脐带问充质干细胞联合表皮生长因子治疗III、Ⅳ期压疮的临床研究

目的：探讨脐带间充质干细胞移植联合表皮生长因子治疗III、Ⅳ期压疮的临床效果。方法：选取我院2011-2012年收治的III、Ⅳ期压疮患者143例为研究对象,随机分为对照组、实验一组和实验二组。对照组30例压疮患者行常规换药,实验一组58例压疮患者应用脐带间充质干细胞移植联合表皮生长因子治疗,实验二组55例压疮患者仅应用表皮生长因子治疗。治疗后,比较三组患者愈合时间及愈合效果。结果：实验一组和实验二组的显效时间和愈合时间均较对照组显著缩短,且实验一组的显效时间和愈合时间较实验二组更短,差异均有统计学意义（均P〈0．05）。实验一组的治愈率显著高于对照组（P〈0．05）,而与实验二组比较无统计学差异（P〉0．05）,实验二组的治愈率与对照组比较无统计学差异（P〈0．05）。实验一组的总有效率显著高于对照组和实验二组（P〈0．05）,而实验二组的总有效率与对照组比较无统计学差异（P〉0．05）。结论：脐带间充质干细胞移植联合表皮生长因子较单用表皮生长因子及常规治疗方法更好的改善III、Ⅳ期压疮创面的愈合,避免患者组织感染,提高压疮患者的生活质量。     

左室主动固定电极在心脏再同步化治疗中的临床应用

目的：探讨左室主动固定电极在心脏再同步化治疗（cardiac resynchronization therapy,CRT）中的作用并总结其临床经验。方法：收集2008年1月至2013年1月由梅州I市人民医院心内科植入CRT的患者,共56例（男34例,女22例）。根据植入冠状窦电极的不同,分为左室主动固定电极组（17例）和被动电极组（39例）,观察和比较两组的手术时间、透视时间和造影剂用量。结果：左室主动固定电极组的手术时间[（61±36）minvs（143＋61）min,P=0．035]和透视时间[（10±5）minvs（45＋11）min,P=0．042]均较被动电极组显著缩短,而造影剂用量[（36±20）mlvs（87±46）ml,P=0．041]也较被动电极组明显减少。结论：左室主动固定电极用于心脏再同步化治疗可明显缩短手术时间,降低造影剂用量,使患者和术者均获益。     

左炔诺酮宫内缓释系统联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效分析

目的：探讨左炔诺酮宫内缓释系统（LNG-IUS）联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效及安全性。方法：将94例子宫腺肌病患者随机分为观察组（47例）和对照组（47例）,观察组放置LNG-IUS,同时服用米非司酮,每月1次,疗程为6个月。对照组仅放置LNG-IUS。观察两组疗程结束后、放置LNG-IUS后1、3、5年的临床疗效及不良反应。结果：疗程结束后,观察组和对照组总有效率分别为91.5%,87.2%,差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）;随访期间,观察组的月经期、月经量、月经间期出血时间、不规则阴道流血或点滴出血的发生率均显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;观察组和对照组不良反应的发生率分别为21.3%和25.5%,差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论：LNG-IUS联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效确切,可有效减少不规则阴道出血。     

嵌段共聚物聚乙二醇-聚苹果酸苄基酯载药胶束的制备及性质研究

目的：为构建聚合物胶束药物运载体系,制备嵌段共聚物聚乙二醇-聚苹果酸苄基酯载药胶束并测定其性质。方法：以L-天冬氨酸为原料,重氮化、环化后经开环聚合得到聚苹果酸苄基酯。氨基聚乙二醇通过酰胺键连接到β-聚苹果酸苄基酯上形成两亲性嵌段共聚物,喜树碱做药物模型制备载药胶束。动态光散射法测定胶束粒径、评价胶束稳定性,高效液相法测定喜树碱载药率和包封率,芘荧光法与动态光散射法测定临界胶束浓度。结果：喜树碱包封率72%,载药率6%,临界胶束浓度为40μg.mL-1。随着聚苹果酸苄基酯分子量减小,胶束稳定性增强。结论：聚乙二醇-聚苹果酸苄基酯在疏水链/亲水链分子量比值为2-4时在水中可自组装形成纳米胶束,可作为性能优良的聚合物药物载体。     

右美托咪定在小儿气管异物取出术中的应用

目的：观察右美托咪定在气管异物取出术中对患儿呼吸、循环及术后恢复情况的影响。方法：40例行气管异物取出术患,随机分为右美托咪定组（D组）（n=20）和生理盐水组（S组）（n=20）,分别在麻醉诱导前10min静脉输注右美托咪定0.8μg/kg和等容量的生理盐水,输注时间为10min。术中高频射流呼吸机给氧,保持患儿自主呼吸,泵注丙泊酚和瑞芬太尼维持麻醉。结果：D组患儿术中屏气、咳嗽、喉痉挛、术中SP02〈90%显著低于S组（P〈0.05）;D组丙泊酚及瑞芬太尼用量减少（P〈0.05）。结论：在气管异物取出术中应用右美托咪定有很大的优势,对呼吸系统影响小,血流动力学平稳,术后并发症少。     

Serum hemorphin‐7 levels are decreased in obesity

Objective:

Hemorphin peptides exhibit biological activities that interfere with the endorphin system, the inflammatory response, and blood‐pressure control. VV‐hemorphin‐7 and LVV‐hemorphin‐7 peptides exert a hypotensive effect, in particular, by inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system. Furthermore, levels of circulating hemorphin‐7 peptides have been found to be decreased in diseases such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Design and Methods:

Because type 2 diabetes and obesity share common features, such as insulin resistance, microinflammation, high glomerular‐filtration rate (GFR), and cardiovascular risk, we evaluated serum VV‐hemorphin‐7 like immunoreactivity (VVH7‐i.r.) levels, using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method, on a group of 54 obese subjects without diabetes or hypertension, compared with a group of 33 healthy normal‐weight subjects.

Results:

Circulating VVH7‐i.r. levels were significantly decreased in the obese group compared with the control group (1.98 ± 0.19 vs. 4.86 ± 0.54 µmol/l, respectively, P < 0.01), and a significant negative correlation between VVH7‐i.r. and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found in obese patients (r = ?0.35, P = 0.011). There was no significant correlation between VVH7‐i.r. level and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or GFR.

Conclusions:

The decreased serum hemorphin‐7 found in obese subjects, as in diabetes, may contribute to the development of hypertension and to the cardiovascular risk associated with these metabolic diseases.

     

Diversity and Taxonomy of Endophytic Xylariaceous Fungi from Medicinal Plants of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae)

Dendrobium spp. are traditional Chinese medicinal plants, and the main effective ingredients (polysaccharides and alkaloids) have pharmacologic effects on gastritis infection, cancer, and anti-aging. Previously, we confirmed endophytic xylariaceous fungi as the dominant fungi in several Dendrobium species of tropical regions from China. In the present study, the diversity, taxonomy, and distribution of culturable endophytic xylariaceous fungi associated with seven medicinal species of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) were investigated. Among the 961 endophytes newly isolated, 217 xylariaceous fungi (morphotaxa) were identified using morphological and molecular methods. The phylogenetic tree constructed using nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit of ribosomal DNA (LSU), and beta-tubulin sequences divided these anamorphic xylariaceous isolates into at least 18 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The diversity of the endophytic xylariaceous fungi in these seven Dendrobium species was estimated using Shannon and evenness indices, with the results indicating that the dominant Xylariaceae taxa in each Dendrobium species were greatly different, though common xylariaceous fungi were found in several Dendrobium species. These findings implied that different host plants in the same habitats exhibit a preference and selectivity for their fungal partners. Using culture-dependent approaches, these xylariaceous isolates may be important sources for the future screening of new natural products and drug discovery.     

Coal Fly Ash Impairs Airway Antimicrobial Peptides and Increases Bacterial Growth

Air pollution is a risk factor for respiratory infections, and one of its main components is particulate matter (PM), which is comprised of a number of particles that contain iron, such as coal fly ash (CFA). Since free iron concentrations are extremely low in airway surface liquid (ASL), we hypothesize that CFA impairs antimicrobial peptides (AMP) function and can be a source of iron to bacteria. We tested this hypothesis in vivo by instilling mice with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA01) and CFA and determine the percentage of bacterial clearance. In addition, we tested bacterial clearance in cell culture by exposing primary human airway epithelial cells to PA01 and CFA and determining the AMP activity and bacterial growth in vitro. We report that CFA is a bioavailable source of iron for bacteria. We show that CFA interferes with bacterial clearance in vivo and in primary human airway epithelial cultures. Also, we demonstrate that CFA inhibits AMP activity in vitro, which we propose as a mechanism of our cell culture and in vivo results. Furthermore, PA01 uses CFA as an iron source with a direct correlation between CFA iron dissolution and bacterial growth. CFA concentrations used are very relevant to human daily exposures, thus posing a potential public health risk for susceptible subjects. Although CFA provides a source of bioavailable iron for bacteria, not all CFA particles have the same biological effects, and their propensity for iron dissolution is an important factor. CFA impairs lung innate immune mechanisms of bacterial clearance, specifically AMP activity. We expect that identifying the PM mechanisms of respiratory infections will translate into public health policies aimed at controlling, not only concentration of PM exposure, but physicochemical characteristics that will potentially cause respiratory infections in susceptible individuals and populations.     

Major Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Latin America: A Comparison with the United States. The Latin American Consortium of Studies in Obesity (LASO)

Background

Limited knowledge on the prevalence and distribution of risk factors impairs the planning and implementation of cardiovascular prevention programs in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region.

Methods and Findings

Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, abnormal lipoprotein levels, obesity, and smoking were estimated from individual-level patient data pooled from population-based surveys (1998–2007, n = 31,009) from eight LAC countries and from a national survey of the United States (US) population (1999–2004) Age and gender specific prevalence were estimated and age-gender adjusted comparisons between both populations were conducted. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol in LAC were 5% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 3.4, 7.9), 20.2% (95% CI: 12.5, 31), and 53.3% (95% CI: 47, 63.4), respectively. Compared to LAC region’s average, the prevalence of each risk factor tended to be lower in Peru and higher in Chile. LAC women had higher prevalence of obesity and low HDL-cholesterol than men. Obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia were more prevalent in the US population than in LAC population (31 vs. 16.1%, 16.8 vs. 8.9%, and 36.2 vs. 26.5%, respectively). However, the prevalence of low HDL-cholesterol was higher in LAC than in the US (53.3 vs. 33.7%).

Conclusions

Major cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in LAC region, in particular low HDL-cholesterol. In addition, marked differences do exist in this prevalence profile between LAC and the US. The observed patterns of obesity-related risk factors and their current and future impact on the burden of cardiovascular diseases remain to be explained.     

Tyrosylprotein Sulfotransferase-1 and Tyrosine Sulfation of Chemokine Receptor 4 Are Induced by Epstein-Barr Virus Encoded Latent Membrane Protein 1 and Associated with the Metastatic Potential of Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

The latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), which is encoded by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is an important oncogenic protein that is closely related to carcinogenesis and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a prevalent cancer in China. We previously reported that the expression of the functional chemokine receptor CXCR4 is associated with human NPC metastasis. In this study, we show that LMP1 induces tyrosine sulfation of CXCR4 through tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-1 (TPST-1), an enzyme that is responsible for catalysis of tyrosine sulfation in vivo, which is likely to contribute to the highly metastatic character of NPC. LMP1 could induce tyrosine sulfation of CXCR4 and its associated cell motility and invasiveness in a NPC cell culture model. In contrast, the expression of TPST-1 small interfering RNA reversed LMP1-induced tyrosine sulfation of CXCR4. LMP1 conveys signals through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway, and EGFR-targeted siRNA inhibited the induction of TPST-1 by LMP1. We used a ChIP assay to show that EGFR could bind to the TPST-1 promoter in vivo under the control of LMP1. A reporter gene assay indicated that the activity of the TPST-1 promoter could be suppressed by deleting the binding site between EGFR and TPST-1. Finally, in human NPC tissues, the expression of TPST-1 and LMP1 was directly correlated and clinically, the expression of TPST-1 was associated with metastasis. These results suggest the up-regulation of TPST-1 and tyrosine sulfation of CXCR4 by LMP1 might be a potential mechanism contributing to NPC metastasis.