To investigate the dynamics of interleukin-21 (IL-21) cytokine in the Chinese HIV patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAAPT).Methods A total of 25 adults with chronic HIV infections,responding to combined highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) guideline criteria were enrolled for a 1-year follow-up.After signing an informed consent,20 mL blood was collected from each patient at the base line,6 month and 12 month,respectively.CD4 and CD8 cell count was quantified by flux cytometry,serum HIV RNA quantified by real time PCR and IL-21 concentrations by ELISA.Results IL-21 levels increased gradually during the follow-up but did not reach the healthy levels.IL-21 correlated positively with the CD4 cells but not with CD8 T cells.HIV RNA correlated negatively with CD4 cell count but did not show any relationship with the CD8 cells.Conclusion IL-21 has potential role in the immunopathogenesis of HIV,and might be an important factor in immune construction during HAART.

Objective To investigate the 5-and 10-year survival and complications of patients with stage Ⅱb cervical carcinoma treated by pre-operative photon radiotherapy (POPRT) plus brachytherapy (192Ir) and selective lymphadenectomy hysterectomy (SLH) plus intra-operative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). Methods From February 1997 to May 2007, 160 patients with stage Ⅱb cervical carcinoma were treated by POPRT of 20 Gy in 10 fractions to the whole pelvis, 192Ir brachytherapy of 14 Gy in 2fractions, followed by IOERT of 18 -20 Gy to the whole pelvis during SLH one week after. Results The follow-up rate was 98.1%. The number of patients followed-up for 5 and 10 years was 143 and 135,respectively. The 5-year overall survival rate, disease-free survival rate and local control rate of all patients were 89.4%, 86. 3% and 96. 3%, with the corresponding 10-year rates of 84.4%, 81.0% and 95.0%,respectively. The radiation-induced rectitis and cystitis were 5.0% and 0. 6%, respectivly. The rate of hydronephrosis and lower extremity edema was 6. 3% and 1.3%, respectively. Conclusions Combination of EBRT plus 192Ir brachytherapy and SLH plus IOERT could improve the survival and local control of patiens with cervical carcinoma, with only a few side effects.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of MSCT and post-processing images to fractures of nasal bone in forensic identification. METHODS: 134 cases were examined by thin slice scanning with MSCT and all of the data were sent to workstation for MPR and SSD. The result of MSCT was compared with that of X-ray. RESULTS: There are 55 (41.04%) cases of linear fracture, 46 (34.33%) cases of comminuted fracture, 27 (20.15%) cases of depressed fracture and 6 (4.48%) cases of no fracture in this sample. With X-ray or CR, 48 (35.82%) cases were misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. 133 (99.25%) cases were confirmed by MSCT. Significance difference was found between X-ray and MSCT (chi2= 45.0816, P<0.001). CONCLUSION MSCT and post-processing images might be the chief evidence for nasal fractures in forensic identification.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Female ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Fractures, Comminuted/diagnostic imaging* ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Bone/injuries* ; Skull Fractures/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, Spiral Computed/methods* ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the Th17, IL-17 and Tr cells equilibrium state as well as their changes of HIV infected or AIDS suffered patients in one-year HAART treatment. Methods Select 33 HIV/AIDS patients received HAART treatment while 33 healthy volunteers as controls. Flow cytometry was used to analyze Th17 and Tr cells in venous blood at the time of pre-therapy, 6th, 12th month when IL-17 levels in serum are tested by ELISA. Results The ratio of Th17 cells in CD4 cells in HIV/AIDS patients and volunteers were (1.20±0.37)%, (2.50±1.03)%, (3.70±1.56)%, (4.70±1.43)%, respectively; The ratio of Tr cells were (9.16±3.33)%, (7.19±2.91)%, (5.53±1.88)%, (4.43±0.97)%, respectively; The levels of IL-17 in serum were (5.3±2.5) pg/ml, (7.7±2.4) pg/ml, (10.4±3.1) pg/ml, (17.7±6.6) pg/ml respectively. The Th17 cells' level was positively correlative with the amount of CD4 cells, negatively correlate with the count of viral load. However, the Tr cells level is positively correlative with the count of viral load, negatively relate to the quantity of CD4 cells. Conclusion HIV could make IL-17, Th17 cells and Tr cells lost their balance, but the immune equilibrium state may gradually recover after HAART treatment. Which indicates the IL-17, Th17 cells and Treg cells may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AIDS, and they are likely to be the effective indexes to observe the progress of AIDS and the treatment effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART).

