Objective To investigate the correlation between vitamin A and surfactant protein (SP)-B, SP-C in human body,and to explore the effects on lung development and pulmonary function of neonates. Methods We collected the blood samples of 170 pregnant women and umbilical cord serum of their neonatal babies. The levels of vitamin A in pregnant women and their neonatal babies,and the levels of SP-B and SP-C in neonatal umbilical cord serum were detected by ELISA. We conducted a follow-up by standard telephone questionnaire,which we concerned was the number of respiratory tract infection within six months,in order to assess the neonatal pulmonary functions. Results (1) There was a positive correlation between the vitamin A levels in neonatal umbilical cord blood and in the blood of pregnant women(r=0. 866,P<0. 05). (2) There was a positive correlation between the vitamin A levels in neonatal umbilical cord blood and the levels of SP-B,SP-C in the blood(r=0. 817,P<0. 05). (3)In the follow-up of 170 cases of infants within six months,three cases with pneumonia hospitalized more than once,but no respiratory distress syndrome hap-pened. Conclusion Vitamin A can be used as an important biological marker to evaluate the neonatal pul-monary maturity. If we detect the vitamin A levels of pregnant women,increase the intake of vitamin A,we can improve the content of SP-B,SP-C,improve the development of neonatal lung function in growth.

dation, transiently inercasod food efficiency,and a faster growth rate of visceral adipose tissue versus body weight after nutritional rehabilitation. These findings are consistent with the characteristics of human catch-up growth.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) gene polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease, and investigate the genetic pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

METHODSPCR, restriction endonuclease and electrophoresis were used, to detect the genotypes and alleles frequencies of ALDH gene in patients in the control group, alcohol dependent group and ALD group, and each group contained 20 patients.

RESULTSThe frequencies of ALDH2*1 and ALDH2*2 allele had statistic significance between control group and ALD group (x2=4.80, P<0.05), and no statistic significance between control group and alcohol dependent group. ALDH2*1/*1 was predominant in alcohol dependent group and ALD group, while ALDH2*2/*2 was not detected.

CONCLUSIONSThe gene polymorphism of ALDH is close to ALD. The allele of ALDH2*2 may be a negative risk factor for the developing of ALD

Adult ; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ; genetics ; Alleles ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; genetics ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Risk Factors

Three cyclotides were isolated from the whole plant of Viola yedoensis in this study. The two, vary peptide E and cycloviolacin Y5, were previously reported, and a novel cycloviolacin VY1 was characterized according to the interpretation of MS/MS fragmentation of peptides which were produced from the reduced and alkylated parent peptide with the digestion of Endo Lys-C, trypsin and chymotrypsin, separately. The stability of remarkable resistance to proteolytic degradation by trypsin and chymotrypsin, and that of thermal denaturation was confirmed again. Besides, the IC50 value of cycloviolacin VY1 against influenza A H1N1 virus was (2.27 +/- 0.20) microg x mL(-1). It is the first cyclotide reported with anti-influenza A H1N1 virus activity in vitro assay.
Antiviral Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cyclotides ; pharmacology ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; drug effects ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Viola ; chemistry

This study was aimed to investigate the suppressive effect of regulatory T (Treg) cells on the T cell lymphoma EL4 cell line and to explore its mechanism. C57BL/6 Mouse Treg cells were isolated by MACS (magnetic cell sorting). The purity and the expression of Foxp3 were detected by flow cytometry. The suppressive effect of sorted Treg cells on EL4 cells was detected by MTT assay. The secretion of TGF-beta1 and IL-10 was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells could be successfully isolated by MACS with the purity reaching 91.6% and the expression level of Foxp3 was 78.9%. The ratio of viable cells was more than 95%. Regulatory T cells could suppress the proliferation of EL4 cells effectively in the presence of antigen presenting cells (APCs). And the suppressive effect was most significant at 1:1 ratio. In addition, the suppression still existed without APCs. TGF-beta1 and IL-10 could not be detected by ELISA. It is concluded that the Treg cells can suppress T lymphoma cell in vitro. The suppressive effect of Treg cells works in dose-dependent manner, but not in cytokine-dependent manner. The mechanism of this suppression may take effect through cell-cell contact.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Separation ; Flow Cytometry ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Interleukin-10 ; metabolism ; Lymphoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in isolated perfused rat heart and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODSAn ischemia-reperfusion (IR) model was prepared using isolated rat hearts perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution were randomly divided into control group, 2.5 µmol/L KN-93 group, IR (induced by ischemia for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 120 min) group and KN-93+IR group. The myocardial performance was evaluated by assessing the left ventricular pressure. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and cTnI content in the coronary flow and the infarct size were determined to evaluate the myocardial injury. The phosphorylation of CaMKII (p-CaMKII) and PLN (p-PLN) and oxidation of CaMKII (ox--CaMKII) were measured with Western blotting. The activity of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined using ELISA.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, KN-93 treatment at 2.5 µmol/L produced no significant effects on cardiac function or performance in rat hearts without IR injury. Myocardial IR injury significantly decreased myocardial performance and mitochondrial SOD activity in the perfused hearts (P<0.01) and caused significantly increased infarct size, LDH activity, cTnI content, expressions of p-CaMKII, ox-CaMKII and p-PLN, and also increased mitochondrial MDA content (P<0.01). KN-93 treatment at 2.5 µmol/L administered before ischemia and before reperfusion markedly attenuated such changes induced by ischemia and reperfusion (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONCaMKII participates in myocardial IR injury in isolated rat heart, and inhibiting CaMKII can alleviate myocardial injury by relieving mitochondrial oxidation stress.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the Effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) on calcium paradox-induced heart injury and its underlying mechanisms.

METHODSThirty-two adult male SD rats were randomized into 4 groups, namely the control group, BDM treatment control group, calcium paradox group, and BDM treatment group. Isolated Sprague Dawley male rat hearts underwent Langendorff perfusion and the left ventricular pressure (LVP) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were monitored. Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) was calculated to evaluate the myocardial performance. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content in the coronary flow was determined. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to measure the infarct size, and myocardial cell apoptosis was tested with TUNEL method. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, BDM at 20 mmol/L had no effect on cardiac performance, cell death, apoptotic index or the content of LDH, cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c at the end of perfusion under control conditions (P>0.05). Calcium paradox treatment significantly decreased the cardiac function and the level of LVDP and induced a larger infarct size (P<0.01), an increased myocardial apoptosis index (P<0.01), and up-regulated expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01). BDM (20 mmol/L) significantly attenuated these effects induced by calcium paradox, and markedly down-regulated the levels of LVEDP and LDH (P<0.01), lowered myocardial apoptosis index, decreased the content of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01), increased LVDP, and reduced the infarct size (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONBDM suppresses cell apoptosis and contracture and improves heart function and cell survival in rat hearts exposed to calcium paradox, suggesting the value of BDM as an potential drug for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injur.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Calcium ; adverse effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cytochromes c ; metabolism ; Diacetyl ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Heart ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; In Vitro Techniques ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ventricular Function, Left

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of radical resection of pancreatic cancer after neoadjuvant conversion therapy.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 23 patients who underwent radical resection of pancreatic cancer after neoadjuvant conversion therapy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University Medical School from January 2019 to May 2022 were collected. There were 17 males and 6 females, aged 58(range, 33-73)years. After neoadjuvant conversion therapy, the three-dimensional (3D) visualization was used to evaluate and classify tumor vascular invasion, and surgical plan was planned and implemented. Observation indicators: (1) situations of neoadjuvant conversion therapy; (2) surgical situations; (3) postoperative histopathological examination; (4) postoperative recovery; (5) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represen-ted as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range) or M( Q1, Q3). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Situations of neoadjuvant conversion therapy. All 23 patients received the AG combination chemotherapy (albumin-paclitaxel+gemcitabine), including 14 patients combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Of the 23 patients, 22 cases achieved partial response, and 1 case showed stable disease. The CA19-9 of the 23 patients was 85.06(29.74,634.5)U/mL and 13.96(9.74,25.02)U/mL before and after neoadjuvant conversion therapy, respectively. (2) Surgical situations. According to the results of preoperative 3D visualization of tumor vascular invasion, 7 of the 23 patients were evaluated as arterial invasion, 8 cases were evaluated as venous invasion, 5 cases were evaluated as arterial and venous invasion, and there were 3 cases showing negative of vascular invasion. Of the 23 patients, 12 cases underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, 4 cases underwent radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy, 7 cases underwent total pancreaticoduodenectomy. For vascular reconstruction, there were 10 patients without vascular reconstruction, and there were 13 patients undergoing artificial vascular vein reconstruction. The operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss of the 23 patients was (524±171)minutes and 1 000(400,1 600)mL, respectively. (3) Postoperative histopathological exami-nation. Results of postoperative histopathological examination in 23 patients showed that there were 2 cases with moderate-well differentiated tumor, 10 cases with moderate differentiated tumor, 7 cases with moderate-poorly differentiated tumor, 2 cases with poorly differentiated tumor, and 2 cases negative of tumor. The number of lymph node dissected in 23 patients was 16±7. There were 5 cases with lymph node metastasis and 18 cases without lymph node metastasis. There were 17 cases with nerve invasion and 6 cases without nerve invasion. All 23 patients were negative of vascular invasion. Of the 23 patients, there were 21 cases with R 0 resection and 2 cases with R 1 resection. For pathological TNM staging, there were 2 cases with 0 stage, 13 cases with Ⅰ stage, 7 cases with Ⅱ stage, and 1 case with Ⅳ stage. For postoperative pathological scoring, there were 2 cases achieved 0 point (complete pathological remission), 16 cases achieved 2 points (partial remission), and 5 cases achieved 3 points (no significant effect). (4) Postoperative recovery. The postoperative duration of hospital stay of 23 patients was 19(14,31)days. There were 17 of 23 patients underwent postoperative complications, including 11 cases with Clavien-Dindo Ⅱ stage complications, 3 cases with Clavien-Dindo Ⅲa stage complications, 1 case with Clavien-Dindo Ⅲb stage complication, 1 case with Clavien-Dindo Ⅳ stage complication, and 1 case with Clavien-Dindo Ⅴ stage complica-tion. (5) Follow-up. There were 22 patients underwent follow-up, with follow-up time as 12(9,23)months. There were 9 patients underwent postoperative recurrence and metastasis, with recurrence and metastasis time as 7.8(range, 6.0-12.0)months. During the follow-up, 15 of the 22 patients survived. Conclusion:Radical resection of pancreatic cancer after neoadjuvant conversion therapy is feasible.

OBJECTIVETo study the biological function of fusion gene HRX-EEN and its role in leukemogenesis, and to provide an ideal animal model for anti-leukemia drug screening.

METHODSHRX-EEN fusion gene was constructed by use of three different DNA fragments, and it was inserted into hCG transgenic vector. G(0) transgenic mice were obtained by microinjection of the recombined DNA into the pronucleus of zygotes, followed by implantation of the injected zygotes into pseudopregnant mice. The integration of the transgene was tested by PCR and its expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSThe sequence of recombined HRX-EEN gene was confirmed by sequencing. PCR testing revealed a total of 7 G(0) transgenic mice, these mice were then mated with C57 wild type mice. Except mouse No. 35 that died, the others all had their F1 offsprings. From these 6 lines of transgenic mice, HRX-EEN gene was found to be stably expressed in 3 lines by RT-PCR. Up to now, all transgenic mice expressing the fusion gene have no obvious abnormal phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONA transgenic mice model in which the HRX-EEN fusion gene can be stably expressed has been established.

Animals ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteins ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; Transcription Factors

OBJECTIVEIn order to investigate the leukemogenic potential of NUP98-PMX1 fusion gene in vivo.

METHODSNUP98-PMX1 transgenic mice were generated, in which the fusion gene was driven by hCG promoter and expressed in myeloid cells at early stage of differentiation. Molecular cloning technology was used to construct NUP98-PMX1 transgenic plasmid. The genotype and phenotype of the NUP98-PMX1 transgenic mice were analyzed by PCR, RT-PCR, peripheral blood count (PBC), bone marrow (BM) cells morphology and pathological examination.

RESULTSNIH3T3 cells transfected with NUP98-PMX1 fusion gene grew faster, formed colonies in soft agar, and developed tumors in 10 inoculated nude mice. Among 8 disordered NUP98-PMX1 transgenic mice, 4 developed myeloid leukemia-like phenotype, including 3 resembling human chronic myeloid leukemia.

CONCLUSIONNUP98-PMX1 has oncogenic activity and plays a crucial role in leukemogenesis.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Mice, Nude ; Mice, Transgenic ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection