Combined effects of HLA-Cw6 and cigarette smoking in psoriasis vulgaris: a hospital-based case-control study in China

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is not only related to genetic factors but also to environmental factors. However, the combined effect of genetic and environmental factors in the development of psoriasis has still been unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The study was to analyze the combined effect of HLA-Cw6 and smoking on psoriasis vulgaris.

METHODS

A hospital-based case-control was conducted study. One hundred seventy-eight cases and 178 controls received this epidemiological investigation and HLA typing by polymerase chain reaction utilizing sequence-specific primers.

RESULTS

The risk of psoriasis was related to smoking, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) being 2.07 (P < 0.01), and there is a graded positive association between the risk of psoriasis and intensity or duration of smoking. Stressful life events increased the risk of psoriasis (OR = 7.87, P < 0.01). We found the waist-hip ratio (WHR) increased the risk of psoriasis vulgaris, and OR was 2.67 (P < 0.01) in China. Individuals harboring the HLA-Cw6 gene obviously increased the risk of psoriasis, OR being 9.93 (P < 0.01) after adjusted for potential confounder factors, while the OR of psoriasis for HLA-B57 was 2.41 (P < 0.05). Significant combined effect between HLA-Cw6 and HLA-B57 for psoriasis was found (OR = 10.51, P < 0.01). A striking finding is that the risk of psoriasis for smokers with HLA-Cw6 increased about 11-fold than non-smokers without HLA-Cw6, and the risk increased some 20-fold in individuals with HLA-Cw6 having stressful life events compared with one without HLA-Cw6 and stressful life events.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that the combined effect between HLA-Cw6 and cigarette smoking or stressful life events may play an important role in the development of psoriasis vulgaris in Han Chinese population.

Psychometric properties of the Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory-Revised in Chinese college students

BACKGROUND

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory-Revised (MRAI-R; Antonak & Harth) in Chinese college students. The research questions included: (1) Is the MRAI-R a reliable measure for Chinese college student? (2) Is the MRAI-R related to familiarity with people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) and professional training? and (3) Does the four-factor model of the MRAI-R fit the Chinese college student data?

METHOD

Five hundred and thirty-four college students from China participated in the study. Descriptive, Pearson product-moment correlation, Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient and factor analyses were used to examine the reliability and validity of the MRAI-R in this Chinese college student sample.

RESULTS

The alpha coefficient reliability of the total scale of the MRAI-R was 0.78. The alpha coefficient reliabilities for the integration-segregation (INSE) subscale, the social distance (SDIS) subscale, the private rights (PRRT) subscale and the subtle derogatory beliefs (SUDB) subscale were 0.50 (INSE), 0.78 (SDIS), 0.50 (PRRT) and 0.21 (SUDB) respectively. Correlation analyses indicated that familiarity with PWID and professional training had a weak correlation with attitudes towards PWID. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the standardized factor loadings and goodness-of-fit indices were inadequate (the chi-square/degrees of freedom ratio = 3.24; the goodness-of-fit index = 0.85; the comparative fit index = 0.69; the RMSEA* = 0.07). A principal axis factoring analysis (PAF) with oblique rotation identified three factors with 25% of the variance accounted for the sample. However, the results of this PAF were factorial complex and not interpretable in that many items of the scale had double loadings on more than one factor.

CONCLUSIONS

The factor structure of the MRAI-R in this sample of Chinese college students did not replicate the structure found in American adults. Although the SDIS subscale of the MRAI-R appeared to be a reliable instrument among the four subscales of the MRAI-R, the reliabilities of the INSE, PRRT and SUDB subscales were low. Continuing investigations of the utility of the MRAI-R in Chinese culture is needed. Attitude instruments based on Chinese culture may be developed.

Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase in human intractable epilepsy

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) such as ERK1 [p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)] and ERK2 (p42 MAPK) are activated in the central nervous system under physiological and pathological conditions such as ischemia and epilepsy. Our aim is to investigate ERK1, ERK2, and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) (Thr202/Tyr 204) expression in the temporal lobe of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) and to explore its possible role of ERK in it. Tissue samples from temporal neocortices of 40 patients who had surgery for IE were used to detect ERK1, ERK2, and p-ERK (Thr 202/Tyr 204) expression through immunohistochemistry and western blot. We compared these tissues against 17 histological normal temporal lobes from head-trauma patients. ERK1, ERK2, and p-ERK in IE were significantly higher than those in the controls. They were mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of neurons and glial cells. There was also increased detection of p-ERK in the gliotic cortex of IE compared with the non-gliotic cortex. These findings were consistently observed in western blot and immunohistochemistry techniques. ERK expression in patients with IE was significantly increased compared with the controls. This suggested a probable role of ERK in the pathogenesis of IE.

