Human protein tyrosine phosphatase β (HPTPβ) is an endothelial cell-specific receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase(PTP). HPTPβ plays an important role in regulating pathophysiological processes such as angiogenesis and cell-to-cell adherens junction, and is taken as a novel target for developing new antiatherosclerosis and antitumor drugs. In this review, the latest research progress in the structure, physiological functions and small molecular inhibitors of HPTPβ is summarized.

Ancient bones have undergone natural decomposition and have been exposed to external environment for long period. Ancient DNA from old bone is usually fragmented. In addition, various kinds of inhibitors are co-extracted. All these may inhibit proper sequencing reaction. Cloning is regarded as the standard method when sequencing aDNA. When cloning, each clone from the same sample may not be of same sequence, and to exact consensus sequence may be difficult. Here we present our experience on 1200 year old bone from Russia, Primorsky Kray area. We have tried to sequence for HV I, II region of mtDNA using modified mini-primer set, which consisted of 7 set to cover the HV I, II. We cloned the PCR product and sequenced all the clones. Amplification efficiency and subsequent success rates were different for each mini primer set. Loci of variation that differ from consensus sequences were rather frequent, and the pattern were variable depending on sample. Except major polymorphic sites that are important when haplogroup designation, 16129 was the most frequent site that was discarded when extracting haplogroup designation.
Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; Consensus Sequence ; DNA ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Russia

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between XAGE-1b gene expression and the clinical characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSTumor tissue and adjacent normal lung tissue specimens were obtained surgically from 30 patients with resectable NSCLC, from which the total RNA was extracted for RT-PCR to amplify full-length XAGE-1b gene. The products of RT-PCR were identified by electrophoresis and sequencing. The expression of XAGE-1b gene and its association with the clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed.

RESULTSIn the 30 tumor tissue specimens, the expression rate of XAGE-1b gene was 40%, but none of the normal lung tissues expressed this gene. The gene expression was not related to the patients' age, gender, tumor differentiation or clinical stages, but showed significant correlation to their pathological classification. The expression rate of XAGE-1b gene in adenocarcinoma was much higher than that in tumors of other pathological types (61.1% vs 8.3%, P=0.015). XAGE-1b gene expression tended to increase with the TNM stages, which, however, failed to find statistical data support (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSXAGE-1b gene is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma, and can be an ideal target for tumor immunotherapy.

Antigens, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Atherosclerosis ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Cytokines ; secretion ; Dendritic Cells ; drug effects ; immunology ; Endocytosis ; Fenofibrate ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; toxicity ; Monocytes ; cytology ; PPAR alpha ; agonists ; physiology

INTRODUCTIONTinea unguium is a common nail infection. We conducted a retrospective ten-year study of the patient demographics and species distribution of dermatophytes causing tinea unguium in a tertiary hospital from Singapore.

METHODSResults of fungal nail cultures were retrieved from our hospital's microbiology department. Samples from nail scrapings and clippings were inoculated onto agar plates (Sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol and Mycosel agar). Nail specimens that grew dermatophytes were included in the study.

RESULTSOverall, 229 (male: n = 164, 71.6%; female: n = 65, 28.4%) nail specimens grew dermatophytes. Mean patient age was 58 (range 18-93) years. A majority of specimens came from patients aged over 50 years (n = 162, 70.7%) and 60-79 years (n = 100, 43.7%). Ethnically, 160 (69.9%) patients were Chinese, 36 (15.7%) Indian, 18 (7.9%) Malay and 15 (6.6%) of other ethnicities. Among dermatophytes isolated were Trichophyton rubrum (n = 93, 40.6%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (n = 60, 26.2%), unidentified Trichophyton spp. (n = 57, 24.9%), Trichophyton tonsurans (n = 10, 4.4%), Epidermophyton floccosum (n = 5, 2.2%), Trichophyton verrucosum (n = 2, 0.9%), Trichophyton soudanense (n = 1, 0.4%) and Trichophyton violaceum (n = 1, 0.4%).

CONCLUSIONA majority of isolates were from elderly patients. Compared to Singapore's general population, patients of Indian and other ethnicities were over-represented for tinea unguium when compared to Chinese and Malay patients. Trichophyton rubrum was the most common dermatophyte isolated, while Trichophyton verrucosum, Trichophyton violaceum and Trichophyton soudanense were rare causes of tinea unguium.

INTRODUCTIONThe G2385R and R1628P LRRK2 gene variants have been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) in the Asian population. Recently, a new LRRK2 gene variant, A419V, was reported to be a third risk variant for PD in Asian patients. Our objective was to investigate this finding in our cohort of Asian subjects.

MATERIALS AND METHODSEight hundred and twenty-eight subjects (404 PD patients, and 424 age and gender-matched control subjects without neurological disorders) were recruited. Genotyping was done by Taqman® allelic discrimination assay on an Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR machine.

RESULTSThe heterozygous A419V genotype was found in only 1 patient with PD, compared to 3 in the control group (0.4% vs 1.3%), giving an odds ratio of 0.35 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.01 to 3.79; P = 0.624).

CONCLUSIONA419V is not an important LRRK2 risk variant in our Asian cohort of patients with PD. Our data are further supported by a literature review which showed that 4 out of 6 published studies reported a negative association of this variant in PD.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alanine ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; ethnology ; Cohort Studies ; Cytosine ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Variation ; genetics ; Genotype ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; India ; ethnology ; Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 ; Malaysia ; ethnology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; Thymine ; Valine ; genetics ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVESTo compare the efficacy and feasibility between intracoronary and hypodermic injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on improving cardiac function in a Swine model of chronic myocardial ischemia.

