Objective To investigate the apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocyte cells in patients with HAM/TSP and the roles of Fas/FasL system, TNF ? and Bcl 2 protein in occurrence and progression of HAM/TSP Methods The single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) was used to detect the apoptosis of lymphocyte cells in patients with HAM/TSP The presence of sFas, sFasL in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with HAM/TSP was evaluated by using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) The Fas, TNF ? and Bcl 2 protein expressions were quanlitatively determined by flow cytometry from 8 cases of HAM/TSP, and compared with the controls and other inflammatory neurological diseases (OIND) Results (1) The apoptotic ratio of lymphocyte cells in patients with HAM/TSP (13 63%?0 48%) was significantly increased as compared to the controls (1 63%?0 57%, P 0 05) Levels of sFas and sFasL in CSF from patients with HAM/TSP ((0 19?0 07) ng/ml and (0 24?0 08) ng/ml) were both significantly increased than those from OIND ((0 11?0 06) ng/ml and (0 01?0 01) ng/ml, P 0 05) or patients with OIND (34 84?9 63, P

Objective To study the apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocyte cells in patients with HAM/TSP and the roles of Fas, TNF-? and Bcl-2 in occurrence and progression of HAM/TSP.Methods The single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) was used to detect the apoptosis of lymphocyte cells in 8 patients with HAM/TSP, 8 cases with other inflammatory neurologic diseases (OIND) and 8 healthy blood donors. The Fas, TNF-? and Bcl-2 protein expressions were quantitatively determined by flow cytometry from 8 cases of HAM/TSP.Results The apoptotic ratio of lymphocyte cells in patients with HAM/TSP significantly increased compared with the controls (P

Objective To study the impacts of leukocytes elevation on the sperm quality and oxidative stress .Methods A total of 52 elevated leukocytes specimen and 50 normal leukocytes specimen were collected .Standard semen analysis was performed .Re-active oxygen species (ROS) production was measured using luminol as the probe by the Chemiluminescence method .Malonalde-hyde(MDA) content in semen was measured by the sulfo-barbitone acid method .Total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD) in semen was measured by the xanthine oxidase method .Results The semen parameters including total motility (P= 0 .008) ,progressive motility (P= 0 .005) and normal forms (P= 0 .003) ,the sperm motion parameters including mean curvilinear velocity (VCL)(P= 0 .023) , mean straight-line velocity (VSL)(P= 0 .010) ,mean average path (VAP)(P= 0 .011) ,swing(WOB)(P< 0 .001)in the elevated leu-kocytes group all decreased significantly compared with the normal leukocytes group .The ratio of sperm abnormality in the abnor-mal leukocytes group increased significantly (P= 0 .008) .ROS levels (using the log-transformation) and Malondialdehyde (MDA ) were significantly higher in the elevated leukocytes group ,but no significant difference was observed for T-SOD between the two groups(P> 0 .05) .Conclusion The leukocytes elevation could result in the decrease of spermatozoa quality ,which might be related with ROS increase .

Objective To investigate the relationship between the interleukin-17 (IL-17),interleukin23 (IL-23) and carotid artery sclerosis in patients with cerebral infarction.Methods One hundred and twentyfive cerebral infarction patients in the first affiliated hospital of Shantou University medical college from June 2010 to June 2012 were recruited.All the subjects were examined with carotid ultrasonography.According to the results of carotid ultrasonography,all patients were divided into carotid atherosclerosis group(86 cases) and non carotid atherosclerosis group(39 cases).Patients with carotid atherosclerosis were divided into soft plaque group (35 cases),hard plaque group (21 cases),mixed plaque group (30 cases) based on plaque feature.Carotid atherosclerosis patients with cerebral infarction plaque determined by semi-quantitative method were grouped into Ⅰ grade(29 cases),Ⅱ grade (43 cases),Ⅲ grade (14 cases) according to the severity atherosclerosis.Serum levels of IL-17 and IL-23 were measured.Results The levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in patients with carotid atherosclerosis group were (31.42 ± 8.73) μg/L and(21.79 ± 9.34) μg/L,higher than that of non-carotid atherosclerosis group((22.81 ±6.52) μg/L,t =5.15,P ＜0.01 ; (14.33 ±6.21) μg/L,t =4.99,P ＜0.01).The IL-17 and IL-23 levels in patients with soft plaque,hard plaque and mixed plaque group were significant different (F =10.181,3.835,P ＜0.05).Serum IL-17 in soft plaque and mixed plaque expression group was higher than that of hard plaque group (P =0.001,P=0.007).IL-23 level in soft plaque group was higher than mixed plaque and hard plaque groups(P =0.017;P =0.045).The IL-17 and IL-23 levels in Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ level group were markedly different (F =41.046,3.739 ; P ＜ 0.05),and there was significant difference between Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅰ group(P ＜0.01,P ＜0.05).The correlation between IL-17 and IL-23 levels in Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ level group were 0.892 and 0.420 (P =0.000 ; P =0.041).Conclusion IL-17 and IL-23 play important roles in the pathologic progress of artery sclerosis and are helpful for early diagnosis of the disease.

