Objective To investigate the changes and significance of early immune response in specific T cell with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis(IPA) patients. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated from whole blood of 8 cases of healthy individuals (healthy group) and 24 cases of IPA patients (IPA group, including 6 cases of pathological diagnosis, 9 cases of clinical diagnosis and 9 cases of tentative diagnosis), and the heat-inactivated Aspergillus fumigatus spores (Conidia) was used as an antigen to stimulate PBMCs produce Aspergillus-specific T lymphocytes. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreation, type and ratio of cytokine synthesis was examined. Results In IPA group, dot enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISPOT) showed that the positive rate of IFN-γin pathological diagnosis patients and clinical diagnosis patients (5/6,7/9) was higher than that in tentative diagnosis patients (3/9). The positive rate of IFN-γin IPA group was 62.5%(15/24), in healthy group was 0 (0/8), and there was significant difference (P<0.05). The levels of CD4+T and CD4+T/CD8+T in IPA group were 0.202 0±0.085 6 and 1.01±0.34, in healthy group were 0.3853±0.1265 and 1.55±0.41. The levels of CD4+T and CD4+T/CD8+T in IPA group were significantly lower than those in healthy group ( P<0.05 or<0.01). The level of CD 8+T in IPA group was 0.298 5±0.069 1, and in healthy group was 0.257 6±0.102 6. The level of CD8+T in IPA group was 05). Conclusion Conidia as antigen can induce the specific Th1-type immune response of IPA, and display the immune status of the IPA patients, and can provide new ideas and methods for the diagnosis and assessment of the disease.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that umbilical cord blood stem cel transplantation promote the recovery of spinal cord injury, and electroacupuncture also can inhibit the proliferation of astrocytes to reduce damage to scar formation, suggesting that a combination of umbilical cord blood stem cel transplantation and electroacupuncture may play an important role in the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries. OBJECTIVE:To observe the influence of transplantation of human umbilical cord blood stem cels combined with electroacupuncture at theDu channel on expression of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin 3 in rats with spinal cord injuries. METHODS: Seventy-two female Sprague-Dawlay rats were randomly divided into control group, injury group, transplantation group and combined therapy group. In the control group, only an incision on the back was sutured;in the injury group, a piece of saline-infiltrated gelatin sponge, 1 mm×2 mm×2 mm, was placed into the transected spinal cord at T10 level; in the transplantation group and combined therapy group, a piece of gelatin sponged infiltrated in the suspension of human umbilical cord blood stem cels was placed into the transected spinal cord, respectively, and then, electroacupuncture stimulation at the Duchannel was performed in the combined therapy group at 1 hour after modeling. Specimens were taken at 7, 14, 28 days after modeling in each group, and then immunohistochemistry, western blot and real time-PCR methods were used to detect the expression of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin 3. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the transplantation group, the expression of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin 3 was lower in the injury group but higher in the combined therapy group at 7, 14, 28 days after modeling (P < 0.05). The results of western blot and real time-PCR were consistent with those of immunohistochemical detection. Findings show that human umbilical cord blood stem cel transplantation combined with electroacupuncture has a remarkable synergistic effect in the treatment of spinal cord injury that can significantly up-regulate the expression of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin 3, and contribute to injured spinal cord repair, regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUNDLow molecular weight heparin (LMWH), as one of anticoagulant drugs, has been used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with prethrombotic state, but the specific use time is unclear. The aim of the study is to observe the effect of LMWH at two different periods of prethrombotic state in COPD in rats and to find the optimal time to use LMWH.

METHODSForty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control, raised for 55 days without any treatment; COPD control without LMWH, cigarette inhalation plus intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide and hypodermic injection of normal saline once a day for 10 days; COPD control given LMWH 150 U/kg subcutaneous injection, once a day for 10 days starting day 15 (LMWH-d15); COPD control given LMWH 150 U/kg subcutaneous injection, once a day for 10 days starting day 29 (LMWH-d29).

RESULTSComparing LMWH-d15 with LMWH-d29, plasma viscosity, whole blood viscosity, von Willebrand factor, serum fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and fibrin D-dimer were each significantly reduced; but thrombin plasminogen activator increased significantly whilst arterial PO2 and PCO2 improved significantly.

CONCLUSIONThe better time to use LMWH is the time when coagulation and fibrinolytic indices begin to change in COPD.

Animals ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; drug therapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Time Factors