[Correlation between temporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis and coronoid process]

Objective: To investigate the morphological characteristics of coracoid process in different stages of temporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis (TMJOA), and to provide theoretical data for clinical and anatomic study. Methods: A total of 290 patients who were diagnosed with TMJOA in the Department of Temporomandibular Joint, Kunming Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology from January 2015 to February 2021 were collected, including 69 males and 221 females, with an average age of 35.1±13.7 years (16-69 years old), 64 cases of unilateral lesions (64 sides), and 226 cases of bilateral lesions (452 sides). According to the TMJOA X-ray staging standard put forward by Ma Xuchen in 2005, the affected joints were divided into stage I (227 sides), stage Ⅱ (38 sides), stage Ⅲ (164 sides) and stage Ⅳ (87 sides). Twenty-six patients without clinical and imaging manifestations of temporomandibular disorders in the Department of Radiology, Kunming Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology from October 2020 to June 2021 were selected as the control group, including 8 males and 18 females. The average age was (34.3±13.9) years (17-60 years). The dicom data of each group were imported into SimplantPro11.04 software to measure the height of coracoid process, anteversion angle and the ratio of coracoid vertex to mandibular corner to condylar vertex to mandibular angle. R 3.6.1 was used to analyze the difference of the morphological characteristics of coracoid process between in the affected side of TMJOA and in the both sides of the control group, in the healthy side and the affected side of unilateral patients and in different stages of TMJOA. Results: The height of the coracoid process [(16.26±2.81 mm)], the ratio of the coracoid process vertex-mandibular angle point and the condyle vertex-mandibular angle point distance [0.96(0.92,1.01)] on the affected side of TMJOA were significantly higher than those in the control group [(15.31±3.03)mm;0.95(0.89、0.99)] (t=2.18, P=0.033; t=2.87, P=0.004). There was no significant difference between the ante-version angle and the control group (t=-1.37, P=0.176). The ratio of the distance between the apex of the coracoid process and the apex of the mandibular angle to the apex of the condyle and the angle of the mandible in the affected side of unilateral patients was significantly greater than that in the healthy side (t=-3.46, P=0.001). There was no significant difference in coracoid height, coracoid anteversion angle and the healthy side (t=-1.85, P=0.069; t=-0.06, P=0.955) in different periods. The intra-group analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the height of the coracoid process in different stages (F=0.37, P=0.774). There was no significant difference in the ante-version angle of the coracoid process: stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ (P>0.008), but all were significantly smaller than stage Ⅳ (PⅠ-Ⅳ<0.001, PⅡ-Ⅳ=0.009, PⅢ-Ⅳ<0.001). The ratio of the distance between coracoid apex-mandibular angle and condyle apex-mandibular angle: there was no significant difference in stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ (P>0.008), and stage I and stage Ⅲ were significantly smaller than stage Ⅳ (P<0.001). Conclusions: The coracoid height and the ratio of the coracoid apex-mandibular angle to the condyle apex-mandibular angle distance on the TMJOA side were significantly greater than those without temporomandibular joint disorders. The bone deposition was mainly concentrated in the upper and posterior part of the condyle. TMJOA had a certain correlation with the height of the coracoid process.

Expression of transforming growth factor-β1 in neonatal rats with hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia and its relationship with lung development

The aim of this study was to detect the expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in neonatal rats with hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and to explore its relationship with lung development. Forty-eight rats (2-3 days old) were randomly divided into a hyperoxia group and a control group (N = 24) which were then fed in ≥95% oxygen atmosphere and air, respectively. On the 1st, 3rd and 7th days of hyperoxia exposure, morphological changes of lung tissues were observed under an optical microscope. TGF-ß1 mRNA and protein levels in lung tissues were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot, respectively. With increasing time of hyperoxia exposure, the hyperoxia group gradually suffered from pathological changes such as poor development of lung tissues, alveolar simplification, decrease in the number of alveoli, and hindered pulmonary microvascular development. On the 7th day of hyperoxia exposure, TGF-ß1 mRNA and protein levels (relative to b-actin) of the hyperoxia group (0.34 ± 0.19 and 0.21 ± 0.09, respectively) were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.83 ± 0.45 and 0.57 ± 0.45, respectively; P < 0.05). TGF-ß1 participates in the pathogenesis of BPD as an important regulatory factor during pulmonary vascular development.

Immunogene therapy of tumors with vaccine based on Xenopus homologous vascular endothelial growth factor as a model antigen

Overcoming immune tolerance of the growth factors associated with tumor growth should be a useful approach to cancer therapy by active immunity. We used vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a model antigen to explore the feasibility of the immunogene tumor therapy with a vaccine based on a single xenogeneic homologous gene, targeting the growth factors associated with angiogenesis. To test this concept, we constructed a plasmid DNA encoding Xenopus homologous VEGF (XVEGF-p) and control vectors. We found that immunogene tumor therapy with a vaccine based on XVEGF was effective at both protective and therapeutic antitumor immunity in several tumor models in mice. VEGF-specific autoantibodies in sera of mice immunized with XVEGF-p could be found in Western blotting analysis and ELISA assay. The purified immunoglobulins were effective at the inhibition of VEGF-mediated endothelial cell proliferation in vitro, and at antitumor activity and the inhibition of angiogenesis by adoptive transfer in vivo. The elevation of VEGF in the sera of the tumor-bearing mice could be abrogated with XVEGF-p immunization. The antitumor activity and production of VEGF-specific autoantibodies, significantly elevated IgG1 and IgG2b, could be abrogated by the depletion of CD4(+) T lymphocytes. The observations may provide a vaccine strategy for cancer therapy through the induction of autoimmunity against the growth factors associated with tumor growth in a cross reaction with single xenogeneic homologous gene and may be of importance in the further exploration of the applications of other xenogeneic homologous genes identified in human and other animal genome sequence projects in cancer therapy.

Immunotherapy of tumors with xenogeneic endothelial cells as a vaccine

The breaking of immune tolerance against autologous angiogenic endothelial cells should be a useful approach for cancer therapy. Here we show that immunotherapy of tumors using fixed xenogeneic whole endothelial cells as a vaccine was effective in affording protection from tumor growth, inducing regression of established tumors and prolonging survival of tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, autoreactive immunity targeting to microvessels in solid tumors was induced and was probably responsible for the anti-tumor activity. These observations may provide a new vaccine strategy for cancer therapy through the induction of an autoimmune response against the tumor endothelium in a cross-reaction.

Enzyme kinetics of thymidine kinase isoenzymes of Ehrlich ascites tumour

Three isoenzymes of thymidine kinase (TK) identified on Ehrlich ascites tumour corresponding to pl values of 5.3, and 6.9 and 8.3 were studied with respect to their kinetic properties. The isoenzymes were separated by thin-layer isoelectric focusing and measured in the presence of thymidine (TdR) as substrate, adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) as phosphor donor and deoxythymidinetriphosphate (dTTP) as inhibitor. Exponentially growing cells and growth inhibited cells were used with high proportions of the isoenzymes at pl values of 6.9 and 8.3, and 5.3 respectively. The concentrations of the former were further enhanced by the use of S-phase cells isolated by elutriator centrifugation. The isoenzymes were identified as TK1-onc, earlier found in human leukemia cells. In order to confirm the existence of TK1, particular at pl value 5.3, the ability of the isoenzymes to use different phosphor donors (ATP and uridinetriphosphate (UTP)) and substrates (TdR and deoxycytidine (dCdR) was also studied. These results showed that the isoenzymes at pl 6.9 and 8.3 correspond to TK1, while the isoenzyme at pl 5.3 is heterogeneous. Further, high resolution isoelectric focusing confirmed the existence of two isoenzymes at pl values of 5.1 and 5.3, representing mitochondrial (TK2) and cytoplasmic (TK1) isoenzymes.