Regulation different network analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA)

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic synovitis that progresses to destruction of cartilage and bone.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to employ microarray analysis combined with bioinformatics techniques to evaluate differential gene expression in BM-derived mononuclear cells obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) to study the pathogenesis of this disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gene expression profiles in BM-derived mononuclear cells from 9 RA and 10 OA patients were obtained from GEO.

RESULTS

The bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells showed 2581 up-regulated and 649 down-regulated genes in RA patients relative to the OA group: Our analysis indicated that several differentially expressed genes might play crucial roles in RA development, including SP1, RARA, ETS1, ETS2, FOS and ESR1.

CONCLUSIONS

Further analysis predicted these genes might be involved in RA through cancer related pathways and immunity related pathways. Furthermore, these genes may serve as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of RA.

Trends in seroprevalence of antibodies to pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) virus among patients seeking care in China

We determined seroprevalence of antibodies to pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) virus in outpatients in China from December 2009 to March 2010. Serum antibody titers were determined by a hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assay using the seroprevalence data for 2006-2008 (1.2%) as baseline. The overall seroprevalence was 7.6%, 18.6%, 20.5%, and 20.0% in December 2009, January 2010, February 2010, and March 2010, respectively. In comparison of monthly data, the seroprevalence values for the first three months exhibited statistically significant differences. As for the age-specific seroprevalence, the individuals aged demic virus.

Downregulation of endogenous intermedin augmented myocardial injury in rats with ischemia/reperfusion

Intermedin (IMD) plays an important regulatory role in cardiovascular function. We aimed to explore the protein expression of IMD and its receptors, calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs), and the role of endogenous IMD in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. The rat model of I/R was created by ligating cardiac left anterior descending artery. Western blot was used to determine protein expression of CRLR and RAMPs, and radioimmunoassay was used to detect IMD content. Compared with control, protein levels of CRLR and RAMPs in both ischemic and nonischemic region were upregulated at different stages of reperfusion. IMD protein content in nonischemic area myocardium also increased. However, IMD protein content in ischemic area downregulated at 3-, 6-, and 12-h reperfusion. In hypoxia/reoxygenation model of neonatal cardiomyocytes, IMD attenuated myocyte injury, and IMD receptor antagonist IMD17-47 aggravated myocyte impairment by blocking endogenous IMD. In conclusion, the downregulation of IMD at early stage of reperfusion might augment myocardium injury.

Modelling single- and tandem-bubble dynamics between two parallel plates for biomedical applications

Carefully timed tandem microbubbles have been shown to produce directional and targeted membrane poration of individual cells in microfluidic systems, which could be of use in ultrasound-mediated drug and gene delivery. This study aims at contributing to the understanding of the mechanisms at play in such an interaction. The dynamics of single and tandem microbubbles between two parallel plates is studied numerically and analytically. Comparisons are then made between the numerical results and the available experimental results. Numerically, assuming a potential flow, a three-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) is used to describe complex bubble deformations, jet formation, and bubble splitting. Analytically, compressibility and viscous boundary layer effects along the channel walls, neglected in the BEM model, are considered while shape of the bubble is not considered. Comparisons show that energy losses modify the bubble dynamics when the two approaches use identical initial conditions. The initial conditions in the boundary element method can be adjusted to recover the bubble period and maximum bubble volume when in an infinite medium. Using the same conditions enables the method to recover the full dynamics of single and tandem bubbles, including large deformations and fast re-entering jet formation. This method can be used as a design tool for future tandem-bubble sonoporation experiments.

Ghrelin contributes to derangements of glucose metabolism induced by rapamycin in mice

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Rapamycin impairs glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Our previous study demonstrated that rapamycin significantly increases the production of gastric ghrelin, which is critical in the regulation of glucose metabolism. Here, we investigated whether ghrelin contributes to derangements of glucose metabolism induced by rapamycin.

METHODS

The effects of rapamycin on glucose metabolism were examined in mice receiving ghrelin receptor antagonist or with Ghsr1a gene knockout. Changes in GLUT4, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6) were investigated by immunofluorescent staining or western blotting. Related hormones were detected by radioimmunoassay kits.

RESULTS

Rapamycin impaired glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity not only in normal C57BL/6J mice but also in both obese mice induced by a high fat diet and db/db mice. This was accompanied by elevation of plasma acylated ghrelin. Rapamycin significantly increased the levels of plasma acylated ghrelin in normal C57BL/6J mice, high-fat-diet-induced obese mice and db/db mice. Elevation in plasma acylated ghrelin and derangements of glucose metabolism upon administration of rapamycin were significantly correlated. The deterioration in glucose homeostasis induced by rapamycin was blocked by D: -Lys3-GHRP-6, a ghrelin receptor antagonist, or by deletion of the Ghsr1a gene. Ghrelin receptor antagonism and Ghsr1a knockout blocked the upregulation of JNK activity and downregulation of GLUT4 levels and translocation in the gastrocnemius muscle induced by rapamycin.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

The current study demonstrates that ghrelin contributes to derangements of glucose metabolism induced by rapamycin via altering the content and translocation of GLUT4 in muscles.

Overexpression of adiponectin promotes focal angiogenesis in the mouse brain following middle cerebral artery occlusion

Recent studies indicate that overexpression of adiponectin (APN) could attenuate ischemic brain injury. However, the mechanism of APN effect remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the cellular mechanisms of APN action during cerebral ischemia. Adult mice (n=120) received an intracerebral injection of adeno-associated viral vector carrying the APN gene (AAV-APN). The mice were subjected to a transient ispilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) after 7-day AAV-APN gene transfer. Cortical atrophy volume, neurological function, microvessels counts, phospho-AMPK and downstream angiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were examined. Overexpression of APN was observed in the mouse brain following AAV-APN gene transfer. Cortical atrophy volume was attenuated in the AAV-APN-transduced mice compared with the AAV-GFP and saline-treated mice (7.9 ± 0.6%, 19.8 ± 0.3% and 20.3 ± 1.1%, respectively, P<0.05), with significant improvement in neurological function and an increased number of microvessels (199 ± 5 vs 151 ± 4 and 148 ± 4 mm(-2), P<0.01). Furthermore, the expression of phospho-AMPK and VEGF were increased in the AAV-APN-transduced compared with the control mice (P<0.01), whereas inhibiting phospho-AMPK, reducing VEGF expression and attenuating the effect of APN on brain atrophy and angiogenesis (P<0.01). APN overexpression attenuates ischemia-induced brain atrophy and has improvement in neurological function. The consequence is related to promotion of focal angiogenesis. The AMPK signaling pathway has an important role in upregulating angiogenic factor VEGF.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma: case report and review of the literature

We present a case of a middle-aged woman who was admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain and was found to have multiple nodules on her CT scan. After CT-guided biopsy, we finally diagnosed PBML case. The patient had a very effective response to bilateral oophorectomy and hysterectomy. A brief review of the literature for PBML is also included.

High-precision soft x-ray polarimeter at Diamond Light Source

The development and performance of a high-precision polarimeter for the polarization analysis in the soft x-ray region is presented. This versatile, high-vacuum compatible instrument is supported on a hexapod to simplify the alignment with a resolution less than 5 μrad, and can be moved with its own independent control system easily between different beamlines and synchrotron facilities. The polarimeter can also be used for the characterization of reflection and transmission properties of optical elements. A W/B(4)C multilayer phase retarder was used to characterize the polarization state up to 1200 eV. A fast and accurate alignment procedure was developed, and complete polarization analysis of the APPLE II undulator at 712 eV has been performed.

Effects of Sophy β-glucan on growth performance, carcass traits, meat composition, and immunological responses of Peking ducks

The response of Peking ducks to supplements of Sophy β-glucan was studied. A total of 160 healthy 1-d-old mixed-sex ducklings were randomly allocated to 3 groups: Sophy β-glucan (n = 80), bacitracin zinc (n = 40), and control (n = 40), which received the same antibiotics-deficient diet supplemented with 1% β-glucan, 5% bacitracin zinc, or nothing, respectively. During 2 mo of the study, growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality of Peking ducks were evaluated. Additionally, a separate immunological study was conducted with a total of 105 healthy male Peking ducks in 7 groups (n = 15) and immunized with different doses of β-glucan (0, 0.5, 2.5, 12.5, and 62.5 μg/duck) and BSA (200 μg/duck). Blood was taken for detection of anti-BSA-IgG antibody and peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferation assays. Groups subjected to different dietary treatments showed almost no differences in growth performance and slaughter traits except breast muscle percentage and intestinal length. These 2 indicators were significantly higher in the bacitracin zinc group than in the control and β-glucan groups (P < 0.05). Similarly, chemical compositions, fatty acids, and amino acids of breast muscle were not significantly influenced by the diet. Ducks immunized with Sophy β-glucan did not have enhanced level of anti-BSA-IgG antibodies but had significant peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferation compared with unchallenged ducks (P < 0.01). With an increase in the glucan concentration, the proliferative responses approximately linearly increased. These findings indicate that 1% Sophy glucan did not improve duck growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality significantly under the conditions of the present experiment and mainly had regulatory or enhancing properties on poultry nonspecific cellular immunity.

