ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of nicotine on the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines and transcription factor T-bet/GATA-3 in cultured CD4+ T of rat sensitized by ovalbumin.Methods Two weeks after immunization by ovalbumin,splenic CD4+ T cells of Wistar rat were purified using CD4+T cell enrichment kit.Purified CD4+ T cells of rat were cultured and divided into 4 groups:a control group,1 μg/ml nicotine stimulated group,10 μg/ml nicotine stimulated group,100 μg/ml nicotine stimulated group.These cells,in their groups,were stimulated with or without nicotine and were all challenged simultaneously with OVA.Supernatants and cell pellets were harvested after being stimulated for 24 h.The concentration of IFN-γ and IL-4 in supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Real-time PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression of T-bet and GATA-3 in CD4+T cells.Results ( 1 ) IFN-γproduction was significantly decreased in all nicotine treated groups [ ( 113.78±6.06) ng/L,(70.31±7.26) ng/L,(20.00±2.14) ng/L] compared with the control group[ (142.30± 5.89) ng/L],and the level of IL-4 was significantly increased in all nicotine treated groups [ (69.49±3.91) ng/L,(93.63±4.56) ng/L,(50.97±3.07) ng/L] compared with the control group[ (36.91±3.24) ng/L].(2) Expression of T-bet mRNA in all nicotine treated groups(0.73±0.03,0.57±0.04,0.31 ±0.00) was lower than that in the control group(0.98±0.09),but expression of GATA-3 mRNA in all nicotine treated groups (4.31±0.26,5.16±0.23,1.56±0.14) was significantly higher than that in the control group(1.00±0.07).Conclusion Nicotine may play a key role in the development of Th2-type allergic inflammation in asthma by promoting over-expression of GATA-3 mRNA and downregulating the expression of T-bet mRNA.

ObjectiveTo explore the influence of the cigarette smoke in the airway inflammation and pulmonary function of the asthmatic patients. MethodsTwenty-five cases of asthmatic patients with cigarette smoke exposure, 22 cases of asthmatic patients without cigarette smoke exposure and 20 cases of normal control persons were involved in this study. The proportion of various inflammatory cells in the induced sputum, the levels of serum interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-4 and lung function (FEV1％ expected value,FEV1/ＦVC％ ) were detected. ResultsThe infiltrating of neutrophils was primarily found in sputum of the asthmatic patients with cigarette smoke exposure, but the infiltrating of eosinophils was mainly in sputum of the asthmatic patients without cigarette smoke exposure. The levels of serum IL-8 and IL-4 of peripheral blood of asthmatic patients with cigarette smoke exposure[(277.02 ±71.37), (171.69 ±31.01) ng/L] were significantly higher than those in asthmatic patients without cigarette smoke exposure[(158.88 ± 21.95 ),( 111.42 ± 21.69 ) ng/L] and normal control persons [( 116.78 ± 71.37 ), (73.94 ± 15.72 ) ng/L] (P ＜ 0.01 ).The FEV1％ expected value and FEV1/FVC％ of the asthmatic patients with cigarette smoke exposure [(51.12 ± 13.30) ％, ( 49.16 ± 11.09 )％] was lower than those of asthmatic patients without cigarette smokeexposure [(81.81 ± 5.82)％, (79.00 ± 3.86)％] and normal control persona [(95.50 ± 10.11 )％, (83.18 ±6.04)％] (P ＜ 0.01 ). The level of serum IL-8 was positively correlated to the neutrophils percentage in the induced sputum (r =0.742,P＜ 0.01 ) ,while negatively correlated to the FEV1％ expected value(r =-0.739,P ＜ 0.01 ). ConclusionCigarette smoke may influence the airway inflammation of the asthmatic patients and accelerate the deterioration of their lung function by promoting the producing of IL-8.

