MnO2-based dual channel surface plasmon resonance fiber sensor for trace glutathione and refractive index detection.

Glutathione (GSH) plays vital role in human biological systems, so its rapid and sensitive detection is necessary for health condition monitoring. In this work, a simple structure for dual channel GSH and refractive index (RI) detection is proposed. By introducing Au-MnO2 thin film coating on the fiber surface for the first time, GSH solution would lead to the dissolution of MnO2, the change in GSH levels could be monitored over a short period in channel 2. For channel 1, ITO-Ag thin film is applied for RI change detection. After optimization, the GSH detection sensitivity reached about -2.361 nm/mM in the range of 0.005-50 mM, and the RI sensitivity reached 1704.252 nm/RIU in the range of 1.331-1.3895 RIU. Channel 1 could also put into GSH detection in the high concentration scale to enlarge the sensor's range and 0.095 nm/mM of sensitivity is acquired within the range of 50-600 mM. With the presence of MnO2 film, the detection sensitivity increased 25.663 times. Neither channel interferes with the operation of the other. Proposed sensor provides stability, high selectivity and elevation in GSH detection sensitivity, which shows great potential for environmental and biological detection field and their applications.

Facile Synthesis of Unimodal Polymethacrylates with Narrow Dispersity via NIR LED Light-Controlled Bromine-Iodine Transformation Reversible-Deactivation Radical Polymerization.

A facile and clean strategy for synthesizing unimodal polymethacrylates with narrow dispersity (D < 1.10) is successfully developed by a near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting diode (LED) light (λmax = 740 nm)-controlled in situ bromine-iodine transformation reversible-deactivation radical polymerization system without the use of NIR dyes and expensive catalysts. In this system, alkyl iodide ethyl α-iodophenylacetate (EIPA) initiator is generated in situ by the nucleophilic substitution reaction between an alkyl bromide compound ethyl α-bromophenylacetate and sodium iodide (NaI). At the same time, excessive NaI is also acted as a highly active catalyst by forming halogen bonds with terminal iodine of the polymer chains in this system to make it capable of precisely synthesizing polymethacrylates with narrow dispersities (D = 1.03-1.10). In addition, the strong penetration ability of NIR LED light is illustrated by the successful polymerization even through 11 pieces of A4 paper.

Tanshinone IIA protects lens epithelial cells from H2 O 2 -induced injury by upregulation of lncRNA ANRIL.

Tanshinone IIA is a lipophilic diterpene extracted from the Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge, possessing antiapoptotic and antioxidant activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Tanshinone IIA on age-related nuclear cataract. Human lens epithelial cell line SRA01/04 was subjected to H 2 O 2 to mimic a cell model of cataract. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometer, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection were performed to evaluate the effect of Tanshinone IIA pretreatment on SRA01/04 cells injured by H 2 O 2 . Besides, the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL). Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of core proteins involved in cell survival and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. H 2 O 2 significantly decreased SRA01/04 cells viability, whereas increased apoptosis and ROS generation. This phenomenon was coupled with the upregulated p53, p21, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and the downregulated cyclinD1, CDK4, and Bcl-2. Tanshinone IIA pretreatment protected SRA01/04 cells against H 2 O 2 -induced injury. In the meantime, the expression of lncRNA ANRIL was upregulated by Tanshinone IIA. And, the protective effects of Tanshinone IIA on H 2 O 2 -stimulated SRA01/04 cells were abolished when lncRNA ANRIL was silenced. Moreover, the elevated expression of lncRNA ANRIL induced by Tanshinone IIA was abolished by BAY 11-7082 (an inhibitor of NF-κB). To conclude, Tanshinone IIA protects SRA01/04 cells from apoptosis triggered by H 2 O 2 . Tanshinone IIA confers its protective effects possibly via modulation of NF-κB signaling and thereby elevating the expression of lncRNA ANRIL.

