Role of GSPE in improving early cerebral vascular damage by inhibition of Profilin-1 expression in a ouabain-induced hypertension model

OBJECTIVE

Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE), as one of the most popular natural drug extracted from the grape, has been reported to improve endothelial function and arteriosclerosis. However, little is known about the influence of GSPE on hypertension and vascular remodeling. Profilin-1, an Actin-binding protein, is closely involved in the remodeling of large vessels in ouabain-induced hypertension. To date, there is no effective prevention or treatment in place for the high incidence of ischemic stroke associated with hypertension. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of GSPE via inhibition Profilin-1 in ischemic cerebral cortices of ouabain-hypertension rats and potentially provide a new target to prevent stroke associated with hypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The blood pressure of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was measured during a period of ouabain-induced hypertension. The expression of Profilin-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the cerebral cortex were determined by quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Histopathological and behavioral tests were also conducted.

RESULTS

Blood pressure elevation started at week 5 and reached clinical standards for hypertension at week 8. GSPE was proved to suppress Profilin-1 and VEGF levels through inhibition of Profilin-1-protein kinase B (AKT)-hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) signal pathway and promote eNOS expression. Moreover, the histopathological and ethiological improvement was observed in GSPE over-expression and Profilin-1 inhibition groups.

CONCLUSIONS

We detected that GSPE could improve cerebral vascular damage through inhibiting Profilin-1 in an ouabain-induced hypertension model.

[The protective effect of pigment epithelial-derived factor modified human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on rats with diabetic retinopathy]

Objective: To investigate the effect of pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) gene-modified human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on rats with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: Experimental study. Human umbilical cord MSC were transfected by lentivirus packaging PEDF-MSC-green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GFP-MSC plasmid vectors, and the expression of PEDF and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was measured in the cell culture medium. Fifty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal control group (group A), DR control group (group B), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) treated group (group C), GFP-MSC treated group (group D) and PEDF-MSC-GFP treated group (group E), with 10 rats in each group. Streptozotocin was intraperitoneally injected to make early DR models. After four-month intervention, groups D and E were given intravitreal injection of GFP-MSC and PEDF-MSC-GFP; group C was given intravitreal injection of phosphate-buffered saline; groups A and B did not receive special treatment. The changes of retina in different groups were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the thickness of inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer and outer nuclear layer was measured by computer-based image analytical system. Immunohistochemistry was applied to observe PEDF and VEGF. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of PEDF and VEGF mRNA. Results: The expression of CD105, CD73 and CD90 was positive, while the expression of CD34, CD45, CD11b, CD19 and HLA-DR was negative. ELISA results showed that after transfection PEDF protein expression in the supernatant of PEDF-MSC (84.09±7.07) μg/L was higher than the control group (9.03±0.14) μg/L (P<0.05). At 2 weeks after intravitreal injection, green fluorescence was observed in the rat vitreous of groups D and E under a fluorescence microscope; no obvious green fluorescence was found in the retina. After 2 months of intravitreal injection, the thickness of inner plexiform layer in group E was significantly decreased; the thickness of inner nuclear layer and outer nuclear layer was higher (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed that 2 months after intravitreal treatment, the average optical density values of PEDF were improved, but the average optical density values of VEGF were decreased in group E (P<0.05). Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that 2 months after treatment, the expression level of PEDF mRNA in group E was improved, but the expression level of VEGF mRNA was decreased (P<0.05). Conclusions: Intravitreal injection of PEDF-MSC could up-regulate the expression of PEDF and down-regulate the expression of VEGF in diabetic rats and may represent a novel candidate resource for cell therapy of DR nerve damage. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53, 540-547).

[Preoperative restricted versus liberal fluid administration on perioperative safety for pancreatic surgery: a Meta-analysis]

Objective: To assess the perioperative safety of preoperative restricted fluid administration and liberal fluid administration for pancreatic surgery. Methods: The randomized controlled trials comparing restricted and liberal in pancreatic surgery were collected by searching the databases of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library.Two reviewers independently selected studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, then extracted the data and assessed the quality of included studies.Meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 4 studies involving 785 patients were finally included, with 396 cases in restricted group and 389 cases in liberal group.Results of Meta-analysis showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, mortality, reoperation in-hospital and length of stay(all P>0.05). Conclusion: With regard to pancreatic surgery, restricted fluid administration do not have outstanding advantages.

Analysis of Common Herbicides in Blood by UPLC-HRMS

OBJECTIVES

To develop a method to screen and quantify 10 common herbicides （paraquat, diquat, glyphosate, glufosinate, cyanazine, atrazine, metazachlor, acetochlor, chlorsulfuron, and metsulfuron） in blood.

METHODS

With acetonitrile-water solution [V（acetonitrile）∶V（water）=3∶1] as protein precipitant, 10 common herbicides in blood were detected using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC-HRMS）.

RESULTS

All the 10 herbicides had good linearity in their linear range （coefficient of determination R²≥0.993）, with the recovery rates 67.4%-111.9%, the relative standard deviations 1.5%-10.8%, the accuracies 85.1%-106.1%, intra-day precisions 2.7%-13.5%, and inter-day precisions 3.3%-13.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

This method is easy to operate with high recovery rates. It enables rapid and accurate qualitative screening and quantitative analysis of various herbicides in blood simultaneously.

Wnt Production in Dental Epithelium Is Crucial for Tooth Differentiation

The Wnt ligands display varied spatiotemporal expression in the epithelium and mesenchyme in the developing tooth. Thus far, the actions of these differentially expressed Wnt ligands on tooth development are not clear. Shh expression specifies the odontogenic epithelium during initiation and is consistently restricted to the dental epithelium during tooth development. In this study, we inactivate Wntless ( Wls), the key regulator for Wnt trafficking, by Shh-Cre to investigate how the Wnt ligands produced in the dental epithelium lineage act on tooth development. We find that conditional knockout of Wls by Shh-Cre leads to defective ameloblast and odontoblast differentiation. Wls^Shh-Cre teeth display reduced canonical Wnt signaling activity in the inner enamel epithelium and the underlying mesenchyme at the early bell stage, as exhibited by target gene expression and BAT-gal staining. The expression of Wnt5a and Wnt10b is not changed in Wls^Shh-Cre teeth. By contrast, Wnt10a expression is significantly increased in response to epithelial Wls deficiency. In addition, the expression of Hedgehog signaling pathway components Shh, Gli1, and Patched1 was greatly decreased in Wls^Shh-Cre teeth. Epithelial Wls loss of function in Shh lineage also leads to aberrant cell proliferation in dental epithelium and mesenchyme at embryonic day 16.5; however, the cell apoptosis is unaffected. Moreover, we find that Decorin and Col1a1, the key markers for odontoblast differentiation that are downregulated in Wls^Shh-Cre teeth, act as direct downstream targets of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. Additionally, Decorin and Col1a1 expression can be increased by lithium chloride (LiCl) treatment in the in vitro tooth explants. Taken together, our results suggest that the spatial expression of Wnt ligands within the dental epithelial lineage regulates the differentiation of tooth structures in later stages.

[Clinicopathological significance of ISYNA1 expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma]

Objective: To study the expression of ISYNA1 and association of ISYNA1 with clinicopathological significance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods: Collecting clinical data and specimens of 68 PDAC patients at Department of General Surgery, the First Hospital of China Medical University from March 2008 to December 2017.There were 39 males and 29 females, aged 33 to 81 years(median 59 years).The expression of ISYNA1 in 68 paraffin embedded PDAC specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry,in which 34 had paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues,the relationship between ISYNA1 expression and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed; and the correlation between ISYNA1 and p53 in 48 PDAC specimens were estimated.qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to examine the expression of ISYNA1 mRNA and protein level in 17 paired fresh PDAC specimens and adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues,respectively.siRNA interference was used to knockdown the expression of p53 in Capan-2,SW1990 and Miapaca-2 cells,and association of p53 with ISYNA1 expression was explored. Statistical methods included Student's test,χ(2) test, Kaplan-Meier curve, Log-rank test and Pearson analysis, respectively. Results: Immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of ISYNA1 in PDAC(3.681±2.198)was significantly lower than that in normal pancreatic tissues(6.012±3.428)(t=-3.611,P=0.001).In 17 paired fresh PDAC specimens,ISYNA1 mRNA expression in non-cancerous pancreatic tissues(()ΔC(T): (3.721±2.234)was obviously higher than that in PDAC tissues ()ΔC(T): (5).889±1.607) (t=-4.636,P<0.01), and ISYNA1 protein level in non-cancerous pancreatic tissues(0.815±0.418)was similarly higher than that in PDAC tissues(0.517±0.240)(t=2.948,P=0.009).χ(2) test showed the expression of ISYNA1 was negatively associated with tumor invasion depth(χ(2)=7.534,P=0.030)and vascular invasion(χ(2)=5.048,P=0.043);Pearson analysis showed there was no relationship between ISYNA1 and mutant p53(χ(2)=1.377,P=0.359).In p53 wild-type Capan-2 and SW1990 cells,Knockdown of p53 significantly down regulated ISYNA1 expression, whereas had no effect on ISYNA1 expression in p53 mutant Miapaca-2 cells. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Log-Rank test indicated patients with negative ISYNA1 expression had a shorter median survival time and poorer prognosis(χ(2)=4.953, P=0.026). Conclusions: The expression of ISYNA1 in PDAC tissues is significantly decreased,which is associated with the prognosis of PDAC patients,it is only related to wild type p53,and has no relationship with mutant p53.Abnormal expression of ISYNA1 may play an important role in the progression of PDAC.

Birth population survey in Huai'an in 2015: perinatal-neonatal mortality and preterm birth rate in emerging regions in China

Objective: This survey followed the birth population-based study conducted in 2010 in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, with the aim to estimate perinatal-neonatal mortality and preterm birth rate in emerging regions with similar maternal-fetal and neonatal care conditions in China.Materials and methods: Data of total births in 2015 were prospectively collected by regional perinatal network collaboration in Huai'an, a subprovincial region with a population of 5,644,500 and gross domestic production of 9082 USD per capita.Results: The 59,424 birth registries (including 59,023 live births and 167 stillbirths) corresponded to a birth rate of 10.5‰ and a Male-to-female ratio of 113.7:100. All births there were from 85, 16, and 6 level I, II, and III hospitals, with a delivery rate of 30.4, 40.2, and 29.4%, respectively. Of all births, 14.1% had pregnancy-associated comorbidities and complications, 54.4% (32,226/59,190) had cesarean delivery, and multiple pregnancies and birth defects occurred in 2.1% (1,250) and 5.5‰ (324), respectively. The mean birth weight was 3448 ± 507 g with 13.9% being macrosomia, and 2.86% (1695/59,190) low birth weight. Preterm birth rate was 4.06% (2404/59,190) with a mortality rate of 8.5%. There were 94.5% recorded as healthy newborns and 5.5% (3263) requiring hospitalization after birth. The perinatal and neonatal mortality rate was 5.2‰ (167 stillbirths, 139 early neonatal deaths) and 4.0‰, respectively. Compared with the 2010 survey, these data demonstrated generally improved status of perinatal-neonatal healthcare.Conclusions: The low rates of perinatal-neonatal mortality, preterm birth and preterm mortality suggest that the concept and study protocol of perinatal-neonatal healthcare in Huai'an may serve as the benchmark for estimating regional vital statistics and perinatal and neonatal outcomes.

Acute Cellular Rejection and Infection Rates in Alemtuzumab vs Traditional Induction Therapy Agents for Lung and Heart Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Heart and lung transplantation is a high-risk procedure requiring intensive immunosuppressive therapy for preventing organ rejection. Alemtuzumab, a CD52-specific monoclonal antibody, is increasingly used for induction therapy compared with conventional agents. However, there has been no systematic review comparing its efficacy with traditional therapeutic drugs.

METHODS

PubMed and EMBASE were searched to October 1, 2017, for articles on alemtuzumab in cardiothoracic transplant surgery. Of the 433 studies retrieved, 8 were included in the final meta-analysis.

RESULTS

In lung transplantation, alemtuzumab use was associated with lower odds of acute cellular rejection compared with antithymocyte globulin (odds ratio [OR], 0.21; 95% CI, 0.11-0.40; P < .001), lower acute rejection rates (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.55; P < .01), and infection rates (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.35-1.36; P = .33) when compared with basiliximab. Multivariate meta-regression analysis found that mean age, male sex, single lung transplant, double lung transplant, cytomegalovirus or Epstein-Barr virus status, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and mean ischemic time did not significantly influence acute rejection outcomes. For heart transplantation, alemtuzumab use was associated with lower acute rejection rates when compared with tacrolimus (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.30-0.66; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Alemtuzumab use was associated with lower rejection rates when compared with conventional induction therapy agents (antithymocyte globulin, basiliximab, and tacrolimus) in heart and lung transplantation. However, this was based on observational studies. Randomized controlled trials are needed to verify its clinical use.

An Effective α/β Nucleating Agent Compoundfor the Preparation of Polypropylene

The crystallization behavior and mechanical properties were investigated by mixing the traditional α-form nucleating agent (sodium benzoate, SB) and commercialized β-form nucleating agent (TMB-5) in isotactic polypropylene (iPP). Mechanical properties were evaluated by universal testing machines. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were conducted to illustrate the crystallization behavior. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) was adopted to observe the crystal morphologies. The experimental results show that the weight ratio of two types of nucleating agents determines the final crystal structure and mechanical properties of iPP. When the weight ratio of [SB] : [TMB-5] is 4 : 1, the impact strength and flexural modulus of iPP reach a maximum value. Compared with the single component β-form nucleating agent, the compound nucleating agent exhibits significant synergistic effect and shows better mechanical properties. It is expected that this new nucleation system will have potential industrial applications.

Dosimetry study of 18F-FMISO + PET/CT hypoxia imaging guidance on intensity-modulated radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES

This study was to evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost on tumor hypoxia area by studying the dosimetric change of hypoxia imaging guidance on intensity-modulated radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

Five NSCLC patients with large hypoxic volume participated in this study. FDG PET/CT images were fused with CT localization images to delineate gross tumor volume. FMISO PET/CT images were fused with CT localization images to delineate hypoxic biological target volume (BTV) (tissue maximum ratio ≥ 1.3) by threshold. BTV was irradiated with 72, 78 and 84 Gy, respectively, 30 times. The dosimetry differences were compared in target volume and organ at risk between simultaneous integrated boost plans and conventional radiotherapy plans.

RESULTS

Dosages on BTV of NSCLC hypoxic area were increased to 72, 78 and 84 Gy, respectively, by simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiation therapy. There was no obvious difference in dosage distributions on original target volume compared with those in conventional radiotherapy. Dosages on main organ at risk in chest met the dosimetric constraint, and there was no significant difference compared with those in conventional radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

It is feasible in dosiology that the dosages in NSCLC hypoxic area were added to 72, 78 and 84 Gy by simultaneous integrated boost with the guidance of ¹⁸F-FMISO PET/CT.

[Relationship between exposure to air pollutants during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy and birth defects in Xi'an, 2013-2015: a case crossover study]

Objective: To understand the levels of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants including nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), PM(10) and PM(2.5), and the relationship between the exposure to air pollutants during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy and birth defects. Methods: Data on air pollution and birth defects from 2013 to 2015 was collected. A case-crossover design was employed to analyze the exposure-response relationship between traffic-related air pollutants and birth defects. Results: A total of 4 235 pregnant women were studied. During the study period, the daily average concentrations of ambient NO(2), PM(10) and PM(2.5) appeared as 60.83 μg/m(3), 104.94 μg/m(3) and 103.88 μg/m(3), respectively, with the concentration of PM(2.5) larger than the 2(nd) version of Standard National Ambient Air Quality Standard. In addition, there were strong correlations seen between each of the pollutants (P<0.01). After adjustment for the influence of meteorological factors, it was found that the exposure to high level of NO(2) and PM(10) during pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy increased the risk on birth defects (P<0.05). Conclusion: Levels of exposure to adverse environmental factors during pre- pregnancy or early pregnancy could increase the risk of birth defects, suggesting that in these sensitive periods, women should try to avoid being exposed to high concentration of traffic-related air pollutants as NO(2), PM(10) etc. in order to reduce the risk of birth defects.

Detection and treatment of Fiebig stage I HIV-1 infection in young at-risk women in South Africa: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

HIV incidence among young women in sub-Saharan Africa remains high and their inclusion in vaccine and cure efforts is crucial. We aimed to establish a cohort of young women detected during Fiebig stage I acute HIV infection in whom treatment was initiated immediately after diagnosis to advance research in this high-risk group.

METHODS

945 women aged 18-23 years in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, who were HIV uninfected and sexually active consented to HIV-1 RNA testing twice a week and biological sampling and risk assessment every 3 months during participation in a 48-96 week life-skills and job-readiness programme. We analysed the effect of immediate combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) on viraemia and immune responses, sexual risk behaviour, and the effect of the socioeconomic intervention.

FINDINGS

42 women were diagnosed with acute HIV infection between Dec 1, 2012, and June 30, 2016, (incidence 8·2 per 100 person-years, 95% CI 5·9-11·1), of whom 36 (86%) were diagnosed in Fiebig stage I infection with a median initial viral load of 2·97 log₁₀ copies per mL (IQR 2·42-3·85). 23 of these 36 women started ART at a median of 1 day (1-1) after detection, which limited the median peak viral load to 4·22 log₁₀ copies per mL (3·27-4·83) and the CD4 nadir to 685 cells per μL (561-802). ART also suppressed viral load (to <20 copies per mL) within a median of 16 days (12-26) and, in 20 (87%) of 23 women, prevented seroconversion, as shown with western blotting. 385 women completed the 48 week socioeconomic intervention, of whom 231 were followed up for 1 year. 202 (87%) of these 231 women were placed in jobs, returned to school, or started a business.

INTERPRETATION

Frequent HIV screening combined with a socioeconomic intervention facilitated sampling and risk assessment before and after infection. In addition to detection of acute infection and immediate treatment, we established a cohort optimised for prevention and cure research.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Accurate prediction of X-ray pulse properties from a free-electron laser using machine learning

Free-electron lasers providing ultra-short high-brightness pulses of X-ray radiation have great potential for a wide impact on science, and are a critical element for unravelling the structural dynamics of matter. To fully harness this potential, we must accurately know the X-ray properties: intensity, spectrum and temporal profile. Owing to the inherent fluctuations in free-electron lasers, this mandates a full characterization of the properties for each and every pulse. While diagnostics of these properties exist, they are often invasive and many cannot operate at a high-repetition rate. Here, we present a technique for circumventing this limitation. Employing a machine learning strategy, we can accurately predict X-ray properties for every shot using only parameters that are easily recorded at high-repetition rate, by training a model on a small set of fully diagnosed pulses. This opens the door to fully realizing the promise of next-generation high-repetition rate X-ray lasers.

Increased expression of STIM1/Orai1 in platelets of stroke patients predictive of poor outcomes

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The platelet activation that is mediated by store-operated Ca²⁺ entry via stromal interaction molecule (STIM1) and Orai1 Ca²⁺ influx channels has been shown to play a key role in ischaemic stroke (IS). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of platelet STIM1/Orai1 protein expression on outcomes of IS.

METHODS

A total of 160 patients with acute non-cardioembolic IS, among whom 45 patients had small-vessel diseases and 115 patients had large-vessel diseases, were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups according to their baseline platelet STIM1/Orai1 protein expression: high-expression group (HG) (n = 80) and low-expression group (LG) (n = 80). Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to assess the correlation between STIM1/Orai1 expression and clinical outcomes, which included stroke severity that was measured based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) at baseline and during the 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors between patients in HG and LG. However, HG had very high levels of biomarkers such as glycosylated hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, homocysteine and high mobility group box-1 protein (all P < 0.05). Although the baseline stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score) was not obviously higher in HG than in LG, patients showed a better recovery score (SIS score) in LG than in HG (90.75 ± 13.65 vs. 80.68 ± 7.09; P = 0.022). STIM1/Orai1 expression was an independent predictor of the 3-month stroke recovery (hazard ratio, 4.543; 95% confidence interval, 1.941-29.145; P = 0.029).

CONCLUSIONS

A high expression level of platelet Orai1/STIMI1 was associated with poor clinical outcome (mortality and recurrence) and functional recovery (SIS scores) during the 3-month follow-up. Thus, we propose that these proteins are strongly predictive of life quality in patients with IS.