Enhancing Gpx1 palmitoylation to inhibit angiogenesis by targeting PPT1.

The significance of protein S-palmitoylation in angiogenesis has been largely overlooked, leaving various aspects unexplored. Recent identification of Gpx1 as a palmitoylated protein has generated interest in exploring its potential involvement in novel pathological mechanisms related to angiogenesis. In this study, we demonstrate that Gpx1 undergoes palmitoylation at cysteine-76 and -113, with PPT1 playing a crucial role in modulating the depalmitoylation of Gpx1.

Annexin A1 conveys neuroprotective function via inhibiting oxidative stress in diffuse axonal injury of rats.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a critical pathological facet of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the progress of DAI. Annexin A1 (AnxA1) has been demonstrated to benefit from recovery of neurofunctional outcomes after TBI.

Molecular Tweezers-like Calix[4]arene Based Alkaline Earth Metal Cation (Ca, Sr, and Ba) Chemosensor and Its Imaging in Living Cells and Zebrafish.

Although alkaline earth metal cations play an important role in our daily life, little attention has been paid to the field of fast quantitative analysis of their content due to a lack of satisfactory precision and a fast and convenient means of detection. In this study, we have designed a set of molecular tweezers based on the calix[4]arene chemosensor , which was found to exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity toward Ca, Sr, and Ba (by UV-vis and fluorescence methods) with low detection limits of the order of 10 to 10 M and high association constants (of the order of 10). More significantly, sensor not only can recognize Ca, Sr, and Ba but also can further discriminate between these three cations via the differing red shifts in their UV-vis spectra (560 nm for ·Ca, 570 nm for ·Sr, and 580 nm for ·Ba complex) which is attributed to their different atomic radii.

The G-Protein-Coupled Chemoattractant Receptor Fpr2 Exacerbates High Glucose-Mediated Proinflammatory Responses of Müller Glial Cells.

In proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), activated Müller glial cells (MGCs) exhibit increased motility and a fibroblast-like proliferation phenotype that contribute to the formation of fibrovascular membrane. In this study, we investigated the capacity of high glucose (HG) to regulate the expression of cell surface receptors that may participate in the proinflammatory responses of MGCs. We found that MGCs express a G-protein coupled chemoattractant receptor formyl peptide receptor 2 (Fpr2) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), which mediated MGC migration and proliferation in response to corresponding ligands.

Preoperative Visualization of Cranial Nerves in Skull Base Tumor Surgery Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging Technology.

Aim: To visualize cranial nerves (CNs) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with special parameters. This study also involved the evaluation of preoperative estimates and intraoperative confirmation of the relationship between nerves and tumor by verifying the accuracy of visualization.

Material And Methods: 3T magnetic resonance imaging scans including 3D-FSPGR, FIESTA, and DTI were used to collect information from 18 patients with skull base tumor.

2-Methoxyestradiol Alleviates Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis by Inhibiting Lymphocytes Proliferation and T Cell Differentiation.

Purpose. To investigate the effect of 2-Methoxyestradiol (2ME2) on experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and the mechanism. Method.

Tissue-resident dendritic cells and diseases involving dendritic cell malfunction.

Dendritic cells (DCs) control immune responses and are central to the development of immune memory and tolerance. DCs initiate and orchestrate immune responses in a manner that depends on signals they receive from microbes and cellular environment. Although DCs consist mainly of bone marrow-derived and resident populations, a third tissue-derived population resides the spleen and lymph nodes (LNs), different subsets of tissue-derived DCs have been identified in the blood, spleen, lymph nodes, skin, lung, liver, gut and kidney to maintain the tolerance and control immune responses.

New development in studies of formyl-peptide receptors: critical roles in host defense.

Formyl-peptide receptors are a family of 7 transmembrane domain, Gi-protein-coupled receptors that possess multiple functions in many pathophysiologic processes because of their expression in a variety of cell types and their capacity to interact with a variety of structurally diverse, chemotactic ligands. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that formyl-peptide receptors are critical mediators of myeloid cell trafficking in the sequential chemotaxis signal relays in microbial infection, inflammation, and immune responses. Formyl-peptide receptors are also involved in the development and progression of cancer.

High-mobility group box-1-Toll-Like receptor 4 axis mediates the recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells in alkali-induced corneal neovascularization.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) promote both physiological and pathological neovascularization. Recently we found high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1)-Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway promotes corneal neovascularization (CNV) induced by alkali in a mouse model. However, it is still unclear whether HMGB1-TLR4 promotes the mobility of EPCs.

Angiogenesis mediated by toll-like receptor 4 in ischemic neural tissue.

Objective: Activation of the immune system via toll-like receptors (TLRs) is implicated in atherosclerosis, microvascular complications, and angiogenesis. However, the involvement of TLRs in inflammation-associated angiogenesis in ischemic neural tissue has not been investigated. The goal of this study is to determine the role of TLR4 signaling in oxygen-induced neovascularization in retina, a neural tissue.

Prognostic relevance of circulating endothelial progenitor cells for severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) promotes the recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into the injured tissue where EPCs play an important role in repairing injured vasculature. However, the repair mechanism and prognostic significance of EPCs after TBI remain poorly understood.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 21 patients with severe TBI and 20 healthy subjects.

Expression of cystatin C in human esophageal cancer.

