ABSTRACT
Abstract Objective To explore the relationship between Growth Hormone Insulin-like Growth Factors (GH-IGFs) and growth retardation in children with bronchial asthma. Methods 112 children with bronchial asthma and 50 healthy children were studied. Serum GH, IGF-1, and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 (IGFBP3) were assessed by ELISA. GH-IGFs-related parameters were compared, and the correlation between the parameters and bronchial asthma severity was analyzed. The bronchial asthma group was divided into the growth retardation group and non-growth retardation group to analyze the diagnostic value of GH-IGFs in growth retardation and the relationship between GH-IGFs and growth retardation. Results GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP3 in the bronchial asthma group were lower. GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP3 levels were decreased with the severity of bronchial asthma. GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP3 in the growth retardation group were lower than those in the non-growth retardation group. The AUC of GH-IGFs combined detection was higher than that of GH and IGFBP3 alone detection. GH < 9.27 μg/L and IGF-1 < 179.53 mmoL/L were risk factors for growth retardation in patients with bronchial asthma. Conclusion GH-IGFs-related parameters have diagnostic value for growth retardation in children, and decreased levels of GH and IGF-1 are risk factors for growth retardation in children.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Scavenger receptor class B (SRB) is a multifunctional protein in animals that participates in physiological processes, including recognition of a wide range of ligands. Astaxanthin is a major carotenoid found in shrimp. However, the molecular mechanism of astaxanthin and SRB protein binding has not been reported. RESULTS: In the present study, a member of the SRB subfamily, named PmSRB, was identified from the transcriptome of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). The open reading frame of PmSRB was 1557 bp in length and encoded 518 amino acids. The structure of PmSRB included a putative transmembrane structure at the N-terminal region and a CD36 domain. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that the CD36 domain were conserved. Phylogenetic analysis showed four separate branches (SRA, SRB, SRC, and croquemort) in the phylogenetic tree and that PmSRB was clustered with SRB of Eriocheir sinensis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that the PmSRB gene was widely expressed in all tissues tested, with the highest expression level observed in the lymphoid organ and brain. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that PmSRB-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion proteins were predominantly localized in the cell membrane. The recombinant proteins of PmSRB showed binding activities against astaxanthin in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: PmSRB was identified and characterized in this study. It is firstly reported that PmSRB may take as an important mediator of astaxanthin uptake in shrimp.
Subject(s)
Animals , Penaeidae , Receptors, Scavenger/metabolism , In Vitro Techniques , Blotting, Western , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Sequence Alignment , Xanthophylls , Receptors, Scavenger/isolation & purification , Receptors, Scavenger/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , TranscriptomeABSTRACT
Abstract P53 And DNA Damage-Regulated Gene 1 (PDRG1) is a novel gene which plays an important role in chaperone-mediated protein folding. In the present study, the full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of the PDRG1 gene from Penaeus monodon (PmPDRG1) was cloned by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method. The cDNA of PmPDRG1 spans 1,613 bp, interrupted by only one short intron, and encodes a protein of 136 amino acids with calculated molecular weight of 15.49 kDa. The temporal expression profile of PmPDRG1 in different tissues and in different developmental stages of the ovary was investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). An RNA interference (RNAi) experiment was performed to study the relationship between P. monodon p53 (Pmp53) and PmPDRG1, and the results showed that the relative expression level of PmPDRG1 mRNA was notably up-regulated from 12 h to 96 h after Pmp53 was silenced both in ovary and hepatopancreas. To further explore the role of PmPDRG1 in ovarian development, dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-injected shrimps were analyzed by RT-qPCR, indicating that PmPDRG1 may be involved in the regulation of ovarian development of P. monodon.
ABSTRACT
Hepatic abscesses and hepatic metastasis are common diseases. However, hepatic abscesses seldom occur in patients with hepatic metastases. We describe a case of a 67-year-old female patient with abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed several lesions, with the largest lesion displaying features of both hepatic pyogenic abscess and liver metastasis. These features included iso- or hypointense signaling on T1WI and T2WI, hyperintense signaling on diffusion weighted imaging of the thick wall, and mixed hyperintense signal in the center on DWI, as well as dramatic and irregular peripheral enhancement was detected on LAVA dynamic contrast scanning. Aspiration and culture of the largest lesions revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae and a pathologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. At this point, the patient admitted a history of colon adenocarcinoma 9 years ago treated with hemicolectomy. Therefore, this patient was considered to have a hepatic pyogenic abscesses complicated by hepatic metastasis. The patient began treatment for the responsible pathogens and underwent chemoembolization of the liver lesions. In special cases, we could attempt to pursue a more detailed search for coexistence of microorganism infection and tumor