Long-term exposure to PM leads to mitochondrial damage and differential expression of associated circRNA in rat hepatocytes.

Fine particulate matter (PM) is one of the four major causes of mortality globally. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism underlying liver injury following exposure to PM and the involvement of circRNA in its regulation. A PM respiratory tract exposure model was established in SPF SD male rats with a dose of 20 mg/kg, and liver tissue of rats in control group and PM-exposed groups rats were detected.

Regulation of CD47 expression on CD14 monocytes by interferon-α in PBC patients.

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic intrahepatic cholestatic autoimmune liver disease characterized by inflammatory injury of small and medium-sized bile ducts in the liver. The pathogenesis of PBC has yet to be entirely understood. CD47/signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) is closely related to developing autoimmune diseases by promoting inflammatory response.

Clinical Diagnostic Value of Quantitative Hepatitis B Virus Core Antibody Test in Chronic Viral Hepatitis B.

The level of CHB virus (HBV) core antibody (HBcAb) is different in four stages of chronic HBV infection and may be used for differential diagnosis of the natural history of chronic HBV infection. To address this question, we examined multiple blood biomarkers and assessed the efficacy to diagnose different stages of chronic HBV infection. The quantitative detection of HBcAb, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and platelet count (PLT) were determined in the serum of 73 cases of low-replicative phase (LR), 46 cases of immune-tolerant phase (IT), 44 cases of immune clearance phase (IC), and 57 cases of HBeAg-negative hepatitis (ENH).

Altered Expression of Glucocorticoid Receptor and Neuron-Specific Enolase mRNA in Peripheral Blood in First-Episode Schizophrenia and Chronic Schizophrenia.

Introduction: It is well-known that altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis process has an important role in the neurodegenerative process in schizophrenia (SZ). However, this neurodegenerative mechanism has not been clarified in SZ. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine HPA axis damage in the first-episode, unmedicated schizophrenia (FES) patients and chronic schizophrenia (CSZ) patients in comparison with healthy controls (HC) by means of quantitative analysis of the peripheral blood mRNA expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), GR transcripts containing exons 1B (GR-1B), and neuron specific enolase (NSE) genes and serum cortisol and NSE, a specific serum marker for neuronal damage.

Practical application of Six Sigma management in analytical biochemistry processes in clinical settings.

Background: Six Sigma methodology with a zero-defect goal has long been applied in commercial settings and was utilized in this study to assure/improve the quality of various analytes.

Methods: Daily internal quality control (QC) and external quality assessment data were collected and analyzed by calculating the sigma (σ) values for 19 analytes based on the coefficient of variation, bias, and total error allowable. Standardized QC sigma charts were established with these parameters.

Changes of Serum IL-6, IL-17, and Complements in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients.

Cytokines activation and low complement levels are common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. This study is aimed to explore the relationship and clinical significance of cytokines and complements with SLE activity. Serum samples of 140 SLE patients and 36 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were collected.

Decreased Serum Oxytocin and Increased Homocysteine in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating and heterogeneous disease. We hypothesized that the oxytocin (OXT) system, inflammation and one-carbon metabolism would have a link with SZ. In this study, serum OXT, OXT receptor (OXTR), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and homocysteine (Hcy) levels were measured in 52 first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and 41 healthy controls (HC) from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.

Early Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Duration Predicts Infected Pancreatic Necrosis.

Background And Purpose: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was considered to play an important role in the progress of acute pancreatitis, but its specific relation with infected pancreatic necrosis remains largely unclear. We aimed to investigate the correlation between SIRS duration and infected pancreatic necrosis, and its application in prediction of infected pancreatic necrosis.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study of 2130 patients with acute pancreatitis from 2012 to 2017.

A Large-Scale Multicenter Study Validates Aldo-Keto Reductase Family 1 Member B10 as a Prevalent Serum Marker for Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B10 (AKR1B10) is a secretory protein overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to evaluate AKR1B10 as a serum marker for detection of HCC. Herein, we conducted a cohort study that consecutively enrolled 1,244 participants from three independent hospitals, including HCC, healthy controls (HCs), benign liver tumors (BLTs), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and liver cirrhosis (LC).