Objective: Serum pleiotrophin(PTN) is closely related to tumor,particularly to lung cancer.Many studies focused on PTN recently.This study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of PTN,Cyfra21-l and CEA tests independently or in a combined style in lung cancer.Methods: Sixty-one patients with lung cancer and 17 patients with benign lung lesion disease all received PTN,Cyfra21-l and CEA tests before the treatment.They were compared with pathological results,and then we calculated the diagnostic value of each method and the combined styles.Results: The sensitivity of PTN together with Cyfra21-l and CEA tests is 95.08% and it is the highest among the methods.Conclusion: PTN together with Cyfra21-l and CEA tests has a important diagnostic value through mutual complementation in detecting lung cancer.

Objective To evaluate the effect of the activity of Ca2+/CaN-NFATc on the activation and prolfferation of lymphocyte in asthmatic rats.Methods The rats of the asthma group and the CsA group were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin.So did the control group with saline instead.Lymphocyte was separated from spleen and cultured for 24 hours,and PHA-p (5 μg/ml) was added to the culture medium in every group,CsA ( 1.0 μg/ml) was added to the CsA group,respectively.The concentration of [ Ca2+ ] i,the activity of CaN,the protein expression of dephosphorylated NFATc and Cyclin E in T lymphocyte were assayed.The level of IL-4 and IL-2 in culture supernatants was measured,and the cell cycle distribution of lymphocyte was analyzed.ResultsWhen compared to the control group,the activity of Ca2+/CaN-NFATc [ (81.21 4-14.39) vs (63.66 ±9.02) ] was increased and the protein expression of CyclinE [ (0.9327 ±0.0370) vs (0.8374 ±0.0637) ] was higher in Lymphocyte of the asthma group ( P＜0.05,P ＜0.01,respectively).The percentage of lymphocyte in the S phase [ (7.8600±2.8241) vs (4.0270 ± 1.8650) ] and S + G2/M phase [ ( 10.6700±3.3850) vs (5.8740 ± 1.4389) ] was higher;however,the percentage of G0/G1 phase [ (89.3300 ± 3.3850) vs (94.1260± 1.4389 )] was lower in asthma group ( all P ＜ 0.01 ).The level of IL-4 [ ( 1.55 ± 0.19) pg/ml vs (0.99 ± 0.12 ) pg/ml ] and the IL-4/ IL-2 ratio [ (0.81 ±0.12) vs (0.49 ±0.49) ] in culture supernatants of the asthma group were higher than those of the control group ( all P ＜0.01 ).While the activity of Ca2+/CaN-NFATc (47.19 ±7.16)was decreased and the protein expression of Cyclin E (0.6840 ± 0.0485 ) was reduced in lymphocyte in CsA group(all P ＜0.01 ),the percentage of lymphocyte in the S phase (4.8600 ± 1.9595) and S + G2/M phase (7.9900 ± 1.9405) was decreased and the percentage of G0/G1 phase (92.2100 ± 1.9267) was increased ( all P ＜ 0.05 ),and the level of IL-4 (0.47 ± 0.09 ) pg/ml and the ratio of IL-4/ IL-2 (0.78 ±0.20) was lower in culture supernatants in the CsA group than that of the asthma group( all P ＜ 0.01 ).There was a positive correlation between the protein expression of dephosphorylated NFATc and the protein expression of CyclinE in Lymphocyte,so did between the protein expression of NFATc and the level of IL-4 in culture supernatants( r =0.711,P ＜0.01 and r =0.749,P ＜0.01.respectively).Conclusions The activity of Ca2+/CaN-NFATc was increased in lymphocyte of the asthmatic rats.Its increasing might result in the imbalance of Th1/Th2 by promoting the expression of IL-4 and might lead to the proliferation of lymphocyte by promoting the Cyclin E expression.

Objective To investigate the impact of cigarette smoking on inflammatary factors in sputum including cell component,IL-8 and eotaxin,and the effect on responses to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)in patients with asthma.Methods Thirty-eight outpatients with chronic stable asthma who visited from January 2009 to February 2010 were enrolled in the study.Twenty-three cases were nonsmokers and 15 cases were smokers.All of them were treated by daily inhaled budesonide,and[32 agonist when necessary.Induced sputum eosinophil and neutrophil proportion were measured,and the levels of interleukin(IL-8)and eotaxin in induced-sputum by enzymatic immunoassay(ELISA)were compared between non-smoking and smoking asthmatic patients.Results The eosinophil proportion was(2.0 ± 0.4)％ in smokers and(4.6 ± 2.5)％ in nonsmokers before therapy,and(1.1 ± 0.5)％ in smokers and(1.8 ± 0.6)％ in nonsmokers after therapy.The difference was statistical significant(F =15.271,P ＜ 0.05).The eotaxin was(3.5 ± 2.1)× 10-3 mg/L insmokers and(8.6 + 2.3)x 10-3 mg/L in nonsmokers before therapy,and(3.1 + 1.5)x 10-3 mg/L insmokers)and(3.6 ± 1.3)x 10-3 mg/L in nonsmokers after therapy.There was statistical significant(F =24.172,P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant difference on neutrophil proportion and IL-8 before and after treatment(F =1.563 and 1.793,respectively,Ps ＞ 0.05).Neutrophil proportion(F =9.632,P ＜ 0.05)and IL-8(F =5.720,P ＜ 0.05)in smokers were significantly higher than non-smokers,whereas eosinophil proportion (F =15.879,P ＜ 0.05)and eotaxin(F =12.365,P ＜ 0.05)in smokers were significantly lower than nonsmokers.Conclusion There was a significantly increase in inflammatary cells andfactors in induced-sputum in two groups after ICS treatment,but the effect in smokers was lower than in non-smokers.Neutrophil proportion and IL-8 were higher in induced sputum in smokers,whereas eosinophil proportion and eotaxin were higher in non-smokers.

AIM:To observe the expression of cyclin E in the lungs of asthmatic rats and to evaluate the role of cyclin E in airway remodeling with asthma. METHODS:Twenty Wistar rats were randomized to the asthma group and control group (10 rats in each group). The rats were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin to establish the asthmatic model. Airway inflammation was observed by HE staining. The thickness of the bronchial wall (WA/Pi) was measured by computer-assisted image analysis system. The cell cycle distribution of monocytes in peripheral blood was analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression of cyclin E was detected by realtime RT-PCR. The protein expression of cyclin E was assayed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:The thickness of the bronchial wall in asthma group was significantly higher than that in control group (P

AIM: To investigate the expression of interleukin-13 (IL-13) in lung tissue of rat asthmatic model and effect of triptolide on expression of IL-13. METHODS: A asthmatic model was established and inflammation changes of lung tissues were examined by haematoxylin-eosin staining. Reverse transcriptio polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to semiquantitate the expression of IL-13 mRNA, and enzyme-linked-immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect protein level of IL-13. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the count of EOS, the expression of IL-13 mRNA and IL-13 protein level in lung tissue of asthmatic rats compared with those of triptolide-treated rats (P0.05). The expression of IL-13 mRNA and IL-13 protein level in triptolide-treated rats were significant lower than that of asthmatic rats (P

Objective To control the image quality and to optimize the scan protocols of 64 multi-slice CT coronary imaging by analyzing factors that influence the image quality.Methods Seventy-eight patients with known or suspected CAD underwent CT coronary angiography using 64 multi-slice CT.The image quality in those cases was analyzed retrospectively to derive the optimized scan protocols.The application value of the override function was discussed.The dependency of cardiac reconstruction algorithms and corresponding image quality on patient heart rates was analyzed.In addition,the relationship between heart rate and the contrast-enhancement effect was studied.Results(1)Correct use of override function could improve the quality of cardiac images.(2)For patients with heart rates below 70 beats per minute,the image quality of single-segment reconstruction was satisfactory.For patients with heart rates between 70 and 79 beats per minute,the scores of images reconstructed with two-segments were better than that of single-segment reconstruction.(3)In the group with averaged heart rate of 60.7 beats per minute,the forecast contrast quantity of 70 ml was judged insufficient in 65.7%(23/35)cases;while for the group with averaged heart of 71.1 beats per minute,52.9%(18/34)cases were enhanced well.Conclusion The use of override function,correct segment mode and appropriate contrast quantity could be selected according to the heart rate,which could improve the image quality and reliability.

