Objective To investigate the potential of inflammatory markers for short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 272 consecutive patients with acute cerebral infarction were divided into a high hs-CRP group (hs-CRP level ＞3 mg/L) and a low hs-CRP group (hs-CRP level ≤3 mg/L),and their general information and medical history were collected.The Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) stroke subtype classification was conducted and scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS),the Barthel index (BI) and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) were collected after admission.White blood cell count,blood glucose,blood homocysteine (Hcy) and C-reactive protein were measured within 24 hours following admission.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction.Results Between the high hs-CRP group and the low hs-CRP group,there were significant differences in the incidences of atrial fibrillation history,cardiogenic embolism of TOAST,blood homocysteine,blood glucose,white blood cell count,NIHSS,BI and mRS score 1,7,14 days after admission (P＜0.05 for all).The hs-CRP level (OR=0.876,P＜0.001,95％ CI:0.817-0.917),white blood cell count (OR=1.137,P=0.029,95％ CI:1.013-1.275),lipid metabolism disorders (OR=2.863,P＜0.001,95％ CI:1.561-5.250),and BI score (OR=1.038,P=0.047,95％ CI:1.001-1.077) 1 day after stroke were independent risk factors for short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction.Conclusions Increased levels of the inflammatory marker hs-CRP and elevated white blood cell count may be independent risk factors for short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction.

Objective To establish the prediction model for ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke from January 1st, 2008 to December 31st, 2009 were followed up until June 30th, 2010. The rate of recurrence were described with Kaplan-Meier curve, and the factors associated with recurrence were analyzed with monovariant and multivariate Cox's proportional hazard regression. Results There were 79 cases relapsed during the follow-up. The independent risk factors associated with recurrence were age(X),history of hypertension (X2), family stroke history (X3), total cholesterol (X4), disease progression (X5), total scores of Essen stroke risk score (X6). The personal prognosis index (PI) for predicting recurrence was as: PI=0.025X1+0.681X2+0.973X3+0.395X4+0.636X5+0.283X6. As the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed, when the cut-off point of PI was 2.289, the sensitivity of the model was 0.731 and specificity was 0.795. Conclusion The model for predicting recurrence of ischemic stroke was established.

Objective To investigate the association between the HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in North China. Methods A 1∶1 matched case-control study was adopted. Polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers techniques (PCR-SSP) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to type polymorphisms (DR15, DR16, DR1, DR11). Information on environmental-related risk factors and pathological changes of tuberculosis was collected using a pre-tested standard questionnaire. Variance analysis, Chi-square, univariate and multivariate conditional Logistic analysis were conducted with SPSS 12.0 for Window. Results A sample of 124 pairs of cases and controls was studied. Univariate analysis demonstrated that DR15 mutant increased the risk of susceptibility of pulmonary tuberculosis (OR＝2.461, 95%CI: 1.363~4.444, P=0.002),and it would further increased if DR16 mutant occurred together (OR=4.904, 95%CI: 1.554~15.476). In multivariate analysis, DR15 mutant also associated with susceptibility of pulmonary tuberculosis (OR=2.996, 95%CI: 1.51~5.945). Conclusion Polymorphism of DR15 genotype might be a susceptible genotype of TB patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in North China.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of eight scoring systems (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ [APACHE Ⅱ] and APACHE Ⅲ,Improved Edinburgh-Scandinavian Scale [CSS],U.S.National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS],Activity of Daily Living [ADL] scale,Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS],Previous History of Disease Scale and Concomitant Disease Scale) in severity and outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke by using discriminant analysis,and to establish their mathematical models to predict the status of early death of stroke patients.Methods Three hundred and ninety-nine patients with acute ischemic stroke,admitted to our hospital from January 2008 to December 2012,were chosen in our study; these patients were tested with APACHE Ⅱ,APACHE Ⅲ,CSS,NIHSS,ADL,GCS,Previous History of Disease Scale and Concomitant Disease Scale within 24 h of admission.All of them were divided into two groups according to groups of survival (n=278) or death (n=121) one month after disease onset.Discriminant analysis was performed on all the data and the predictive values of these eight scales in the prognosis were analyzed.Results Patients from group of death had significantly higher scores of APACHE Ⅱ,APACHE Ⅲ,CSS,NIHSS and Concomitant Disease Scale,and statistically lower scores of ADL and GCS scores than those from group of survival (P＜0.05).Cluster analysis showed that CSS and NIHSS,and APACHE Ⅱ and APACHE Ⅲ,respectively,belong to clusters,which enjoyed higher predictive values than other scales.The areas under receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were 0.808,0.818,0.796 and 0.794 of APACHE Ⅱ,APACHE Ⅲ,CSS and NIHSS scores,respectively,enjoying good definition; Discriminant analysis was used to analyze the eight scoring systems and mathematical models were established to predict the outcomes of stroke patients,enjoying more than 80％ of coincidence rate.Conclusion APACHE Ⅱ,APACHE Ⅲ,CSS and NIHSS are superior to the other four score systems in evaluating severity of stroke patients,whose mathematical models,having more than 80％ of accuracy rate.