[The effect of blue light on human retinal pigment epithelium cells α1D subunit protein expression and vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor secretion in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of blue light on human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) α1D subunit protein expression and its relationship with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) secretion in vitro. METHODS: The fourth generation cultured human RPE cells in vitro were randomly divided into 4 groups, group A (control), group B (exposure to blue light), group C (exposure to blue light+nifedipine), group D [exposure to blue light+(-)Bay K8644]. Cells were exposed to blue light (2 000 ± 500) lx for 6 hours, and cells culture completed 24 hours later. VEGF and bFGF concentration were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analysis L-type calcium channel α1D subunit mRNA expression. Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of L-type calcium channel α1D subunit. Analysis of variance was used to compare the difference of α1D subunit mRNA and protein expression, VEGF and bFGF concentration between groups. Correlation analysis was used to show the relationship between α1D subunit protein expression and concentration of VEGF and bFGF. RESULTS: (1) There is significant statistically difference in the population mean of VEGF and bFGF concentration in four groups (F = 99.441, 21.310, P = 0.000,0.000) . VEGF and bFGF concentration in group B (3 281.51 ± 251.73, 1 346.81 ± 62.27) and group D (3 808.01 ± 94.01, 1 485.82 ± 108.97) was higher than it was in group A (2 401.09 ± 228.07, 1 232.42 ± 65.41) , which was statistically different (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.019, 0.000). And it was higher in group D (3 808.01 ± 94.01, 1 485.82 ± 108.97) compared with group B (3 281.51 ± 251.73, 1 346.81 ± 62.27) (P = 0.000, 0.006). While, it was lower in group C (1 927.28 ± 143.11, 1 149.39 ± 62.99) than it was in group B (3 281.51 ± 251.73, 1 346.81 ± 62.27) (P = 0.000, 0.000) . (2) The mean of mRNA expression of α1D subunit between four groups was statistically significant (F = 50.320, P = 0.000) . It was higher in group B (210 ± 23) , group D (478 ± 80) and group C (232 ± 14) than group A (100 ± 20). It was statistically significant different (P = 0.023, 0.006, 0.010). And it was higher in group D (478 ± 80) than group B (210 ± 23) and C (232 ± 14) (P = 0.032, 0.039). (3) There was statistically significant difference in the expression of L-type calcium channel α1D subunit protein in four groups (F = 1 940.363, P = 0.000) . It was significantly higher (P = 0.000,0.000) in group B (0.974 2 ± 0.014 7) and group D (0.654 9 ± 0.005 0) than group A (0.503 2 ± 0.007 5). And it was higher in group D (0.654 9 ± 0.005 0) than it was in group C (0.413 9 ± 0.008 8) (P = 0.000). (4) There was positive correlation between the L-type calcium channel α1D subunit protein expression and VEGF concentration secreted by retinal pigment epithelium cells (r = 0.674, F = 8.333, P = 0.016), but there was no correlation with bFGF concentration (r = 0.537, F = 4.061, P = 0.072). CONCLUSIONS: L-type calcium channel α1D subunit may be involved in blue light induced damage on human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Blue light exposure can induce the mRNA and protein expression of α1D subunit, VEGF and bFGF concentration in retinal pigment epithelium cells Increased. And there was a positive correlation between α1D subunit protein expression and the VEGF concentration.

Sleep duration and age-related macular degeneration: a cross-sectional and Mendelian randomization study.

Purpose: To investigate the association between sleep duration and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design: Cross-sectional study, bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). For cross-sectional analysis, we used survey data of 5,481 participants aged ≥40 years from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For MR analysis, we used sleep- and AMD-associated genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data involving large populations. Methods: The association between sleep duration and AMD was assessed using logistic regression models. For MR analysis, the primary approach for MR analysis was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method. Results: In cross-sectional analysis, after adjusting for multiple covariates, short sleep duration (SSD) was found to be associated with increased risk of early AMD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.364, P = 0.036). MR analysis supported the results of cross-sectional analysis: SSD increases the risk of early AMD (ß = 0.102, IVW-P = 0.003). Conclusion: Our findings provide the evidence supporting the association between sleep deficiency and higher risk of AMD. Further studies are required to confirm our findings and elucidate the mechanisms underlying this association.

Metagenomic analysis reveals antibiotic resistance profiles in tissue samples from patients with diabetic foot infections.

OBJECTIVES: Treating patients with diabetic foot infection (DFI) is challenging because of high rates of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, to administer a suitable antibiotic treatment, it is necessary to know the antibiotic resistance patterns in DFIs. METHODS: To explore this question, we selected metagenomic data of 36 tissue samples from patients with DFI in the National Center for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive database. RESULTS: A total of 229 antibiotic-resistant gene (ARG) subtypes belonging to 20 ARG types were detected. The antibiotic resistome of 229 different genes in the tissue samples of patients with DFI comprised 24 core and 205 accessory resistance genes. Among the core antibiotic resistome, multidrug, tetracycline, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin, and beta-lactam resistance genes were the dominant categories. Procrustes analysis indicated that both the microbial community composition and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were determinants of the ARGs. In the network analysis, 29 species were speculated to be potential hosts of 28 ARGs based on the co-occurrence results. Plasmids and transposons were the most common elements that co-occurred with ARGs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provided detailed information about antibiotic resistance patterns in DFI, which has practical implications for suggesting a more specific antibiotic choice.

