Background The development of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP) is associated with many regulatory cytokines related to neovascularization;however,the retinal expression and regulated mechanism of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) remain uncertain.Objective This study was to investigate the expression of SDF-1 in retina of mouse model of OIR.Methods Forty 7-day-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into OIR group and control group.In OIR group,20 mice were exposed to 75% oxygen for 5 days and then to room air for 5 days.In control group,20 mice were raised in room air.The expression of SDF-1 in retina of mice was studied by immunochemistry and quantified by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results The positive immunohistochemical staining for SDF-1 was found mainly locating at the ganglion cell layer in 12-day-old mice of OIR group;the stronger positive immunohistochemical staining for SDF-1 was noted mainly locating at the ganglion cell layer,vascular endothelial cells of inner retina,neovascular endothelial cells in 17-day-old mice of OIR group;the delicate positive immunohistochemical staining for SDF-1 was both found mainly locating at the inner retina and being around the retinal vascular in 12-day-old mice of control group and 17-day-old mice of control group.The expression of SDF-1 mRNA in 17-day-old mice of OIR group was higher than that of 12-day-old mice of OIR group (t=8.072,P＜0.05)and 17-day-old mice of control group(t=10.026,P＜0.05),respectively.The expression of SDF-1 mRNA in 12-day-old mice of OIR group was lower than that of 12-day-old mice of control group (t=4.336,P＜0.05).Conclusion SDF-1 might improve the onset of retinal neovascularization of OIR.

SW872 preadipocytes were cultured and induced to differentiate by oleic acid in vitro.The levels of adiponectin and its receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) mRNA were measured by semiquantitative RT- PCR.The concentration of adiponectin in the culture medium was assayed by ELISA.The results showed that rhIL- 6 could inhibit adiponectin,AdipoR1 mRNA expressions and adiponectin secretion in SW872 adipocytes in a time- and dose-dependent manner,but did not influence adipoR2 mRNA expression.

Objective To investigate the differential expression of P57kip2 and CDK5 in neural tube defects t(NTD) from the normal ,and provide the clue for the research of the molecular mechanism of the normal neurula formation .Methods A cDNA mi-croarray containing 1 100 known genes was used to compare differences in P57kip2 and CDK5 gene expression between the normal control group and the retinoic acid(RA)-induced NTD group on embryonic(E) day 9 .5 and 10 .5 .Two differentially expressed genes were randomly selected from the two groups for Northern blotting to verify the results of the cDNA microarray .Results Compared the differences of between P57kip2 and CDK5 in normal and E9 .5 d ,E10 .5 d ,E9 .5 d-NTD ,E10 .5 d-NTD ,P57kip2 and CDK5 expression was significantly up-regulated in the before and after the formation of the normal neurulation ,but them showed a downward trend in retinoic acid (RA)-induced NTD(including two phase E9 .5 d and E10 .5 d) .Conclusion P57kip2 and CDK5 in-volved in the physiological process of NTD ,and provide the useful clue for the research of the molecular mechanism of the normal neurula formation .

BACKGROUNDMiddle mediastinal masses comprise a wide variety of tumors but may also reflect lymphadenopathy, and thus remain an interesting diagnostic challenge. We performed positron emission tomography (PET) of mediastinal masses in order to evaluate the ability of PET to predict the malignancy of these tumors. We compared histologic findings, videomediastinoscopy, computed tomography (CT), and PET-CT in patients with mediastinal disease.

METHODSThirty-two patients were evaluated with CT, PET-CT and videomediastionoscopy, and all studies were performed within four weeks in each patient. (11)C-choline as a PET tracer was used to visualize masses. PET data were evaluated using the standardized uptake value (SUV) and were compared with pathologic data.

RESULTSThere were 13 men and 19 women aged from 21 to 74 (mean 45.2) years. Among the patients with mediastinal diseases, sarcoidosis was diagnosed in 12 patients, tuberculosis in 5 patients, lymphoma in 5 patients, and noncaseating granulomata without classical "sarcoid" finding in 3 patients. N2 or N3 nodal metastasis was revealed in 6 of 7 patients who had non-small cell lung cancer or suspected lung cancer, and one was negative (the pathological diagnosis was reactive hyperplasia). The accuracies for correctly diagnosing mediastinal masses for CT, PET-CT and videomediastinoscopy were 38% (12/32), 63% (20/32), and 91% (29/32) respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of videomediastinoscopy was superior to that of PET-CT (chi(2) = 11.130, P < 0.001). The SUVs were similar among these diseases. On the other hand, if the diagnostic classification was benign vs malignancy, the accuracies for CT, PET-CT and videomediastinoscopy were 53% (17/32), 75% (24/32), 100% (32/32) respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of videomediastinoscopy was superior to that of PET-CT (chi(2) = 22.042, P < 0.001). The SUV of malignant lesions (6.9, 3.2 - 9.8; n = 11) appeared to be higher than that of benign lesions (4.9, 2.9 - 8.3; n = 21), however, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.054).

