AIM: To observe the expression change of growth and differentiation factor 10 ( GDF10 ) in the spinal cord of the rats with neuropathic pain .METHODS:Male SD rats (n=60) were used.The neuropathic pain was induced by ligation of left L 5 spinal nerves of the animals .The paw withdrawal threshold was detected 1 d before surgery , and 0 d, 1 d, 3 d, 10 d and 21 d after surgery.The changes of GDF10 in the dorsal horn of L5 spinal cord were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot .RESULTS:The paw withdrawal threshold of the rats with spinal nerve ligation was decreased from 1 d after surgery until 3 d with obvious difference compared with the na ve rats ( P<0.05 ) , continuously decreased until 10 d, and then stabilized at 21 d.The GDF10 was located in the cytoplasm of the neurons in the dorsal horn of L5 spinal cord detected by immunofluorescence staining .The expression of GDF10 in L5 dorsal horn de-tected by immunofluorescence staining was reduced after surgery , significantly decreased from 10 d ( P<0.05) until more than 21 d after surgery in spinal nerve ligation group compared with na ve group.GDF10 in L5 spinal cord detected at 10 d after surgery by Western blot was significantly down-regulated in spinal nerve ligation group compared with na ve group (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Spinal nerve ligation induces the decrease in GDF 10 expression in spinal dorsal horn .The down-regulation of GDF10 may contribute to the regulation of hyperpathia caused by mechanical stimulation after the injury of spinal nerve .

OBJECTIVETo identify the factors that may influence the prognosis of patients with hepatorenal syndrome and try to establish a prognostic model.

METHODSData of 126 patients with hepatorenal syndrome were analyzed and 56 indexes that might affect the prognosis were focused on, involving history, symptoms, signs and lab findings. Cox model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used.

RESULTSMany factors were found to affect the prognosis independently, including hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and its degree, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), blood neutrophil count (N1) and serum creatinine (Cr). The prognosis model was established as the following equation where PI represents prognosis index: PI = 0.711HE + 0.836GIB + 0.052N1 + 0.002Cr (GIB: no = 0, yes = 1; HE: no = 0, phase I = 1, phase II = 2, phase II = 3, phase IV = 4). When PI < 1, the average survival time was 42 days; when 1 < or = PI < or = 3, the average survival time was 15 days; when PI > 3, the average survival time was 2 days.

CONCLUSIONThe results obtained from this study may help in estimation of diagnosis, analysis of illness state and evaluation of therapy in clinical work.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatorenal Syndrome ; complications ; mortality ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Failure ; complications ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and the level of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in peripheral blood and gingival crevicular fluid of patients with chronic periodontitis.

METHODSFifty pregnant women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (gestational age: 5 - 28 weeks) and 40 pregnant women (gestational age: 39 - 41 weeks) were included and their periodontal status was examined. The level of IFN-γ and IL-4 in gingival crevicular fluid and peripheral blood was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSNine RSA women and 5 in control group had periodontitis. The prevalence of periodontitis in RSA group was 18% (9/50) and 13% (5/40) in the control group (P < 0.05). The probing depth, attachment loss and bleeding index in RSA group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The level of IFN-γ was (52.98 ± 17.56) ng/L in gingival crevicular fluid of RSA group and (25.25 ± 7.93) ng/L in control group (P < 0.01). The level of IL-4 was (15.43 ± 1.77) ng/L in gingival crevicular fluid of RSA group and (19.62 ± 4.04) ng/L in control group (P < 0.01). The content of IFN-γ was (27.79 ± 3.59) ng/L in peripheral blood of RSA group and (18.39 ± 2.65) ng/L in control group (P < 0.05). The content of IL-4 was (15.88 ± 0.95) ng/L in peripheral blood of RSA group and (22.98 ± 4.30) ng/L in control group (P < 0.001). The content of cytokines in gingival crevicular fluid and peripheral blood in the same group was positively related (r > 0.8, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSPregnant women of RSA have a higher chance of getting periodontitis. The change in the level of cytokines in periodontal tissue could result in excursion of maternal intrauterine immune environment to T-helper 1 (Th1). Periodontitis was related to RSA.

