Risk of osteoporosis and fracture in victims with burn injury.

Osteoporosis is a well-known bone disorder affecting people worldwide. Patients with osteoporosis have an increased risk of bone fracture. This study provides new information on the risk of developing osteoporosis post burn injury and the risk of fracture among those with osteoporosis developed. INTRODUCTION: The relationship between burn injury and hip fracture risk is unclear. Population-based evaluation on relationships between burn injury and osteoporosis development and subsequent fractures is limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study as the investigation. METHODS: From the insurance data of Taiwan, we established a cohort of 43,532 patients with a burn injury in 2000-2012 and a comparison cohort of 174,124 individuals without such an injury, frequency matched by sex, age, and diagnosis date. Both cohorts were followed up to the end of 2013 to evaluate the occurrence of osteoporosis and hip fracture. RESULTS: The incidence of osteoporosis was greater in the burn cohort than in the comparison cohort (6.40 vs. 4.75 per 1,000 person-years) with an adjusted IRR of 1.35 (95% confidence interval = 1.32-1.39). The incidence rates in both cohorts were greater in women than in men, increased with age, income, and Charlson comorbidity index. Patients with burns involving 20%-49% of total body surface area and with burns confined to the lower/upper limbs had the greatest incidence rates, 8.32 and 8.58 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Osteoporosis incidence increased further to 22.7 per 1,000 person-years for burn victims with comorbid diabetes. The risk of fracture was over five-fold greater for burn victims with osteoporosis developed than for comparisons without osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: Patients who have a burn injury deserve prevention intervention to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fracture.

Hip fracture risk in patients with burn injury: a retrospective cohort study in Taiwan.

This work aimed to evaluate the hip fracture risk for patients with burn injury. A total of 16,430 patients with burn injury had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.54 to encounter a hip fracture, compared with controls without the injury. These results encourage future studies focusing on mechanisms leading to fracture associated with burn injury. INTRODUCTION: The relationship between burn injury and hip fracture risk is unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate this relationship. METHODS: From insurance data of Taiwan, we identified a cohort with 16,430 burn patients in 2000-2010 and a comparison cohort of 65,716 persons without the history of burn, frequency matched by sex, age, and diagnosis date. Both cohorts were followed up to the end of 2011 to evaluate the risk of hip fracture. RESULTS: Patients with burn injury were 1.62-fold more likely than comparisons to encounter a hip fracture (6.95 vs. 4.28 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.54 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-1.68). The fracture incidence increased with age and is slightly greater for women than for men in both cohorts. The fracture risk was greater for patients with burn in the eyes, face, and head with an incidence of 7.14 per 1000 person-years, or an aHR of 2.09 (95% CI = 1.53, 2.86). Diabetes and osteoporosis were also associated with an increased hip fracture risk. CONCLUSION: Burn injury is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture. Diabetes and osteoporosis are associated with an enhanced risk.

Evaluation of nasal patency by visual analogue scale/nasal obstruction symptom evaluation questionnaires and anterior active rhinomanometry after septoplasty: a retrospective one-year follow-up cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of septoplasty and the correlation between the subjective evaluations of a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire and active anterior rhinomanometry of the nasal airway after septoplasty. DESIGN: A retrospective, individual cohort study. SETTING: Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty patients with chronic nasal obstruction were enrolled in the study. All 50 patients underwent septoplasty because of nasal septal deviation. Another 28 patients without nasal symptoms served as controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: VAS, NOSE and active anterior rhinomanometry were used to measure the sensation of nasal obstruction. All measurements were performed in both groups preoperatively and then repeated on three postoperative visits (3, 6 and 12 months). RESULTS: The mean VAS score, NOSE score and the nasal resistance in the narrow side of the nose in the study group showed reduced symptoms at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively compared with the respective preoperative measurements (P < 0.001, all). The VAS and NOSE scores did not significantly correlate with total nasal resistance preoperatively or postoperatively. The VAS and nasal resistance in the obstructed nasal cavity correlated significantly preoperatively (P < 0.05), but not postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The subjective and objective symptoms of nasal obstruction had improved 1 year after septoplasty. A significant correlation between VAS scores and nasal resistance in the narrow side of the nose was found before surgery. The subjective and objective measurements of nasal obstruction lacked significant correlation postoperatively.

Increased risk of stroke among hip fracture patients: a nationwide cohort study.

SUMMARY: Our study indicates that hip fracture is independently associated with increased risk of developing stroke. In addition, the risk of stroke following the incidence of hip fracture is more prominent in younger patients, men, those with cardiovascular comorbidities, and in patients using specific medication, such as diuretics and ABRs. INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures are associated with increased risk of major morbidity. However, few data are available on the risk of stroke after hip fracture. Therefore, we investigated whether hip fracture increases the risk of stroke in a large nationwide cohort study. METHODS: Using universal insurance claims data, we identified a study cohort comprising of 6013 newly diagnosed with hip fracture patients from 2000 to 2010 and a non-hip fracture cohort of 23,802 participants. Incidence and risk of stroke were estimated for both cohorts until the end of 2011. RESULTS: Stroke incidence was 1.69-fold (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.56-1.83) higher in the hip fracture cohort than in the comparison cohort with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.54 (95% CI=1.42-1.67) for the hip fracture cohort. The hip fracture patients were at higher risk of developing ischemic stroke (HR=1.55, 95% CI=1.42-1.69) and hemorrhagic stroke (HR=1.55, 95% CI=1.16-1.89), respectively. At an incidence of 64.6 per 1000 person-years, the adjusted HR of stroke increases to 3.10 (95% CI=2.47-3.90) for patients with coexisting diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure compared with those without these three conditions. At an incidence of 60.4 per 1000 person-years, the adjusted HR of stroke increases to 2.92 (95% CI=2.43-3.51) for hip fracture patients prescribed with diuretics and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) compared with those without hip fracture or prescriptions for diuretics or ARBs. CONCLUSIONS: Hip fracture is independently associated with a subsequent risk of stroke.

Increased risk of coronary heart disease in patients with hip fracture: a nationwide cohort study.

UNLABELLED: The study indicates that hip fracture is independently associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, the highest risk of coronary heart disease following hip fracture appeared within the first year after hip fracture, indicating the need for multidisciplinary care for the patients. INTRODUCTION: Bone and vasculature are modulated through numerous common pathways. However, data on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) after hip fracture are scarce. Therefore, we investigated whether hip fracture increased the risk of CHD by conducting a large nationwide cohort study. METHODS: Using universal insurance claims data from 2000 to 2010, we identified a study cohort of 6013 participants newly diagnosed with hip fracture and a control cohort of 23,802 participants. Both cohorts were followed up to the end of 2011 to evaluate the risk of CHD. RESULTS: The overall incidence of CHD was 1.69-fold higher in the hip fracture cohort than it was in the control cohort (29.2 vs. 17.1 per 1000 person-years) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.51 (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.39-1.65). Sex-, age-, and comorbidity-specific analyses showed a higher relative risk of CHD for both women and men, all age groups, those with and without comorbidities, and patients with hip fracture compared with the control cohort. The highest risk of CHD was within the first year after hip fracture (adjusted HR = 1.72, 95 % CI = 1.45-2.04), and the risk remained high in the following years. CONCLUSION: Hip fracture was independently associated with a subsequent risk of CHD.

Social connections and happiness among the elder population of Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between social connections and happiness among members of the elder population of Taiwan. METHODS: Longitudinal panel data collected in three waves from 1999 to 2007 that are selected from national samples of Taiwanese older people were used for the analysis (n = 4731 persons). Happiness was defined as a dichotomous variable. Social connection variables included living arrangements, contacts with children/grandchildren/parents/relatives/friends, telephone contacts, providing instrumental and informational support, receiving instrumental and emotional support, and social participation. We controlled for the variables demographics, physical and mental health, economic satisfaction, and lifestyle. A generalized linear model (GLM) was applied in the analysis. RESULTS: Happiness remained stable over time. Receiving more emotional support and participating in social events were related to happiness at the beginning, while the effect of social participation was offset over time. Living arrangements, telephone contacts, providing social support, and receiving instrumental support were not significant. CONCLUSION: The quality of social relationships experienced is possibly more important than the quantity of social interaction for older people, and having social relationships outside the informal social network may increase happiness.

