Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of 4-1BB monoclone antibodies on mice hepatitis induced by Coneanavalin A (ConA) and its influenes on CD4+CD25+T lymphoeytes during the course. Methods The miee model of hepatic injury was indueed by ConA and monitored by hepatic function tests and hepatic pathology. The expressions of 4-1BB were examined by flow eytometry. 4-1BB monoelone antibodies were intravenously injected to the mice. The therapeutic efficacy was then examined by hepatic function tests and hepatic pathology. The expressions of CD4+CD25+T lymphoeytes were also examined by flow eytometry. Results The group of immune hepatic injury induced by ConA showed damage and marked increase of ALT and AST which were (139±22) U/L and (130±16) U/L respectively. The expression level of 4-1BB was 8.1±2.6. Compared with the eontrol group, the difference was significant (P<0.05). The overall eondition of the miee was improved after being treated with 4-1BB monoelone antibodies. ALT and AST were lowed down to (98±14) U/L and (89±11) U/L respectively and the differenee was signifieant (P<0.01). The expression of 4-1BB of the control group was 3.0±0.8 and that of the treatment group was 8.3±3.0. The difference was significant (P<0.01). Conclusion 4-1BB eontributes to the immune-mediated hepatic injury induced by Con-A.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of 4-1BB monoclonal antibodies (4-1BBmAb) and glucocorticosteroid and the affect of the expression of CD4+CD25+T lymphocytes on the mouse hepatitis induced by ConA.Methods Mouse model of hepatic injury was induced by the application of ConA and checked by hepatic function tests and hepatic pathology.Mter the animal models were constructed,the mice in the group of therapeutic alliance were treated with glucocorticosteroid and 4-1BBmAb.In contrast,mice in the control group were treated with 4-1BBmAb or glucocorticosteroid alone.The groups were then compared.After blood was collected respectively from the control group,the model group and the therapy group,flow cytometry was used to examine CD4+CD25+T lymphocytes.Chi-square test and t-test were used for statistical analysis.Results Compared with the control group,the conditions of the mice were improved after being disposed with 4-1BBmAb.The conditions became even better when 4-1BBmAb were used combined with glucocorticosteroid.ALT and AST of the control group were (140±22) U/L and (131±16) U/L respectively,that of 4-1BBmAb group were (98±14) U/L and (89±11) U/L respectively.The ALT and AST of the glucocorticosteroid treatment group were (76±11) U/L and (71±10) U/L respectively,ALT was (61±8) U/L and AST was (55±7) U/L in the combination treatment group.Differences among groups was statistically significant (P＜0.01).The expression of CD4+CD25+T lymphocytes was (3.0±0.8)％ in the control group,(8.5±2.9)％ in the gluco-corticosteroid treatment group,(8.4±3.5)％ in the 4-1BBmAb treatment group and was (11.2±3.5)％ in the combination treatment group.The difference was significant among the groups (P＜0.05).Conclusion 4-1BB-mAb have therapeutic effect for hepatic injury.The effectiveness will become even more evident when 4-1BB monoclonal antibodies are used together with glucocorticosteroid.During the course of treatment,4-1BBmAb and glucocorticosteroid can impact the expressions of CD4+CD25+T lymphocytes and this is the mechanism for the effectiveness in treating immune-mediated hepatic injury.

Objective:To find out the apoptosis mechanism of HT-29 colon cancer cell induced by NDGA,the lipoxygenase inhibitor in vitro.Methods:We applied respectively:RT-PCR to detect colon cancer cell’s expression of 5-LOX messenger ribonucleic acid(5-LOXmRNA) and that of messenger ribonucleic acid about human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERTmRNA)respectively,confocal laser scanning electron microscope to examine intracellular free calcium.Results:Colon cancer cell lines HT-29 showed positive expression of 5-LOXmRNA.This expression became weaker following the rise of cell’s apoptosis and so were hTERTmRNA.Intracellular Free calcium increased following the rise of cell’s apoptosis.Conclusion:The apoptosis of tumor cell is caused by a combination of factors,with 5-LOX,telomerase and free calcium all active in the course.

OBJECTIVETo construct and investigate the cell model of a novel mutation R675Q in the skeletal muscle Na channel type 4 alpha subunit gene (SCN4A) identified from a Chinese family with normokalemic periodic paralysis.

METHODScDNA encoding the adult isoform of SCN4A was used as a template for in vitro site-directed mutagenesis by PCR method. The mutated plasmid was transiently transfected into HEK-293 cells by calcium phosphate precipitation. Twenty four and 48 hours after transfection, the expression level of SCN4A was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Whole cell voltage-clamp recording was used to study the current of sodium channels.

RESULTSThe site-mutagenesis of the plasmid was confirmed by sequencing. The expression of SCN4A gene was significantly elevated 24 h and 48 h after transfection. The relative current of R675Q is smaller than that of wide type before reaching peak current under the same test voltage, but larger than that of wild type current after reaching peak current. They both had the largest peak current under 0 mV test pulse.

CONCLUSIONA cell model of normokalemic periodic paralysis was successfully constructed. The R675Q mutation of the SCN4A gene enhances the activation and inactivation of the sodium channel, and the S4 transmembrane segment may have intimate relationship with the attack of weakness in normoKPP patients.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Cell Line ; Electric Conductivity ; Family ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Mutation ; NAV1.4 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ; Paralyses, Familial Periodic ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sodium Channels ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of intensive rosuvastatin therapy on adhesion molecules in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis and explore the possible upstream mechanism.

METHODSTwenty asymptomatic patients with peripheral atherosclerosis were enrolled and given 5-20 mg/day rosuvastatin for 3 months. Before and after the treatment, the lipid profile and plasma vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels were examined. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the mononuclear cells was measured using flow cytometry, and the mRNA and protein expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the baseline levels, ICAM-1 expression decreased and PPARγ protein expression increased in the lymphocytes. Rosuvastatin therapy did not produce obvious effects on plasma VCAM-1 level or ICAM-1 expression in the monocytes in these patients.

CONCLUSIONRosuvastatin produces anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing the expression of ICAM-1 in mononuclear cells, and its upstream mechanism may involve the PPARγ pathway.

Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorobenzenes ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Monocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; PPAR gamma ; metabolism ; Pyrimidines ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Rosuvastatin Calcium ; Sulfonamides ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical and radiographic efficacy and safety of the combination of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-αt receptor Ⅱ IgG Fc fusion protein (rhTNFR:Fc) and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MethodsThirty patients with highly active RA were treated with rhTNFR:Fc (25 mg subcutaneously twice weekly) and oral MTX (up to 15 mg weekly). Clinical efficacy was assessed using ACR response criteria and the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28).Radiographs of the hands and wrists were assessed with the modified Sharp score. Chi-square test, Fisher is exact test and paired t-test were performed. ResultsAt week 52, ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 responses were achieved by 90％, 87％ and 67％ respectively. At week 52, mean DAS28 was 3.4±1.1 compared to 6.4±0.6 at base-line(P＜0.01), with 23％ patients achieving clinical remission and 17％ patients in low disease activity. Similarly, the HAQ was improved significantly, declining from 1.18±0.56 at base-line to 0.25t±0.34 at week 52 (P＜0.01). No radiographic progression was found in 22 cases. Adverse events were mild in general.ConclusionTreatment with rhTNFR:Fc plus MTX has shown good efficacy throughout 52 study period in reducing disease activity, improving function, and retarding radiographic progression. Combination therapy for 52 weeks can achieve disease remission and no radiographic progression, which are the two goals of therapy for RA.

BACKGROUND:Rapid developments in the field of bioinformatics have provided new methods for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.Artificial neural networks have powerful data computing and classification capabilities,which have shown better performance in disease diagnosis. OBJECTIVE:To establish a new diagnostic predictive model of osteoarthritis based on artificial neural network and to verify the diagnostic value of the model in osteoarthritis with an external dataset. METHODS:The eligible osteoarthritis-related data sets were downloaded through GEO database search and divided into Train group and Test group.The gene expression matrix of the Train group was analyzed to screen the differentially expressed genes.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on the differentially expressed genes.Through Lasso regression model,support vector machine model and random forest tree model,the key genes of osteoarthritis were further identified from the differentially expressed genes.The R software"Neuralnet"package was then used to construct the osteoarthritis diagnosis model based on artificial neural network,and the model performance was evaluated by the five-fold cross-validation.Two independent data sets in the Test group were used to verify their diagnostic results. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 90 differentially expressed genes related to osteoarthritis were obtained by differential analysis,of which 33 were down-regulated and 57 were up-regulated.GO enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in the following biological processes,including leukocyte-mediated immunity,leukocyte migration in bone marrow and chemokine production.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these genes were mainly enriched in rheumatoid arthritis,interleukin-17 signaling pathway and osteoclast differentiation pathway.Five key genes for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis,HMGB2,GADD45A,SLC19A2,TPPP3 and FOLR2,were identified by three machine learning methods.The artificial neural network model of five key genes in the Train group showed that the accuracy was 96.36%and the area under the curve was 0.997.The five-fold cross validation of the neural network model showed that the average area under the curve was greater than 0.9 and the model was of robustness.Two independent data sets in the Test group showed its area under the curve was 0.814 and 0.788 respectively.Therefore,the establishment of an artificial neural network model for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis has a certain diagnostic value.