Combination of MIG (CXCL9) chemokine gene therapy with low-dose cisplatin improves therapeutic efficacy against murine carcinoma

MIG (monokine induced by interferon-gamma) is a CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL9) that can potently inhibit angiogenesis, and displays thymus-dependent antitumor effects. The effectiveness of a treatment combining gene therapy with plasmid-borne MIG (pORF-MIG) and low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy was determined using colon carcinoma (CT26) and Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2c) murine models. The program was carried out via intramuscular delivery of pORF-MIG at 100 mug/mouse twice a week for 4 weeks, and/or intraperitoneal delivery of cisplatin at 0.6 mg/kg/mouse every 3 days for 48 days. Tumor volume and survival time were evaluated after treatment. CD31 immunohistochemical staining in tumor tissues and alginate capsule models in vivo was used to evaluate angiogenesis. Induction of apoptosis and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity were also assessed. The combination of pORF-MIG and low-dose cisplatin produced significant antitumor activity, with complete tumor regression in 4/10 of CT26 colon carcinomas and 3/10 of LL/2c lung carcinomas, low vascularity, in alginate capsules, apparently degraded tumor microvessel density, and increased induction of apoptotic and CTL activities compared with either treatment alone. This study suggests that the combination of pORF-MIG plus cisplatin augments the inhibition of angiogenesis and the induction of apoptosis or CTL activity, all of which enhance antitumor activity. These findings may prove useful in further explorations of the application of combinatorial approaches to the treatment of solid tumors.

Ifenprodil treatment is associated with a down-regulation of brain aquaporin 4 following cardiac arrest in rats

OBJECTIVES

Ifenprodil, a NMDA receptor polyamine site antagonist, reduces experimental cardiac arrest (CA)-elicited brain edema, which is associated with an up-regulation of aquaporin 4 (AQP4), a brain water-selective channel. However, the interacting roles of NMDA receptors and AQP4 in CA-elicited brain edema are unknown. The objective of this study was to test our hypothesis that ifenprodil treatment is associated with a down-regulation of brain AQP4.

METHODS

Twenty-five rats were assigned to normal controls (group 1, n = 6) or subjected to eight minutes of asphyxial CA treated with placebo (group 2, n = 9) or ifenprodil (group 3, n = 10). Ifenprodil at 10 mg/kg or normal saline of equal volume was given intraperitoneally, 5 minutes before CA. The density of AQP4 protein and actin bands was scanned and expressed as the ratios of the optical density of AQP4 relative to that of actin. The ANOVA analysis was used to compare the group differences.

RESULTS

The ratios of the optical density of AQP4 to that of actin were 0.88 +/- 0.06 in group 1, 1.11 +/- 0.08 in group 2 (p < 0.05 vs. group 1), and 0.78 +/- 0.04 in group 3 (p < 0.01 vs. group 2; NS vs. group 1).

CONCLUSION

Ifenprodil given before CA is associated with a downregulation of brain AQP4 in rats.

Geographic distribution, virologic and clinical characteristics of hepatitis B virus genotypes in China

The significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes for the heterogeneity of chronic HBV infection and severity of liver disease is not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and virologic characteristics of HBV genotypes in China and possible association with the diversity of liver disease. The study includes 1096 chronic HBV carriers from nine provinces in China. We collected clinical and laboratory data and analysed the HBV strains in sera by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and nucleotide sequencing techniques. The most common HBV genotypes were B (41%) and C (53%), while genotypes A and D were also found. A North-South divide was identified in genotype B and C distribution - genotype C was predominant in northern China, while genotype B was more prevalent in southern provinces. Patients with genotype B were younger than those with genotype C, and had a lower prevalence of HBeAg - 65%vs 72%, respectively (P = 0.03). However, the severity of liver disease did not differ significantly between patients infected with genotype B or C - neither when comparing liver function tests (1024 patients), nor hepatic inflammation and fibrosis (264 patients). Amongst 47 patients with genotype D (by PCR-RFLP), 37 (79%) were infected with a new subtype (designated Dc), having a recombination fragment from genotype C precore/core region. This is the first large-scale HBV genotype study from China and convincing documentation of the North-to-South gradient of genotypes C vs B in this country. HBV DNA recombination over the surface and precore/core genes increases the diversity of HBV strains and may have diagnostic and clinical implications.

