Radioprotective Effect of Whey Hydrolysate Peptides against γ-Radiation-Induced Oxidative Stress in BALB/c Mice

Radiation therapy is widely used in the treatment of tumor diseases, but it can also cause serious damage to the body, so it is necessary to find effective nutritional supplements. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of whey hydrolysate peptides (WHPs) against ⁶⁰Coγ radiation damage in mice and explore the mechanism. BALB/c mice were given WHPs by oral gavage administration for 14 days. Then, some mice underwent a 30-day survival test after 8 Gy radiation, and other mice received 3.5 Gy radiation to analyze the changes in body weight, hematology and bone marrow DNA after three and 14 days. In addition, through further analysis of the level of oxidative stress and intestinal barrier function, the possible mechanism of the radioprotective effect of WHPs was explored. The study found WHPs can prolong survival time, restore body weight, and increase the number of peripheral blood white blood cells and bone marrow DNA content in irradiated mice. In addition, WHPs can significantly improve the antioxidant capacity, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines and protect the intestinal barrier. These results indicate that WHPs have a certain radioprotective effect in mice, and the main mechanism is related to reducing oxidative damage.     

Fractionated carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment contributes to trans-nail penetration of rhodamine B and changes of cytokine microenvironment

Lasers in Medical Science - This study is to determine the role of the fractional CO2 laser in topical drug delivery and the impact of local immune responses. Experimental rabbit nails were treated...     

Effect of probiotics on length of hospitalization in mild acute pancreatitis: A randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis is the leading cause of hospitalization for acute gastrointestinal disease worldwide.The effects of probiotics in mild acute pancreatitis have not been studied.We hypothesized that the administration of probiotics may accelerate the recovery of intestinal function and shorten the length of hospital stay(LOS)in patients with mild pancreatitis.AIM To investigate the value of probiotics in reducing the LOS in patients with mild acute pancreatitis.METHODS We conducted a double-blind randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of probiotics administered to patients with mild acute pancreatitis at a tertiary medical center.The patients were given probiotics capsules(a mixed preparation of Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecium)or placebo.The primary study endpoint was the LOS.The secondary endpoints included time to abdominal pain relief,recurrent abdominal pain,and time to successful oral feeding.RESULTS A total of 128 patients were included,with 64 patients in each arm.The severity of illness and the etiological distribution of disease were similar in the two groups.There was a significant reduction in the LOS in the probiotics treatment group vs the placebo group(5.36±0.15 vs 6.02±0.17 d,P<0.05).The probiotics group was associated with a shorter time to abdominal pain relief and time to successful oral feeding(P<0.01 for both)than the placebo group.No statistical difference was found in recurrent abdominal pain between the two groups.CONCLUSION The study results showed that the administration of probiotics capsules is associated with a shorter duration of hospitalization in patients with mild acute pancreatitis.     

内镜下磁吻合术治疗先天性食管狭窄一例

采用传统手术方法治疗儿童先天性食管狭窄较困难且并发症多。本文报道1例利用磁吻合术实现儿童先天性食管狭窄微创治疗的临床经验。通过消化道内镜和胃造瘘方法将两个圆环状永磁体分别植入食管狭窄部位近、远端食管腔内,磁体对食管狭窄部位产生持续压榨作用以疏通食管。磁吻合术后1 d内磁环即完成良好对位,术后14 d胃造瘘口取出磁体,食管造影显示吻合口通畅情况良好,术后3个月复查食管造影通畅情况良好,随访6个月未发生任何并发症。     

Iguratimod in treatment of primary Sjögren’s syndrome concomitant with autoimmune hemolytic anemia: A case report

BACKGROUNDPrimary Sjögren''s syndrome (pSS) concomitant with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) but without eye and mouth dryness is exceedingly rare. Iguratimod (IGU) has been widely used in the treatment of pSS. However, there are few reports about the application of IGU in pSS concomitant with AIHA. CASE SUMMARYHere, we present the case of a patient with pSS concomitant with AIHA but without eye and mouth dryness. The patient was initially diagnosed with hyperplastic anemia and AIHA while pSS was missed, and was finally diagnosed with pSS concomitant with AIHA. The patient was treated with IGU along with prednisone and hydroxychloroquine, and her hemoglobin, reticulocytes and IgG returned to normal levels.CONCLUSIONIGU was effective for and well tolerated by our patient with pSS concomitant with AIHA, and may be a promising therapy for the treatment of this disease.     

Interleukin-7 Receptor Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs6897932 (C/T) and the Susceptibility to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Emerging evidences were accumulated to support the view that aberrant interleukin-7 (IL-7) signaling might be associated with autoimmunity. Former studies demonstrated the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6897932 C/T in the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) gene was associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and type I diabetes. Given these, this study was conducted to investigate whether an association existed between SNP rs6897932 and the susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a severe systemic autoimmune disease. In this context, 816 SLE patients and 816 controls from a Chinese population were recruited for this study, and the results showed that the major allele C of rs6897932 showed a higher frequency in SLE patients compared with controls (P?=?0.039, C versus T); significant difference was also detected under a recessive model with regard to the distribution of genotype frequencies between SLE patients and controls (P?=?0.041, CC versus CT + TT), which was not consistent with the results under a dominant model (P?=?0.349, CC + CT versus TT). Moreover, association studies were also performed contraposing the relationship between the SNP rs6897932 C/T and lupus nephritis as well as 10 clinical features of SLE; however, no significant association signal was found regarding the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies between SLE patients positive and negative for the presence of 11 sub-phenotypes. In conclusion, the major allele C of SNP rs6897932 may be associated with increased SLE risk in Chinese populations, and further studies are still encouraged to shed light on the true associations between SLE and its susceptibility genes with respect to IL-7R gene.     

Clinical investigation on diagnostic value of interferon-γ, interleukin-12 and adenosine deaminase isoenzyme for tuberculous pleurisy

The proportion of tuberculous pleurisy among all pleurisy cases is 49. 6% and is obviously increasing. However, malignant pleural effusion (29.6% of cases) also accounts for a significant percentage of pleural diseases. Therefore,tuberculous pleurisy and malignant pleurisy are two main causes for pleural effusion. Because of their quite different prognosis and therapy, it is very important to differentiate them clearly.     

Increased plasma/serum levels of prolactin in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Prolactin (PRL), a polypeptide hormone produced by the pituitary gland, is involved in the regulation of humoral and cell mediated immune responses. PRL levels have been investigated in several autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), however, yielded different and inconsistent results. This study aims to derive a more precise evaluation on plasma/serum PRL levels in SLE patients, as well as the potential influential factors.

Methods: Studies published from 1 January 1987 to 31 December 2015 in English, which comparing plasma/serum PRL levels between SLE group and control group were searched in PubMed, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library databases. Pooled standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by fixed-effects or random-effect model analysis. Heterogeneity test was performed by the Q statistic and quantified using I², publication bias was evaluated using a funnel plot and Egger’s linear regression test.

Results: Five-hundred and forty-seven articles were obtained after searching databases, and 12 studies with 429 SLE patients and 326 controls were finally included. Meta-analysis revealed that, compared with the control group, the SLE group had significantly higher plasma/serum PRL levels (P < 0.001), with the SMD of 1.26 and 95%CI (0.70,1.82). Subgroup analyses showed that SLE patients from Asia and Europe had higher plasma/serum PRL levels. However, no significant change in plasma/serum PRL levels was observed in SLE patients from America (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Overall, our study suggests that SLE patients have higher plasma/serum PRL level, but with a regional difference.     

负载布氏菌WboA-/-S2株的树突状细胞对淋巴结T细胞的活化作用

目的:研究猪种布氏菌WboA-/-S2株对骨髓源性树突状细胞(BMDC)的生物学特性及启动T细胞应答能力的影响。方法:用粗糙型布氏菌WboA-/-S2株负载BALB/c小鼠的BMDC,并以光滑型S2株作为对照,采用瑞氏-姬姆萨染色观察细胞形态学变化并计算吞噬率;用固体培养基涂布法测定负载后不同时间点细胞的载菌量;用ELISA检测负载后不同时间点BMDC分泌IL-12和TNF-α的量以及与淋巴结T细胞共培养上清中IFN-γ和IL-4的含量。结果:BMDC对WboA-/-S2株的吞噬率高于对S2株的吞噬率(P<0.05),负载1小时BMDC的载菌量明显高于负载S2株的载菌量(P<0.05),但在24小时,WboA-/-S2株负载BMDC的载菌量明显低于S2株负载组(P<0.05)。WboA-/-S2株负载BMDC不同时间点上清中IL-12和TNF-α含量明显高于S2株负载组(P<0.05)。且负载WboA-/-S2株的BMDC刺激T细胞所产生的IFN-γ量均明显高于S2株(P<0.05)。结论:WboA-/-S2株较S2株更易被BMDC吞噬和杀死,其活化BMDC、诱导T细胞应答的能力也明显强于S2株。