Usefulness of serum interleukin-33 as a prognostic marker of severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: Interleukin-33 is recently identified as a brain injury biomarker. We determined whether serum interlerukin-33 concentrations are associated with inflammation, severity and prognosis after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: We detected serum interlerukin-33 concentrations of 102 healthy controls and 102 severe TBI patients, as well as serum concentrations of 3 inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein) and 7 cell-specific proteins (myelin basic protein, glial fibrillary astrocyte protein, S100B, neuron-specific enolase, phosphorylated axonal neurofilament subunit H, Tau and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1) in 102 severe TBI patients.

Prognostic significance of serum translocator protein in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Background: Translocator protein (TP) is related to inflammation and is involved in brain injury. The objective of this study was to ascertain whether serum TP concentrations are associated with the severity and prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: We quantified the serum concentrations of TP in 106 healthy controls and 106 patients with severe TBI.

Serum ST2 as a potential prognostic biomarker for traumatic brain injury.

Background: ST2, a receptor of interleukin-33, is involved in inflammation. We discerned the relationship between serum soluble ST2 (sST2) concentrations, inflammation, severity and prognosis following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: We measured serum sST2, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, C-reactive protein, myelin basic protein, glial fibrillary astrocyte protein, S100B, neuron-specific enolase, phosphorylated axonal neurofilament subunit H, Tau and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 concentrations in 106 healthy controls and 106 severe TBI patients.

An evolutionarily conserved gene, FUWA, plays a role in determining panicle architecture, grain shape and grain weight in rice.

Plant breeding relies on creation of novel allelic combinations for desired traits. Identification and utilization of beneficial alleles, rare alleles and evolutionarily conserved genes in the germplasm (referred to as 'hidden' genes) provide an effective approach to achieve this goal. Here we show that a chemically induced null mutation in an evolutionarily conserved gene, FUWA, alters multiple important agronomic traits in rice, including panicle architecture, grain shape and grain weight.

Phylogenetic and recombination analysis of rice black-streaked dwarf virus segment 9 in China.

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is an economically important virus that causes maize rough dwarf disease and rice black-streaked dwarf disease in East Asia. To study RBSDV variation and recombination, we examined the segment 9 (S9) sequences of 49 RBSDV isolates from maize and rice in China. Three S9 recombinants were detected in Baoding, Jinan, and Jining, China.

Plasma visfatin, associated with a genetic polymorphism -1535C>T, is correlated with C-reactive protein in Chinese Han patients with traumatic brain injury.

Visfatin is a newly identified pro-inflammatory adipokine and a genetic polymorphism -1535 C>T located in the visfatin gene promoter has been suggested to be associated with the regulation of visfatin expression in some inflammatory illness. However, there were some conflicting results regarding whether this variant is functional or not. This study aimed to examine the relations of the -1535 C>T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of visfatin gene to the plasma visfatin and C-reactive protein concentrations in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Change in plasma visfatin level after severe traumatic brain injury.

Higher plasma visfatin concentration has been associated with ischemic stroke. Thus, we sought to investigate change in plasma visfatin level after traumatic brain injury and to evaluate its relation with disease outcome. Seventy-six healthy controls and 98 patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury were recruited.

Clinical observation of gastric bypass in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GBP) is the main surgical procedure used in type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the different types of GBP in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into two groups: those who underwent gastrojejunal loop anastomosis bypass and those who underwent gastrojejunal Roux-en-Y bypass.