Ethiopia: between Sub-Saharan Africa and western Eurasia

Ethiopia is central to population genetic studies investigating the out of Africa expansion of modern humans, as shown by Y chromosome and mtDNA studies. To address the level of genetic differentiation within Ethiopia, and its relationship to Sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia, we studied an 8 kb segment of the X-chromosome from 72 chromosomes from the Amhara, Oromo and Ethiopian Jews, and compared these results with 804 chromosomes from Middle Eastern, African, Asian and European populations, and 22 newly typed Saharawi. Within Ethiopia the two largest ethnic groups, the Amhara and Oromo, were not found to be statistically distinct, based on an exact test of haplotype frequencies. The Ethiopian Jews appear as an admixed population, possibly of Jewish origin, though the data remain equivocal. There is evidence of a close relationship between Ethiopian and Yemenite Jews, likely a result of indirect gene flow. Within an African and Eurasian context, the distribution of alleles of a variable T(n) repeat, and the spread of haplotypes containing Africa-specific alleles, provide evidence of a genetic continuity from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Near East, and furthermore suggest that a bottleneck occurred in Ethiopia associated with an out of Africa expansion. Ethiopian genetic heterogeneity, as evidenced by principal component analysis of haplotype frequencies, most likely resulted from periods of subsequent admixture. While these results are from the analysis of one locus, we feel that in association with data from other marker systems they add a complementary perspective on the history of Ethiopia.

Cell column chromatography: a new research tool to quantify cerebral cell volume changes following chemically-induced anoxia/re-oxygenation

OBJECTIVE

The roles of individual types of cerebral cells in contributing to brain edema are undefined. The objective of this study was to determine the role of cerebral cell-column chromatography in quantifying cell volumes of individual cerebral cell lines, under chemically-induced anoxia/re-oxygenation (A/R).

METHODS

Cerebral endothelial cells (4 experiments) or type II astrocytes (4 experiments) were cultured to confluence on microcarrier beads. A chromatographic cell-column of 1.5 cm height was filled with non-treated cell-covered beads. The column was perfused at 1 ml/min with a balanced perfusate for one hour (Baseline). The perfusate was then switched to that containing 5 mM thioglycolic acid for one hour (Anoxia). Then the column was perfused with the normal perfusate for another two hours (Re-oxygenation). The total free space in the column, reversely reflecting cell volumes, was determined by averaged transit time (TTa) of a non-permeable flow tracer blue dextran. Decreased TTa means that cells swell, and vice versa.

RESULTS

TTa in endothelial cell columns increased with a peak at 60 minutes of re-oxygenation. TTa in astrocyte columns decreased with a nadir at 30 minutes of re-oxygenation.

CONCLUSION

Cell column chromatography can be used to determine the cerebral cell volume changes following chemically-induced anoxia/re-oxygenation.

Matrix metalloproteinases are not involved in early brain edema formation after cardiac arrest in rats

INTRODUCTION

Resuscitation from cardiac arrest (CA) often results in a poor neurological outcome possibly due to an incomplete understanding of the pathophysiology of brain injury following CA-induced global cerebral ischemia. Brain edema is an important manifestation after CA and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to brain edema formation following focal cerebral ischemia. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of an MMP inhibitor, GM6001, in CA-elicited brain edema.

METHODS

Eighteen rats were subjected to normothermic (37.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C) CA induced by eight minutes of asphyxiation and assigned to a CA-control group (CA), an alcohol-placebo group (CA + ETOH), or a GM6001-treated group (CA + GM6001). GM6001 in 100% alcohol or a vehicle was given i.v. before CA to achieve a whole blood concentration of 10 microM. Animals were resuscitated with CPR, ventilation and epinephrine. Brain edema was determined by brain wet-to-dry weight ratio at one hour after resuscitation.

FINDINGS

Brain wet-to-dry weight ratio was 4.86 +/- 0.09 in CA, 4.76 +/- 0.12 in CA + ETOH (p = 0.30 vs. CA), and 4.72 +/- 0.03 in CA + GM6001 (p = 0.17 vs. CA and 0.42 vs. CA + ETOH).

INTERPRETATION

MMPs are not involved in brain edema formation one hour following CA.

