Serum cytokine levels in periodontitis patients in relation to the bacterial load

Background: Periodontitis is a local inflammatory disease that also has some systemic effects. We investigated the levels of interferon (IFN)‐γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and interleukin (IL)‐2, ‐4, ‐5, and ‐10 in the serum of patients with periodontitis in relation to the bacterial load in the dental plaques. Methods: Serum cytokine levels in patients with generalized periodontitis and healthy control groups were determined using the cytometric bead array kit. Bacterial load in the dental plaque was determined semiquantitatively by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The proportions of different lymphocyte subsets were determined in the peripheral blood of patients with periodontitis by flow cytometry. Finally, relationships between the bacterial load in the subgingival plaques of patients with periodontitis and levels of cytokines and counts of lymphocyte subsets were established. Results: Serum levels of IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, and IL‐10 were significantly increased, whereas those of IL‐2 were significantly decreased in patients with periodontitis compared to healthy controls. Increased serum levels of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α in patients with periodontitis were associated with the enhanced dental plaque load with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans) and Porphyromonas gingivalis, respectively. Finally, as revealed by analysis of lymphocyte populations, the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and Trepomena denticola was associated with an increased population of CD3^?/CD16⁺ and CD3⁺/CD8⁺ cells, respectively. Conclusion: Certain periodontal pathogens could be associated with an increased level of proinflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood and thus increased risk of systemic diseases.     

Smooth muscle homeostasis in human atherosclerotic plaques through interleukin 15 signalling

Interleukin (IL)-15 is a cytokine that has a broad tissue distribution and is important in maintaining homeostasis of cells and stability of tissues. When II-15 is also expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC), which are the dominant type of cells in most atherosclerotic plaques, it could be important in maintaining plaque tissue integrity and hence resistance of plaques towards development of clinically relevant complications such as plaque rupture and thrombosis. In this study, IL-15 and IL-15Rα in vitro expression by coronary artery SMC was investigated using RT -PCR and FACS analysis. Immunohistochemistry was used to study in situ expression of IL-15 and IL-15R by SMC of human carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques. Multiplex ligand-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to investigate the mRNA expression of 40 pro- and anti inflammatory genes after stimulating coronary SMC with IL-15. We found that atherosclerotic SMC express both IL-15 and its receptor IL-15R, and TNF-γ and TNF-α enhance IL-15R expression in cultured SMC. MLPA studies on SMC revealed enhanced expression of PDGF beta mRNA after IL15 stimulation. In conclusion, our data suggest that IL-15 may contribute to atherosclerotic plaque integrity by stimulation of smooth muscle cells, probably in a PDGF dependent fashion.     

贵州省铜仁市40岁及以上仡佬族常住居民脑卒中风险筛查及颈动脉斑块分析

目的 探讨贵州省铜仁市仡佬族脑卒中高危人群情况及其相关危险因素,为建立区域性脑卒中防控策略提供依据.方法 采用整群抽样法,选取贵州省铜仁市仡佬族常住居民1154例(年龄≥40岁)进行问卷调查和病史采集,并对筛查出的脑卒中高危人群进行颈动脉超声检查,分析颈动脉斑块特征.结果 1154例居民中共筛查出高危人群335例,检出...     

LOX-1对急性冠脉综合征的早期预测价值

目的:探讨血凝素样氧化低密度脂蛋白受体-1(LOX-1)对急性冠脉综合征的早期预测价值.方法:选择行冠脉动脉造影的患者75例,根据临床情况分为正常对照组(NC组)22例、不稳定型心绞痛组(UA组)28例和急性心肌梗死组(AMI组)25例,根据SYNTAX积分分为高危组(19例)和低危组(34例).采用酶联免疫法测定患者血清LOX-1水平.结果:AMI组LOX-1水平高于UA组和NC组,UA组LOX-1水平高于NC组,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05或P＜0.01).高危组患者LOX-1水平(107.43±35.18)ng/L高于低危组(86.90±31.27) ng/L,差异有统计学意义(t=2.19,P＜0.05).结论:LOX-1是预测急性冠脉综合征很有潜力的生物学标志物.     

脑梗死患者间歇使用低分子肝素对颈动脉斑块和血清炎性标志物的影响

目的:脑梗死患者间断使用低分子肝素,观察其对颈动脉斑块和血清炎性标志物的影响.方法:选择脑梗死并具有颈动脉斑块的患者78例作为对象,随机分为常规组(37例)和低分子肝素组(41例),分别于治疗前后测定颈动脉斑块情况及血清高敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)、基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)水平.结果:①治疗前比较,两组间颈动...     

