Pepsinogen C expression-related lncRNA/circRNA/mRNA profile and its co-mediated ceRNA network in gastric cancer.

The expression of pepsinogen C (PGC) is considered an ideal negative biomarker of gastric cancer, but its pathological mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to analyze competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks related to PGC expression at a post-transcriptional level and build an experimental basis for studying the role of PGC in the progression of gastric cancer. RNA sequencing technology was used to detect the differential expression (DE) profiles of PGC-related long non-coding (lnc)RNAs, circular (circ)RNAs, and mRNAs. Ggcorrplot R package and online database were used to construct DElncRNAs/DEcircRNAs co-mediated PGC expression-related ceRNA networks. In vivo and in vitro validations were performed using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). RNA sequencing found 637 DEmRNAs, 698 DElncRNAs, and 38 DEcircRNAs. The PPI network of PGC expression-related mRNAs consisted of 503 nodes and 1179 edges. CFH, PPARG, and MUC6 directly interacted with PGC. Enrichment analysis suggested that DEmRNAs were mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways. Eleven DElncRNAs, 13 circRNAs, and 35 miRNA-mRNA pairs were used to construct ceRNA networks co-mediated by DElncRNAs and DEcircRNAs that were PGC expression-related. The network directly related to PGC was as follows: SNHG16/hsa_circ_0008197-hsa-mir-98-5p/hsa-let-7f-5p/hsa-let-7c-5p-PGC. qRT-PCR validation results showed that PGC, PPARG, SNHG16, and hsa_circ_0008197 were differentially expressed in gastric cancer cells and tissues: PGC positively correlated with PPARG (r = 0.276, P = 0.009), SNHG16 (r = 0.35, P = 0.002), and hsa_circ_0008197 (r = 0.346, P = 0.005). PGC-related DElncRNAs and DEcircRNAs co-mediated complicated ceRNA networks to regulate PGC expression, thus affecting the occurrence and development of gastric cancer at a post-transcriptional level. Of these, the network directly associated with PGC expression was a SNHG16/hsa_circ_0008197-mir-98-5p/hsa-let-7f-5p/hsa-let-7c-5p - PGC axis. This study may form a foundation for the subsequent exploration of the possible regulatory mechanisms of PGC in gastric cancer.

[Correction Methods of Temperature Drift for Infrared Spectral Emissivity Measurement System].

For the influence of temperature drift of the spectral responsivity on the repeatability infrared spectral emissivity measurement system, a temperature drift correction method is proposed based on the polynomial fitting. By analyzing the function of detector output voltage depended on its temperature. After studying the functional relationship between the temperature and spectral responsivity of detector, the spectral response curve varies with temperature is fitted and get the fitting equation. Calculating the drift correction factor of spectral responsivity, the output voltage of infrared detector is corrected. The effect of spectral response drift on the output voltage of detector is eliminated. With the development of temperature drift correction device of spectral responsivity, the temperature drift curve of spectral response is measured. Compared to the exponential fitting, the fitting consistency of sixth-order polynomial curve is excellent. Because of the application of this method, the repeatability of spectral emissivity measurement system is improved.

Identifying Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Whole-Brain Resting-State Interregional Functional Connections Using a Boruta-Based Support Vector Machine Approach.

An increasing number of resting-state functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging (R-fMRI) studies have used functional connections as discriminative features for machine learning to identify patients with brain diseases. However, it remains unclear which functional connections could serve as highly discriminative features to realize the classification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to find ASD-related functional connectivity patterns and examine whether these patterns had the potential to provide neuroimaging-based information to clinically assist with the diagnosis of ASD by means of machine learning. We investigated the whole-brain interregional functional connections derived from R-fMRI. Data were acquired from 48 boys with ASD and 50 typically developing age-matched controls at NYU Langone Medical Center from the publicly available Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange I (ABIDE I) dataset; the ASD-related functional connections identified by the Boruta algorithm were used as the features of support vector machine (SVM) to distinguish patients with ASD from typically developing controls (TDC); a permutation test was performed to assess the classification performance. Approximately, 92.9% of participants were correctly classified by a combined SVM and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) approach, wherein 95.8% of patients with ASD were correctly identified. The default mode network (DMN) exhibited a relatively high network degree and discriminative power. Eight important brain regions showed a high discriminative power, including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC). Significant correlations were found between the classification scores of several functional connections and ASD symptoms (p < 0.05). This study highlights the important role of DMN in ASD identification. Interregional functional connections might provide useful information for the clinical diagnosis of ASD.

