Accidents, Occupational ; Acute Disease ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Sulfuric Acid Esters ; poisoning

Objective Severe acute respiratory syndrome is recently emerged infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, but its immmunopathological mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. Method We established the SARS animel model and investigated changes in plasma inflammatoy cytokines monkeys and rats. 8 monkeys with PCR and antibody positive were detected. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin(IL)-6,IL-10,Th-1 cytokine,interferon(INF)-? and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA).Result The concentration of IL-10 and TNF-?were not significantly different in model and control group.IL-6 showed marked elevation of at least 10 days, and there was a positive relationship between the level of IL-6 and pulmonary pathological changes. The INF-? level decreased. Conclusion The result of sera level of SARS animal model avoid the disturbance of anti-viral drug and corticosteroid, it suggest that there are different immunoregulatory events during SARS and may contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis.

Objective To explore the impact of systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (SL) in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Methods The data on 188 patients with FIGO stageⅢC epithelial ovarian cancer were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients underwent primary debulking surgery and then received platinum-based chemotherapy. The patients were divided into SL group and non-systematic lymphadenectomy (USL) group. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were analyzed. Results PFS and OS were higher in SL group than in USL group (36 versus 17 months and P = 0.022; 58 versus 52 months and P = 0.041). Univariate analysis showed that both SL and optimal debulking surgery were the independent prognostic factors , but multivariate analysis indicated that optimal debulking surgery was the only independent prognostic factor. However , for 143 patients without enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes , multivariate analysis showed that either SL or optimal debulking surgery were the independent prognostic factor (P = 0.040 and P = 0.014). Conclusions Optimal debulking surgery is helpful in improvement of the survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. For patients without enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes, SL still has a positive effect on the prognosis.

Adult ; Ejaculatory Ducts ; surgery ; Genital Diseases, Male ; surgery ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; adverse effects ; Iatrogenic Disease ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; Male ; Prostatitis ; therapy ; Urethra

Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; virology

Adaptive Immunity ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; chemistry ; immunology ; Influenza A virus ; chemistry ; immunology ; Male

ObjectiveTo seek experimental evidence of epidermal barrier dysfunction in psoriasis,and to provide a basis for adjuvant therapy of psoriasis.MethodsPhysiometric methods were used to determine the value of sebum content,transepidermal water loss(TEWL) and water content of stratum corneum in 60 patients with psoriasis and 48 normal human controls.The ultrastructure of lamellar bodies was observed with transmission electron microscopy,and the expression of acid ceramidase in normal skin and psoriatic lesions was detected by using immunohistochemical techniques.ResultsCompared with the normal skin,TEWL value was increased(P ＜ 0.01),but water content of stratum corneum decreased(P ＜ 0.01 ) in psoriatic lesions,and sebum content was similar between normal skin and psoriatic lesions.As electron microscopy showed,lamellar bodies in keratinocytes were reduced in number with a disorganized arrangement and irregular size in psoriatic lesions.The expression of acid ceramidase also decreased in psoriatic epidermis.Conclusions The function of epidermal barrier in psoriasis is impaired,and to restore epidermal barrier function and enhance hydration may serve as an important adjuvant therapy of psoriasis.

Objective To evaluate the effects of Prinsepia utilis Royle oil (PURO) on the synthesis of ceramide and expression of acid ceramidase N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase 1 (ASH1),and to explore the mechanisms underlying its moisturizing and skin barrier-repairing effects.Methods Keratinocytes from human foreskin tissue were classified into 2 groups to be cultured in keratinocyte-serum free medium (K-SFM) with or without the presence of PURO.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure the level of ceramide in the culture supernatant of keratinocytes at 0,3,8,24 and 48 hours.The back of nude mice was divided into 4 areas,i.e.,test area,matrix area,blank control area and negative control area.Acetone and ether were used to destroy the epidermal barrier in the test,matrix,and blank control areas,then,the former 2 areas were topically treated with emulsions containing 1％ PURO and matrix,respectively,and the blank control area remained untreated.The epidermal barrier remained intact and untreated in the negative control area.Noninvasive methods were used to determine transepidermal water loss (TEWL),epidermal moisture content and skin lipid content in these areas on day 0,1,3,and 7.Skin tissue was obtained from these areas on day 0 and 7 followed by an immunohistochemical study for the quantification of ASH1 expression.Results The level of supernatant ceramide increased with time in the PURO-treated keratinocytes,which was significantly higher at 24 hours and 48 hours than at 0 hour (1.3817 ± 0.100 and 1.3737 ± 0.047 vs.0.7630 ± 0.143,both P ＜ 0.05).The supernatant ceramide was also elevated in the PURO-treated keratinocytes compared with untreated keratinocytes at 24 and 48 hours (both P ＜ 0.05).Noninvasive skin tests showed a gradual decrease in the TEWL,but an increase in the epidermal moisture content and skin lipid content with time in the 3 epidermal barrier-destroyed areas.As far as the test area was concerned,TEWL value was significantly lower on day 3 and 7 than on day 0 (10.85 ± 0.64 and 8.01 ± 0.58 vs.12.65 ± 0.71,both P ＜ 0.05),while a significant increment was observed in the skin lipid content on day 3 and 7 compared with day 0 (29.14 ± 0.40 and 31.30 ± 0.88 vs.27.02 ± 0.65,both P ＜ 0.05),as well as in the epidermal moisture content on day 1,3 and 7 compared with day 0 (13.98 ± 0.28,15.00 ± 0.38 and 15.86 ± 0.18 vs.11.74 ± 0.62,all P＜ 0.05).On day 7,there was a statistical decline in TEWL value,but an elevation in epidermal moisture content,skin lipid content and ASH1 expression in the test area compared with the matrix area and blank control area (all P ＜ 0.05).Also,the expression of ASH1 was upregulated on day 7 compared with day 0 in the 3 barrier-destroyed areas (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion PURO may exert skin-moisturizing and barrier-repairing effects by enhancing the synthesis of ceramide and expression of acid ceramidase ASH1.

