BACKGROUND:Understanding the actions and underlying mechanisms of proteins in cel s and organisms and studies on the lumbar disc herniation (LDH)-associated proteins contribute to further clarify the LDH pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the serum proteome changes in LDH patients using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry, and to screen the biomarkers for LDH diagnosis and treatment. METHODS:Twenty-five LDH patients were enrol ed and their serums were col ected before and after treatment. After removal of high abundant protein, the serum protein spectrum was compared after two-dimensional gel electrophoresis serum protein spectrum diagram, to look for differential protein spots. Subsequently, the differential protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF technique combined with biology software and database retrieval. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Six differential protein spots were screened preliminarily, and three kinds of proteins were confirmed after mass spectrum detection, among which, acid glycoprotein was related to the LDH immune regulation and occurrence, development and targeting sites of chemical radiculitis. The expression level of acid glycoprotein was significantly decreased in LDH patients after treatment (P<0.05). These results suggest that acid glycoprotein is associated with LDH through gel electrophoresis-base proteome analysis.

BACKGROUND: Rabbit serum samples are widely used in basic researches, and two-dimensional gelelectrophoresis (2-DE) is the most classic technique for protein separation. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish a stable technique system of 2-DE for rabbit serum.OBJECTIVE: To establish a 2-DE technique system for rabbit serum protein separation. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: A single sample observational experiment was performed at Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomarkers for Occupational and Environmental Hazard of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces Medical College from June to July in 2008. MATERIALS: Six healthy rabbits were provided by the Animal Experimental Center of Tangshan Vocational Technical College METHODS: Health rabbit serum was dissolved in rehydration sample loading buffer before and after eliminating high abundance proteins to make proteins in it schizolysis adequately. After reductive alkylation, the samples were loaded into the rehydration tray to undergo passive rehydration for 14 hours. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) electrophoresis was followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). After sliver staining, the gel was analyzed by PDQuest7.4. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①Efficiency of eliminating high abundance proteins. ②Two-dimensional eleotrophoregrams (2-D electrophoregrams)RESULTS: Distinct 2-D eleotrophoregrems were obtained with high resolution and good reproducibility. The removal of high abundance proteins in serum failed to result in better 2-D electrophoregrams.CONCLUSION: We have successfully established a 2-DE technique for rabbit serum proteome, which can lay the foundation for the further study of serum proteomics of diseases.

BACKGROUND: Blood stem cells (BSCs) are the most primitive cells in the immune system and can be differentiated into many kinds of cells. As the regulatory cells of immune response, dendritic cells (DCs) have been attracted more and more attention in the field of autoimmune diseases. Due to different resources of precursor cells, DCs have different cytokines, ideal cytokine matching,applying orders, and experimental cultured conditions. Furthermore, development, phenotypic expression, and mature degree are still different.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- a ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) on the culture system and provide improved method for inducing functional DCs in vitro, derived from cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic precursor cells (HPC).DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Observational study, which was performed in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University from March 2005 to November 2005.MATERIALS: The cord blood was collected from neonatal umbilical cord in the 81 Hospital of Nanjing City. CD34 monoclonal antibody coated magnetic bead system (MACS) was provided by Miltenyi Biotec Company, Germany; human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF), human recombinant interleukin-4 (rhlL-4), and human recombinant tumor necrosis factor-α (rhTNF-α) by Pepro Tech Company, USA.METHODS: CD34+HPC were isolated and purified from umbilical cord blood by using a high-gradient magnetic cell sorting system (MACS). Then the cells were cultured with different culture medium which contained different combinations of cytokines:GM-CSF and TNF-α (GT) or GM-CSF, TNF-α and IL-α (GTI) in order to be induced to differentiate into dendritic cells (DCs).The DCs derived from CD34+HPC were identified for their morphology and phcnotype by FACS and laser scanning con_focal fluorescence microscopy, and also for their abilities of inducing proliferation of allogenic T cells by 3H-TdR incorporation assay.RESULTS: The purity of selected CD34+ cells with MACS was more than 90%. DCs could be obtained from CD34+HPC by the culture in presence of GM-CSF and TNF-α or GM-CSF, TNF- o and IL-4. With the time of culture lasting, the cells expressed lower level surface antigen of CD34 and HLA-DR (P ＜ 0.05), and possessed the phenotypes of DCs characterized by higher expression of CD80, CD86, CD83 and CDIa. At 13-15 days, the cells possessed higher level of phenotypes of DCs compared to 7-9 days and 10-12 days. DCs induced with GTI culture system expressed higher levels of surface antigen CD80, CD86, CD83,CD 1 a and a lower level of CD 14 than those induced with GT culture system. DCs displayed typical morphology and property and expressed higher level surface antigen of CD86 and CD80, especially expressed CD86 when they were induced with proper cytokines of GM-CSF and TNF- α added at 0 hour, and of IL-4 added at 48 hours.CONCLUSION: DCs can be generated from CD34+HPC by proper culture system, the design of GM-CSF + TNF- α + IL-4(GM-CSF and TNF- α were added at 0 hour, IL-4 was added at 48 hours) is preferred.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that IL-33, a novel member of the IL-1b family, is involved in organ fibrosis. However, the roles of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 in epidural fibrosis post spine operation remain elusive. METHODS: A mouse model of epidural fibrosis was established after laminectomy. IL-33 in the wound tissues post laminectomy was measured with Western blotting, ELISA and imaging. The fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3 and primary fibroblasts were treated with IL-33 and the mechanisms of maturation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts were analyzed. To explore roles of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 In vivo, IL-33 knockout (KO) and ST2 KO mice were employed to construct the model of laminectomy. The epidural fibrosis was evaluated using H&E and Masson staining, western-blotting, ELISA and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: As demonstrated in western blotting and ELISA, IL-33 was increased in epidural wound tissues post laminectomy. The immunoflurosence imaging revealed that endothelial cells (CD31 + ) and fibroblasts (a-SAM +) were major producers of IL-33 in the epidural wound tissues. In vitro, IL-33 promoted fibroblast maturation, which was blocked by ST2 neutralization antibody, suggesting that IL-33-promoted-fibroblasts maturation was ST2 dependent. Further, IL-33/ ST2 activated MAPK p38 and TGF-β pathways. Either p38 inhibitor or TGF-β inhibitor decreased fibronectin and a-SAM production from IL-33-treated fibroblasts, suggesting that p38 and TGF-β were involved with IL-33/ST2 signal pathways in the fibroblasts maturation. In vivo, IL-33 KO or ST2 KO decreased fibronectin, a-SMA and collagen deposition in the wound tissues of mice that underwent spine surgery. In addition, TGF-β 1 was decreased in IL-33 KO or ST2 KO epidural wound tissues. CONCLUSION In summary, IL-33/ST2 promoted fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts via MAPK p38 and TGF-β in a mouse model of epidural fibrosis after laminectomy.

Objective:To explore the predictive effect of intraocular fluid testing in the assessment of retinal detachment (RD) occurring in acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN).Methods:A retrospective study. From January 2019 to October 2023, 40 patients with 40 eyes diagnosed as ARN in Nanjing Medical University Eye Hospital were collected for this study. According to whether RD occurred during the follow-up period, the patients were divided into RD group (group A) and no RD group (group B), with 18 patients 18 eyes and 22 patients 22 eyes, respectively. All patients were given intravitreal 20 mg/ml ganciclovir 0.1 ml (ganciclovir 2 mg), 2 to 3 times per week after diagnosis. The concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF), vascular cell adhesion factor (VCAM), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in the preaqueous solution were measured before the first injection of ganciclovir. The loads of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-herpes zoster virus (VZV) were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) calculated and analyzed the area under ROC curve (AUC) of inflammatory cytokines in aqueous humor and HSV-DNA and VZV-DNA loads in predicting RD in ARN patients to evaluate their predictive value.Results:In 18 eyes in group A and 22 eyes in group B, VZV and HSV was infected in 16 and 2 eyes and 21 and 1 eyes, respectively. The VZV-DNA and HSV-DNA load were compared between the two groups, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-3.762, P<0.001); compared with group B, the concentrations of VEGF in humor ( Z=-3.996), BFGF ( Z=-2.430), IL-6 ( Z=-3.303), IL-8 ( Z=-3.480), and IL-10 ( Z=-3.409) increased significantly in group A, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in VCAM between the two groups ( Z=-0.054, P=0.957). The ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of VEGF, nucleic acid copies, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, and bFGF for predicting RD in ARN was 0.871, 0.848, 0.828, 0.823, 0.806, 0.737, respectively. The AUC of combination of VEGF, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, and BFGF predicted the RD in ARN was 0.924. The optimal cut-off value of nucleic acid copies was 0.40×10 6, and IL-10, IL-8 and IL-6 were 50.65, 1 695.50 and 6 634.0 pg/ml, respectively. Conclusion:Aqueous humor viral load as well as cytokines alone or in combination have a reference value for predicting RD secondary to ARN.

Metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma(MPPGL)is a rare neuroendocrine tumour in which genetic factors play an important role.In recent years,with the continuous progress of genetic testing technol-ogy,more and more susceptibility genes have been proved to be associated with MPPGL,making early identifica-tion of MPPGL possible.Recent studies have shown that genes associated with the development of MPPGL include SDHA,SDHB,SDHC,SDHD,SDHAF2,FH,MDH2,VHL,IDH1,PDH1/2,SLC25A11,GOT2,DLST,CSDE1,MAML3,H3F3A,MERTK,PCDHGC3,and KIF1B,with SDHA,SDHB,SDHC,SDHD,and SDHAF2 being the common pathogenic genes.Potential mutations affect the clinical manifestations of MPPGL,such as malignant potential and genetic prediction,which can help to better understand the clinical course and treat accordingly.Genetic testing for pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas allows for early detection of genetic syndromes and facilitates close follow-up of high-risk patients.This article provides a review of the progress of research on susceptibility genes identified in MPPGL in recent years,with a view to providing a certain theoretical basis for further related research.

Objective:To investigate the implementation status of protective restraints for psychiatric patients.Methods:The self-developed psychiatric protective restraint questionnaire was used to investigate 2 101 patients who had experienced at least one protective restraint during hospitalization in psychiatric institutions in 15 provinces and cities from March to May 2019 to analyze the current status of protective restraint of psychiatric patients.Results:A total of 2 101 questionnaires were distributed and 1 897 valid questionnaires were returned. The duration of constraint of 1 897 patients was 3 (1, 8) h, with the shortest duration of 1 h and the longest duration of 72 h. There were statistically significant differences in duration of restraint for patients with different genders, hospitals, marital status, first diagnosis on admission and history of self-harm or commit suicide ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:There is an urgent need to establish a set of standardized restraint procedures in clinical practice to prevent unreasonable use of restraints.

Bladder cancer （BCa） is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary system， and its incidence is increasing year by year. At present， for all patients with resectable non-metastatic muscle-invasive BCa， radical cystectomy + bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection is strongly recommended， but they still face the risk of recurrence， metastasis and death. In recent years， the proportion of patients with advanced and metastatic BCa is increasing among patients with newly diagnosed BCa. Although current treatment models are diverse， they often struggle to achieve significant efficacy due to their low effectiveness and adverse effects， resulting in low survival rates for patients with advanced and metastatic BCa. Therefore， the treatment of BCa still faces great challenges， and there is an urgent need to discover an effective new antitumor drug. With the improvement of medical standards， traditional Chinese medicine has shown great advantages in the treatment of BCa. Traditional Chinese medicine is mild and easy to accept， and can inhibit tumor progression through a multi-pathway， multi-way and multi-target manner， so as to exert its anticancer effect. Taraxaci Herba is a medicinal and food homologous plant， which has many biological activities， such as antibacterial， anti-inflammatory， anti-oxidation， anti-tumor， protecting liver and gallbladder， reducing blood sugar and enhancing immunity， and it has shown a clear anticancer effect in breast cancer， liver cancer， gastric cancer， tongue cancer and lung cancer. By reviewing previous studies worldwide， this article summarizes the mechanism of Taraxaci Herba extract in inducing autophagy and apoptosis， inhibiting cell migration and invasion， regulating cell cycle and proliferation， regulating cell metabolism， inhibiting tumor angiogenesis， combining the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs， and regulating the transduction of related signal pathways. On this basis， this study systematically elaborates on the potential mechanism of Taraxaci Herba against BCa， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the research and treatment of BCa.