Objective To investigate the most appropriate low radiation dose in multi-slice CT (MSCT) scans for orbital trauma patients. Methods Thirty trauma patients with suspected orbital fractures who underwent helical CT scans with a 64-MSCT using regular dose were selected. Noise was artificially introduced to the axial images using an image space noise addition tool to simulate 6 sets of lower dose scans with tube current of 30, 70, 100, 140, 170 and 200 mA, respectively. The lowest tube current with adequate image quality for confident diagnosis was determined based on the evaluation of the overall image quality and fracture detection on images at different dose levels. The determined lowest tube current was then validated using clinical scans. Radiation dose related parameters CTDIvol, DLP, ED were also recorded.Image quality was evaluated according to its low-density resolution, noise and structure clarity and characterized into 5-grades of excellent, good, fair, worse and worst Rank sum test and X2 test were wsed for statistics. Results In 30 trauma patients with regular dose of 300 mA, there were 30 cases of orbital fracture, 19 cases of intraorbital emphysema, 12 cases of ocular muscle injury and 1 case of intraorbital foreign body. These changes could still be clearly observed and correctly diagnosed when the tube current was reduced to as low as 70 mA. However, the overall image quality was mostly fair. At the simulated dose of 100 mA, the majority of images were characterized as excellent or good, and there was no statistical difference compared with that of regular dose scans (P > 0.05 ) . In the clinical evaluation for 20 orbital trauma patients with the reduced tube current of 100 mA, the majority of images were judged to be excellent (9 cases) or good(17 cases) and fair (4 cases). The radiation dose(0. 29 mSv) was reduced by 70% compared with that of regular tube current of 300 mA(0. 86 mSv). Conclusion The tube current of MSCT may be used as low as 100 mA in orbital trauma patients to reduce radiation dose and keep the image quality diagnosable.

Objective To evaluate the activity of Ca2+ /CaN-NFATc, and study its association with the imbalance of TH1/ TH2 in asthmatic rat lungs. Methods Twenty-four Wistar rats were random divided to the asthma group and control group, twelve rats each group. The rats were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin to establish the asthmatic model. The pulmonary function of rats was surveyed and evaluated u-sing Maclab system. Airway inflammation and the thickness of bronchial wall ( WAt/Pi) were observed by H. E staining. The quantity of Ca2+ , the activity of CaN , the protein expression of dephosphorylated NFATc and the level of IL-4 and IL-2 were assayed.Results Compared with control group, the thickness of bronchial wall was significantly increased ( t = -7. 99, P <0. 01), the airway resistance was higher( t = 2.59, P <0.05) and the respiration frequency was faster( t =7.94, P <0.01) ,but the minute ventilation volume was lower( t =6. 87, P <0.01) in asthma group. The levels of IL-4 and the IL-4/ IL-2 ratio in rat lungs of asthma group were significantly higher than those in control group ( t = -8.69, P <0. 01; t = 11.40, P <0. 01 .respectively) , however, the levels of IL-2 in asthma group were lower than that in control group ( t =8. 29, P <0. 01). The activity of CaN and the protein expression of dephosphorylated NFATc in asthma group were higher than those in control group( t = -2. 91, P <0.01; t = -22.45, P <0.01,respectively) ,but the quantity of Ca2+ in asthma group was lower than that in control group( t =4. 747, P < 0.01). There wag a positive correlation between the activity of CaN and the protein expression of dephos-phorylated NFATc( r =0. 39, P <0.05) ,so did between the protein expression of dephosphorylated NFATc and the IL-4/ IL-2 ratio( r =0. 83-, P <0.01) ,and the same between the thickness of bronchial wall and the IL-4/ IL-2 ratio( r = 0. 84, P < 0.01). Conclusions The activity of CaN-NFATc was increased in rat lungs of asthma group, and the rising of which might increase the ratio IL-4/ IL-2. Thus, the signal of CaN-NFATc probably took part in the imbalance of TH1/ TH2 in asthmatic rat lungs.