Objective: To investigate the expression of chemokine MIP-3α and its receptor CCR6 in ulcerative colitis(UC) and to explore its relationship with the involvement and severity of UC, so as to asses their expression in the pathogenesis of UC. Methods: The expression of MIP-3α and CCR6 protein in the colon mucosa was detected by immunohistochemistry method in 35 UC patients and 20 normal controls. Results: MIP-3α and CCR6 were both positive in the UC group and negative or only weakly expressed in the normal control group. The expression of MIP-3α and CCR6 in the UC group was significantly higher than that in normal controls (P<0.01). The expression of MIP-3α and CCR6 was related to the severity and involvement of UC. The expression of MIP-3α was significantly correlated with that of CCR6(r=0.765,P<0.01). Conclusion: The expression of MIP-3α and CCR6 is positively correlated with each other, and both of them participate in the development and progression of UC. The interaction between the 2 may play an important role in the local damage and pathological changes in UC.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathological manifestations of early renal amyloidosis (AL) and its diagnostic criteria.

METHODSFifteen cases with early renal amyloidosis admitted from 1994 to 2001 were collected from the hospital, and their clinical and pathological features were reviewed. Of them, the initial diagnoses were not made by depending findings from the light microscopy (LM) and immunofluorescense (IF), but confirmed by electron microscopy (EM) afterwards. Immuno-electron microscopy (IEM) were applied for amyloidosis typing.

RESULTSMost patients of early renal AL were in the middle to old age. Nephrotic syndrome was the most prominent symptoms and signs accompanying with rare microscopic hematuria and hypertension. Most of them had a normal renal function. Pathological examinations of renal biopsies using LM and IF showed mild mesangial proliferation and mild thickening of glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Immunoglobulins and complements were negative or only scanty in certain cases, but in all cases there was a light chain protein deposition homogeously. There were 4 cases of minimal change glomerulopathy, 5 cases of mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, 5 cases of stage I membranous nephropathy, and 1 case of cast nephropathy diagnosed with LM. The amyloid fibrils (diameter 8 - 10 nm) were randomly distributed in the mesangium, along GBM and at the arteriolar wall under EM. Additionally, Congo red staining was positive. IEM demonstrated that amyloid fibrils labeled with colloid gold was combined with a kind of light chain protein which was confirmed as the light chain type of AL.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis of early renal AL was occasionally neglected by depending only findings of LM and LF. However, special amyloid fibrils can be detected using EM. EM observation is an indispensable technique for the diagnosis of early renal AL and the typing of AL may further be determined by using IEM.

Adult ; Aged ; Amyloidosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Basement Membrane ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Light Chains ; metabolism ; Kidney Diseases ; metabolism ; pathology ; Kidney Glomerulus ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo examine the cellular components at different stages of the crescent formation in four most common types of human crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), including anti-GBM disease (GBM-CGN), crescentic IgA nephropathy (IgA-CGN), ANCA associated pauci-immune CGN (ANCA-CGN) and crescentic lupus glomerulonephritis (LN-CGN).

METHODSRenal biopsy specimens of patients with GBM-CGN (n = 10), IgA-CGN (n = 12), ANCA-CGN (n = 12), and LN-CGN (n = 11) were selected. Immunohistochemistry was adopted to identify the cellular components using different cell markers including cytokeratin (PEC), CD68 (macrophage), nestin (podocyte), podocalyxin (podocyte), CD3 (lymphocyte), CD15 (neutrophil) and PCNA.

RESULTSThere were different subtypes of cell components identified during the formation of a cellular crescent in 4 different types of human CGN. Mainly of PEC 11.4 (0.0, 95.0)%, macrophage 8.0 (0.0, 35.0)% and podocyte 5.5 (0.0, 22.0)% and their constitutive percentages were different among various CGNs (P < 0.01). In all the CGNs studied, there were 50% of cells were negative to all the cell markers adopted for this expeiment. Podocalyxin positive cells 0.5 (0.0, 9.6)% were significantly less than nestin positive cells 5.5 (0.0, 22.0)% in all CGNs. PCNA positive cells were 44.7 (16.7, 83.3)% in the cellular crescent of all CGNs and co-localized with nestin (38/45 cases), CK (42/45 cases) or CD68 (24/45 cases).

CONCLUSIONSPEC, macrophage and podocyte might play important roles in the formation of crescents. The staining disparity of nestin and podocalyxin indicates that podocyte dedifferentiation may occur during the crescent formation. PEC, podocytes and macrophages may participate in the formation of crescent in common CGNs through active cellular proliferation.

Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease ; metabolism ; pathology ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; metabolism ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Glomerulonephritis ; classification ; metabolism ; pathology ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Keratins ; metabolism ; Lupus Nephritis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Macrophages ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Nestin ; Podocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Sialoglycoproteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo develop a newly real-time RT-polymerase chain reaction assay for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) related coronavirus in human whole blood.

METHODSA pair of primers and a probe (molecular beacon) had been designed that were specific for the recognition of a highly conservative region between 15 301 and 15 480 of the SARS-related coronavirus polymerase gene sequences obtained from GenBank (G130027616).

RESULTSIn the real-time RT-PCR assay, the extent of SARS related coronavirus amplification was measured in terms of the increase in fluorescence during the amplification process. The 145 bp fragment of PCR product was further confirmed by conventional PCR assay and proved by DNA sequencing to be identical to the target sequence to which the probe was hybridized.

CONCLUSIONThis assay has a broad application for clinical diagnosis and surveillance investigation.

Base Sequence ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features, immunohistochemical findings and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangement results of primary pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALToma) and reactive lymphoid hyperplasia.

METHODSTwenty cases, included 13 cases of pulmonary MALToma and 7 cases of pulmonary lymphoid hyperplasia, encountered during the period from 1989 to 2007, were retrospectively analyzed. The samples were paraffin-embedded and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Immunohistochemical study and semi-nested polymerase chain reaction for IgH gene rearrangement were performed.

RESULTSThe 13 cases of primary pulmonary MALToma were composed of a spectrum of lymphoid cells, including lymphocyte-like cells, centrocyte-like cells and mononuclear B cells with plasmacytoid differentiation. They often had diffuse or marginal zone growth patterns. Lymphoid follicles with neoplastic colonization were apparent. The lymphoma cells spread along alveolar septa and bronchovascular bundles. Vascular invasion was noted in 9 cases, pleura involvement in 6 cases and nodal involvement in 2 cases. Lymphoepithelial lesions (LEL) were identified in 9 cases of pulmonary MALToma. Immunohistochemically, the lymphocytes in LEL were CD20-positive and CD3-negative. On the other hand, LEL was also present in 2 of the 7 cases of lymphoid hyperplasia studied, with a mixture of CD20-positive B cells and CD3-negative T cells. Eight of the 9 cases of primary pulmonary MALToma were positive for IgH gene rearrangement, while all of the 7 cases of lymphoid hyperplasia were negative.

CONCLUSIONSHistologically, the cell population of primary pulmonary MALToma is similar to that of extranodal MALToma occurring in other organs. LEL, though commonly observed in pulmonary MALToma, are not specific and can also be seen in cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. The immunophenotype of intraepithelial lymphocytes in pulmonary MALToma and reactive lymphoid hyperplasia is different. The presence of a monotonous population of CD20-positive intraepithelial lymphocytes supports a diagnosis of MALToma. IgH gene rearrangement study is also useful in differentiating both entities.

Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Immunochemistry ; methods ; Immunophenotyping ; methods ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pseudolymphoma ; pathology ; Young Adult

Fungal pathogens represent major problems for human health and agriculture. As eukaryotic organisms, fungi share some important features with mammalian cells. Therefore, current anti-fungal antibiotics often can not distinguish between fungi and mammalian cells, resulting in serious side effects in mammalian cells. Accordingly, there is strong impetus to develop antifungal alternatives that are both safe and effective. The E1 family of colicin are channel-forming bacteriocins produced by Escherichia coli, which are bactericidal only to E. coli and related species. To target the channel-forming domain of colicin to fungal cell membrane, we engineered a sexual mating pheromone of Candida albicans, α-factor pheromone to colicin Ia. A peptide was constructed consisting of an α mating pheromone of C. albicans fused to the channel-forming domain of colicin Ia to create a new fusion protein, pheromonicin-CA (PMC-CA). Indirect immunolabeling showed that the PMC-CA bound to fungal cells and inhibited growth in the laboratory and field. In the field, the protective activity of pheromonicin against rice blast disease was significantly greater, on a molar basis, than that of triazoles, tricyclazole or isoprothiolane. These results suggest that fusion peptides may be of value as fungicidal agents under agricultural conditions.
Candida albicans ; chemistry ; Colicins ; chemistry ; Fungicides, Industrial ; chemistry ; Mating Factor ; Peptides ; chemistry ; Protein Engineering

