Comparison of intravitreal injection of conbercept and triamcinolone acetonide for macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion.

AIM: To compare the safety and efficacy of the intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) and triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) for macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: A prospective, randomized clinical study. Patients with ME secondary to BRVO were randomly assigned to either IVC group or IVTA group at a ratio of 2:1 and a 12-month follow-up was performed. The efficacy outcome measures included the mean changes and differences in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the central retinal thickness (CRT). The safety profiles and the mean retreatment intervals were also compared. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference of baseline between the two groups (IVC group, n=36; IVTA group, n=17). At 12mo, the BCVA letters improved by 27.31±18.36 in the IVC group, and 13.53±11.37 in the IVTA group (P=0.0004). CRT reduction was 253.33±163.69 and 150.24±134.32 µm, respectively (P=0.0034). The mean BCVA in the IVC group was superior to that of the IVTA group for months 6-12 (P<0.01). The mean CRT at 9 and 12mo were thinner in the IVC group compared to the IVTA group (P<0.01). The mean retreatment interval in the IVC group was longer than that in the IVTA group (97.40±36.27d vs 68.71±36.38d, P=0.0030). One eye in the IVC group and seven eyes in the IVTA group developed elevated intraocular pressure (IOP; P=0.0012). The proportion of eyes with cataract new-onset or progression were 19.44% in the IVC group and 64.71% in the IVTA group (P=0.0012). CONCLUSION: IVC could maintain or improve BCVA and reduce CRT for a longer time and have longer retreatment interval than IVTA. In addition, patients treated with IVTA are more susceptible to IOP elevation and cataract progression.

The effect of surfactant-assisted ultrasound-ionic liquid pretreatment on the structure and fermentable sugar production of a water hyacinth.

This study investigated the possibility of enhancing the disruption of water hyacinth (WH) in an ultrasound-ionic liquid (US-IL) pretreatment assisted by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) was used to dissolve the WH. The optimum concentration of SDS for the highest production of reducing sugar was also determined. Compared to the US-IL pretreatment, the production of reducing sugars, cellulose conversion and delignification were increased by 72.23%, 58.74% and 21.01%, respectively, upon addition of 0.5% SDS. Moreover, the enhancement of SDS in the US-IL pretreatment was confirmed by the analysis of structural features, which demonstrated that the SDS increased the removal of lignin and decreased the cellulose crystallinity.

Impact of surfactant type for ionic liquid pretreatment on enhancing delignification of rice straw.

This work describes an environmentally friendly method for pretreating rice straw by using 1-Allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([AMIM]Cl) as an ionic liquid (IL) assisted by surfactants. The impacts of surfactant type (including nonionic-, anionic-, cationic- and bio-surfactant) on the ionic liquid pretreatment were investigated. The bio-surfactant+IL-pretreated rice straw showed significant lignin removal (26.14%) and exhibited higher cellulose conversion (36.21%) than the untreated (16.16%) rice straw. The cellulose conversion of the rice straw pretreated with bio-surfactant+IL was the highest and the lowest was observed for pretreated with cationic-surfactant+IL. Untreated and pretreated rice straw was thoroughly characterized through SEM and AFM. In conclusion, the results provided an effective and environmental method for pretreating lignocellulosic substrates by using green solvent (ionic liquid) and biodegradable bio-surfactant.

Spent mushroom substrate biochar as a potential amendment in pig manure and rice straw composting processes.

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is a bulky waste byproduct of commercial mushroom production, which can cause serious environmental problems and, therefore, poses a significant barrier to future expansion of the mushroom industry. In the present study, we explored the use of SMS as a biochar to improve the quality of bio-fertilizer. Specifically, we performed a series of experiments using composting reactors to investigate the effects of SMS biochar on the physio-chemical properties of bio-fertilizer. Biochar was derived from dry SMS pyrolysed at 500°C and mixed with pig manure and rice straw. Results from this study demonstrate that the addition of biochar significantly reduced electrical conductivity and loss of organic matter in compost material. Nutrient analysis revealed that the SMS-derived biochar is rich in fertilizer nutrients such as P, K, Na, and N. All of these findings suggest that SMS biochar could be an excellent medium for compost.