Greater risk of hip fracture in hemodialysis than in peritoneal dialysis.

UNLABELLED: Several differences may have existed between patients treated with peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis because of the difference in dialysis modality. This nationwide population-based cohort study demonstrated that patients on hemodialysis had an increased risk of hip fracture compared to patients on peritoneal dialysis; the hazard ratio was 1.52. INTRODUCTION: Numerous debates on which dialysis modality is "superior" have taken place in recent decades. However, no large-scale study has ever mentioned about the relationship between dialysis modality and risk of hip fracture. METHODS: We identified 64,124 incident end-stage renal disease patients from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between 1998 and 2008, including 59,457 (92.72%) hemodialysis (HD) and 4,667 (7.28%) peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. After 8:1 propensity score matching, 31,554 patients, of whom 28,048 were HD and 3,506 were PD patients, were included in the study. We conducted the Cox proportional hazards model to examine the effects of dialysis modality and other variables on hip fracture risk. RESULTS: A total of 2,587 hip fractures were identified in 64,124 dialysis patients. The incidence rate of hip fracture was 13.60 per 1000 patient-years in the HD group and 6.25 in the PD group. Dialysis modality, sex, age, presence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, medication with antiepileptic drugs, diuretics, steroids, and vitamin D had statistically significant associations with hip fracture. Patients on HD had an increased risk of hip fracture compared to patients on PD; the hazard ratio (HR) was 1.52 (95% CI: 1.09-2.12, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based cohort study, HD had a greater hip fracture risk compared to PD; the HR was 1.52. We should focus more on reducing the risk of hip fractures in hemodialysis patients.

Increased cancer risk in patients with haemophilia A: a nationwide population-based 14-year study in Taiwan.

Haemostasis is associated with the development and dissemination of cancer. Whether cancer incidence is increased in haemophiliacs remains uncertain; thus, we aimed to further examine this issue. By using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, we obtained a cohort of 683 patients with haemophilia A, and compared the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of cancer in this cohort with an age- and sex-matched control of 6830 patients. The log-rank test was used to compare Kaplan-Meier curve of the cumulative cancer incidence between two cohorts. Cox regressions were used to identify independent risk factors of cancer in the study patients. The cancer incidence of patients with haemophilia A was significantly higher compared to the control group (IRR 1.95, 95% CI 1.18-3.09, P = 0.008) during the 14-year follow-up period. The non-lymphoma and non-liver cancer incidence in the haemophilia A cohort remained higher than that of the matched control (P = 0.050 by the log-rank test). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that age (per year, HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12, P < 0.001) was the only significant risk factor for cancer development in haemophilia patients. Patients with haemophilia A had higher cancer incidence than the age- and sex-matched patients, especially for the elderly. With increasing life expectancy for haemophiliacs, physicians should be aware of their cancer development.

Excitons and biexcitons in InGaN quantum dot like localization centers.

Indium segregation in a narrow InGaN single quantum well creates quantum dot (QD) like exciton localization centers. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy reveals varying shapes and lateral sizes in the range ∼1-5 nm of the QD-like features, while scanning near field optical microscopy demonstrates a highly inhomogeneous spatial distribution of optically active individual localization centers. Microphotoluminescence spectroscopy confirms the spectrally inhomogeneous distribution of localization centers, in which the exciton and the biexciton related emissions from single centers of varying geometry could be identified by means of excitation power dependencies. Interestingly, the biexciton binding energy (E(b)xx) was found to vary from center to center, between 3 to -22 meV, in correlation with the exciton emission energy. Negative binding energies are only justified by a three-dimensional quantum confinement, which confirms QD-like properties of the localization centers. The observed energy correlation is proposed to be understood as variations of the lateral extension of the confinement potential, which would yield smaller values of E(b)xx for reduced lateral extension and higher exciton emission energy. The proposed relation between lateral extension and E(b)xx is further supported by the exciton and the biexciton recombination lifetimes of a single QD, which suggest a lateral extension of merely ∼3 nm for a QD with strongly negative E(b)xx = -15.5 meV.

Bovine lactoferricin B induces apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell line AGS by inhibition of autophagy at a late stage.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers, with poor prognosis and high mortality rates worldwide. Therefore, development of an effective therapeutic method without side effects is an urgent need. It has been reported that cationic antimicrobial peptides can selectively bind to negatively charged prokaryotic and cancer cell membranes and exert cytotoxicity without causing severe drug resistance. In the current study, we prepared a series of peptide fragments derived from bovine lactoferrin and evaluated their anticancer potency toward the gastric cancer cell line AGS. Cell viability assay revealed that a 25-AA peptide fragment, lactoferricin B25 (LFcinB25), exhibited the most potent anticancer capability against AGS cells. Lactoferricin B25 selectively inhibited AGS cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, exhibiting a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 64 µM. Flow cytometry showed a notable increment of the sub-G1 populations of the cell cycle, indicating the induction of apoptosis by LFcinB25. Western blot analysis further revealed that upon LFcinB25 treatment for 2 to 6h, apoptosis-related caspases-3, 7, 8, 9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were cleaved and activated, whereas autophagy-related LC3-II and beclin-1 were concomitantly increased. Thus, both apoptosis and autophagy are involved in the early stage of LFcinB25-induced cell death of AGS cells. However, upon treatment with LFcinB25 for 12 to 24h, LC3-II began to decrease, whereas cleaved beclin-1 increased in a time-dependent manner, suggesting that consecutive activation of caspases cleaved beclin-1 to inhibit autophagy, thus enhancing apoptosis at the final stage. These findings provide support for future application of LFcinB25 as a potential therapeutic agent for gastric cancer.

Chondroitin Sulfate Enhances Proliferation and Migration via Inducing ß-Catenin and Intracellular ROS as Well as Suppressing Metalloproteinases through Akt/NF-κB Pathway Inhibition in Human Chondrocytes.

BACKGROUND: Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is found in humans' cartilage, bone, cornea, skin, and arterial wall. It consists of the foundation substance in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissue. The oral supplement form of CS is clinically used in treating osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Cell migration was observed by the transwell assay. The EMT, Akt/IKK/IκB pathways, TIMPs, collagen and MMPs in cell lysate were determined by Western blotting. The expression of MMP activity was determined by gelatin zymography. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined by using a fluorescence spectrophotometer. RESULTS: In the current report, we demonstrated that CS can increase the cell proliferation and migration of chon-001 chondrocytes. Treatment with CS induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and increased the expression of type II collagen and TIMP-1/TIMP2 and inhibited the expressions and activities of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). The phosphorylation of Akt, IκB kinase (IKK), IκB and p65 was decreased by CS. CS treatment resulted in ß-catenin production and XAV939, a ß-catenin inhibitor, and inhibited the cell proliferation by CS treatment. In addition, also significantly induced intracellular ROS generation. Treatment with antioxidant propyl gallate blocked cell migration induced by CS. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that CS induced cell proliferation and migration of chondrocytes by inducing ß-catenin and enhancing ROS production. Moreover, our studies demonstrated that CS can increase the activity of chondrocytes and help patients with osteoarthritis to restore cartilage function.

A population-based study on trend in incidence of distal radial fractures in adults in Taiwan in 2000-2007.

UNLABELLED: This population-based study was conducted using claims data obtained from the National Health Insurance to investigate the trend in incidence of distal radial fractures in adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2007. Our results revealed an increasing trend, particularly among women >50 years of age. INTRODUCTION: This population-based study used insurance claims data from 2000 to 2007 obtained from the National Health Research Institute to investigate the longitudinal trend in distal radial fractures in adults ≥20 years old in Taiwan. METHODS: We estimated the age- and gender-specific annual incidence rates of distal radial fracture and compared the differences in distribution by sociodemographic status between patients with and those without distal radial fracture and the differences in incidence rates between 2000 and 2007. RESULTS: The incidence of fracture was higher in women than in men. The overall female-to-male rate ratios were 1.52 in 2000 (12.3 vs 8.06 per 10,000 persons) and 1.89 in 2007 (18.9 vs 10.0 per 10,000 persons). There was marked increase in age-specific incidence beginning in the 50-54-year age group, particularly among women. CONCLUSION: These results imply the need for more effective intervention for the prevention of subsequent fracture and disability, particularly for perimenopausal women.

