Aquaporin-4 gene disruption in mice protects against impaired retinal function and cell death after ischemia

PURPOSE: Water channel aquaporin (AQP)-4 is expressed in Muller cells in retina, which are similar to astroglial cells in the central nervous system, where AQP4 deletion protects against cytotoxic brain edema after cerebral ischemia. A transient ischemia-reperfusion model was used to determine whether AQP4 deletion in mice protects the retina. METHODS: Retinal function and morphology were assessed in wild-type versus AQP4-deficient mice after ischemic damage produced by a 45- to 60-minute elevation of intraocular pressure to 120 mm Hg. Retinal function was assessed by electroretinography, and retinal structure by light microscopy. Extracellular space (ECS) size in fluorescently stained retinal slices was assessed by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. RESULTS: Retinal function and cell survival were significantly improved in AQP4-deficient mice in both inbred (C57/bl6) and outbred (CD1) genetic backgrounds. By electroretinography, b-wave amplitude was reduced by 75% to 83% at 1 to 4 days after ischemia in wild-type mice versus 48% to 51% in AQP4-null CD1 mice. Reductions were 53% to 72% versus <34% in C57/bl6 mice. Retinal structure and cell count were preserved in AQP4-null mice, particularly in the inner nuclear and plexiform layers of the retina, where Müller cells are concentrated. At 4 days after ischemia, inner retinal thickness was thinned by 43% in wild-type mice versus 11% in AQP4-null mice. Several mechanisms for retinal protection were investigated, including ECS expansion, reduced early swelling, and altered Kir4.1 K(+) channel expression. CONCLUSIONS: AQP4 deletion in mice is neuroprotective in a transient ischemia model of retinal injury, suggesting the possible use of AQP4 inhibitors in retinal vascular occlusive and ischemic diseases.     

视神经损伤再生中血小板源生长因子的表达

目的:检测PDGF-BB在视神经损伤和修复过程中表达的变化。方法:建立大鼠视神经再生模型,免疫组化法检测PDGF-BB在正常视神经和视神经-坐骨神经吻合后不同时段在各组织部位的表达。结果:在大鼠正常视神经,PDGF-BB阴性表达,在视神经-坐骨神经吻合后,视神经PDGF-BB阳性表达,其表达量随病程的发展而变化。结论:坐骨神经移植能够促进视神经的再生,在此过程中PDGF-BB发挥着一定的作用。     

角膜移植排斥反应的基础研究进展

影响异体角膜缘／角膜缘干细胞移植术成败的关键是术后移植排斥反应的防治。在参阅有关文献后，本文对术后移植排斥反应的机制、表现及早期诊断和处理方法等诸多方面进行了较为全面的综述。     

尼卡地平静脉点滴用于妊娠期高血压急症紧急降压的疗效观察

目的 观察静脉用尼卡地平治疗孕期高血压急症的降压效果及对母婴的安全性。方法 观察16例妊娠期高血压急症病人接受静点尼卡地平治疗,心电监护仪观察24h动态血压、心率并评价其稳定性,电子监护仪监测胎心率用药前后变化,B超测定脐动脉血流S/D值并对新生儿进行Apgar评分、出生体重及新生儿预后的分析,了解其安全性。结果 全部患者静点尼卡地平后5～40min内血压可降至预期血压(140～150/90～100)mmHg,并能保持血压平稳。血压下降初始可伴心率加快,但多无症状,2h内即恢复。治疗前后胎心监护、胎儿脐血流无明显改变。结论 尼卡地平用于重度妊高症降压治疗是有效的,可平稳维持血压,未发现有严重不良反应,对胎儿安全性与其他钙拮抗剂相似。     

