Objective To explore the cell frequency , phenotypes and in vitro cytotoxic effects of circulating CD56+T cells in the patients with chronic HCV infection .Methods Peripheral blood mononu-clear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 33 patients with HCV chronic infection and 21 healthy subjects. Multi-color flow cytometry was used to analyze cell frequency , expressions of activating receptors ( NKG2C, CD16 and NKp46) and inhibitory receptors (NKG2A and CD158a) on CD56+T cells.The functional mark-er for cytotoxic effects (CD107a) on circulating CD56+T cells and their cytokines expression (IFN-γand TNF-α) with or without stimulation of K 562 human Leukemia cell line were also analyzed .Then the correla-tions among the expressing levels of CD 107 a, IFN-γand TNF-αwere investigated .Results The frequency of CD56+T cells in periphery lymphocytes were significantly decreased in the patients with chronic HCV in -fection as compared with that in healthy controls ( P=0.018 ).The expressions of activating receptors (NKG2C, CD16 and NKp46) on CD56+T cells from HCV infected patients were decreased (P=0.015 for NKG2C, P=0.036 for CD16 and P=0.001 for NKp46), while there was no significant change in the ex-pressions of inhibitory receptors (P>0.05 for both CD158a and NKG2A).The concentrations of IFN-γand TNF-αsecreted by CD56+T cells in the patients with chronic HCV infection were significantly decreased with or without K562 stimulation (P<0.0001).However, in the presence of K562 cells CD107a expression on CD56+T cells were sharply decreased in the patients (P<0.0001).In absence of K562 cells, there was no significant change in CD107a expression on CD56+T cells from patients and healthy controls (P>0.05). The expressions of CD107a, IFN-γand TNF-αwere closely related under the stimulation of K562(r>0.80, P<0.0001).Conclusion The frequency of CD56+T cells was reduced in patients with chronic HCV infec-tion.Moreover, cytotoxic effects and cytokines production mediated by CD 56+T cells were also significantly impaired, indicating that the dysfunction of circulating CD 56+T cells might be associated with the persist-ence of chronic HCV infection .

OBJECTIVEHigh altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a life-threatening disease, has no biological markers used for the routine prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to identify serum proteins differentially expressed in patients with HAPE for discovering essential biomarkers.

METHODSA complete serum proteomic analysis was performed on 10 HAPE patients and on 10 high altitude and 11 sea level healthy people as control using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting. Finally, two most significantly changed proteins were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSEight protein spots stained with differential intensity, respresenting 5 distinct proteins were identified in patients compared with healthy controls through analysis of these composite gels. Among them, four proteins, namely alpha 1-antitrypsin(alpha1-AT), Haptoglobin(Hp), apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) and Complement C3 increased remarkably, while one protein, apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) decreased significantly. The variation of alpha1-AT and Haptoglobin, as detected by ELISA, was consistent with the results from proteomic analysis.

CONCLUSIONSIt is well known that Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 are associated with inflammation and apoA-1 and apoA-IV play important roles in lipid absorption, transport and metabolism. Therefore, the significant expression changes of Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 and apoA-1 and apoA-IV between HAPE patients and their corresponding healthy controls highlight the role of inflammatory response system and lipid metabolism system in the pathophysiology of HAPE.

Altitude ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Peptide Mapping ; Proteome ; Pulmonary Edema ; blood ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

Objective To evaluate the effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on ischemic diease in rats. Methods Thirty-two SD rats were randomized into two groups,control group(n=16,administered with tap water) and hyperhomocysteinemia group(HH group,n=16,administered with water containing L-methionine at 1 g/kg/d).At the 14thday of dietary modification,the left femoral artery and vein were excised,and the interventions continued for another 14 days.At the 15th day after operation,serum biochemical parameters as well as NOx and cGMP in ischemic tissues were tested,capillary vessel density of both hindlimbs were measured by histological analysis,and angiogenesis of ischemic hindlimb was observed by angiography. Results At the 15th day after operation,the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C),blood urea nitrogen,uric acid and ratio of blood urea nitrogen to serum creatinine were significantly higher in HH group than those in control group,while the level of serum folic acid,VitB12,HDL-C and endogenous creatinine clearance rate were significantly lower in HH group than those in control group(P