Effects of human limb gestures on galvanic coupling intra-body communication for advanced healthcare system.

BACKGROUND: Intra-Body Communication (IBC), which utilizes the human body as the transmission medium to transmit signal, is a potential communication technique for the physiological data transfer among the sensors of remote healthcare monitoring system, in which the doctors are permitted to remotely access the healthcare data without interrupt to the patients' daily activities. METHODS: This work investigates the effects of human limb gestures including various joint angles, hand gripping force and loading on galvanic coupling IBC channel. The experiment results show that channel gain is significantly influenced by the joint angle (i.e. gain variation 1.09-11.70 dB, p < 0.014). The extension, as well as the appearance of joint in IBC channel increases the channel attenuation. While the other gestures and muscle fatigue have negligible effect (gain variation <0.77 dB, p > 0.793) on IBC channel. Moreover, the change of joint angle on human limb IBC channel causes significant variation in bit error rate (BER) performance. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal the dynamic behavior of galvanic coupling IBC channel, and provide suggestions for practical IBC system design.

Synergistic effects of surfactant-assisted ionic liquid pretreatment rice straw.

The aim of this work was to study an environmentally friendly method for pretreating rice straw by using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) as an ionic liquid (IL) assisted by surfactants. Different temperatures, reaction times, and surfactant concentrations were studied. Compared with [BMIM]Cl only pretreatment, the addition of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1% cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) increased lignin removal to 49.48% and 34.76%, respectively. Untreated and pretreated rice straw was thoroughly characterized through FTIR, XRD, and FE-SEM. Cellulose crystallinity and surface morphology of the rice straw were substantially altered after surfactant-assisted IL pretreatment. In conclusion, surfactant-assisted IL pretreatment is an effective method for producing fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic substrates.

Bit error rate estimation for galvanic-type intra-body communication using experimental eye-diagram and jitter characteristics.

Bit error rate (BER), which indicates the reliability of communicate channel, is one of the most important values in all kinds of communication system, including intra-body communication (IBC). In order to know more about IBC channel, this paper presents a new method of BER estimation for galvanic-type IBC using experimental eye-diagram and jitter characteristics. To lay the foundation for our methodology, the fundamental relationships between eye-diagram, jitter and BER are first reviewed. Then experiments based on human lower arm IBC are carried out using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme and 500 KHz carries frequency. In our IBC experiments, the symbol rate is from 10 Ksps to 100 Ksps, with two transmitted power settings, 0 dBm and -5 dBm. Finally, the BER results were obtained after calculation by experimental data through the relationships among eye-diagram, jitter and BER. These results are then compared with theoretical values and they show good agreement, especially when SNR is between 6 dB to 11 dB. Additionally, these results demonstrate assuming the noise of galvanic-type IBC channel as Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) in previous study is applicable.

Pioglitazone ameliorates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by down-regulating hepatic nuclear factor-kappa B and cyclooxygenases-2 expression in rats.

BACKGROUND: Pioglitazone is effective in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the mechanisms of action are not completely understood. This study was designed to investigate the effects of pioglitazone on hepatic nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and cyclooxygenases-2 (COX-2) expression in NASH rats. METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 10), NASH group (n = 10), and pioglitazone treatment group (n = 10). Liver tissues were processed for histology by hematoxylin & eosin and Masson stained. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS) levels and biochemical parameters of antioxidant enzyme activities, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) levels in serum and liver were measured. The mRNA and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), NF-κB and COX-2 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Wilcoxon's signed-rank test was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were severe steatosis, moderate inflammatory cellular infiltration and fibrosis in NASH rats. After pioglitazone treatment, steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly improved compared with the NASH group (χ(2) = 20.40, P < 0.001; χ(2) = 20.17, P < 0.001; χ(2) = 13.98, P = 0.002). Serum ALT, cholesterol, triglyceride, FBG, FINS levels were significantly elevated in the NASH group (P < 0.05). In the NASH group, total anti-oxidation competence (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in serum and liver were conspicuous disordered than those parameters in the control group. Meanwhile, TNF-α and PGE(2) levels in serum and liver were significantly increased compared with the control group. Immunohistochemistry showed NF-κB and COX-2 expression in liver was significantly elevated. However, PPAR? level was decreased in the NASH group. Real-time PCR and Western blotting revealed mRNA and protein expression of COX-2 were increased in the NASH group compared with the control group (0.57 ± 0.08 vs. 2.83 ± 0.24; 0.38 ± 0.03 vs. 1.00 ± 0.03, P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). After pioglitazone intervention, all of those parameters markedly improved (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Down-regulating hepatic NF-κB and COX-2 expression, at least in part, is one of the possible therapeutic mechanisms of pioglitazone in NASH rats.

Lentivirus-mediated RNA silencing of c-Met markedly suppresses peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo.

AIM: To investigate the expression of c-Met in peritoneal free cancer cells isolated from human gastric cancer ascites, and its relationship to peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer. METHODS: Peritoneal free cancer cells (PFCCs) were isolated from ascites specimens of gastric cancer patients. c-Met expression in PFCCs was detected with immunocytochemistry. In human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901, c-Met expression was detected using RT-PCR and Western blot, and was suppressed with lentivirus-mediated RNAi. The proliferation of SGC7901 cells was measured using MTT assay, and the invasion ability was detected with invasion assay. The adhesion of SGC7901 cells to peritoneum was observed in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) monolayer in vitro and in mice in vivo. RESULTS: PFCCs were isolated from ascites of 6 out of 10 gastric cancer patients. c-Met expression in PFCCs was detected in 5 of the 6 gastric cancer patients. In SGC7901 cells, Lentivirus-mediated RNAi significantly reduced both c-Met mRNA and protein expression, which resulted in suppressing the cell proliferation, invasion and adhesion to peritoneum. The expression of α3ß1 integrin and E-cadherin was significantly inhibited in SGC7901 cells transfected with Lenti-miRNAc-Met. In the peritoneal dissemination model of gastric cancer, intraperitoneal injection of Lenti-miRNAc-Met markedly suppressed the tumor Progression of SGC7901 cells. CONCLUSION: c-Met is expressed in PFCCs from the ascites of gastric cancer patients. Down-regulation of c-Met expression markedly suppresses the multistep process of peritoneal dissemination, thus may be a potential target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Signal transmission through human muscle for implantable medical devices using galvanic intra-body communication technique.

Signal transmission over human tissues has long been the center research topic for biomedical engineering in both academic and industrial arenas. This is particular important for implantable medical devices (IMD) to communicate with other sensor devices in achieving health care and monitoring functions. Traditional Radio Frequency (RF) transmission technique suffers from not only high attenuation but also potential interference & eavesdropping. This paper has examined the alternate galvanic type Intra-Body Communication Technique (IBC) in transmitting signal across the body tissue (mainly muscle) in both analytical electromagnetic model with simulation results. Comparisons of these results with traditional RF data in literatures show a high promising potential (saving over 10 dB or more in path loss) for IBC transmission. Concrete discussions and several further research directions are also given out at the end of this paper.

Study of channel characteristics for galvanic-type intra-body communication based on a transfer function from a quasi-static field model.

