Effect of silver-containing hydrofiber dressing on burn wound healing: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Silver sulfadiazine is commonly used to treat local burn wounds. Aquacel-Ag is a hydrogen fiber dressing containing ionic silver that reduces burn wound infection and promotes antimicrobial activity. It is necessary to compare the efficacy of the two in the healing of burns. AIMS: The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the effect of Aquacel-Ag on burn wound healing. METHODS: A computerized search of CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Science Direct, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, and Open Access Library databases was performed from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2021 for randomized controlled clinical trials. The trials on Aquacel-Ag dressing and silver sulfadiazine in the treatment of burns were selected. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.0 software. RESULTS: Eleven articles were finally included, with 794 burn patients. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with patients treated with silver sulfadiazine, burn patients treated with Aquacel-Ag dressing had shorter wound healing time [MD = -2.49, 95% CI (-5.64-0.65), p = 0.12], significantly lower tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level [MD = -0.52, 95% CI (-0.82-0.22), p = 0.0008], higher wound healing rate [MD = 8.41, 95% CI (3.39-13.43), p = 0.001], fewer dressing changes [MD = -3.27, 95% CI (-4.90-1.63), p < 0.0001]. CONCLUSION: Aquacel-Ag dressing can shorten wound healing time and effectively reduce inflammatory reactions in burn patients compared with silver sulfadiazine, but their safety still needs further exploration and analysis.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation: current status and future implications.

ABSTRACT: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-RI) is a rare but increasingly recognized subtype of CAA. CAA-RI consists of two subtypes: inflammatory cerebral amyloid angiopathy and amyloid ß (Aß)-related angiitis. Acute or subacute onset of cognitive decline or behavioral changes is the most common symptom of CAA-RI. Rapid progressive dementia, headache, seizures, or focal neurological deficits, with patchy or confluent hyperintensity on T2 or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences and evidence of strictly lobar microbleeds or cortical superficial siderosis on susceptibility-weighted imaging imply CAA-RI. The gold standard for diagnosis is autopsy or brain biopsy. However, biopsy is invasive; consequently, most clinically diagnosed cases have been based on clinical and radiological data. Other diagnostic indexes include the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, Aß and anti-Aß antibodies in cerebral spinal fluid and amyloid positron emission tomography. Many diseases with similar clinical manifestations should be carefully ruled out. Immunosuppressive therapy is effective both during initial presentation and in relapses. The use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants improves prognosis. This article reviews the pathology and pathogenesis, clinical and imaging manifestations, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognosis of CAA-RI, and highlights unsolved problems in the existing research.

[Correlation between expressions of VEGF and TRPC6 and their roles in podocyte injury in rats with diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6) and their role in podocyte injury in rats with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: Forty SD rats with diabetic nephropathy induced by intraperitoneal injection of 65 mg/kg streptozotocin were randomized equally into 5 groups, including a diabetic nephropathy model group and 4 treatment groups, with 8 normal SD rats as the normal control group. In the 4 treatment groups, the rats received intraperitoneal injections with SU5416 at 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg twice a week or with LY294002 at 1 mg/kg or 2 mg/kg once daily for 8 weeks. Blood glucose, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and 24-h urinary protein levels of the rats were detected at different time points, and the pathologies in the renal tissue were observed using HE staining, PAS staining and immunohistochemistry. The expressions of VEGF, nephrin, and TRPC6 at mRNA and protein levels were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with normal control rats, the diabetic rats showed significantly increased fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and 24-h urinary protein levels with decreased expressions of nephrin mRNA and protein (P<0.05) and increased expressions of VEGF and TRPC6 (P<0.05). Compared with the untreated diabetic rats, the rats with SU5416 treatment showed increased 24-h urinary protein, urea nitrogen, and nephrin expression and decreased TRPC6 expression without significant changes in fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, or VEGF expression. The rats treated with LY294002 showed decreased 24-h urinary protein and TRPC6 expression without significant changes in fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, or expressions of nephrin and VEGF. CONCLUSION: The regulatory effect of VEGF on TRPC6 can be blocked by inhibiting VEGFR-2 or blocking PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

The activity of Hou-Po-Da-Huang-Tang is improved through intestinal bacterial metabolism and Hou-Po-Da-Huang-Tang selectively stimulate the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health.

