Objective:To detect the expression of aquaporin-1(AQP1) in ocular tissues of normal rats.Methods:The eyeballs were enucleated from the male Wistar rats,fixed with 4% formaldehydum polymerisatum and embeded in paraffin.Then,5?m serial section was made on the sagittal plane.Each sample was cut into 3 pieces for AQP1 HE staining and immunohistochemical staining,the latter of which included negative control and positive control.The immunohistochemical staining of renal tubule,known as positive expression of AQP1,was used as positive control.Results:Under the light microscope,the brown cellular granules indicated positive-AQP1 cells.AQP1 was expressed in corneal endothelial cells,iris epithelial cells,crystalline lens epithelial cells,ciliary body non-pigment epithelial(NPE) cells,ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer of retina,optic nerve glial cells.Conclusions: AQP1 is expressed in many places of ocular tissues related to the water metabolism.

Objective To investigate the expression of angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) in malignant melanoma cells and to explore the influence of Ang Ⅱ on angiogenesis. Methods The expression of Ang Ⅱ in the supernatant of A375 cells and primary human melanocytes was detected by radioimmunoassay.Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with Ang Ⅱ of 1 μmol/L for 20 hours in an in vitro tube formation assay to observe the effects of Ang Ⅱ on tube formation.A375 cells were incubated with angiotensin Ⅱ of 1 μmol/L and losartan (an inhibitor of angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor,AT1R) of 1 μmol/L,respectively for 24 hours; subsequently, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)were carried out to measure the mRNA and protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF),respectively.Results The level of Ang Ⅱ was 37.29 ± 0.27 pmol/L in the supernatant of A375 cells,significantly higher than that in the supernatant of normal human melanocytes (21.58 ± 0.32 pmol/L,P ＜ 0.05).Ang Ⅱ apparently promoted the tube formation by HUVECs.Intact tubiform structures were formed by HUVECs in two-dimension matrigel after being treated with Ang Ⅱ of 1 μmol/L,with the area of tubiform structures being 2.5 ± 0.3 times that in the HUVECs treated with phosphate buffered solution (PBS) (P ＜ 0.05).The protein expressions of VEGF and bFGF in the supernatant of A375 cells and their mRNA expressions in A375 cells were significantly increased by Ang Ⅱ,but suppressed by losartan (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions There is a local overexpression of Ang Ⅱ in malignant melanoma,which can markedly promote angiogenesis.This may be one of the mechanisms by which the local renin-angiotensin system affects the initiation of malignant melanoma.

Objective To investigate the expression levels of of interleukin-17(IL-17),interferon-gamma(IFN-?),and macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha(MIP-3?)mRNA in skin lesions of pa-tients with psoriasis vulgaris.Methods The skin biopsies were collected from skin lesions in31cases of psoriasis vulgaris and16normal controls.The expressions of IL-17,IFN-?,and MIP-3?mRNA were semi-quantitatively analyzed with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)in psoriatic lesions and normal skin tissues.Results Expressions of IL-17,IFN-?,and MIP-3?were presented in all speci-mens of both psoriatic lesions and normal controls.The expression levels were1.142?0.059for IL-17mRNA,1.114?0.056for IFN-?mRNA,1.140?0.052for MIP-3?mRNA,in skin lesions,respectively,which were greatly higher than those in normal controls(0.879?0.034,0.905?0.026and0.868?0.031,respectively)(all P

To establish a simple and reliable animal model of skin photo-damage, 20 mice were treated with 8-MOP and exposed to UVA (UVA 320-400 nm) for 24 h. After irradiation, the structure of the epidermis and dermis, collagen fibers, elastic fibers were observed by using HE staining and Weigert technique and compared with the normal controls. The acanthosis and epidermis proliferation with accompanying hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis were observed. Inflammatory infiltration was noted in the dermis. The elastic fibers became coarse, irregularly arranged and clustered, with their number increased. The collagen fibers showed obvious degeneration and some amorphous materials could also be observed. The blood vessels were irregularly dilated and vascular walls were thickened, with infiltration of inflammatory cells. It is concluded that murine photodamage model can be quickly, conveniently and reliably established by means of 8-MOP/UVA.
Dermis/pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Epidermis/pathology ; Methoxsalen/*pharmacology ; Photosensitizing Agents/pharmacology ; Skin/*pathology ; Skin Aging ; Ultraviolet Rays

The ATP2C1 gene mutation in one case of familial benign chronic pemphigus was investigated. One patient was diagnosed as familial benign chronic pemphigus by pathology, ultrastructral examination and clinical features. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples. Mutation of ATP2C1 gene was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. The results showed that deletion mutation was detected in ATP2C1 gene in this patient, which was 2374delTTTG. No mutation was found in the family members and normal individuals. It was concluded that the 2374delTTTG mutation in ATP2C1 gene was the specific mutation for the clinical phenotype for this patient and was a de novo mutation.
Calcium-Transporting ATPases/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Pemphigus, Benign Familial/*genetics ; Sequence Deletion

Objective: To clone human perforin(pfn) full-length DNA,construct the eukaryotic expression vector and observe the expression of the pfn gene in the transfected COS-7 cells.Methods: Full-length DNA of pfn was obtained by PCR from rPCR2.1/pfn,inserted into the pMD-18T vector and subcloned to the pcDNA3.1(+) vector to construct the recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1(+)/pfn.The recombinant plasmid was transfected into COS-7 cells and the expression of the pfn gene in the transfected cells was detected by RT-PCR.Results: The pfn full-length DNA was successfully cloned and inserted into the pcDNA3.1(+) vector.The expression of pfn mRNA in the transfected COS-7 cells was confirmed by RT-PCR. Conclusion: The full-length human pfn gene can be expressed in transfected COS-7 cells.

Objective To investigate the change of interle ukin -4(IL -4)in experimental murine systemic candidiasis.Methods In the dexamethasone -induced immuno -suppressed murine systemic can-didiasis models and control healthy mice,two -site ELISA and RT -PCR were applied to determine the levels of IL -4protein or mRNA expression in th e spleens respectively.Colony form ing units(CFUs )of infected kidneys were determined with the plating dilution method,and the mean survival t ime (MST)of mice was also recorded.Results The IL -4concentration in the spleen of healthy mice was 80.1?19.1pg /g.I n contrast,in those infected with lethal dose of yeasts t he concentrations of IL -4were 124.8?24.1pg /g and 262.8?21.8pg /g on 3days or 7days after infection respectively.Meanwhile,the fungal lo ads in kidneys were(21.25?6.31)?102CFUs and(57.52?10.41)?102 CFUs on 3days or 7days after infectio n(P

Objective To investigate the role of CD80/CD86 and CTLA-4 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) and its clinical significance. Methods Applying RT-PCR technique to semiquantitatively analyze CD80/CD86 and CTLA-4 mRNA expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 32 active SLE patients. Results Compared with normal controls, the percentage of positive CD86 expression in active SLE, accounted for 90.63% (29/32), was significantly increased (P 0.05, both). Conclusion The abnormal expression of CD86 and CTLA-4 might play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE.

To study the expression of p63 and cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) in skin tumors and evaluate the correlation between p63 and cox-2, the expressions of cox-2 and p63 were measured by streptavidin-peroxidase complex immunohistochemical technique in 17 cases of skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 19 cases of Bowen's disease(Bowen), 11 cases of actinic keratosis(AK), 12 cases of seborreic keratosis(SK) and 13 specimens of normal skin. Our results showed that the expression of p63 in skin squamous cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease and actinic keratosis were significantly higher than that in seborreic keratosis, while the expression of p63 in seborreic keratosis was significantly higher than that in normal skin. The expression of cox-2 in skin squamous cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease and actinic keratosis were significantly higher than that in seborreic keratosis, while no statistical difference was noted in the expression of cox-2 between seborreic keratosis and normal skin. Cox-2 expression was positively correlated with the high p63 expression in malignant skin tumors. The increased expression of cox-2 and p63 may play an important role in the development of skin tumors and work synergetically in malignant skin tumors.

Objective: To explore the value of body measurement indicators in screening for metabolic syndrome (MS), so as to provide the basis for early detection and prevention of MS. Methods: The individuals who were 18 years old or above and underwent physical examinations at a tertiary hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were selected using the convenience sampling method. Demographic information, lifestyle, waist circumference (WC) and blood biochemical indicators were collected through questionnaire surveys, physical examinations and laboratory tests. The associations of WC, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body roundness index (BRI), abdominal volume index (AVI), lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) with MS were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. The screening values of these body measurement indicators for MS were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: A total of 37 921 individuals were recruited, including 20 666 males (54.50%) and 17 255 females (45.50%), and had a median age of 41.00 (interquartile range, 20.00) years. There were 7 988 cases of MS, with a detection rate of 21.06%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that WC, WHR, LAP and VAI were statistically associated with MS (all P<0.05), and the risk of MS increased with the levels of these indicators (all Ptrend<0.05), after adjusting for confounding factors (gender, age, lifestyle, etc.). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of LAP for screening MS was the highest among single indicators, at 0.930 (95%CI: 0.927-0.933), and the optimal cut-off value was 43.13, Youden's index was 0.720, the sensitivity was 88.01%, and the specificity was 84.04%. The combined indicators of WC×VAI for screening MS had the highest AUC, which was 0.937 (95%CI: 0.935-0.939), and the optimal cut-off value was 0.17, Youden's index was 0.730, the sensitivity was 91.88%, and the specificity was 81.07%. The DeLong test showed that the AUC of WC×VAI for screening MS was higher than that of WC, WHR, LAP and VAI, respectively (all P<0.05). Conclusion The value of combining WC and VAI for screening MS is higher than other body measurement indicators.