Objective To investigate the features and significance of pathologic changes in apoptosis of small bowel allograft during acute rejection in rats. Methods All 24 recipients were equally divided into four groups ; group A: nonoperative control; group B: allograft ; group C: isograft, group D: treatment control. The graft samples were harvested on day 3, 5, 7, 10 after transplantation, and subjected to histologic examination . Mucosal thickness, villous height and crypt depth were measured, and apoptotic cells of intestinal mucosa of grafts on day 3,5 and 7 after transplantation were examined. Results The mucosal structure was normal in group A; The degree of the inflammatory infiltrated cells ,intestinal mucosa cell apoptosis and structural injury of mucosa in group B were significantly severe compared with groups C and D. As the post-transplanted time increased, the number of musocal apoptotic cells and the degree of mucosal structural injury were significantly increased. The degree of mucosal structural injury in group C was milder than in group B. A few infiltrated cells and mild edema of mucosa occurred in group D , but no mucosal structural injury was found. Conclusions Inflammatory cell infiltration, mucosal epithelial cell apoptosis and mucosal structural damage are the main pathologic features of small bowel allograft during acute rejection. Dynamic observation of the pathologic changes and cell apoptosis of small bowel graft is of certain value in the diagnosis of acute rejection of small bowel graft and in assessment of the degree of small bowel injury.

To study the expression of HCV non-structure 5 antigen in vitro, a human HepG2 cell line was incubated with a HCV RNA positive serum. The S ABC i mmunological techniques and gold-labeled colloid electron microscopy method wer e employed to examine for the viral proteins in those cells. The HCV non-struct ure 5 antigen was first detected in the HepG2 cells at 72 hours post incubation. The antigen was continuously observed in the cytoplasm or on the membrane as we ll on the cell wall of the HepG2 cells even after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks post incub ation. The observation of HCV non-structure 5 antigen continuously expressed in the HepG2 cells strongly indicates that the cells may have been infected by HCV virus and the virus may have replicated in the cells. Therefore, the HepG2 cell line may be served as a potential host for establishment of HCV infection and p ropagation in vitro.

OBJECTIVETo observe the expressions of Wnt/beta-catenin and the effects of tanshinone IIA (TII A) on Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in high glucose induced renal tubular epithelial cell transdifferentiation.

METHODSHuman kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) were divided into three groups, i. e., the normal glucose group, the high glucose group, and the high glucose plus tanshinone IIA group. The expression of beta-catenin was observed using immunocytochemical staining. The protein expression of beta-catenin, E-cadherin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were detected by Western blot. The mRNA levels of beta-catenin and E-cadherin were detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSCompared with the normal glucose group, both the protein and the mRNA expressions of beta-catenin were significantly enhanced (P < 0.01), the expression of E-cadherin significantly decreased (P < 0.01), the expression of beta-catenin increased in the cytoplasm and nucleus in the high glucose group. TIIA at the final concentration of 100 micromol/L significantly reduced the ectopic expression of beta-catenin. At that concentration, the protein and mRNA expressions of beta-catenin in the nucleus significantly decreased, while the protein and mRNA expressions of E-cadherin were up-regulated. Meanwhile, the expression of alpha-SMA obviously decreased.

CONCLUSIONSWnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway participated in the high glucose induced renal tubular epithelial cell transdifferentiation. TIIA inhibited the transdifferentiation process possibly through down-regulating the activities of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, thus further playing a role in renal protection.

Cadherins ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Cell Transdifferentiation ; drug effects ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; pharmacology ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Glucose ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; drug effects ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

To evaluate the effects of rhG-CSF and rhSCF on mobilization of the peripheral blood stem cells, 15 monkeys were divided into control, rhG-CSF 10 micro g/(kg x day) and rhG-CSF 10 micro g/(kg x day) + rhSCF 50 micro g/(kg x day) treated groups. Monkeys were administered with vehicle, rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF + rhSCF subcutaneously once daily for 14 days, respectively. The results showed that the highest counts of leukocyte of rhG-CSF treated group were 411% of baseline value on day 7 after administration, compared with that of rhG-CSF + rhSCF treated group which were 538% on day 9. The highest counts of leukocytes lasted for 3 days in combined treated group. CFU-GM from peripheral blood in the two groups were 8.37 and 11.75 times higher at 5 and 9 days respectively after the mobilization. It is concluded that rhG-CSF significantly increases the number of peripheral blood leukocytes and CFU-GM, and a better effect can be obtained by rhSCF + rhG-CSF combined administration.
Animals ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; drug effects ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocytes ; drug effects ; Macaca mulatta ; Male ; Recombinant Proteins ; pharmacology ; Stem Cell Factor ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects and mechanism of heat shock response (HSR) on circulatory collapse induced by hyperthermia.

