Genetic polymorphisms,forensic efficiency and phylogenetic analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture,northwestern China

Aim: We investigated the frequencies of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture with the aim of expanding the available population information in human genetic databases and for forensic DNA analysis.

Subjects and methods: Genetic polymorphisms of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were analysed in 456 individuals of the Kazak population from Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern China.

Results: A total of 173 alleles at 15 autosomal STR loci were found; the allele frequencies ranged from 0.5022–0.0011. The combined power of discrimination and exclusion statistics for the 15 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 85 and 0.999 998 800 65, respectively. In addition, phylogenetic analysis involving the Ili Uygur population and other relevant populations was carried out. A neighbour-joining tree and multidimensional scaling plot were generated based on Nei’s standard genetic distance.

Conclusions: Results of the population comparison indicated that the Ili Uygur population was most closely related genetically to the Uygur populations from other regions in China. These findings are consistent with the historical and geographic backgrounds of these populations.     

Long-term presence of angiotensin II type 1 receptor autoantibody reduces aldosterone production by triggering Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript> overload in H295R cells

Preeclamptic women are reported to have inadequate plasma volume expansion coupled with a suppressed secretion of aldosterone; however, the specific mechanism of preeclampsia remains unclear. We demonstrated that the presence of long-term angiotensin II type 1 receptor autoantibody (AT1-AA) reduces aldosterone production by triggering a Ca²⁺ overload in H295R cells. AT1-AA was discovered in preeclamptic women and reported to activate AT₁R, and consequently elevate intracellular Ca²⁺. We found that AT1-AA significantly prolonged the time of intracellular Ca²⁺ elevation. Besides promoting aldosterone production as a second messenger, Ca²⁺ overload shows a cytotoxic effect. Our data reveals that long-term presence of AT1-AA triggered a Ca²⁺ overload and consequent impairment of aldosterone production, which could be prevented by a PKC inhibitor, Gö 6983, or a calcium channel inhibitor, nifedipine. These findings have clinical significance because AT₁R blockers are not recommended for treatment of preeclampsia due to their potential harm to the fetus. Our findings also emphasize a potential clinical benefit of immunoadsorption or neutralization of AT1-AA in preeclamptic women.     

Effect of Antithymocyte Globulin Source on Outcomes of HLA-Matched Sibling Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Severe Aplastic Anemia

We wanted to evaluate efficacy of porcine antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in HLA-matched sibling donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (MSD-HSCT) for patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The clinical data of 113 SAA patients who received MSD-HSCT from January 2005 to November 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Of these, 58 patients received rabbit ATG as a part of conditioning regimen (R-ATG group), whereas the other 55 patients received porcine ATG (P-ATG group). Patient baseline characteristics and donor conditions of the 2 groups were similar, except patients were older and more received peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in the P-ATG group. All patients engrafted in 2 groups. There were significant differences in the incidence of acute (20.7%?±?5.3% versus 43.4%?±?7.0%, P?=?.015) and chronic graft-versus- host disease (GVHD; 20.1%?±?5.8% versus 46.0%?±?7.9%, P?=?.003) between the R-ATG and P-ATG groups. However, there were no significant differences in terms of 3-year overall survival (93.1%?±?3.3% versus 84.4%?±?5.7%, P?=?.235), grades III to IV acute GVHD (3.4%?±?2.4% versus 12.3%?±?4.7%, P?=?.098), moderate to severe chronic GVHD (12.6%?±?4.9% versus 11.5%?±?4.9%, P?=?.905), or graft rejection (7.4%?±?3.6% versus 5.5%?±?3.1%, P?=?.852). There was also no significant difference with regard to the incidence of severe bacterial infection (P?=?.075), invasive fungal disease (P?=?.701), or cytomeglovirus viremia (P?=?.770). P-ATG showed satisfactory efficacy and safety compared with R-ATG in the setting of MSD-HSCT for SAA patients. P-ATG could be a potential alternative preparation for R-ATG, further offering the advantage of lower costs.     

Biocompatibility of fully biodegradable polylactic acid and its copolymers: Present and future applications北大核心

BACKGROUND: Polylactic acid and its copolymers have been widely used in biomedical fields because of their good biocompatibility and biodegradability, which have become a hotspot in the research of biomaterials. OBJECTIVE: To review the biocompatibility of fully degradable polylactic acid and its copolymers. METHODS: A computer-based online retrieval of PubMed and CNKI was performed to search relevant papers published from 2006 to 2016, with the key words of " polylactide, polylactic acid, copolymer, biodegradability, biocompatibility, animal” in English and Chinese, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Polylactic acid and its copolymers as polyester compounds are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in the biomedical field because of their good biocompatibility mainly as drug delivery carriers and temporary implants. Moreover, their side effects in clinical application have attracted attentions. Polylactide copolymers can cause some adverse reactions when used in drug delivery systems, orthopedic and skin care, and other clinical medical fields. These copolymers are deemed to have no impact on the central nervous system, eyes, cardiovessels and other tissues and organs. They also have no virtually genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. Currently, the polylactide copolymer implant mainly results in local reactions in the surrounding tissues, and no systemic reactions have been found. © 2018, Journal of Clinical Rehabilitative Tissue Engineering Research. All rights reserved.     

A simple pyramid-shaped microchamber towards highly efficient isolation of circulating tumor cells from breast cancer patients

Isolation and detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has showed a great clinical impact for tumor diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Despite significant progresses of the existing technologies, feasible and cost-effective CTC isolation techniques are more desirable. In this study, a novel method was developed for highly efficient isolation of CTCs from breast cancer patients based on biophysical properties using a pyramid-shaped microchamber. Through optimization tests, the outlet height of 6 μm and the flow rate of 200 μL/min were chosen as the optimal conditions. The capture efficiencies of more than 85% were achieved for cancer cell lines (SKBR3, BGC823, PC3, and H1975) spiked in DMEM and healthy blood samples without clogging issue. In clinic assay, the platform identified CTCs in 13 of 20 breast cancer patients (65%) with an average of 4.25?±?4.96 CTCs/2 mL, whereas only one cell was recognized as CTC in 1 of 15 healthy blood samples. The statistical analyses results demonstrated that both CTC positive rate and CTC counts were positive correlated with TNM stage (p < 0.001; p?=?0.02, respectively). This microfluidic platform successfully demonstrated the clinical feasibility of CTC isolation and would hold great potential of clinical application in predicting and monitoring the prognosis of cancer patients.