Microglia is the most important immune cell in the central nervous system.It plays a key role in mediating the immune response in the central nervous system.Sterile inflammation is the key factor in the pathophysiological process following ischemic stroke.Microglia is activated and induces a series of inflammatory signals through binding of injuring related ligands to their corresponding receptors.This article introduces the activation of microglia and inflammatory response after ischemic stroke from Toll-like receptors,inflammasome,cytokine receptors,Notch signaling and other signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between serum testosterone levels and the plaque formation of the carotid artery in a population-based cohort of independently living healthy women above 60 years of age.

METHODSAnalysis of the healthy elders from a population-based cohort study in 9 communities of Beijing. Carotid intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques were determined ultrasonographically. Serum testosterone levels were measured by immunoassay. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThere was an inverse correlation between testosterone and plaque formation in old females (P < 0.01), while no association was found in males. Female with testosterone levels in the lowest quartile (< 0.49 nmol/L) had more risk of plaque formation (OR = 3.805, P < 0.01) after adjusted with age and other traditional factors of atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONTestosterone concentrations are negatively associated with carotid artery atherosclerosis in old women in Beijing, experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine the possible therapeutic role of testosterone in atherosclerosis.

Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; Carotid Arteries ; pathology ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Carotid Stenosis ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Testosterone ; blood

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Precancerous Conditions ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Vaginal Smears ; methods

16M?) ). Using this method could not only avoid the interference of medium on the chromatographic behavior of Ralstonia solanacearum, but also keep the cell viability and cell surface properties.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents of Fraxinus paxiana.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated and purified by chromatographic techniques and the structures of the compounds were identified with or by spectroscopic methods.

RESULTFifteen compounds were obtained from the methanol extract of F. paxiana and their structures were elucidated as esculin (1), esculetin (2), fraxin (3), fraxetin (4), salidroside (5), osmanthuside H (6), liriodendrin (7), 3-(4-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-3-methoxy)-phenyl-2E-propenol (8), threo-syringylglycerol (9), euscaphic acid (10), 3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone (11), omega-hydroxypropioguaiacone (12), sinapyladehyde (13), betulinic acid (14) and mannitol (15).

CONCLUSIONAll compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time.

Coumarins ; chemistry ; Esculin ; chemistry ; Fraxinus ; chemistry ; Furans ; chemistry ; Glucosides ; chemistry ; Glycosides ; chemistry ; Mannitol ; chemistry ; Methanol ; chemistry ; Phenols ; chemistry ; Plant Bark ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; chemistry ; Umbelliferones ; chemistry

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; enzymology ; prevention & control ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Selenium ; pharmacology ; Telomerase ; metabolism ; Yeast, Dried ; pharmacology

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between some chemokines and the pathogenesis of GVHD and to find some biomarkers with diagnostic significance through observing and comparing the changes of some chemokine levels in samples from patients with or without aGVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). 26 plasma samples were obtained from 26 patients undergoing allo-HSCT at various time points after transplantation, of which 13 samples from patients with aGVHD were served as investigating group and 13 samples from patients without GVHD after Allo-HSCT were used as control group. The patient characteristics between the two groups were compared, the levels of 40 chemokines in these samples were detected by ELISA, the changes of chemokine levels in samples of 2 groups were analyzed by means of significance analysis microarray (SAM), clustering method and c-test. The results showed that there were significant differences in levels of 6 chemokines including HCC-1, MIF, IP-10, ITAC, TARC and NAP-2 between 2 groups, in which the level of MIF in plasma samples after HSCT was the highest, the difference of TARC level between 2 groups was over 10-fold. It is concluded that the level changes of chemokines mentioned above can be used as a indicator of GVHD presence, but their pathogenetic role in occurrence of aGVHD remains to be determined.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Chemokines ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; blood ; pathology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate a possibility of repairing damaged brain by intracerebroventricular transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mice subjected to glutamate-induced excitotoxic injury.

