BACKGROUND: Pioglitazone is a common hypoglycemic drug capable of improving proliferation and activation, and inhibiting apoptosis of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). We speculated that the combined use of pioglitazone and EPCs transplantation could have significant improving effects on hyperglycemia and kidney function after diabetes mellitus.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the improving effect of EPCs transplantation combined with pioglitazone treatment on the kidney function of diabetic rat models.METHODS: The 15 of 75 Wistar rats were randomly selected and served as normal control group (no treatment). Animal models of type 1 diabetes mellitus were made in the rest 60 rats through the intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin for continuous 5 days. The human EPCs (labeled by CM-Dil) were recovered, cultured and preserved until transplantation. After 4 weeks of modeling, the 60 rat models were randomly divided into model group (PBS injection), pioglitazone group, EPCs transplantation group and combined treatment group, followed by tail vein injection of EPCs suspension and/or intragastric administration of 20 mg/kg pioglitazone for continuous 4 days. After 8 weeks of treatment, the levels of glucose, insulin and creatinine in serum, urea nitrogen and urine protein during 24 hours were determined. The number and distribution of EPCs labeled by CM-Dil were detected by fluorescence microscope, the apoptosis in kidney cells was tested by TUNEL method, and the kidney weight/body weight ratio in rats was calculated.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the model group, the blood glucose and serum creatinine levels and the urea nitrogen and urine protein concentrations during 24 hours were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the seruminsulin level was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the pioglitazone and EPCs transplantation groups. These biochemical indexes in the combined treatment group were more significantly altered compared with the model group (P< 0.01). The kidney weight to the body weight ratio was lowest in the combined treatment group and lower in the pioglitazone and EPCs transplantation groups followed by the model group (P < 0.05). The order of apoptotic kidney cells labeled by TUNEL was as follows: model group > pioglitazone group > EPCs transplantation group > combined treatment group (P < 0.05). To conclude, the EPCs transplantation combined with pioglitazone treatment can decrease the blood glucose and serum creatinine levels and urea nitrogen and urine protein concentrations, improve the serum insulin level, reduce cell apoptosis in the kidney, and remit the kidney dysfunction of diabetic rats to a certain extent.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis of colon cancer patients and the prediction of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in patients with colon cancer by serum angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) , vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) , carbohydrate antigen 199 and carcinoembryonic antigen CEA. Methods 100 patients with colon cancer, 100 patients with benign colonic lesions and 100 healthy subjects were examined. The levels of Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA in serum were detected, and the diagnosis and postoperative recurrence and metastasis of colon cancer were investigated. Results The levels of serum Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA in colon cancer group were higher than those in benign lesions and healthy controls (P < 0.05). The levels of Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA were detected. The sensitivity and specificity of each index were significantly higher in the diagnosis of colon cancer. The preoperative recurrence and metastasis rates of patients with positive Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA were higher than those of the negative patients respectively. Survival analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the time of distant metastasis between different expression states (P < 0.05). Conclusion The detection of serum levels of Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA has clinical significance for the diagnosis of colon cancer. Combined detection can improve the diagnostic efficiency; the levels of Ang-2, VEGF, CA19-9 and CEA in serum before surgery colon cancer is associated with recurrence and metastasis, and combined testing can help to assess tumor metastasis.