YKL-40 in asthmatic patients, and its correlations with exacerbation, eosinophils and immunoglobulin E

The chitinase-like protein YKL-40, which binds chitin but lacks chitinase activity, has been found to be either the cause or a biomarker for asthma. The aim of our study was to investigate whether serum YKL-40 levels are increased in Chinese patients with asthma and identify its correlation to acute exacerbation, total serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E, the percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils and lung function. We quantified serum YKL-40 levels, total IgE levels and peripheral blood eosinophil percentages in patients with asthma, as well as in controls from the communities surrounding our hospital. The lung function of asthma subjects was also measured. Our data showed that the serum YKL-40 levels were significantly elevated in patients with asthma compared with controls and, when the asthma subjects were stratified, serum YKL-40 levels in the exacerbation group were higher than those in the stable and control groups. In addition, serum YKL-40 levels correlated positively with total serum IgE levels and the percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils, but correlated inversely with lung functions. Thus, we conclude that YKL-40 is found in increased quantities in the serum of Chinese patients with asthma, and its level correlates with exacerbation attacks, indicating that high levels of serum YKL-40 may be a biological characteristic of the exacerbation of asthma.

Risk of progression to hypertension in a rural Chinese women population with prehypertension and normal blood pressure

BACKGROUND

To determine the incidence of hypertension and its risk factors among rural Chinese women with prehypertension and normotension.

METHODS

A population-based sample of 12,060 rural Chinese women aged > or = 35 years and free from hypertension at baseline were followed from 2004-2006 to 2008. Incident hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or = 90 mm Hg, or current use of antihypertensive medication.

RESULTS

Over a median follow-up of 28 months (range, 14-47 months), 23.4% of women developed hypertension. The age-adjusted incidence rate was higher in prehypertension than in normotension (11.2/100 person-years vs. 7.9/100 person-years, P < 0.05). Among women with prehypertension, independent predictors of incident hypertension were baseline age, Mongolian ethnicity, low physical activity, baseline body mass index (BMI), baseline salt intake and family history of hypertension. Among women with normal blood pressure (BP), independent predictors were baseline age, low physical activity, baseline BMI and baseline salt intake. The awareness, treatment, and control rates for newly developed hypertension were 33.2, 23.0, and 2.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that the incidence of hypertension is high among rural Chinese women and it is associated with many risk factors, and the data also suggest that most newly developed hypertension cases are not treated. This high incidence of hypertension may be related to rapid social changes in our country and may apply to other areas of the developing world. These results call for urgent improvements in hypertension prevention, detection and treatment.

Endovascular embolization for deep Basal Ganglia arteriovenous malformations

We report our experience with basal ganglia AVM embolization and clinical outcomes after embolization. We retrospectively evaluated consecutive 15 patients with AVMs in the basal ganglia with respect to the endovascular treatment of these lesions. Treatment consisted of embolization and radiosurgery in combination. The angiographic follow-up after the last management was 24-36 months (mean 27 months). Clinical follow-up monitoring (range, 24-120 months, mean 76 months) was measured by the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS). The 15 patients studied had a mean age of 25.1 years at diagnosis, and 33.3% were male. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was the event leading to clinical detection in eight patients (53.3%), and 85.5% of these patients were left with hemiparesis. At presentation, eight (53.3%) patients bled a total of 11 times. Twenty-four embolization procedures (16 pedicles embolized) were performed in 15 patients with embolization as the adjunct to radiosurgery. There were three clinically significant complications. Excellent or good outcomes (mRS≤2) were observed in 13 (86.7%) patients. Unfavorable outcomes (mRS≤2) were 13.3% at follow-up, without mortality. Seven (46.7%) patients had complete AVM obliteration at follow-up. The risk of incurring a neurological deficit with basal ganglia AVM is high. Treatment of these patients is endovascular embolization with a combination of radiosurgery to prevent neurological injury from a spontaneous ICH.

Formation of chlorinated aromatics in model fly ashes using various copper compounds

Various copper compounds found in fly ash are related to the formation of chlorinated aromatics. The formation potentials of chlorinated aromatics in different model fly ashes containing various copper compounds and the chemical behavior of such copper compounds were investigated. In model fly ash with copper metal, hydroxide, carbonate, or oxides, the generated amounts of chlorobenzene (CBz) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the average chlorination numbers were low and at the same level, respectively. The maximum generated amounts of chlorinated aromatics were observed at 300 degrees C. Although X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra indicated that the chemical form of copper compounds changed little, they were found to promote the formation of chlorinated aromatics. Therefore, these copper compounds play the same role as CuO. On the other hand, in model fly ash with copper chloride, the generated amounts of CBz and PCBs were quite high and the average chlorination numbers was high. Dynamic changes were observed in XANES spectra, and the pre-edge peak attributed to monovalent copper compounds appeared at around 300 degrees C. A large difference was observed between these two groups in the amount of CuCl generated and the homologs of chlorinated aromatics present, indicating that CuCl played an important role in the formation of chlorinated aromatics.

Changes in Femoral Head Blood Supply and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Rabbits with Steroid-induced Osteonecrosis

The molecular aetiology of steroid-induced osteonecrosis (ON) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the femoral head blood supply and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein levels following steroid-induced ON of rabbit femoral heads in the early stage of the disease, and to investigate a possible mechanism for ON. Using a classic protocol, ON was induced in 30 male 28-week old New Zealand white rabbits. An additional 15 untreated rabbits served as controls. Change of blood supply in the proximal femur was assessed by dynamic magnetic resonance imaging and microangiography. The VEGF protein and mRNA levels were assessed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. After 6 weeks, the results indicated that VEGF protein and mRNA levels were significantly lower and femoral head blood supply had also decreased significantly in ON+ rabbits compared with controls. The down-regulation of VEGF may play a critical role in the disease process of ON.

Glycosaminoglycan chain of dentin sialoprotein proteoglycan

Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is processed into dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and dentin phosphoprotein. A molecular variant of rat DSP, referred to as "HMW-DSP", has been speculated to be a proteoglycan form of DSP. To determine if HMW-DSP is the proteoglycan form of DSP and to identify the glycosaminoglycan side-chain attachment site(s), we further characterized HMW-DSP. Chondroitinase ABC treatment reduced the migration rate for portions of rat HMW-DSP to the level of DSP. Disaccharide analysis showed that rat HMW-DSP contains glycosaminoglycan chains made of chondroitin-4-sulfate and has an average of 31-32 disaccharides/mol. These observations confirmed that HMW-DSP is the proteoglycan form of DSP (renamed "DSP-PG"). Edman degradation and mass spectrometric analyses of tryptic peptides from rat DSP-PG, along with substitution analyses of candidate Ser residues in mouse DSPP, confirmed that 2 glycosaminoglycan chains are attached to Ser(241) and Ser(253) in the rat, or Ser(242) and Ser(254) in the mouse DSPP sequence.

Different forms of DMP1 play distinct roles in mineralization

Dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP1) is a major synthetic product of hypertrophic chondrocytes and osteocytes. Previous in vitro studies showed full-length DMP1 inhibits hydroxyapatite (HA) formation and growth, while its N-terminal fragment (37K) promotes HA formation. Since there are 3 fragments within the mineralized tissues [N-terminal, C-terminal (57K), and a chondroitin-sulfate-linked N-terminal fragment (DMP1-PG)], we predicted that each would have a distinct effect on mineralization related to its interaction with HA. In a gelatin-gel system, 37K and 57K fragments were both promoters of HA formation and growth; DMP1-PG was an inhibitor. The secondary structures of the 3 fragments and the full-length protein in the presence and absence of Ca2+ and HA determined by FTIR showed that the full-length protein undergoes slight conformational changes on binding to HA, while 37K, 57K, and DMP1-PG do not change conformation. These findings indicate that distinct forms of DMP1 may work collectively in controlling the mineralization process.

Translocation of protein kinase C isoforms is involved in propofol-induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have indicated that protein kinase C (PKC) may enhance endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation, although the detailed mechanism(s) remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of PKC isoforms in regulating propofol-induced eNOS activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

METHODS

We applied western blot (WB) analysis to investigate the effects of propofol on Ser(1177) phosphorylation-dependent eNOS activation in HUVECs. Nitrite (NO(2)(-)) accumulation was measured using the Griess assay. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathway was examined by WB assay. Propofol-induced translocation of individual PKC isoforms in subcellular fractions in HUVECs was analysed using WB assay.

RESULTS

In HUVECs, protocol treatment (1-100 microM) for 10 min induced a concentration-dependent increase in phosphorylation of eNOS at Ser(1177). The NO production was also increased accordingly. PKC inhibitors, bisindolylmaleimide I (0.1-1 microM), and staurosporine (20 and 100 nM), effectively blocked propofol-induced eNOS activation and NO production. Further analyses in fractionated endothelial lysate showed that short-term propofol treatment (50 microM) led to translocation of PKC-alpha, PKC-delta, PKC-zeta, PKC-eta, and PKC-epsilon from cytosolic to membrane fractions, which could also be inhibited by both PKC inhibitors. These data revealed that the differential redistribution of these isozymes is indispensable for propofol-induced eNOS activation. In addition, Akt was not phosphorylated in response to propofol at Ser(473) or Thr(308).

CONCLUSIONS

Propofol induces the Ser(1177) phosphorylation-dependent eNOS activation through the drug-stimulated translocation of PKC isoforms to distinct intracellular sites in HUVECs, which is independent of PI3K/Akt-independent pathway.

Key proteolytic cleavage site and full-length form of DSPP

It is known that dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is processed into NH(2)- and COOH-terminal fragments, but its key cleavage site has not been identified, nor has its full-length form been discovered. The objectives of this study were to identify the key cleavage site during DSPP processing and to search for full-length DSPP in vivo. We generated a construct encoding DSPP, in which Asp(452), a cleavage site residue, was replaced by Ala(452). The pulp-odontoblast complex and dentin were extracted, chromatographically separated, and assessed by Stains-All staining, Western immunoblotting, and mass spectrometry. These studies showed that the substitution of Asp(452) by Ala(452) completely blocks the cleavage of mouse DSPP in the transfected cells, indicating that the NH(2)-terminal peptide bond of Asp(452) is essential for the initiation of DSPP proteolytic processing. The results of this study revealed the presence of full-length DSPP and its processed fragments in extracts from the pulp/odontoblast and dentin.