Abortion, Habitual ; blood ; metabolism ; Adult ; Chronic Periodontitis ; blood ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; Female ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Prospective Studies

Along with global environmental pollution resulting from economic development, heavy metal poisoning in children has become an increasingly serious health problem in the world. It can lead to renal injury, which tends to be misdiagnosed due to the lack of obvious or specific early clinical manifestations in children. Early prevention, diagnosis and intervention are valuable for the recovery of renal function and children's good health and growth. This paper reviews the mechanism of renal injury caused by heavy metal poisoning in children, as well as the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and prevention and treatment of renal injury caused by lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium.
Cadmium Poisoning ; Child ; Chromium ; poisoning ; Heavy Metal Poisoning ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; Lead Poisoning ; Mercury Poisoning ; Poisoning ; complications

OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlation of CCBE1 expression in adjacent tissues of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) with pericancerous lymphatic vessel proliferation, cervical lymph node metastasis and survival outcomes of the patients. METHODS: Lymphatic vessel density was quantified in pericancerous tissue sections of 44 cases of cT_1-2N₀ TSCC using D2-40 as the lymphatic vessel endothelial marker for calibration and counting of the lymphatic vessels. Of these 44 cases, 22 showed a relatively low lymphatic vessel density (group A) and the other 22 had a high lymphatic vessel density (group B), and the expression levels of CCBE1 in the adjacent tissues determined using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting were compared between the two groups. The expression level of CCBE1 was also measured in another 90 patients with TSCC using immunohistochemistry, and all the patients were followed up for their survival outcomes. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed a significantly lower rate of high CCBE1 expression in group A than in group B (P < 0.05). Immunofluorescence assay showed co-localization of CCBE1 and D2-40 in the adjacent tissues of TSCC. In the 90 TSCC patients with complete follow-up data, a high expression of CCBE1 was found to correlate with lymph node metastasis and a poor 5-year survival outcomes of the patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION A high expression of CCBE1 in the adjacent tissues of TSCC is closely related with pericancerous lymphatic vessel proliferation, cervical lymph node metastasis and a poor 5-year survival of the patients, suggesting the value of CCBE1 as a potential prognostic predictor for TSCC.
Humans ; Tongue Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Lymphatic Vessels/pathology* ; Cell Proliferation ; Tongue/pathology* ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/metabolism*

OBJECTIVETo analyze the incidence, clinical features and the predisposing factors of fungal septicemia, and investigate the risk factors for death due to fungal septicemia and the prognosis of the patients.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 91 patients with fungal septicemia diagnosed in the last 17 years, including 60 patients with clinical cure or improvement, and 31 who die of the disease. Based on the results by univariate analysis, the data were analyzed using logistic multiple regression and Fisher's discriminant analysis.

RESULTSFungal septicemia had many predisposing factors with high mortality rate. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between the cured/improved cases and the fatal cases for 12 variables, including advanced age, complication by bacterial infection, septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), ICU patients, cortical hormone therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, use of immunopotentiating agents, length of hospital stay before antifungal therapy, time of anti-fungus therapy and types of invasive procedures. Logistic multiple regression analysis showed that the types of invasive procedures, MODS, surgery and prolonged hospital stay before antifungal therapy were the independent risk factors for fungal septicemia-related death. Fisher's linear discriminant equation was established for predicting the prognosis of the disease.

CONCLUSIONThe types of invasive procedure, MODS, surgery and prolonged hospital stay before antifungal therapy are the independent risk factors for fungal septicemia-related death, and the patients' prognosis can be predicted using Fisher's linear discriminant equation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antifungal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fungemia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; mortality ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Prognosis ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

