Diagnosis, Differential ; Ependymoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Hemangioblastoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Meningioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Vimentin ; metabolism

To understand Lophatherum gracile plant community's structural characteristics, a survey of community structure and species diversity was conducted through quadrat sampling in Yongchuan district of Chongqing. The results showed that there were 386 species vascular plants, belonging to 117 families and 229 genera. Based on habitat, community structure and species composition, L. gracile were found in three community types: Pinus massoniana community, banboo community, shurb community. Vertical structure was composed of three layers, including tree layer, shrub layer and herb layer. Species in shrub layer was the richness. P. massoniana is the only dominant species of the community, it can not regenerate naturally, the shrub layer has a greater effect on the community of L. gracile in the future. In addition, the banboo community and shurb community is not stable because of human's activity. Therefore, the community characters of L. gracile should be taken care of conservation when the resources are utilized.
China ; Ecosystem ; Pinus ; physiology ; Plants ; Poaceae ; physiology

This study was aimed to investigate the expression levels of TRF1, TRF2 and RAP1 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with acquired aplastic anemia, and to explore their relation with onset of acquired aplastic anemia. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 40 patients with acquired aplastic anemia and 20 normal subjects as control were collected to detect mRNA expression of TRF1, TRF2 and RAP1 by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that the expression levels of TRF1 and RAP1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with acquired aplastic anemia were significantly higher than that in normal controls (P < 0.05), while the expression level of TRF2 was lower than that in normal controls (P < 0.01). There was significant correlation between TRF2 and RAP1 expressions level (r = 0.522, P = 0.001). It is concluded that the changes in expression levels of TRF1, TRF2 and RAP1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of acquired aplastic anemia.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anemia, Aplastic ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 1 ; metabolism ; Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Young Adult ; rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins ; metabolism

Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Humans ; Liver Failure ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Severity of Illness Index ; Software ; Treatment Outcome

To investigate the risk factors of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver failure. Nine-hundred-and-seventy-six hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients with liver failure were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data (sex, age, family history, liver cirrhosis, diabetes, celiac infection, pulmonary infection, liver kidney syndrome, upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage) and laboratory findings (albumin, globulin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, cholinesterase, K+, Na+, creatinine, international normalized ratio (INR), alpha-fetoprotein, HBV DNA, white blood cell, hemoglobin, platelet) were collected and used to screen the risk factors for hepatic encephalopathy by univariate and multiple regress analyses. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage [risk (R) = 0.993, relative hazard (RH) = 2.699, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.567-4.651], pulmonary infection [R = 1.043, RH = 2.839, 95% CI: 1.680-4.797], INR [R = 0.257, RH = 1.293, 95% CI: 1.220-1.370], AST level [R = 0.001, RH = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.001], and cirrhosis [R = 0.569, RH = 1.815, 95% CI: 1.112-2.965] were closely correlated with hepatic encephalopathy. HBV-infected patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage, pulmonary infection, prolonged INR, elevated AST, or liver cirrhosis should be carefully monitored for indications of hepatic encephalopathy to initiate timely therapeutic interventions.
Adult ; Female ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; etiology ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study on mutations in D-loop region which is gene control region of mitochondrial genome in patients with familial breast cancer.

METHODSTwenty-three breast cancer patients came from twenty-one families of breast cancer, and eighteen healthy controls participated in the study. PCR amplification of D-loop region in mitochondrial DNA was performed and then the product was sequenced to analyze mutations.

RESULTSOne hundred and twenty-six mutations in D-loop region were found in twenty-three patients with familial breast cancer, and four mutations were new. In all of twenty-three patients, thirty-seven mutations were found in D310 which was hot spot of D-loop region in mitochondrial DNA. In these mutations, T>C in 310, TC insert in 311-312, CA deletion in 522-523 and C>G in 527 were multi-presentation mutations in patients with familial breast cancer. Mutations had no difference in the same family member of breast cancer family except that occurrence in the region of D310. In the same family, mutations in D310 of patients were different from controls.

CONCLUSIONMutations in D310 of familial breast cancer patients may enhance their susceptibility to breast cancer.

