The levels of TNF-α and IL-6changed only slightly after the routine therapy(P > 0.05). ConclusionThe level of TNF-α and IL-6 becominghigher in ACS patients may be related to the pathogenesis of ACS. Pravastatin can reduce serum level of TNF-α and IL-6 contributing to treatment of ACS.

Objective: To study the effects of soluble multi-peptide agent,marked “Gu Kang Tai Ling”,derived from bone tissue on rat bone fracture healing.Methods 80 right tibia defects of rats were sawed.The “Gu Kang Tai Ling”were intramuscularly injected to the rats.The quality of the defect healing was investigated continuously and respectively by the defect bone histomorphometry,biomechanics,X-ray film,and bone mineral density(BMD).Results: Under the treatment of the agent,at early stage trabecular bone volume (TBV)ratio increased 24.7%,and osteoblast surface(OBS)26.7%,at late stage mean trabecular healing surface rate(MTHSR)was increased 38.8%,tibia anti-fracture strength 0.4527～1.4350N，and BMD 7.65% compared with the control group.Conclusion: “Gu Kang Tai Ling”can accelerate rat fracture healing and improve the quality of healing.

Liver sinusoid endothelial cells are the first defense mechanism that protects the liver against various injuries,and they also play a significant role in the development of liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis caused by chronic liver injury.They are involved in liver fibrosis by mediating liver inflammation,participating in sinusoid capillarization and revascularization,activating hepatic stellate cells,secreting many proinflammatory cytokines,participating in extracellular matrix formation,and mediating liver microcirculation disturbance.Clarification of these mechanisms helps to identify new targets and develop new regimens for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Background and purpose:Regular physical exam became the main means to discover the population with early stage RCC. So far, there have been no reports with large sample that have been published about the biomarkers as predictor for the metastasis of the postoperative patients with stage T_(1-3)N_0M_0 (RCC) in China. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of metastasis of RCC is not clear. This research was carried out in order to study the correlation between delayed metastasis of early stage renal cell carcinoma after surgical operation and expressions of KAI-1、Ki-67 and HER-2/neu on RCC. Methods:Two hundred and forty-one patients with RCC underwent surgical operations and were pathologically diagnosed as T_(1-3)N_0M_0 stage. Twenty-four patients were found to have metastases after long-term follow-up and their clinical data were reviewed (metastasis group). One hundred and ninety-four patients without postoperative metastases were taken as control group. Twenty three patients were excluded from this study because they were lost to follow-up. The expressions of KAI1、 Ki-67 and HER-2/neu in the samples of the two groups were tested with immunohistochemical staining by PowerVision or EnVision two-step procedure. Significant difference was calculated with Chi square test.Results:The positive expression rates of KAI1、HER-2/neu and Ki-67 in 218 RCC were 82.6%、27.5% and 83.5%, respectively. Both mild (20.8%) and strong positive rates (4.2%) of KAI1 in metastasis group were dramatically less than that in control group (90.2%, 73.7%, P

Objective To investigate the characteristics of HBV replication in HepG2.2. 15 cells treated with LAM alone or sequentially treated with LAM and IFN-α, and to further explore the different suppressive effect on HBV replication by LAM and IFN-α in vitro. Methods Untreated HepG2. 2. 15 cells were used as control group, HepG2. 2. 15 cells treated with 1 000 IU/ml of IFN-α alone for 10 d were served as IFN-α group. The HepG2.2. 15 cells treated with 0.2,1,5,20,100 μmol/L of LAM were used as LAM groups. HepG2. 2. 15 cells treated with 0. 04,0. 2,5,25,125,200 μmol/L of LAM for 7 d, then combined with 1 000 IU/ml of IFN-α for another 3 d. Afterwards, the cells were treated with 1 000 IU/ml of IFN-α only for another 10 d. These cells were served as LAM/IFN-α sequential treatment group. The ELISA was used for analyzing the secreted HBV antigens, while the Dot blot, Southern blot were applied for analyzing the extracellular HBV DNA and intracellular HBV replicative intermediate DNA in HepG2. 2. 15 cells of different treatment groups. Results The secreted HBsAg in the LAM group were 1. 77 ± 0. 22, 1.65 ±0.25, 1.95 ±0. 19, 1.34 ±0. 11, 1.07 ±0.05, respectively, and the secretion of HBeAg were 1.41 ±0. 13, 1.37 ± 0. 09, 1.63 ± 0. 07, 1.26 ± 0. 12, 1.05 ± 0. 09. The secreted HBsAg and HBeAg in control group were 3. 34 ± 0. 15 and 3.33 ± 0. 05. Statistical analysis showed that HBsAg and HBeAg secretion in the LAM group were significantly reduced by treatment with LAM. The t values of HBsAg were 10. 21,10.04, 9.94, 18.62, 24.86, and the t values of HBeAg were 23.87, 32.97, 34.22, 27.57, 38.35,respectively, all P values were ＜ 0.05. Dot blot, Northern blot hybridization analysis indicated that the extracellular HBV DNA and intracellular HBV replicative intermediate DNA could not be detected in the LAM group after cells treated by LAM for 10 days. When LAM was replaced with treatment of 1 000 IU/ml of IFN-α alone, it could not suppress the HBV replication effectively. Moreover, the intracellular HBV replicative intermediate DNA still existed in almost all groups, accompanied with the recovered expression of HBV antigens as well as extracellular HBV DNA, which suggested that the HBV particles restored replication again and secreted extracellular in HepG2. 2. 15 cells, although the sequential treatment lasted for 10 days.Conclusion The effect of viral suppression by LAM and IFN-α in vitro were different, which attributed to the different HBV replicative characteristcs in HepG2. 2. 15 cells.

