Gender-specific association between Apelin/APJ gene polymorphisms and hypertension risk in Southeast China.

To explore the role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of hypertension, our study investigated the gender-specific association between four polymorphisms in the Apelin/APJ gene and hypertension risk in southeastern Chinese population. All participants including 645 hypertensive patients and 362 normotensive controls were genotyped for 4 gene polymorphisms associated with hypertension susceptibility including Apelin (rs909656, rs5975126) and APJ (rs10501367, rs11544374). According to genotype analysis, for male subjects, the frequencies of genotypes (P = 0.046 and 0.046, respectively) of rs10501367 and rs11544374 revealed significant differences between the hypertension and control groups. Moreover, for female subjects, there was significant difference on the genotype distribution of rs11544374 between two groups (P = 0.046). The association of rs10501367 with hypertension was significant for males under additive models and recessive models, even after adjusting for age, BMI, fasting glucose and waistline. Besides, significant association was observed for rs11544374 in females under additive models. As for haplotype analysis, haplotype T-A (in order of rs10501367 and rs11544374) in APJ gene was marginally overrepresented in controls (17.9%) compared to patients with hypertension (11.6%) in males (P = 0.003). The mutation of polymorphism rs10501367 in APJ gene decreased risk of hypertension in Chinese males.

Effect of goal-directed fluid therapy on early cognitive function in elderly patients with spinal stenosis: A Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: To explore effect of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) on early cognitive function in elderly patients with spinal stenosis. METHODS: 83 elderly patients with spinal stenosis were randomly classified into two groups: control group (n = 40) and GDFT group (n = 43). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, IL-6 and S100ß levels, hemodynamic parameters, cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), arterial lactic acid values, output of surgery, operation time and cases of hypotension, intraoperative complications within 7 days were recorded for all patients. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) was about 21.67% in this study. The MoCA scores, inflammatory mediators, perfusion indexes (rSO2 and lactic acid)and intraoperative hemodynamics(HR, MAP, and CI)were not all the same at different time points (P < 0.05). The levels of inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and S100ß) in GDFT group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Total intake, amount of lactated Ringer's solution and cases of hypotension in GDFT group were significantly lower than control group (P < 0.05), but amount of voluven was higher than control group(P < 0.05). Compared with control group, the incidence of postoperative delirium, nausea and vomiting, and hypotension in GDFT group was lower (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GDFT can maintain the stability of perioperative hemodynamics in the prone position of elderly patients with spinal stenosis, improve the balance between perfusion of tissue and organ and supply and demand of oxygen, reduce the inflammatory response, and reduce the incidence of early POCD in this type of surgery.

Sodium hydrosulfide relieves neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injured rats.

Aberrant neuronal activity in injured peripheral nerves is believed to be an important factor in the development of neuropathic pain (NPP). Channel protein pCREB of that activity has been shown to mitigate the onset of associated molecular events in the nervous system, and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) could inhibit the expression of pCREB. However, whether NaHS could relieve the pain, it needs further experimental research. Furthermore, the clinical potential that NaHS was used to relieve pain was limited so it would be required. To address these issues, the rats of sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) were given intraperitoneal injection of NaHS containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The experimental results showed that NaHS inhibited the reduction of paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL), mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT), and the level of pCREB in CCI rats in a dose-dependent manner and they were greatly decreased in NaHSM group (P < 0.05). NaHS alleviates chronic neuropathic pain by inhibiting expression of pCREB in the spinal cord of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Relationship between EEG beta power abnormality and early diagnosis of cognitive impairment post cerebral hemorrhage.