Objective:To develop a deep learning model which can automatically and accurately detect osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) based on artificial intelligence.Methods:MRI images of 500 patients diagnosed with OVCF at The First People＇s Hospital of Guangzhou from January 2019 to October 2021 were collected retrospectively. There were 396 males and 204 females, with an age of (74.5±6.0) years. The T value of bone mineral density was -2.9±0.8. The fracture segments were L1 in 128 cases, L2 in 113 cases, L3 in 109 cases, L4 in 115 cases, and L5 in 108 cases. The multimodal layered converged network was used to train, test, and verify the robustness and generalization ability of a deep learning model based on MRI images of OVCF. The grad-cam was applied to visualize the results. The diagnostic value of the model for OVCF was assessed by comparing the diagnoses between the artificial intelligence model and 2 senior spinal surgeons on the MRI images of 30 OVCF patients randomized from the 500 ones.Results:Of the precise auxiliary diagnosis model for OVCF based on MRI images, the diagnostic accuracy was 96.7%, the sensitivity 93.5%, the specificity 88.9%, the positive predictive value 100.0%, and the negative predictive value 86.6%, all significantly higher than those of the 2 senior spinal surgeons (70.0%, 72.7%, 28.6%, 82.1%, and 28.6%) ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The present study has successfully established a deep learning model which can automatically and accurately diagnose OVCF based on MRI images, showing a high diagnostic efficiency than human spinal surgeons.

BACKGROUND:Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease.It is important to study the immunological changes involved in it for diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE:To identify immune-related biomarkers associated with rheumatoid arthritis utilizing bioinformatics techniques and examine alterations in immune cell infiltration as well as the relationship between immune cells and biomarkers. METHODS:Differential expression analysis was used to identify the immune-related genes that were up-regulated in rheumatoid arthritis based on the GEO and Immport databases.Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)and gene ontology(GO)enrichment analyses were used to investigate the possible function of these elevated genes.The immunological characteristic genes associated with rheumatoid arthritis were screened using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(Lasso)and support vector machine recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE).Independent datasets were used for difference validation,and the diagnostic performance was evaluated by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves for feature genes.Immune cell infiltration was used to analyze the differential profile of immune cells in rheumatoid arthritis and the correlation between the characterized genes and immune cells.In order to ascertain the causal relationship between monocytes and rheumatoid arthritis in immune cells,Mendelian randomization analysis was ultimately employed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 39 upregulated differentially expressed genes in rheumatoid arthritis.The genes were primarily enriched in chemotaxis,cytokine activity,and immune receptor activity,according to GO enrichment analysis,while kEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the genes were considerably enriched in the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and peripheral leukocyte migration.Lasso and SVM-RFE identified five feature genes:CXCL13,SDC1,IGLC1,PLXNC1,and SLC29A3.Independent dataset validation of the feature genes found them to be similarly highly expressed in rheumatoid arthritis samples,with area under the curve values greater than 0.8 for all five feature genes in both datasets.Immune cell infiltration indicated that most immune cells,including natural killer cells and monocytes,exhibited increased levels of infiltration in rheumatoid arthritis samples.The correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between memory B cells and immature B cells and these five feature genes.Correlation analysis showed that the five feature genes were positively correlated with memory B cells and immature B cells.The inverse variance weighting method revealed that monocytes were associated with the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective To compare the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation versus surgical resection in treatment of colorectal liver metastases with a maximum diameter ≤ 3 cm and a number ≤ 3, and to analyze the risk factors of recurrence. Methods The data of 97 patients with colorectal liver metastases from January 2012 to June 2016 treated at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. There were 66 males and 31 females. The patients were divided into the radiofre-quency ablation group (23 patients) and the surgical resection group ( 74 patients). The patients were followed up. The clinicopathological features of the two groups before treatment were compared. Kaplan-Meier curves were drawn, and the recurrence-free survival curve and overall survival curve of the two groups were compared by log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of recurrence. Results There were no significant differences in age, location of primary tumor, number and size of liver metastases, and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level between the two groups (P＞0. 05). On the date this study was censored, there were 50 patients who had developed recurrence in the surgical resection group and 22 patients in the ablation group, (67. 6% vs. 95. 7% ). The difference was significant (P＜0. 05). The 1-and 2-year recurrence-free survival rates were 54. 6% and 39. 0% in the surgical resection group and 39. 1% and 8. 7% in the radiofrequency ablation group, respectively. The difference was significant (P＜0. 05). There was no local recurrence in either of the two groups. There was no significant difference in the overall survival curves between the two groups (P＞0. 05). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that N 1 ～2 staging (HR=1. 908, 95% CI: 1. 094～3. 325), simultaneous liver metastasis (HR=1. 662, 95% CI: 1. 024～2. 695) and radiofrequency ablation (HR=2. 708, 95% CI: 1. 589～4. 617) were independent risk factors of recurrence for colorectal liver metastasis. Conclusions Radiofrequency ablation can achieve complete ablation in patients with colorectal liver metastases with maximum diameter ≤3 cm and number≤3, but the recurrence rate of radiofrequency ablation is significantly higher than that of surgical resection. N 1 ～2 staging, simultaneous liver metastasis and radiofrequency ablation were independent risk factors for recurrence of colorectal liver metastasis.