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the course of certain common gamma cytokines ( IL-2 and IL-7 ) and their role on the control of the viral infection in a short term antiviral therapy.Methods A total of 35 adults with chronic HIV infection,responding to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) guideline criteria were enrolled in this one year follow-up study.After signing an informed consent,20 ml blood were collected from each patient at base line,week 0,week 24 and week 48.1 ml serum collected from each patient was kept at -80 * C until use.Serum concentration of IL-2 and IL-7 was determined using ELISA kit from ebioscience Beijing.CD4 and CD8 cells were counted and quantified using flux cytometry,and serum HIV RNA was quantified using real time PCR.Results All patients had a mean baseline IL-2 level [ (9.67 ± 2.6 ) pg/ml ]lower than the controls [ ( 27.36 ± 5.05 ) pg/ml ].After treatment for 48 weeks,IL-2 increased[ ( 19.8 ± 3.3 ) pg/ml ].However,the mean baseline 1L-7 [ ( 81.74± 20.47 ) pg/ml ]in patients was higher than controls [ ( 2.06 ± 1.52 ) pg/ml ].After treatment for 48 weeks,IL-7 decreased [ (8.36 ± 2.16)pg/ml ].IL-2 showed a significant increase and positive correlation with CD4 cells after HAART initiation (0week:R =0.21,P =0.063,24week:R =0.24,P =0.033,48week:R =0.19,P =0.103; IL-7 showed a significant decrease after HAART initiation but it did not show correlation with CD4 cells.We noted there was a negative correlation between IL-2 and CD4 count in HAART baseline (R =0.28,P =0.012 ),but no correlation between IL-7 and CD4 count from 6 month after HAART.IL-2 showed negative correlation with HIV RNA ( R =- 0.17,P =0.032),but IL-7 showed a relationship with the HIV RNA Conclusions The increase of IL-2 coupled with the decrease of IL-7 revealed a partial restoration of immune response during HAART.However,the absence of relationship with HIV RNA suggested that these cytokines might not be directly involved in the reduction of viral load.

OBJECTIVETo study the association between fluid overload and acute kidney injury (AKI) after congenital heart disease surgery in infants.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on 88 infants aged less than 6 months who underwent a radical surgery for congenital heart disease. The treatment outcomes were compared between the infants with AKI after surgery and those without. The effect of cumulative fluid overload on treatment outcomes 2 days after surgery was analyzed. The risk factors for the development of AKI after surgery were assessed by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSCompared with those without AKI after surgery, the patients with AKI had younger age, lower body weights, higher serum creatinine levels and higher vasoactive-inotropic score, as well as longer durations of intraoperative extracorporeal circulation and aortic occlusion (P<0.05). Compared with those without AKI after surgery, the patients with AKI had a higher transfusion volume, a higher incidence rate of low cardiac output syndrome, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, a longer length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), a longer length of hospital stay, a higher application rate of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a higher 30-day mortality rate, and higher levels of cumulative fluid overload 2 and 3 days after surgery (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that fluid overload and low cardiac output syndrome were major risk factors for the development of AKI after surgery. The children with cumulative fluid overload >5% at 2 days after surgery had a higher incidence rate of low cardiac output syndrome, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, a longer length of stay in the ICU, a longer length of hospital stay, and a higher mortality rate (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInfants with fluid overload after surgery for congenital heart disease tend to develop AKI, and fluid overload may be associated with poor outcomes after surgery.

Acute Kidney Injury ; etiology ; Body Fluids ; metabolism ; Cardiac Output, Low ; etiology ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of inhibiting the expression of endothelial-overexpressed lipopolysaccharide-associated factor 1 (EOLA1) on proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell line ECV304.

METHODSAfter constructing and transfecting EGFP-EOLA1 fusion protein expressive vector into ECV304 cells, the transfected cells was cultured in M199 containing G418 for 5 weeks to screen the cell line stable expression EGFP-EOLA1 fusion protein. Oligonucleotides targeting EOLA1 at different sites were synthesized and inserted into pSinencer3.1/H1 vector. Then, the recombinant vector was transfected into the cultured ECV304 cells and the inhibiting effect to target gene EOLA1 was investigated by observing the green fluorescence in transfected cells under inverted fluorescent microscope and by Western blot assay. The proliferation of ECV304 cells was numbered when the expression of EOLA1 in ECV304 cells was inhibited by RNA interference.