Hou-Po-Da-Huang Tang (HPDHT) was used for the treatment of intestinal tract diseases in China. However, the underlying mechanisms via the intestinal bacteria remain largely unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolism of HPDHT by the human intestinal bacteria and its modulating effect on the intestinal bacteria. As a result, a total of 34 compounds were identified in HPDHT and transformed HPDHT (T-HPDHT). Among them, 12 metabolites were proved to be transformed by human intestinal bacteria. In vitro assays showed that T-HPDHT exhibited more significant elevation of free radical scavenging activity and suppression on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-α when comparing to HPDHT. Additionally, in vivo experiment confirmed that HPDHT significantly increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), attenuated the malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-α levels in the conventional rats compared with that of pseudo germ-free (PGF) rats. In addition, HPDHT could significantly enhance the mean counts of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and inhibit the growth of Clostridium, and Enterobacteriaceae, relative to controls. Due to the transformation of HPDHT being dependent on the bacterial strain, the effect of HPDHT on the selective growth of Bifidobacterium bifidum 29521 and Lactobacillus plantarum 8014 was evaluated. The kinetic parameters of microbial growth and prebiotic activity scores indicated that HPDHT could selectively stimulate the growth of the strains Bifidobacterium bifidum 29521 and Lactobacillus plantarum 8014. Taken together, metabolism of HPDHT by intestinal bacteria is a critical step towards the emergence of their anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and prebiotic activities. This study provided valuable information for further pharmacological research on HPDHT.

Simultaneous inhibition of NMDA and mGlu1/5 receptors by levo-corydalmine in rat spinal cord attenuates bone cancer pain.

Bone cancer pain is a challenge for its not completely clarified mechanism and broad clinical morbidity. Therefore, novel and more effective drugs are urgent needed for improvement of patients' quality of life. Glutamate receptors have been associated with the development of the central sensitization of chronic pain. Inhibition of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors can effectively attenuate bone cancer pain, respectively. Herein, our results indicated that levo-Corydalmine (l-CDL), a compound from Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for pain relief could effectively attenuate bone cancer pain induced by tibia bone cavity tumor cell implantation (TCI) through simultaneously inhibiting the NMDA and mGlu1/5 receptors in rat spinal cord without notable side effects. Both intragastric and intrathecal administration of l-CDL significantly alleviated the mechanical hypersensitivity induced by TCI in rats, and the analgesic effect of l-CDL could be reversed by intrathecal administration of NMDA receptor agonist NMDA and mGlu1/5 receptor agonist DHPG but not AMPA receptor agonist AMPA. l-CDL could also selectively suppress NMDA and DHPG induced rapid rise in Ca2+ oscillations in primary cultures neurons of spinal cord in vitro. The antinociception of l-CDL were partially mediated by the reduced phosphorylation of PKC γ and ERK1/2 in spinal cord of TCI rats in a NMDA and mGlu1/5 dependent manner. In conclusion, these results suggested that l-CDL attenuates TCI induced bone cancer pain through simultaneously inhibiting the NMDA and mGlu1/5 receptors and the downstream PKC γ, ERK1/2 signaling pathways in the spinal cord.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of novel artemisinin derivatives containing sulfur atoms.

Ten novel artemisinin derivatives containing sulfur atoms were designed and synthesized and their structures were confirmed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and HRMS technologies in this study. All compounds were reported for the first time. The in vitro cytotoxicity against PC-3, SGC-7901, A549 and MDA-MB-435s cancer cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay. Compounds 4a and 4f displayed potent antitumor activity against PC-3, SGC-7901 and A549 cells with IC50 ranging from 1.6 to 30.5 µM, which values are compared to that of 5-FU (IC50 from 6.8 to 42.5 µM). Compounds 4a and 4f showed high specificity towards human lung cancer A549 cells compared to normal human hepatic L-02 cells with selectivity index of 16.1 and 50.1 respectively. Our promising findings indicated that the compounds 4a and 4f could stand as potential lead compounds for further investigation.

