AIM:To investigate the effects of AT-2-inactivated HIV-1 particles on human CD4+T cell activation and cytokine secretion in whole blood (WB) in vitro. METHODS: HIV-1ⅢB particles were inactivated by AT-2 chemical and the concentration of p24 antigen was determined by p24 ELISA. AT-2-inactivated HIV-1ⅢB particles were added to human WB culture system in serial concentrations to stimulate the cells. PHA was used as positive control. After 24 h, all the cultural supernatants were harvested and the concentrations of Th1 (IL-2, IFN-? and TNF-?) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10) cytokines released to the supernatants were detected by cytometric bead array (CBA). The percentage of CD69 expression on CD4+T cells from WB was detected by immuno-fluorescence staining plus flow cytometry. RESULTS: The concentration of p24 antigen in the AT-2-inactivated specimen was 85.5 ?g/L. 24 h later, the percentage of CD69 expression on CD4+T cells from control group was (1.62?0.63) %, whereas it was (38.82?6.00)%, (3.83?1.07)%, (5.94?0.85)% and (9.30?1.22)% in PHA group, HIV-1 (1/500) group, HIV-1 (1/50) group and HIV-1 (1/5) group, respectively. Cytokines secreted by WB in control group were mainly TNF-? and IL-6. However, all the six cytokines tested were strikingly increased in PHA group, as well as in HIV-1ⅢB groups. CONCLUSION: AT-2-inactivated HIV-1ⅢB particles activate CD4+T cells from WB, and up-regulate both Th1 and Th2 cytokine secretion in WB. Besides the effects of viral proteins, other mechanisms may be proposed that HIV-1 particles act as antigen presenting cell (APC) because many host-derived immune molecules are incorporated into HIV-1 envelop when it is released from infected cells by budding, and exert immune modulation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Equipment Design ; Female ; Femur Neck ; surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective To investigate the T cell cytotoxicity induced by recombinant adenovirus carrying HIV-1 vpr gene.Methods C8166 cells infected with rAd-vpr or negative control rAd-vector,were analyzed for cell cycle distribution and cell death by flow cytometry.The discrimination of living cells,apoptotic and necrotic cells were differentiated with Hoechst-PI double staining under the confocal microscopy.Changes of mitochondrial membrane potential(△ψm)were monitored by JC-1 staining method.Results Annexin V-PI and Hoechst-PI staining indicated the death effects of HIV-1 Vpr on C8166 cells.PI flow cytometric analysis showed that cell cycle arrested in G2 phase.C8166 cell△ψm collapse mediated by Vpr was detected by JC-1 fluorescent staining.Conclusion The ability of recombinant adenovirus carrying HIV-1 vpr gene to induce mitochondria dysfunction,cell cycle G2 phase arrest and cell death was confirmed in C8166 cells.

Objective:A case-control association analysis was performed to investigate if the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of N-cadherin(CDH2) gene is implicated in schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population.Methods:A total of 528 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 528 healthy controls were recruited from northern Henan province to analyze 25 SNPs located in CDH2 gene.The clinical symptoms of 267 first-episode schizophrenia patients were evaluated with positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), and the correlation between CDH2 gene and clinical symptoms was analyzed by SNPStats software online.Results:Allele frequencies of rs9951577 and rs1231268 were significantly correlated with schizophrenia( P<0.05), genotype frequency of rs1639387 was significantly correlated with schizophrenia( P=0.044). After gender classification, SNPs rs1789470 and rs28365328 were found to be significantly correlated with schizophrenia in female patients ( P=0.044, 0.019). In addition, the study found that CDH2 was correlated with the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia( P<0.05), and the negative factor score of patients between GG type rs1231268 and the other two genotypes (AG+ AA) ((21.12±8.41) vs (18.87±7.52)) was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:CDH2 gene may be one of the susceptibility genes to SZ, and has definite correlation with clinical negative symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Although newly formed constructs of feasible pressure-preadjusted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) showed biomechanical flexibility and superior capacity for cartilage regeneration, it is still not very clear how BMSCs and seed cells feel mechanical stimuli and convert them into biological signals, and the difference in signal transduction underlying mechanical and chemical cues is also unclear. METHODS: To determine whether mechanical stimulation (hydrostatic pressure) and chemical cues (platelet-rich fibrin, PRF) activate canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling in BMSCs, BMSCs cocultured with PRF were subjected to hydrostatic pressure loading, and the activation of the Wnt signaling molecules and expression of cartilage-associated proteins and genes were determined by western blotting and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Inhibitors of canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling, XVX-939 or L690,330, were adopted to investigate the role of Wnt signaling molecules in mechanically promoted chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. RESULTS: Hydrostatic pressure of 120 kPa activated both Wnt/b-catenin signaling and Wnt/Ca2+ signaling, with the the maximum promotion effect at 60 min. PRF exerted no synergistic effect on Wnt/b-catenin signaling activation. However, the growth factors released by PRF might reverse the promotion effects of pressure on Wnt/Ca2+ signaling. Real-time PCR and Western blotting results showed that pressure could activate the expression of Col-II, Sox9, and aggrecan in BMSCs cocultured with PRF. Blocking experiment found a positive role of Wnt/b-catenin signaling, and a negative role of Wnt/ Ca2+ signaling in chondrogenic differentiation of the BMSCs. Mutual inhibition exists between canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling in BMSCs under pressure. CONCLUSION Wnt signaling participates in the pressure-promoted chondrogenesis of the BMSCs co-cultured with PRF, with canonical and noncanonical pathways playing distinct roles during the process.