Publications by authors named "Ai-Lin Cao"

Background And Objective: The mitochondrion is a crucial organelle for aerobic respiration and energy metabolism. It undergoes dynamic changes, including changes in its shape, function, and distribution through fission, fusion, and movement. Under normal conditions, mitochondrial dynamics are in homeostasis.

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Objective: Patients with diabetes are known to have high salivary glucose levels. But the mechanisms are still unclear. We hypothesized that the topological changes of glucose transporters affect the salivary glucose level.

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Background And Objective: As the interface between the oral cavity and the teeth, the junctional epithelial barrier is critical for gingival defense. The junctional epithelium is subject to mechanical stresses from biting force or external insults such as bacterial attacks, but little is known about the effects of mechanical stimuli on epithelial functions. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) functions as a mechanosensitive nonselective cation channel.

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Recurrent or chronic oral pain is a great burden for patients. Recently, the links between epithelial barrier loss and disease were extended to include initiation and propagation. To explore the effects of pathohistological changes in oral epithelia on pain, we utilized labial mucosa samples in diagnostic labial gland biopsies from patients with suspected Sjögren's syndrome (SS), because they frequently experience pain and discomfort.

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The oral cavity is the first line of defense, sensation, and secretion of the alimentary canal. Oral perception contributes to the enjoyment of food and beverages and to avoiding consumption of poisonous or harmful substances. Oral sensation is served by somatosensory nervous systems distributed to the oral membrane.

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BACKGROUND MiR-27b is reportedly involved with many diseases (e.g., gastric cancer) by acting on different signaling pathways.

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The published antibodies (Abs) against CD22 on B cells including Epratuzumab could inhibit B cell activation mainly through binding to C2-set Ig domain of CD22, but they are rarely reported to modulate the pathogenic CD4(+) T cell function in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Recently, it was proved that the extracellular amino-terminal V-set Ig domain of CD22 might mediate the interaction of B and T cells, but for now the exact effect of this domain on CD4(+) T cell biology have not been identified. Thus, in this study, we screened out a peptide termed B2285 from this V-set Ig domain, developed the novel specific anti-B2285 Abs in rabbits, and investigated their effects in MRL/lpr mice with spontaneous SLE.

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Acute viral myocarditis (AVMC) is characterized by virus-triggered myocardial inflammation, and Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is the primary pathogen. We previously proved that Th17 cells, besides having proinflammatory effects, were involved in AVMC by enhancing humoral response. However, the relationship between Th17 cells and CVB3 replication remains unknown.

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Background: Recently, the Th17 cell, a newly determined CD4+Th subset, was reported to participate in the inflammation of myocarditis combined with Th1 cells, and this study aimed to explore whether it was involved in the Th2 cell-mediated humoral immunity in viral myocarditis.

Methods: A total of 34 patients, including 16 acute viral myocarditis (AVMC) and 18 dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) having a history of AVMC, were enrolled for this study besides 18 healthy volunteers.

Results: The frequencies of Th17 and Th1 cells, especially Th17 cells in AVMC patients, while those of Th1 and Th2 cells, especially Th2 cells in DCM group, were all increased significantly compared with those in healthy volunteers (P < 0.

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Anti-adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) autoantibodies are related to the development of Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-triggered acute viral myocarditis (AVMC). Recently, studies suggested that IL-17 especially produced by a novel CD4(+) Th-cell subset Th17 cells contributed to the production of pathogenic autoantibodies in some autoimmune diseases. However, the pathogenic role of IL-17 in AVMC remains largely unknown.

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Objective: To observe the association between ADRA1A gene polymorphism and autoantibodies against the alpha1-adrenergic receptor in hypertensive patients.

Methods: A total of 396 patients with essential hypertension admitted to our hospital were selected and autoantibodies in sera were detected by ELISA, and patients were divided into the autoantibody positive and negative group. Genomic DNA was extracted from erythrocytes obtained from EDTA-treated blood by the Blood DNA extraction kit.

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