TGF-beta 1 codon 10 polymorphism is associated with cerebral SVD.

BACKGROUND: To clarify the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), we investigated whether the gene encoding transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-beta 1) is a risk factor for cerebral SVD as a whole, and for two different SVD subtypes. METHODS: TGF-beta 1 codon10 (T+29C) genotype was determined in 441 Chinese patients (313 male and 128 female) with cerebral SVD and 450 control subjects (326 male and 124 female). Cerebral SVD patients were retrospectively classified into two groups based on neuroimaging findings: lacunar infarction group with 112 patients and ischaemic leukoaraiosis group with 329 patients. RESULTS: Subjects carrying TT homozygote were susceptible to cerebral SVD [adjusted odds ratio (OR) =1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.98; P=0.026]. Further analysis of SVD subtypes revealed a moderate association with the ischaemic leukoaraiosis group [OR= 1.60, 95% CI, 1.14-2.25; P=0.007]. CONCLUSIONS: Codon 10 of TGF-beta 1 might be a risk factor for SVD, specifically in ischaemic leukoaraiosis phenotype.

TGF-ß1 869T/C polymorphism and ischemic stroke: sex difference in Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and of cerebrovascular complications. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a central role in inflammation. To investigate whether polymorphisms of the TGF-ß1 gene can modify the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) in Chinese population, we conduct this hospital-based, case-control study. METHODS: Transforming growth factor-ß1 genotype was determined in 450 Chinese patients (306 male and 144 female) with IS and 450 control subjects (326 male and 124 female). RESULTS: Subjects carrying 869TT were susceptible to IS (odds ratio [OR] =1.58; P=0.003). Further analysis of IS data partitioned by gender revealed the female-specific association with 869T/C (OR=2.64; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the TT genotype of 869T/C might be a risk factor of IS in Chinese, especially in females.

Carcinoma of the right side colon accompanied by Sister Mary Joseph's nodule and inguinal nodal metastases: a case report and literature review.

Umbilical metastases from intraperitoneal malignancies are universally referred to Sister Mary Joseph's nodule (SMJN). The most frequent primary tumor sites include the stomach and ovaries. SMJN caused by colon cancer is uncommon. Likewise, carcinoma of the right side colon metastasizing to inguinal lymph nodes is considered almost impossible. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report of right side colon cancer synchronously involving both the umbilicus and inguinal lymph nodes in the literature. We present a case of right side colon cancer (RSCC) metastasizing to the umbilicus and inguinal lymph nodes, which was confirmed by routine pathological evaluation and immuohistochemistry.

[Combined palliative procedures for cyanotic congenital heart defects with intractable hypoplasia of pulmonary arteries].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical experiences of combined palliative procedures for cyanotic congenital heart defects with intractable hypoplasia of pulmonary arteries. METHODS: From August 2001 to September 2009, 31 patients with cyanotic congenital heart defects and intractable hypoplasia of pulmonary arteries underwent surgical procedures. Among them, 26 patients were pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and the other 5 cases complicated congenital heart defects with pulmonary stenosis. Different kinds of palliative procedures were performed according to the morphology of right and left pulmonary arteries in every patient. If the pulmonary artery was well developed, Glenn procedure was performed. Modified Blalock-Taussig or Waterston shunt was performed if pulmonary arteries had hypoplasia. If the pulmonary arteries were of severe hypoplasia, Melbourne shunt was performed. Systemic-pulmonary artery shunts were performed bilaterally in 23 cases. Systemic-pulmonary shunt was performed in one side and Glenn procedure contralaterally in 8 cases. RESULTS: There was one early death because of cardiac arrest. The number of patients suffered from low cardiac output syndrome, perfusion lung and pulmonary infection postoperatively was 5, 3 and 2, respectively. Systemic-pulmonary shunts were reperformed after the original operation in 3 cases because of occlusion of conduits. The mean follow-up time was 25 ± 16 months (6 - 72 months). Left pulmonary index (8.1 ± 3.7 vs 14.9 ± 6.2), right pulmonary index (12.7 ± 8.1 vs 17.7 ± 7.8) and pulmonary index (20.9 ± 9.4 vs 32.6 ± 11.7) increased significantly (all P < 0.001). The pulmonary diameter increased significantly after modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (5.5 ± 1.0 vs 7.0 ± 2.0), modified Waterston shunt (5.7 ± 4.0 vs 9.2 ± 3.6) and melbourne shunt (2.2 ± 0.4 vs 7.4 ± 2.5) (all P < 0.05). Bilateral pulmonary arteries developed well compared with that of preoperative condition. Hemoglobin decreased from (194 ± 27) g/L to (174 ± 24) g/L (P < 0.05) and peripheral oxygen saturation increased from (65 ± 11)% to (84 ± 6)% (P < 0.001). During the follow-up ultimate complete repair were performed in 3 cases and one patients underwent Glenn procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The procedures should be considered for hypoplasia of pulmonary arteries in cyanotic congenital heart defects. Combined palliative operation is an adequate therapy.

Effects of Chinese herbal medicine Shenlong Decoction on mRNA expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in lung tissue of rats with pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in rats with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) induced by bleomycin, and to explore the mechanisms of Shenlong Decoction in preventing and treating PF. METHODS: A total of 230 Wistar rats were divided into normal control group, untreated group, prednisone group, and low-, medium- and high-dose Shenlong Decoction groups. Wistar rats were intratracheally injected with bleomycin to induce PF. From the 2nd day, rats in the normal control and untreated groups were lavaged with normal saline (NS), and rats in the other groups were lavaged with prepared Shenlong Decoction by the same amount. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue at different time points, and to evaluate whether the model was successfully induced. Expressions of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 mRNAs in rats' lung tissue were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Expressions of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 mRNAs in lung tissue of rats were observed from all groups at each time point. In comparison with the normal control group, on the 7th day, the transcription levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 mRNAs, especially the former, of the untreated group increased significantly (P<0.05 or P<0.01). On the 14th day, the transcription levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 mRNAs kept rising, especially the latter (P<0.05 or P<0.01). On the 28th day, the transcription level of MMP-2 decreased a little, while the transcription level of TIMP-1 mRNA did not stop increasing (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the untreated group, decrease of the transcription levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 mRNAs were observed in the treatment groups, especially the former, and this effect continued to the 28th day with the medium-dose Shenlong Decoction group decreasing most obviously (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Shenlong Decoction may inhibit the expression of MMP-2 mRNA by up-regulating the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA so as to slow the progression of PF.

Association between the hydrogenase level and the occurrence of remote diffusion-weighted imaging lesions after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

To explore the influence of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level on remote diffusion-weighted imaging lesions (rDWILs) after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A consecutive cohort of 160 patients with spontaneous ICH who had brain MRI within 4 weeks of ICH onset were collected and analyzed retrospectively. rDWILs showed high signal on diffusion-weighted image (DWI) while low signal on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and at least 20 mm away from the hemorrhage focus. The blood samples were obtained within 24 h after ICH onset from all patients. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in blood were collected from serum biochemical tests. We use multivariate logistic regression analyses to investigate the association between serum LDH level and rDWILs after ICH. The average serum LDH level was 186.5 ± 35.6 U/L. And this level was higher in patients who presented rDWILs than in those without rDWILs. With the best cut-off value of 191 by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, elevated LDH was associated with the presence of rDWILs independently (OR = 1.024, 95%CI = 1.011-1.037, P < 0.001) in the bivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, previous ischemic stroke/TIA, smoker, SBP on admission, hematoma volume, and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of LDH ≥ 191 U/L for rDWILs were 70.4%, 72.2%, 33.9%, 94.2%, respectively. Our study suggests serum LDH level has a significant correlation with rDWILs after spontaneous ICH. Patients with higher serum LDH level in 24 h after ICH onset may be a useful predictor for rDWILs occurrence.

[ABVD chemotherapy scheme at day 1 and 8 for treatment of primary Hodgkin's lymphomas].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of adriamycin, bleomycin, vincristine and dacarbazinum (ABVD) chemotherapy scheme executed at day 1 and day 8 for primary Hodgkin's lymphomas (HL). METHODS: 62 patients with primary HL in stages II - IV treated in our department from October 2005 to October 2006 were divided into group A and B at random with 31 patients in each group. The patients in group A received ABVD chemotherapy scheme executed at day 1 and day 8 for 6 - 8 cycles. The patients in group B received ABVD chemotherapy scheme executed at day 1 and day 15 for 6 - 8 cycles. The patients of the groups received radiotherapy by the same doctor after chemotherapy according to the patients condition and the radiotherapy regimens were not affected by the grouping. RESULTS: The complete remission rate (CR) in group A after chemotherapy was 90.3% (28/31); the one-year and two-year disease free survival (DFS) rates were 87.1% (27/31) and 80.0% (20/25) respectively. The CR rate in group B after chemotherapy was 83.9% (26/31); the one-year and two-year DFS rates were 80.6% (25/31) and 72.0% (18/25) respectively. The discrepancy of CR rates and the one-year and two-year DFS rates between the two groups was not significant (P > 0.05). The incidences of therapeutic side effects such as myocardial ischemia grade III - IV liver function impairment, pulmonary fibrosis and serious marrow inhibition between the two groups were not significant too (P > 0.05). Average chemotherapy period for the patients in group A was 159 days; it was 69 days shorter than that in group B. CONCLUSION: The CR rate, 1-year DFS rate and 2-year DFS rate of ABVD chemotherapy scheme executed at day 1 and 8 are similar to those of ABVD chemotherapy scheme executed at day 1 and 15 for primary HL in stages II - IV. The side-effects of chemotherapy between group A and B are similar too. The chemotherapy period in group A is shortened significantly.

Mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent retriever in the treatment of pediatric acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE Mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent retriever has been widely applied as a safe and effective method in adult acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, due to the lack of data, the safety and effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent in pediatric AIS has not yet been verified. The purpose of this study was to explore the safety and effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent retriever for pediatric AIS. METHODS Between January 2012 and December 2017, 7 cases of pediatric AIS were treated via mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent retriever. The clinical practice, imaging, and follow-up results were reviewed, and the data were summarized and analyzed. RESULTS The ages of the 7 patients ranged from 7 to 14 years with an average age of 11.1 years. The preoperative National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ranged from 9 to 22 with an average of 15.4 points. A Solitaire stent retriever was used in all patients, averaging 1.7 applications of thrombectomy and combined balloon dilation in 2 cases. Grade 3 on the modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction scale of recanalization was achieved in 5 cases and grade 2b in 2 cases. Six patients improved and 1 patient died after thrombectomy. The average NIHSS score of the 6 cases was 3.67 at discharge. The average modified Rankin Scale score was 1 at the 3-month follow-up. Subarachnoid hemorrhage after thrombectomy occurred in 1 case and that patient died 3 days postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that mechanical thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent retriever has a high recanalization rate and excellent clinical prognosis in pediatric AIS. The safety of mechanical thrombectomy in pediatric AIS requires more clinical trials for confirmation. ABBREVIATIONS ACA = anterior cerebral artery; AIS = acute ischemic stroke; CTA = CT angiography; ICA = internal carotid artery; MCA = middle cerebral artery; mRS = modified Rankin Scale; mTICI = modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction; NIHSS = National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; rt-PA = recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

Microarray-bioinformatics analysis of altered genomic expression profiles between human fetal and infant myocardium.

BACKGROUND: The physiological differences between fetal and postnatal heart have been well characterized at the cellular level. However, the genetic mechanisms governing and regulating these differences have only been partially elucidated. Elucidation of the differentially expressed genes profile before and after birth has never been systematically proposed and analyzed. METHODS: The human oligonucleotide microarray and bioinformatics analysis approaches were applied to isolate and classify the differentially expressed genes between fetal and infant cardiac tissue samples. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to confirm the results from the microarray. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-two differentially expressed genes were discovered and classified into 13 categories, including genes related to energy metabolism, myocyte hyperplasia, development, muscle contraction, protein synthesis and degradation, extracellular matrix components, transcription factors, apoptosis, signal pathway molecules, organelle organization and several other biological processes. Moreover, 95 genes were identified which had not previously been reported to be expressed in the heart. CONCLUSIONS: The study systematically analyzed the alteration of the gene expression profile between the human fetal and infant myocardium. A number of genes were discovered which had not been reported to be expressed in the heart. The data provided insight into the physical development mechanisms of the heart before and after birth.

[Further development of pulmonary artery after Glenn procedure: effect of different antegrade pulmonary blood flows on cyanotic congenital heart defects].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of different antegrade pulmonary blood flow on the further development of pulmonary artery after Glenn procedure in cyanotic congenital heart defects (CHD) patients. METHODS: Between October 2000 and December 2006, 132 CHD patients with decreased pulmonary artery blood flow underwent bidirectional Glenn shunt, among them 18 patients received intraoperative lung biopsy. Patients were divided into two groups according to their different sources of antegrade pulmonary blood flow: antegrade arterial blood flow group (n = 33) and antegrade venous blood flow group (n = 99). The percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2), hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and hemotocrit (Hct) value were examined and recorded before and after operation. The diameters of left pulmonary artery (LPA) and right pulmonary artery (RPA) were measured with two-dimensional echocardiography and the results were used to calculate the pulmonary artery index (PAI). The method of half-quantitative morphometric technique and an image analyzer were used to measure the following indicators of pulmonary microvessels: the percentage of media thickness (MT%), the percentage of media section area (MS%), vascular numbers of per square centimeter (VPSC), and mean alveolar number (MAN). RESULTS: Before the operation, obvious cyanosis was found in both groups, while SpO2, Hct, and Hb were not significantly different (P > 0.05). LPA, RPA, and PAI were not significantly different between two groups (P > 0.05). The MT% and MS% in antegrade venous blood flow group were significantly less than those in antegrade arterial blood flow group (P < 0.05), but VPSC and MAN were not significantly different (P > 0.05). After Glenn procedure, hypoxia and cyanosis were remarkably improved in both two groups. There was a significantly negative correlation between SpO2 and Hct (r = -0.49, P < 0.01) or Hb (r = -0.196, P < 0.01 ). The PAI increased by 22% in antegrade arterial blood flow group and 44% in antegrade venous blood flow group (P < 0.05). The diameters of LPA and RPA in antegrade venous blood flow group were significantly larger than those in antegrade arterial blood flow group (P < 0.05) and the growth of RPA in antegrade arterial blood flow group was not significant. CONCLUSION: A better pulmonary artery growth occurs in the patients of pulmonary stenosis after Glenn shunt than in those of pulmonary atresia, and it contributes to an earlier completion of Fontan procedure.

[A DNA vector-based RNAi technology to inhibit the activity of the telomerase of cell line HCCLM3].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a DNA vector-based RNA interference (RNAi) technology that inhibits the activity of the telomerase of the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HCCLM3 in order to suppress the proliferation of the cells. METHODS: Hepatocellular carcinoma cells of the line HCCLM3 were cultured. mRNA interfering double-stranded DNA vector PSG-AS targeting the mRNA of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and the control vector PSG-CTR were constructed respectively, and then were transfected into the HCCLM3 cells. The expression of hTERT of the transfected cells was determined by Western blotting and the activity of telomerase was determined by telomeric repeat amplification-ELISA (TRAP-ELISA). Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of transfected cells and MTS method was used to measure the growth curve of the cells so as to observe the effect of the PSG-AS on the proliferation of HCCLM3 cell. RESULTS: TRAP-ELISA showed that the inhibition rate of PSG-AS on the telomerase activity was 76%. The apoptotic rate of the PSG-AS group was significantly higher than that of the PSG-CTR group (t = 11.48, P < 0.001). Western blotting showed a remarkable inhibition of hTERT protein in the PSG-AS group. CONCLUSION: Capable of suppressing the hTERT expression and the activity of telomerase, RNA interfering technology can be applied to treatment of tumors.

Lung microRNA profile in chronic cyanotic piglets with decreased pulmonary blood flow.

BACKGROUND: Cyanotic congenital heart defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow due to lung ischemia, hypoxia, and others lead to infant morbidity and mortality more than acyanotic heart disease does. Despite the great effort of medical research, their genetic link and underlying microRNAs molecular mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate microRNAs regulation during cyanotic defects in lung of immature piglets. METHODS: Cyanotic piglet model was induced by main pulmonary artery-left atrium shunt with distal pulmonary artery banding. Four weeks later, hemodynamic parameters confirmed the development of cyanotic defects and pulmonary lobe RNA was extracted from all animals. We studied the repertoire of porcine lung microRNAs by Solexa deep sequencing technology and quantified highly expressed microRNAs by microarray hybridization. Furthermore, we quantitated selected microRNAs from cyanotic and control piglets by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: After surgical procedure 4 weeks later, the cyanotic model produced lower arterial oxygen tension, arterial oxygen saturation, and higher arterial carbon dioxide tension, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration than controls (all P < 0.05). In 1273 miRNAs expressed in the immature piglets lungs, 2 most abundant microRNAs (miR-370 and miR-320) demonstrated significant difference between cyanotic and control group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results extended lung microRNA profile in immature piglets and suggested that miR-370 and miR-320 are significantly up-regulated in cyanotic lung tissues.

[Clinical significance of dynamic monitoring of thymic recent output function in different stages of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the changes of naive T cell level of thymic recent output at different stages of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), thereby to evaluate the relationship of thymic recent output function with prognosis and the impact of chemotherapy on the potential of immunological recovery. METHODS: The levels of T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TREC) in DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 30 DLBCL patients were monitored before, during, until 3 months and 6 months after chemotherapy by real-time PCR (TaqMan), and TREC-level was detected according to the number of CD3 positive(CD3(+)) cells. Twelve normal individuals who matched in age were served as controls. RESULTS: There was a dramatic reduction of TREC values in all DLBCL patients among which TREC values in germinal center B-cell-like-DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL) were higher than those in non-GCB-DLBCL, as compared with TREC values of normal individual in peripheral blood. The mean values of TREC were 0.91 ± 0.15/1000 PBMNCs and (1.22 ± 0.69)/1000 CD3(+) cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.43 ± 0.29)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.64 ± 0.44)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL before chemotherapy. TREC values were significantly associated with lower international prognostic index (IPI) grade (r = -0.441, P = 0.015). TREC-level in DLBCL patients was further decreased after chemotherapy, and reached to the lowest level after the 6th cycle of chemotherapy, and during the corresponding period, the mean values of TREC were (0.63 ± 0.34)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.89 ± 0.65)/1000 CD3(+)cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.19 ± 0.11)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.27 ± 0.25)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL. TREC-level began to rise obviously 3 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy in most of the DLBCL patients, and came close to normal level in five cases of patients 6 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Thymic recent output function was impaired severely in DLBCL patients. There was an important relationship between thymic recent output function before chemotherapy and prognosis, and chemotherapy had influenced the potential of immunological recovery.

Thermoelectric effect in an Aharonov-Bohm ring with an embedded quantum dot.

Thermoelectric effect is studied in an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with an embedded quantum dot (QD) in the Coulomb blockade regime. The electrical conductance, electron thermal conductance, thermopower, and thermoelectric figure-of-merit are calculated by using the Keldysh Green's function method. It is found that the figure-of-merit ZT of the QD ring may be quite high due to the Fano effect originated from the quantum interference effect. Moreover, the thermoelectric efficiency is sensitive to the magnitude of the dot-lead and inter-lead coupling strengthes. The effect of intradot Coulomb repulsion on ZT is significant in the weak-coupling regime, and then large ZT values can be obtained at rather high temperature.

Intravenous transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells attenuates oleic acid induced acute lung injury in rats.

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) and end-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were among the most common causes of death in intensive care units. The activation of an inflammatory response and the damage of pulmonary epithelium and endotheliumwerethe hallmark of ALI/ARDS. Recent studies had demonstrated the importance of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in maintaining the normal pulmonary endothelial and epithelial function as well as participating in modulating the inflammatory response and they are involved in epithelial and endothelial repair after injury. Here, our study demonstrates MSCs therapeutic potential in a rat model of ALI/ARDS. METHODS: Bone marrow derived MSCs were obtained from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and their differential potential was verified. ALI was induced in rats byoleic acid (OA), and MSCs were transplanted intravenously. The lung injury and the concentration of cytokines in plasma and lung tissue extracts were assessed at 8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after OA-injection. RESULTS: The histological appearance and water content in rat lung tissue were significantly improved at different time points in rats treated with MSCs. The concentration of tumor necrosis factor-a and intercellular adhesion molecular-1 in rats plasma and lung tissue extracts were significantly inhibited after intravenous transplantation of MSCs, whereas interleukin-10 was significantly higher after MSCs transplantation at 8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after OA-challenge. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous transplantation of MSCs could maintain the integrity of the pulmonary alveolar-capillary barrier and modulate the inflammatory response to attenuate the experimental ALI/ARDS. Transplantation of MSCs could be a novel cell-based therapeutic strategy for prevention and treatment of ALI/ARDS.