METHODSMouse NSCs were isolated from the brains of embryos at 15-day postcoitum (dpc). The expression of nestin, a special antigen for NSC, was detected by immunocytochemistry. Immunofluorescence staining was carried out to observe the survival and location of transplanted NSCs. The animals in the MSG + NSCs group received intracerebroventricular transplantation of NSCs (approximately 1.0 x 10(5) cells) separately on day 1 and day 10 after 10-d MSG exposure (4.0 g/kg per day). The mice in control and MSG groups received intracerebroventricular injection of Dulbecco's minimum essential medium (DMEM) instead of NSCs. On day 11 after the last NSC transplantation, the test of Y-maze discrimination learning was performed, and then the histopathology of the animal brains was studied to analyze the MSG-induced functional and morphological changes of brain and the effects of intracerebroventricular transplantation of NSCs on the brain repair.

RESULTSThe isolated cells were Nestin-positive. The grafted NSCs in the host brain were region-specifically survived at 10-d post-transplantation. Intracerebroventricular transplantation of NSCs obviously facilitated the brain recovery from glutamate-induced behavioral disturbances and histopathological impairs in adult mice.

CONCLUSIONIntracerebroventricular transplantation of NSCs may be feasible in repairing diseased or damaged brain tissue.

Animals ; Cell Count ; Disease Models, Animal ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Glutamic Acid ; toxicity ; Injections, Intraventricular ; methods ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Nestin ; Neurons ; physiology ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes ; etiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Stem Cells ; physiology ; Time Factors

BACKGROUNDMutations in PAX6 gene have been shown to be the genetic cause of aniridia, which is a severe panocular eye disease characterised by iris hypoplasia. However, there is no study to do genetic analysis of aniridia, although there are several case reports in China. Here, we describe a mutation analysis of PAX6 in a large Chinese family with aniridia.

METHODSGenomic DNA from venous blood samples was prepared. Haplotype analysis was performed with two genetic markers (D11S904 and D11S935). Fourteen exons of the PAX6 gene were amplified from genomic DNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of each exon were analysed by single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP). The PCR products having an abnormal pattern were sequenced to confirm the mutation.

RESULTSSignificant evidence for allele sharing in affected patients was detected suggesting that PAX6 mutation links to aniridia in this family. An extra band corresponding to exon 9 in PAX6 was found by single strand conformational polymorphism analysis in all the aniridia patients in this family, but not detected in the unaffected members. A mutation of C to T was detected by sequencing at the nucleotide 1080 that converts the Arg codon (CGA) to the termination codon (TGA).

CONCLUSIONSAniridia is caused by a nonsense mutation of PAX6 gene in the large Chinese kindred. Genetic test is important to prevent the transmission of aniridia to their offsprings in the kindred by prenatal diagnosis.

Aniridia ; genetics ; Eye Proteins ; genetics ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; PAX6 Transcription Factor ; Paired Box Transcription Factors ; Pedigree ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics

Objective To observe the immunohigical effects of three doses of H2 strain live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine 8 years after the administration and to compare with that of one dose of the vaccine. Methods In a country area, 110 children of 1 to 7 years old susceptible to HAV were screened and administered with one dose of the vaccine, as group B ; Group A were 42 children from one of the villages and administered with 3 doses of the vaccine according to 0, 2, 6 month schedule. Blood samples were taken for the children 1, 2, 6, 7, 8,12, 24, 36 and 96 months after the administrations respectively and detected for anti-HAV antibody. Results For group B, the sero conversion rate of anti-HAV and GMC reached peak at 92.2% and 126.2 mIU/ml respectively,and then, began to drop with time; For group A, after 2 dose of the vaccine, the sero-conversion rate reached 100%, and the GMC reached peak of 2 739 mIU/ml one month after the third dose at 7 months. So that, group A has a better short-term immunological effects than that of group B. During 36 through 96 months, the anti-HAV positive rate in group B was 75%-71% and 80-89 mIU/ml respectively, and comparatively in group A were 100% and 918.2-480.6 mIU/ml respectively. The differences between group A and B were significantly important. Conclusion A 3-dose schedule administration of H2 strain live attenuated hepatitis .A vaccine has better immunological effects than 1-dose schedule in 8years and further observations are needed.