Methylprednisolone pulse therapy promotes the differentiation of regulatory T cells by inducing the apoptosis of CD4 T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To investigate the differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) induced by methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with SLE and analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before and after MP pulse therapy. Peripheral Tregs, apoptosis of PBMCs subsets, and TGFβ production by monocytes was quantified by flow cytometry.

Cutaneous mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma complicating Sjögren's syndrome: A case report and review of literature.

Background: The association of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and lymphoma is similar. Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) or extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma was the most common lymphomatous histology in SS patients. MALT in SS patients is frequently located in the parotid gland, while MALT lymphoma of the skin with SS is an exceedingly rare entity that needs to be recognized.

MicroRNA-139-5p upregulation is associated with diabetic endothelial cell dysfunction by targeting c-jun.

Dysfunction of endothelial cells (ECs) and their progenitor cells is an important feature of diabetic vascular disease. MicroRNA (miR)-139-5p is involved in inhibiting the metastasis and progression of diverse malignancies. However, the role of miR-139-5p in ECs still remains unclarified.

Imbalance of T-helper 1/T-helper 2 cytokines and impaired glucose tolerance among patient with acute coronary syndrome.

Purpose: The balance between T helper (Th) cells Th1- and Th2-related cytokines plays a key role in the clinical process of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). The objective of this study was to assess the status of Th1/Th2 cytokines in patients with ACS and T2D or IGT.

Methods: A total of 201 ACS patients were enrolled in the study.

Adiponectin exerts its negative effect on bone metabolism via OPG/RANKL pathway: an in vivo study.

To explore the effects of adiponectin on the bone metabolism in vivo. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone microstructure, serum adiponectin levels, and biochemical markers of the bone turnover were measured in 12-week-old male Adipo-/- and WT mice. In addition, the osteoclast formation, osteoprotegerin (OPG), and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) expression were examined.

Analysis of conformational motions and residue fluctuations for Escherichia coli ribose-binding protein revealed with elastic network models.

The ribose-binding protein (RBP) is a sugar-binding bacterial periplasmic protein whose function is associated with a large allosteric conformational change from an open to a closed conformation upon binding to ribose. The open (ligand-free) and closed (ligand-bound) forms of RBP have been found. Here we investigate the conformational motions and residue fluctuations of the RBP by analyzing the modes of motion with two coarse-grained elastic network models, the Gaussian Network Model (GNM) and Anisotropic Network Model (ANM).

Molecular identification of a Trichinella isolate from a naturally infected pig in Tibet, China.

The first human case with trichinellosis was reported in 1964 in Tibet, China. However, up to the present, the etiological agent of trichinellosis has been unclear. The aim of this study was to identify a Tibet Trichinella isolate at a species level by PCR-based methods.

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Trichinella isolates from different provinces in mainland China.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing are useful for species identification of Trichinella spp., especially when their morphological characteristics useful for identifying taxa are lacking. In the present study, nine Trichinella isolates from different provinces in mainland China were identified by the PCR-based method using the 5S ribosomal DNA intergene spacer region (5S ISR) and the mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal DNA genes as molecular markers.

[Effect of vinegar or soy sauce on the infectivity and reproductive capacity of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae].

Objective: To observe the effect of edible vinegar or soy sauce on the infectivity and reproductive capacity of muscle larvae of Trichinella spiralis.

Methods: One hundred and forty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into 14 groups (10 mice per group). Mice in each group were orally fed with 300 muscle larvae in meat (weighing 0.

[Bone mass change and its possible mechanisms in murine knockout apolipoprotein E(ApoE-/-)].

Objective: To study bone mass changes and its mechanisms in murine knockout apolipoprotein E (ApoE-/-).

Methods: Both 28-week-old male ApoE-/- mice (n = 6) and wild-type (WT) mice (n = 10) were euthanized. The trabecular and cortical bone microarchitecture were assessed by micro-CT (microCT) in right distal femur.

Development of arterial calcification in adiponectin-deficient mice: adiponectin regulates arterial calcification.

Arterial calcification is common, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the arterial calcification in adiponectin-deficient mice in vivo and the effects of adiponectin on cultured vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. Alizarin red S staining was used to detect arterial calcification of adiponectin(-/-) mice.