METHODSEighteen Swine underwent placement of ameroid constrictor on left circumflex coronary artery. The presence of myocardial ischemia was verified at four weeks after the operation, and the animals were then randomly assigned into three groups (n = 6 each): (1) administration of vehicle (control), (2) hypodermic injection of G-CSF (5 microgxkg(-1)x;d(-1)) for five days (IH), and (3) intracoronary injection of a bonus G-CSF (60 microg/kg) (IC). Coronary angiogram, cardiac MRI, and (18)F-FDG-SPECT/(99m)Tc-SPECT (DISA-SPECT) measurements were performed at pre-administration and at 4 weeks post administration. Global heart function such as left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVSDV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial perfusion, myocardial viability and myocardial infarct area were evaluated. Myocardial vWF, Bcl-2 and Bax expressions were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR.

RESULTSMRI data showed that left ventricular dilation and dysfunction were similarly prevented in IH and IC G-CSF treated animals at eight weeks after the operation. SPECT revealed that both IH and IC G-CSF equally improved the regional contractility of chronic myocardial ischemia and increased myocardial viability. Myocardial infarct size was also reduced after both G-CSF treatments as detected by MRI. Intracoronary injection of G-CSF did not lead to angiogenesis in other organs. G-CSF treatments were also associated with a significant reduction in myocardial apoptosis and significant increase in angiogenesis.

CONCLUSIONSBoth intracoronary and hypodermic injection of G-CSF were safe and feasible and could equally improve cardiac function and increase angiogenesis in this Swine model of chronic myocardial ischemia.

Animals ; Coronary Vessels ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; therapy ; Recombinant Proteins ; Swine

BACKGROUNDHuman bocavirus (HBoV) is a parvovirus recently found to possibly cause respiratory tract disease in children and adults. This study investigated HBoV infection and its clinical characteristics in children younger than five years of age suffering from acute lower respiratory tract infection in Beijing Children's Hospital.

METHODSNasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children suffering from acute lower respiratory tract infection during the winters of 2004 to 2006 (from November through the following February). HBoV was detected by polymerase chain reaction amplification and virus isolation and the amplification products were sequenced for identification.

RESULTSHBoV infection was detected in 16 of 333 study subjects. Coinfections with respiratory syncytial virus were detected in 3 of 16 HBoV positive patients with acute lower respiratory tract infection. The median age for HBoV positive children was 8 months (mean age, 17 months; range, 3 to 57 months). Among the HBoV positive children, 14 were younger than 3 years old, 9 were younger than 1 year old and 7 were younger than 6 months. These 16 positive HBoV children exhibited coughing and abnormal chest radiography findings and more than 60% of these children had wheezing and fever. Ten children were clinically diagnosed with pneumonia, 2 bronchiolitis, 2 acute bronchitis and 2 asthma. One child died.

CONCLUSIONSHBoV was detected in about 5% of children with acute lower respiratory infection seen in Beijing Children's Hospital. Further investigations regarding clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of HBoV infection are needed.

Bocavirus ; isolation & purification ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Parvoviridae Infections ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; diagnosis ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the safety of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BM-MNCs) transplantation by intracoronary infusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODSOne hundred and eighty-four patients with AMI treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized in a 1:1 way to either intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNCs (n = 92) right after PCI or to sodium chloride concluding heparin (controlled, n = 92) via a micro infusion catheter. In the process of the intracoronary infusion of BM-MNCs, the complications should be recorded, which were aberration reflect (including of pale, syncope, nausea, hypotension and shock), deterioration of angina or heart failure, arrhythmias (including of bradycardia, sinus arrest or atrial ventricular block or ventricular fibrillation), embolism etc. Body temperature, blood pressure and heart rates should be monitored during the first week after transplantation. Holter, coronary angiography and ultrasonic cardiography were performed at the designed time points. Main heart accidents, restenosis and tumor were recorded during 2-years follow up.

RESULTSDuring the period of bone marrow puncture and intracoronary infusion of BM-MNCs, few patients occurred pale, dizziness, bradycardia and hypotension, which were transient and due to vagus reflect. No stem cell-related arrhythmias, deterioration of angina were noted. In BM-MNCs group one patient developed in-stent reocclusion in one week after transplantation, five developed in-stent restenosis during further follow-up 30 months, which were similar with control group. There were no deaths, major adverse cardiac events, tumor and other late adverse events during follow-up period in both groups.

CONCLUSIONIntracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNCs in the acute phase after AMI is feasible and seems safe in the 30 months of follow-up.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; methods ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; surgery ; Transplantation, Autologous

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the myocardial viability with (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT technique in patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent emergent intracoronary autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) transplantation.

METHODSPatients with first acute myocardial infarction underwent emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNC (n = 20) or to sodium chloride concluding heparin (control, n = 20) via a micro infusion catheter group immediately after PCI. Change in global left ventricular function (LVEF measured by echocardiography) and the myocardial viability detected by (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT from baseline and 6-months post transplantation were analyzed.

RESULTSLeft ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was improved in both groups and the absolute increase (DeltaLVEF) in BM-MNC group was significantly higher than that in control group (7.6% +/- 2.8% vs. 3.0% +/- 2.8%, P < 0.001). In addition, the absolute decrease of myocardial infusion defect detected by (201)Tl SPECT was more significant in BM-MNC group than that in control group (6.7% +/- 3.0% vs. 2.6% +/- 2.6%, P < 0.001) and the number of mismatched segments (indicating viable myocardium) detected by (18)F-FDG SPECT in border zone was also significantly higher in BM-MNC group than that in control group.

CONCLUSIONImproved myocardial viability and reduced myocardial infusion defect post emergent intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNC in patients with acute myocardial infarction could be detected by (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT technique.

Aged ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cell Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Ventricular Function, Left