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 .

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*

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

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 explore the effect of different doses of 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) early supplementation on airway inflammation and lung inflammatory factors in baby rats with asthma.

METHODSForty male weaned Wistar rats were divided into normal group, model group, low 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) group, middle 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) group, high 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) group using random number table (8 rats each group). The rats in low, middle and high 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) groups were given 1, 4, 10 µg/kg of 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) every other day by intraperitoneal injection respectively for 25 days. Except normal group, the rats in other groups were challenged with ovalbumin to establish the asthma model. The pathologic changes of lung tissue, the total white blood cell and classified cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured. The concentrations of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-γ in serum and BALF were measured by ELISA method.

RESULTSThe level of total white blood cell counts in BALF were (5.98 ± 1.67)×10(5)/ml, (25.34 ± 4.28)×10(5)/ml, (17.24 ± 3.3)×10(5)/ml, (9.31 ± 3.37)×10(5)/ml, (45.1 ± 15.75)×10(5)/ml, respectively (F = 33.453, P < 0.01). The percent ratio of EOS in BALF were (1.44 ± 0.78)%, (17.81 ± 6.88)%, (15.00 ± 5.70)%, (8.89 ± 3.66)%, (25.88 ± 5.57)%, respectively (F = 27.299, P < 0.01). The level of IL-4 in serum of normal, model, low, middle and high-1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) groups were (0.62 ± 0.54), (7.57 ± 1.04), (3.58 ± 0.56), (2.70 ± 0.78) and (5.27 ± 0.30) pg/ml, respectively (F = 116.287, P < 0.01); IL-5 in resume were (32.20 ± 4.23), (67.14 ± 18.14), (37.51 ± 0.47), (40.69 ± 2.47) and (124.60 ± 36.19) pg/ml, respectively (F = 23.902, P < 0.01); IFN-γ in serum were (79.71 ± 10.08), (49.06 ± 4.46), (59.15 ± 2.51), (59.27 ± 2.33) and (53.85 ± 1.97) pg/ml, respectively (F = 39.954, P < 0.01). Also in BLAF, the IL-4 of all groups were (0.51 ± 0.30), (102.92 ± 54.61), (8.64 ± 4.07), (3.10 ± 1.28) and (33.67 ± 8.1) pg/ml, respectively (F = 24.062, P < 0.01); the IFN-γ were (247.37 ± 189.18), (43.82 ± 13.76), (81.32 ± 17.07), (86.50 ± 14.26) and (59.89 ± 34.17) pg/ml, respectively (F = 7.157, P < 0.01); the IL-5 in BALF were (38.81 ± 0.60), (80.48 ± 17.90), (45.11 ± 1.33), (43.39 ± 1.11) and (149.60 ± 45.87) pg/ml, respectively (F = 35.978, P < 0.01). Pathologic changes in lung of asthma rat groups were obvious. The lung pathologic changes in low and middle dose groups showed a significant improvement compared to the asthma group and high dosage group showed more serious pathologic changes compared to the low and middle dose groups.

CONCLUSIONIntervention with appropriate dose of 1,25-(OH)(2)VitD(3) in the early life could improve lung pathologic changes and reduce the effect of inflammatory factors in air way of baby rat asthma model. However, overdose might play detrimental effect.

Animals ; Asthma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-5 ; metabolism ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Pneumonia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vitamin D ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Liver ; parasitology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Schistosomiasis japonica ; immunology ; Thiourea ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

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 compare efficacy of different adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for stage II-III gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy in Asian patients.

METHODSAssociated literatures were searched through electronic databases and hand-searching. Prospective randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing adjuvant chemotherapy after D2 gastrectomy with surgery alone were included in the study. Overall survival and disease-free survival were chosen as the endpoints. Relative hazard was analyzed by Bucher adjusted indirect comparison.

RESULTSTwo RCTs were selected, including comparison between S-1 versus surgery alone and comparison between XELOX versus surgery alone. There was no statistical difference in overall survival between the two regimens (HR=0.94, 95%CI:0.62-1.44, P=0.79). The recurrence risk of S-1 was slightly higher as compared to XELOX, but no statistical difference was found (HR=1.11, 95%CI:0.80-1.53, P=0.54).

CONCLUSIONThe adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 is similar to XELOX for stage II-III gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy in Asian patients.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Deoxycytidine ; analogs & derivatives ; Fluorouracil ; analogs & derivatives ; Humans ; Postoperative Care ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo obtain the polymorphism data of six short tandem repeat (STR) loci, i.e. D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D15S659, D17S1290 and D20S470, in Chinese Han population in Shanxi province, and to evaluate the usefulness of the polymorphism data in forensic science.

METHODSThe D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D17S1290 and D20S470 primers were synthesized according to GenBank, while the D15S659 primers were self-designed. These primers were used to amplify DNA from 194 unrelated individuals collected from Shanxi Han population. Then the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis in 3130 Genetic Analyzer. GeneMapper3.2 software was used to analyze the results.

RESULTSThe distributions of genotypes for the six STR loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of the six STR loci were from 0.750 to 0.860, and the heterozygosity ranged from 0.756 to 0.894, and the discrimination power were from 0.920 to 0.965, and the probability of exclusion were from 0.519 to 0.784. The combined probability of exclusion and the combined discrimination power were 0.9988 and 0.99999998, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe data indicated that D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D15S659, D17S1290 and D20S470 loci have high probability of exclusion and discrimination power. They can be used as genetic markers in forensic test and personal identification.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Ethnic Groups ; ethnology ; genetics ; Genetic Loci ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic