Background & Objective: The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has a central role in the pathogenesis of migraine, but variations in CGRP-related genes, including the calcitonin gene-related polypeptide-alpha (CALCA) gene and the receptor activity modifying 1 (RAMP1) gene, have not been found to link with migraine in Australian population. The goals of this study were to determine whether variants in the two genes are related to migraine in Chinese population. Methods: Using a case-control approach, rs3781719 and rs145837941 in the CALCA gene and rs3754701 and rs7590387 at the RAMP1 locus was analyzed in a cohort of 504 migraine cases and 529 ethnically matched controls. Genotyping was performed using Sequenom MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry iPLEX platform. Results: The CALCA gene rs145837941 variant was not found in migraine or control group. No significant difference in genotypic and allelic distribution was observed in the other three polymorphisms between migraine cases and controls. All the three SNPs were also not selected as significant factors that independently contributed to susceptibility to migraine in multivariate analysis. In the subgroup analysis, the CALCA rs3781719 seemed to be a significant risk for migraine with aura, but was not statistically significant after FDR correction. Moreover, there was no synergistic relationship between the three SNPs in the multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis for explore locus–locus interactions. Conclusion: Our data suggested that variants in CALCA gene and RAMP1 gene were not associated with migraine in the Han-Chinese population.
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; Migraine Disorders

No abstract available.
Animals ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide* ; Calcitonin* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide* ; Calcitonin* ; Cochlear Nucleus* ; Rats*

Objective This study determined the efficacy of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists in the treatment of acute migraine.
Human ; Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide ; Migraine Disorders ; Tryptamines ; Pain

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) play a key role in some physiological and pathological progresses. The latest studies indicate that CGRP might involve in some disease progress and has a close relation with wound healing. It is significant to further investigate and then apply it to clinical diagnosis and therapy as well as forensic pathology.
Animals ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/physiology* ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Receptors, Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/physiology* ; Wound Healing

BACKGROUND: Calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP)-containing nerve fibers are widely distributed in the skin including the area around hair follicles. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of CGRP on normal hair growth in vitro. METHODS: CGRP was added to isolated anagen hair follicles in Williams' E media or keratinocyte growth media(KGM). Measuring the length of hair follicles and thymidine uptake were used for hair growth parameters. RESULTS: CGRP-treated groups generally showed no significant difference of hair follicle length and thymidine uptake in both media compared to the controls. However, hair follicle length was significantly increased at a high concentration of CGRP in KGM compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that CGRP may be a promoter of hair follicle growth in vitro.
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide* ; Calcitonin* ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Keratinocytes ; Nerve Fibers ; Skin ; Thymidine

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the comparability and bias of the test results of two detection systems for serum procalcitonin (PCT) under the same laboratory condition.

METHODSAccording to the profile NCCLS-EP9-A, the two systems were used to detect PCT to obtain the correlation coefficient and the liner equation for evaluation of the test result bias.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe test results of PCT showed no significant difference between the two detection systems (P>005) with a kappa value greater than 0.75. The correlation coefficients of both systems were above 0.975, suggesting a consistency between them for clinical detection of PCT.

OBJECTIVETo study the mechanism of scalp penetration acupuncture treating acute cerebral hemorrhage (ACH).

METHODSThe treatment group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) were treated with the same basic therapy, but scalp penetration acupuncture was added to the treatment group. Changes of plasma ET and CGRP contents were compared.

RESULTSAfter treatment for 14 days, the content of plasma ET in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, the content of plasma CGRP was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONScalp penetration acupuncture is able to improve the prognosis of the patient with ACH by means of regulating the contents of plasma ET and CGRP.

OBJECTIVETo assess the clinical value ofprocalcitonin in cirrhotic patients with severe infection by comparing the serum procalcitonin levels in those patients with and without liver cirrhosis when suffering from sepsis.

METHODSA total of 225 septic patients were included in the study,including 91 patients without hepatopathy, 80 patients with cirrhosis, and 54 patients with chronic liver disease. The serum procalcitonin level was measured in all patients and statistically assessed for correlation with relevant clinical biochemistry indicators. The t-test, ANOVA test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test and Spearman's correlation analysis were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTSThe patients with cirrhosis showed significantly lower serum procalcitonin levels (0.84 (0.32-3.44) ng/ml) than the patients with no hepatopathy (2.17 (0.70-9.18) ng/ml) or the patients with chronic liver disease (2.12 (0.33-13.61) ng/ml) (both P less than 0.05); the patients in the no hepatopathy group and the chronic liver disease group showed statistically similar levels of serum procalcitonin (P=0.616). The patients with cirrhosis of Child-Pugh grade C showed significantly higher level of serum procalcitonin (1.25 (0.54-4.61) ng/ml) than those patients with Child-Pugh grade B (0.33 (0.14-1.31) ng/ml; P=0.026), suggesting that patients with Child-Pugh C stage cirrhosis may be more susceptible to gram-negative bacterial infection. In the cirrhosis group,serum procalcitonin level was positively correlated with white blood cell (WBC) count (r=0.312) and percentage of neutrophils (N%) (r=0.228) (both P less than 0.05). Correlation analysis of the no hepatopathy group and the chronic liver disease group showed no correlation between serum procalcitonin level and either WBC or N%.

CONCLUSIONUnder the sepsis condition, cirrhotic patients have lower serum procalcitonin level than patients without cirrhosis, and the serum procalcitonin level is positively correlated with WBC count and N%.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on apoptosis and autophagy of mouse MC3T3-E1 osteoblast and their interaction and to further clarify protective mechanism of CGRP on osteoblasts.

METHODSMC3T3-E1 osteoblasts of mouse were cultured in vitro. Western blot and flow cytometry were used to detect expressions of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and P62 protein of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts cultured with serum culture and serum-free (serum starvation) culture. Western blot was also used to detect expressions of LC3 and P62 protein of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cultured at different concentrations (10⁻¹⁰, 10⁻⁹, 10⁻⁸, and 10⁻⁷ mol·L⁻¹) or without added CGRP. MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were treated with 10⁻⁸ mol·L⁻¹ CGRP at different times (2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h), protein expression levels of LC3 were assessed by Western blot and flow cytometry, and changes in autophagosome in cells were detected by monodansylcadaverin staining. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) was used to pretreat MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Cells were then treated with or without CGRP for 24 h. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis level.

RESULTSUnder serum starvation conditions, LC3Ⅱ expression and apoptosis of osteoblasts increased compared with that of serum culture. Under 3-MA pretreatment and serum starvation conditions, LC3Ⅱ expression of osteoblasts increased compared with that of serum culture (P<0.01). Compared with serum culture, serum starvation culture with or without CGRP significantly increased expression level of LC3 and reduced expression level of P62. LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ of osteoblasts was the highest under serum starvation and 10⁻⁸ mol·L⁻¹ CGRP conditions. Serum starvation and 10⁻⁸ mol·L⁻¹ CGRP culture inhibited apoptosis of osteoblasts and promoted synthesis of autophagosome. Apoptosis of osteoblasts increased after 3-MA pretreatment, and CGRP reversed inhibitory effects of 3-MA CGRP on apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONSCGRP can increase autophagy of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts under serum starvation conditions. CGRP may also inhibit apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts by promoting autophagy.
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