OBJECTIVETo observe the impact of growth-factor hormone control on the outcome of acromegalic cardiomyopathy by reviewing cases from our own center and from literatures.

METHODSTwo cases of acromegalic cardiomyopathy from Tongji hospital and 29 acromegalic cardiomyopathy cases with fully accessible data retrieved from PubMed and CNKI websites were included in present study for analysis. They were divided into "Controlled (< 5 microg/L)" or "Uncontrolled" group according to the serum level of growth factor hormone after treatments. Outcome of patients was evaluated by symptom, NYHA class, LV size and function status.

RESULTSIncidence of patients with improved symptoms and cardiac performance was significantly higher in "Controlled" group (18/19) compared to those in "Uncontrolled" group (0/12; P < 0.01, chi(2) = 27.1). Post-treatment growth-factor hormone level < 5 microg/L is significantly associated with a satisfactory outcome of acromegalic cardiomyopathy (r = 0.935, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSControl of serum growth-factor concentration to a value < 5 microg/L is critical and associated with a favorable outcome for patients with acromegalic cardiomyopathy.

Acromegaly ; complications ; therapy ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiomyopathies ; etiology ; therapy ; Human Growth Hormone ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the kinesis of cellular immunity in adults who were vaccinated with yeast recombinant hepatitis B(rHB) vaccine and the correlation between cellular and humoral immune responses induced by the vaccine.

METHODSEight adults were vaccinated with rHB vaccine according to 0, 1,2 month schedule. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) were collected at the 3, 8, 21, 34 and 65 days after the first dose. The high purity of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells obtained by sorting from PBMCs were restimulated with recombinant hepatitis B surface antigens (rHBsAg) or peptides. The spot forming cell (SFC) of IFN-gamma, IL-2 and IL-4 of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were detected by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT).

RESULTSThe characteristics of IFN-gamma, IL-2 and IL-4 of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells appeared different after immunization with rHB vaccine. IFN-gamma of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells could be detected early with stable SFC, while the IL-2 and IL-4 of CD4+ T cells appeared late but increased after the second and third dose of vaccination. The positive rate of IL-4 of CD4+ T cells were significantly correlated with the positive rate of anti-HBs, while the SFCs of IL-4 and IL-2 of CD4+ T cells were also significantly related to the titers of anti-FIBs.

CONCLUSIONIFN-gamma could be detected early after rHB vaccination in adults, and the positive rates of IL-4 and IL-2 were correlated with that of anti-HBs.

Adult ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; administration & dosage ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunization Schedule ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Vaccines, Synthetic ; immunology

Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) plays an essential role in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin and regulation of plant flower color. Based on the transcriptome data of Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight, a full-length cDNA sequence of CtDFR gene was cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). CtDFR contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 263 bp which encodes 420 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 47.5 kDa. The sequence analysis showed that CtDFR contains a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) binding domain and a specific substrate binding domain. The expression analysis indicated that CtDFR was highly expressed in red and purple flowers, and the relative expression levels were 4.04 and 19.37 times higher than those of white flowers, respectively. The recombinant CtDFR protein was expressed in E.coli BL21 (DE3) using vector pET-28a-CtDFR and was purified. In vitro enzyme activity analysis, CtDFR could reduce three types of dihydroflavonols including dihydrokaempferol, dihydroquercetin, and dihydromyricetin to leucopelargonidin, leucocyanidin and leucodelphinidin. Subcellular localization analysis showed that CtDFR was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. These results demonstrate that CtDFR plays an important role in regulation of flower color in C. tubulosa and make a valuable contribution for the further investigation on the regulation mechanism of C. tubulosa (Schenk) Wight flower color.