Relationship of adiposity and body composition to the status of metabolic syndrome among ethnic Chinese Taiwanese.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The predictive power of adiposity and body compositions measured from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for identifying the risk of metabolic syndrome is unknown among ethnic Chinese. METHODS AND RESULTS: We designed a nested case-control study by recruiting 1000 cases of metabolic syndrome and 986 matched controls from a health checkup center. For identifying the metabolic syndrome status, the highest areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were waist-height ratio (WHtR) (0.967, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.960-0.976). The body fat mass vs. lean body mass and body mass index (BMI) had a similar AUC (0.896 for fat mass vs. lean body mass, 0886 for BMI, P=0.07). WHtR and waist circumference had the highest correctly classified proportions (0.89-0.90) and the highest Youden's index (0.77-0.81). The optimal cut point for WHtR was 52.5, with a sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 0.89 for discriminating metabolic syndrome risk. The incremental values of AUC, net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement values were still highest among WHtR, waist circumference and the percent body fat in the multivariate logistic model. CONCLUSION: Waist circumference and BIA-derived body component measures are suitable for clinical application in identifying the metabolic syndrome status among ethnic Chinese in Taiwan.

Visualizing CD4 T-cell migration into inflamed skin and its inhibition by CCR4/CCR10 blockades using in vivo imaging model.

BACKGROUND: Chemokines are critical mediators of T-cell homing into inflamed skin. The complex nature of this multicellular response makes it difficult to analyse mechanisms mediating the early responses in vivo. OBJECTIVES: To visualize directly T-cell homing into inflamed skin and its inhibition by blockades using a unique noninvasive confocal microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mouse model of allergic contact dermatitis was used. T cells from oxazolone-sensitized and -challenged Balb/c mice were first analysed phenotypically in vitro. CD4 T cells were then labelled with a tracker dye and transferred into Balb/c-SCID mice. The recipient mice were challenged with oxazolone and CD4 T-cell homing into inflamed skin was visualized. RESULTS: T cells with the skin homing receptors CCR4 and CCR10 were increased in the affected skin and draining lymph nodes, and effectively attracted by their specific chemokines CCL17, CCL22 and CCL27 in vitro. Using in vivo imaging, T-cell migration into the inflamed skin was observed at 2 h after application, peaking at 12 h and continuing for 48 h. Simultaneous systemic administration of neutralizing antibodies against CCR4 ligands (CCL17 and CCL22) and CCR10 ligand (CCL27) led to a significant suppression of T-cell migration and skin inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that these tissue-selective adhesion molecules and chemokine/receptor pathways act in concert to attract specialized T-cell populations to mediate cutaneous inflammation. The in vivo imaging technique can be applicable to other models of cutaneous diseases to help with better understanding of the pathogenesis and monitoring the therapeutic effects.

Aggressive digital papillary adenocarcinoma: a review.

Vigorous treatment of aggressive digital papillary adenocarcinoma (ADPA), including amputation, has been recommended by most authors, but the appropriateness and effectiveness of excision as an alternative to amputation has not been systematically evaluated. To evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of excision as an alternative to amputation in the treatment of ADPA, we reviewed the clinical presentations, treatments and patient outcomes presented in case reports on ADPA available on Ovid MEDLINE. We also assessed the results of immunohistochemical staining for proliferation markers in one patient in order to explain the nonaggressive nature of ADPA noted in that patient. Except for the duration of lesions, there was no significant difference in clinical outcome between the excision and amputation groups. We also found that p63 may be a useful marker for distinguishing primary ADPA from metastatic adenocarcinomas. In addition, the intensity of Ki67 expression in tumour cells may be a marker of aggressive behaviour and thus be helpful in therapeutic decision-making. Wide excision with or without sentinel lymph-node biopsy is a feasible alternative to amputation. It should be considered in patients who present with a long-standing history of ADPA without evidence of underlying bone invasion or distant metastasis and with low-intensity expression of proliferation markers.

