This paper focuses on the trends in wearable medical devices for the applications in m-health. The state-of-art technologies for the continuous and noninvasive measurements of physiological parameters, implementation platforms of wearable medical devices - e-textile, and body sensor networks are reviewed here with examples of related recent research projects conducted in different countries. In addition, we introduce our recent research project on the e-textile-based health shirt (h-shirt), which can measure arterial blood pressure noninvasively, continuously and cufflessly.
Biomedical Technology ; instrumentation ; Clothing ; Equipment Design ; Monitoring, Ambulatory ; instrumentation ; Textiles

The luminal fluid environment of the female reproductive tract is considered critical for the sperm to undergo a series of molecular events leading to the final acquisition of their fertilizing capacity. It has been shown that the fluid in the female reproductive tract contains high content of HCO3- and it plays an important role in sperm functions including sperm motility, capacitation, hyperactivation and acrosome reaction. This review summarizes the effects of HCO3- on sperm functions occurring in the female reproductive tract and discusses the transport mechanisms involved in mediating uterine HCO3- secretion. New evidence is also presented to show possible cause of female infertility due to defective HCO3- transporting mechanism.
Animals ; Bicarbonates ; metabolism ; Female ; Fertilization ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Capacitation ; physiology ; Sperm-Ovum Interactions ; physiology ; Uterus ; metabolism ; secretion

Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of taurine on hemorheology and oxidative stress of diabetic rats.

METHODS40 rats were divided into control group, diabetes group and treatment group at random. Diabetic model was reproduced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. After having been treated with taurine for 8 weeks, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the serum contents of glucose, superoxide dismutase(SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. The changes of hemorheology in different groups were detected respectively.

RESULTSCompared with control group, the content of glucose, MDA and HbA1c in diabetic rats was increased, the activity of SOD was decreased, the levels of whole blood viscosity and the aggregation index of red blood cells and hematocrit were increased and RBC deformability index was decreased in diabetic rats. Moreover, taurine was able to apparently reduce high blood glucose and HbA1c (P < 0.05), markedly elevated the activity of SOD, lowered the content of MDA (P < 0.01); and taurine also could significantly reduce the levels of whole blood viscosity and the aggregation index of red blood cells and hematocrit in the meanwhile, and increase RBC deformability index (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONTaurine could enhance the ability of oxidation resistance, improve blood rheology property in diabetic rats, at the same time it could be beneficial to prevent and cure the development of diabetic blood vessel complication.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; Erythrocyte Deformability ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Hemorheology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Taurine ; pharmacology

Objective: To observe the intervention effect of auricular point sticking on dry eye in myopia patients after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery.Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled study conducted among the myopia patients who received SMILE surgery at Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University. The post-SMILE operation patients who screened by the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into a control group and a treatment group. Patients in the control group were given 0.1％ fluorometholone and 0.5％ carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops, while the treatment group was given additional unilateral auricular point sticking for 1 month. The patients were estimated using ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Schirmer tear test-1 (STT-1), tear film break-up time (TF-BUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, corneal sensitivity (CS) and visual quality (VQ) at 1 d, 1 week and 1 month after surgery; the changes in anxiety and depression were also observed in the patients. Results: Compared with the first day after operation, CS in the nasal region was improved in the treatment group, and the VQ score increased in the control group patients at 1 week after operation (both P<0.05); at 1 month after operation, the TF-BUT increased, CFS score decreased, CS in the central and nasal regions increased (all P<0.05), and VQ score increased (P<0.01) in the treatment group, and the CS in the central, upper, lower and nasal regions were improved (all P<0.05), and VQ score increased (P<0.01) in the control group. The between-group comparison showed that the differences in the change of TF-BUT were statistically significant at 1 week and 1 month after surgery, respectively (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Auricular point sticking therapy can increase the TF-BUT and accelerate the repair of ocular surface function in post-SMILE patients.

OBJECTIVEInterleukin-12 receptor beta1 (IL-12 Rbeta1) deficiency is a rare primary immunodeficiency (PID) characterized by selective susceptibility to weakly virulent organisms, including Mycobacterium bovis, BCG, non-tuberculous environmental mycobacteria and non-typhoidal salmonellosis. The present study was conducted to identify the mutation type and to analyze clinical phenotype.

METHODSBased on the typical clinical manifestations and immunologic tests in this case, a varieties of PIDs were excluded and IL-12Rbeta1 deficiency was suspected. IL-12Rbeta1 chain expressed on Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid B cell lines were detected by flow cytometric assay. The IL-12Rbeta1 gene sequences of the patient and her parents were analyzed by PCR-directed sequencing. The IL-12Rbeta1 gene sequences of the patient's younger brother also had been analyzed prenatally and after birth.

RESULTSAfter inoculating BCG, the patient suffered from multiple BCG infectious lymphadenitis. There was no detectable IL-12Rbeta1 on the Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid B cell lines from the patient, while only mild expression on the cell line from her mother. Sequencing analysis by using sense and antisense primers separately, a novel IL-12Rbeta1 gene mutation was found in the patient which was homozygous single nucleotide substitution, a nonsense mutation with nucleotide substitution of C to T at position 853 (853C-->T) in exon 9 leading the glutamate at position 285 to the stop codon mutation (Q285X). The parents were carriers of the mutated IL-12Rbeta1 gene. But her younger brother has normal IL-12Rbeta1 gene.

CONCLUSIONThe novel IL-12Rbeta1 gene mutation is responsible for BCG infection in this case and genetic analysis is useful in carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis is feasible when the mother had a baby with identified IL-12Rbeta1 gene mutation before.