Adult ; Base Sequence ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; chemistry ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genome, Human ; genetics ; Humans ; Locus Control Region ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pedigree

BACKGROUNDIt is necessary to develop some innovative methods to reveal and discover the novel (SLE)-related protein molecules. In the present study, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was employed to detect the differential expression of serum polypeptides in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presenting with a family history or complicating with kidney injury so as to identify the proteins associated with the genetic factors and kidney injury in SLE.

METHODSThe subjects recruited were divided into four groups, that is, a group of SLE patients with both family history and kidney injury, a group of SLE patients with only kidney injury but no family history, a group of SLE patients with neither family history nor kidney injury, and a control group consisting of healthy volunteers. By adopting MALDI-TOF MS analysis, the serum samples obtained from the three groups of SLE patients were examined and compared with those from the control group; the categorized peptide fingerprint profile was established via the biological data collected from the samples.

RESULTSThe expression of protein with a m/z of 4207 Da increased significantly in SLE patients; the protein with a m/z of 2658 Da was expressed in all SLE patients; three proteins (with m/z of 1465, 5332, and 5900 Da respectively) were expressed in the SLE patients complicated with kidney injury and the protein with a m/z of 1943 Da was expressed in SLE patients with family history.

CONCLUSIONA number of differential proteins were successfully detected and identified through MALDI-TOF MS detection and these proteins may be associated with the genetic basis of SLE and the complicating kidney injury.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; complications ; genetics ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; complications ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Peptide Mapping ; methods ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

Adolescent ; Adult ; Agranulocytosis ; microbiology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Daptomycin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the values of combination of urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery in children.

METHODSA total of 97 children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were enrolled. Serum and urine samples were collected before and after surgery. Levels of serum creatinine (Scr), urinary L-FABP, and urinary NGAL from AKI group (n=18) and non-AKI group (n=79) were measured, and the postoperative dynamic changes in these markers were compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under ROC curve (AUC) were used to assess the values of these markers alone or in combination in the prediction of postoperative AKI.

RESULTSThe levels of urinary L-FABP and NGAL in the AKI group were significantly higher than those in the non-AKI group at 2 and 6 hours after surgery, and the changes in their concentrations were earlier than Scr. The AUCs of urinary L-FABP alone in predicting AKI at 2 and 6 hours after surgery were 0.921 and 0.896 respectively, and those of urinary NGAL alone were 0.908 and 0.928 respectively. Those of their combination were 0.942 and 0.929 respectively.

CONCLUSIONSUrinary L-FABP and NGAL significantly increase in the early stage of AKI after cardiac surgery in children, which are significantly earlier than the changes in Scr. They can be used to predict the occurrence of AKI in the early stage. A combination of the two biomarkers can further improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

Acute Kidney Injury ; diagnosis ; urine ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; adverse effects ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Creatinine ; blood ; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins ; urine ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Lipocalin-2 ; urine ; Male

The study was aimed to explore the role of gene JWA, a novel retinoic acid responsible and cytoskeleton associate gene, in regulating committed differentiation of HL-60 cell and the molecular mechanism in the course of differentiation and apoptosis of leukemic cells. By using FCM, the changes of CD13, CD14, CD15, CD11b and cell cycles were detected in HL-60 cells treated with ATRA (10(-6) mol/L), Ara-C (10 ng/ml) and TPA (10(-8) mol/L) respectively. The samples were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot for the expression of JWA, Bcl-2, HSP27 and HSP70 at day 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. The results showed that HL-60 cells committedly differentiated into granulocyte-, monocyte-, macrophage-like cells. As a result, JWA was up-regulated in a time-dependent manner, while Bcl-2 was down- regulated at the same time. In ATRA and TPA group, the change of HSP70 had positive correlation with JWA, and negative correlation with Bcl-2. The expression of HSP27 was not detected. Contrast to the cells from APL patient, the expression of JWA need not be activated by ATRA in advance. In this study, we also exposed HL-60 cells in higher dose of Ara-C (20 ng/ml), and JWA expression underwent opposite trend comparing with in lower dose of Ara-C (10 ng/ml). It is concluded that JWA may play double important roles in regulating ATRA and TPA-induced differentiation and apoptosis in leukemic cells. The JWA expression had a negative correlation between induction and cytotoxic response. The difference of JWA expressions between HL-60 cell and ANLL patient cells would be involved in different leukemia pathogenesis.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cytarabine ; pharmacology ; HL-60 Cells ; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; pharmacology ; Time Factors ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology