Dual role of interleukin-33 in tumors / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a new member of the IL-1 cytokine family which plays roles in the nucleus as a nuclear factor and is released by damaged or necrotic cells to act as a cytokine. It can be released via damaged or necrotic cells and functions as a cytokine. The released IL-33 activates the downstream NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways through the isomers of the specific receptor ST2 and the interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAcP), resulting in danger signals and the activated multiple immune responses. IL-33 is abnormally expressed in various tumors and involves in tumorigenesis, development, and metastasis. Moreover, IL-33 can play both pro-tumor and anti-tumor roles in the same type of tumor.

The changes of plasma VEGFin cerebral arteriovenous malformations / 实用医学杂志

Objective Todetectthe level of plasma VEGF before and after treatment of arteriovenous mal-formationpatients,and the pathophysiological role of VEGF in arteriovenous malformationpatientswas also studied. Methods The blood samples of 17 arteriovenous malformation patients were collected according to the following three groups:group before operation(AVM),group 24 hours after operation(AVM24h)and group 30 days after operation(AVM30d).As a control(Con),22 blood samples were collected from lumbar laminectomypatients.The level of plasma VEGF was determined by ELISA assay. Results Compared with the control group,the plasma VEGF was significantly decreased in AVM group and AVM24h group(P < 0.05),while the plasma VEGF in AVM30d groupwas similarto that of the control group. Conclusions Abnormal blood vessel plays an important pathophysiological role in cerebral arteriovenous malformation,and the metabolism of VEGF is involved in the pro-cess of arteriovenous malformation.

Establishment of an allele-specific PCR method for direct screening of CYP21A2 gene mutation / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish an allele-specific PCR method for detect screening of CYP21A2 gene mutation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Allele-specific PCR primers and analogy primers were designed based on the sequence alignment of CYP21A2 and CYP21AP genes. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood specimens of 4 patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency and 5 healthy controls and respectively amplified with allele-specific PCR primers and analogy primers and sequenced.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Mutations of CYP21A2 including IVS2-13A/C>G, Arg356Trp and Arg149Pro were found with the established method in all of the 4 patients but not in the healthy controls. When detected with the analogy primers set, IVS2-13A/C>G and Arg356Trp were observed in both patients and healthy controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The allele-specific PCR-based method is a simple, effective and reliable method for the detection of CYP21A2 gene mutation.</p>