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with POEMS syndrome and explore its effective treatment strategies. METHODS: The clinical data of 75 patients with POEMS syndrome treated in The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2012 to June 2018 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics, treatment regimes and outcomes of the patients were summarized. RESULTS: The median age of 75 diagnosed patients was 50 (30-81) years old and 100% (75/75) of the patients were accompanied with peripheral neuropathy, 77.3% (58/75) with organ enlargement, 82.7% (62/75) with endocrine abnormality, 93.3% (70/75) with monoclonal plasma cell diseases and 64.0% (48/75) with skin changes. Among the 75 patients, 5 cases gave up treatment, while the others showed varying degrees of improvement after treatment. The hematological complete remission (CR CONCLUSION The clinical manifestations of POEMS syndrome are complex and diverse, the clinicians therefore should be vigilant to reduce the misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Bortezomib or Lenalidomide can be recommended as the first-line medicines and autologous HSCT should be considered for appropriate patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Lenalidomide ; Middle Aged ; POEMS Syndrome/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Autologous

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of P2X7R antagonist brilliant blue G (BBG) on aGVDH of mice after allo-HSCT.

METHODSaGVHD mouse model after HSCT was established and treated with the P2X7R antagonist BBG of different dosages (50 mg/kg and 75 mg/kg). After treatment, the survival, body weight, pathological and liver function of aGVDH mice were abserved, and the expression levels of P2X7, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 mRNA and protein were evaluated by real-time PCR and Western blot.

RESULTSThe allo-HSCT aGVHD mouse model was successfully established, the intraperitoneal injection of BBG alleviated the aGVHD clinical manifestations including roachback, ruffled fur, skin peeling and weight loss of recipient mice, decreased P2X7R and IL-1β expression and reduced the mRNA levels of P2X7R, NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β and IL-18. Furthermore, GVHD group receiving 75 mg/kg BBG showed most significant difference of these indexes.

CONCLUSIONBBG alleviates liver inflammatory damage induced by aGVHD after allo-HSCT, and decreases the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the protective effect of that of BBG 75 mg/kg group is better than that of BBG 50 mg/kg group.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the gene mutational spectrum between elderly and young adults with acute myeloid leukemia(AML) based on next generation sequencing(NGS). METHODS: The specimens of 250 AML patients in first affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to November 2018 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The mutation of 22 related genes were detected by using AML NGS chips. Then, the differences between elderly (≥60 years old) and young adults (＜60 years old) were compared. RESULTS: The most frequent mutations of 250 patients were as follows: NPM1(22.4%), FLT3-ITD(18.8%), NRAS(17.2%), DNMT3A(14.4%), TET2(11.6%), IDH2(9.6%), Biallelic CEBPA(8.8%), Moallelic CEBPA(8.4%), KIT(8.4%), RUNX1(7.6%), IDH1(7.6%), ASXL1(6.0%), U2AF1(5.2%), SRSF2 (3.2%), SF3B1(3.2%), TP53(2.4%), KRAS(2.0%). The NPM1, CEBPA, DNMT3A mutation significantly increased in intermediate prognosis group while KIT significantly increased in favourable prognosis group. The TET2 and IDH2 mutation rate in elderly patients were significantly higher than that in young patients (21.8% vs 8.7%) (χ=7.180, P=0.007) and (20.0% vs 6.7%) ( χ=8.788, P=0.003) respectively. Compared with young patients, the frequencies of DNA methylation and demethylation mutations (including DNMT3A, TET2, IDH1, IDH2) and RNA splicing enzyme mutations (inc-luding SRSF2, SF3B1, U2AF1, ZRSR2) in elderly patients significantly increased(67.3% vs 36.4%) (χ=16.653, P=0.000) and (23.6% vs 8.7%)(χ=9.041, P=0.003) respectively. CONCLUSION The gene mutational spectrum in elderly and young adult AML shows heterogeneity. Compared with young adults, the frequencies of DNA methylation and demethylation mutations and RNA splicing enzyme mutations in elderly patients significantly increase.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of CD123 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its relationship between clinical features, concomitant fusion gene or gene mutation, efficacy and prognosis. METHODS: 365 patients with newly diagnosed AML (except M3) treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled and retrospective analysis, and multi-parameter flow cytometry was performed to detect the expression of CD123 in myeloid leukemia cell population. CD123≥20% was defined as positive. Clinical features, concomitant fusion gene or gene mutation, efficacy and prognosis of CD123 RESULTS: The positive rate of CD123 in 365 newly diagnosed AML patients was 38.9%. Compared with the CD123 CONCLUSION CD123 positive indicates that AML patients have higher tumor burden and are more difficult to reach remission. It is an independent risk factor for OS and EFS in patients with normal karyotype and intermediate risk, which is important to evaluate the prognosis of patients with AML without specific prognostic marker.
Humans ; Interleukin-3 Receptor alpha Subunit ; Karyotype ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Mutation ; Patients ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies