OBJECTIVETo study the growth rhythm of preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants by investigating their physical catch-up growth characteristics.

METHODSEighty-four preterm AGA newborns (44 males and 40 females) with gestational ages between 28-36 weeks were enrolled. The weight, length and head circumference were evaluated by Z score according to the criterions of actual and corrected ages.

RESULTSThe preterm infants had the catch-up growth in weight, length and head circumference in the first year of life. The growth velocity within the first three months was the highest. The velocity in the weight catch-up was higher than that in the length.

CONCLUSIONSThe fastest growing period is the early three month of life in preterm AGA infants. The catch-up growth in weight and length is unbalanced.

Body Height ; Body Weight ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Head ; growth & development ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; growth & development ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male

OBJECTIVETo study CXCR3 and CCR5 chemokine receptor expression in spleens of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and its clinical significance.

METHODSThe splenectomy specimens from 10 ITP patients (ITP group) and 8 patients with traumatic splenic rupture (normal control group) were studied. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to study the positive rate of CXCR3 and CCR5. Western blot was performed to detect CXCR3 and CCR5 protein expression, while real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted to analyze their mRNA expression.

RESULTSThe positive rate of CXCR3 and CCR5 were both higher in ITP group (90% and 100%, respectively) than those in control group (75% and 87.5%, respectively)(P < 0.05). The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Protein and mRNA level of CXCR3 in ITP group were 3.0 and 3.5 times as high as those in control group, respectively. Those of CCR5 in ITP group were 1.2 and 1.7 times as high as those in control group, respectively.

CONCLUSIONHigh expression of CXCR3 and CCR5 may play a part in the splenic immune disorders in patients with ITP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, CCR5 ; metabolism ; Receptors, CXCR3 ; metabolism ; Spleen ; metabolism ; Thrombocytopenia ; immunology ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSC) are defined as myogenic stem cells endowed with their ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types of their derivative tissue, and are proved to be over 10 times more efficient in hematopoiesis than hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Although the mechanism which MDSC differentiate into blood cells is still unclear, MDSC were considered to replace HSC to treat the patients suffering from bone marrow diseases such as aplastic anemia and tumor. MDSC are different from HSC in a variety aspects like biological characteristics, protein expression and cell proliferation. On the other hand, MDSC contain multiple distinct stem cell populations. Among these, there is only a small part with the ability to repopulate hematopoietic cells, and it is still uncertain whether their origin is same as HSC. This review summarizes the difference between MDSC and HSC, the ability of MDSC to repopulate hematopoietic cells, and the prospect of MDSCs' transplantation.
Anemia, Aplastic ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Hematopoiesis ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; cytology

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is prevalent in obesity and is associated with many metabolic abnormalities. The relationship between OSAS and bone metabolism is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the severity of OSAS and bone metabolic markers. Methods: A total of 119 obese males were enrolled in this study in spring months from 2015 to 2017. All candidates underwent polysomnography, and their bone mineral density (BMD) and the serum levels of total procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (t-P1NP), N-terminal midfragment of osteocalcin (N-MID), β-C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX), vitamin D (VD), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured. The analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis were performed for data analyses. Results: No significant differences in the mean values of BMD were observed among the obesity, mild-to-moderate OSAS, and severe OSAS groups; and the serum levels of t-P1NP and β-CTX in the severe OSAS group were significantly higher than those in the obesity group (48.42 ± 23.78 ng/ml vs. 31.98 ± 9.85 ng/ml, P < 0.001; 0.53 ± 0.24 ng/ml vs. 0.41 ± 0.13 ng/ml, P = 0.011, respectively). The serum level of VD in the obesity group was significantly higher than those in the mild-to-moderate and severe OSAS groups (both P < 0.001), and decreased as the severity of OSAS increased (P < 0.001). The serum level of PTH in the severe OSAS group was significantly higher than those in the obesity and mild-to-moderate OSAS groups (both P < 0.001). The results of correlation analysis indicated that the level of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was correlated with the levels of t-P1NP (r = 0.396, P < 0.001), VD (r = -0.404, P < 0.001), and PTH (r = 0.400, P < 0.001), whereas the level of minimum Osaturation (SaOmin) was correlated with the levels of VD (r = 0.258, P = 0.016) and PTH (r = -0.376, P < 0.001). Conclusions The levels of bone resorption and formation markers in patients with severe OSAS were significantly increased compared to obese men, and the severity of OSAS was correlated with the serum levels of t-P1NP, VD, and PTH.
Biomarkers ; blood ; Bone Density ; Bone and Bones ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; complications ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; complications