Molecular approaches to the treatment, prophylaxis, and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: novel PET/SPECT imaging probes for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the brain associated with irreversible cognitive decline, memory impairment, and behavioral changes. Postmortem brains of AD patients reveal neuropathologic features, in particular the presence of senile plaques (SPs) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which contain β-amyloid peptides and highly phosphorylated tau proteins. Currently, AD can only be definitively confirmed by postmortem histopathologic examination of SPs and NFTs in the brain. Therefore, SPs and NFTs in the brain may be useful as biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of AD; the detection of individual SPs and NFTs in vivo by positron-emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) should improve diagnosis and also accelerate discovery of effective therapeutic agents for AD. Many PET/SPECT imaging probes for SPs have already been developed. Several of the PET probes have been shown in clinical trials to be useful for the imaging of β-amyloid plaques in living brain tissue. More recently, the development of PET/SPECT probes for in vivo imaging of NFTs is an active area of study in the field of molecular imaging because the appearance of NFT pathology correlates well with clinical severity of dementia. We will review current research on the development of PET/SPECT imaging probes for in vivo detection of SPs and NFTs and their application to diagnosis and therapy of AD.     

CXC趋化因子配体16与冠状动脉粥样硬化斑块及其稳定性的关系

随我国人民生活水平的提高及饮食习惯的改变,动脉粥样硬化（atherosclerosis,AS）已成为我国成人主要的死亡原因,严重威胁着人类健康。AS斑块中有多种病变合并存在,包括局部脂质和复合糖类聚集、纤维组织增生和钙质沉着形成斑块：继发性病变有斑块内出血     

Preventive and therapeutic types of environmental enrichment counteract beta amyloid pathology by different molecular mechanisms

Combined preventive and therapeutic physical/cognitive stimulation starting before disease onset and continuing over its progression reduce Alzheimer-related pathology in transgenic mice. We now report that exposure of TgCRND8 mice to an enriched environment as either a preventive or therapeutic approach is also capable to reduce Aβ burden, though with different plaque and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) morphology. Preventive treatment resulted in fewer and smaller plaques without affecting CAA, whereas in therapeutically treated mice beside reduction of CAA extent, numerous plaques of strongly diminished size were found, so that total plaque loads declined as well. These effects seemed to be mediated by distinct molecular pathways. In preventive but not therapeutic group a shift of Aβ(42/40) ratio towards Aβ(40) and up-regulation of Aβ clearing and degrading molecules were found. Contrariwise anti-oxidative defense mechanisms were induced only in therapy but not preventive group. We hypothesize that preventive enrichment lowers the amounts of plaque seeds and decelerates plaque growth by degradation and clearance of Aβ, while therapeutic enrichment mitigates growth and fusion of plaque seeds to large plaques by inhibiting further Aβ aggregation. This study provides an experimental basis for application of physical/cognitive training in both prophylaxis and therapy of Alzheimer's disease.     

缺陷腺病毒载体表达重复10次的Aβ3-10基因疫苗鼻黏膜免疫APPswe, PSEN1dE9转基因小鼠可诱导出Th2型免疫反应

Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is effective in improving cognitive function in transgenic mouse models of AD. Because the AN1792 [beta-amyloid (Aβ) 1-42] vaccine was halted because of T cell mediated meningoencephalitis, many scientists are searching for a novel vaccine to avoid the T cell mediated immune response caused by the Aβ1-42. Importantly, the time when the immunization is begun can influence the immune effect. In this study, an adenovirus vaccine was constructed containing 10 × Aβ3-10 repeats and gene adjuvant CpG DNA. Transgenic AD mice were immunized intranasally for 3 months. After 10 × Aβ3-10 vaccine immunization, high titers of anti-Aβ42 IgG1 predominant antibodies were induced. In spatial learning ability and probe tests, the 10 × Aβ3-10 immunized mice showed significantly improved memories compared to control mice. The 10 × Aβ3-10 vaccine resulted in a robust Th2 dominant humoral immune response and reduced learning deficits in AD mice. In addition, the 10 × Aβ3-10 vaccine might be more efficient if administered before Aβ aggregation at an early stage in the AD mouse brain. Thus, the adenovirus vector encoding 10 × Aβ3-10 is a promising vaccine for AD.     

超声波经皮导入尿激酶治疗颈动脉粥样硬化斑块的临床研究

目的探讨超声波导入尿激酶对颈动脉粥样斑块的消退作用。方法 120例入选患者随机分为两组：治疗组60例（超声波导入尿激酶＋内科综合治疗）,对照组60例（内科综合治疗）。入组患者均于治疗前后应用彩色多普勒超声检测颈动脉粥样斑块内中膜厚度。结果治疗组颈动脉粥样斑块厚度明显缩小（P〈0.05）,两组治疗后比较差异显著（P〈0.05）。结论超声波导入尿激酶可有效消退颈动脉粥样斑块,且优于单纯内科综合治疗。