Quantitative assessment of early kidney injury using high frame rate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in a rabbit model of diabetic nephropathy.

AIM: To explore benefits of high-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (H-CEUS) for early kidney injury in a rabbit model of diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: Diabetic rabbits were induced with alloxan administration and split into 2 groups with or without urinary microalbuminuria after a fatty and sugary diet: diabetic rabbits with nephropathy (Group A) and diabetic rabbits without nephropathy (Group B). The control group (Group C) comprised healthy rabbits. Renal H-CEUS and conventional CEUS (C-CEUS) imaging were conducted. Serum creatinine (SCR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urinary microalbuminuria were measured. RESULTS: SCR and BUN levels were barely changed in Groups B and C (p>0.05), whereas Group A exhibited a rise (p<0.05). Perfusion parameters of the two CEUS modalities showed reduced peak intensity (PI) and ascending slope (AS) and elevated area under the curve (AUC) and time to peak (TTP) in Group A versus Group B (p<0.05) and Group B versus Group C (p<0.05). The arrival time (AT) and descending slope (DS) exhibited little difference among the three groups. H-CEUS had a stronger correlation of perfusion parameters with SCR and BUN than C-CEUS. CONCLUSIONS:  H-CEUS outperforms C-CEUS in diagnosing early renal damage in DN. H-CEUS perfusion parameters demonstrate temporal superiority over routine laboratory indices.

Structure Features and Anti-Gastric Ulcer Effects of Inulin-Type Fructan CP-A from the Roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf.

Radix Codonopsis has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for strengthening the immune system, improving poor gastrointestinal function, treating gastric ulcers and chronic gastritis and so on. In the present study, an inulin-type fructan CP-A was obtained from the roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. and its structure was confirmed by MS and NMR as (2 → 1) linked-ß-d-fructofuranose. The protective effects of CP-A against ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats were intensively investigated. A Lacy assay demonstrated that CP-A-treated group (50 mg/kg) showed the gastric damage level 1, which was similar to the positive control group, while the model group exhibited the gastric damage level 3. The Guth assay demonstrated that the mucosa ulcer index for CP-A groups at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg significantly decreased compared with that in the model group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, CP-A significantly increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and decreased the contents of MDA and NO, and the activity of MPO in gastric tissue in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The present research reported for the first time that inulin-type fructan CP-A were likely the potential component in Radix Codonopsis for treatment of acute gastric ulcers.

[Cultivation and serial propagation of a new rotavirus causing adult diarrhea in primary human embryo kidney cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the methodology of cultivation of the new rotavirus that causes adult diarrhea. METHODS: 10% suspension of new rotavirus positive stool specimens in DMEM with 100 microgram/ml trypsin was made and centrifuged at the speed of 3 000 rpm for 10 minutes. The supernatant was filtered with 0.45 micrometer-pore-sized membrane filter, and the filtrate was incubated at 37 degrees C for 60 minutes. Primary human embryo kidney (PHEK) cells were prepared and seeded into roller tubes at the concentration of 1 ml odf cell suspension per tube. At 1 hour prior to inoculation, the PHEK cells were rinsed and refed with serum-free DMEM. Immediately before inoculation, the DMEM was decanted, and 200 microliter of prepared filtrate was inoculated into each tube. The tubes were incubated at 37 degrees C for 1 hour. At the end of 1 hour 800 microliter of DMEM containing trypsin (100 microgram per ml) were added to each tube. The tubes were placed in a roller tube apparatus at 37 degrees C for 3 days, removed and frozen-thawed once. 200 microliter of the cell culture fluids (CCF) were used for inoculation of each tube for next virus passage. Detection of new rotavirus from CCF was carried out by PAGE, IF, EM and IEM. RESULTS: New rotavirus was successfully isolated in cultured cells from 1 of 10 specimens. The isolated virus, designated J19, was propagated in PHEK cells for 28 passages. RNA patterns of J19 strain were identical to that of original new rotavirus inoculum and different from that of group A, B, C rotavirus. PHEK cells infected with the J19 strain were detected by IF. Infected cells reacted with convalescent antisera to the new rotavirus, but did not react with convalescent antisera to ADRV and hyperimmune antisera against group A, B rotavirus. Rotavirus particles were detected by EM, IEM in infected CCF of J19 strain. Other viral particles were not observed. The particles were aggregated with convalescent antisera to new rotavirus. CONCLUSION: We were successful in adapting a new rotavirus to serial propagation in PHEK cells. The J19 strain is a kind of new rotavirus different from group A, B, C rotavirus. This is the first report on the cultivation and propagation of the new rotavirus in cultured cells.