Objective To investigate the expression and significance of Peripheral blood of Toll-like receptor-4 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 in patients with essential hypertension. Methods We selected 35 patients with hypertension and 20 healthy people.We used flow cytometry to investigate TLR4 expression levels, and ELISA to detect the expression of CTLA-4. Results TLR4 expression in peripheral blood of patients with hypertension was (8.63 ±1.16)%, significantly higher (5.27 ± 1.25)%.The difference was statistically significant (t = 6.16,P < 0.05); CTLA-4 expression in peripheral blood of patients with hypertension was significantly higher (P<0.05); Hypertensive patients with CTLA-4 positive rate and TC, LDL-C was positively correlated (P<0.05); TLR4 and CTLA-4 was positive correlation (r = 0.886,P < 0.05). Conclusions TLR4 and CTLA-4 were high expression in hypertensive patients with hypertension,and related to hypertension.

Objective Although heart transplantation (HTx) has become a standard therapy for end-stage heart diseases,experience with pediatric HTx is limited in China.In this article,we will try to provide the experience with indications,complications,perioperative management,immunosuppressive therapy,and survival for pediatric HTx based on our clinical work.Method This is a retrospective chart review of the pediatric patients undergoing HTx at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Union Hospital from September 2008 to December 2015.We summarized the indications,surgical variables,postoperative complications,and survival for these patients.Result Twenty-three pediatric patients presented for HTx at Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College,of whom 12 were male.The age at the time of transplantation ranged from 3 months to 18years (median 14 years).Patient weight ranged from 5.2 kg to 57.0 kg (median 36.0 kg).Pretransplant diagnosis included cardiomyopathy (16 cases),complex congenital heart disease (5cases) and tumors (2 cases).All recipients received ABO compatible donor hearts.Postoperative complications occurred in 14 patients,including cardiac dysfunction,arrhythmia,pulmonary infection,renal dysfunction,and rejection.Two of them experienced cardiac failure and required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.The immunosuppression regimen was comprised of prednisone,a calcineurin inhibitor,and mycophenolate.All patients recovered with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class Ⅰ Ⅱ cardiac function and were discharged.Only one patient suffered sudden death 19 months after transplantation.Conclusion Orthotopic HTx is a promising therapeutic option with satisfactory survival for the pediatric population in China with end-stage heart disease.

Studies of biological feedback (BF) for the treatment of chronic prostatitis (CP) are occasionally reported have exhibited some related problems. This article presents an evaluation of the published literature on the BF treatment of CP at home and abroad in the aspects of instrument, method, application, effect, function, and mechanism. UROSTYMTM and MyoTrac are often employed and their operating paths are basically the same. NIH prostate symptom scores, urinary function, pain, sexual function, immune function, prostate fluid, and other indicators are generally used for the analysis of the effects of BF alone or in combination with other therapies on CP and its related symptoms. Either BF alone or BF combined with other therapies can promote urination, reduce pain, improve the quality of life, attenuate inflammation, improve sexual function, adjust immunity, and lessen physical and chemical stimulation. However, the relevant literature is of low quantity and quality, the reported studies are not standardized, and exploration of the action mechanisms is neglected.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis ; therapy ; Quality of Life

Objective:To explore the relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and periodontitis. Methods: 498 subjects were recruited in this study and were divided into three groups: mild periodontitis group (77, 15.5%), moderate periodontitis group (143, 28.7%), and severe periodontitis group (278, 55.8%). Clinical examination indexes included probing depth (PD), attachment loss (AL), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), plaque index (PLI) and the level of the alveolar resorption. Lung function of each subjects were also examined. Results: The levels of AL, PLI and alveolar resorption in COPD group were higher than non-COPD group. Significant differences of "FEV1% pre"(F=3.59,P=0.028) and "FEV1/FVC"(F=4.84,P=0.008) were found among different degrees of periodontitis. Negative relationship was found between the level of "FEV1% pre" and the periodontal index (AL, PLI, alveolar resorption), and the same relationship was found for "FEV1/FVC". Conclusion: Correlation is found between COPD and the periodontitis index (AL, PLI, alveolar resorption).

Objective To investigate the expression of osteopontin and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9),and the relationship of osteopontin and MMP9 in malignant melanoma.Methods Expression of osteopontin and MMP9 was measured by immunohistochemical SP method in 23 patients with primary cuta- neous malignant melanoma,17 patients with metastatic melanoma and 20 patients with pigmented nevus. Results Osteopontin and MMP9 were expressed respectively in 87.5% and 75.0% of 40 malignant melanoma specimens,15.0% and 10.0% of 20 pigmented nevus specimens.The expression of both osteo- pontin and MMP9 was significantly higher (both P＜0.05) in malignant melanoma than in pigmented ne- vus.There was no correlation between the expression of osteopontin and MMP9,with age,sex,lymph node metastasis or location of lesions (P＞0.05).Twenty-nine cases were positive for both osteopontin and MMP9,4 negative for either osteopontin or MMP9.Conclusion Both osteopontin and MMP9 were over- expressed in malignant melanoma,but neither was related to lymph node metastasis.

