Fucoidan inhibits LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice through regulating GSK-3β-Nrf2 signaling pathway.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of fucoidan on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. The mice were divided into the control, LPS, and LPS + fucoidan (20, 40, or 80 mg/kg) groups. LPS was given by intracheal instillation and fucoidan was given 1 h before LPS treatment.

Damaged male germ cells induce epididymitis in mice.

Epididymitis can be caused by infectious and noninfectious etiological factors. While microbial infections are responsible for infectious epididymitis, the etiological factors contributing to noninfectious epididymitis remain to be defined. The present study demonstrated that damaged male germ cells (DMGCs) induce epididymitis in mice.

Aerosol Inhalation-mediated Delivery of an Adeno-associated Virus 5-expressed Antagonistic Interleukin-4 Mutant Ameliorates Experimental Murine Asthma.

Background: T helper 2 (Th2) lymphocytes and associated interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-13 play crucial roles in asthma pathogenesis. In this study, we explored an adeno-associated virus 5 (AAV5) based gene therapy by delivering truncated IL-4 protein to antagonize IL-4 receptor α chain and interrupt asthmatic signal pathway.

Results: A recombinant adeno-associated virus 5 (AAV5) vector harboring a truncated mouse IL-4 gene (AAV5-mIL-4ΔC22) was prepared.

Ameliorative effect of sevoflurane on endoplasmic reticulum stress mediates cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury .

We aimed to investigate whether the cardioprotection of sevoflurane against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is via inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress. The rat in vivo model of myocardial IR injury was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Sevoflurane significantly ameliorated the reduced cardiac function, increased infarct size, and elevated troponin I level and lactate dehydrogenase activity in plasma induced by IR injury.

Renal Epithelial Cell Injury Induced by Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Depends on their Structural Features: Size, Surface, and Crystalline Structure.

Urinary crystals in normal and kidney stone patients often differ in crystal sizes and surface structures, but the effects of different crystal properties on renal tubular epithelial cells remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the cytotoxicity of micron/nano-calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals with sizes of 50 nm, 200 nm, 1 μm, 3 μm, and 10 μm to African green monkey renal epithelial (Vero) cells, to reveal the effect of crystal size and surface structure on cell injury, and to investigate the pathological mechanism of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Cell viability, cellular biochemical parameters, and internalized crystal amount in Vero cells were closely associated with the size of COM crystals.

Preparation, characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity of COM and COD crystals with various sizes.

Calcium oxalate crystals in urine often differ in size and crystal phase between healthy humans and patients with kidney stones. In this work, calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and dihydrate (COD) with sizes of about 50 nm, 100 nm, 1 μm, 3 μm, and 10 μm were prepared by varying reactant concentration, reaction temperature, solvent, mixing manner, and stirring speed. These crystals mainly had a smooth surface and no obvious pore structure, except COM-1 μm.

Novel collagen VI mutations identified in Chinese patients with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy.

Background: We determined the clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of 8 Chinese patients with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD).

Methods: Clinical data of probands were collected and muscle biopsies of patients were analyzed. Exons of COL6A1, COL6A2 and COL6A3 were analyzed by direct sequencing.

Mitigating age-related immune dysfunction heightens the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy in aged mice.

Although cancer tends to affect the elderly, most preclinical studies are carried out in young subjects. In this study, we developed a melanoma-specific cancer immunotherapy that shows efficacy in aged but not young hosts by mitigating age-specific tumor-associated immune dysfunction. Both young and aged CD4(+)CD25(hi) regulatory T cells (Treg) exhibited equivalent in vitro T-cell suppression and tumor-associated augmentation in numbers.

Comparison of minimum alveolar concentration between intravenous isoflurane lipid emulsion and inhaled isoflurane in dogs.

Background: As in inhaled isoflurane anesthesia, when isoflurane lipid emulsion (ILE; 8%, vol/vol) is intravenously administered, the primary elimination route is through the lungs. This study was designed to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and the time course of washout of isoflurane for intravenously infused ILE by monitoring end-tidal isoflurane concentration.

Methods: Twelve healthy adult mongrel dogs were assigned randomly to an intravenous anesthesia group with 8% ILE or to an inhalation anesthesia group with isoflurane vapor.

[Transesophageal arterial oxygen saturation monitoring: an experimental study].

Objective: To assess the sensitivity and accuracy of a novel transesophageal approach to monitoring the descending aortic oximetry (SeO2).

Methods: Nine dogs were involved in the experimental study. After the induction of anaesthesia, the carrier of the oximetry probe (Nellcor-D20, USA) was inserted into the lower segment of esophagus to monitor SeO2, and the probe was "locked" in position of post-descending aorta after the opening of thoracic cavity.