Intra-Body Communication (IBC), which modulates ionic currents over the human body as the communication medium, offers a low power and reliable signal transmission method for information exchange across the body. This paper first briefly reviews the quasi-static electromagnetic (EM) field modeling for a galvanic-type IBC human limb operating below 1 MHz and obtains the corresponding transfer function with correction factor using minimum mean square error (MMSE) technique. Then, the IBC channel characteristics are studied through the comparison between theoretical calculations via this transfer function and experimental measurements in both frequency domain and time domain. High pass characteristics are obtained in the channel gain analysis versus different transmission distances. In addition, harmonic distortions are analyzed in both baseband and passband transmissions for square input waves. The experimental results are consistent with the calculation results from the transfer function with correction factor. Furthermore, we also explore both theoretical and simulation results for the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of several common modulation schemes in the IBC system with a carrier frequency of 500 kHz. It is found that the theoretical results are in good agreement with the simulation results.

[Role of integrin α4ß7 in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of integrin α4ß7 in the development of ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats. METHODS: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group (acetone enema), the model group (2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene, DNCB enema), and the α4 intervention group. Colonic mucosa of different groups was observed and compared in terms of pathology and cytokine changes(IL-2 and IL-6) using ELISA. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the colon α4ß7 expression. Integrin α4ß7(+) lymphocytes in the portal vein of rats were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expression of α4 mRNA was 0.68±0.24 in the model group and 0.58±0.37 in the intervention group, and the expression of ß7 mRNA was 0.84±0.37 in the model group and 0.65±0.30 in the intervention group, which were all significantly higher as compared to those in the control group(0.15±0.13 for α4 and 0.24±0.62 for ß7, P<0.01). The proportions of integrin α4ß7 positive lymphocytes in the portal vein in the model group and intervention group were significantly higher than that in the control group [(76.7±8.2)% and (68.2±7.6)% vs. (14.7±6.7)%, P<0.01]. The expression of IL-2 and IL-6 and the result of macroscopic and microscopic scores in the intervention group were lower than those in the model group(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of α4ß7 may play an important role in experimental colon mucosa inflammation in rats with ulcerative colitis. The blockade of integrin α4ß7 may be a potential target to reduce colonic mucosa inflammation.

Model for end-stage liver disease combined with serum prealbumin to predict the prognosis of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) combined with serum prealbumin (PA) in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. METHODS: A total of 252 patients were enrolled in the study and followed 1 year. PA was measured and MELD score was calculated on the first day of admission. Analysis of variance (anova) was used to assess correlation between PA level and MELD score. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to screen the prognosis related factors. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were drawn. RESULTS: Of the 252 patients, 28 died within 3 months, 58 within 6 months and 91 within 1 year. Serum PA level in dead patients was significantly lower than that in survival patients (P < 0.005) and decreasing with increasing of MELD score. Cox analysis showed that MELD score > 18 (RR = 2.749) and PA < 70 mg/L (RR = 2.412) were independent prognosis risk factors. The risk ratio of MELD score combined with PA level (1.854, P < 0.01) was higher than that of MELD score alone (1.054, P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that MELD score ≤ 18 combined with PA ≥ 70 mg/L could clearly discriminate patients who would survive or die within 6 month and 1 year follow up. CONCLUSION: MELD score ≤ 18 combined with PA ≥ 70 mg/L could predict the 6-month and 1-year prognosis of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, and was superior to that of MELD score alone.

