Endoplasmic reticulum stress mediates cortical neuron apoptosis after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Neuronal apoptosis plays an important pathological process in early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This pathological process leads to a poor neurological prognosis for patients. This study aimed to investigate whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mediates cortical neuron apoptosis in EBI after SAH. METHODS: Eighty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to different groups as follows: the control and the 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h groups after SAH. The SAH model was established by injecting 0.3 mL of nonheparinized blood into the prechiasmatic cistern. Hematoxylin-eosin staining, Garcia scoring, Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were performed. RESULTS: SAH reduced the neurological scores and reached a trough at 24 h after the SAH. The GRP78 expression was significantly upregulated at 6 h after the SAH, peaked at 24 h after the SAH, and then decreased. By comparison, the CHOP, caspase-12, ASK1, and p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase expressions were significantly upregulated at 12 h after the SAH and peaked at 24 h after the SAH. The most serious swelling of the rough ER was observed at 24 h after the SAH and remained notably swollen at 72 h after the SAH. The number of TUNEL-positive cells substantially increased significantly at 12 h after the SAH, and the neuronal apoptosis decreased ratio after reaching a peak at 24 h after the SAH. The apoptosis ratio at 72 h after the SAH was still significantly different from the ratio in the control group. CONCLUSION: Our study clearly demonstrated that ER stress mediates cortical neuron apoptosis after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats.

Study of the association between SNP rs7903146(C/T) in TCF7L2 and metabolic syndrome in Chinese Korean and Han populations from Yanbian / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association between a rs7903146(C/T) polymorphism of TCF7L2 gene and metabolic syndrome (MS), plasma lipoprotein, and plasma adiponectin (PA) in Chinese Korean and Han populations from Yanbian region.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to determine the genotype of rs7903146 in 310 Chinese Korean (190 in case group and 120 in control group) and 344 Chinese Han (255 in case group and 89 in control group). ELIAS was used to test serum insulin (INS) and PA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of T allele was higher in ethnic Han compared with ethnic Koreans (0.022 vs. 0.008), lower than that of Europeans (0.279) and Africans (0.257), but similar to those of Beijing Chinese and Japanese. For ethnic Korean Chinese, the frequencies of TT and CT genotypes as well as the T allele in patients with EH were significantly higher than those of the control group (P< 0.01), which also showed an increasing trend for both MS and T2DM groups (P=0.09 and P=0.07, respectively). By contrast, for Chinese Han, the frequencies of genotypes and particular allele in patients with MS, T2DM and EH showed no significant difference from those of the control group. For T2DM, EH, and control groups, PA level of individuals with CT or TT genotypes was significantly higher compared with that of the CC genotype (P< 0.05). The TC and LDL-C levels were significantly higher in T2DM, MS and EH groups compared with those of the control group. The PA level was lower in MS group compared with the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The T allele of SNP rs7903146 of TCF7L2 gene may be a risk factor for EH in Chinese Korean population from Yanbian region. The T allele also affects the PA level; lower PA is a risk factor for MS. The rs7903146 polymorphism showed a racial and ethnic difference.</p>

Detection of avian influenza virus subtype H5 using a biosensor based on imaging ellipsometry.

A novel method is reported for the detection of avian influenza virus subtype H5 using a biosensor based on high spatial resolution imaging ellipsometry (IE). Monoclonal antibodies specific to H5 hemagglutinin protein were immobilized on silicon wafers and used to capture virus particles. Resultant changes on the surface of the wafers were visualized directly in gray-scale on an imaging ellipsometry image. This preliminary study has shown that the assay is rapid and specific for the identification of avian influenza virus subtype H5. Compared with lateral-flow immunoassays, this biosensor not only has better sensitivity, but can also simultaneously perform multiplexed tests. These results suggest that this biosensor might be a valuable diagnostic tool for avian influenza virus detection.