【Objective】 To investigate the role of Periostin in regulating neutrophils at the early stage of swelling ear model. 【Methods】 Thirty animals were selected in each group and ear sensitization induced by DNFB(1-fluoro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene) sensitizer in wild type mice(WT) and Periostin^-/- mice(POSTN^-/-), respectively. After 24 h modeling, the auricle thickness was measured using a spiral micrometer. Immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry were used to detect inflammatory cells and neutrophil infiltration in the auricle tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR) analysis was used to measure the expression of the neutrophil related cytokines and chemokines. 【Results】 Before the sensitizer-induced ear swelling model, the ear thickness of the two groups of mice was not statistically different(P > 0.05); and 24 hours after sensitization, the degree of ear swelling was greater in the POSTN^-/- group than in the WT group (P < 0.05); HE staining showed that the number of inflammatory cells infiltrated in the POSTN^-/- group was greater than that in the WT group(both P < 0.05); immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry analysis showed that the neutrophil infiltration ratio in ear tissue was higher in POSTN^-/- group than in WT group(all P < 0.05); both qPCR detected neutrophil- associated cytokine and chemokine expression levels in ear tissues were higher in POSTN^-/- group than in WT group(all P < 0.05) . 【Conclusion】 Periostin reduced the infiltration of neutrophils in the early stage of inflammatory reaction of mouse ear swelling, which may play a role in inhibiting the development of inflammatory response.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of pleiotrophin (PTN) on the growth of rat hepatocytes.

METHODSPrimary rat hepatocytes were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats and divided into three groups: group A (negative control), cultivated in normal culture medium; group B (positive control), cultivated with culture medium supplemented with supernatant from the embryonic fibroblast 3T3 cell line; group C (experimental), cultivated with culture medium supplemented with human recombinant (hr) PTN (100 ng/ml). The hepatocytes' growth rate and level of secreted albumin (ALB) were evaluated by microscopy and biochemical assay, respectively. Significance of between-group differences were assessed by one-way ANOVA, and pairwise comparisons were performed by the least significant difference test.

RESULTSThe growth rates of hepatocytes in groups A, B and C were 2.800+/-0.084%, 4.300+/-0.132% and 3.800+/-0.053%, respectively. The growth rate of group B was significantly higher than the other two groups (F = 333.735, P less than 0.05). For all groups, the highest levels of secreted ALB were detected between the second and sixth day of culture, with g/L concentrations at day 2, 4 and 6 of: group A, 0.550+/-0.010, 0.900+/-0.030 and 0.300+/-0.040; group B, 0.900+/-0.030, 1.300+/-0.020 and 1.400+/-0.030; group C, 0.900+/-0.010, 1.160+/-0.010 and 0.700+/-0.050. The secreted ALB of group B was significantly higher than that of the other two groups (F = 651.355, 338.831 and 863.205, P less than 0.05 ).

CONCLUSIONPTN can benefit in vitro culturing of rat hepatocytes by stimulating growth and enhancing their ability to secrete albumin.

Albumins ; secretion ; Animals ; Carrier Proteins ; pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; pharmacology ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; secretion ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence, case fatality and risk factors of acute cerebral arterial thrombosis complicated by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).

METHODSA retrospective study was conducted in 830 patients with acute cerebral arterial thrombosis, among whom 89 also developed MODS.

RESULTSThe incidence of MODS in these patients was 10.7% with case fatality of 58.4%. The presence of concurrent infection and increased number of organ involved both resulted in higher case fatality. The preceding health status, number of failing organs and score of neurologic impairment were the main fetal factors according to logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONMODS usually occurs in two weeks after the onset of acute cerebral arterial thrombosis. Prevention of MODS involves rigorous treatment of the compromised organs and comprehensive systemic therapy in addition to the management of the primary diseases.

Cerebral Arterial Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Thrombosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Organ Failure ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors

Lignan is an important phytoestrogen with weakly estrogenic and anti-estrogenic properties, and possesses diverse bioactivities, including antioxidation, antitumor and antivirus etc. In particular, it may prevent hormone-dependent diseases, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, many important scientific problems have not been constrained, whether do the metabolites of lignans from foods have their potential genic toxicity? What are the anticancer mechanisms of lignans? What is the dosage of lignans to achieve the desired biological effect? In this paper, the references on lignans have systematically been reviewed in the following aspects: classification, distribution, metabolism, pharmacological activities and analytical methods, and a prospective of future studies on lignans is also elucidated.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; Female ; Humans ; Lignans ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Phytoestrogens ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; therapeutic use ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; prevention & control