Different significance between intratumoral and peritumoral lymphatic vessel density in gastric cancer: a retrospective study of 123 cases.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gastric cancer in China have worse outcome and poorer prognosis. Tumor-induced lymphangiogenesis plays a crucial role in metastasis and tumor progression. The intratumoral and peritumoral lymphatics were supposed to have different biological effects. Three major growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor- (VEGF)-A, VEGF-C and VEGF-D, are involved in the activation process via their receptors (VEGFRs). The purpose of current study is to investigate the significant difference between intratumoral and peritumoral lymphatic vessel density (LVD) in gastric cancer and their correlations with lymphangiogenetic growth factors. METHODS: Intratumoral LVD (I-LVD) and peritumoral LVD (P-LVD) of 123 patients with primary gastric cancer were assessed after staining with D2-40, and confirmed by double staining with D2-40/CD34. Proliferative activity of lymphatics endothelium was evaluated by double staining with D2-40/Ki-67. The associations were analyzed between I-LVD/P-LVD and the expression level of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D and the receptor VEGFR-3, which was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The correlations of I-LVD and P-LVD with patient prognosis were also valued. RESULTS: (1) The peritumoral lymphatics (PTLs) were relatively enlarged with dilated lumen compared with the intratumoral lymphatics (ITLs). Increased P-LVD was significantly higher than I-LVD (P < 0.05). (2) P-LVD was found significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P < 0.001), lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) (P < 0.001), VEGF-C (P = 0.003), VEGF-D expression level (P = 0.005) and VEGFR-3 expression level (P < 0.001) in peritumoral tissues, despite no significant association was found between above variants with I-LVD. However, increased I-LVD was demonstrated to be associated with decreased tumor volume (P < 0.001). Neither I-LVD nor P-LVD was correlated with VEGF-A expression (P > 0.05). (3) Proliferative activity of lymphatics endothelium was observed in PTLs, in spite of ITLs. (4) Increased P-LVD, but not I-LVD, was indicated to be an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and was related to worse disease-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: PTLs play roles in gastric cancer progression. Increased P-LVD, but not I-LVD, was significantly associated with VEGF-C/-D/VEGFR-3 system, and could be an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis and a prognostic factor in gastric cancer.

Rofecoxib augments anticancer effects by reversing intrinsic multidrug resistance gene expression in BGC-823 gastric cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate combined chemotherapeutic effects of rofecoxib in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin (DDP) and etoposide (VP-16) in vitro, and to explore the potential mechanisms in modulating multidrug resistance (MDR) expression. METHODS: The BGC-823 gastric cancer cell line was incubated for 48 h with 0.1 micromol/L rofecoxib, 5-FU, DDP and VP-16 (1 microg/mL, 10 microg/mL and 100 microg/mL) alone, and combined with rofecoxib, respectively. Methyl-thiazolyl-tetrazolium and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-yriphosphate nick-end labeling assays were performed to calculate inhibitory rates and apoptotic index. Middle effects principles (CI values) were used to determine the interaction between rofecoxib and chemotherapeutic agents. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were employed to determine expression of MDR1, multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), glutathione S-tranferase-pi (GST-pi) mRNA and protein in gastric cancer cells administered by rofecoxib, respectively. RESULTS: Both anticancer drugs such as 5-FU, DDP and VP-16 and rofecoxib inhibited the cells' proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, and a more significant inhibition was achieved when the cells were co-treated with anticancer drugs and rofecoxib. There was a synergetic role when different concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents were combined with rofecoxib (all CI < 1, P < 0.01 or 0.05). RT-PCR analyses of MDR gene families in BGC-823 gastric cancer cells revealed a strong expression in MRP1 and GST-pi mRNA, but MDR1 mRNA was undetectable. After administration with different concentrations of rofecoxib (0.1, 1.0, 10 micromol/L), significant downregulation of MRP1 and GST-pi mRNA was observed (MRP1: from 0.984 +/- 0.093-0.513 +/- 0.098; GST-pi: from 1.078 +/- 0.201-0.472 +/- 0.084, P < 0.01 or 0.05). In addition, MRP1 and GST-pi protein expression induced by rofecoxib were also reduced (P < 0.01 or 0.05). CONCLUSION: Rofecoxib, a specific cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, plays a chemotherapeutic sensitizer role in various anticancer agents on the BGC-823 gastric cancer cell line, which could be partly explained by its ability to reverse the intrinsic MRP1 and GST-piin vitro.