Objective To observe the effects of radiation on the growth and expression of cysteine-rich 61(Cyr61/CCN1) of L929 cells and investigate the relationship between CCN1 expression and radiation injury.Methods L929 cells were cultured and divided into 2 groups,cells irradiated with 4 Gy ?-irradiation as radio-group and untreated cells as control group.The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and plate colony formation testing.Flow cytometry was utilized to quantify the cell cycle distribution.CCN1 expression at protein and mRNA levels were determined by immunocytochemistry(ICC) and RT-PCR respectively.Results Significant inhibition of proliferation(P

DNA Fingerprinting ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Homicide ; Humans ; Mitochondria

Thrombus is a major factor leading to cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Although fibrinolytic anti-thrombotic drugs have been widely used in clinical practice, they are still limited by narrow therapeutic windows, short half-lives, susceptibility to inactivation, and abnormal bleeding caused by non-targeting. Therefore, it is crucial to effectively deliver thrombolytic agents to the site of thrombus with minimal adverse effects. Based on the long blood circulation and excellent drug-loading properties of human serum albumin (HSA), we employed genetic engineering techniques to insert a functional peptide (P-selectin binding peptide, PBP) which can target the thrombus site to the N-terminus of HSA. The fusion protein was expressed using Pichia pastoris and purified by Ni-chelating affinity chromatography. After being loaded with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), the fusion protein formed homogeneous and stable nanoparticles (named as PBP-HSA@Au) with a diameter of 17.7 ± 1.0 nm and a zeta potential of -11.3 ± 0.2 mV. Cytotoxicity and hemolysis tests demonstrated the superb biocompatibility of PBP-HSA@Au. Platelet-targeting experiments confirmed the thrombus-targeting ability conferred by the introduction of PBP into PBP-HSA@Au. Upon near-infrared ray (NIR) irradiation, PBP-HSA@Au rapidly converted light energy into heat, thereby disrupting fibrinogen and exhibiting outstanding thrombolytic efficacy. The designed HSA fusion protein delivery system provides a precise, rapid, and drug-free treatment strategy for thrombus therapy. This system is characterized by its simple design, high biocompatibility, and strong clinical applicability. All animal experiments involved in this study were carried out under the protocols approved by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of Jiangnan University [JN. No20230915S0301015(423)].

PURPOSE: T helper (Th) 17 cells play a critical role in the development of asthma, but the underlying mechanism of how interleukin (IL)-17 is regulated in allergic airway inflammation is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of Bcl11b on Th17 response in asthma. METHODS: Blood samples from patients with mild asthma (MA) and severe asthma (SA) were collected. Expression of Bcl11b, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17A and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 were determined in CD4+ T cells and plasma by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Relative mRNA and protein levels of Bcl11b, IL-17A and genes involved in the TGF/Smad signaling pathway were examined by PCR, ELISA and western blot analysis in house dust mite (HDM)-challenged mice. Ectopic expression of Bcl11b in HDM-stimulated primary mouse splenocytes was achieved by nucleofection of Bcl11b expression plasmid. RESULTS: We found significantly decreased Bcl11b but increased IL-17A and TGF-β1 expression in patients with asthma and a strongly negative correlation between Bcl11b and these 2 cytokines in SA patients. Similar expression patterns of Bcl11b, IL-17A and TGF-β1 were also found in mice with HDM-induced allergic airway inflammation. We demonstrated further that Smad2/3 phosphorylation was increased in HDM-challenged mice and that ectopic expression of Bcl11b in HDM-stimulated primary mouse splenocytes reduced Smad2 phosphorylation and IL-17 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate a potential effect of Bc111b in controlling IL-17-mediated inflammation in asthma and suggest that Bc111b may be a useful therapeutic target for asthma.
Animals ; Asthma* ; Blotting, Western ; Cytokines ; Ectopic Gene Expression ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-17* ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Interleukins ; Mice ; Phosphorylation ; Plasma ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pyroglyphidae ; RNA, Messenger ; T-Lymphocytes ; Transforming Growth Factors

OBJECTIVETo examine the efficacy of Muscovite on acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats, and to research the mechanisms of intestinal mucosal protection.

METHODUlcerative colitis was induced in rats by intracolonic injection of 2 mL of 7% acetic acid. Rats were treated with three different doses of the Muscovite and SASP at random by intracolonic injecion, the normal saline was considered as control group. The rats were sacrificed and the colons were excised and opened longitudinally. Under a dissecting microscope, gross findings were observed and scored. MPO activity was assayed by spectrophotometry in colonic mucosa.

RESULTGross finding showed that multiple ulcer with diameter more than 1 cm, surrounded with erosion, erythematous and edema in the proximal colon in ulcerative coltis. The colon from Muscovite treatment group were histopatholgically normal, with slight erosion, erythematous and edema. The colon in SASP group had small ulceration and severe erosion and edema. The score of gloss change were significant lower in Muscovite groups than that in normal saline group (P < 0.01). There were necrosis and exfoliation of mucosa, multiple cystic dilation of mucosa gland, and large number of and inflammation attenuated in Muscovite groups. There nerutrophils and vessel infiltration in ulcerative colitis. The ulceration disappeared were erosion in mucosa and inflammatory cell infiltrating into submucosa in SASP group. Compared with normal saline group, the pathological scale were significant decreased in Muscovite and SASP groups (P < 0.05). The MPO activity was significant increased in colitis tissue compared with normal group (P < 0.001). After administrating with Muscovite or SASP, the level of MPO were significant decreased (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONMuscovite has the effect of mucosal protection by attenuating the inflammation of colonic mucosa and decreasing the activity of MPO.

Acetic Acid ; Aluminum Silicates ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; chemically induced ; enzymology ; pathology ; Colon ; enzymology ; pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Materia Medica ; pharmacology ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley