[A multicenter epidemiological study of acute bacterial meningitis in children].

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum ß-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ2=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.

Design of an electric-driven nonvolatile low-energy-consumption phase change optical switch.

Traditional optical switches relying on the weak, volatile thermo-optic or electro-optic effects of Si or SiN waveguides show a high consumption and large footprint. In this paper, we reported an electric-driven phase change optical switch consisting of a Si waveguide, Ge2Sb2Te5(GST) thin film and graphene heater suitable for large-scale integration and high-speed switching. The reversible transition between the amorphous and crystalline states was achieved by applying two different voltage pulses of 1.4 V (SET) and 4 V (RESET). The optical performance of the proposed switch showed a high extinction ration of 44-46 dB in a wide spectral range (1525-1575 nm), an effective index variation of Δneff = 0.49 and a mode loss variation of Δα = 15 dBµm-1at the wavelength of 1550 nm. In thermal simulations, thanks to the ultra-high thermal conductivity of graphene, the proposed switch showed that the consumption for the SET process was only 3.528 pJ with a 1.4 V pulse of 5 ns, while a 4 V pulse of 1.5 ns was needed for RESET process with a consumption of 1.05 nJ. Our work is helpful to analyze the thermal-conduction phase transition process of on-chip phase change optical switches, and the design of the low-energy-consumption switch is conducive to the integrated application of photonic chips.

Hsa_circ_0000337 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion in glioma by competitively binding miRNA-942-5p and thus upregulates MAT2A.

OBJECTIVE: CircRNAs are vital factors involved in the pathological processes. This study aims to elucidate the biological functions of hsa_circ_0000337 in affecting the malignant progress of glioma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Relative levels of hsa_circ_0000337 in 45 cases of glioma and 24 cases of normal tissues were tested. The correlation between hsa_circ_0000337 and clinical features of glioma was assessed. Proliferative and metastatic abilities of U87 and U251 cells regulated by hsa_circ_0000337 were examined by 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and transwell assay, respectively. Potential molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_0000337 on regulating glioma cell functions was clarified by bioinformatic analysis, which was further verified through rescue experiments. RESULTS: Hsa_circ_0000337 was highly expressed in glioma cases. Its level was correlated to poor prognosis of glioma. In vitro experiments obtained the conclusion that hsa_circ_0000337 accelerated proliferative and metastatic abilities of glioma cells. Serving as a ceRNA, hsa_circ_0000337 sponged miRNA-942-5p to upregulate MAT2A, thus inducing the malignant phenotypes of glioma. CONCLUSIONS: Hsa_circ_0000337/miRNA-942-5p / MAT2A axis is responsible for the deterioration of glioma. Hsa_circ_0000337 may be a potential therapeutic target for glioma.

Design of low loss 1 × 1 and 1 × 2 phase-change optical switches with different crystalline phases of Ge2Sb2Te5 films.

On-chip photonics devices relying on the weak, volatile thermo-optic or electro-optic effects of silicon usually suffer from high insertion loss (IL) and a low refractive index coefficient. In this paper, we designed two novel 1 × 1 and 1 × 2 phase-change optical switches based on a signal-mode Si waveguide integrated with a Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) top clad layer, respectively. The three-state switch including amorphous GST (a-GST), face centered cubic crystalline phase (FCC-GST) and hexagonal crystalline phase (HCP-GST) operated by utilizing the dramatic difference in the optical constants between the amorphous and two crystalline phases of GST. In the case of the 1 × 1 optical switch, an extinction ratio (ER) of 8.9 dB and an extremely low IL of 0.8 dB were achieved using an optimum GST length of only 2 µm. While for the 1 × 2 optical switch, low ILs in the range of 0.15 ∼ 0.35 dB for both 'cross' (a-GST) and 'bar' (FCC-GST and HCP-GST) states were also obtained. Additionally, we found that both ILs and mode losses of the switch with HCP-GST were about half lower than those with FCC-GST, which means FCC-GST could be instituted by HCP-GST in the traditional ovonic switch with the consideration of low loss. This research provides the fundamental understanding for the realization of low loss and non-volatile Si-GST hybrid optical switches, with potential for future communication networks.

[Early efficacy of islet transplantation in the treatment of adult advanced diabetes].

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of islet transplantation for patients with advanced diabetes. Methods: Five cases of islet allotransplantation were performed on 4 adult recipients. The same blood type adult brain-dead pancreas donors were selected and the islets were prepared in GMP laboratory. The prepared islet suspension was slowly injected into the liver of the recipients within 30-60 minutes. The immunosuppressive regimen was a combination of basiliximab, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil and TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody was used to reduce the post-transplant inflammatory response. Insulin was temporarily applied to control blood glucose after surgery, and the dosage of insulin was adjusted to decrease according to the blood glucose level until it was discontinued. Results: A total of 5 islet transplants were performed in 4 patients, including 1 patient who received the second islet transplantations. All operations were succeed and the blood glucose and portal pressure were stable during the operation. Exogenous insulin was continued to keep blood glucose level stable (4-12 mmol/L) after surgery. Four cases (including the one who received two islet transplantation) started to stop using insulin at the third to fourth week, and the insulin dosage of the other case was 74% lower than that before the operation, and no hypoglycemic reaction occurred in all patients after islet transplantation. The C-peptide level in 3 patients reached the normal range, and the level in one patient with type I diabetes (without insulin release) remained at 0.45-0.6 µg/L (0.15-0.2 nmol/L). In addition, one patient showed a rise in blood glucose again and continued to use insulin half a year after insulin discontinuation. Then, he was performed the second islet transplantation which showed good effect and stopped taking insulin in 10 days after surgery. There were 3 cases of liver puncture bleeding after opeation, of which 2 cases were treated with ultrasound radiofrequency ablation to stop bleeding, 1 case stopped spontaneously, and no other complications were found. Conclusions: Islet transplantation is effective in the treatment of advanced diabetes patients with small trauma and high safety, which is worthy of more promotion. Long-term efficacy and maintenance therapy still need further investigation.

Effects of miR-155 on proliferation and apoptosis by regulating FoxO3a/BIM in liver cancer cell line HCCLM3.

The article "Effects of miR-155 on proliferation and apoptosis by regulating FoxO3a/BIM in liver cancer cell line HCCLM3, by W.-W. Liao, C. Zhang, F.-R. Liu, W.-J. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2018; 22 (5): 1277-1285. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201803_14468. PMID: 29565484." has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/14468.

Ultrafast temporal-spatial dynamics of amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in Ge2Sb2Te5 thin film triggered by multiple femtosecond laser pulses irradiation.

Studies have shown that the crystallization phase state of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) can be reversibly modulated by femtosecond (fs) laser multiple pulses, which have excellent applications in reconfigurable multi-level operation fields. In this study, the temporal-spatial crystalline evolution dynamics of amorphous GST film is investigated during two fs laser pulses excitation through a pump-probe shadowgraph imaging technique. A quasi-amorphous phase state, which is different from that in the initial as-deposited amorphous GST, is emerged through the first fs laser pulse excitation with a pulse energy lower than crystallization threshold. The experimental results reveal that a crystallization enhancement effect can be induced through the second pulse excitation based on this quasi-amorphous surface structure. The stimulative cluster generated in the quasi-amorphous reduces the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition threshold for the second fs laser pulse irradiation. The spatially-resolved phase-transition threshold extension effect in a horizontal direction is proposed with the increasing pulse number to summarize the mechanism of the crystallization enhancement effect. The specific-grain-appearance (coarse grains and fine grains representing different phase transition approach) distributed area induced by single and double fs laser pulses irradiation are experimentally demonstrated corresponding to threshold extension theory.

[Effect of Wnt/ß-catenin signal regulating EMT level on the differentiation of mouse ESC to liver tissue].

Objective: To study embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation into liver tissue structure from the perspective of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods: ESC of Balb/c mice was selected to induced into hepatic cell using hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in vitro, and at the time points of metaphase (13 d) and maturity (17 d) of differentiation, dynamic inhibition of Wnt/ß-catenin signal was made to reduce the level of EMT. Finally, three-dimensional organization structure growth of the differentiation cells was observed in the differentiation system.Expressions of the liver cells vascular markers[albumin (Alb) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFR)]were detected. Results: During the differentiation of ESC, the level of early EMT in the experimental group and the control group was not significantly different. The level of mid-late EMT in the experiment group was significantly lower than the control group. On the day 18 and 20 of differentiation, the relative mRNA expression level of E-cadherin was 0.61±0.15 and 0.47±0.05 in the experimental group, and 0.07±0.05 and 0 in the control group, respectively.The expression level of ALB/AFP/CK8/CK19 in the experimental group was generally higher than that of the control group in the same period, while CD31/VEGFR1 markers in the experimental group decreased more slowly in the late period of differentiation compared with the control group. In the supernatant of ESC culture, the Alb of the experimental group could be detected onday 7, and the concentration was (0.32±0.02) mg/L, while Alb in the control group was (0.19±0.05) mg/L. Urea in the experimental group could be detected on the day 13, and the concentration was (8.7 ±1.0) µmol/L, and the urea concentration of the control group was (3.1±1.2) µmol/L. The concentration of Alb and urea in the culture supernatant of ESC differentiation system increased significantly with the prolongation of the differentiation time, and the Alb and urea concentrations in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group at the same time period. In addition, the differentiated cells in the experimental group could maintain the growth of three-dimensional tissue, while the differentiated cells in the control group eventually showed a single cell state. The expression of hepatic and vascular cell markers could be detected in the experimental group. Immunofluorescence results showed that the hepatocytes and vascular structures were tightly arranged. HE staining showed the formation of hepatic lobular structure, while the control group had no vascular component markers. Conclusion: The differentiation of ESC into liver tissue can be effectively promoted by decreasing the level of EMT at the mid-late stage of ESC differentiation.

Effects of miR-155 on proliferation and apoptosis by regulating FoxO3a/BIM in liver cancer cell line HCCLM3.

OBJECTIVE: MiR-155 has been shown to be up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) interacting mediator of cell death (BIM) regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis, as its down-regulation is involved in HCC onset. Transcriptional factor FoxO3a mediates BIM expression and is related to HCC pathogenesis. Bioinformatics analysis showed targeted regulation of FoxO3a by miR-155. This study aims to investigate whether miR-155 plays a role in mediating FoxO3a/BIM signal pathway and HCC occurrence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HCC patients were collected for tumor and adjacent tissues, in which microRNA-155 (miR-155) and FoxO3a expressions were examined. In vitro cultured HCCLM3, HepG2 and L-02 cells were tested for basal apoptotic rate by flow cytometry and were compared for miR-155 and FoxO3a expression. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated the targeted relationship between miR-155 and FoxO3a. HCCLM3 cells were treated with miR-155 inhibitor and/or FoxO3a-pMD18-T. Cell apoptosis and proliferation were examined by using flow cytometry and MTT assays, respectively. Western blot and spectrometry assay were employed to quantify the FoxO3a, BIM expressions, and caspase activity. RESULTS: Compared to adjacent tissues, HCC tissues had significantly higher miR-155 and significantly lower FoxO3a expression (p<0.05). HCCLM3 and HepG2 cells had significantly lower FoxO3a expression and basal apoptotic rate compared to L02 cells, whilst miR-155 level was significantly higher (p<0.05). MiR-155 targeted and inhibited 3'-UTR of FoxO3a, increasing BIM expression, caspase-3, and caspase-9 activities, and enhancing cell apoptosis and weakening proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: HCC tissues elevated the miR-155 and suppressed the FoxO3a expressions. MiR-155 targeted and inhibited FoxO3a expression to suppress the BIM, depress caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities, therefore inhibiting the HCC cell apoptosis and facilitating proliferation.

[The effect of semimature dendritic cell and the levels of Treg on transplantation tolerance of hepatocytes differentiated from mouse embryonic stem cell].

Objective: To investigate the inducing effect and mechanism of semimature dendritic cell (smDCs) on transplantation tolerance of hepatocytes differentiated from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and to study the connections between smDCs and regulatory dendritic cells (regDCs). Methods: ESCs of 129 mouse labelled green fluorescent protein (GFP) were induced to hepatocytes by using previous methods. Meanwhile, bone marrow mononuclear cells of 129 mouse were induced to smDCs and regDCs. Moreover, the hepatocytes differentiated from 129 mouse ESCs were transplanted into liver of BALB/c mouse 3 days after infusing smDCs and regDCs suspension of 129 mouse into BALB/c mouse by tail vein respectively. After that, the growth status and survival time of transplanted cells in the recipient and infiltration of lymphocytes in transplant sites were observed. Furthermore, Foxp3 expression of peripheral blood CD4+ T cells was also tested. Results: In the control group, the transplanted cells in liver of BALB/c mouse survived only about 1 week. In contrast, the transplanted cells of smDC groups and regDCs groups survived about 4 weeks and the transplant sites of smDC groups also had less CD3(+) T cells. The morphology of smDCs were similar with regDCs. The expression of MHC-Ⅱ, CD40, CD80 and CD86 on smDCs and regDCs were moderate. Moreover, the Foxp3 expression of peripheral blood CD4+ T cells in smDC groups was higher than that in the control groups, from 1.11% up to 5.38%. The Foxp3 expression in regDC groups rose to 3.87%. Conclusion: The smDCs could induce transplantation tolerance of hepatocytes differentiated from 129 mouse ESCs in the recipient. The mechanism was associated with high level of Foxp3(+) Tregs, which could be increased by means of smDCs appropriate expression of MHC-Ⅱ, CD40, CD80 and CD86. The smDCs and regDCs were the same type of tolerance dendritic cells.

Expression and significance of miR-21 in multiple myeloma patients.

The aim of the present study is to examine the expression level of peripheral mir-21 in multiple myeloma (MM) patients and to determine its clinical significance. MM patients (30), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients (14), and normal controls (20) were recruited to determine the serum level of ß2-MG, IgA and IgM, IgG, λ, κ, TP, ALB, Hb, LDH, and Ca(2+). Gene expression of mir-21 was quantified by SYBR green real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. We found that the expression level of serum mir-21 in the MM group was significantly higher than the MGUS group and the NC group (P < 0.01). According to the ISS installment, the level of mir-21, lgG, κ, and ALB in the MM group in stage I differed from that in stages II and III. The level of IgA, ß2-MG in stage III was higher as compared with stage I and II (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).The levels of mir-21, κ, (κ+λ), IgG, (IgG + IgA + IgM), and ß2-MG in MM patients were positively correlated with ALB (P < 0.01). Based on the results, miR-21 plays an important role as an oncogene. Mir-21 may be important in the occurrence, development, and disease prognosis of MM.

Prevention and treatment of diarrhoea with Saccharomyces boulardii in children with acute lower respiratory tract infections.

The aim of this study was to determine whether Saccharomyces boulardii prevents and treats diarrhoea and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in children. A total of 333 hospitalised children with acute lower respiratory tract infection were enrolled in a 2-phase open randomised controlled trial. During the 1st phase, all children received intravenous antibiotics (AB). They were randomly allocated to group A (S. boulardii 500 mg/day + AB, n=167) or group B (AB alone, n=166) and followed for 2 weeks. Diarrhoea was defined as ≥3 loose/watery stools/day during at least 2 days, occurring during treatment and/or up to 2 weeks after AB therapy had stopped. AAD was considered when diarrhoea was caused by Clostridium difficile or when stool cultures remained negative. In the 2nd phase of the study, group B patients who developed diarrhoea were randomly allocated to two sub-groups: group B1 (S. boulardii + oral rehydration solution (ORS)) and group B2 (ORS alone). Data from 283 patients were available for analysis. Diarrhoea prevalence was lower in group A than in group B (11/139 (7.9%) vs. 42/144 (29.2%); relative risk (RR): 0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1-0.5). S. boulardii reduced the risk of AAD (6/139 (4.3%) vs. 28/144 (19.4%); RR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.1-0.5). When group B patients developed diarrhoea (n=42), S. boulardii treatment during 5 days (group B1) resulted in lower stool frequency (P<0.05) and higher recovery rate (91.3% in group B1 vs. 21.1% in B2; P<0.001). The mean duration of diarrhoea in group B1 was shorter (2.31±0.95 vs. 8.97±1.07 days; P<0.001). No adverse effects related to S. boulardii were observed. S. boulardii appeared to be effective in the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea and AAD in children treated with intravenous antibiotics.

Clinicopathological implications of inactivation of RASSF1A in serous epithelial ovarian cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A gene in ovarian cancers and its correlations to gene expression and clinicopathological characters in the Chinese population. METHODS: In this study, we detected the frequency of promoter hypermethylation of the RASSF1A gene in 60 patients with primary serous epithelial ovarian carcinomas (SEOCs) using Methylation-Specific PCR (MSP). The gene expression of mRNA and protein was examined by RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: The frequency of promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A in Chinese primary SEOCs was 53.3%, whereas promoter hypermethylation was not found in normal ovarian tissues and benign ovarian tissues. The expression of both mRNA and protein of RASSF1A was significantly down-regulated or lost in the methylated group than in nonmethylated group (p < 0.05, respectively). SEOCs with Stage III, IV exhibited a higher frequency of RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation (70.4%, 81.8%) than those with Stage I or Stage II (16.7%, 20.0%, p < 0.05, respectively). Hypermethylation patterns in RASSF1A were more frequently detected in poorly differentiated SEOCs (78.6%) than in moderately differentiated (23.8%) or in well-differetiated SEOCs (27.3%, p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A contributes to the gene expression in Chinese primary SEOCs. The inactivation of the RASSF1A gene due to hypermethylation in the promoter region might play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancers.

Correlation analysis on total lymphocyte count and CD4 count of HIV-infected patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between CD4 count and other blood indices and to explore the prediction of total lymphocyte count (TLC) for CD4 count in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was performed for the prediction of TLC and other indices for CD4 count, and historical cohort study was performed for the TLC changes as a surrogate for CD4 changes of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to further understanding the utility of TLC changes for AIDS patients' management. RESULTS: In our cross-sectional study, both TLC and white blood corpuscle count positively correlated to CD4 count, but differed in these patients. For patients on ART, the prediction of TLC for CD4 count is better than that of patient without ART. Further investigation of historical cohort study indicated that, among AIDS patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy, their TLC and haemoglobin changes also positively correlated to CD4 change, with a total correlation coefficient of 0.31 (p < 0.01) and 0.19 (p < 0.01) respectively. The prediction of TLC change for CD4 change differed each time point when patients underwent ART. CONCLUSIONS: Total lymphocyte count and its change can be used as alternative in conjunction with other indices to CD4 count and its change in the management of HIV-infected individuals in China.

Association of tightly locked occlusion with temporomandibular disorders.

The association between teeth loss and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is still inconclusive. A kind of secondary changes of the occlusion after teeth lose called the tightly locked occlusion (TLO), defined as the occluding contact that delivers angled occlusal force on the drifted neighbour and/or the tipped antagonists of the lost posterior teeth, was hypothesized to be association with TMD. The study aimed at investigating the association between the TLO and TMD. A total of 113 posterior-teeth losing patients, 64 with TMD symptoms (group of TMD) and 49 without (group of TMD-Free) were included. Study casts and joint radiographs were made to diagnose the TLO and joint morphological changes. The simultaneous contribution of the potential variables of gender, age, tooth losing number, the TLO, joint symmetry and signs of osteoarthrosis shown on radiographs were tested through binary logistic regression analysis. In women, the TLO entered into logistic model, and had an effect on the incidence of TMD (P = 0.008). The odds ratio of with-TLO versus without-TLO is 2.6 (95% CI: 1.2, 5.8) after controlling for the effect of gender. Age, tooth lose number, joint asymmetry or osseous changes had no effect on the incidence of TMD. The tightly locked occlusion is associated with some signs and symptoms of TMD. Randomized controlled trials will be needed in further studies to test the hypothesis that treatment of a TLO, as defined in the present study, will have a beneficial effect on the signs and symptoms of TMD.

Characterization of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins from sheep thyroid cells.

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are bound by specific, high affinity binding proteins. Distinct classes of IGF-binding proteins have been described in human serum, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and conditioned medium from cultured cells. Sheep thyroid cells produce IGF-binding proteins under hormonal regulation. Cells grown without or with standard medium supplements (transferrin, glycyl-histidyl-lysine, hydrocortisone, somatostatin, insulin, and TSH) released binding proteins with apparent mol wt of 23, 29, and 32 kDa on Western ligand blot (nonreduced). Binding proteins from these cells appeared as 21, 26, 34, 36, and 41 kDa bands when cross-linked to [125I]IGF-I under reducing conditions. The addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) or phorbol esters, thyroid cell mitogens stimulated the production of larger binding proteins with mol wt of 40-44 and 48-52 by ligand blot and cross-linking methods, respectively. Deglycosylation of conditioned medium cross-linked to [125I]IGF-I with endoglycosidase-F did not alter the size of the smaller binding proteins, but reduced EGF-stimulated binding proteins to 36-40 kDa. Similarly, tunicamycin treatment, which inhibits glycosylation, reduced only the size of this larger binding protein species. Polyclonal antisera directed against the human amniotic fluid binding protein (BP-28) immunoprecipitated the 32 kDa sheep thyroid binding protein seen on ligand blot and the cross-linked binding protein at 36-38 kDa. Antibody against the major human serum binding protein (BP-53) recognized only the larger EGF-stimulated binding proteins. In contrast to sheep thyroid cells, rat FRTL5 thyroid cells produced no detectable IGF-binding proteins. We conclude that the predominant binding proteins produced by sheep thyroid cells under standard culture conditions are non-glycosylated and immunoreact with antiserum directed against BP-28. EGF and phorbol esters stimulate production of larger glycosylated binding proteins antigenically related to BP-53.

Prognostic value of lupus band test in unexposed normal skin of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Biopsy specimens of normal unexposed buttock skin were taken from 71 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for lupus band test (LBT). Correlation of positive incidence, fluorescent intensity, protein classes and numbers of LBT with SLE activity including active nephropathy were studied. Positive LBT results are associated with SLE disease activity, decreased CH50 and C3, ANA peripheral pattern and positive AdsDNA antibodies, but not with active nephropathy per se. Although LBT results of unexposed normal skin can reflect SLE activity, its prognostic value should not be overestimated.