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of 3-(4-~(18)F-fluorobenzyl)-8,9-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochromeno [3,4-c]pyridin-5-one ( is F-FDTP) as a potential dopamine D4 receptor PET imaging agent.Methods ~(18)F-FDTP solution in ethanol-physiological saline was incubated with calf serum to test its in vitro stability through the determination of radiochemical purity.Normal rats were injected intravenously with ~(18)F-FDTP and then sacrificed at 2,5,10,15,30,60 and 120 min after anesthesia.Blood,organs and brain tissue samples were collected.All samples were weighed and measured for radioactivity.The uptake of samples was expressed as percentage activity of injection dose per gram of tissue ( % ID/g).Results The stability of ~(18)F-FDTP was satisfactory and its radiochemical purity was above 95% after incubation 120 min at 37℃ in calf serum.The biodistribution showed that ~(18)F-FDTP could penetrate through the blood-brain barrier and selectively accumulate in striatum,hypothalamus,frontal certex,hippocampus,cerebellum,where the D_4 receptor was reportedly located.The radioactivities in hippocampus,hypothalamus,striatum,frontal cortex,cerebellum,pons were (0.42±0.03),(0.46±0.05),(0.54±0.04),(0.39±0.04),(0.45±0.06),(0.35±0.04) %ID/g,respectively,2 min post injection.And there was difference between the normal biodistribution results and the blocking experimental results:(0.36 ±0.05),( 0.33±0.05 ),(0.55±0.05 ),(0.30±0.07 ),(0.34±0.07 ) and (0.32±0.04) % ID/g in hippocampus,hypothalamus,striatum,frontal cortex,cerebellum and pons,respectively.Conclusions ~(18)F-FDTP can penetrate through the blood-brain barrier and selectively accumulate in striatum,hypothalamus,frontal cortex,hippocampus,cerebellum,where the D_4 receptor was known to concentrate.These preliminary results suggest that ~(18)F-FDTP is a potential dopamine D_4 receptor imaging agent and further studies are needed.

