Objective To examine the concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor(HGF)and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)in the patients with diabetic neovascular glaucoma(NVG),proliferative retinopathy without neovascularization of the iris(PDR) and idiopathic macular role(IMH),and to determine the relationship between HGF and VEGF.Design Prospective case series. Participants 14 patients(14 eyes)with NVG,22 patients(22 eyes)with non-NVI PDR,19 patients(19 eyes)with IMH.Methods The double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the intravitreous level of HGF and VEGF.Main Outcome Measures The concentrations of HGF and VEGF in the same specimens.Results The concentrations of HGF (mean?SD)in vitreous of NVG group,PDR group and IMH group were(12908.42?2946.46)、(9770.86?3802.99)、(4160.54?2044.80)pg/ ml,respectively(Kruskal-Walls test,X~2=32.36,P=0.000).In addition,significant differences were observed between groups of the concentrations of HGF(P＜0.01,respectively).The intravitreous concentrations of VEGF(mean?SD)in three groups were(823.50?718.58)、(821.82?786.27)、(22.73?3.20)pg/ml(X~2=28.30,P=0.O00),respectively(Kruskal-Walls test,X~2=32.36,P=0.000).There was no significant correlation between the concentrations of HGF and those of VEGF in the same specimens from each group(P＞0.05, respectively).Conclusions The intravitreous concentrations of HGF in the patients with diabetic NVG are obviously higher than those with IMH and non-NVI PDR,suggesting that HGF appears to be associated with mediating the neovascularization of retina and iris in NVG.However,it is not found there is any relationship between the intravitreous levels of HGF and VEGF.

Background: The present study investigated the regulatory effects of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase like-3 (METTL3) in diabetes-induced testicular damage. Methods: In vivo diabetic mice and high glucose (HG) treated GC-1 spg cells were established. The mRNA and protein expressions were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry staining. Levels of testosterone, blood glucose, cell viability, and apoptosis were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, MTT, and flow cytometry, respectively. Molecular interactions were verified by RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assay. Histopathological staining was performed to evaluate testicular injury. Results: METTL3 and long non-coding RNA taurine up-regulated 1 (lncRNA TUG1) were downregulated in testicular tissues of diabetic mice and HG-treated GC-1 spg cells. METTL3 overexpression could reduce the blood glucose level, oxidative stress and testicular damage but enhance testosterone secretion in diabetic mouse model and HG-stimulated GC-1 spg cells. Mechanically, METTL3-mediated m6A methylation enhanced the stability of TUG1, then stabilizing the clusterin mRNA via recruiting serine and arginine rich splicing factor 1. Moreover, inhibition of TUG1/clusterin signaling markedly reversed the protective impacts of METTL3 overexpression on HG-stimulated GC-1 spg cells. Conclusion This study demonstrated that METTL3 ameliorated diabetes-induced testicular damage by upregulating the TUG1/clusterin signaling. These data further elucidate the potential regulatory mechanisms of m6A modification on diabetes-induced testicular injury.

To evaluate the impact of trisomy 8 on cytobiological and clinical features of acute myelomonocytic and monocytic leukemia (M(4), M(5)), a total of 56 cases of acute myelomonocytic and monocytic leukemia were investigated. Karyotypes were analyzed by G-banding or R-banding. The immunotypes in all cases were detected by flow cytometry. And the clinical characteristics at the first visit were analyzed retrospectively. The results showed that thirty-four of 56 (60.7%) patients had normal cytogenetics; 10 (17.9%) patients had trisomy 8 in their karyotypes, including 3 (5.4%) patients with trisomy 8 as the sole aberration; and 12 (21.4%) patents had other cytogenetic abnormalities (except trisomy 8). All trisomy 8 cases demonstrated a increased expression frequency of surface markers of myeloid progenitor cells CD34 (P < 0.01) and CD117 (P < 0.05) and a decreased expression frequency of surface markers of mature monocytes CD11c (P < 0.01) and CD14 (P < 0.05), compared with normal cytogenetics cases. Patients with trisomy 8 were slightly older (P < 0.05), which had lower percentages of peripheral blasts (P < 0.05) and lower WBC (P < 0.05) than the patients without trisomy 8. Patients with trisomy 8 had a shorter disease-free survival time than that of patients with normal cytogenetics (P < 0.05). It is concluded that trisomy 8 may play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of acute myelomonocytic/monocytic leukemia (M(4)/M(5)), whic seems to be related with a block in differentiation of monocytes. Therefore, trisomy 8 may be an adverse prognostic factor for patients with M(4) or M(5).
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD34 ; analysis ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; CD13 Antigens ; analysis ; Chromosome Banding ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 ; genetics ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; HLA-DR Antigens ; analysis ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Karyotyping ; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; Prognosis ; Trisomy

OBJECTIVETo establish an efficient and stable method for protein extraction of Streptococcus mutans.

