Aberrant Human Epididymal Protein 4 in Heart Failure Patients' Serum and its Association with C-Reactive Protein, Uric Acid and Homocysteine.

BACKGROUND: The goal was to explore the aberrant human epididymal protein 4 (HE4) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and its association with C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid (UA), and homocysteine (HCY). METHODS: Analysis of serum HE4 and its relevance with associated indexes in 117 CHF patients was implemented. RESULTS: Serum HE4 in CHF patients was linked with the disease's severity and CRP, UA, and HCY. An assessment value was provided for it (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HE4 is aberrant in CHF patients' serum and is associated with the disease's severity and CRP, UA, and HCY's indexes.

Decolorization of methylene blue in aqueous suspensions of gold nanoparticles using parallel nanosecond pulsed laser.

Using 532 nm parallel nanosecond pulsed laser, the decolorization of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous suspensions of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) was studied. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as irradiation time, laser energy, and initial MB concentration on the decolorization rate were investigated. Experiments using real samples of textile dyeing wastewater were also carried out to examine the effectiveness of the method in more complex samples. From the results, the following conclusions may be drawn: (i) Under the optimum conditions (pH 7.19, 135 mJ laser energy, 4 mg/L MB concentration, and 11.6 mg/L GNP concentration), the rate of MB decolorization could reach 94% in 15 min. The decolorization follows pseudo-first-order kinetics; (ii) The amount of MB decreased rapidly during the decolorization. No intermediates of the decolorization could be detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. These observations indicate that MB was decolorized through a very rapid degradation mechanism; (iii) The rate of MB decolorization increased with the increase in laser energy (at laser energies of 0 to 135 mJ); and, (iv) The efficient decolorization of MB in real samples of textile dyeing wastewater was achieved at a decolorization rate of about 85% in 15 min.

Accelerated wound healing by in vivo application of keratinocytes overexpressing KGF.

Epidermal regeneration is a complex process, strongly influenced by growth factors, including keratinocyte growth factor (KGF). The objective of this study was to establish immortalized HaCaT keratinocytes and KMST-6-fibroblasts stably expressing KGF. Transfection efficiency, genomic integration, and functionality of the transgene were determined by ELISA and PCR, and KGF-expressing clones were selected using an air-liquid interface test system. HaCaT cells displayed stronger transgene expression compared to transfected fibroblasts, and the most effective HaCaT clone was incubated on a membrane carrier to form a "membrane cell graft." Twenty-one superficial second-degree burn wounds were created in each of three pigs, and wound healing capacity of the generated "polypeptide cell delivery system" after grafting was examined. Untransfected HaCaT keratinocytes and membrane-covered and untreated burn wounds served as controls. Histological and macroscopical follow-up revealed that grafting of transfected HaCaT cells resulted in complete reepithelialization within 5 days, while wounds covered with untransfected cells needed 2 days longer. At untreated sites, a thin epithelium was detectable after 10 days. The results indicate that wound healing processes can be stimulated distinctly by growth factors secreted from HaCaT cells, with a prominent role for transgenic KGF.