Effective targeting of colorectal cancer cells using TORC1/2 kinase inhibitors in vitro and in vivo.

AIM: We investigated the effects of TORC1/2 kinase inhibitors on colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. MATERIALS & METHODS: Using selective TORC1/2 inhibitors, rapamycin and PP242, we assessed their effect on the growth of CRC cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: Rapamycin and PP242 inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of CRC cells. They also enhance proapoptotic effect of conventional chemo drug doxorubicin in CRC cells in vitro. When combined with doxorubicin, rapamycin and PP242 almost completely inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Rapamycin and PP242 inhibit phosphorylation of Akt, ribosomal S6 kinase, 4EBP1 and mTOR. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests rapamycin and PP242 may be a useful therapeutic agent and inhibiting mTOR signaling pathway represents a new targeted therapy for CRC.

Human herpes virus 8-unrelated primary effusion lymphoma-like lymphoma in a patient with hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis: A case report.

This study describes a rare case of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8) negative primary effusion lymphoma (PEL)-like lymphoma in a patient with hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis, diagnosed in a 66-year-old male who rapidly progressed to a sense of abdominal fullness. Cytological analysis of the pleural effusion demonstrated large atypical lymphoid cells with rounded nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and abundant cytoplasm. Immunocytochemistry of the pleural effusion detected atypical CD20(+) lymphoid cells. The patient was hospitalized, and died following sepsis and multi-organ failure. Our case highlights that HHV-8-unrelated PEL-like lymphoma patients have different pathogenetic mechanisms of causality at the biological level, immunophenotype, clinical behavior, and prognosis.

Use of (18)F-FDG PET/CT to locate primary malignancies in patients with hepatic cirrhosis and malignant ascites.

OBJECTIVE: Ascites in patients with hepatic cirrhosis is caused by cirrhosis in most cases. For most malignant ascites, the primary malignancy could be readily identified using conventional imaging methods, e.g., computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, in a small fraction of the patients, the primary malignancy remains occult even with these examinations. In this retrospective study, we assessed the usefulness of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in patients with hepatic cirrhosis and malignant ascites of otherwise unknown origin. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with malignant ascites of unknown primary sites after CT, MRI and ultrasound during the period of five years between January 2008 and December 2012 had received (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Medical records of these patients were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: Elevated (18)F-FDG absorption was found in 23 of 28 cases in the following sites: gastrointestinal tract (n=10, 43.5%), prostate (n=5, 21.7%), peritoneum (n=4, 13.3%), and ovary (n=4, 13.3%). Cancer was confirmed by pathology in 20 cases after open or laparoscopic surgeries. Five patients were found to have benign ascites, among which, 3 were found to be false positive due to tuberculosis. SUV values were significantly higher for tumors than for benign lesions (mean values, 6.95 vs. 2.94; P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The (18)F-FDG PET/CT can be as a powerful imaging tool in identifying tissue origin in liver cirrhosis patients suspected of cancers or with cancers of unknown primary sites.

Premature senescence and cellular phenotype transformation of mesangial cells induced by TGF-B1.