Initial study of microRNA expression profiles of colonic cancer without lymph node metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference of microRNA expression profiles between colonic cancer without lymph node metastasis and the para-cancerous control, to identify the specific microRNA associated with the cancer and to predict the carcinogenetic mechanism of microRNA on the basis of these results. METHODS: The microRNA (miRNA) were extracted and isolated from six specimens, including colonic cancerous and para-cancerous ones, all of which were confirmed to be without lymph node metastasis. Agilent microRNA microarrays consisting of 723 probes were used for screening the expression differences of microRNA. Data were analyzed using feature extraction software. The expression level of differentially expressed microRNA using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was validated. RESULTS: A total of 14 miRNAs were found to be associated with colonic cancer, in which the expression of miR-106b, miR-135b, miR-18a, miR-18b, miR-196b, miR-19a, miR-224, miR-335, miR-424, miR-20a*, miR-301b and miR-374a were up-regulated and the expression of miR-378 and miR-378* were downregulated in colonic cancer tissues, compared with the para-cancerous control. The expression level of miR-18a and miR-135b were validated in accordance with the results of RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: The miRNAs are differentially expressed between colonic tumor tissues and para-cancerous tissues. Many of these miRNAs are expected to participate in the process of multiple tumorigenesis. These miRNAs could play an important role in the carcinogenesis of colon. These results provide new insights in human colorectal cancer genesis.

Analysis of whole genomic expression profiles of Helicobacter pylori related chronic atrophic gastritis with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have linked cytokine interleukin-1B gene polymorphisms to H. pylori-related gastric cancer development. The current study evaluated the characterization of whole genomic expression profiles of the premalignant condition: H. pylori-related chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes. METHODS: IL-1B-31/-511 gene polymorphisms were determined by DNA sequences. RNA was extracted and expression profiles were performed using Agilent human whole genomic oligonucleotide microarrays (G4112F). The expression of three samples with H. pylori infection was compared to that of three samples without H. pylori infection from samples of six CAG patients, all with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes. Differentially expressed genes related to H. pylori-induced CAG with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes were screened and analyzed further by Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway. Validation of the microarray data was performed using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 124 differentially expressed genes and 32 GO term annotations were identified between H. pylori positive and negative groups in the six CAG samples with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes. The signaling pathways identified were oxidative phosphorylation and epithelial cell signaling in H. pylori infection. Five overlapping genes were contained in identified GO terms and pathways: ATP6V0B, NDUFS5, NDUFV2, ATP6V1F and ATP6V1G1. Comparisons of qRT-PCR data and the previously reported data with the results of gene chips support the validity of our microarray data. CONCLUSION: The H. pylori-related CAG with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes has shown to be the more malignant phenotype than H. pylori negative CAG with IL-1B-31CC/-511TT genotypes. Mitochondrial energy metabolism probably plays a crucial role as it is the molecular mechanism of host-bacterial interactions.

Signal transduction mechanism of TRB3 in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

AIM: To evaluate the possible role of Tribble 3 (TRB3) in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its signal transduction mechanism. METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: normal control group, non-alcoholic fatty liver group A (fed on a high-fat diet for 8 wk) and group B (fed on a high-fat diet for 16 wk). To determine the degree of hepatic steatosis in rats of each group, livers were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated; real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the expression levels of TRB3 mRNA; and Western blotting analysis was done to determine the expression levels of protein kinase B (Akt) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt-Thr308, p-Akt-Ser473). RESULTS: Hepatic steatosis was evident in both NAFLD groups: mild to moderate hepatic steatosis occurred in group A, mainly as mild steatosis. Moderate to severe hepatic steatosis occurred in group B, mainly as severe steatosis. The expression level of TRB3 mRNA in group B was significantly higher than in the control group (122.28 +/- 95.37 vs 3.06 +/- 2.33, P = 0.001) and group A (122.28 +/- 95.37 vs 5.77 +/- 4.20, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of Akt (1.03 +/- 0.53 vs 1.12 +/- 0.77, P = 0.729) and p-Akt-Thr308 (0.82 +/- 0.45 vs 0.92 +/- 0.38, P = 0.592) between group A and the control group. The expression level of Akt and p-Akt-Thr308 in group B was significantly lower than in group A (Akt 0.41 +/- 0.16 vs 1.12 +/- 0.77, P = 0.008; p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 +/- 0.19 vs 0.82 +/- 0.45, P = 0.036) and the control group (Akt 0.41 +/- 0.16 vs 1.03 +/- 0.53, P = 0.018; p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 +/- 0.19 vs 0.92 +/- 0.38, P = 0.010). The expression level of p-Akt-Ser473 in group A was significantly higher than in group B (1.48 +/- 0.50 vs 0.81 +/- 0.39, P = 0.041) as well as the control group (1.48 +/- 0.50 vs 0.45 +/- 0.26, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: TRB3 blocks insulin signaling by inhibiting Akt activation, which contributes to insulin resistance. It may be an important factor in the occurrence and development of NAFLD.

