Comparison of Two Automatic Devices and the Standard Mercury Sphygmomanometer in Hypertensive Patients

The standard mercury sphygmomanometer (SMS) and two automatic blood pressure recording devices, Dinamap 845 (D) and Sentron (S), were compared by means of a randomized 3-period cross-over experiment. Both devices recorded diastolic BP lower than SMS, on average and for most individual patients. Systolic BP was similar for SMS and S, and slightly lower for D, with variations for individual patients. A second study failed to detect effects of the physician's presence when BP was measured, whereas the difference between D and SMS was substantially confirmed.     

The anti-fibrotic effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in bile duct-ligated cholestatic rats and human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells are mediated by the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway

Aim:

(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the most abundant polyphenols in green tea with strong antioxidant activity and various therapeutic effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of EGCG and underlying mechanisms in bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats and a liver fibrosis model in vitro.

Methods:

BDL rats were treated with EGCG (25 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹, po) for 14 d, and then the serum, bile and liver samples were collected. Liver fibrosis was assessed by serum, urine and bile biochemistry analyses and morphological studies of liver tissues. TGF-β1-stimulated human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells were used as a liver fibrosis model in vitro. The expression of liver fibrogenic genes and signaling proteins in the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway was examined using Western blotting and/or real-time PCR.

Results:

In BDL rats, EGCG treatment significantly ameliorates liver necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis, and suppressed expression of the genes associated with liver inflammation and fibrogenesis, including TNF-α, IL-1β, TGF-β1, MMP-9, α-SMA, and COL1A1. In LX-2 cells, application of EGCG (10, 25 μmol/L) dose-dependently suppressed TGF-β1-stimulated expression of COL1A1, MMP-2, MMP-9, TGF-β1, TIMP1, and α-SMA. Furthermore, EGCG significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and Akt in the livers of BDL rats and in TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells. Application of {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LY294002","term_id":"1257998346","term_text":"LY294002"}}LY294002, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, produced similar effects as EGCG did in TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells, but co-application of EGCG and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LY294002","term_id":"1257998346","term_text":"LY294002"}}LY294002 did not produce additive effects.

Conclusion:

EGCG exerts anti-fibrotic effects in BDL rats and TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells in vitro via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway.     

Mutations in TAX1BP3 Cause Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Septo‐Optic Dysplasia

We describe a Bedouin family with a novel autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by dilated cardiomyopathy and septo‐optic dysplasia. Genetic analysis revealed a homozygous missense mutation in TAX1BP3, which encodes a small PDZ domain containing protein implicated in regulation of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway, as the causative mutation. The mutation affects a conserved residue located at the core of TAX1BP3 binding pocket and is predicted to impair the nature of a crucial hydrophobic patch, thereby interrupting the structure and stability of the protein, and its ability to interact with other proteins. TAX1BP3 is highly expressed in heart and brain and consistent with the clinical findings observed in our patients; a knockdown of TAX1BP3 causes elongation defects, enlarged pericard, and enlarged head structures in zebrafish embryos. Thus, we describe a new genetic disorder that expands the monogenic cardiomyopathy disease spectrum and suggests that TAX1BP3 is essential for heart and brain development.     

Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence

Sauna bathing, an activity that has been a tradition in Finland for thousands of years and mainly used for the purposes of pleasure and relaxation, is becoming increasingly popular in many other populations. Emerging evidence suggests that beyond its use for pleasure, sauna bathing may be linked to several health benefits, which include reduction in the risk of vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and neurocognitive diseases; nonvascular conditions such as pulmonary diseases; mortality; as well as amelioration of conditions such as arthritis, headache, and flu. The beneficial effects of sauna bathing on these outcomes have been linked to its effect on circulatory, cardiovascular, and immune functions. It has been postulated that regular sauna bathing may improve cardiovascular function via improved endothelium-dependent dilatation, reduced arterial stiffness, modulation of the autonomic nervous system, beneficial changes in circulating lipid profiles, and lowering of systemic blood pressure. This review summarizes the available epidemiological, experimental, and interventional evidence linking Finnish sauna bathing and its effects on cardiovascular outcomes and other disease conditions on the basis of a comprehensive search for observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and non–randomized controlled trials from MEDLINE and EMBASE from their inception until February 24, 2018. An overview of the postulated biological mechanisms underlying the associations between sauna bathing and its health benefits, areas of outstanding uncertainty, and implications for clinical practice is also provided.     