Prognostic significance of insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein (IMP) 3 is expressed in embryonic tissues and multiple cancers. The aim was to establish the prognostic value of IMP-3 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: IMP-3 expression in resected gastric adenocarcinomas was analysed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: IMP-3 was expressed in 183 (58.1 per cent) of 315 tumours. Expression was associated with older age (P < 0.001), larger tumour size (P = 0.009), deep tumour invasion (P < 0.001) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). IMP-3-positive tumours were associated with poorer 5-year survival than negative tumours at all stages (stage I, 82 versus 97 per cent; stage II, 55 versus 78 per cent; stage III and IV, 11 versus 25 per cent; P = 0.005, P = 0.033 and P = 0.036 respectively). Multivariable analysis identified IMP-3 (hazard ratio (HR) 1.93), depth of tumour invasion (HR 3.69, 9.77 and 10.69 for pathological tumour stage (pT) 2, pT3 and pT4 respectively versus pT1), and lymph node metastasis (HR 1.57, 3.29 and 3.40 for pathological node stage (pN) 1, pN2 and pN3 respectively versus pN0) as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: IMP-3 expression correlates with the metastatic potential of gastric adenocarcinoma and is an independent prognostic factor.

Increased expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase is associated with anti-CCP and rheumatoid factor in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with higher levels of autoantibodies and IL-17. Here, we investigated if ectopic lymphoid follicles and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from RA patients exhibit increased activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), and if increased AID is correlated with serum levels of autoantibodies and IL-17. The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that organized AID(+) germinal centres were observed in six of the 12 RA synovial samples, and AID(+) cells were found almost exclusively in the B-cell areas of these follicles. Aggregated but not organized lymphoid follicles were found in only one OA synovial sample without AID(+) cells. Significantly higher levels of AID mRNA (Aicda) detected by RT-PCR were found in the PBMCs from RA patients than PBMCs from normal controls (P < 0.01). In the PBMCs from RA patients, AID was expressed predominately by the CD10(+)IgM(+)CD20(+) B-cell population and the percentage of these cells that expressed AID was significantly higher than in normal controls (P < 0.01). AID expression in the PBMCs correlated significantly and positively with the serum levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) (P

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in the migration of differentiated leukaemic cells toward alveolar epithelial cells.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) can induce acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). The current study investigated the role of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 in the chemotactic transmigration of ATRA-treated NB4 (ATRA-NB4) APL cells toward A549 alveolar epithelial cells. NB4 and A549 cells were separately cultured with ATRA and/or dexamethasone (DEX). ATRA-NB4 cells were then placed in an upper insert and co-incubated with A549 cells or their conditioned medium (CM) located in a lower plate to test their transmigration activity. ATRA stimulated NB4 cells to transmigrate toward the A549 cells. The secretion of MCP-1 was enhanced by ATRA treatment in both A549 and NB4 cells. The binding assay demonstrated that ATRA-NB4 cells bound MCP-1. Pre-treatment of both CM-A549 cells with antibodies against MCP-1 and of ATRA-NB4 cells with antibodies against MCP-1 receptors reduced ATRA-NB4 cell transmigration. DEX did not suppress MCP-1 secretion and transmigration in ATRA-NB4 cells, although when applied to A549 cells, MCP-1 secretion was suppressed and ATRA-NB4 cell transmigration was attenuated. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 secreted from alveolar epithelial cells plays an important role in the cell-cell interaction involved in the chemotactic transmigration of all-trans retinoic acid-treated acute promyelocytic leukaemia cells toward alveolar epithelial cells.

Aligned Er-doped ZnO nanorod arrays with enhanced 1.54 microm infrared emission.

Vertically aligned Er-doped ZnO nanorod arrays with sharp and intense 1.54 microm infrared emission have been fabricated on Si substrates through a well controlled spin-coating and annealing process. The synthesis method is advantageous for synthesizing ZnO nanostructures free from structural defects, capability for large-scale production, minimum equipment requirement and product homogeneity. Er atoms were found to incorporate into ZnO lattice from XRD, ESCA, TEM, STEM/EDS and PL measurements. The single-crystal Er-doped nanorods maintained their high microstructural quality after annealing for 4 hr at 800 degreesC. The intensity of 1.54 microm infrared emission was found to be correlated with the deep level green emission. The enhanced luminescence intensity and best ever narrow wavelength distribution of Er-doped ZnO nanorod arrays at 1.54 microm emission will be conductive to applications in optoelectronic devices and optical communications.