Comparison of four models for end-stage liver disease in evaluating the prognosis of cirrhosis.

AIM: To investigate the prognostic value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and three new MELD-based models combination with serum sodium in decompensated cirrhosis patients-the MELD with the incorporation of serum sodium (MELD-Na), the integrated MELD (iMELD), and the MELD to sodium (MESO) index. METHODS: A total of 166 patients with decompensated cirrhosis were enrolled into the study. MELD, MELD-Na, iMELD and MESO scores were calculated for each patient following the original formula on the first day of admission. All patients were followed up at least 1 year. The predictive prognosis related with the four models was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the four parameters. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were made using the cut-offs identified by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC). RESULTS: Out of 166 patients, 38 patients with significantly higher MELD-Na (28.84 +/- 2.43 vs 14.72 +/- 0.60), iMELD (49.04 +/- 1.72 vs 35.52 +/- 0.67), MESO scores (1.59 +/- 0.82 vs 0.99 +/- 0.42) compared to the survivors died within 3 mo (P < 0.001). Of 166 patients, 75 with markedly higher MELD-Na (23.01 +/- 1.51 vs 13.78 +/- 0.69), iMELD (44.06 +/- 1.19 vs 34.12 +/- 0.69), MESO scores (1.37 +/- 0.70 vs 0.93 +/- 0.40) than the survivors died within 1 year (P < 0.001). At 3 mo of enrollment, the iMELD had the highest AUC (0.841), and was followed by the MELD-Na (0.766), MESO (0.723), all larger than MELD (0.773); At 1 year, the iMELD still had the highest AUC (0.783), the difference between the iMELD and MELD was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Survival curves showed that the three new models were all clearly discriminated the patients who survived or died in short-term as well as intermediate-term (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Three new models, changed with serum sodium (MELD-Na, iMELD, MESO) can exactly predict the prognosis of patients with decompensated cirrhosis for short and intermediate period, and may enhance the prognostic accuracy of MELD. The iMELD is better prognostic model for outcome prediction in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

[Role of secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine in the pathogenesis of rat ulcerative colitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) on experimental colon lesions in rats with ulcerative colitis. METHODS: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, model group and SLC intervention group. Colonic mucosal lesions of different groups were observed with HE staining for inflammation and lymphocyte homing situation. Cytokine IL-2 and IL-6 levels were measured by ABC-ELISA. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the colonic SLC expression. RESULTS: Intestinal inflammation score and colonic cytokine levels were significantly different among three groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). Abnormal lymphocyte homing phenomenon under colonic mucosa was found in the model group and the intervention group. SLC mRNA expression of the model and intervention groups increased significantly compared with the control group (0.846+/-0.047, 0.768+/-0.135 vs 0.312+/-0.112, P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference between model group and intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: SLC may play an important role in experimental colonic mucosal inflammation in rats with ulcerative colitis. Blockade of SLC may be one of effective ways in reducing colonic mucosal inflammation.