Aims And Background: Cystatin C is a member of the cysteine protease inhibitors and its function is to decrease protease activity. A recent study showed that it was aberrantly expressed in many malignant tumors in association with tumor invasion and metastasis. We attempted to detect its expression in esophageal cancer tissues and adjacent reparative normal tissues.

Primary granulomatous hypophysitis: a case report and literature review.

Primary granulomatous hypophysitis (PGH) is a rarely occurred inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. We retrospective review a case of PGH treated by microsurgical transsphenoidal approach and review the appropriately documented cases of PGH collected from the literatures. The patient was a 56-year-old female who presented with 4 months history of headache and 2 months history of polyuria and polydipsia.

Expression of Cystatin C in human stomach neoplasms.

Cystatin C is a member of the cysteine protease inhibitor family and functions to decrease protease production. A recent study showed that it is aberrantly expressed in many malignant tumors in association with tumor invasion and metastasis. Our study aimed to detect Cystatin C expression in stomach neoplasm tissues and adjacent reparative normal tissues.

Lipopolysaccharide inhibits macrophage phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils by regulating the production of tumour necrosis factor α and growth arrest-specific gene 6.

Removal of apoptotic cells from inflammatory sites by macrophages is an important step in the resolution of inflammation. However, the effect of inflammatory modulators on phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells remains to be clarified. In this paper, we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent inflammatory agent, inhibits the phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils by mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Lack of an endogenous anti-inflammatory protein in mice enhances colonization of B16F10 melanoma cells in the lungs.

Emerging evidence indicates a link between inflammation and cancer metastasis, but the molecular mechanism(s) remains unclear. Uteroglobin (UG), a potent anti-inflammatory protein, is constitutively expressed in the lungs of virtually all mammals. UG-knock-out (UG-KO) mice, which are susceptible to pulmonary inflammation, and B16F10 melanoma cells, which preferentially metastasize to the lungs, provide the components of a model system to determine how inflammation and metastasis are linked.

Calcitriol suppresses antiretinal autoimmunity through inhibitory effects on the Th17 effector response.

Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) serves as a model for human autoimmune uveitis and for cell-mediated autoimmunity in general. EAU induced in mice by immunization with the retinal Ag interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein in CFA is driven by the Th17 response. Oral calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)) prevented as well as partly reversed disease and suppressed immunological responses.

Development of a novel method to measure macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis by combined electrochemical immunosensor.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has a multitude of biological activity and is associated with a number of inflammatory and immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The increased serum levels of MIF in patients not only suggest this protein as a marker for disease progression, but also as a potential therapeutic target. The aim of this study is to develop a novel electrochemical method to more precisely and conveniently measure MIF in patient sera.

Hydrodynamic vaccination with DNA encoding an immunologically privileged retinal antigen protects from autoimmunity through induction of regulatory T cells.

The eye is an immunologically privileged organ whose Ags serve as targets for experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a model for human uveitis. We used a hydrodynamic i.v.

Fractalkine upregulates intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in endothelial cells through CX3CR1 and the Jak Stat5 pathway.

Fractalkine (FKN) is a membrane-bound chemokine that can be released by proteolysis to produce soluble FKN (s-FKN). FKN and its receptor, CX3CR1, are believed to be important factors in atherosclerosis and may play a role in acute inflammatory responses. Although FKN is expressed on endothelial cells (ECs), CX3CR1 is reported to reside mainly on certain leukocyte populations.

Autoimmune uveitis elicited with antigen-pulsed dendritic cells has a distinct clinical signature and is driven by unique effector mechanisms: initial encounter with autoantigen defines disease phenotype.

Human autoimmune uveitis is a heterogeneous group of potentially blinding ocular diseases in which most patients who exhibit immunity recognize the same retinal Ag. It is represented by the model of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) induced in mice by immunization with retinal Ag in CFA. Murine EAU is characterized by a Th1/Th17 response pattern, which may not represent all types of human uveitis.

Endogenous IRBP can be dispensable for generation of natural CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells that protect from IRBP-induced retinal autoimmunity.

Susceptibility to experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a model for human uveitis induced in mice with the retinal antigen interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), is controlled by "natural" CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (T reg) cells. To examine whether endogenous expression of IRBP is necessary to generate these T reg cells, we studied responses of IRBP knockout (KO) versus wild-type (WT) mice. Unexpectedly, not only WT but also IRBP KO mice immunized with a uveitogenic regimen of IRBP in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) exhibited CD25+ regulatory cells that could be depleted by PC61 treatment, which suppressed development of uveitogenic effector T cells and decreased immunological responses to IRBP.

Cholera toxin prevents Th1-mediated autoimmune disease by inducing immune deviation.

Cholera toxin (CT), a major enterotoxin produced by Vibrio cholerae, is known for its properties as a mucosal adjuvant that promotes Th2 or mixed Th1 + Th2 responses. In this study, we explore the ability of CT to act as a systemic adjuvant to counteract the Th1 response leading to experimental autoimmune uveitis. We report that susceptible B10.

Complications induced by decompressive craniectomies after traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To find out the optimal approach to decompress externally the severe injured brain and to avoid possible complications caused by external decompression.

Methods: 68 patients who underwent external decompression after traumatic brain injury were admitted into Tianjin Medical University General Hospital for cranioplasty from 1995 to 2001. Complications were retrospectively investigated and analyzed in all patients.