The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of chronic systolic heart failure. Fifty-nine hospitalized patients with heart ...failure were randomly divided into a treatment group (30 patients) and a control group (29 patients). The treatment group received treatment with medication as well as intracoronary transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, and the control group, only medication. The cardiac structure, function change, and rehospitalization and mortality rates of the 2 groups were observed before and 1 and 6 months after treatment. One month after the transplantation of umbilical cord MSCs, the incidence of fatigue, chest tightness, and dyspnea was high in the treatment group. The 6-min walking distance of the treatment group was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05); in addition, the NT-proBNP level, left ventricular ejection fraction, and mortality rate of the treatment group were statistically lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Readmission rates showed a downward trend, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Using umbilical cord MSCs in the treatment of congestive heart failure can help improve cardiac remodeling and cardiac function and reduce the mortality rate.
The heavy ion cooler-storage-ring project (HIRFL-CSR) at Lanzhou Xia, J.W.; Zhan, W.L.; Wei, B.W. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
08/2002, Letnik:
488, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
HIRFL-CSR, a new ion Cooler-Storage-Ring (CSR) project, is the post-acceleration system of the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). It consists of a main ring (CSRm) and an experimental ...ring (CSRe). From the HIRFL cyclotron system the heavy ions will be accumulated, cooled and accelerated in the CSRm, then extracted fast to produce radioactive ion beams (RIB) or highly charged heavy ions. Those secondary beams will be accepted and stored by the CSRe for many internal-target experiments with electron cooling.
To explore the significance of lymphocytes in systemic sclerosis (SSc), by detecting the levels of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells, and analyzing the correlation between ...the lymphocytes and clinical laboratory indexes.
The numbers and proportion of T, CD4
T, CD8
T, B, and NK cells were detected by flow cytometry in peripheral blood of 32 SSc patients who had taken immunosuppressive drugs and 30 healthy controls (HC). The comparison of the lymphocyte subsets in SSc with them in the HC groups, and the correlation between the lymphocytes and other clinical and laboratory indicators were analyzed by the relevant statistical analysis.
Compared with the HC group, the numbers of T, CD4
T, CD8
T, and NK cells in peripheral blood of SSc group, who had taken immunosuppressive drugs, were significantly decreased (
< 0.05). More-over, the proportion of NK cells in peripheral blood of the SSc group was also significantly lower than that in the HC group (
=0.004). In addition, all the lymphocyte
Signaling between neurons requires highly specialized subcellular structures, including dendrites and axons. Dendrites exhibit diverse morphologies yet little is known about the mechanisms ...controlling dendrite formation in vivo. We have developed methods to visualize the stereotyped dendritic morphogenesis in living Drosophila embryos. Dendrite development is altered in prospero mutants and in transgenic embryos expressing a constitutively active form of the small GTPase cdc42. From a genetic screen, we have identified several genes that control different aspects of dendrite development including dendritic outgrowth, branching, and routing. These genes include kakapo, a large cytoskeletal protein related to plectin and dystrophin; flamingo, a seven-transmembrane protein containing cadherin-like repeats; enabled, a substrate of the tyrosine kinase Abl; and nine potentially novel loci. These findings begin to reveal the molecular mechanisms controlling dendritic morphogenesis.
The effect of nonylphenol (NP) on growth, photochemistry and biochemistry of two green microalgae,
Chlorella vulgaris and
Selenanstrum capricornutum, and their ability to degrade NP were compared. ...The 96
h EC
50 of
C. vulgaris and
S. capricornutum were greater than 4.0 and 1.0
mg
L
−1 NP, respectively, suggesting that the former species was more tolerant to NP. Both microalgae acclimated to NP stress through down-regulating their photosynthetic activities, including antenna size (chlorophyll a content), maximal photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and the light absorbed by PSII (ABS/CS
0), but the dissipation of energy from reaction centres (DI
0/RC) increased with the increase of NP concentrations. In
C. vulgaris, the changes of these parameters were more significant than in
S. capricornutum and recovered completely after a 96
h exposure. The antioxidant responses, such as GSH content, CAT and POD activities in
C. vulgaris increased with the increase of NP concentrations after a 24
h exposure, but these changes disappeared with exposure time and recovered to the control levels after 96
h. In
S. capricornutum, although GSH content, CAT and POD activities also increased when exposed to low- to moderate-NP concentrations, these values were significantly reduced at a high concentration (4
mg
L
−1) even after a 96
h exposure, indicating its antioxidant responses were significantly delayed. It is clear that the more NP-tolerant species,
C. vulgaris, acclimated better with a faster recovery of its photosynthetic activity from the NP-induced damage, and exhibited more efficient and rapid responses to NP-induced oxidative stress.
C. vulgaris also had a higher NP degradation ability than
S. capricornutum.
Substantial observational evidence suggests an association between neuropsychiatric conditions and venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the causal relationship between these two conditions requires ...further investigation. Therefore, we used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to assess the bidirectional causal effects between four neuropsychiatric conditions and VTE, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism (PE).
Genetic variants associated with four neuropsychiatric conditions (ie, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder MDD, bipolar disorder, and epilepsy) and VTE, deep vein thrombosis, and PE were selected. Bidirectional univariable and multivariable MR methods were applied to evaluate the causal relationships among these conditions. The primary causal estimates were obtained using the inverse variance weighted method with multiplicative random effects, supplemented by MR Egger regression, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the MR pleiotropy residual sum, funnel plots, and outlier (MR pleiotropy and residual sum and outlier) method.
Univariable MR results showed that genetic susceptibility to MDD increases the risk of VTE and PE (VTE: odds ratio OR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.08-1.46; P = .004; PE: OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.09-1.69; P = .006) and that PE has an adverse causal effect on MDD (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04; P = .026). Adjustment for confounders such as obesity, sleep duration, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption revealed that increased genetic susceptibility to MDD is also associated with VTE and PE.
Our results suggest that genetic susceptibility to MDD might have an adverse causal effect on the risk of VTE and PE and that PE has a reverse causal effect on MDD. Prevention and early diagnosis of depression are crucial in the management of VTE and PE.
(PA) is the most common pathogen in bronchiectasis and frequently develops resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics, but little is known about the clinical impacts of PA-resistant (PA-R) ...isolates on bronchiectasis. We, therefore, investigated the prevalence, risk factors and prognostic implications of PA-R isolates in hospitalized bronchiectasis patients.
Between June 2011 and July 2016, data from adult bronchiectasis patients isolated with PA at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. PA was classified as PA-R in case antibiogram demonstrated resistance on at least one occasion.
Seven hundred forty-seven bronchiectasis patients were assessed. Of these, 147 (19.7%) had PA isolate in the sputum or bronchoscopic culture. PA-R and PA-sensitive accounted for 88 (59.9%) and 59 (31.1%) patients, respectively. In multivariate model, factors associated with PA-R isolate in bronchiectasis included prior exposure to antibiotics (odds ratio OR =6.18), three or more exacerbations in the previous year (OR =2.81), higher modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scores (OR =1.93) and greater radiologic severity (OR =1.15). During follow-up (median: 26 months; interquartile range: 6-59 months), 36 patients died, of whom 24 (66.7%) had PA-R isolate at baseline. However, PA-R isolate was not associated with greater all-cause mortality in bronchiectasis.
PA-R infection is common among bronchiectasis patients, mainly determined by prior exposure to antibiotics, frequent exacerbations, more pronounced dyspnea and more severe radiologic involvement. However, PA-R isolate is not an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in bronchiectasis.
Summary
This prospective, double‐blind trial was designed to evaluate the effect of inhaled budesonide on lung function and the inflammatory response to one‐lung ventilation. One hundred patients ...scheduled for lobectomy were allocated randomly to pre‐operative nebulised budesonide or saline. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples were collected from either the collapsed or the ventilated lung both before one‐lung ventilation and 30 min after re‐expansion of the lung. The concentrations of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytokines were determined. Budesonide treatment, compared with saline, reduced both peak (mean (SD) 3.7 (0.4) vs 2.5 (0.2) kPa) and plateau (mean (SD) 3.1 (0.2) vs 2.2 (0.1) kPa, respectively, p < 0.001 for both) ventilatory pressures. Thirty minutes after re‐expansion, lung compliance increased in the budesonide group compared with saline (57.5 (4.1) vs 40.1 (3.5) ml.cmH2O‐1, respectively p < 0.001). Budesonide also reduced the concentrations of tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6 and interleukin‐8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, but increased interleukin‐10 30 min after re‐expansion (p < 0.05 for all measures). Pre‐operative nebulisation of budesonide may be effective in improving ventilatory mechanics and reducing the inflammatory response to one‐lung ventilation during thoracic surgery.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ is a master regulator of adipocyte differentiation and function. Expression of PPARγ in mammals is regulated by DNA methylation; however, it is currently ...unknown whether chicken PPARγ expression is regulated by DNA methylation. To enhance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying chicken adipose tissue development and adipogenesis, we investigated the promoter methylation status and gene expression of PPARγ gene in Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF). Deoxyribonucleic acid methylation was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing method, and mRNA expression was detected by real-time quantitative real time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The analyzed region located from -1,175 to -301 bp upstream of the translation start codon ATG contains 6 CpG dinucleotides, which are located at positions -1,014, -796, -625, -548, -435, and -383 bp, respectively. The results revealed that the 3 CpGs at positions -548, -435, and -383 bp showed differential methylation between the lean and fat chicken lines, but the other 3 CpG sites at positions -1,014, -796, and -625 bp did not. PPARγ gene promoter methylation in both chicken lines decreased with age, and PPARγ promoter methylation levels were significantly higher in lean than fat broilers at 2 wk of age (79.9 to 64.5%; P < 0.0001), at 3 wk of age (66.7 to 58.3%; P < 0.0001), and at 7 wk of age (50.0 to 42.7%; P = 0.0004). Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that, negatively correlated with DNA methylation (Pearson's r = -0.653, P = 0.0057), PPARγ expression was increased with age and significantly lower in lean than fat chicken lines at 2, 3, and 7 wk of age (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, our findings suggest that chicken PPARγ is regulated by DNA methylation during adipose tissue development.
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