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is a polypeptide member of the transforming growth factor ß superfamily of cytokines and performs many cellular functions. Its overexpression may lead to renal fibrosis. AIM: This study planed to investigate the effects of TGF-ß1 on the cell cycle and phenotype of mesangial cells. METHODS: Rat mesangial cells were cultured together with different concentrations (0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 ng/mL) of TGF-ß1 for specified times from 0 min to 72 h. 0 ng/mL TGF-ß1 and 0 min served as controls. Cell cycles were assessed by flow cytometry and α-smooth muscle actin expression (α-SMA) protein expression by western blot analysis. All data were presented as Mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed by using one-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis. Results were considered significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: After 15 min of co-culture with different concentrations of TGF-ß1, the percentage of mesangial cells in G0/G1 phase was significantly elevated compared to the control (p < 0.05). 12 h co-culture induced cell hyperplasia, 24 h co-culture obvious up-regulation of α-SMA (p < 0.01) and one or two cells' myofibroblast phenotype transition, and 36 h co-culture several cells' phenotype transition. Correlation analysis prompted that the TGF-ß1-induced premature aging was time-dependent (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: TGF-ß1 may induce mesangial cells' premature senescence and myofibroblast-like phenotype transformation time-dependently, which may contribute to the development of early stage of glomerulosclerosis.

[The impact of telmisartan on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 mRNA expression in monocyte-derived macrophages of diabetic hypertensive patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of telmisartan on the expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages of hypertensive patients accompanied with diabetes. METHODS: 62 essential hypertensive patients accompanied with diabetes were randomly divided into two groups: regular treatment group, and telmisartan group. Then the content of ACE and ACE2 in serum was detected by ELISA, and the expression of ACE mRNA and ACE2 mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages of patients was detected by RT-PCR before and after having been treated. RESULTS: (1) After having been treated for 4 weeks and 12 weeks, the blood pressure of the patients in two groups were decreased significantly, Comparing with regular group, telmisartan group seemed to have more obvious therapeutic effect (P < 0.05); (2) After having been treated for 12 weeks, glycosylated hemoglobin diseased in both group, but there was no significant difference between the two group (P > 0.05); (3) In telmisartan group, the content of ACE2 in serum was increased after having been treated for 12 weeks than that in regular treatment group, [(23.9 ± 8.2) U/L vs (16.3 ± 8.9) U/L, P < 0.05]; and the expression of ACE2 mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages in telmisartan group was obviously increased after 12 weeks comparing with regular treatment group (0.73 ± 0.06 vs 0.51 ± 0.04, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The role of telmisartan in decreasing blood pressure and it's advantage to the metabolism of glucose are partly related with the up-regulation of ACE2 mRNA.

[Experimental study of gene therapy with human vascular endothelial growth factor-c in lymphedema].

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of gene therapy with human vascular endothelial growth factor-c (VEGF-C) on obstructive lymphedema. METHODS: Two animal models of lymphedema were created: one in the right hind limb of adult New Zealand white rabbits and the other in SD mouse tail. Each model was randomly divided into two groups to receive intradermal injection of either VEGF-C gene (experimental group), or saline(control group). In rabbit model, the volume change of affected limb was measured. In mouse model, biopsy was performed after 3 weeks treatment to detect the expression of VEGF-C mRNA and proteins. The lymphagenesis was evaluated by immunohistochemical examination with lymphatic endothelium hyaluronan receptor antibody. RESULTS: The volume of the affect rabbit limb decreased by (24.40 +/- 1.08) ml in experimental group, compared with (5.80 +/- 1.92) ml in control group (P = 0.0001). The expression of VEGF-C mRNA and protein increased markedly in experiment group, but not in controls. More lymphatic vessels with large caliber were seen in experiment group (P = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: VEGF-C gene therapy may alleviate or treat lymphedema by inducing lyphmangiogenesis.

[Construction and expression of retroviral vector containing bone morphogenetic protein-7].

AIM: To achieve stable and long-term expression of BMP-7 gene in bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs). METHODS: Retrovirus expression vector containing BMP-7 gene was constructed and transfected into packaging cells PT67. After puromycin selection and cells cloning, cell clones producing high level of recombinant virus were obtained. The viruses were used to infect directly BMSCs and the expression of BMP-7 gene in BMSCs was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Retrovirus vector containing BMP-7 gene was successfully reconstructed and BMP-7 was expressed in the BMSCs.The transfection rates was about 30%-40%. CONCLUSION: The construction of recombinant retrovirus vector containing BMP-7 gene can provide a reliable tool for the formation of bone or cartilage seed cells in the research of tissue engineering.