METHODSTwo experiments were carried out: (1) Protective effects of HSR. Rats were divided into 2 groups: heat shock (HS) group, sham control (SC) group. After HS group was pretreated with heat shock and recovered for 20 h at room temperature, both groups were exposed to heat till death, and blood pressure, electrocardiogram were measured continuously during exposure. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), survival time etc were acquired through Chart software. (2) Mechanism of effects. Rats were divided into 3 groups: HS group, SC group and normal control (NC) group. The treatment in HS and SC groups was identical with that in the first experiment, but it would be terminated at 73 min after heat exposure. Systolic pressure (Ps), diastolic pressure (Pd) etc were recorded and content of NO and HSP70 in myocardium were measured.

RESULTS(1) The survival time in HS group [(102.3 +/- 11.4) min] was longer than that in SC group [(87.9 +/- 7.7) min] and shock revealed later (P < 0.01); (2) During early heat exposure MAP in HS group was not different from that in SC group, but after 60 min MAP in HS group were higher than that in SC group; (3) MAP, Ps, Pd, HR and HSP70 in HS group were significantly higher but content of NO was lower than those in SC group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHSR may induce upregulation of HSP70 and inhibit excessive production of NO in myocardium, thus result in relief of circulatory collapse induced by hyperthermia.

Animals ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; analysis ; Heat-Shock Response ; physiology ; Hot Temperature ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Shock ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo probe the function of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients of accumulated dampness-heat obstruction in joints syndrome (ADOJS) by detecting levels of IL-17 in serum and the synovial fluid and analyzing its correlation with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C reactive protein (CRP).

METHODSFrom January 2011 to January 2013, recruited were 90 RA inpatients of ADOJS at Department of Integrative Medical Rheumatism, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region, of which 28 patients had knee joint effusion. Besides, 30 healthy volunteers who received physical examination at our hospital were recruited as the normal control group, and 30 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) who had knee joint effusion were recruited as the synovial fluid control group. The expression levels of IL-17 in serum and the synovial fluid were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and contents of ESR and CRP were detected in RA patients. Then correlation analyses were performed between levels of IL-17 and contents of ESR and CRP.

RESULTSCompared with the normal serum control group, the expression levels of IL-17 in serum of RA patients significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the serum of RA patients and the synovial fluid of OA patients, the expression levels of IL-17 in the synovial fluid of RA patients significantly increased (P < 0.05). The expression levels of IL-17 in serum of RA patients were not correlated with ESR or CRP (r = 0.092, -0.082; P > 0.05), and the expressional levels of IL-17 in the synovial fluid of RA patients were not correlated with ESR or CRP (r = 0.113, -0.034; P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIL-17 was the main effector cytokine of Th17 cells. The expressional levels of IL-17 significantly increased in serum and the synovial fluid of RA patients of ADOJS, but with no correlation to ESR or CRP. It indicated that IL-17 participated in the occurrence and development of RA. Concrete mechanisms needed to be further proved in larger samples.

Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Synovial Fluid ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of bitter-cold herbs easing dampness method (BCHEDM) plus Sanhuang Yilong Decoction (SYD) combined with methotrexate (MTX) on expression levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-17 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients of accumulated dampness-heat syndrome (ADHS).

METHODSFrom January 2011 to January 2013 recruited were 90 RA inpatients of ADHS at Department of Integrative Medicine on Rheumatoid Disease, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region. They were assigned to the treatment group (45 cases) and the control group (45 cases) according to the random digit table produced by SPSS 11.5 Software. Patients in the treatment group were treated by heavy bitter-cold herbs plus SYD combined with MTX, while those in the control group were treated by MTX alone. Expressional levels of IL-1, IL-6, and IL-17 in serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before treatment, at week 2 and 4 after treatment. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) were detected as well.

RESULTSAfter two or four weeks of treatment, ESR, CRP, and DAS28 decreased more in the treatment group than in the control group with statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). After four weeks of treatment, IL-1, IL-6, IL-17, ESR, CRP, and DAS28 in the treatment group were all lower than before treatment and those of the control group at corresponding time points with statistical difference (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSYD combined MTX could play roles of improving inflammatory indices within 2 weeks, and inhibiting the expression of IL-1, IL-6, and IL-17 within 4 weeks.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Interleukin-1 ; blood ; Interleukin-17 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Methotrexate ; therapeutic use ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and related complications of bilateral minimally invasive transforminal lumbar interbody fusion via Quadrant channels for the treatment of single-level degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.Methods Sixty selective pa-tients with single-level mild and moderate degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis who underwent bilateral MIS-TLIF via Quadrant channels from August 2015 to May 2017 were retrospectived investigated.Operative time,blood loss,X-Ray exposure time,postoperative drainage and related complications were recorded.Lumbar functional improvement was defined as an improvement in the JOA.The VAS was also employed at pre and postoperation(6 months),to evaluate low back and leg pain.Intervertebral fusion was assessed by Bridwell evaluation criteria and the clinical outcome was assessed by the MacNab scale at 6 months.In addition,related complications also were be analyzed.Results All patients underwent a successful MIS-TLIF surgery,of whom 58 patients were followed up for 6 months.The operation time was 170~290 minutes (mean:220.17 minutes),intraoperative blood loss was 100~260 mL(mean:168.62 mL),intraoperative radiation exposure was 15~36 times (mean:25.60 times) and postoperative drainage was 50~163 mL(mean:103.43 mL).Different significance between 6 months post-operative follow-up and pre-operation was exhibited (P<0.05) in VAS scores (t=34.97,P=0.000).At 6 months post-operative follow-up,there were significant differences(P<0.05) compared with pre-operation in JOA scores(t=36.91,P=0.000).At 6 months post-operative follow-up,21 cases of grade 1 and 37 cases of grade 2 fusion were present as determined by the Bridwell evaluation criteria(100% fusion).MacNab scale as-sessment classified 2 patients having excellent clinical outcome and 54 patients in good clinical outcome(96.55% of patients had good to excel-lent results).Amomg 60 cases,complications observed in 6 patients,direct injuries to nerve root in 1 case,dural tears occurred in 1 case,super-ficial wound infection in 1 case,pedicle screw was pulled out during the reduction of slip because of severe osteoporosis in 1 case and leg numb-ness and pain in 2 cases. Conclusion Bilateral MIS-TLIF via Quadrant channels with less complications is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of single segment degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis,but potential complications should be prevented as well.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the cause of disease, treatment and therapeutic effect in patients with rhegmatogenous retina detachment (RRD) combined with non-secondary glaucoma. METHODS: Clinical data of 28 patients with RRD combined with primary or congenital glaucoma were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-five out of the 28 patients succeeded with one operation (89.3%). The intraocular pressure of post-operation:on the 1st day was 10 approximately 46 (28.1+/-6.5) mmHg, on the 7th day was (18.9+/-7.2) mmHg, and on the last re-examination day was (17.6+/-6.2) mmHg. Anti-glaucoma operation was performed in 10 patients after the retinal operation. Chroidal hemorrhage was found in 2 patients and 2 chroidal exudations were found after the retinal operation. CONCLUSION The proportion of primary open angle glaucoma is higher than that of primary angle closure glaucoma, and trauma or surgery before the retinal operation is an important cause in glaucoma patients with RRD. There is no obvious difference in the ratio of surgical success between non-secondary glaucoma with RRD and those RRD patients without glaucoma. Vitreotomy+ silicon oil injection or drainage of subretinal fluid+air injection+cryocoagulation+explants is recommended. Chroid is easily involved. It is important to control the intraocular pressure during and after the surgery. The final visual acuity is rather poor, which may be related to the glaucoma and intraocular pressure.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Glaucoma ; complications ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retinal Detachment ; complications ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

OBJECTIVETo study the specific cellular immune response induced by a recombinant HBV DNA vaccine and evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of this vaccine against HBV.

METHODSA series of HBV epitopes were screened and the optimal combinations of these gene fragments identified to construct the target gene HS which incorporated appropriate flanking sequences. HS was inserted in pVAX1 to construct the recombinant plasmid PVAX-HS. Generation of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by PVAX-HS in HLA-A2 mice was observed by 51Cr assay and the activity of the CTLs evaluated using ELISPOT assay.

RESULTSPVAX-HS was constructed successfully, which induced specific CTLs with strong activities after immunization in mice as compared with the control group that yielded negative results.

CONCLUSIONPVAX-HS DNA immunization can induced specific cellular immune response in mice, suggesting the potential therapeutic effect of this HBV vaccine.

Animals ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; genetics ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunization ; methods ; Interferon-gamma ; biosynthesis ; Mice ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; metabolism ; Vaccines, DNA ; genetics ; immunology