Objective To investigate the imbalance of T helper 17 (Th17) / CD4 + CD25 + regulatory cell (Treg) in HAM/TSP patients.Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure the levels of interleukin (IL-17) and IL-10 in CSF,and flow cytometry to determine the percentage of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with HAM/TSP.Results There was a significant increase in the level of IL-17 [(4.58 ± 0.70)pg/ml vs (0.76 ± 0.17)pg/ml,P ＜ 0.01] in CSF and the percentage of Th17 cells [(2.00 ± 0.64) ％ vs (0.41 ± 0.24) ％,P ＜ 0.01],but a decrease in the level of IL-10 in CSF and the percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with HAM/TSP compared with the control group.The ratio of Th17/Treg cell (0.55 ±0.10 vs 0.06 ±0.03) in the peripheral blood of patients with HAM/TSP increased significantly compared with control group (t =12.11,P ＜0.01).Conclusions The imbalance between Thl7 and Treg cells may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Objective To investigate the effects of two biovars of ureaplasma urealyticum on leukocyte concentration and sperm motion parameters.Methods Sperm motion parameters were analyzed with computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA).Leukocytic number of semen was measured with benziding-perxidase staining.Culturing and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to identify biovars of U.urealyticum in the semen.Results Sperm motion parameters including mean curvilinear velocity (VCL), mean straight-line velocity (VSL), mean average path (VAP) , and mean beat Cross frequency (BCF) showed significant difference between infertile and normal group (P ＜0.05).Biovar Ⅱ infected men displayed significant increase in leukocyte counts (P ＜ 0.001).When compared to uninfected group,the sperm motion parameters showed significant decreases of VCL, VSL, VAP, mean percentage lineality (LIN), and swing(WOB) in biovar Ⅱ (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Biovar Ⅱ has closer relationship with leukocyte elevation and sperm motion impairment.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) level andischemic stroke and its etiological subtypes. Methods The consecutive inpatients with acute ischemic stroke (case group) and age-and sex-matched healthy subjects (control group) over the same period were enrolled retrospectively. The demographic and baseline clinical data, as well as fasting blood glucose, fibrinogen,homocysteine, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-densitylipoprotein cholesterol, low -density lipoprotein cholesterol, and Lp(a) concentration of the case group and the control group were collected. According to TOAST classification criteria, the patients in the case group were divided into large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small artery occlusion (SAO) and cardioembolism (CE), and the patients with other determined etiology and undetermined etiology were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to make clear the correlation between serum Lp(a) and acute ischemic stroke and its etiological subtypes. Results A total of 214 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled. Ninety-seven had LAA (45.33%), 64 (29.91%) had SAO, and 53 (24.77%) had CE. There were 118 subjects in the control group. There were significant differences in the proportions of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation and alcohol consumption, as well as systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, low -density lipoprotein cholesterol, Lp(a), fibrinogen, and homocysteine between the case group and the control group (all P <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for age and sex, Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke (odds ratio [OR] 2.014, 95% confidence interval [CI ] 1.273-3.092, P = 0.036). The independent risk factors for LAA included hypertension (OR 3.353, 95% CI 1.714-6.558, P = 0.001), systolic blood pressure ( OR 2.786, 95% CI 1.136-5.538, P =0.016), homocysteine ( OR 1.108, 95% CI 1.031-2.191, P = 0.005), total cholesterol (OR 2.169, 95% CI 1.599-4.943, P = 0.001), low -density lipoprotein cholesterol ( OR2.782, 95% CI 1.093-5.238, P =0.024), and Lp(a) (OR 3.072, 95% CI 1.907-8.064, P =0.001). Theindependent risk factors for SAO included hypertension ( OR 7.042, 95% CI 3.189-25.55, P =0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR 5.162, 95% CI 2.372-11.23, P =0.001), fibrinogen (OR 1.667, 95% CI 1.434-2.025, P = 0.045), and homocysteine (OR 1.967, 95% CI 1.859-1.995, P =0.036). The independent risk factors for CE included atrial fibrillation (OR 13.340, 95% CI 4.637-39.20, P = 0.001), fibrinogen (OR 2.365, 95% CI 1.147- 4.904, P =0.029), and Lp(a) (OR 1.656, 95% CI 1.996-3.001, P = 0.035). Conclusions Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, and can be used as a serum biomarker for predicting the risk of the onset of ischemic stroke. There are differences in independent risk factors between the different stroke etiological subtypes. Lp(a) is independently associated with LAA and CE; however, it has no independent correlation with SAO.

Objective To evaluate the predicting value of the marker of endothelial injury: plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9( MMP-9) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein( hsCRP) level on the progression of acute anterior circulating territory infarction progressing to malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (m-MCAI). Methods 90 patients with acute anterior circulating territory infarction, in which 46 patients progressed to m-MCAI, were collected and sampled consecutively. The plasma MMP-9 and hsCRP of all patients were determined by ELISA and immunotur-bidimetry,respectively,at admission. And the clinical characters and cranial CT features of the patients were analyzed. Results At admission,the plasma MMP-9 level in the patients with m-MCAI(242.0 ±58.0)ng/ml was significantly higher than that in the patients with non m-MCAI( 169.0 ± 50.0) ng/ml( P < 0. 01) ,the plasma hsCRP level in the patients with m-MCAI(6.25 ±1.2) ng/ml was significantly higher than that in the patients with non m-MCAI( 1.55 ± 0.9) mg/ml( P <0. 01).Conclusion The increased level of plasma MMP-9 and hsCRP could be predictors for the m-MCAI proceeding.