Sleep‐disordered breathing in heart failure patients with different etiologies

BackgroundThe prevalence of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) is closely related to the severity of heart failure (HF), and the severity of HF is different in patients with HF of different etiologies. Hypothesis: This study aimed to explore the prevalence of SDB in patients with HFof different etiologies.MethodsHospitalized HF patients were consecutively enrolled. All patients underwent portable overnight cardiorespiratory polygraphy. Patients were divided into five groups according to the etiology of HF: ischemic, hypertensive, myocardial, valvular, and arrhythmic. The prevalence of SDB and clinical data was compared among the five groups.ResultsIn total, 248 patients were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of SDB in HF was 70.6%, with the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at 47.6% and central sleep apnea (CSA) at 23.0%. Patients were divided into five groups: ischemic, hypertensive, myocardial, valvular, and arrhythmic. The prevalence of SDB among the five groups was 75.3%, 81.4%, 77.8%, 51.9%, and 58.5% (p = .014), respectively. The prevalence of OSA among the five groups was 42.7%, 72.1%, 36.1%, 37.0%, and 49.1% (p = .009), whereas the CSA was 32.6%, 9.3%, 41.7%, 14.8%, and 9.4% (p < .001), respectively.ConclusionsSDB is common in HF patients. The prevalence and types of SDB varied in HF with different etiologies, which may be related to the different severities of HF. SDB was highly prevalent in patients with ischemic, hypertensive, and myocardial HF. Hypertensive HF patients were mainly complicated with OSA, while myocardial HF patients were mainly complicated with CSA. Both conditions were highly prevalent in ischemic HF patients. The prevalence of SDB was relatively low in valvular and arrhythmic HF patients, and OSA was the main type.     

High-Temperature Tribological Behavior of HDPE Composites Reinforced by Short Carbon Fiber under Water-Lubricated Conditions

The polymer water-lubricated bearing is widely used in marine transmission systems, and the tribological properties can be improved by addition of inorganic nano-fillers. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of SCFs and temperature on the water-lubricating properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. HDPE composites reinforced by varying content of short carbon fibers (SCFs) were fabricated via twin-screw extrusion and injection molding techniques to study the hardness and surface wettability of those composites. The tribological properties under water-lubricated conditions were investigated through a pin-on-disk reciprocating tribometer under different temperatures. The results showed that the increase in hardness of HDPE composites reached maximum to 42.9% after adding 25 wt % SCFs. The contact angle also increased with the increase in SCFs content and reached a maximum of 95.2° as the amount of SCFs increased to 20 wt %. The incorporation of SCFs increased the wear resistance and lubricating property of HDPE composites at different temperatures. The HDPE composite containing 20 wt % SCFs showed the lowest friction coefficient of 0.076 at 40 °C, and the wear track depth reached a maximum of 36.3 mm at 60 °C. Based on the surface wetting property and wear analysis, potential effect mechanisms of fillers and temperature were discussed. The knowledge from this study is useful for designing the anti-wear water-lubricated polymer bearing.     

The role of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in pan-cancer

BackgroundToll-like receptors (TLRs) are important components of the innate and adaptive immune systems, and abnormal TLR expression has been linked to a variety of cancers. However, there was a lack of clarity on the association of TLR stimulation with the carcinogenesis of cancer. The study''s goal was to analyse the clinical importance of TLRs expression at the mRNA level in pan-cancer datasets, as well as the link between TLR expression and carcinogenesis, progression, and clinical prognosis.MethodsThe expression profile of TLRs derived from UCSC pan-cancer data was analysed in multiple dimensions, including clinical analysis, immunological subtype analysis, tumour microenvironment (TME) analysis, tumour stem cell correlation analysis, and drug sensitivity analysis. Additionally, we analyse protein-protein interactions, functional enrichment, and chromatin accessibility, as well as TLR expression in single-cell sequencing data.ResultsOur multi-omics analysis results imply that TLRs may operate as a biological marker for carcinogenesis and progression, a potential target for anti-tumour therapy, and a prognostic biomarker, laying the theoretical groundwork for future translational medicine research.ConclusionTLRs are involved in the formation of malignancies and can be explored in further detail as potential prognostic indicators.

Key Messages

• Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key factors in the process of the innate and adaptive immune response, and their aberrant expression of TLRs have been widely reported in various cancer. However, the association between TLRs stimulation and tumorigenesis of cancer has not been well clarified.
• In this study, in the pan-cancer data, integrated TLR family gene expression analysis, clinical correlation analysis, immune subtype correlation analysis, tumour microenvironment correlation analysis, tumour stem cell correlation analysis, and drug sensitivity correlation analysis were performed.
• TLRs play an important role in the development of tumours and can be studied in depth as potential prognostic markers.

     

特发性室性心动过速的导管射频消融治疗效果

目的 评价导管射频消融(radiofrequency catheter ablation,RFCA)对特发性室速(idiopathic ventricular tachy-cardia,IVT)的治疗效果以及心电图对消融靶点的定位价值.方法 对126例特发性室速患者的电生理资料及RFCA治疗效果进行回顾性分析.多数患者采用激动顺序标测,射频能量采用温控法(60～65℃).结果 126例患者中右室流出道(right ventricular outflow tract,RVOT)IVT 62例、左后间隔IVT 43例,其他部位IVT 21例.本组RFCA的总成功率为87.3%,RVOT-IVT和左后间隔IVT的成功率显著高于其他部位IVT(96.8%和90.7% vs 52.4%,P<0.05).本组8例患者存在发作性晕厥(发作的R-R间期230～260 ms),其中4例合并房室结双径路、2例合并隐匿性房室旁道、2例合并多形性室速.随访6个月至10年,复发9例(复发率为8.2%),均再次RFCA成功.合并心动过速性心肌病者6例,术后3个月心脏大小与心功能均恢复正常.结论 采用激动顺序标测法RFCA治疗IVT成功率高;室速发作时体表心电图对绝大多数室速起源具有定位价值;部分室速可能合并房室旁道或房室结双径路.     

高效毛细管电泳法检测尿液中痕量纤维蛋白肽A、B

目的 建立高效毛细管电泳测定尿液中反应体内微血栓形成的特异分子标志物纤维蛋白肽A(FPA)和纤维蛋白肽B(FPB)的方法.方法 采用25 cm×50 μm涂层毛细管柱,0.1 mol/L pH2.5的磷酸缓冲液,27.58 kPa压力进样,190nm紫外检测.用比FPB多一个酪氨酸的合成肽(FPB-Tyr)作内标,加内标后的尿样用Sep-Pak C18柱预处理.结果 采用本法,尿样中的FPA、FPB和内标可在16min内得到很好的分离,三者的迁移时间分别为:7.28、14.31、15.22min;将内标和一系列浓度的FPA、FPB标准品加入空白尿样,用Sep-Pak C18柱预处理后,毛细管电泳进样分析,在FPA和FPB浓度为0-40 mg/L的范围内,用FPA(FPB)同内标的校正峰面积比值对添加的相应的FPA(FPB)浓度得到校正工作曲线,线性关系良好,R均>0.99.未预处理的尿样中FPA、FPB的最低检出浓度分别为30μg/L、40μg/L(信噪比为3:1);本法FPA和FPB测定的日内、日间精密度好,平均回收率高.结论 本方法可靠,特异性好,可为开展纤维蛋白肽类及其它的痕量肽类分析提供参考.     

Development and Primary Application of an Indirect ELISA Based on Rep Protein to Analyze Antibodies against Porcine Cocirvirus-like Virus (PCLV)

Porcine circovirus-like virus (PCLV) is a member of circovirus that contains a single-strand DNA genome, which may be one of the pathogens that causes diarrheal symptoms in pigs. The Rep protein encoded by the genome of PCLV may be responsible for viral genome replication. The development of serological detection methods for PCLV is of great necessity for clinical diagnosis, as well as epidemiological investigations. Therefore, this study attempted to build an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to examine antibodies against PCLV based on the His-tagged recombinant Rep protein. Full-length PCLV Rep protein was induced and expressed in E. coli and was purified as an antigen to establish an ELISA detection kit. The purified Rep protein was used to inject into mice to produce specific antibodies. There was no cross-reaction of Rep-based ELISA with antisera against other porcine viruses. The intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient variations (CVs) were 0.644–8.211% and 0.859–7.246%, respectively, indicating good repeatability. The non-cross-reaction with TGEV, PRRSV and PCV2 testing showed high sensitivity and high specificity for this ELISA assay. A total of 1593 serum samples collected from different pig farms in Jiangxi Province were tested for anti-PCLV Rep antibodies, and 284 (17.83%) of the 1593 samples were Rep antibody positive. Altogether, the indirect ELISA detection tool developed in this study could be applied to examine serum of PCLV antibodies with good repeatability, high sensitivity and high specificity. In addition, field sample detection results suggested that the PCLV antibody has a low prevalence in pig populations in Jiangxi Province of China.