Determination of CD64 for the Diagnosis of Bacterial Chronic Prostatitis.

PROBLEM: CD64 is a 72-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein, the highest affinity receptor of immunoglobulin (IgG), and a member of the IgG superfamily. The CD64 expression by leukocytes in the prostatic fluid was determined by flow cytometry to explore the clinical significance of this glycoprotein in the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis (CP). METHOD OF STUDY: Prostatic fluid samples collected from 116 CP patients and 27 normal cases were subjected to bacterial culture and leukocyte CD64 expression determination using flow cytometry with monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The leukocyte CD64 expression levels of the pathogen groups were significantly higher than those of the normal groups, especially those of Staphylococcus simulans (3879.26 ± 764.52/cell) and Staphylococcus auricularis (2903.14 ± 137.61/cell). The leukocyte CD64 expression in the prostatic fluid was more rapidly and accurately detected by flow cytometry than by bacterial culture. CONCLUSIONS: CD64 expression by leukocytes in the prostatic fluid correlated with bacterial infection and may serve as a marker for the early diagnosis of CP.

Protective effects of Gingko biloba extract 761 on myocardial infarction via improving the viability of implanted mesenchymal stem cells in the rat heart.

When introduced into the infarcted heart, bone marrow­derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) prevent the heart from deleterious remodeling and improve its recovery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb) 761 on the infarcted myocardium microenvironment following MSC transplantation. The established rat myocardial infarction (MI) model, with implanted PKH­26 marked MSCs (1x105 cells), were randomly divided into two groups: The control group (injected with normal saline) and the EGb 761 treatment group (injected with 100 mg/kg/day EGb 761). The following indices for cardiac function, including the extent of inflammation, oxidative stress, MSC apoptosis and MSC differentiation were measured 1, 2 and 7 days after treatment. The anti­inflammatory effect of EGb 761 was observed by histological examination. Compared with the respective control group, the malondialdehyde content significantly decreased and the superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity significantly increased in the EGb761­treated groups. In addition, the apoptotic index gradually decreased (P<0.05) with the extension of MI time in the EGb761-treated groups compared to the respective control groups, suggesting that EGb761 exhbits anti-oxidative effects. In addition, the level of the Fas protein was positively correlated with the implanted MSC apoptotic ratio. Following 7 days of MSC transplantation with EGb 761 treatment, the expression of cTnI in PKH26­labeled MSCs was observed in the transplanted myocardium. Cardiac function, including the ejection fraction, left ventricular end­systolic pressure and dp/dtmax significantly increased, and the left ventricular end diastolic diameters, left ventricular end­diastolic volumes and left ventricular end­diastolic pressure significantly decreased (P<0.05, vs. the control group). The results demonstrated that EGb 761 is important in improving cardiac function and the infarcted myocardium microenvironment. The present study indicated that the protective effects of EGb 761 on the infarcted myocardium may be mediated by improving the viability and the differentiation of the implanted MSCs into cardiomyocytes.

IL-18 levels in the semen of male infertility: semen analysis.

This study investigated the relationship between interleukin (IL)-18 levels and male infertility. Semen samples from 57 infertile and normal males were subjected to semen analysis. The pH of the semen samples from normal and abnormal groups showed no significant difference (p>0.05). However, semen volume, density, forward movement percentage, activity, survival rate, and normal morphology rate of the sperms in the normal group were significantly higher than those of the abnormal group (p<0.01). The IL-18 levels of semen in the abnormal group (810.91 pg/mL) were higher than that of the normal group (402.74 pg/mL; p<0.01). Analyses indicate that seminal fluid IL-18 positively correlates with IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Seminal IL-18 level does not affect bacterial colony count. Results indicate that IL-18 may be important in male reproduction.