[Health-related quality of life (SF-36) in chronic low back pain and comorbid depression]

The purpose is to clarify if comorbidity of depression reduces health-related quality of life (SF-36) in patients with chronic low back pain (CR) and if those comorbid patients (CR+DE) benefit from multimodal pain treatment. Two groups (CR and CR+DE) each with 29 patients are compared over 6 months on study days 0, 21 (inpatient) and 180 (outpatient). Differences exist only at days 0 and 21, not at day 180, with group CR exhibiting higher SF-36 values in each case. Group CR+DE improves in the inpatient phase and especially in the outpatient phase and therefore over the entire study period more than group CR which increases solely in the inpatient phase. The comorbid group is more severely affected by their illness, but improves very constantly. The outpatient improvement suggests a good long-term prognosis.

Molecular disruption of NBS1 with targeted gene delivery enhances chemosensitisation in head and neck cancer

BACKGROUND

a fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2)-targeted adenoviral system can alter viral tropism and allow for improved transduction and reduced systemic toxicity. This study is to investigate if the FGF2-targeted adenoviral mutant Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1 (FGF2-Ad-NBS1) gene transfer can enhance cisplatin chemosensitisation not only by targeting DNA repair, but also through the induction of antiangiogenesis, whereas at the same time reducing toxicities in treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS

the human HNSCC cell line was treated in vitro and in a nude mouse xenograft model. We conducted verification of binding ability of mutant NBS1 and downregulation of MRN complex, evaluation of transduction efficiency and combined antitumour activities. The antiangiogenesis mechanism was also investigated. Finally, we estimated the distribution of adenoviral vector in the liver.

RESULTS

the mutant NBS1 protein retains the binding ability and effectively suppresses the expression level of the MRN in infected cells. Transduction efficiency in vitro and cisplatin chemosensitisation were upregulated. The FGF2-Ad-NBS1 also showed detargeting the viral vectors away from the liver. The downregulation of NF-κB expression was supposed to correlate with increased antiangiogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

FGF2-targeted adenoviral system enhances the cisplatin chemosensitisation of mutant NBS1 and may avoid viral-associated liver toxicities.

Pulmonary toxicity in mice exposed to low and medium doses of water-soluble multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a class of new allotrope of carbon. Different functionalized CNTs may vary from their physical and chemical properties to the biological property. In this study, the toxicity of water-soluble taurine multi-walled CNTs (tau-MWNTs), raw MWNTs and positive control crystalline silicon dioxide particles on mouse lungs via intratracheal instillation (i.t.) was investigated. The dosages we used were 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg of tau-MWNTs and raw MWNTs, and 1 mg/kg of silicon dioxide particles; Serum and lungs were collected at 1, 7, 14 or 28 days postexposure. The biochemical and cellular parameters were assessed, which include the ratio of the lung weight and body weight (lung indices), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in serum, and malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), total sulfhydryl group (TSH) in lung tissue homogenates as well as the hydroxyproline in lungs. The characteristic recovery of the lung injury at 28 days postexposure was examined by the assessment of LDH, ALP, lung indices, and histopathology. ACE, MDA, GSH, TSH and histopathological changes showed that tau-MWNTs were less toxic than the raw MWNTs. Histopathological and ultrastructural investigation indicated that the acute pulmonary inflammation in lungs alleviated after 7d postexposure, and were greatly recovered within 28d. Meanwhile, the entrapment of tau-MWNTs reduced greatly by the 28d postexposure. Whereas the heavier pathologic changes induced by raw MWNTs lasted 7 days more than that of tau-MWNTs. Notably, no occurrence of granulomas and fibrosis were found in this study both in the two CNTs samples through 28d postexposure. Silicon dioxide particles, on the contrary, produced more severe damage to lungs than CNTs did in lung index, as well as other biochemical and cellular parameters. These findings indicate that water-soluble tau-MWNTs in low and medium doses induce slight and recoverable pulmonary inflammation in mice, and are less toxic than the insoluble raw MWNTs.

[Hypoxic preconditioning is a phenomenon increasing tolerance of cardiomyocytes to hypoxia-reoxygenation]

The work covers the problem of hypoxic preconditioning (HP) carried out in isolated cardiomyocytes. Papers on delayed HP in vivo are comparatively few, and only some single works are devoted to early preconditioning in vivo. It has been established that the HP limits necrosis and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and improves contractility of the isolated heart after ischemia (hypoxia) and reperfusion (reoxygenation). It was found that adenosine was a trigger of iP in vitro. It was proved that NO* was a trigger of HP both in vitro and in vivo. It was shown that reactive oxygen species also were triggers of hypoxic preconditioning. It was shown that ERK1/2 and p38 kinase played important role in delayed HP in vitro.

Immune responses of mice to prime-boost vaccination with the recombinant DNA and Fowlpox virus both expressing HIV-2 Gag-gp105

Human immunodeficiency viruses 1 and 2 (HIV-1, 2) present a public health problem for which there is neither an effective antiviral therapy nor a preventive vaccine. In this study, the immune responses of mice to prime-boost vaccination with the recombinant DNA (rDNA) and recombinant Fowlpox virus (rFPV) both expressing HIV-2 Gag-gp105 chimeric protein, were compared to those elicited by each vector alone. Mice primed with the rDNA and boosted with the rFPV showed HIV-2-specific antibody levels, splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte numbers, and Gag-gp105-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) activity increased by 20-30% as compared with those elicited by these vaccines alone. These findings suggested that the prime-boost strategy combining rDNA and rFPV elicited significant Gag-gp105 - specific cellular and humoral immune responses, thus supporting this novel approach to the immunization against HIV infections.

Diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccinated subjects in China by interferon-gamma ELISpot assay

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the performance of an in-house interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccinated individuals with or without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

METHODS

A total of 202 participants (93 HIV-infected and 109 non-infected) who received BCG vaccination at birth underwent tuberculin skin testing (TST) and T cell-based ELISpot assays. The performance of an in-house IFN-γ ELISpot assay (ELISpot) was evaluated by parallel comparison with the commercial IFN-γ release assay (IGRA) kit, T-SPOT®.TB, in 127 subjects. The effect of BCG vaccination on the ELISpot assay was prospectively determined by comparing the responses of IGRAs before and 3 months after BCG vaccination in 27 individuals.

RESULTS

High agreement between ELISpot and T-SPOT.TB was observed in both HIV-infected (92.47%, κ = 0.754) and non-HIV-infected subjects (97.06%, κ = 0.653). CD4(+) T-cell count does not affect Mycobacterium tuberculosis IFN-γ response as measured by both ELISpot and T-SPOT.TB. BCG vaccination resulted in 100% conversion of TST, but did not change responses to IGRAs.

CONCLUSION

The performance of this in-house ELISpot assay is comparable to commercial T-SPOT.TB in diagnosing LTBI. Both assays are useful for diagnosing LTBI in BCG-vaccinated subjects with or without HIV infection in a setting with a high prevalence of tuberculosis.

Dermatomyositis related to autoimmune thyroiditis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Reports on the coexistence of dermatomyositis (DM) with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) are very few. Our aim is to define the relationship of the two conditions, identify clinical, laboratory, electromyographic and pathologic features of coexistent DM and AIT.

METHODS

We underwent a MEDLINE search to identify relevant literature published in the past 30 years. Concurrently, we analysed retrospectively medical records of five patients diagnosed with DM and AIT from our hospital.

RESULTS

Eleven cases were included. 90.9% of patients were female with a mean (SD) age of 44.18 (13.11) years for DM at diagnosis, and 39.00 (7.81) years for AIT. AIT can precede or parallel the diagnosis of DM. The most common comorbidities included hypothyroidism (90.9%), cardiopulmonary diseases (63.7%) and overlap syndrome (27.3%), while only one case had malignancy. The most common clinical manifestations were: muscle weakness (100%), polyarthralgia (45.5%), heliotrope rash (45.5%), myalgia (36.4%), and Raynaud's phenomenon (27.3%). The abnormalities on electromyography and muscle/skin biopsy of DM related to AIT did not differ from those findings of DM, while none of these reports were normal. All patients received both the treatment of corticosteroids and levothyroxine, and only 27.3% of patients had a good prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Prevalence of cancer in coexistent DM and AIT may be very low. Also, it is reasonable to suggest that DM patients with AIT should be routinely evaluated for thyroid function and the emergence of comorbidities. Moreover, corticosteroids combined with levothyroxine may be useful for these patients as a standard treatment.

Connecting tubule glomerular feedback antagonizes tubuloglomerular feedback in vivo

In vitro experiments showed that the connecting tubule (CNT) sends a signal that dilates the afferent arteriole (Af-Art) when Na(+) reabsorption in the CNT lumen increases. We call this process CNT glomerular feedback (CTGF) to differentiate it from tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF), which is a cross talk between the macula densa (MD) and the Af-Art. In TGF, the MD signals the Af-Art to constrict when NaCl transport by the MD is enhanced by increased luminal NaCl. CTGF is mediated by CNT Na(+) transport via epithelial Na(+) channels (ENaC). However, we do not know whether CTGF occurs in vivo or whether it opposes the increase in Af-Art resistance caused by TGF. We hypothesized that CTGF occurs in vivo and opposes TGF. To test our hypothesis, we conducted in vivo micropuncture of individual rat nephrons, measuring stop-flow pressure (P(SF)) as an index of glomerular filtration pressure. To test whether activation of CTGF opposes TGF, we used benzamil to block CNT Na(+) transport and thus CTGF. CTGF inhibition with the ENaC blocker benzamil (1 μM) potentiated the decrease in P(SF) at 40 and 80 nl/min. Next, we tested whether we could augment CTGF by inhibiting NaCl reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, 1 mM) to enhance NaCl delivery to the CNT. In the presence of HCTZ, benzamil potentiated the decrease in P(SF) at 20, 40, and 80 nl/min. We concluded that in vivo CTGF occurs and opposes the vasoconstrictor effect of TGF.

Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 mediates anti-β2GPI/β2GPI-induced tissue factor expression in THP-1 cells

Our previous study demonstrated that annexin A2 (ANX2) on cell surface could function as a mediator and stimulate tissue factor (TF) expression of monocytes by anti-β₂-glycoprotein I/β₂-glycoprotein I complex (anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI). However, ANX2 is not a transmembrane protein and lacks the intracellular signal transduction pathway. Growing evidence suggests that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) might act as an 'adaptor' for intracellular signal transduction in anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI-induced TF expressing cells. In the current study, we investigated the roles of TLR-4 and its related molecules, myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), in anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI-induced TF expressing human monocytic-derived THP-1 (human acute monocytic leukaemia) cells. The relationship of TLR-4 and ANX2 in this process was also explored. Along with TF, expression of TLR-4, MD-2 and MyD88 in THP-1 cells increased significantly when treated by anti-β₂GPI (10 µg/ml)/β₂GPI (100 µg/ml) complex. The addition of paclitaxel, which competes with the MD-2 ligand, could inhibit the effects of anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI on TLR-4, MD-2, MyD88 and TF expression. Both ANX2 and TLR-4 in THP-1 cell lysates could bind to β₂GPI that had been conjugated to a column (β₂GPI-Affi-Gel). Furthermore, TLR-4, MD-2, MyD88 and TF expression was remarkably diminished in THP-1 cells infected with ANX2-specific RNA interference (RNAi) lentivirus (LV-RNAi-ANX2), in spite of treatment with a similar concentration of anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI complex. These results indicate that TLR-4 and its signal transduction pathway contribute to anti-β₂GPI/β₂GPI-induced TF expression in THP-1 cells, and the effects of TLR-4 with ANX2 are tightly co-operative.

Use of CBCT to identify the morphology of maxillary permanent molar teeth in a Chinese subpopulation

AIM

To investigate variations in root canal configuration in the maxillary permanent molar teeth of a Chinese subpopulation using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

METHODOLOGY

A total of 269 patients with healthy, untreated, well-developed maxillary molars were enrolled, including those suffering facial trauma, and those who required a pre-operative assessment for implants. Radiographic examination by CBCT was conducted as part of their routine examination, diagnosis and treatment planning. Overall, 299 maxillary first and 210 maxillary second molar teeth were examined in vivo by CBCT. The number of roots, the number of canals per root, the canal configuration and the presence of additional mesiobuccal canals were recorded. Vertucci's classification for root-canal configurations was utilized.

RESULTS

All maxillary first molars had three separate roots; however, 52% of mesiobuccal (MB) roots had two canals with the remainder having one. All distobuccal and palatal roots had Vertucci Type I canal configurations. When the MB2 canal was present, 14, 69 and 16% of MB roots had Type II, IV and V canal configurations, respectively. The root canal system of the maxillary first molar teeth could be categorized into two variants: one with three separate roots with one canal in each of the distobuccal and palatal roots and two canals in the MB root, and the other with three separate roots with one canal in each root. Of 210 maxillary second molars, 10% had one root, 8% two roots and 81% three roots. Of the MB roots, 22% had two canals with the remainder having one. When the MB2 canal was present, 18%, 58%, 10% and 3% of MB roots had type II, IV, V and VI canal configurations, respectively. The root canal system of the maxillary second molar could be categorized into eight variants.

CONCLUSIONS

Mesiobucccal roots of maxillary molar teeth had more variation in their canal system than the distobuccal or palatal roots. The root canal configuration of the maxillary second molars was more variable than that of the first molars. CBCT can enhance detection and mapping of the mesiobuccal root-canal system with the potential to improve the quality of root canal treatment.

Relationship between serum hepatitis B virus DNA and surface antigen with covalently closed circular DNA in HBeAg-negative patients

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) is responsible for viral persistence. This study aimed to investigate the serum surrogate markers for cccDNA and to evaluate the intrahepatic viral events associated with disease activity in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients. Thirty-three treatment-naïve patients with a negative HBeAg who had a liver biopsy were studied. Active disease was defined as a serum alanine aminotransferase >40 IU/L and a serum HBV DNA >10,000 copies/ml. This study showed significant correlation between serum HBV DNA and both log cccDNA (r = 0.41, P = 0.018) and log total intrahepatic HBV DNA (r = 0.71, P < 0.0001). No significant correlation was observed between serum HBsAg and log cccDNA (P = 0.15) or log total intrahepatic HBV DNA (P = 0.97). Fourteen and 19 patients had inactive and active disease, respectively. The median log cccDNA and log total intrahepatic HBV DNA (copies/10(6) cells) were significantly higher in patients with active disease compared with those with inactive disease (4.11 vs. 3.53, P = 0.03 and 5.46 vs. 4.64, P < 0.001, respectively). The HBV replicative efficiency, defined as the ratio of serum HBV DNA to cccDNA, was approximately 20% higher in patients with active disease. No significant difference was observed in the HBsAg levels and the ratio of serum HBsAg to cccDNA between the two groups. In conclusion, serum HBV DNA, but not HBsAg, reflects the amount of cccDNA and the replication efficiency of HBV in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.

Measurement of the bottom quark contribution to nonphotonic electron production in p + p collisions at √s=200 GeV

The contribution of B meson decays to nonphotonic electrons, which are mainly produced by the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor mesons, in p + p collisions at √s=200  GeV has been measured using azimuthal correlations between nonphotonic electrons and hadrons. The extracted B decay contribution is approximately 50% at a transverse momentum of pT≥5  GeV/c. These measurements constrain the nuclear modification factor for electrons from B and D meson decays. The result indicates that B meson production in heavy ion collisions is also suppressed at high pT.

The polymorphism of catalase T/C codon 389 in exon 9 and vitiligo susceptibility: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The exact aetiology of vitiligo has not yet been established. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of vitiligo. It has been described that some polymorphisms in the catalase (CAT) gene may affect the risk of vitiligo. However, the results were inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

We performed a meta-analysis of the published studies to derive a more precise estimate of the association between CAT T/C at codon 389 in exon 9 polymorphisms and vitiligo risk.

METHODS

The PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched to identify relevant published studies.

RESULTS

Four case-control studies (cases, 645; controls, 689) that investigated the association between C/T polymorphisms of CAT exon 9 and the risk of vitiligo were retrieved and analysed. Our findings suggested a significant association between the CAT T/C exon 9 polymorphism and vitiligo risk (CT + TT vs. CC pooled odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.80; P = 0 .002).

CONCLUSION

We found a significant correlation between the CAT T/C exon 9 polymorphism and the risk of vitiligo.

Generation of three-qubit entangled states using superconducting phase qubits

Entanglement is one of the key resources required for quantum computation, so the experimental creation and measurement of entangled states is of crucial importance for various physical implementations of quantum computers. In superconducting devices, two-qubit entangled states have been demonstrated and used to show violations of Bell's inequality and to implement simple quantum algorithms. Unlike the two-qubit case, where all maximally entangled two-qubit states are equivalent up to local changes of basis, three qubits can be entangled in two fundamentally different ways. These are typified by the states |GHZ>= (|000+ |111>)/ sqrt [2] and |W>= (|001> + |010> + |100>)/ sqrt [3]. Here we demonstrate the operation of three coupled superconducting phase qubits and use them to create and measure |GHZ> and |W>states. The states are fully characterized using quantum state tomography and are shown to satisfy entanglement witnesses, confirming that they are indeed examples of three-qubit entanglement and are not separable into mixtures of two-qubit entanglement.

Utilizing spiral computerized tomography during the removal of a fractured endodontic instrument lying beyond the apical foramen

AIM

To present a case that used spiral computerized tomography (CT) to locate and successfully remove a fractured endodontic instrument lying beyond the apical foramen using a surgical approach.

SUMMARY

The fracture of an endodontic instrument beyond the apical foramen is rare. In this case report, after an attempt to remove a fractured instrument failed, a multi-slice spiral computerized tomography (MSCT) was used for diagnosis and treatment planning. The fractured segment was precisely located and found in the soft tissue and successfully removed by surgery. For the successful removal of a fractured endodontic instrument beyond the apical foramen, the following are necessary: (i) knowledge of the cause of fracture and how to plan treatment; (ii) determining the precise location of the fractured segment using CT; and 3) skilful operation.

KEY LEARNING POINTS

•  Fractured endodontic instruments might lie within the soft tissue. •  Computerized tomography is an effective diagnostic aid for localizing the precise position of fractured instruments.

Spectral graph analysis of modularity and assortativity

Expressions and bounds for Newman's modularity are presented. These results reveal conditions for or properties of the maximum modularity of a network. The influence of the spectrum of the modularity matrix on the maximum modularity is discussed. The second part of the paper investigates how the maximum modularity, the number of clusters, and the hop count of the shortest paths vary when the assortativity of the graph is changed via degree-preserving rewiring. Via simulations, we show that the maximum modularity increases, the number of clusters decreases, and the average hop count and the effective graph resistance increase with increasing assortativity.

-509C>T polymorphism in the TGF-β1 gene promoter is not associated with susceptibility to and progression of colorectal cancer in Chinese

AIM

Colorectal cancer is common, accounting for nearly 10% of all cancers. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of colorectal neoplasia. The most studied -509C>T polymorphism of TGF-β1 gene has been associated with various kinds of cancer. This study investigated the association between this genetic variant and the risk and/or progression of colorectal cancer.

METHOD

A case-control study was carried out of 150 colorectal cancer cases and 503 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from blood cell nuclear materials, and -509C>T polymorphism in the TGF-β1 gene promoter was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Colorectal cancer tissues (n = 70) were obtained from the studied cases for measurement of TGF-β1 mRNA expression levels. We also assessed the plasma TGF-β1 levels of cases (n = 88) and healthy subjects (n = 120).

RESULTS

The TGF-β1 producer genotype, -509TT, was not associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer compared with other genotypes. Colorectal cancer patients especially those with a more aggressive disease behaviour were more frequently associated with C allele.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that TGF-β1 -509C>T polymorphism is not associated with either an increased risk or progression of colorectal cancer.

The cotton ATP synthase δ1 subunit is required to maintain a higher ATP/ADP ratio that facilitates rapid fibre cell elongation

The δ subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase serves as a linker between the F(0) and F(1) sectors. Here, through microarray and quantitative RT-PCR, we found that the δ1 subunit was significantly up-regulated during cotton fibre cell elongation. Both the relative level and duration of GhATPδ1 transcripts correlated positively with the final length of different cotton germplasms. Elongating fibre cells had a significantly elevated ATP/ADP ratio, suggesting that a higher energy input is probably required for primary fibre cell wall formation and elongation. We obtained a putative full-length GhATPδ1 cDNA that shows 37% sequence identity to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATP16 at the deduced amino acid level. An almost wild-type growth rate was restored in atp16Δ cells that expressed GhATPδ1, with a resultant ATP/ADP ratio similar to that found in wild-type cells, indicating that the cotton gene was functional in yeast. Mitochondria prepared from 10 dpa wild-type fibre cells showed significantly higher ATP synthase activity in comparison to ovule samples from wild type and leaf samples. Exogenous application of piceatannol (PA) or oligomycin (OM), inhibitors of ATP synthase F(1) or F(0) subunits, respectively, in ovule culture media resulted in much shorter fibre cells and a significantly lower ATP/ADP ratio. Our data suggest that GhATPδ1 is important for activity of mitochondrial ATP synthase and is probably related to cotton fibre elongation.