Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Diltiazem in Chinese Renal Transplant Recipients.

Background And Objectives: Diltiazem is a benzothiazepine calcium blocker and widely used in renal transplant patients since it improves the level of tacrolimus or cyclosporine A concentration. Several population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) models had been established for cyclosporine A and tacrolimus but no specific PopPK model was established for diltiazem. The aim of the study is to develop a PopPK model for diltiazem in renal transplant recipients and provide relevant pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem for further pharmacokinetic interaction study.

Induction of apoptosis and autophagy by calcifying nanoparticles in human bladder cancer cells.

Calcifying nanoparticles have been linked to various types of human disease, but how they contribute to disease processes is unclear. Here, we examined whether and how calcifying nanoparticles isolated from patients with kidney stones are cytotoxic to human bladder cancer cells. Calcifying nanoparticles were isolated from midstream urine of patients with renal calcium oxalate stones and examined by electron microscopy.

Preprocedural Prediction Model for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy Patients.

Background: Several models have been developed for prediction of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN); however, they only contain patients receiving intra-arterial contrast media for coronary angiographic procedures, which represent a small proportion of all contrast procedures. In addition, most of them evaluate radiological interventional procedure-related variables. So it is necessary for us to develop a model for prediction of CIN before radiological procedures among patients administered contrast media.

All-fiber passively Q-switched 604 nm praseodymium laser with a BiSe saturable absorber.

We experimentally demonstrated a simple passively Q-switched praseodymium (Pr)-doped all-fiber laser at 604 nm with a BiSe saturable absorber (SA). A BiSe/polyvinyl alcohol composite film is sandwiched between two ferrules to construct a fiber-compatible Q-switcher. Two fiber end facet mirrors build a compact-linear resonator.

Contrast Media-Induced Renal Inflammation Is Mediated Through HMGB1 and Its Receptors in Human Tubular Cells.

With the rapid development of imaging diagnosis and interventional therapy, contrast media (CM) are widely used in clinics. However, contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the third leading cause of hospital-acquired acute renal failure accounting for 10-12% of all causes of hospital-acquired renal failure. Recent study found that inflammation may participate in the pathogenesis of CIN, but the role of it remains unclear.

Superb microvascular imaging in diagnosis of breast lesions: a comparative study with contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic microvascular imaging.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of superb microvascular imaging (SMI) in breast lesions, comparing with contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic microvascular imaging (MVI).

Methods: From April to November 2015, 132 patients (with 132 breast lesions) were enrolled in the retrospective study. All lesions were evaluated with colour Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), colour SMI (cSMI), monochrome SMI (mSMI) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic MVI.

[Association of serum testosterone with atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men].

Objective: To investigate the association between the level of serum testosterone and atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men.

Methods: We conducted a population-based study of 413 males aged 40-75 years in a community in Guangzhou. We obtained the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical data, physical measurements, and laboratory results of sex hormones, blood glucose, and blood lipid of the subjects.

[Changes of AFP and beta-hCG in testicular tumors analyzed by a function method].

Objective: To establish a new function method for the analysis of a-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta-hCG in testicular tumors.

Methods: We reexamined the serum levels of AFP and beta-hCG after radical orchiectomy, and calculated the measured coordinate, with the abscissa representing the number of the half-lives of tumor markers, and the ordinate representing the measured value of tumor markers. Referring to the measured value of tumor markers before surgery as a, the number of half-lives as x, and their theoretical value over a period of x elimination half-lives as y (logarithm to the base 2 of y), we calculated the predicted coordinate according to the formula y = log2(a/2x) ==> x + y = log2a (function 1).

Protein and mRNA characterization in high and low metastasis adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines.

Metastasis and invasion, the important characteristics of malignant tumors, are closely associated with a series of changes in the expression of genes and proteins. In this study, we compare mRNA and protein expression in high and low metastasis adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines by mRNA suppression subtractive hybridization and two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with peptide mass fingerprint analysis. 34 differentially expressed genes were obtained using suppression subtractive hybridization experiments including 6 highly expressed gene sequences in the high metastasis cell line, and 28 in the low metastasis cell line.

[Expression of cellular adhesion molecules and HLA-DR antigen on vascular endothelial cells in hemangiomas.].

Purpose: To investigate the expression and function of the adhesion molecules ICAM-3, CD34 and HLA-DR antigen on endothelial cells of hemangiomas in different stages.

Methods: SABC immunohistochemical technique was used to examine the expression of ICAM-3, CD34 and HLA-DR on vascular endothelial cells. Seventy-six specimens including 28 proliferating hemangiomas, 22 involuting hemangiomas, 18 vascular deformity and 8 normal skin tissue were obtained from infants and children for the experiment.

[Gene expression differences between high and low metastatic cells of adenoid cystic carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the complex differences between high metastatic and low metastatic cells of the Adenoid cystic Carcinoma.

Methods: Gene expression patterns were examined in high metastatic cell ACC-M strain and low metastatic ACC-2 strain with the method SSH (suppression subtractive hybridization).

Results: although extensive similarity was noted between the expression profiles, twelve genes were highly expressed of, in low metastatic cell ACC-2 tester, compared with driver, high metastatic cell ACC-M.

Relationship between mammaglobin expression and estrogen receptor status in breast tumors.

Mammaglobin (SCGB2A2) is a breast-specific member of the secretoglobin (SCGB) gene family. SCGB2A2 has previously been found overexpressed in breast tumors but possible associations between its expression and established prognostic tumor characteristics such as the levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors have not yet been investigated. We evaluated SCGB2A2 expression at the mRNA and at the protein level by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry in 52 and 32 breast tumors, respectively.

Study of the difference of high and low metastasis cell line's gene expression map and metastasis-related genes of adenoid cystic carcinoma.

We searched for metastasis-related genes in adenoid cystic carcinoma by suppression subtractive hybridization analysis of high and low metastasis cell lines. Twelve genes (ten previously identified and two novel sequences) were identified as being expressed at lower levels in high metastasis cell line Acc-M when compared to low metastasis cell line Acc-2. The known sequences corresponded to the genes for cysteine-rich angiogenesis induction factor (cyr61), chromosome 7 RP11-52501 clone, G-protein, WAS familial ferritin I heavy chain, jumping translocation breakpoint, eukaryotic translation elongation, folate receptor and three ribosomal proteins.