Dendritic cells (DCs) are uniquely well-equipped antigen (Ag)-presenting cells. This function of DCs, coupled with their remarkable plasticity, renders them attractive therapeutic targets for immune modulation. Recent data have demonstrated a promising role for pharmacologic treatment as a means of generating potent regulatory DCs. Herein, the evidence that the potential of regulatory DC the-rapy is considerable and that there are compelling reasons to evaluate it in the setting of organ transplantation in the near future are discussed in this paper.

Objective To evaluate the effects of small dose of antithymocyte globulin(ATG)and zenapax in the induction therapy for kidney transplant recipients.Methods A series of 150 cadaver-donor kidney transplant recipients were randomly divided to 3 groups,ie,small dose of ATG group(total dose,2.1 -3.0 mg/kg;n=72),zenapax group(50mg,on the first and 14th d after operation;n=15)and controls without induction therapy(n=63).Follow-up was 6 months.The rates of acute rejection,delayed graft func- tion(DGF)and pulmonary infection were statistically compared among the 3 groups.Results During a 6-month period,in ATG,zenapax and control groups,acute rejection episodes occurred in 4 cases(5.5%), 1(6.7%)and 10(15.9%),respectively;DGF occurred in 3(4.2%),0 and 8(12.7%),respectively;pul- monary infection occurred in 4(5.1%),1(6.7%)and 3(4.8%),respectively;leucocytopenia occurred in 3(4.2%),1(6.7%)and 5(7.9%),respectively;thrombocytopenia occurred in 2(2.8%),1(6.7%)and 5(7.9%),respectively.Conclusions In the early stage of kidney transplantation,small dose of ATG and zenapax can be the optimal choice for induction therapy.

20% increase in serum creatinine over the last 6 months or progression to the range of 176-308?mol/L.Patients underwent abrupt cessation of cyelosporine and sirolimus maintenance at 1-2 rag/day after administration of 4-6 mg as first loading dose.Concomitant immunosuppression remained unchanged during conversion.Results Targeted sirolimus level was 4-8 ng/mL.Serum creatinine was dropped from pre-conversion level of(242.15?73.04)?mol/L to(188.32?58.96)?mol/L and (173.36?58.08)?mol/L at 3rd and 6th month respectively(P

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of bitumen fume on neurotransmitter and ultrastructure of mice brain and to investigate the toxicity of bitumen fume on nerve system of mice brain.

METHODSThe experimental mice were forced to inhale the bitumen fume at different exposure level and in different time periods. The contents of the three transmitters dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in mice brain were measured by the fluorescence meanwhile ultrastructure of mice brain was observed by electronic microscope. The ultrastructure of mice brain was observed under transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTSThe contents of DA, NE and 5-HT in all groups decreased with the increasing of dose and prolonging of time (after 8 week, with the increasing of exposure lever, the content of DA, NE, 5-HT was respectively 2.194, 2.190, 2.181, 2.178 microg/g and 1.148, 1.138, 1.135 and 1.407, 1.403, 1.395 microg), but the results did not show significant differences. The structure of the mitochondria changes included the swollen mitochondria, chromatin margination, pyknosis and apoptosis in neuro cells and the processes of swollen astrocyte cells.

CONCLUSIONThe bitumen fume could induce changes of the ultrastructure of mice brain and affect the contents of neurotransmitter of mice brain.

Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Female ; Hydrocarbons ; toxicity ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; analysis

Objective To study the inhibitory effects of TPP,a desmosdumotin-C B ring para-fluoro modified derivative,on human breast cancer MCF-7 cell proliferation,and investigate the possible mechanisms.Methods MTT assay was used to measure the proliferation suppression of MCF-7 cells after treated with 1.0,2.5,5.0,10.0,and 20.0 μg/mL TPP for 48 h,and then the cell apoptosis rate and expression rate of NF-κB P65 positive cells were tested by flow cytometry after 20.0 μg/mL TPP treatment for 0,24,and 48 h.Results MTT assay showed that,after treatment for 48 h,1.0,2.5,5.0,10.0,and 20.0 μg/mL TPP all exhibited the inhibitory effects and showed a dose-dependent relationship.Flow cytometry results showed that 20.0 μg/mL TPP induced cell apoptosis after treatment for 24 and 48 h.TPP (20.0 μg/mL) significantly reduced the rate ofNF-κB P65-positive cells in MCF-7 cells after treatment for 48 h.Conclusion TPP could inhibit the proliferation of MCF-7 cells,which may be induced by cell apoptosis.Down-regulation of NF-κB is possible to be related with apoptosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy ; methods ; rehabilitation ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinusitis ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Recovery of Function ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the expression of polymorphonuclear leucocyte adhesive molecules CD11b/CD18 and to study the possible mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) for activating blood circulation to remove stasis in preventing vascular diseases.

METHODSForty-nine patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) but with no complications of hypertension and nephropathy were randomly divided into the treated group (26 patients treated by TCM) and the control group (23 patients treated by conventional treatment). They were treated for 3 months. The changes of urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), CD11b/CD18 expression and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentration before and after treatment were observed.

RESULTSThe CD11b/CD18 expression and TNF-alpha concentration in DM patients were higher than those of normal range (P < 0.01). After treatment, the UAER, CD11b/CD18 expression and TNF-alpha concentration lowered significantly in the treated group (P < 0.01), but unchanged in the control group. Correlation analysis showed that the lowering of UAER was positively correlated with decreasing of CD11b/CD18 (r = 0.64, P < 0.01) and TNF-alpha (r = 0.56, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONExpression of CD11b/CD18 increases in patients with DM type 2. The mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine for activating blood circulation to remove stasis in preventing vascular disease in possibly related with its effect in inhibiting CD11b/CD18 expression.

Aged ; CD11b Antigen ; biosynthesis ; blood ; CD18 Antigens ; biosynthesis ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy

RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) belong to pattern recognition receptors, which perform significant roles in antiviral responses. RLRs can initiate a cascade of signaling transduction that induces the production of type I interferon and activates the interferon signaling pathway, ultimately resulting in antiviral responses. In the course of evolution, viruses have been constantly counteracting host immune systems to facilitate their own survival and replication, and have developed a set of antagonistic strategies. These mainly comprise elusion, disguise and attack strategies to eliminate the activation of RLRs. In virus-infected cells, RLRs recognize viral RNA and then induce antiviral responses. A better understanding of viral antagonistic strategies against RLRs will provide insights into the development of new antiviral medicines. This mini-review concludes that there are three main antagonistic strategies by which RNA viruses can counteract the activation of the RLRs pathway. It aims to provide references and insights for similar studies on viral antagonism in an array of RNA viruses.
DEAD Box Protein 58 ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; genetics ; immunology ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; RNA Viruses ; genetics ; immunology ; physiology ; RNA, Double-Stranded ; genetics ; immunology ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; immunology ; Virus Diseases ; genetics ; immunology ; virology

We developed an R function named "microarray outlier filter" (MOF) to assist in the identification of failed arrays. In sorting a group of similar arrays by the likelihood of failure, two statistical indices were employed: the correlation coefficient and the percentage of outlier spots. MOF can be used to monitor the quality of microarray data for both trouble shooting, and to eliminate bad datasets from downstream analysis. The function is freely avaliable at http://www.wriwindber.org/applications/mof/.
Algorithms ; Computational Biology ; methods ; Internet ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Reproducibility of Results

Apoptosis of PK-15 cells induced by Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) in vitro was reported in this paper. Typical cell apoptosis was detected by use of Hoechst 33258 fluorescence probe, agarose gel electrophoresis and in situ end-labeling (TUNEL). After PK-15 cells were infected by titration of 4.8 lg TCID50/mL FMDV for 32 h, apoptosis characteristics of nuclear condensation, fragmentation, accompanied by apoptotic bodies formation (Hoechst 33258 staining), 180-200 integer-fold sized pieces DNA Ladders (agarose gel electrophoresis) and strong green fluorescence dots (TUNEL) were all exhibited, and cell apoptosis was approximately 20%. In addition, the quantitative analysis of apoptosis in PK-15 cells induced by FMDV showed that apoptosis was correlated with infection of virus, and it was also time-dependent. Results indicate that FMDV can induce apoptosis of host cells and apoptosis plays an important role in the cytopathogencity effect of FMDV.