BCG Vaccine ; adverse effects ; Base Sequence ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Phenotype ; Receptors, Interleukin-12 ; deficiency ; genetics ; Severe Combined Immunodeficiency ; complications ; genetics ; Tuberculosis ; complications

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to assess weather the immortalized mouse brain endothelial cell line Bend.3 displays the comparative barrier characteristics as the primary brain microvascular endothelial cells (BEMC).

METHODSImmortalized mouse brain endothelial cell line, Bend.3 cells were cultured in transwell inserts and their restrictive characteristics were assessed by transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) permeability assays. Western blot and direct fluorescent staining methods were used to detect the tight junction protein expression and F-actin distribution.

RESULTSThe TEER in Bend.3 cells increased with the prolonged culture time and increased to 82.3+/-6.0 Omega cm2 10 days after culture, which was significantly higher than that 3 days after culture (37.3+/-3.1 Omega cm2; P<0.05). There were significant differences in the permeability rates for HRP 3 and 10 days after culture (4.3+/-0.20)% vs (2.2+/-0.05)% (P<0.05). Western blot indicated high level expression of tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1 in Bend.3 cells 10 days after culture. F-actin was visualized around the cell membrane and presented scrobiculate linear fluorescence 10 days after culture.

CONCLUSIONSBend.3 cells have similar barrier characteristics to BEMC, and their barrier function may reach to the best effect 10 days after culture.

Actins ; analysis ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Cell Line ; Electric Impedance ; Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; Horseradish Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; analysis ; Mice ; Phosphoproteins ; analysis ; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein

OBJECTIVETo study the roles of PKCα on the proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, cytokine production and inducible regulatory T cell (iTreg) induction of T cells.

METHODST cells from WT (PKCα⁺/⁺) or PKCα knockout (PKCα⁻/⁻) mice were isolated and cultured in vitro. T cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined using ³H thymidine incorporation and CSFE/Annexin V staining. Cytokines production (IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ and IL-17) was detected using ELISA. CD4⁺T cells were isolated and cultured in vitro via Th17 or iTreg biased condition. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell differentiation.

RESULTSThe production of IL-2 upon TCR stimulation increased, while the contents of IL-4 and IL-17 decreased in the PKCα⁻/⁻ group compared with the PKCα⁺/⁺ group. The differentiation rate of Th17 cells decreased, while the iTreg production increased in the PKCα⁻/⁻ group compared with the PKCα⁺/⁺ group.

CONCLUSIONSPKC-α is proinflammatory.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Mice ; Protein Kinase C-alpha ; physiology ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; physiology ; T-Lymphocytes ; physiology ; Th17 Cells ; immunology

To investigate the effects of 2-(4-methoxycarbonyl-2-tetradecyloxyphenyl)carbamoylbenzoic acid (CX09040) on protecting pancreatic β cells, the β cell dysfunction model mice were induced by injection of alloxan into the caudal vein of ICR mice, and were treated with compound CX09040. Liraglutide was used as the positive control drug. The amount and the size of islets observed in pathological sections were calculated to evaluate the β cell mass; the glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) test was applied to estimate the β cell secretary function; the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was taken to observe the glucose metabolism in mice; the expressions of protein in pancreas were detected by Western blotting. The effects on the target protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) were assessed by the PTP1B activities of both recombinant protein and the intracellular enzyme, and by the PTP1B expression in the pancreas of mice, separately. As the results, with the treatment of CX09040 in alloxan-induced β cell dysfunction mice, the islet amount (P<0.05) and size (P<0.05) increased significantly, the changes of serum insulin in GSIS (P<0.01) and the values of acute insulin response (AIR, P<0.01) were enhanced, compared to those in model group; the impaired glucose tolerance was also ameliorated by CX09040 with the decrease of the values of area under curve (AUC, P<0.01). The activation of the signaling pathways related to β cell proliferation was enhanced by increasing the levels of p-Akt/Akt (P<0.01), p-FoxO1/FoxOl (P<0.001) and PDX-1 (P<0.01). The effects of CX09040 on PTP1B were observed by inhibiting the recombinant hPTP1B activity with IC50 value of 2.78x 10(-7) mol.L-1, reducing the intracellular PTP1B activity of 72.8% (P<0.001), suppressing the PTP1B expression (P<0.001) and up-regulating p-IRβ/IRβ (P<0.01) in pancreas of the β cell dysfunction mice, separately. In conclusion, compound CX09040 showed significant protection effects against the dysfunction of β cell of mice by enlarging the pancreatic β cell mass and increasing the glucose-induced insulin secretion; its major mechanism may be the inhibition on target PTP1B and the succedent up-regulation of β cell proliferation.
Alloxan ; Animals ; Benzoates ; pharmacology ; Biological Assay ; Disease Models, Animal ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Insulin ; secretion ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; drug effects ; Liraglutide ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Molecular Weight ; Pancreas ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Signal Transduction

Background and purpose:Proteasome inhibitors such as bortezomib,represent an interesting new class of potential anticancer drugs.In the present study,we explored the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 to paclitaxel,proteasome inhibitors and their combination,and also studied the involvement of GSK-3?/Mcl-1 signaling pathway in the regulation of apoptosis induced by those agent.Methods:Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT)assay was applied to examine the cell viability,Annexin-V/PI apoptosis detection kit was used to determine the apoptosis rate of different groups,and western blot assay was introduced to evaluate the expression levels of phosphorylated GSK-3?and Mcl-1.Results:In the MTT assay,the cell viability ratios of combination group at serial time points from 12 to 72 hr were(65.2?5.8)%,(58.3?14.4)%,(35.3?5.0)%,(19.2?1.5)% and(11.4?2.5)%,and there were significant differences as compared to the treatment of paclitaxel alone(P