膝骨性关节炎运动质量评估系统设计

为膝骨性关节炎患者提供一种运动康复训练的监护系统,患者可以通过监护系统了解自身运动规范程度并作适当的调整.设计了一种基于ZigBee无线通信技术的人体下肢运动质量评估系统,以评估膝骨性关节炎运动理疗法的动作规范性.该系统将装有微型加速度传感器的ZigBee模块穿戴在人体的下肢,获取运动时的三维加速度信号,将加速度信号经过Haar小波变换后,采用粒子群算法提取小波特征值,将提取的特征向量应用神经网络分类器对动作质量进行识别评估.通过对20名年龄在24～30周岁的健康男性直腿抬高训练的动作质量评估测试,系统对规范抬腿、抬腿过高、保持时间太短和非平行抬腿这4类训练取真率的均值和标准差分别为(89.1±2.0)％、(93.4±1.7)％、(89.5±2.3)％、(90.1±1.8)％.实验结果表明,本系统能有效地识别训练过程中的不规范动作,较好地实现了对直腿抬高训练的运动质量监测与评估,满足健康监护系统的应用需求.     

Combination of Radiological and Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix Textural Features Used to Distinguish Solitary Pulmonary Nodules by Computed Tomography

The objective of this study was to investigate the method of the combination of radiological and textural features for the differentiation of malignant from benign solitary pulmonary nodules by computed tomography. Features including 13 gray level co-occurrence matrix textural features and 12 radiological features were extracted from 2,117 CT slices, which came from 202 (116 malignant and 86 benign) patients. Lasso-type regularization to a nonlinear regression model was applied to select predictive features and a BP artificial neural network was used to build the diagnostic model. Eight radiological and two textural features were obtained after the Lasso-type regularization procedure. Twelve radiological features alone could reach an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.84 in differentiating between malignant and benign lesions. The 10 selected characters improved the AUC to 0.91. The evaluation results showed that the method of selecting radiological and textural features appears to yield more effective in the distinction of malignant from benign solitary pulmonary nodules by computed tomography.     

In this issue: Harnessing Immunity against Difficult Targets,through the CD40-CD40L Pathway

This issue highlights translational aspects related to the CD40-CD40L pathway, a veritable master-switch at the interface between the innate and adaptive immunity. From direct targeting of CD40 onto tumor cells to licensing professional antigen presenting cells (APC), and from in vivo activation of immune effectors to enabling adoptive cell immune interventions, this pathway already shows translational promise in oncology and infectious diseases. In light of the pivotal nature and versatility of the target, the authors discuss a diverse range of options to design and advance novel, safe and effective immune interventions or combinatorial therapies involving CD40 agonistic engagement.     

GTP酶激活蛋白(Src同源结构域3)结合蛋白1在乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231体外迁移中的作用

目的:研究GTP酶激活蛋白(Src同源结构域3)结合蛋白1[Ras-GTPase activating protein(Src homology domain 3)binding protein 1,G3BP1]在乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231体外迁移过程中的作用.方法:人乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231培养于RPMI1640培养基中;Western blot检测无表皮生长因子(Epidermal growth factor,EGF)刺激,以及10 ng/ml EGF分别刺激30秒、1分钟、2分钟和5分钟条件下乳腺癌细胞内G3BP1、蛋白激酶Cζ(Protein kinase Cζ,PKCζ)、Akt、pPKCζThin410/403及pAktSer473的表达水平;免疫共沉淀法检测乳腺癌细胞内G3BP1与PKCζ的相互作用;转染小干扰RNA抑制内源性G3BP1的表达;趋化实验和侵袭实验分别检测G3BP1抑制前后MDA-MB-231细胞穿过10 μm聚碳酸酯膜及人工基底膜的细胞数.结果:Western blot检测显示G3BP1在MDA-MB-231细胞内过表达;无EGF刺激时MDA-MB-231细胞内G3BP1,PKCζ与Akt均过表达,pPKCζThe410/403及pAktSer473不表达或低于Western blot检测下限;10 ng/ml EGF刺激后G3BP1、PKCζ与Akt表达水平不变,pPKCζThr410/403及pAktSer473的表达刺激时间增加而升高,至5分钟时达到峰值;在乳腺癌细胞内G3BP1与PKCζ具有相互作用;G3BP1表达抑制后乳腺癌细胞的趋化能力和侵袭能力均显著下降(P ＜0.05,P＜0.05).结论:G3 BP1通过与PKCζ相互作用,在乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231的体外迁移过程中发挥重要作用.