Objective To explore the influence of cucurbitacin E (CuE) on autophagy in human bladder cancer cell line T24 and further study its impacts on cell proliferation. Methods MTT assay was used to determine the proliferation inhibition capacity of CuE on T24 and western blot to check the impacts of CuE treatment on the expression of classic autophagy markers LC3A/B and p62. LC3 turnover assay and GFP-RFP-LC3 fluorescent assay were performed to determine autophagy flux. Western-blot was used to check the autophagy inhibition ability of 3-MA on CuE treatment and MTT assay and cell counting assay were used to check the influence of CuE-induced autophagy on cell proliferation with/without autophagy inhibition. Results CuE inhibited the proliferation of T24 and the IC50 in 24 h was about 0.75 μmol/L. CuE treatment increased the expression of LC3A/B Ⅱ and LC3A/B Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio (P < 0.05) , but decreased the expression of p62 (P < 0.05) , indicating the induction of autophagy. Autophagy flux was induced because of positive LC3 turnover assay and the increase of yellow and red dots in GFP-RFP-LC3 fluorescent assay (P < 0.05). CuE-induced autophagy was inhibited by 3-MA (P < 0.05). With autophagy inhibition, CuE's proliferation suppression ability on T24 was attenuated (P <0.05). Conclusion CuE induces autophagy in bladder cancer cell line T24 and the induced autophagy positively contributes to the inhibitation of cell proliferation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of miR-324-5p on the proliferation of rat glomerular mesangial (HBZY-1) cells and the role of Syk/Ras/c-fos signaling pathway in mediating this effect. METHODS: HBZY-1 cells cultured in vitro were transiently transfected with miR-324-5p mimics or miR-324-5p-mimics-NC followed by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation activity of HBZY-1 cells, and RT-qPCR was used to detect the expressions of miR-324-5p and the mRNA expressions of Syk, Ras, MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and c-fos mRNA. The protein expressions of p-Syk, Ras, p-MEK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and c-Fos were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that exposure to LPS significantly enhanced the proliferative activity of HBZY-1 cells. Compared with the cells treated with LPS and LPS + mimics NC, the cells transfected with miR-324-5p mimics prior to LPS exposure exhibited significantly lowered proliferative activity. Transfection with miR-324-5p mimics significantly lowered the mRNA expressions of Syk, Ras, MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and c-fos and the protein expressions of p-Syk, Ras, MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and c-Fos ( CONCLUSIONS miR-324-5p can inhibit the proliferation of rat chronic glomerulonephritis cells induced by LPS by inhibiting Syk/Ras/c-fos signaling pathway and may potentially serve as a diagnostic indicator and a therapeutic target for chronic glomerulonephritis.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Mesangial Cells ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; Rats ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Signal Transduction ; ras Proteins