Objective To investigate the relationship between the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate ( DHEAS) level and bone mineral density ( BMD) in aged women. Methods Two hundred and seven elderly women aged 60-84 years were enrolled in the study. Acquisition histories, including age, body mass index, and blood pressure were recorded. Serum steroid hormones ( DHEAS, testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol) and bone metabolic markers:β-C-terminal telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (β-CTx ) , osteocalcin, and total procollagen type Ⅰ N propeptide ( TPINP) were determined. The BMD was also determined. The enrolled subjects were divided into 3 groups according to T values(T>-1. 0 s、-2. 5 s

Objective To determine whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs231775 and rs3087243 of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) gene are associated with susceptibility to Graves' disease (GD) in Chinese Han population.Methods Patients were enrolled from outpatient department and wards.Blood samples from each subject were collected to extract DNA,and the genotypes were determined by TagMan-MGB probe.Results The frequencies of allele G (OR =1.244,95％ CI 1.124-1.377,P＜0.01) and genotype GG (55.3 ％ vs 49.1％,OR =1.279,95 ％ CI 1.126-1.454,P＜0.01) of rs231775 in GD group were higher than those in control group.The frequencies of allele G (OR =1.303,95％ CI 1.166-1.457,P＜0.01) and genotype GG (76.8％ vs 71.8％,OR=1.302,95％ CI 1.143-1.484,P＜0.01) of rs3087243 in GD group were also higher.Conclusion GG genotypes in rs231775 and rs3087243 of CTLA-4 gene are related to the high risk of GD.

Objective To explore the role of dehydroepiandrosterone ( DHEA) in fatty acid metabolism in the liver of obese rats induced by high fat diet. Methods Twenty-seven SD rats were divided into control group, high-fat diet group ( HF group ) , and high-fat diet combined with DHEA treatment group ( DHEA group ) . The serum glucose and insulin levels were determined, while the free fatty acids ( FFA ) level was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The mRNA expressions of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), lipoprotein lipase ( LPL ) , acetyl-CoA carboxylase ( ACC ) , fatty acid synthase ( FAS ) , carnitine acyl-CoA transferase (CPT), and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 ( SCD1) were measured by real-time PCR. Finally, oil red O staining was also used to observe the changes in hepatic lipid deposition. Results ( 1) The content of hepatic FFA in HF group was significantly higher than that in control group ( P<0.05) , but decreased in DHEA group compared with that in HF group (P<0.05). (2) Compared with HF group, the mRNA expressions of HSL, LPL, ACC, FAS in DHEA group were significantly lower while the mRNA expressions of CPT1, CPT2, and SCD1 were significantly higher ( all P<0.05). (3) Oil-red O staining showed that the liver lipid content in high fat diet-fed rats were significantly increased compared with that in the chow diet group( P<0.05) , but there was no difference between HF and DHEA groups. However, the structural damage of HF group was more evident compared with DHEA group. Conclusion DHEA may reduce the content of hepatic FFA in high-fat diet-induced obese rats via inhibiting the production of FFA and promoting theβ-oxidation of FFA.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of total alkaloids from Picrasma quassioides(TAPQ)on collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)in rats. TAPQ were prepared by acid extraction and alkali precipitation. The qualitative analysis of TAPQ by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was carried out. Fourteen alkaloids were obtained and three of them were quantitatively analyzed by HPLC. The anti-inflammatory activity of TAPQ was investigated on RAW264. 7 induced by LPS. Dexamethasone was used as a positive control. The model of bovine type II collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis in SD rats was established. Daily tail intravenous injection of 0. 907 or 1. 814 mg/kg of TAPQ was administered for 18 days continuously, using dexamethasone as a positive control. The changes of mean arthritis scores in the paw of the rats and the volume of the paw were measured every day. Compared with the model group, the TAPQ significantly reduced the degree of paw swelling(P< 0. 001). After the rats were sacrificed, the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum were measured. The TAPQ could significantly reduce the level of TNF-α(P< 0. 01)and IL-6(P< 0. 001). The pathological changes of the joints were observed by HE staining, the anti-inflammatory activity of TAPQ was good, and the degree of joint damage in rats was obviously reduced.

Cytokines are secreted by various cell types and act as critical mediators in many physiological processes, including immune response and tumor progression. Cytokines production is precisely and timely regulated by multiple mechanisms at different levels, ranging from transcriptional to post-transcriptional and posttranslational processes. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 induced protein 1 (MCPIP1), a potent immunosuppressive protein, was first described as a transcription factor in monocytes treated with monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and subsequently found to possess intrinsic RNase and deubiquitinase activities. MCPIP1 tightly regulates cytokines expression via various functions. Furthermore, cytokines such as interleukin 1 beta (IL-1B) and MCP-1 and inflammatory cytokines inducer lipopolysaccharide (LPS) strongly induce MCPIP1 expression. Mutually regulated MCPIP1 and cytokines form a complicated network in the tumor environment. In this review, we summarize how MCPIP1 and cytokines reciprocally interact and elucidate the effect of the network formed by these components in cancer-related immunity with aim of exploring potential clinical benefits of their mutual regulation.
Chemokine CCL2/immunology* ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta/immunology* ; Neoplasm Proteins/immunology* ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Ribonucleases/immunology* ; Transcription Factors/immunology*