Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis with prominent skin lesions and arthritis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis of unknown etiology characterized by papulonodular skin lesions and progressive, erosive arthritis. To date, there have been approximately 300 cases of MRH reported worldwide. The majority of patients are Caucasian from western countries, and Asian patients are rare. Here, we report a case of MRH in a Chinese patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 38-year-old male was admitted to the hospital with a rash that had persisted for over 2 years and bilateral knee pain for over 1 year. The patient's symptoms had previously been misdiagnosed as eczema when there were only skin symptoms and was finally diagnosed as MRH after a skin biopsy of the left upper back. The patient was treated with glucocorticoids combined with an immunosuppressive regimen. While the skin lesions on both arms, abdomen, and back subsided, the skin lesions on the rest of the body did not increase. The interphalangeal joints of both thumbs and bilateral knee joints remained swollen and painful. CONCLUSION: The case will help clinicians better identify and treat this disease in the absence of epidemiological studies or randomized controlled data.

[Characteristics and Risks of Heavy Metals Content in Surface Sediment of Tidal Flat Areas in Eastern China].

To understand the heavy metals content such as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn, as well as their distribution features in surface sediments of tidal flat areas of Eastern China, mathematical statistics, correlation analysis, factor analysis and other statistical methods are used. This study collected 1906 surface sediment samples of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn were collected as part of a systematic research effort. These results show that the coastal tidal flats zone of Eastern China contains surface sediment samples with heavy metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) with is not high but has increased due to anthropogenic sources. The total content of heavy metals in Jiangsu province is low, however, in Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces relatively high heavy metal contents are present. In addition to natural causes, the heavy metal content in coastal sediment in Shanghai and Zhejiang is significantly affected by human activities, while Jiangsu coastal surface sediments has light impacts from human activities. Heavy metal contamination in coastal areas Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces is particularly serious including Hg, Cd, and Cu contamination. The results of an evaluation using the Marine Pollution Sediment Index and Mean Sediment Quality Guidelines show that in Eastern China, the overall sediment pollutant ecological risk is low for Jiangsu and Fujian provinces, however, the ecological risk for the tidal flats of Shanghai and Zhejiang provincial beaches is relatively high due to heavy metal concentrations.

[Effect of Non-dissolved Quinone on Perchlorate Reduction by Strain GWF].

The perchlorate reduction lag phase of the strain GWF (KM062029) was shortened by using non-dissolved quinone. nthraquinone, 1-chloroanthraquinone, 1,5-dichloroanthraquinone, 1,8-dichloroanthraquinone and 1,4,5,8-tetrachloranthtaquinone were the five non-dissolved quinones in this study. The results showed that the accelerating order was 1,5-dichloroanthraquinone > 1,4, 5,8-tetrachloroanthtaquinone > 1,8-dichloroanthraquinone > Anthraquinone > 1-chloroanthraquinone. The optimal concentration of 1,5- dichloroanthraquinone, temperature and pH for perchlorate reduction were 0.036 mmol · L⁻¹, 35 °C and 7.5, respectively. The concomitant anions (nitrate, phosphate, sulfate) were in favor of the perchlorate reduction by strain GWF. After four times of recycling experiments, the accelerating perchlorate reduction rate with the immobilized 1,5-dichloroanthraquinone maintained above 2 times.

Role of Tim-3 in hepatitis B virus infection: An overview.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has received increasing public attention. HBV is the prototypical member of hepadnaviruses, which naturally infect only humans and great apes and induce the acute and persistent chronic infection of hepatocytes. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that dysfunction of the host anti-viral immune response is responsible for persistent HBV replication, unresolved inflammation and disease progression. Many regulatory factors are involved in immune dysfunction. Among these, T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (Tim-3), one of the immune checkpoint proteins, has attracted increasing attention due to its critical role in regulating both adaptive and innate immune cells. In chronic HBV infection, Tim-3 expression is elevated in many types of immune cells, such as T helper cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages and natural killer cells. Tim-3 over-expression is often accompanied by impaired function of the above-mentioned immunocytes, and Tim-3 inhibition can at least partially rescue impaired immune function and thus promote viral clearance. A better understanding of the regulatory role of Tim-3 in host immunity during HBV infection will shed new light on the mechanisms of HBV-related liver disease and suggest new therapeutic methods for intervention.

Tim-4 Inhibits NO Generation by Murine Macrophages.

OBJECTIVE: T cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-4 (Tim-4) receives much attention as a potentially negative regulator of immune responses. However, its modulation on macrophages has not been fully elucidated so far. This study aimed to identify the role of Tim-4 in nitric oxide (NO) modulation. METHODS: Macrophages were stimulated with 100 ng/ml LPS or 100 U/ml IFN-γ. RT-PCR was performed to detect TIM-4 mRNA expression. Tim-4 blocking antibody and NF-κB inhibitory ligand were involved in the study. NO levels were assayed by Griess reaction. Phosphorylation of NF-κB, Jak2 or Stat1 was verified by western blot. RESULTS: Tim-4 was up-regulated in murine macrophages after interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) stimulation. Tim-4 over-expression decreased NO production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or IFN-γ-stimulated macrophages. Consistently, Tim-4 blockade promoted LPS or IFN-γ-induced NO secretion and iNOS expression. Tim-4 over-expression decreased LPS-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 phosphorylation in macrophages, which was abrogated by NF-κB inhibitory ligand. On the contrary, Tim-4 blocking increased LPS-induced NF-κB signaling, which was also abrogated by NF-κB inhibition. In addition, Tim-4 blockade promoted Jak2 and Stat1 phosphorylation in IFN-γ stimulated macrophages. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Tim-4 is involved in negative regulation of NO production in macrophages, suggesting the critical role of Tim-4 in immune related diseases.

Therapeutic effects of 5-fluorouracil sustained-release particles in 81 malignant pericardial effusion patients.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical application value of the 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) sustained-release particles implanted along the cardiac tangent direction into malignant pericardial effusion (MPCE). A total of 81 MPCE patients underwent pericardiocentesis, and were implanted with 5-FU sustained-release particles into the pericardial cavity under ultrasound guidance. The puncturing path was along the cardiac tangent direction. Ultrasound examinations were performed every week, and the efficacy was evaluated 4 weeks after treatment. The 45 patients who were treated with pericardial catheter drainage and simultaneous intracavitary chemotherapy were used as the control group. The success rate of pericardiocentesis was 100%. Ultrasound reviews performed 4 weeks after treatment showed that 71 cases achieved complete remission and eight cases achieved partial remission, while treatment was completely ineffective in two cases. The total remission rate was 97.53%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (77.78%, p < 0.01). The implantation of 5-FU sustained-release particles along the cardiac tangent direction was safe, and demonstrated good efficacy and fewer adverse reactions. Thus, this method could be ideal for the treatment of MPCE.

Induction of apoptosis by IGFBP3 overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system comprises a group of proteins that play key roles in regulating cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis in a variety of cellular systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) in hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression of IGF2, IGFBP3, and PTEN was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Lentivirus vectors were used to overexpress IGFBP3 in hepatocellular carcinoma cell (HCC) lines. The effect of IGFBP3 on proliferation was investigated by MTT and colony formation assays. RESULTS: Expression of IGF2, IGFBP3, and PTEN in several HCC cell lines was lower than in normal cell lines. After 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine/trichostatin A treatment, significant demethylation of the promoter region of IGFBP3 was observed in HCC cells. Overexpression of IGFBP3 induced apoptosis and reduced colony formation in HUH7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of IGF2, IGFBP3, and PTEN in several HCC cell lines was lower than in normal cell lines. After 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine/ trichostatin A treatment, significant demethylation of the promoter region of IGFBP3 was observed in HCC cells. Overexpression of IGFBP3 induced apoptosis and reduced colony formation in HUH7 cells.

[Study on germination rate of zoysia (Zoysia japonica Steud.) seeds using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy].

With 37 zoysia seed samples with different germination rates ranging from 58.5% to 92%, harvested in different years from 2009 to 2011 and from different locations of China, a model for determining germination rate of zoysia seeds was tried to be built by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy with quantitative partial least squares (QPLS). All the seeds samples were divided into two groups: calibration set (including 28 samples) and validation set (including 9 samples). The results showed that with the spectral range from 6 000 to 7 000 cm(-1) and 6 main components, there was a better fitting between the predictive value and true value. Determination coefficients (R2) of calibration and validation sets are 90.73% and 91.80%, the coefficients of correlation are 0.986 6 and 0.987 2, the standard errors are 9.80 and 9.47, and the average absolute errors are 7.64% and 6.98% respectively. Even with different calibration samples, the models have a high determination coefficient (R2 over building of NIR model for determining 90%), low standard errors (about 10.00) and low absolute errors (about 8.00%). The building of NIR model for determining germination rate of zoysia seeds could promote the application of high quality seeds in production.

[Study on varieties identification of Kentucky bluegrass using hyperspectral imaging and discriminant analysis].

Hyperspectral images of six varieties of Kentucky bluegrass were acquired using hyperspectral imager (550-1 000 nm) and the leaf spectral properties were extracted. Wilks' lambda stepwise method was used and 9 optimal wavelengths were selected from the original 94 wavelengths and the discriminant models for varieties identification of Kentucky bluegrass were built based on Fisher' s linear discriminant function. The results showed that the Fisher' s linear discriminant model with 9 wavelengths achieved classification accuracies of 100% for both training and testing samples. While for the models with three wavelengths and six wavelengths, classification accuracies reached 83.3% and 96.7% for the testing samples, respectively. It indicates that hyperspectral images combined with discriminant analysis might be a good method to identify the varieties of Kentucky bluegrass.

Aberrant expression of chemokine receptor CCR4 in human gastric cancer contributes to tumor-induced immunosuppression.

The chemokine receptor CCR4 is preferentially expressed on certain immune cells and some hematological tumor cells, which play pivotal roles in suppression of host immune response. However, the reasons for the upmodulation of CCR4 and its immune functions in solid tumors remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to determine the expression profiles of CCR4 in gastric cancer cells and its role in regulating antitumor immunity. CCR4 expression was assessed in 63 cases of gastric carcinomas by immunohistochemistry. We found cancer cells in lymphocyte-rich carcinomas more frequently showed moderate to strong positive staining for CCR4 than those in conventional carcinomas (P = 0.041), and also found a positive relationship between expression of CCR4 and tumor necrosis factor-α (P = 0.012). Stimulation of gastric cell lines with various cytokines showed that tumor necrosis factor-α uniquely upmodulated CCR4 expression through activation of nuclear factor-κB. Additional coculture experiments showed the forced expression of CCR4 in SGC-7901 cells caused a significant reduction of γ-interferon and elevation of interleukin-10 secretion in the supernatants from cocultured SGC-7901 cells and PBMCs. In addition, granzyme A production in cancer cell-cocultured CD56(+) natural killer cells was significantly downregulated. Inhibition of the overexpressed CCR4 in cancer cells by an inhibitor of CCR4, compound 39, proved to partly restore the antitumor immunity in respect of the inverse changes in those factors. Our studies suggest that the aberrant expression of CCR4 in human gastric cancer could contribute to tumor-induced immunosuppression. Conceivably, downmodulation of CCR4 expression could be a promising immunotherapy for human gastric cancer.

[Combination of canales sacralis drop with acupotomy dissolution in treatment of discogenic lumbocrural pain].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the combination of drop in canales sacralis with acupotomy dissolution in the treatment of lumbocrural pain caused by slipped discs. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-nine patients with lumbocrural pain caused by slipped discs were randomly divided into 3 groups: cases in Group A were treated by the drop in canales sacralis, in Group B by acupotomy dissolution and in Group C by the combination of canales sacralis drop with acupotomy dissolution. MacNab score and VAS score were assayed before treatment and 1 week, 3 and 6 months after treatment. RESULT: The effective rates in Groups A, B and C at 1 week, 3 and 6 months after treatment were 71.4%, 75.5%, 79.6%; 75.0%, 79.6%, 81.8% and 89.1%, 91.3%, 93.5%, respectively (P < 0.01). The pain intensity in Group C was reduced more markedly at different time points after treatment than that in Group A and Group B (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The combination of canales sacralis drop with acupotomy dissolution is superior to each method used alone in treatment of lumbocrural pain caused by slipped discs in the short-and long-term.

Blockade of Tim-3 pathway ameliorates interferon-gamma production from hepatic CD8+ T cells in a mouse model of hepatitis B virus infection.

T cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) has been reported to participate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. However, whether Tim-3 is involved in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unknown. Here, we studied the expression and function of Tim-3 in a hydrodynamics-based mouse model of HBV infection. A significant increase of Tim-3 expression on hepatic T lymphocytes, especially on CD8+ T cells, was demonstrated in HBV model mice from day 7 to day 18. After Tim-3 knockdown by specific shRNAs, significantly increased IFN-gamma production from hepatic CD8+ T cells in HBV model mice was observed. Very interestingly, we found Tim-3 expression on CD8+ T cells was higher in HBV model mice with higher serum anti-HBs production. Moreover, Tim-3 knockdown influenced anti-HBs production in vivo. Collectively, our data suggested that Tim-3 might act as a potent regulator of antiviral T-cell responses in HBV infection.

Blockade of TRAIL pathway ameliorates HBV-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in an acute hepatitis model.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) may play important roles during hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this study, we used a recombinant human soluble death receptor 5 (sDR5) to explore its effect in a mouse model of HBV-induced acute hepatitis. By measuring blood transaminase activity and hepatocyte apoptosis, we found that sDR5 could alleviate liver damage by blocking TRAIL-induced apoptosis of HBV-transfected hepatocytes. sDR5 injection at 16 mg/kg 24h before HBV transfection was the most effective. Additionally, we showed that sDR5 was equally effective in protecting liver injury as the Stronger Neo-Minophagen C (SNMC), a commonly used drug for patients with liver diseases. Thus, sDR5 represents a potential novel therapeutic drug for patients with fulminant hepatitis.

A novel HBV antisense RNA gene delivery system targeting hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To construct a novel HBV antisense RNA delivery system targeting hapatocellular carcinoma and study its inhibitory effect in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: GE7,a 16-peptide specific to EGFR, and HA20,a homologue of N-terminus of haemagglutinin of influenza viral envelope protein, were synthesized and conjugated with polylysin. The above conjugates were organized into the pEBAF-as-preS2, a hepatocarcinoma specific HBV antisense expression vector, to construct a novel HBV antisense RNA delivery system, named AFP-enhancing 4-element complex. Hepatocelluar carcinoma HepG2.2.15 cells was used to assay the in vitro inhibition of the complex on HBV. Expression of HBV antigen was assayed by ELISA. BALB/c nude mice bearing HepG2.2.15 cells were injected with AFP-enhancing 4-element complex. The expression of HBV antisense RNA was examined by RT-PCR and the size of tumor in nude mice were measured. RESULTS: The AFP-enhancing 4-element complex was constructed and DNA was completely trapped at the slot with no DNA migration when the ratio of polypeptide to plasmid was 1:1. The expression of HBsAg and HBeAg of HepG2.2.15 cells was greatly decreased after being transfected by AFP-enhancing 4-element complex. The inhibitory rates were 33.4 % and 58.5 % respectively. RT-PCR showed HBV antisense RNA expressed specifically in liver tumor cells of tumor-bearing nude mice. After 4 injections of AFP-enhancing 4-element complex containing 0.2 micro g DNA, the diameter of the tumor was 0.995 cm+/-0.35, which was significantly smaller than that of the control groups(2.215 cm+/-0.25, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: AFP-enhancing 4-element complex could deliver HBV antisense RNA targeting on hepatocarcinoma and inhibit both HBV and liver tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.