Objective:To explore whether the phospholipidoproteinaceous material deposit within the alveoli by a high-ifeld 3T MRI has signal characters and its application for diagnosing pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.Methods:A total of 11 patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis previously diagnosed by ifberoptic bronchoscope lung biopsy underwent 64-slice helical CT scans and 3T MRI scans, and the CT scans and the MRI scans were compared.
Results:hTe phospholipidoproteinaceous material deposit within the alveoli presented longer or equal T1 relaxation time and longer T2 relaxation time, without characters of fatty or deposits of protein-like substance signals and enhancement. The distribution, form, number and size of the lesions at T2WI were almost the same as those at CT, the lesions were irregular in morphology, and there was a clear boundary between the lesions and the adjacent normal lung tissues. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI showed thickened pulmonary arteriolae and venulae in the lesions with more obviously thickened pulmonary venulae, which were in conformity with the pulmonary artery and venule enhancement. CT scan in 1 out of the 11 cases showed lesions in both lungs mainly consisted of stripe-shaped and reticular structures, and no obvious sign of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis residue was found. MRI scan detected alveolar proteinosis that failed to be shown by CT scan.
Conclusion:3T MRI T2WI can easily detect the lesions of long T2 signals formed by the lipoproteinaceous material deposit within the alveoli. In the lesions, geographic appearance was presented, and the crazy paving pattern was dimly visualized. MRI can relfect the morphological characters of PAP like CT and it is slightly better compared with CT in such aspects as evaluating the theraputic effect of lung lavage. As supplement to CT, high-field 3T MRI can serve as an important examination for lung diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value and limits of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). METHODS: The complete hospital data from Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, between June, 2006 and December, 2012, were analyzed retrospectively in 25 patients with PAP (who were diagnosed pathologically by TBLB or not by TBLB) and in 4 patients with other disease (who were misdiagnosed by TBLB). RESULTS: Among the 25 patients with PAP, 14 patients were confirmed by TBLB in the fi rst time [TBLB positive rate in the first time was 56% (14/25)]; 6 patients who were misdiagnosed by TBLB in the fi rst time were confirmed by TBLB in the second time [the positive rate in the second time was 24% (6/25)]. Th e total positive rate was 80% (20/25). Th e total negative rate was 20% (5/25). Five patients with PAP, who showed negative results in TBLB analysis, were confirmed by the typical CT as well as the whole lung lavage. In addition, 4 patients with other diseases were misdiagnosed as PAP by TBLB. CONCLUSION TBLB is a very good diagnosis method. But the negative results in the first time cannot exclude PAP. TBLB should be repeated if conditions allow. If clinical manifestation and CT results are typical, it can be used for diagnosis of PAP combined with the positive results from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid check. However, for non-typical cases, it needs TBLB pathological diagnosis.
Biopsy ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To explore characteristic CT findings and pathologic basis of ground glass opacity caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of CT and pathological findings of 24 patients with PAP who were pathologically diagnosed from June 2006 to August 2011. RESULTS: Findings with CT: the lesions of the 24 patients mainly presented ground glass opacities. Local consolidations were seen in 8 patients. In 23 patients part of ground glass opacities bordered strip-shaped opacities with smooth edges, and there was a clear boundary between them and the bordering normal lung tissues, presenting a geographic appearance. Lesions in the 5 cases were mixed with alveoli or lobule aerocele, which made ground glass opacities present curved edges. Crazy paving pattern was detected in the 24 patients. Microscopically, the alveoli were seen to be filled with floccules proteinaceous material in various quantities in the 24 patients; hemangiectasis and congestion were seen in 17 patients, and enlarged alveolar cavities were seen in 5 patients. CONCLUSION PAP usually causes ground glass opacities with clear edges, and different from ground glass opacities with obscure edges caused by other pulmonary diseases. They are relatively specific to the imagining diagnosis to PAP.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: To explore CT findings and pathologic basis of crazy paving pattern caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. METHODS: Twenty-four patients who were diagnosed pathologically as pulmonary alveolar proteinosis by transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from June 2006 to May 2012 were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a 64-slice CT of the lungs. RESULTS: CT findings: crazy paving pattern was observed on CT imaging of all 24 patients. In 23 patients, crazy paving pattern displayed strip-shaped opacities with smooth edges, and there was a clear boundary between the pathological and normal lung tissues. The reticular opacities were connected with peripheral blood vessels and the branches were formed, and their diameters decreased slightly. Microscopically, hemangiectasis were seen in 17 patients. CONCLUSION Crazy paving pattern caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis displayed clear edges, and smooth reticular opacities, most of which were due to hemangiectasis of interlobular, interacinar and interalveolar septa. These findings of CT are helpful for the specific diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Kv2.1 channel currents in pancreatic beta-cells are thought to contribute to action potential repolarization and thereby modulate insulin secretion. Because of its central role in this important physiological process, Kv2.1 channel is a promising target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Jingzhaotoxin-XI (JZTX-XI) is a novel peptide neurotoxin isolated from the venom of the spider Chilobrachys jingzhao. Two-microelectrode voltage clamp experiments had showed that the toxin inhibited Kv2.1 potassium currents expressed in Xenopus Laevis oocytes. In order to investigate the structure-function relationship of JZTX-XI, the natural toxin and a mutant of JZTX-XI in which Arg3 was replaced by Ala, were synthesized by solid-phase chemistry method with Fmoc-protected amino acids on the PS3 automated peptide synthesizer. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) were used to monitor the oxidative refolding process of synthetic linear peptides to find the optimal renaturation conditions of these toxins. The experiments also proved that the relative molecular masses of refolded peptides were in accordance with their theoretical molecular masses. RP-HPLC chromatogram of co-injected native and refolded JZTX-XI was a single peak. Under the whole-cell patch-clamp mode, JZTX-XI could completely inhibit hKv2.1 and hNav1.5 channels currents expressed in HEK293T cells with IC50 values of 95.8 nmol/L and 437.1 nmol/L respectively. The mutant R3A-JZTX-XI could also inhibit hKv2.1 and hNav1.5 channel currents expressed in HEK293T cells with IC50 values of 1.22 micromol/L and 1.96 micromol/L respectively. However, the prohibitive levels of R3A-JZTX-XI on hKv2.1 and hNav1.5 channels were reduced by about 12.7 times and 4.5 times respectively, indicating that Arg3 was a key amino acid residue relative to the hKv2.1 channel activity of JZTX-XI, but it is also an amino acid residue correlated with the binding activity of JZTX-XI to hNav1.5 channel. Our findings should be helpful to develop JZTX-XI into a molecular probe and drug candidate targeting to Kv2.1 potassium channel in the pancreas.
Animals ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; metabolism ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; pharmacology ; NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ; metabolism ; Neurotoxins ; chemical synthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Protein Refolding ; Shab Potassium Channels ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Sodium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Spider Venoms ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Transfection

Objective:To describe the real experience of the elderly who has felt happy during the time they stayed at nursing homes, and discuss the meaning which is behind their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide scientific basis for improving their subjective well-being.Methods:Qualitative explanatory phenomenological analysis methods, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to interview 21 elderly people living in Guangzhou Songhe Nursing Home. Data analysis and subject extraction were carried out with reference to the Colaizzi 7-step analysis.Results:The real experience of subjective well-being of the elderly in nursing homes has six themes: be satisfied with the nursing home management service, be satisfied with harmonious interpersonal relationship, be satisfied with good health, be satisfied with family support, grateful and expectations for the social support system, be satisfied with and grateful for the epidemic prevention work during the COVID-19 epidemic.Conclusions:The elderly who live in a nursing home with perfect management and service, care for each other, are healthy, receive family and social support, are grateful, and understand family and social support will be more likely to feel happy. Improving the subjective well-being of the elderly in nursing homes requires the coordination and support of nursing homes, the elderly, families, society and other aspects.

Objective:To investigate the status and influencing factors of quality of life among disabled elderly whose home care services were paid by the long-term care insurance in Guangzhou, in order to provide a scientific evidence for improving their quality of life and improving the long term care insurance system.Methods:A convenience sample of 161 disabled elderly whose home care services were paid by the long-term care insurance were recruited and investigated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by general information questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale, Barthel Index, Self-rating Depression Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale and World Health Organization Happiness Index Scale.Results:The score of the quality of life among disabled elderly was 41.17±7.79. And the score of its four dimensions in descending order: environment, social relationships, psychological and physical with (11.38 ± 2.71), (10.36 ± 3.16), (9.86 ± 2.08), (9.56 ± 1.89) points. The multiple linear regression analysis found that frequencies of outdoor activities per week, frequencies of hospitalization in the past year, subjective well-being, depression and anxiety influenced the quality of life of the disabled elderly( P<0.05). Conclusions:The quality of life of disabled elderly is not optimistic. Nurses in home care institutions should formulate personalized nursing intervention based on influencing factors to improve the quality of life of disabled elderly, while providing a basis for optimizing long-term care insurance policies.

Membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs) are antimicrobials or anticarcinogens that present a general killing mechanism through the physical disruption of cell membranes, in contrast to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, which act on precise targets such as DNA or specific enzymes. Owing to their rapid action, broad-spectrum activity, and mechanisms of action that potentially hinder the development of resistance, MDPs have been increasingly considered as future therapeutics in the drug-resistant era. Recently, growing experimental evidence has demonstrated that MDPs can also be utilized as adjuvants to enhance the therapeutic effects of other agents. In this review, we evaluate the literature around the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and anticancer activity of MDPs, and summarize the current development and mechanisms of MDPs alone or in combination with other agents. Notably, this review highlights recent advances in the design of various MDP-based drug delivery systems that can improve the therapeutic effect of MDPs, minimize side effects, and promote the co-delivery of multiple chemotherapeutics, for more efficient antimicrobial and anticancer therapy.