Objective:To prepare and test tetrameric sH-2K~d-HBc complex for the further measurement of the specific CTL response.Methods:PE labled streptavidin with 4 biotinylated binding sites can bind to 4 biotinylated monomer to form the corresponding tetramer.Mice were immunized via different methods of genetic immunization by use of the construted pcDNA3-C plasmid to get the specific CTLs.Then our prepared tetramer was applied to stain the specific CTLs by the analysis of flow cytometry.Results:We applied our prepared tetramer to stain the cells from the experimental groups and control group.The results showed the tetramer was able to discriminate the frequencies of specific CTL induced by the three immunol methods(0.24%,0.26%,0.36% vs 0.07%,P≤0.05).This demonstrated that the prepared tetramer could bind its targets specifically and efficiently.The three immunol methods induced different levels of immune responses.Compared with the traditional muscle injection,gene gun induced weaker humoral immune response and stronger cellular immune response,and hydrodynamic injection induced the strongest humoral and cellular immune responses.Conclusion:Have successfully constructed the sH-2K~d-HBc tetramer.The techniques and methods can be used for preparation of tetramers of other types of MHCⅠ molecules.

Objective:To clarify the differences of host immune responses at different stages of HBV infection. Methods:We constructed three HLA-A*0201/HBV tetramers with immunodominant epitopes of core18-27,polymerase 575-583 and envelope 335-343,and analyzed antigen specific CD8+ T cells and the expression of CD127 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMCs) from patients infected with HBV using these HLA-A*0201/HBV tetramers. Results: The frequencies and expansion ability of antigen specific CD8+ T cells in most self-limited HBV infected individuals were higher than that in chronically HBV infected patients. In low copy period the frequencies of antigen specific CD8+ T cells were similar to those in immune clearance phase at a high viral load and liver damage and in immune clearance phase, which had no significant correlation with virus quantitation and ALT level. In chronic infection the ability of antigen specific CD8+ T cells proliferation was inversely proportional to the viral titer. In most self-limited HBV infected individuals the IFN-γsecretion functions of antigen specific CD8+ T cells were higher than in chronic infection,but in immune tolerance phase these cells lost the ability. HBsAg level was different at different stages after HBV infection:it was highest in immune tolerance phase,but in immune clearance phase,activity period and low copy period the correlation with HBV DNA replication gradually declined. The frequency of CD8+ CD127+ T cells in chronic HBV infection was lower than the control group and self-limited infection group,especially in immune tolerance with HBeAg+ and immune clearance phase. Conclusion: The frequencies of antigen specific CD8+ T cells are not the main determinant of immune-mediated protection in chronic HBV infection,memory antigen specific CD8+ T cells are not clear or missing,which provides the possibility for therapeutic vaccines and immunization therapy.

Animals ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune System Phenomena ; Toll-Like Receptors

Purpose To detect the distribution of cerebral microbleeds (CMB) in patients with hypertension and evaluate its related risk factors in order to reduce long-term risk of cerebral hemorrhage in large areas. Materials and Methods A consecutive 110 patients of hypertension and 50 patients of non-hypertension in the departments of cardiovascular medicine and neurology were enrolled. All the patients underwent T2 star weighted angiography (SWAN) sequence scan of head. The location and quantity of CMB and other related information of patients were recorded. The distribution of CMB in patients with hypertension and correlation between CMB and age, sex, level of hypertension, duration of time, hemoglobin, platelets, smoking, diabetes, hyperlipidemia were also analyzed. Results A total of 472 CMB were detected in the hypertension group, of which 212 CMB (44.9%) were found in deep brain, 149 (31.6%) were in cortical and subcortical region, 111 (23.5%) under the tentorium. The highest distribution of CMB was in thalamus (98, 20.8%), followed by basal ganglia (78, 16.5%), temporal lobe (64, 13.6%) and brainstem (62, 13.1%). The univariate analysis showed that CMB group had significantly higher rate of hypertension and diabetes than that without CMB and the average age in CMB group was also higher (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that age and hypertension were independent risk factors for CMB. In hypertension group, there was statistically significant difference in the incidence of CMB between patients aged 45 and older and those aged under 45 (P<0.05);the differences were significant between the patients with hypertension duration time less than 5 years, those with hypertension duration time 5 to 10 years and those over 10 years (P<0.05);the differences also existed between the patients with hypertension at class I and those patients with hypertension at class II and III (P<0.05). The quantity of CMB in patients with hypertension was correlated with duration time (P<0.05), but not correlated with age and the severity of hypertension (P>0.05). Conclusion Hypertension and age are independent risk factors for CMB. Patients aged 45 and older, with more than 5 years duration of hypertension, or with hypertension at class II and III, should be paid more attention in clinic. If necessary, magnetic resonance examination is suggested to be used, in order to reduce long-term risk of cerebral hemorrhage.