Study on the correlation between adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein, glucolipid metabolism, and pre-eclampsia.

AIM: We aimed to explore the relation between the level of adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein (A-FABP) in the gestational period and related indices of glucolipid metabolism, and the possible mechanisms of occurrence and development of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Seventy-six pre-eclampsia patients were enrolled and divided into the mild pre-eclampsia (n = 42) and severe pre-eclampsia (n = 34) groups. Forty-eight healthy pregnant women were selected as a control group. The indices of all participants were examined, including serum A-FABP, fasting insulin (FINS), fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was calculated. After the delivery of the placenta, the level of A-FABP in the placenta was detected by immunochemistry. Then, the correlation between serum A-FABP and indices of glucolipid metabolism and placental A-FABP were analyzed. RESULTS: Serum A-FABP, FINS, TG, TC, HOMA-IR, and placental A-FABP were significantly higher in pre-eclampsia patients and the level of HDL was obviously lower than in the control group. Serum A-FABP was positively correlated with FINS, TG, TC, and HOMA-IR, and placental A-FABP was negatively correlated with HDL in pre-eclampsia patients. In the control group, serum A-FABP was positively correlated only with TG, and uncorrelated with the other indices (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of A-FABP was correlated with insulin resistance and indices of glucolipid metabolism in pre-eclampsia patients. High-levels of A-FABP might increase insulin resistance by causing glucose and lipid metabolism disorders and ultimately inducing the occurrence and development of pre-eclampsia.

FAM3A Protects Against Glutamate-Induced Toxicity by Preserving Calcium Homeostasis in Differentiated PC12 Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, and glutamate-induced dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is a key mechanism. FAM3A is the first member of the family with sequence similarity 3 (FAM3) gene family, and its biological function remains largely unknown. We have recently reported that FAM3A exerts protective effects against oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in HT22 cells. METHODS: Here, we investigated the protective effects of FAM3A using a glutamate-induced neuronal injury model in nerve growth factor (NGF)-differentiated PC12 cells. The protective effects were determined by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, apoptosis and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Ca2+ imaging was performed to detect changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in PC12 cells. The related molecular mechanisms were investigated by fluorescence staining, coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and western blotting. RESULTS: Upregulation of FAM3A by lentivirus transfection markedly decreased LDH release, inhibited apoptosis and reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress, which were accompanied by alleviated intracellular Ca2+ levels as measured by calcium imaging. The results of western blotting showed that FAM3A significantly decreased the surface expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1/5 (mGluR1/5), with no effect on the expression of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunits. FAM3A overexpression also inhibited the intracellular Ca2+ release mediated by mGluR1/5 and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), but not the ryanodine receptor (RyR). In addition, FAM3A significantly attenuated the store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) induced by thapsigargin (Tg), but the expression of SOCE-related proteins was not altered. The results of coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) showed that FAM3A disrupted the interaction of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) with Orai1 triggered by glutamate. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the upregulation of FAM3A protects against glutamate-induced dysfunction of Ca2+ homeostasis not only by inhibiting mGluR1/5-dependent endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ release, but also by attenuating SOCE mediated by the STIM1-Orai1 interaction.

Treatment of rectovaginal fistula by magnetic compression.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is an abnormal epithelium-lined connection between the rectum and vagina. The primary effective treatment is surgical repair, but recurrence remains a challenge. Magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA), an alternative to suturing, has been developed to generate an anastomosis between various hollow viscera. We hypothesized that the MCA approach could be used to treat RVF. METHOD: We designed a novel MCA device for RVF treatment and evaluated the magnetic compression procedure in a RVF pig model in comparison with the traditional suturing procedure. Following satisfactory outcomes, we also applied the MCA procedure to a human patient with recurrent RVF. The MCA device was designed based on the anatomical characteristics of the pig vagina and previous literature. The pig RVF model were established surgically (n = 12), and compression and control groups were each treated. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: qqExcept in one animal in each group, the RVF site was smooth and healing was complete. Histological analysis confirmed complete healing of the RVF with high histological continuity to neighboring tissues. The compression procedure applied to our patient with RVF was successful. The patient recovered quickly without complications, and RVF did not recur during a 15-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: From this preliminary investigation, MCA using our novel device appears to be a safe, simple, and effective nonsurgical procedure for the treatment of RVF.

Role of prostaglandin E and its receptors in the process of ductus arteriosus maturation and functional closure in the rabbit.

1. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect in premature infants. The present study was designed to determine the role of the prostaglandin (PG) E(2) pathway in the process of ductus arteriosus (DA) maturation and functional closure. 2. Changes in PGE(2) pathway-related enzymes and receptors in DA in preterm and term rabbits were examined at both the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, responses of DA rings to Po(2) and PGE(2) were determined. 3. Circulating PGE(2) levels remained high until 2 h after birth. High levels of the EP(4) receptor were found in preterm DA. These tissues were sensitive to PGE(2), which caused vessel dilation, but were insensitive to increased Po(2). In contrast, DA tissues from term rabbits exhibited an immediate contractile response to increased Po(2) and PGE(2) treatment resulted in vasoconstriction, which was associated with increased EP(3) and decreased EP(4) receptor expression in term DA. 4. In conclusion, the preterm PDA is maintained by high levels of PGE(2), which mainly binds to the EP(4) receptor under conditions of hypoxia. In contrast, in the term DA, in which levels of the EP(3) receptor are higher than in preterm DA, exposure to PGE(2) resulted in vasoconstriction under normoxic conditions. These findings suggest that blocking the EP(4) receptor may represent a more selective treatment for the preterm PDA, whereas activating the EP(3) receptor may be more suitable for the treatment of the term PDA.

Association between FGFR4 gene polymorphism and high-risk HPV infection cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To discuss the association between FGFR4 gene polymorphism rs351855 (Glu388Aly) and the susceptibility and chemotherapeutic effect of cervical cancer infected by high-risk type HPV. METHODS: A total of 162 patients with high-risk HPV cervical cancer and 162 healthy women were collected and the genotypes of the FGFR4 rs351855 locus were detected. The genotype distributions in the two groups were compared. The cervical cancer patients were divided into four groups which namely good therapeutic effect group and bad therapeutic effect, recurrence or metastasis and no recurrence or metastasis group respectively, and the risks of different genotype on the curative effect and prognosis were analyzed by Logistic regression. The survival time of patients with different genotypes was compared. RESULTS: There was no statistic difference in FGFR4 rs351855 genotype distribution between the patients group and control group (P > 0.05), among which the risk of chemotherapy failure on GA + AA patients was 3.257 times as much as that of the GG patients, and the risk of recurrence or metastasis of GA + AA patients was 2.783 times as much as that of the GG patients. For AA patients, the risk of chemotherapy failure and the risk of relapse and metastasis are 3.833 and 3.406 times, respectively, as much as that of the GG patients. The overall survival of GA and AA patients was shorter than that of the GG patients, and significant difference was found (χ2 = 7.098, P = 0.029). The difference in overall survival between GA + AA patients and GG patients was almost statistically significant (χ2 = 3.634, P = 0.057). CONCLUSIONS: The FGFR4 rs351855 polymorphism is not associated with the susceptibility of high-risk HPV cervical cancer, but patients with gene A was at higher risk of unfavorable chemotherapy prognosis compared with patients with GG.

[Study on the unintended pregnancy among married women of child-bearing age living in Qingshan district, Wuhan].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of unintended pregnancy (UP) and exploring the risk factors of UP for married women of child-bearing age from Qingshan district, Wuhan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was adopted in this study. Cluster sampling method was used with 3256 women recruited, in 2010. Information on history and risks related to social-demographic factors of UP were collected, using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 3256 participants, over half of them (53.8%) reorted ever having had the history of UP and 9.1% reported UP in the past year. Rate of UP in the past year for different age cohorts (18-30, 31-40, 41-49 years) were 31.8%, 10.5% and 1.8% respectively. The most frequently reported reason for UP across all the age cohorts was "Did not use any contraceptive methods", with proportions on the reason that reported by women at 18-30, 31-40 and 41-49 year-olds, were 69.7%, 51.1% and 42.4% respectively. The second frequently reported reasons for UP were "Failure of traditional contraception" for younger cohort (18-30 years: 13.0%) and "IUD dropped or pregnancy with IUD" for older-age cohorts (23.4% at 31-40 year-olds and 37.0% at the 41-49 year-olds). The most frequently cited reason for "Did not use any contraceptive methods" was "Believe we were lucky so far, not to get pregnant" (59.6%). The risk factors of UP were being at older age, experiencing sex debut at younger age and got married at younger age. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of lifetime UP history was high among women at child-bearing age from Qingshan district, Wuhan. Reproductive health services and interventions should be taken according to the needs from different age cohorts of women. Younger cohort of women should receive more attention.