Objective To investigate the correlation of epidermal distribution of lamellar bodies and expression of ceramidase with skin barrier dysfunction in polymorphous light eruption.Methods Forty-seven patients with polymorphous light eruption and 40 healthy volunteers were recruited into this study.Noninvasive instruments were used to measure skin sebum content,transepidermal water loss(TEWL)and water content in stratum corneum in all of the subjects.Then,tissue specimens were obtained from the lesions at sunexposed sites in the patients and normal skin of the healthy volunteers.The ultrastructure and distribution of lamellar bodies were observed with transmission electron microscopy in five lesion and control specimens.Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of ceramidase in the tissue specimens.Results Compared with the normal skin from healthy volunteers,the lesions from patients showed decreased number of lamellar bodies in the granular layer and prick cell layer with a disorganized arrangement.Ceramidase was positively expressed in 20 lesion specimens and 36 normal control specimens,weakly expressed in 21 lesion specimens and 4 normal control specimens,and negative in 6 lesion specimens; there was a significant difference in the expression of ceramidase between the lesion specimens and normal control specimens(P ＜ 0.01).The lesions also showed high TEWL(34.2191 ± 12.70 vs.16.8350 ± 6.50,P ＜ 0.01),lower water content in stratum corneum(22.7319 ± 8.71 vs.29.4250 ± 5.08,P ＜ 0.01)and similar skin sebum content compared with the normal skin.Conclusions There is a disturbance in the synthesis of ceramide in patients with polymorphous light eruption,which may contribute to the impairment of skin barrier.

Objective To investigate the relationship of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2 and 4 with the occurrence of chloasma.Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 40 patients with chloasma and 40 healthy human controls,and skin samples were also collected from the lesions of 10 of the patients and normal skin of 10 of the healthy controls.Real time (RT)-PCR was performed to measure the mRNA expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in skin lesions and blood samples.An immunohistochemical test was conducted to observe the expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in skin lesions.Statistical analysis was carried out by t test.Results The expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNAs were both significantly higher in skin lesions of the patients than in normal skin of the controls (9.72 ± 2.93 vs.5.10 ± 2.69,t =3.67,P＜ 0.01; 9.52 ± 2.88 vs.4.77 ± 1.90,t =4.36,P＜ 0.01),while no significant difference was found in the mRNA expressions of TLR2 or TLR4 in peripheral blood between the patients and controls (both P ＞ 0.05).As the immunohistochemical test revealed,TLR2 was absent in both the epidermis and vascular endothelial cells in 6 normal control skin samples,weakly expressed in the basal layer of the epidermis but absent in vascular endothelial cells in 4 normal skin samples,and no TLR4 expression was observed in either the epidermis or vascular endothelial cells in these control skin samples.Among the 10 skin samples from chloasma lesions,3 showed TLR2 expression in the whole epidermis,7 in both basal cell layer and prickle cell layer but not in vascular endothelial cells in the superficial dermal layer,all showed strong TLR4 expression in the basal cell layer and weak TLR4 expression in the prickle cell layer,and 3 exhibited TLR4 expression in vascular endothelial cells in the superficial dermal layer.Conclusion TLR-mediated immune responses in local skin might be related to the occurrence of chloasma.