Distribution of Lactoferrin Is Related with Dynamics of Neutrophils in Bacterial Infected Mice Intestine.

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a conserved iron-binding glycoprotein with antimicrobial activity, which is present in secretions that recover mucosal sites regarded as portals of invaded pathogens. Although numerous studies have focused on exogenous Lf, little is known about its expression of endogenous Lf upon bacterial infection. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Lf in mice intestine during Escherichia coli (E. coli) K88 infection. PCR and immunohistology staining showed that mRNA levels of Lf significantly increased in duodenum, ileum and colon, but extremely decreased in jejunum at 8 h and 24 h after infection. Meanwhile, endogenous Lf was mostly located in the lamina propria of intestine villi, while Lf receptor (LfR) was in the crypts. It suggested that endogenous Lf-LfR interaction might not be implicated in the antibacterial process. In addition, it was interesting to find that the infiltration of neutrophils into intestine tissues was changed similarly to Lf expression. It indicated that the variations of Lf expression were rather due to an equilibrium between the recruitment of neutrophils and degranulation of activated neutrophils. Thus, this new knowledge will pave the way to a more effective understanding of the role of Lf in intestinal mucosal immunity.

Effectiveness of the Chronic Care Model in Type 2 Diabetes Management in a Community Health Service Center in China: A Group Randomized Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: The Chronic Care Model, based on core elements of team-centered care in chronic diseases, has widely been accepted. This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the Chronic Care Model in type 2 diabetes management. METHODS: A group randomized experimental study was conducted. Twelve communities of the Zhaohui Community Health Service Center in Hangzhou, China, were randomly assigned into an intervention group (n = 6) receiving the Chronic Care Model-based intervention and a control group (n = 6) receiving conventional care. A total of three hundred patients, twenty-five for each community, aged ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes for at least 1-year duration, were recruited. Data of health behaviors, clinical outcomes, and health-related quality of life (Short-Form 36-item questionnaire) were collected before and after a 9-month intervention and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test, binary logistic regression, and linear mixed regression. A total of 258 patients (134 in intervention and 124 in control) who completed the baseline and follow-up evaluations and the entire intervention were included in the final analyses. RESULTS: Health behaviors such as drinking habit (OR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.75), physical activity (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.18, 7.25), and diet habit (OR = 4.30, 95% CI: 1.49, 12.43) were improved. The intervention group had a remarkable reduction in glycated hemoglobin (from 7.17% to 6.60%, P < 0.001). The quality of life score changes of the role limitation due to physical problems (mean = 9.97, 95% CI: 3.33, 16.60), social functioning (mean = 6.50, 95% CI: 2.37, 10.64), role limitation due to emotional problems (mean = 8.06, 95% CI: 2.15, 13.96), and physical component summary score (mean = 3.31, 95% CI: 1.22, 5.39) were improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The Chronic Care Model-based intervention helped improve some health behaviors, clinical outcomes, and quality of life of type 2 diabetes patients in China in a short term.

[Effects of pioglitazone on MKP-1 and TSP-1 expression in early stages of diabetic retinopathy induced by streptozotocin].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of pioglitazone on MKP-1 and TSP-1 expression in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and the relevant mechanism in it. METHODS: Diabetic rats were induced by an intraperitoneal injection of STZ in SD rats. Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: diabetes adding pioglitazone group (intragastric administration pioglitazone 20 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), diabetes adding BBS group and normal control group. The body weight and blood glucose were measured every two weeks. Eight weeks later, all rats were killed and the expression of TSP-1 and MKP-1 mRNA was quantified in retinal tissue by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) respectively. RESULT: TSP-1 and MKP-1 concentrations were significantly increased in the diabetic rats' retinal tissue compared to the control rats. Diabetes groups adding pioglitazone caused the upregulation of TSP-1 and MKP-1 expression in the retina among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Pioglitazone treatment can significantly attenuate the evolutionary in the early stages of experimental diabetic retinopathy. Further studies should address the possible involvement of TSP-1 and MKP-1 in the correlational pathophysiology between pioglitazone and diabetic retinopathy.