Immature granulocytes: A novel biomarker of acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between immature granulocyte percentage (IG%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP).

Materials And Methods: A cohort of 2289 patients with AP was screened; 1933 were enrolled in this prospective multicenter study. Blood samples for IG% analysis were collected on admission and processed using a hematology analyzer.

Increased Serum C3 and Decreased UA in Patients of Bipolar Disorder in Chinese Han Population.

The aim of this study is to explore the changes and clinical significance of serum C3, C4, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and uric acid (UA) in patients of bipolar disorder (BD). In this case-control study, we recruited 141 BD patients from The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, and 151 age and gender matched healthy controls (HC) from the health management central of The Second Xiangya Hospital. These patients were divided into two subgroups based on medicines use: 91 patients were treated with psychiatric drugs and 50 patients were drugs free, or four subgroups based on mood states: 54 patients in manic/hypomanic phase, 30 patients in depressive phase, 52 patients in euthymic phase and 5 patients in mixed phase.

Assessment of a combination of Serum Proteins as potential biomarkers to clinically predict Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a devastating psychiatric disorder. Validation of potential serum biomarkers during first-episode psychosis (FEP) is especially helpful to understand the onset and prognosis of this disorder. To address this question, we examined multiple blood biomarkers and assessed the efficacy to diagnose SZ.

Sub-chronic Antipsychotic Drug Administration Reverses the Expression of Neuregulin 1 and ErbB4 in a Cultured MK801-Induced Mouse Primary Hippocampal Neuron or a Neurodevelopmental Schizophrenia Model.

It has been reported that specific environmental influences during the postpartum period might contribute to the development of schizophrenia (SZ). Administration of MK801 during early development led to persistent brain pathology. Glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD67) and parvalbumin (PV), and neuregulin 1 (NRG1)/ErbB4 signaling were closely associated with SZ pathology.

Dynorphin activation of kappa opioid receptor reduces neuronal excitability in the paraventricular nucleus of mouse thalamus.

It has been reported that kappa opioid receptor (KOR) is expressed in the paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT), a brain region associated with arousal, drug reward and stress. Although intra-PVT infusion of KOR agonist was found to inhibit drug-seeking behavior, it is still unclear whether endogenous KOR agonists directly regulate PVT neuron activity. Here, we investigated the effect of the endogenous KOR agonist dynorphin-A (Dyn-A) on the excitability of mouse PVT neurons at different developmental ages.

Oxytocin activation of neurons in ventral tegmental area and interfascicular nucleus of mouse midbrain.

Oxytocin (OT) was reported to affect cognitive and emotional behavior by action in ventral tegmental area (VTA) and other brain areas. However, it is still unclear how OT activates VTA and related midline nucleus. Here, using patch-clamp recording, we studied the effects of OT on neuron activity in VTA and interfascicular nucleus (IF).

Overexpression of Helicobacter pylori VacA N-terminal fragment induces proinflammatory cytokine expression and apoptosis in human monocytic cell line through activation of NF-κB.

Vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) is an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori-related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the function of the amino-terminal 476 residue fragment (p52) of VacA and the possible molecular mechanisms responsible for its induction of proinflammatory cytokines secretion and apoptosis. Human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 was used as an in vitro model to study proinflammatory cytokines secretion and apoptosis induced by transfection of a recombinant plasmid encoding the amino-terminal 476 residue fragment (p52) of VacA.

[Helicobacter pylori VacA up-regulates secretion of macrophages by transfection of VacA eukaryotic expression vector].

We constructed a recombinant plasmid containing the N-terminus gene of vacA gene of Helicobacter pylori and studied the effect of VacA on the secretion of macrophages as an individual virulence determinant. VacA gene amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) from Helicobacter pylori was cloned into eukaryotic expression vector pDsRed-Monomer-C1. The recombinant plasmids were verified by restriction endonucleases analysis and nucleotide sequencing.