Treatment of intrathoracic anastomotic leak by nose fistula tube drainage after esophagectomy for cancer

Esophageal anastomotic leak remains a lethal complication after esophagectomy for cancer. The aim of the present study is to describe an effective new management, nose fistula tube drainage (NFTD), to treat postoperative intrathoracic leaks. From July 2003 to August 2009, 41 of 4132 patients (0.99%) requiring transthoracic esophagectomy for esophageal and cardiac carcinoma had developed an intrathoracic esophageal anastomotic leak in our hospital as well as another three patients with similar conditions from other hospitals, excluding three patients with gastric necrosis (two) and tracheo-esophageal fistula (one); 23 patients were treated by NFTD, and the remaining 18 patients were treated by conventional chest tube drainage (CCTD). Clinical records of these patients were reviewed and analyzed, including the healing of the leak, mortality, and morbidity. In the NFTD group, 4 patients (17.4%) died, 1 patient (4.3%) required reoperation, and 18 patients (78.3%) healed. However, in the CCTD group, 3 patients (16.7%) died, 1 patient (5.5%) required reoperation, and 14 patients (77.8%) healed. As compared with the CCTD group, patients of the NFTD group had a shorter intensive care course (11.95 vs 33.62 days, P= 0.01) and hospital stay (39.74 vs 77.54 days, P= 0.02). Although this novel NFTD management did not significantly decrease mortality when compared with CCTD, it could gain more effective drainage than CCTD and eventually shorten hospital stay.

Nitrogen critical loads and management alternatives for N-impacted ecosystems in California

Empirical critical loads for N deposition effects and maps showing areas projected to be in exceedance of the critical load (CL) are given for seven major vegetation types in California. Thirty-five percent of the land area for these vegetation types (99,639 km(2)) is estimated to be in excess of the N CL. Low CL values (3-8 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)) were determined for mixed conifer forests, chaparral and oak woodlands due to highly N-sensitive biota (lichens) and N-poor or low biomass vegetation in the case of coastal sage scrub (CSS), annual grassland, and desert scrub vegetation. At these N deposition critical loads the latter three ecosystem types are at risk of major vegetation type change because N enrichment favors invasion by exotic annual grasses. Fifty-four and forty-four percent of the area for CSS and grasslands are in exceedance of the CL for invasive grasses, while 53 and 41% of the chaparral and oak woodland areas are in exceedance of the CL for impacts on epiphytic lichen communities. Approximately 30% of the desert (based on invasive grasses and increased fire risk) and mixed conifer forest (based on lichen community changes) areas are in exceedance of the CL. These ecosystems are generally located further from emissions sources than many grasslands or CSS areas. By comparison, only 3-15% of the forested and chaparral land areas are estimated to be in exceedance of the NO(3)(-) leaching CL. The CL for incipient N saturation in mixed conifer forest catchments was 17 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). In 10% of the CL exceedance areas for all seven vegetation types combined, the CL is exceeded by at least 10 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), and in 27% of the exceedance areas the CL is exceeded by at least 5 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). Management strategies for mitigating the effects of excess N are based on reducing N emissions and reducing site N capital through approaches such as biomass removal and prescribed fire or control of invasive grasses by mowing, selective herbicides, weeding or domestic animal grazing. Ultimately, decreases in N deposition are needed for long-term ecosystem protection and sustainability, and this is the only strategy that will protect epiphytic lichen communities.

Pulsating tandem microbubble for localized and directional single-cell membrane poration

The interaction of laser-generated tandem microbubble (maximum diameter of about 50  μm) with single (rat mammary carcinoma) cells is investigated in a 25-μm liquid layer. Antiphase and coupled oscillation of the tandem microbubble leads to the formation of alternating, directional microjets (with max microstreaming velocity of 10  m/s) and vortices (max vorticity of 350 000  s{-1}) in opposite directions. Localized and directional membrane poration (200 nm to 2  μm in pore size) can be produced by the tandem microbubble in an orientation and proximity-dependent manner, which is absent from a single oscillating microbubble of comparable size and at the same stand-off distance.

Early embryonic blood cells collect antigens and induce immunotolerance in the hatched chicken

Earlier experimental data in our laboratory showed that introduction of an exogenous protein into early chicken embryonic blood leads to immunotolerance of hatched chicken to that protein. However, the underlying mechanism is yet unknown. In the present study, we show that the blood cells collecting circulating antigen might contribute to the establishment of immunotolerance. In this experiment, most of the chicken embryo blood cells took up injected fluorescein isothiocyanate-BSA at approximately embryonic d 3. At the same stage, 1 microL of embryo blood was taken out and incubated with BSA. After being loaded with BSA in vitro and washed, these cells were injected back into the original embryo. The BSA-specific lymphocytes were depleted in chickens whose early embryo cells had been loaded with BSA, as evidenced by a significant decrease in anti-BSA antibody after challenge with BSA when the chickens were 3 wk old. In addition, by direct injection of BSA to embryonic d 3 embryo blood, the hatched chickens had decreased amounts of anti-trinitrophenol antibody after the chickens were challenged with trinitrophenol-BSA, indicating that the helper function of BSA-specific T cells was impaired. In conclusion, these observations suggest that some early embryo blood cells possibly collect and store antigen for the establishment of self-tolerance before the maturation of B and T cells.

Accumulation and tolerance characteristics of cadmium in a potential hyperaccumulator--Lonicera japonica Thunb

Phytoremediation using hyperaccumulators is a promising technique of removing soil pollutants. In the study, growth responses, cadmium (Cd) accumulation capability and physiological mechanisms of Lonicera japonica Thunb. under Cd stress were investigated. Exposed to 5 and 10 mg L(-1) Cd, the plants did not show any visual symptoms, furthermore, the height, dry biomass of leaves, roots and total and the chlorophyll (CHL) content were obtained different grade increase. When the concentration of Cd was up to 50 mg L(-1), the height, dry biomass of leaves and roots had not significant differences compared with the control. The indexes of tolerance (IT) were all above 0.8. The maintenance of high superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities was observed along with the increased Cd concentration, suggesting strong internal detoxification mechanisms inside plant cells. After 21 days exposure to 25 mg L(-1) Cd, stem and shoot Cd concentrations reached 344.49+/-0.71 and 286.12+/-9.38 microg g(-1) DW, respectively and the plant had higher bioaccumulation coefficient (BC) and translocation factor (TF). According to these results, it was shown L. japonica had strong tolerance and accumulation capability to Cd, therefore it is a potential Cd-hyperaccumulator.

Beamline I11 at Diamond: a new instrument for high resolution powder diffraction

The performance characteristics of a new synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction beamline (I11) at the Diamond Light Source are presented. Using an in-vacuum undulator for photon production and deploying simple x-ray optics centered around a double-crystal monochromator and a pair of harmonic rejection mirrors, a high brightness and low bandpass x-ray beam is delivered at the sample. To provide fast data collection, 45 Si(111) analyzing crystals and detectors are installed onto a large and high precision diffractometer. High resolution powder diffraction data from standard reference materials of Si, alpha-quartz, and LaB6 are used to characterize instrumental performance.

Induction stage-dependent expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and aquaporin-1 in diethylstilbestrol-treated rat pituitary

The anterior pituitary gland undergoes tumourigenic changes in response to oestrogen treatment in several breeds of rats. We administered diethylstilbestrol (DES) to female Wistar rats and assessed whether the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) was altered at different time points following DES administration. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that the mass index corresponding to the mid-sagittal area of DES-treated pituitary was significantly higher than the vehicle-controlled pituitary (p<0.01) at three specific time points, accompanied by a significant reduction in body weight. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that during early stages of induction, DES increased cell proliferation and sprouting of endothelial cells, and VEGF expression transitioned from a vessel-surrounding pattern to a diffuse pattern. During later stages, angiogenesis was predominant, and VEGF expression decreased. In contrast to the early abundant expression of VEGF, endothelial expression of AQP- 1 increased during later stages. Our data indicated a dynamic scenario of biological alterations in DES-treated pituitary tissue, in which VEGF and AQP-1 exert their functions at different stages of induction, and we provide novel insights into understanding oestrogen-related tumourigenesis in the anterior pituitary gland.

Induction stage-dependent expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and aquaporin-1 in diethylstilbestrol-treated rat pituitary

The anterior pituitary gland undergoes tumourigenic changes in response to oestrogen treatment in several breeds of rats. We administered diethylstilbestrol (DES) to female Wistar rats and assessed whether the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) was altered at different time points following DES administration. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that the mass index corresponding to the mid-sagittal area of DES-treated pituitary was significantly higher than the vehicle-controlled pituitary (p<0.01) at three specific time points, accompanied by a significant reduction in body weight. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that during early stages of induction, DES increased cell proliferation and sprouting of endothelial cells, and VEGF expression transitioned from a vessel-surrounding pattern to a diffuse pattern. During later stages, angiogenesis was predominant, and VEGF expression decreased. In contrast to the early abundant expression of VEGF, endothelial expression of AQP-1 increased during later stages. Our data indicated a dynamic scenario of biological alterations in DES-treated pituitary tissue, in which VEGF and AQP-1 exert their functions at different stages of induction, and we provide novel insights into understanding oestrogen-related tumourigenesis in the anterior pituitary gland.