CONCLUSIONSTo diagnose lesions located in the middle mediastinum, videomediastinoscopy possesses the highest diagnostic accuracy, and therefore remains the gold standard. PET-CT is valuable for differential diagnosis of benign vs malignant lesions, CT alone or PET alone (SUV) may provide misdiagnosis in a substantial proportion of patients with mediastinal masses.

Adult ; Aged ; Carbon Radioisotopes ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mediastinal Diseases ; diagnosis ; Mediastinoscopy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Video Recording

Adult ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; therapy ; Hepatitis ; complications ; therapy ; Humans ; Liver Failure, Acute ; therapy ; Liver, Artificial ; Plasma Exchange

The aim of this study was to develop a new method of epileptic prediction using nonlinear dynamic theory. When rat was falling sickness, its EEG was researched by using approximate entropy and correlation dimension. The results showed the approximate entropy and correlation dimension during epileptic seizure are obviously lower than those before seizure and after seizure. The span of time before seizure is a special phase. Before the seizure symptom appeared, the complexity of EEG had begun declining. Thus, the outbreak of epilepsy could be predicted in short time using nonlinear dynamic methods.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electroencephalography ; Entropy ; Epilepsy ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Male ; Nonlinear Dynamics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between the structure and functional activity of hTNF alpha.

METHODSFour hTNF alpha mutants were constructed, different binding structures and gene responses related with these mutants were studied by the methods of immunoprecipitation and mRNA differential display.

RESULTSThe specific activities and LD50 of the different hTNF alpha mutants indicated their different bioactivities. It was shown that the hTNF alpha mutants had the relative binding affinities to the wild types. The mRNA differential display assay proved that the hTNF alpha mutants stimulated different gene responses.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the specific anti-tumor activities of hTNF alpha mutants are accomplished by inducing different or same gene response at different quantities after its binding to specific receptor.

Amino Acid Motifs ; Apoptosis ; Binding Sites ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; Molecular Structure ; Mutation ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; physiology

As an immediate-early protein of herpes simplex virus, infected-cell polypeptide 0 (ICP0) exhibits complicated interactions with host cells, and its regulatory function on gene expression is of great importance. Since the ICP0 encoding sequence contains many rare codons which are absent in E.coli, and ICP0 is highly unstable in prokaryotic cells, expression of entire ICP0 in prokaryotic cells has never been reported. In order to further investigate the function of ICP0, a recombinant plasmid was constructed by subcloning a cDNA fragment encoding an amino-terminal of 105 residues of the ICP0 protein into pGEX-5x-1 vector. The resulting GST-105 fusion antigen peptide was expressed with high efficiency in E.coli. Antibodies prepared after the immunization of mice with purified fusion protein can recognize not only the denatured ICP0 protein, but also the native ICP0 protein with normal biological conformation.

Arteries ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Pubic Bone ; Vascular System Injuries

OBJECTIVETo explore the carrier state of hepatitis E virus(HEV) in livestock in Xi'an area.

METHODSBile samples from swine, canine, sheep and cow were collected from a local slaughtering house. Reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) was employed to amplify the ORF2 region in HEV RNA genome. All positive samples were sequenced and compared with data from GenBank. Homology analysis was conducted based on the outcome of sequencing.

RESULTS194, 178, 79 and 191 bile samples from swine, canine, cow and sheep were collected. Positive rates with RT-nPCR method in these domestic animals were 4.10%, 0%, 0% and 0% respectively. Genetic distance analysis indicated that strains being identified were close to genotype IV of HEV, then genotype I, II and III in nucleic acid. Same outcome was shown by the same analysis on amino acid.

CONCLUSIONSwine was the only reservoir of HEV in livestock and genotype IV was the prevalent genotype.

Animals ; Animals, Domestic ; virology ; Cattle ; China ; Dogs ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E virus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sheep ; Swine