Objective To investigate the distribution of death among human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immuno deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS) cases in Guizhou Province from 1995 to 2017. Methods The HIV/AIDS death cases from 1995 to 2017 were downloaded from “Chinese National Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention and care Information system” in Guizhou Province and were analyzed. Results From 1995 to 2017, Guizhou Province reported a total of 43 794 HIV/AIDS cases and 11 527 deaths according to current address. After excluding missing persons, the HIV/AIDS mortality rate of the province was 29.8%. The proportion of reported HIV/AIDS cases died in the same year ( 21995-2012=139.5, P<0.001; 22012-2015=28.2, P<0.001) and the proportion of HIV/AIDS cases ( 21995-2012=109.1, P<0.001; 22012-2014=57.2, P<0.001) who survived at the beginning but died later in the year all showed a trend being low-high-low. In the analysis of the detection history of death cases, the detection proportion of cluster of differentiation 4(CD4) T-cell and the proportion of antiviral treatment had been increasing year by year. The analysis of the cause of death found that the proportion of death caused by AIDS increased firstly and then declined, and the proportion of death due to excessive drug abuse showed a trend of declining year by year. Conclusions The mortality rate of HIV/AIDS in Guizhou Province was still high, and decreased rather slow. Expanding the coverage of HIV monitoring and screening is one of the key tasks of AIDS prevention and control. CD4+T-cell testing and free antiviral treatment should be strengthened to reduce the mortality rate of HIV/AIDS in Guizhou Province in the future.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide ; toxicity ; Carcinogens ; toxicity ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Damage ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for hypoglycemia after birth in preterm infants with a gestational age of ≤32 weeks. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 86 neonates with hypoglycemia and a gestational age of ≤32 weeks who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2017 to June 2020 (hypoglycemia group). A total of 172 preterm infants with normal blood glucose who were hospitalized during the same period were randomly enrolled as the control group. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen out the risk factors for hypoglycemia in preterm infants. RESULTS: There were 515 preterm infants during the study, among whom 86 (16.7%) had hypoglycemia. Compared with the control group, the hypoglycemia group had significantly higher percentages of small for gestational age (SGA), cesarean section, maternal hypertension, and antenatal steroid administration (P<0.05), but significantly lower birth weight and rate of intravenous glucose use before blood glucose test (P<0.05). SGA (OR=4.311, 95%CI: 1.285-14.462, P<0.05), maternal hypertension (OR=2.469, 95%CI: 1.310-4.652, P<0.05), and antenatal steroid administration (OR=6.337, 95%CI: 1.430-28.095, P<0.05) were risk factors for hypoglycemia in preterm infants, while intravenous glucose use (OR=0.318, 95%CI: 0.171-0.591, P<0.05) was a protective factor against hypoglycemia in preterm infants. CONCLUSIONS SGA, maternal hypertension, and antenatal steroid administration may increase the risk of early hypoglycemia in preterm infants with a gestational age of ≤32 weeks, and intravenous glucose use is recommended as soon as possible after birth for preterm infants with a gestational age of ≤32 weeks to reduce the incidence rate of hypoglycemia.
Cesarean Section ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia/etiology* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Small for Gestational Age ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Fluoxetine ; Mice ; Stress, Psychological ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of exogenous transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFbeta1) on peripheral nerve regeneration after the peripheral nerve injury and if TGFbeta1 regulates the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the anterior horn motoneurons of spinal cord during regeneration. METHODS: Forty-eight rats were crushed on the right sciatic nerve and then randomly divided into 2 groups: TGFbeta1 group and NS group. In TGFbeta1 group, TGFbeta1 50 microL (0.1 microg/mL) was injected into the proximal nerve near to the crushed nerve and after the operation the injured leg was injected with equal TGFbeta1 whereas the NS was replaced in the NS group. The rats of each group survived for 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after the lesion. The bFGF expression in the anterior horn motoneurons of spinal cord was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Semi-thin section and Fast Blue retrograde tracing were also performed with the rats surviving for 21 days to observe the regeneration of distal end in the injured right sciatic nerve. RESULTS: The number of bFGF immunoreactive positive motoneurons in TGFbeta1 group was obviously higher than that of the NS group (P < 0.05). In the distal sciatic nerve of the rats treated with TGFbeta1, the number and diameter of regenerating myelinated axons and the thickness of myelinated sheath were more than those of the NS group (P < 0.05). The number of motoneurons in spinal cord and neurons in dorsol root ganglia (DRG) labelled with Fast Blue in the NS group was obviously lower than in the TGFbeta1 group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Exogenous TGFbeta1 plays an important role in promoting the peripheral nerve regeneration; TGFbeta1 up-regulates the bFGF expression in the anterior horn motoneurons of spinal cord during the peripheral nerve regeneration.
Animals ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Male ; Motor Neurons ; metabolism ; Nerve Regeneration ; drug effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sciatic Nerve ; injuries ; metabolism ; physiology ; Spinal Cord ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; pharmacology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the mRNA and protein expressions of peroxiredoxin II (PrxII) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their significance.

METHODSHCC was induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in 6 tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis). The expression levels of PrxII mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot on HCC tissues and on their surrounding liver tissues (para-HCC). Biopsied liver tissues were taken before the HCC induction (pre-HCC) from the same animals and from a group of blank controlled animals that served as controls. Liver biopsy specimens from 18 cases of human HCC and from 17 healthy human volunteers were studied using the same methods.

RESULTSThe mRNA and protein expressions of PrxII in tree shrew HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in para-HCC and pre-HCC tissues, and also higher than those in the liver tissues from the control animals (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of PrxII mRNA and protein in human HCC tissues were also significantly higher than those in their para-HCC tissues and in the human normal liver tissues (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPrxII might play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis and might be used as a molecular target for HCC prevention and treatment.

Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peroxiredoxins ; genetics ; Tupaiidae