METHODSThe collected bacteria were treated by freeze-thaw and ultrasonic (method 1), ultrasonic (method 2), boiling (method 3), boiling and ultrasonic (method 4), respectively. The index such as state of bacteria broken, concentration of extracted protein and SDS-PAGE of protein were employed to evaluate the effects of above four methods.

RESULTSBeside the method 3, the other three methods could break the bacteria effectively, of which ultrasonic was the key factor. The pattern of SDS-PAGE which treated by method 1, method 2 and method 4 was almost same, but method 1 resulted in the best abundance. There was significantly difference among the four protein concentration extracted by four methods (P < 0.05). All methods exhibited good stability and reproducibility.

CONCLUSIONMethod of freeze-thaw and ultrasonic resulted in an efficient proteins extraction of Streptococcus mutans which demonstrated good stability and reproducibility and easy to handle.

Bacterial Proteins ; Reproducibility of Results ; Streptococcus mutans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection on the expression of survivin and cell cycle in human tongue squamous carcinoma TSCCa cells.

METHODSThe proliferation of TSCCa cells infected with NDV in vitro was evaluated by means of MTT assay, and survivin expression in the infected cells was detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Flow cytometry was performed to assess the changes in the cell apoptosis, cell cycle and cell proliferation index (PI) of the cells.

RESULTSNDV infection resulted in decreased survivin expression and increased apoptosis of TSCCa cells, with reduced cell percentage in G2/M and S phases and lowered PI of the cells, showing significant differences from those of the negative control cells (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONNDV infection can inhibit survivin expression, affect the cell cycle of TSCCa cells and induce their apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; virology ; Cell Cycle ; physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Newcastle disease virus ; physiology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tongue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; virology

BACKGROUNDMycophenolic acid (MPA) as an anti-proliferative immune-suppressive agent is used in the majority of immunosuppressive regimens in solid organ transplantation. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) and area under the curve (AUC) from 0 to 12 hours with limited sampling strategies (LSSs) in Chinese renal transplant recipients.

METHODSThis study was conducted in 10 Chinese renal transplant patients receiving living donor and treated with EC-MPS, cyclosporine, and corticosteroids. MPA concentrations were measured by enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT). Whole 12-hour PK profiles were obtained on Day 4 after operation. LSSs with jackknife technique, multiple stepwise regression analysis, and Bland-Altman analysis were developed to estimate MPA AUC.

RESULTSThe mean maximum plasma concentration, the mean time for it to reach peak (T(max)), and the mean MPA AUC were (11.38 ± 2.49) mg/L, (4.85 ± 3.32) hours, and (63.19 ± 13.54) mg×h×L(-1), respectively. Among the 10 profiles, MPA AUC of four patients was significantly higher than that of the other six patients, and the corresponding T(max) was significantly longer than that of the other six patients. No patient exhibited a second peak caused by enterohepatic recirculation. The best models were as follows: 27.46 + 0.94C(3) + 3.24C(8) + 2.81C(10) (r(2) = 0.972), which was used to predict AUC of fast metabolizer with a mean prediction error (MPE) of -0.21% and a mean absolute prediction error (MAE) of 2.59%; 36.65 + 3.08C(8) + 5.30C(10) - 4.04C(12) (r(2) = 0.992), which was used to predict AUC of slow metabolizer with a MPE of 0.58% and a MAE of 1.95%.

CONCLUSIONSThe PKs of EC-MPS had a high variability among Chinese renal transplant recipients. The preliminary PK data indicated the existence of slow and fast metabolizer. These findings may be associated with the enterohepatic recirculation.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycophenolic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate associations of overall obesity (OO) and abdominal obesity (AO) with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) among type 2 diabetes(T2DM) patients. Methods A community-based study for T2DM patients was conducted in rural communities in Beijing．Every patient completed a questionnaire to collect demography, lifestyle and diseases history, and underwent physical examinations, baPWV assessments and blood biochemical tests. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between obesity index and baPWV. Abnormal baPWV was defined as patients with baPWV≥1,700 cm/s. Logistic regression model was performed to explore the risk of abnormal baPWV after adjusting for poetential confounders step by step. Results A total of 2 048 T2DM patients were recruited. The average age was (59.2±8.3) years and total prevalence of abnormal baPWV was 49.7%. After multivariable adjustment, linear regression showed that there was a negative correlation between body mass index(BMI) and baPWV and a positive correlation between waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and baPWV. Compared to normal weight group, those with BMI≥28 kg/m2 had lower risk of abnormal baPWV (OR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.44-0.78，P<0.001), but there was an increased risk of 46% among patients with obesity in WHR (OR=1.46, 95% CI:1.07-2.00，P=0.018). Compared to those without OO and AO, patients without OO but with AO had a 1.67-fold increasesd risk of abnormal baPWV (OR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.19-2.35，P=0.003). Conclusions Abdominal obesity is related with arterial stiffnening among T2DM patients, and it is critical to evaluate arterial stiffness of T2DM patients with abdmonal obesity and normal BMI in order to reduce future risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Aclarubicin/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Child ; Cytarabine/therapeutic use* ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy* ; Remission Induction ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can be used to deliver functionally active angiostatic molecules to the retinal vasculature by targeting active astrocytes and may be useful in targeting pre-angiogenic retinal lesions. We sought to determine whether HSC mobilization can ameliorate early diabetic retinopathy in mice.

METHODSMice were devided into four groups: normal mice control group, normal mice HSC-mobilized group, diabetic mice control group and diabetic mice HSC mobilized group. Murine stem cell growth factor (murine SCF) and recombined human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-csf) were administered to the mice with diabetes and without diabetes for continuous 5 days to induce autologous HSCs mobilization, and subcutaneous injection of physiological saline was used as control. Immunohistochemical double staining was conducted with anti-mouse rat CD31 monoclonal antibody and anti-BrdU rat antibody.

RESULTSMarked HSCs clearly increased after SCF plus G-csf-mobilization. Non-mobilized diabetic mice showed more HSCs than normal mice (P=0.032), and peripheral blood significantly increased in both diabetic and normal mice (P=0.000). Diabetic mice showed more CD31 positive capillary vessels (P=0.000) and accelerated endothelial cell regeneration. Only diabetic HSC-mobilized mice expressed both BrdU and CD31 antigens in the endothelial cells of new capillaries.

CONCLUSIONAuto-mobilized adult hematopoietic stem cells advance neovasculature in diabetic retinopathy of mice.

Animals ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; drug therapy ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; therapeutic use ; Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors ; therapeutic use ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization ; methods ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the tribology characteristics of two ceramic materials in vitro:feldspathic glass-ceramic (veneer porcelain) and lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (heat-pressed ceramic),and to evaluate the wear resistance of different ceramic materials from the dynamic chewing perspective.Methods Wear tests were performed in simulated oral environment with stainless steel ball antagonists(r =3 mm),veneer porcelain (CERAMCO 3) and heat-pressed ceramic (IPS e.max Press HT type) in the chewing simulator.The tribological tests were carried out under artificial saliva lubrication condition in room temperature with a vertical load of 10 N for 1.2 × 106 cycles(f=1.5 Hz,uniform circular motion,revolving speed =90 r/min,radius =0.5 mm).The wear volumes were measured using threedimensional profiling,and surface microscopic morphology were observed using scanning electron microscopy at time point of 200 000,400 000,600 000,800 000,1 000 000,and 1 200 000 cycles.Results In a simulated oral environment,the wear rates of veneer porcelain were (0.001 20 ±0.00 018),(0.000 10 ±0.000 03),(0.000 50 ± 0.000 05),(0.000 10 ±0.000 02),(0.004 10 ±0.000 38),and (0.019 00 ±0.003 53) (× 10-4 mm3/cycles) at 200 000,400 000,600 000,800 000,1 000 000,1 200 000cycles.The wear rates of heat-pressed ceramic were (0.139 50 ± 0.030 94),(0.124 40 ± 0.031 20),(0.054 80 ± 0.005 38),(0.038 80 ± 0.006 10),(0.011 10 ± 0.003 75),(0.198 90 ± 0.045 80) (× 10-4mm3/cycles) at 200 000,400 000,600 000,800 000,1 000 000,1 200 000 cycles.Three stages were observed in the wear loss process of the two materials:running-in stage,steady wear stage and severe wear stage.In running-in and steady wear stage,the shallow wear tracks of veneer porcelain were produced by the fatigue effect.While in severe wear stage,the wear tracks turned into ploughing.In running-in stage,the surface of heat-pressed ceramic was characterized by dense and shallow ploughing.In steady wear stage,the wear tracks turned into flake peeling produced by fatigue effect.At last,the whole layer was worn off by the effects of ploughing.Conclusions In a simulated oral environment,the wear rate and wear loss of heatpressed ceramic are greater than that of veneer porcelain.