Expression and Significance of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 in the Serum and Placental Tissues of Patients with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disease, usually occurring in the third trimester of pregnancy. Its typical clinical manifestations are itching and elevated serum total bile acid levels, which are more harmful to the fetus, and can lead to a variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This paper discusses the expressions of galectin -1 and 3 in the serum and placenta of ICP patients and their relationship with the effect of the incidence of ICP. Methods: Galectin-1 and 3 in serum and placenta were detected in 22 pregnant women with ICP and 20 healthy pregnant women admitted to the obstetrics Department of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from May 2021 to February 2022. Results: Serum levels of galectin-1 and galectin-3 in ICP pregnant women were significantly higher than those in controls, with significant differences (P<0.05). Placental galectin-1 and 3 were higher in normal pregnant women, and there were statistical differences between groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: In ICP, the maternal serum and placental galectin-1 and 3 levels were significantly increased, both of which may play an important role in the development of ICP, which may be the initiation factor of ICP pathophysiology, a marker of ICP prediction, and a target of ICP prevention strategies.

Synthesis and bio-activity evaluation of scutellarein as a potent agent for the therapy of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Scutellarein, the main metabolite of scutellarin in vivo, has relatively better solubility, bioavailability and bio-activity than scutellarin. However, it is very difficult to obtain scutellarein in nature compared with scutellarin. Therefore, the present study focused on establishing an efficient route for the synthesis of scutellarein by hydrolyzing scutellarin. The in vitro antioxidant activities of scutellarein were evaluated by measuring its scavenging capacities toward DPPH, ABTS(+•), (•)OH free radicals and its protective effect on H(2)O(2)-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells using MTT assay method. The results showed that essential point to the synthesis was the implementation of H(2)SO(4) in 90% ethanol in N(2) atmosphere; scutellarein had stronger antioxidant activity than scutellarin. The results have laid the foundation for further research and the development of scutellarein as a promising candidate for ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Expression of CIITA-related MHCII molecules in tumors linked to prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery is poor due to its high recurrence rate. In order to unfold the mechanism of different recurrent-free survival (RFS) times following resection, expression profiling of tumor tissues from 32 HCC patients with different RFS time were used to identify differential expression of individual genes and signaling pathway components correlated with RFS time. Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the expression of selected genes. Up-regulation of several immune related genes and pathways, especially HLA II-related antigen presenting pathways, significantly correlated with longer RFS time. The expression of MHCII molecules were found to be mainly located in either CD68+ cells or CD45+ cells, and their expression significantly correlated with the expression of CIITA (HLA II genes transactivator) in the tumor. The results suggest that the high expression level of CIITA and MHCII molecules in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue is an effective prognostic marker for longer RFS time in HCC.

Diagnostic value of serum dihydrodiol dehydrogenase 2 levels in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Dihydrodiol dehydrogenase 2 (DDH2) plays an important role in pathogenesis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to evaluate the value of serum DDH2 levels in NSCLC patients. METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 863 NSCLC patients and 439 healthy controls. The samples were randomly divided into a training set and a test set. Serum DDH2 levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The levels of DDH2 in NSCLC patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls ( P < 0.001). The diagnostic use of DDH2 in lung adenocarcinoma was significantly greater than that of carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), and carbohydrate antigen 125 ( P < 0.001). Combining DDH2 with carcinoembryonic antigen, CYFRA21-1, and carbohydrate antigen 125 was more effective for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis than DDH2 alone. In addition, the levels of DDH2 could contribute to the diagnosis of lung squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of serum DDH2 is a valuable diagnostic marker for NSCLC patients.

Prognostic significance of serum chemerin levels in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Chemerin plays an important role in adipogenesis and chemotaxis of the innate immune system. The aim of this study was to explore the significance and prognostic value of serum chemerin levels in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Serum specimens from 189 NSCLC patients and 120 healthy controls were collected. The levels of serum chemerin were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum chemerin levels were significantly elevated in NSCLC patients compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001). Higher serum chemerin levels were associated with advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for serum chemerin was 0.809 (95% CI: 0.722-0.896) at a sensitivity of 0.624 and of specificity 0.675. The cut-off value of chemerin was 1500 pg/ml for discriminating NSCLC from healthy controls. Kaplan-Meier log rank analysis revealed that the higher serum chemerin patients had a shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with lower chemerin patients (P = 0.004, P = 0.001, respectively). Further univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum chemerin was an independent risk factor of prognosis of NSCLC patients. In conclusion, measurement of chemerin might be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC patients.

Serum Cripto-1 is a novel biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Cripto-1 (CR-1) is highly expressed in several different types of human tumors. However, the clinical significance of CR-1 expression in serum specimens from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has not yet been determined. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum CR-1 levels in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: Serum specimens from 592 NSCLC patients, 180 benign lung disease patients and 240 healthy controls were collected. The concentrations of CR-1 were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Patients with NSCLC had higher serum CR-1 levels than the controls (P < 0.01) and patients with benign lung diseases (P < 0.01). When a cutoff point of 1.8 ng/mL was selected (diagnostic specificity 95%), the diagnostic sensitivity for NSCLC is 56.8%. About 37.5% of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-negative lung cancer patients were CR-1 positive at 95% specificity. In patients with stage I/II lung cancer, use of these two markers in combination results in almost 21% increase in sensitivity, at 95% specificity, compared with CEA alone. Uni-variate analysis revealed that NSCLC patients with positive CR-1 had a shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) than those with negative CR-1 [hazard ratio (HR) of 2.93, P = 0.005; HR of 2.12, P = 0.005]. Cox multi-variate analysis indicated that CR-1 was an independent prognostic indicator of PFS and OS (HR of 1.91, P = 0.006; HR of 1.82, P = 0.007). Kaplan-Meier survival curves further confirmed that patients with negative CR-1 had longer PFS and OS (P = 0.026 and P = 0.011, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, measurement of serum CR-1 is a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for NSCLC patients.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of serum periostin in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The periostin protein is expressed in a variety of human malignancies. The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum periostin levels in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We measured serum periostin levels by ELISA in 296 NSCLC patients, 120 benign lung diseases (BLD) patients and 160 healthy controls. The levels of serum periostin in NSCLC patients were significantly elevated compared with those in healthy controls (P < 0.001) and BLD patients (P < 0.001). Using a cutoff value of 30.87 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of periostin in differentiating between NSCLC patients and BLD patients, and between NSCLC patients and healthy controls was, 48.6 and 91.7%, and 51.4 and 97.5%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier log rank analysis revealed that the higher serum periostin levels group had a poorer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with lower periostin group (P = 0.024, P = 0.015, respectively). Further univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum periostin was an independent risk factor of prognosis of NSCLC patients. In conclusion, our study suggests that serum periostin could be considered as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for NSCLC patients.

[Advances in plant proteomics. II. Application of proteome techniques to plant biology research].

Proteome techniques have widely been applied to the fields of plant genetics, plant development, and plant physiology and ecology to investigate plant genetic diversity, plant development such as seed maturation and germination processes, differentiation of plant tissue and organ, separation and functional identification of novel component of various organells, mechanisms of plant adapted to abiotic or biotic stresses including high temperature, low temperature, high salt, drought, and pathogens and insects, and interaction of plant with microbe. The prospects of plant proteomics are discussed.

[Advances in plant proteomics--I. Key techniques of proteome].

With the completion of genome sequences of the model plants, such as rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Arabidopsis thaliana, it has come into plant functional genomics era, which becomes a hard base of the appearance and development of plant proteomics. This review focuses on the background of proteomics, concept of proteomics and key techniques of proteomics. The key techniques of proteomics include separation, such as 2-DE (Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis), RP-HPLC (Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and SELDI (Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/ Ionization) protein chip, mass spectrometry, such as MALDI-TOF-MS (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time Of Flight-Mass Spectrometry) and ESI-MS/MS (Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry), databases related to proteomics, quantitative proteome, TAP (Tandem Affinity Purification) and yeast two-hybrid system. Challenges and prospects of proteomic techniques are discussed.

Health care-associated infections surveillance in an intensive care unit of a university hospital in China, 2010-2014: Findings of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium.

Using a standardized methodology by the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System, a continuous health care-associated infections (HAIs) surveillance was conducted in our mixed intensive care unit at a Chinese teaching hospital. During the study period (2010-2014), 4,013 patients were hospitalized for 32,924 bed days and acquired 427 HAIs (482 HAI events), with an overall rate of 10.64% and 14.640 HAIs per 1,000 bed days. Ventilator-associated pneumonia was the most common device-associated health care-acquired infection, with an incidence rate of 19.561 per 1,000 mechanical ventilator days.

Hospital-acquired infection rate in a tertiary care teaching hospital in China: a cross-sectional survey involving 2434 inpatients.

A single-day hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) point prevalence study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in China. The overall prevalence rate of HAIs was 3.53% (95% confidence interval 2.80-4.26%) among 2434 inpatients surveyed. Respiratory system infection was the most common type of HAI (49.43%), followed by surgical site infection (22.99%). The pathogen detection results for 50 patients showed Pseudomonas aeruginosa to account for 24.00% of isolates, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.00%) and Escherichia coli (14.00%).

Resveratrol protects vascular endothelial cells from high glucose-induced apoptosis through inhibition of NADPH oxidase activation-driven oxidative stress.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress has been implicated in diabetic vascular complications in which NADPH oxidase is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol, which has vasoprotective effects in diabetic animal models and inhibits high glucose (HG)-induced oxidative stress in endothelial cells. AIMS: We aimed to examine whether HG-induced NADPH oxidase activation and ROS production contribute to glucotoxicity to endothelial cells and the effect of resveratrol on glucotoxicity. RESULTS: Using a murine brain microvascular endothelial cell line bEnd3, we found that NADPH oxidase inhibitor (apocynin) and resveratrol both inhibited HG-induced endothelial cell apoptosis. HG-induced elevation of NADPH oxidase activity and production of ROS were inhibited by apocynin, suggesting that HG induces endothelial cell apoptosis through NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS production. Mechanistic studies revealed that HG upregulated NADPH oxidase subunit Nox1 but not Nox2, Nox4, and p22(phox) expression through NF-κB activation, which resulted in elevation of NADPH oxidase activity and consequent ROS production. Resveratrol prevented HG-induced endothelial cell apoptosis through inhibiting HG-induced NF-κB activation, NADPH oxidase activity elevation, and ROS production. CONCLUSIONS: HG induces endothelial cell apoptosis through NF-κB/NADPH oxidase/ROS pathway, which was inhibited by resveratrol. Our findings provide new potential therapeutic targets against brain vascular complications of diabetes.

[Selection of denitrifying phosphorus-removing bacteria and its characteristic].

Using YG culture medium, combined with the experiments of blue-and white-colored screening, Albert staining and detection of phosphorus removal capacity, seven phosphorus-removing bacterium were isolated from activated sludge collected from aerobic biochemical pool of wastewater treating factory. After nitrate reducing and anoxic culturing experiment, a strain with high capability of denitrifying and phosphorus removing was selected. With the study of its physiology and biochemistry and the analysis of its 16S rRNA gene, this strain was identified as Pseudomonas grimontii, and named of C18. The phosphorus removal rate of C18 was 94.1% under aerobic condition in 24 hours (The phosphorus concentration in supernatant was 38.7 mg/L to 2.28 mg/L). The phosphorus removal rate of C18 was 88.3% under anoxic condition in 24 hours (the phosphorus concentration in supernatant was 44.5 mg/L to 5.21 mg/L), and the denitrifying rate of C18 was 83.4% under anoxic condition in 24 hours (the nitrate concentration in supernatant was 184.2 mg/L to 30.6 mg/L). The optimal temperature of C18 denitrifying and phosphorus removing was 30 degrees C; The optimal pH of C18 denitrifying and phosphorus removing was 7.5.

Synthesis and optical properties of three-dimensional porous core-shell nanoarchitectures.

Three-dimensional porous core-shell nanostructures consisting of gold skeletons and silver shells were fabricated by controllable electroless plating. Optical properties of the 3D nanocomposite with a heterogeneous interface exhibit a significant shell-thickness dependence. The porous core-shell structure with an optimized shell thickness of approximately 3-5 nm exhibits a considerable improvement in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. This study has important implications in the functionalization of nanoporous metals by surface modification.