A gene therapy for cancer based on the angiogenesis inhibitor, vasostatin

The growth and persistence of solid tumors and their metastasis are angiogenesis-dependent. Vasostatin, the N-terminal domain of calreticulin inclusive of amino acids 1-180, is a potent angiogenesis inhibitor. To investigate whether intramuscular administration of vasostatin gene has the antitumor activity in mouse tumor models, we constructed a plasmid DNA encoding vasostatin and a control vector. Production and secretion of vasostatin protein by COS cells transfected with the plasmid DNA encoding vasostatin (pSecTag2B-vaso) were confirmed by Western blot analysis and ELISA. Conditioned medium from vasostatin-transfected COS cells apparently inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and mouse endothelial cell (SVEC4-10) proliferation, compared with conditioned medium from the COS cells transfected with control vector or non-transfected cells. Treatment with pSecTag2B-vaso twice weekly for 4 weeks resulted in the inhibition of tumor growth and the prolongation of the survival of tumor-bearing mice. The sustained high level of vasostatin protein in serum could be identified in ELISA. Angiogenesis was apparently inhibited in tumor by immunohistochemical analysis. Angiogenesis was also inhibited in the chicken embryo CAM assay and mouse corneal micropocket assay. The increased apoptotic cells were found within the tumor tissues from the mice treated with plasmid DNA encoding vasostatin. Taken together, the data in the present study indicate that the cancer gene therapy by the intramuscular delivery of plasmid DNA encoding vasostatin, is effective in the inhibition of the systemic angiogenesis and tumor growth in murine models. The present findings also provide further evidence of the anti-tumor effects of the vasostatin, and may be of importance for the further exploration of the application of this molecule in the treatment of cancer.

[Scanning electronic microscopic observation of vascular corrosion casts of closed diffuse brain injuries in rats]

The brain vascular corrosion casts of closed diffuse brain injuries were studied by SEM in rats. The contraction and spasm of perforating arteriole and sphincter-muscle of capillaries in brain stems were observed. The capillaries are about 2-5 microns in diameter, while the normal 10-15 microns. The mechanism of the contraction and its effects were discussed.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori infection and its eradication on nutrition

AIMS

To investigate the effects of Helicobacter pylori infection and eradication on nutrition.

METHODS

The body weight, height, blood pressure, gastric juice pH and fasting serum levels of glucose, total protein, albumin, total cholesterol and triglyceride were measured in H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative subjects, and the effect of eradication of H. pylori on these parameters was determined. The development of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease after treatment was also examined. Eight patients underwent a pancreatic function test before and after H. pylori eradication therapy.

RESULTS

The incidence of hypoproteinaemia in H. pylori-positive subjects was significantly higher than that in H. pylori-negative subjects. After eradication of H. pylori, the gastric juice pH values were significantly decreased, and the body weight and serum levels of total cholesterol, total protein and albumin were significantly increased. The incidence of hyperlipidaemia significantly increased and that of hypoproteinaemia significantly decreased in the group with eradication. Pancreatic function improved significantly after eradication of H. pylori. No significant changes in these parameters were observed in the group without eradication. Obese patients had a higher risk of the development of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease after eradication of H. pylori infection.

CONCLUSIONS

The eradication of H. pylori appears to improve some nutritional parameters.

Comparison of lansoprazole and famotidine for gastric acid inhibition during the daytime and night-time in different CYP2C19 genotype groups

BACKGROUND

The acid inhibitory effect of lansoprazole depends on the S-mephenytoin 4'-hydroxylase (CYP2C19) genotype status. The effect of famotidine is independent of this genotype.

AIM

To investigate the acid inhibitory effects of lansoprazole vs. famotidine during the daytime and night-time with reference to different CYP2C19 genotypes.

METHODS

Fifteen healthy volunteers were given 20 mg famotidine twice a day or 30 mg lansoprazole once a day for 8 days. On post-dose day 8, 24-h intragastric pH monitoring was performed.

RESULTS

During the daytime, the intragastric pH with lansoprazole was significantly higher than that with famotidine in the heterozygous extensive metabolizer group, whereas no significant difference was observed in the homozygous extensive metabolizer group. During the night-time, the intragastric pH with famotidine was quite similar to that with lansoprazole in the heterozygous extensive metabolizer and poor metabolizer groups. However, during the night-time, the intragastric pH with famotidine was significantly higher than that with lansoprazole in the homozygous extensive metabolizer group.

CONCLUSIONS

An insufficient acid inhibition by lansoprazole during the night-time in the homozygous extensive metabolizer group could be compensated for by famotidine. CYP2C19 genotype testing appears to be useful for predicting the optimal acid inhibitory drug treatment collated with circadian intragastric pH change.