Unimolecular micelles from star-shaped block polymers by photocontrolled BIT-RDRP for PTT/PDT synergistic therapy.

Unimolecular micelles (UIMs) exhibit promising potential in the precise diagnosis and accurate treatment of tumor tissues, a pressing problem in the field of medical treatment, because of their perfect stability in the complex and variable microenvironment. In this study, porphyrin-based four-armed star-shaped block polymers with narrow molar mass dispersity (D = 1.34) were facilely prepared by photocontrolled bromine-iodine transformation reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (BIT-RDRP). A photothermal conversion dye, ketocyanine, was covalently linked onto the PEG and then introduced into the polymers through a "grafting onto" strategy to obtain polymeric nanomaterial, THPP-4PMMA-b-4P(PEGMA-co-APMA)@NIR-800, with dual PTT/PDT function. The resulting polymers could form monodispersed UIMs in the water below critical aggregation concentration, meanwhile maintaining the capacities of singlet oxygen release and photothermal conversion. Importantly, the UIMs displayed excellent biocompatibility while exerting superior PTT and/or PDT therapeutic effects under the irradiation of specific wavelengths of light, according to in vitro cellular experiments, which is expected to become a new hot spot for cancer therapy and anti-tumor research. Overall, stable and powerful UIMs with dual PTT/PDT function is provided, which are expected to be competitive candidates in cancer therapy.

Two Pyroptosis-Related Subtypes with Distinct Immune Microenvironment Characteristics and a Novel Signature for Predicting Immunotherapy Response and Prognosis in Uveal Melanoma.

PURPOSE: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults with poor prognosis. Pyroptosis is a well-known form of programmed cell death. However, pyroptosis has not been sufficiently discussed in UM. This study aims to explore the expression patterns of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) and their relationship with tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics and prognosis in UM. METHODS: In this study, unsupervised clustering analysis was performed based on the expression of 10 PRGs to identify pyroptotic subtypes. TME characteristics were evaluated by using the ssGSEA, ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. In addition, a related scoring model (PRscore) was established to quantify pyroptotic patterns of individual UM patients via principal component analysis. The correlation between PRscore and TME characteristics was assessed by Spearman analysis. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to identify whether the PRscore can be an independent factor for predicting the overall survival (OS) of UM patients. RESULTS: The results revealed that there were two distinct pyroptotic patterns with different TME characteristics in UM. PRscore was found to be associated with TME characteristics and patient prognosis. In addition, combined with the clinical characteristics, the PRscore was found to be an independent factor for predicting the OS of UM patients. Furthermore, PRscore might be a useful tool for predicting the response to immunotherapy in UM patients. CONCLUSIONS: The status of pyroptosis was associated with TME characteristics in UM. In addition, evaluating the pyroptotic pattern (Prscore) would help us to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response of individual UM patient. Furthermore, our results may offer novel insights into the development of a promising strategy for treating UM, i.e. the combination of chemodrugs targetting the induction of pyroptosis and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Evaluating the Effect of Circ-Sirt1 on the Expression of SIRT1 and Its Role in Pathology of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease that plagues a major portion of the world's population, and there is currently no effective cure for this ailment. The proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) are known to be the pathological basis of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension. Studies in the past have shown involvement of CircRNA in the pathology of pulmonary as well as cardiovascular diseases. However, there are very few studies that have analyzed the relationship between CircRNA and PAH. The aim of this study was to explore this relationship by using rat PAH model. A hypoxic, PAH rat model was constructed for this study and the subsequently produced hypoxia-induced rat PASMC cells were utilized to demonstrate the reduction in expression of circular RNA of Silent information regulator factor 2-related enzyme 1 (circ-Sirt1) and SIRT1 mRNA in response to hypoxia, through cell function tests, cell rescue tests, and physical tests. We found that the expression of circ-Sirt1 and SIRT1 decreased in the PAH rat model induced by hypoxia. It was also revealed that the overexpression of circ-SIRT1 increased SIRT1 levels, but inhibited the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, Smad3, and Smad7, and weakened PASMC cell vitality, proliferation, and migration ability. The findings of the present study indicate that circ-Sirt1 regulates the expression of SIRT1 mRNA and inhibits TGF-ß1/Smad3/Smad7 mediated proliferation and migration of PASMC. This provides a new insight into the molecular mechanism of pulmonary artery vascular remodeling in PAH and may aid in the development of novel therapeutic options for management of PAH.

Flexible Metal Electrodes by Femtosecond Laser-Activated Deposition for Human-Machine Interfaces.

Flexible metal electrodes are essential for flexible electronics, where the main challenge is to obtain mask-free patterned metals directly on substrates such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) at low cost. This work highlights a feasible strategy named femtosecond laser-activated metal deposition for electroless deposition of metals (Cu, Ni, Ag, and Au) on PDMS, which is suitable for maskless and low-cost fabrication of metal layers on PDMS and even on other materials of different natures including polyethylene terephthalate, paper, Si, and glass. The electrical conductivity of the PDMS/Cu electrode is comparable to that of bulk Cu. Moreover, robust bonding at the PDMS/Cu interface is evidenced by a scotch tape test and bending test of more than 20,000 cycles. Compared with previous studies using a nanosecond laser, the restriction on absorbing sensitizers could be alleviated, and catalysts could originate from precursors without polymer substrates under a femtosecond laser, which may be attributed to nonlinear absorption and ultrashort heating time with the femtosecond laser. Implementing a human-machine interface task is demonstrated by recognizing hand gestures via a multichannel electrode array with high fidelity to control a robot hand.

Construction of NIR Light Controlled Micelles with Photothermal Conversion Property: Poly(poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMA) as Hydrophilic Block and Ketocyanine Dye as NIR Photothermal Conversion Agent.

Polymeric nanomaterials made from amphiphilic block copolymers are increasingly used in the treatment of tumor tissues. In this work, we firstly synthesized the amphiphilic block copolymer PBnMA-b-P(BAPMA-co-PEGMA) via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using benzyl methacrylate (BnMA), poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), and 3-((tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino)propyl methacrylate (BAPMA) as the monomers. Subsequently, PBnMA-b-P(APMA-co-PEGMA)@NIR 800 with photothermal conversion property was obtained by deprotection of the tert-butoxycarbonyl (BOC) groups of PBAPMA chains with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and post-modification with carboxyl functionalized ketocyanine dye (NIR 800), and it could self-assemble into micelles in CH3OH/water mixed solvent. The NIR photothermal conversion property of the post-modified micelles were investigated. Under irradiation with NIR light (λmax = 810 nm, 0.028 W/cm2) for 1 h, the temperature of the modified micelles aqueous solution increased to 53 °C from 20 °C, which showed the excellent NIR photothermal conversion property.

One-Step Photocontrolled Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (Photo-PISA) by Using In Situ Bromine-Iodine Transformation Reversible-Deactivation Radical Polymerization.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) has become an effective strategy to synthesize high solid content polymeric nanoparticles with various morphologies in situ. In this work, one-step PISA was achieved by in situ photocontrolled bromine-iodine transformation reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (hereinafter referred to as Photo-BIT-RDRP). The water-soluble macroinitiator precursor α-bromophenylacetate polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether ester (mPEG1k-BPA) was synthesized in advance, and then the polymer nanomicelles (mPEG1k-b-PBnMA and mPEG1k-b-PHPMA, where BnMA means benzyl methacrylate and HPMA is hydroxypropyl methacrylate) were successfully formed from a PISA process of hydrophobic monomer of BnMA or HPMA under irradiation with blue LED light at room temperature. In addition, the typical living features of the photocontrolled PISA process were confirmed by the linear increase of molecular weights of the resultant amphiphilic block copolymers with monomer conversions and narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn < 1.20). Importantly, the photocontrolled PISA process is realized by only one-step method by using in situ photo-BIT-RDRP, which avoids the use of transition metal catalysts in the traditional ATRP system, and simplifies the synthesis steps of nanomicelles. This strategy provides a promising pathway to solve the problem of active chain end (C-I) functionality loss in two-step polymerization of BIT-RDRP.

[Serum levels of retinol-binding protein-4 and its association with metabolic syndrome in first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum levels of retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4) in first-degree relatives (FDR) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with different glucose tolerance status and to observe its correlation to metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS: Subjects from FDR of T2DM, including 174 with NGT, 55 with IGT/IFG, and 71 patients with newly diagnosed of T2DM and 114 subjects without diabetic family history as control group [(18 +/- 7) microg/ml vs (22 +/- 8) microg/ml, (NC) [(18 +/- 7) microg/ml vs (22 +/- 8) microg/ml, were recruited. Serum RBP-4 level was measured by radioimmunoassay. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). MS was diagnosed according to 2005 IDF consensus. RESULTS: (1) Serum RBP-4 levels in NC, NGT, IFG/IGT and T2DM groups were (18 +/- 7), (22 +/- 8), (24 +/- 9) and (26 +/- 9) microg/ml respectively. Serum RBP-4 was significantly elevated in NGT group of diabetic FDR as compared with NC group [(26 +/- 9) microg/ml vs (24 +/- 9) microg/ml], and increased with the severity of glucose intolerance. However, no difference was found between serum RBP-4 in the IFG/IGT and T2DM groups. (2) When the distribution of RBP-4 was stratified into quartiles (Q1-Q4), subjects in the top quartile (Q4) was not only associated with greater risk for impaired glucose regulation as compared with Q1 OR = 5.26) , but also significantly with risk for hypertension (OR = 1.96), dyslipidemia (OR = 4.14), obesity (OR = 2.18) and MS (OR = 4.30). CONCLUSION: (1) Serum RBP-4 levels in FDR of T2DM were elevated significantly even before the development of impaired glucose regulation and were further increased with severity of glucose tolerance, suggesting a possible role of RBP-4 in the early pathogenesis of T2DM. (2) Serum RBP-4 level was closely related to MS.

The diagnosis and treatment of cardiac lymphangioma: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Cardiac lymphangioma is a rare disease. Until now, there have been only a few cases of cardiac lymphangioma reported in the literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report the case of a 57-year-old female patient with cardiac lymphangioma from atrial septum. DIAGNOSIS: Color Doppler echocardiography was performed, which revealed a tumor occupying a large amount of space in the left and right atrium. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent thoracoscopic cardiac tumor resection under general anesthesia according to the procedure used for benign tumors. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered completely and was discharged home. Follow-up color Doppler echocardiography scans obtained from 6 months to 2 years after the operation showed no recurrent mass. LESSONS: Once the tumor is detected, surgical treatment should be implemented as soon as possible.

MicroRNA-181a regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting PTEN in drug-resistant lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Chemoresistance is an inevitable occurrence in lung adenocarcinoma, which has been associated with decreased expression of the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN). Therefore, it is important to identify novel molecular mechanisms to suppress chemoresistance in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Paclitaxel- and cisplatin-resistant A549 lung carcinoma cell derivatives were developed by long-term serial culture. The metastatic properties of the cells were assessed using wound-healing assays, migration assays, invasion assays, morphological examination, and western blot analysis/RT-PCR of genes associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). To identify novel regulators of EMT in A549 cells, differentially expressed miRNAs in drug-resistant cells were identified by microarray analysis. The role of miR-181a was established by transfection with specific mimic and inhibitor followed by functional assays. Luciferase assays were performed to assess the ability of miR-181a to target the PTEN promoter, and regulation of PTEN expression by miR-181a was assessed by western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Paclitaxel- and cisplatin-resistant A549 cells acquired metastatic properties and EMT phenotype and had reduced PTEN expression as compared to sensitive cells. miR­181a was identified as a differentially expressed miRNA in drug-resistant A549 cells, and miR-181a mimic and inhibitor were shown to affect migration, invasion, morphology and expression of EMT-associated genes. PTEN was identified as a direct target of miR-181a. Our findings demonstrate that miR-181a expression in lung adenocarcinoma is associated with EMT progression, potentially through targeting of PTEN. Regulation of miR-181a may provide a novel strategy for overcoming resistance to paclitaxel and cisplatin in lung adenocarcinoma.

Cisplatin combined with metformin inhibits migration and invasion of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating E-cadherin and MMP-9.

Metformin has been shown to be useful in reducing insulin resistance by restoring sensitivity. Recent evidence suggests that metformin might also possess anti-tumour activity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cisplatin combined with metformin on the proliferation, invasion and migration of HNE1/DDP human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, and to provide a new target for treating metastasis. The MTT assay was used to assess viability of HNE1/DDP cells after exposure to different concentrations of 2, 5-diaminopyrimidine-4, 6-diol (DDP; 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 µmol·L(-1)), metformin (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 µmol·L(-1)), and 4 µmol·L(-1) of DDP combined with metformin. Wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion, and expression of E-cadherin and MMP-9 was detected using Western blotting. MTT assay results showed that DDP could inhibit the proliferation of HNE1/DDP cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 32.0 µmol·L(-1) at 24 h (P < 0.05), whereas low concentrations of DDP had almost no inhibitory effects on cell invasion and migration. DDP combined with metformin significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration. In addition, genes related to migration and invasion, such as those of E-cadherin and MMP-9, showed differential expression in the NPC cell line HNE1/DDP. In the present study, with an increasing concentration of metformin, the expression of MMP-9 was downregulated whereas that of E-cadherin was significantly upregulated. Taken together, our results show that cisplatin combined with metformin has effects on proliferation, invasion, and migration of human NPC cells.

[Multi-center clinical trial of FLAMIGEL (hydrogel dressing) for the treatment of residual burn wound].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of FLAMIGEL (hydrogel dressing) on the repair of residual burn wound. METHODS: Sixty burn patients with residual wounds hospitalized in 6 burn units from November 2011 to May 2012 were enrolled in the multi-center, randomized, and self-control clinical trial. Two residual wounds of each patient were divided into groups T (treated with FLAMIGEL) and C (treated with iodophor gauze) according to the random number table. On post treatment day (PTD) 7 and 14, wound healing rate was calculated, with the number of completely healed wound counted. The degree of pain patient felt during dressing change was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS). The mean numbers of wounds with score equal to zero, more than zero and less than or equal to 3, more than 3 and less than or equal to 6, more than 6 and less than or equal to 10 were recorded respectively. Wound secretion or exudate samples were collected for bacterial culture, and the side effect was observed. Data were processed with repeated measure analysis of variance, t test, chi-square test, and nonparametric rank sum test. RESULTS: Wound healing rate of groups T, C on PTD 7 was respectively (67 ± 24)%, (45 ± 25)%, and it was respectively (92 ± 16)%, (72 ± 23)% on PTD 14. There was statistically significant difference in wound healing rate on PTD 7, 14 between group T and group C (F = 32.388, P < 0.01). Ten wounds in group T and four wounds in group C were healed completely on PTD 7, with no significant difference between them (χ(2) = 0, P > 0.05). Forty-two wounds in group T and seven wounds in group C healed completely on PTD 14, with statistically significant difference between them (χ(2) = 42.254, P < 0.01). Patients in group T felt mild pain during dressing change for 37 wounds, with VAS score higher than zero and lower than or equal to 3. Evident pain was observed in patients of group C during dressing change for 43 wounds, and it scored higher than 3 and less than or equal to 6 by VAS evaluation. There was statistically significant difference in mean number of wounds with different grade of VAS score between group T and group C (Z = -4.638, P < 0.01). Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, Baumanii, and Staphylococcus epidermidis were all detected in both groups, but there was no statistical difference between group T and group C (χ(2) = 0.051, P > 0.05). No side effect was observed in either of the two groups during the whole trial. CONCLUSIONS: FLAMIGEL can accelerate the healing of residual burn wounds and obviously relieve painful sensation during dressing change.

[Association between both resistin, visfatin and insulin resistance as well as ß cell function in the first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between the levels of serum resistin, visfatin and insulin resistance as well as ß-cell dysfunction in the first-degree relatives (FDR) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to investigate the role of these adipocytokines in pathogenesis of T2DM. METHODS: Serum levels of resistin, visfatin as well as fasting true insulin (FTI), proinsulin (FPI) levels were measured in 71 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. 55 subjects with IGT/IFG and 174 NGT from first-degree relatives of T2DM, and 114 subjects of NGT without T2DM family history served as control group (NC). Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and ß-cell function was evaluated by HOMA-ß and fasting PI-to-TI ratio (FPI/TI). Lipid profile, liver function and kidney function were also tested. Anthropometrical parameters such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and blood pressure were also recorded and life style and food intake spectrum investigated. RESULTS: (1) There were no significant differences of serum resistin levels among the four groups (P>0.05). The serum resistin level was not correlated with HomA-IR, HomA-ß and obesity markers (P>0.05).(2) The serum visfatin levels of DM group, IGT/IFG and NGT group were lower than the NC group (P<0.05). There were no significant difference among DM group, IGT/IFG group and NGT. The serum visfatin level was not correlated with HOMA-IR and obesity markers (P>0.05), but negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose and blood pressure (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The adipokine profile in FDRs of T2DM had distinctively altered before the development of impaired glucose tolerance. Serum levels of visfatin, showed a favorable effect on glucose metabolism also had a significant decrease on serum levels in the early stage of T2DM.