RESULTSThe ECV304 cell line stably expressing EGFP-EOLA1 fusion protein was constructed and the siEOLA1 interfere vectors can knock down EOLA1 gene expression specially. When blocking the expression of EOLA1 in ECV304 cells,the proliferation of cells slowed down.

CONCLUSIONEOLA1 maybe has a role on the proliferation of cells.

Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Down-Regulation ; genetics ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Phenotype ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human placental trophoblasts and the role of VEGF in regulating placental villous angiogenesis.

METHODSPlacental samples were obtained from 10 pregnant women receiving induced abortion in the first trimester, 10 receiving induced labor in the second trimester and 10 having cesarean section at term delivery, with gestational duration of 6-9, 18-22 and 37-38 weeks, respectively. All the samples were fixed in formalin solution and prepared for the morphological study. The expression of VEGF and vascular distribution in the placental villi were examined and evaluated by immunohistochemistry and stereomorphometry, respectively.

RESULTSIn the course of pregnancy, there was a significant decrease in the level of VEGF expression in chorionic villi (28.19+/-3.01, 18.65+/-2.43, 4.95+/-0.86, respectively, P<0.01). The radial parameters of the blood vessels showed no significant changes (26.67+/-7.74, 25.08+/-4.67, 23.36+/-5.30, respectively, P>0.05), but the length density of the blood vessels increased significantly (1.46+/-0.64, 5.58+/-1.31, 19.56+/-1.40, respectively, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONDuring gestation, VEGF expression in chorionic villi gradually weakens but the length density of the blood vessels increases, indicating that VEGF is not the only regulatory factor of angiogenesis in the chorionic villi.

Adult ; Chorionic Villi ; blood supply ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; physiology ; Placenta ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Trophoblasts ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo amplify the full-length cDNA and characterize the structure and biological function of a novel expression sequence tag ST55 (GenBank Accession No. BM121646).

METHODSRapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to clone the full-length of cDNA of ST55 in this study. Then, its tissue distribution was checked by Northern blots, and the associated protein was screened by GAL 4-based yeast two-hybrid. The effect of stable transfection of the cDNA on cell proliferation was evaluated in ECV304 cells.

RESULTSA full-length 1404 bp cDNA was cloned, and it was accepted as a novel human mRNA by GenBank (No. AY074889), named endothelial-overexpressed lipopolysaccharide-associated factor 1 (EOLA1). Bioinformatic analysis found that the EOLA1 encoded 158 amino acids, 17.89 kDa protein, and mapped to chromosome Xq27.4 with 5 exons. EOLA1 expressed in different human normal tissues and cancer cell lines. Using the EOLA1 cDNA as bait, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening of a human liver cDNA library and identified metallothionein 2A (MT2A) as associated protein. The interaction between EOLA1 and MT2A was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Stable transfection of EOLA1 was noted to stimulate ECV304 cell proliferation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe findings suggest that EOLA1 is a novel gene and the interaction of EOLA1 and MT2A may play an important role in cell protection in inflammation reaction.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Blotting, Northern ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Chromosomes, Human, X ; genetics ; Exons ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunoprecipitation ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; Metallothionein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protein Binding ; Sequence Alignment ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of astragalus membranacaus injection on the activity of the intestinal mucosal mast cells (IMMC) and inflammatory response after hemorrahagic shock-reperfusion in rats.

METHODThirty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group, low dosage group, (treated with astragalus membranacaus 10 g kg(-1)) and high dosage group (treated with astragalus membranacaus 20 g kg(-1)). Models of hemorrhage shock for 60 minutes and reperfusion for 90 minutes were created. The animals were administrated 3 mL therapeutic solution before reperfusion. At the end of study, intestinal pathology, ultrastructure of IMMC, and expression of tryptase were observed. The levels of MDA, TNF-a, histamine, and SOD activity of intestinal were detected, and the number of IMMC was counted.

RESULTThe degranulation of IMMC was seen in model group and was attenuated by astragalus membranacaus treatment. Chiu's score of model group was higher than that of the other groups. Astragalus membranacaus could attenuate the up-regulation of the Chiu' s score, the levels of MDA and TNF-alpha, expression of tryptase, and the down-regulation of SOD activity and histamine concentration. The Chiu's score and MDA content were negatively, while SOD activity was positively correlated to the histamine concentration respectively in the four groups.

CONCLUSIONAstragalus membranacaus can reduce small intestine mucosal damage by inhibiting the activity of IMMC after hemorrhage shock reperfusion.

Animals ; Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Injections, Intravenous ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Intestine, Small ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mast Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; pathology ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tryptases ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism