乙肝免疫标志物与乙肝病毒核酸含量与肝功能的关系研究

目的:研究乙肝免疫标记物(HBV-M)与乙肝病毒脱氧核苷酸(HBV-DNA)载量与肝功能的关系。方法:检测104例乙肝患者HBs Ag、HBe Ag、HBc Ab、HBs Ab、HBe Ab5种HBV-M;用PCR法检测HBV-DNA含量;同时检测天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)、丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)、胆碱酯酶(CHE)等肝功能指标,对三者关系采用Spearman相关性分析。结果:HBs Ag、HBc Ab、HBe Ag阳性组HBV-DNA阳性率及载量均大于其余组(P0.05);HBe Ag含量、ALT浓度与HBV-DNA载量均呈正相关(r=0.48,P0.05)、(r=0.36,P0.05);AST、CHE与HBV-DNA含量无明显相关性,但在无病毒载量与有病毒载量组之间AST比较有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:HBV-M、HBV-DNA与肝功能之间有一定的相关性,但HBe Ag阴转不代表病毒复制停止,HBV-DNA也不能完全反应肝损害程度,临床应加大重视。     

诱捕条件对红棕象甲聚集信息素田间效果的影响

红棕象甲Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliver是世界著名的严重危害棕榈植物的毁灭性入侵害虫,现已传入我国长江以南广大地区,对我国棕榈植物的安全生产造成严重威胁。本文比较了聚集信息素来源、诱捕器设置高度、颜色和类型对红棕象甲成虫诱捕效果的影响。结果表明:2种不同来源的红棕象甲聚集信息素诱捕效果无显著差异;诱捕器置于地面诱捕效果最好;红色和黑色诱捕器的诱虫量显著优于白色和黄色诱捕器;诱捕器类型对诱虫量无显著影响。本研究结果可为红棕象甲聚集信息素的监测技术提供指导。     

Study into the kinetic properties and surface attachment of a thermostable adenylate kinase

A thermostable adenylate kinase (tAK) has been used as model protein contaminant on surfaces, so used because residual protein after high temperature wash steps can be detected at extremely low concentrations. This gives the potential for accurate, quantitative measurement of the effectiveness of different wash processes in removing protein contamination. Current methods utilise non-covalent (physisorbtion) of tAK to surfaces, but this can be relatively easily removed. In this study, the covalent binding of tAK to surfaces was studied to provide an alternative model for surface contamination. Kinetic analysis showed that the efficiency of the enzyme expressed as the catalytic rate over the Michaelis constant (k_cat/K_M) increased from 8.45±3.04 mM^?1 s^?1 in solution to 32.23±3.20 or 24.46±4.41 mM^?1 s^?1 when the enzyme was immobilised onto polypropylene or plasma activated polypropylene respectively. Maleic anhydride plasma activated polypropylene showed potential to provide a more robust challenge for washing processes as it retained significantly higher amounts of tAK enzyme than polypropylene in simple washing experiments. Inhibition of the coupled enzyme (luciferase/luciferin) system used for the detection of adenylate kinase activity, was observed for a secondary product of the reaction. This needs to be taken into consideration when using the assay to estimate cleaning efficacy.     

A lipidomic view of SARS-CoV-2

The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which started in late 2019, has caused huge social and economic losses. A growing number of investigators are focusing on understanding the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with host cellular processes to find therapeutic approaches. New data suggest that lipid metabolism may play a significant role in regulating the response of immune cells like macrophages to viral infection, thereby affecting the outcome of the disease. Therefore, understanding the role of lipid metabolism could help develop new therapeutic approaches to mitigate the social and economic cost of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).     

Immune and genetic gardening of the intestinal microbiome

The mucosal immune system – consisting of adaptive and innate immune cells as well as the epithelium – is profoundly influenced by its microbial environment. There is now growing evidence that the converse is also true, that the immune system shapes the composition of the intestinal microbiome. During conditions of health, this bidirectional interaction achieves a homeostasis in which inappropriate immune responses to non-pathogenic microbes are averted and immune activity suppresses blooms of potentially pathogenic microbes (pathobionts). Genetic alteration in immune/epithelial function can affect host gardening of the intestinal microbiome, contributing to the diversity of intestinal microbiota within a population and in some cases allowing for unfavorable microbial ecologies (dysbiosis) that confer disease susceptibility.     

Hepatitis B virus X increases immune cell recruitment by induction of chemokine SDF-1

Hepatitis B virus X protein is a major factor in the HBV-induced disease developments. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 is a small cytokine that is strongly chemotactic for lymphocytes. We explored the role of HBx on recruitment of HBV-induced virus-nonspecific immune cells into liver. Immune cell recruitment and SDF-1 expression level significantly increased in livers of HBx-transgenic mice and X-box binding protein-1 significantly increased SDF-1 gene expression. Finally, we confirmed that immune cell recruitment into liver tissues of HBx-TG mice was diminished by a chemokine receptor antagonist. Therefore, HBx increases ER stress-dependent SDF-1 expression and induces HBV-induced immune cell recruitment into liver.     

CD8CD25 T cells reduce atherosclerosis in apoE(−/−) mice

Background

It is increasingly evident that CD8⁺ T cells are involved in atherosclerosis but the specific subtypes have yet to be defined. CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells exert suppressive effects on immune signaling and modulate experimental autoimmune disorders but their role in atherosclerosis remains to be determined. The phenotype and functional role of CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells in experimental atherosclerosis were investigated in this study.

Methods and results

CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells were observed in atherosclerotic plaques of apoE(−/−) mice fed hypercholesterolemic diet. Characterization by flow cytometric analysis and functional evaluation using a CFSE-based proliferation assays revealed a suppressive phenotype and function of splenic CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells from apoE(−/−) mice. Depletion of CD8⁺CD25⁺ from total CD8⁺ T cells rendered higher cytolytic activity of the remaining CD8⁺CD25⁻ T cells. Adoptive transfer of CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells into apoE(−/−) mice suppressed the proliferation of splenic CD4⁺ T cells and significantly reduced atherosclerosis in recipient mice.

Conclusions

Our study has identified an athero-protective role for CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells in experimental atherosclerosis.     

Individualized medicine 2010

Molecular and cell biology have revolutionized not only diagnosis, therapy and prevention of human diseases but also greatly contributed to the understanding of their pathogenesis. Based on modern molecular and biochemical methods it is possible to identify on the one hand point mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms. On the other hand, using high throughput array technologies, it is possible to analyse thousands of genes or gene products simultaneously, resulting in an individual gene or gene expression profile (signature). These data increasingly allow to define the individual risk for a given disease and to predict the individual prognosis of a disease as well as the efficacy of therapeutic strategies (individualized medicine). In the following sections some of the recent advances of predictive medicine and their clinical relevance will be addressed.