Objective To evaluate the effects on the mineral bone disorder using different calcium concentration citrate-based dialysate in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.To compare the concentrations of intact parathyroid hormone(PTH) with biointact PTH(1-84) in these patients.Methods Citrate dialysate with different calcium concentration (DCa 1.75,DCa 1.5,DCa 1.25 mmol/L)were used in turn in 15 stable MHD patients each week.Serum tCa and iCa were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer.The concentrations of iPTH and bio-iPTH were compared.Results (1) The patients treated with DCa 1.75 citrate dialysate had increased serum iCa and tCa after dialysis,and PTH did not change significantly as compared to those findings before the dialysis.With the DCa 1.5 citrate dialysate,serum iCa and tCa were kept stable and PTH level was increased.With DCa 1.25 citrate dialysate,serum iCa and tCa decreased significantly and PTH decreased.(2)iPTH and bioPTH had excellent correlations.Variation of bio-iPTH was more correlated with the changes of calcium than iPTH.Conclusions Serum levels of iPTH,tCa and iCa can be kept stable in MHD patients treated with DCa 1.75 ～ 1.5 citrate dialysate.Bio-iPTH is a more sensitive marker for mineral bone disease than iPTH.

Objective To establish heterologous expression system of Na+-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) gene.Methods Human SGLT2 cDNA from normal kidney, generated by RT-PCR,was subclonedintoPEXL-GFP vector andtransfectedinto HEK293cells. After 24hours of incubation, the expression of SGLT2-GFP fusion protein was detected by Western blotting and laser confocal microscopy.Transport activity of SGLT2-GFP fusion proteins in cultured human HEK293 cells was evaluated with the uptake test of glucose analogue.ResultsSGLT2-GFP fusion protein was expressed in cultured human HEK293 cells.Furthermore, confocal microscopy using green fluorescent protein(GFP) revealed a punctate membrane pattern of SGLT2.Glucose analogue uptake increased in HEK293 cells transfected with SGLT2-GFP at least by 3.5 folds compared with HEK293 cells transfected with GFP vector only(P＜0.01).Conclusion Heterologous expression of SGLT2 gene in HEK293 cells is successfully established, which provides valuable approach for the functional and pathological study of SGLT2 gene.

Topological description and matching are committed steps for three-dimensional reconstruction of vessel tree from two angiograms. Binary tree is proposed to describe the two-dimensional vessel tree. "Node Weight" and "Similar Node" are defined in order to get better description. Vessel segments in two images are matched by the preorder traversal of the binary trees, and the method is proved fast and accurate.
Algorithms ; Angiography ; methods ; Computer Simulation ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Models, Biological ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; methods ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; methods

Objective To evaluate the effect of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on the healthcare costs associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods A total of 96 patients with stage 3-4 CKD treated at CKD clinic of Beijing Friendship Hospital,Capital Medical University were enrolled in the study.Their mean age was (61.6±9.5) years including 65 male and 31 female patients.A retrospective analysis of clinical material and health claims between January 2010 and October 2010 was conducted.Firstly,patients were grouped according to median CKD-associated healthcare cost and clinical characteristics were compared between two groups.Secondly,patients were stratified into three categories based on CVD prevalence (with acute cardiovascular events,with CVD but no acute events,and without CVD),and CKD-associated healthcare costs were assessed among the groups.Finally,the potential factors influencing CKD-associated healthcare costs were evaluated by optimal scaling regression analysis.Results During January to October in 2010,median CKD-associated healthcare costs was 13960.5 yuan (interquartile range 10226.5,19667.2 yuan).In the group with higher healthcare costs,more females,greater urine albumin-creatinine ratio,more emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events,higher diabetes mellitus prevalence and calcium-phosphorus products,and lower eGFR and hemoglobin levels were found (P＜0.05,respectively).In contrast,the total prevalence of CVD was not significantly different between the groups (P=0.386).When grouping by CVD prevalence,significant differences of CKD-associated healthcare costs were observed only between patients with acute cardiovascular events and the other two groups (P＜0.01,respectively).The median healthcare cost of the former was approximately twice as higher as that of the other two groups,and the maximal cost was also found in the acute-cardiovascular-event group.For the optimal scaling regression analysis,both emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events and diabetes mellitus entered the equation,and standardized coefficients were -0.538 and -0.217 respectively (P＜0.01 and P＜0.05).Conclusions Emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events are important factors inducing high CKD-associated healthcare costs in patients with stage 3-4 CKD.Therefore,the prevention of acute cardiovascular events may be favorable to reduce CKD-associated healthcare costs.Larger and longer-time perspective studies are required to confirm it.In addition,diabetes mellitus also influences CKD-associated healthcare costs.

Background Trichloroethylene (TCE) can enter human body through biological accumulation of polluted water or air, resulting in health hazards. The most commonly involved organs are the liver. Objective To observe potential polarization of M1 Kupffer cells (KCs) in mice liver exposed to TCE orally, and to investigate the relationship between histones lysin demethylase JMJD3 and M1 KCs polarization. Methods A total of 72 SPF BALB/c mice aged 6 to 8 weeks were randomly divided into a blank control group (n=18), a vehicle control group (n=18), a 2.5 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group (n=18), and a 5.0 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group (n=18) after adaptive feed for one week. A TCE transoral exposure model was established after eight weeks of administration according to previous research of the research group. In the 2nd, 4th, and 8th weeks, the mice were sacrificed and liver tissue samples were collected. Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of JMJD3 in the liver tissue samples. Immunofluorescence was used to co-locate the macrophage marker F4/80 and the surface marker CD11c of M1 macrophages. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of CD16/32, a marker of M1 macrophages, and TNF-α, an inflammatory factor of M1 macrophages in mouse liver. Results In the 2nd, 4th, and 8th weeks, the mice in each group were generally in good condition, and no individual died due to TCE. There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of water consumed by each group, nor in the body weight gain and the liver coefficient of mice at each time point (P>0.05). The results of Western blotting analysis showed that there was no statistically significant difference in JMJD3 protein expression level between the blank control group and the vehicle control group at each time point, the expression levels of JMJD3 protein in the 2.5 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group and the 5.0 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group were higher than that in the control group , and the expression level of JMJD3 protein in the 5.0 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group was higher than that in the 2.5 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group (P<0.05). The results of immunofluorescence co-localization showed that the expressions of F4/80 and CD11c were low in the blank control group and the vehicle control group, while the expressions of F4/80 and CD11c were increased in the 2.5 mg·mL⁻¹ and the 5.0 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE groups. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expressions of CD16/32 and TNF-α in the blank control group and the vehicle control group were low, and there were large deposits in the 2.5 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group and the 5.0 mg·mL⁻¹ TCE group. Conclusion The polarization of M1 KCs and the expression of proinflammatory factors may be related to an increased expression level of JMJD3 induced by oral TCE exposure.