Cerebral hemorrhage is a common disease of older adults, which could increase the risk of cognitive impairment. Electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristics can be analyzed to investigate the applied value in the assessment of cognitive impairment of the patients with cerebral hemorrhage. One hundred eighty-two patients (including patients with cognitive impairment [CHCI] and patients with cognitive normality [CHNC] with cerebral hemorrhage, and 120 normal healthy persons [control; CN]) were recruited between July 2008 to March 2012 at the department of neurology. All patients were analyzed by EEG, and analysis results were compared to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale, using the methods of correlation analysis, clustering analysis, and concordance analysis. The results indicated that patients with CHCI had significantly lower EEG beta power (0.814 ± 0.113 mcV(2)) relative to CHNC (1.601 ± 0.186 mcV(2), P < .01) or CN group (1.713 ± 0.201 mcV(2), P < .01). Significant negative correlation was found between the beta power and hemorrhage region, age, hemorrhage size, hemorrhage amount (r 1 = -.92223, r 2 = -.81084, r 3 = -.79258, r 4 = -.84961, respectively, all P < .001). There was good concordance between K-means clustering algorithm calculating the beta power and MoCA scoring (Kappa = 0.899, P < .001). In conclusion, the preliminary findings suggest that the recognition techniques of EEG hold considerable promise for the assessment of cognitive impairment post cerebral hemorrhage, which negatively related to the hemorrhage region, hemorrhage size, hemorrhage amount, and age.

Construction of a bicistronic recombinant adenoviral vector for human interleukin-10 and enhanced green fluorescent protein expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Human interleukin-10 (hIL-10) is a cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor, which is involved in various immune responses. The purpose of this study was to construct an adenoviral vector carrying the hIL-10 gene for expression of biologically active hIL-10 in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs). METHODS: A pSNAV2.0-hIL10 plasmid was used as a template to obtain a hIL-10 cDNA fragment that was subcloned by restriction enzyme digestion and ligation into a pDC316-IRES-EGFP-lacZ alpha plasmid carrying an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene. The pDC316-hIL-10-IRES-EGFP plasmid was linearized by PmeI digestion and used to transfect HEK293 packaging cells using the adenovirus packaging system AdMax. Virus particles were amplified by repeatedly infecting HEK293 cells with the seed virus and then purified by ion exchange. After the number of virus particles and titer was determined, rMSCs were infected with the adenoviral vector. The infection rate was determined by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, and hIL-10 protein expression in rMSCs was measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: The virus particle concentration, OD260/280 value and virus titer of the amplified and purified recombinant adenovirus were 3.2 × 10(11) VP/ml, approximately 2.0, and 1.1 × 10(10) TCID50/ml, respectively. Bright green fluorescence was observed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in the recombinant adenovirus-infected rMSCs. GFP expression was considered the multiplicity of infection (MOI) and was time-dependent. The infection rate was 92.9% at 100 MOI. CONCLUSIONS: A bicistronic recombinant adenoviral vector for hIL-10 and EGFP gene expression were successfully constructed. The infection rate of rMSCs by the adenovirus was high (92.9% at 100 MOI) and the target gene hIL-10 was highly expressed in cells. The present study provides an experimental basis for further research of immunosuppressive therapy using hIL-10. The expression level of hIL-10 protein as detected by Western blotting was also MOI- and time-dependent.

PRSS1 intron mutations in patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

Genetic risk factors of chronic pancreatitis (CP) have been identified and a number of studies have found that CP can lead to pancreatic cancer. Therefore, the detection of pancreatitis-associated gene mutations can aid the pancreatic cancer diagnostic process. Mutations in three genes, the cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) gene, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and the pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (SPINK1) gene, have been identified as risk factors for CP. The aim of this study was to describe specific novel mutations in the intron of the PRSS1 gene in patients with pancreatic cancer and CP. A total of 65 unrelated patients with pancreatic cancer and 29 with CP were reviewed. Mutations and polymorphisms of the PRSS1 gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. Information regarding clinical data and smoking exposure was collected by personal interviews using a structured questionnaire. IVS 3+36 A>G mutation in the PRSS1 gene was found in 2 cases with pancreatic cancer, and these 2 patients were classified as never-smokers. IVS 3+127 T>A and IVS 3+157 G>C double mutations were identified in one patient with CP. All patients were found to have serum trypsin levels lower than that of the normal controls. Therefore, the PRSS1 gene mutation may be a special common cause of pancreatic cancer and CP.