Developing a Simple Burn Model in Rats of Different Ages.

This article describes a simple and safe model of partial and full thickness burn injury in rats of different ages, which will be essential in our future burn research to explore the age-related mechanism of wound repair and new therapies for burn injuries. A self-made metal column, which was heated in a boiling water bath, was applied for different time periods to the lower back of rats of different ages in burn creation. Wounds were observed visibly at different time points postburn.

Expressions of programmed death (PD)-1 and PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical squamous cell carcinomas are of prognostic value and associated with human papillomavirus status.

Aim: The programmed death 1/programmed death 1 ligand (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway can decrease the immune clearance effects of antigen-presenting cells and T lymphocytes to promote immune evasion of cervical cancer cells. However, the effects of this pathway on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) progression and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) metastasis are not clear. We herein investigated whether human papillomavirus infection could affect PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in CIN, and whether their expression is associated with CIN progression and SCC metastasis.

The mechanisms and significance of up-regulation of RhoB expression by hypoxia and glucocorticoid in rat lung and A549 cells.

Small guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein RhoB is an important stress sensor and contributes to the regulation of cytoskeletal organization, cell proliferation and survival. However, whether RhoB is involved in the hypoxic response and action of glucocorticoid (GC) is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia or/and GC on the expression and activition of RhoB in the lung of rats and human A549 lung carcinoma cells, and further studied its mechanism and significance.

RhoB regulates the function of macrophages in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response.

Immune cells, particularly macrophages, play critical roles in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response. The small GTPase RhoB is usually rapidly induced by a variety of stimuli and has been described as an important regulator of cytoskeletal organization and vesicle and membrane receptor trafficking. However, it is unknown whether RhoB is involved in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response.

PD-L1 blockade improves immune dysfunction of spleen dendritic cells and T-cells in zymosan-induced multiple organs dysfunction syndromes.

This research is to investigate the role of tolerant spleen dendritic cells (DC) in multiple organs dysfunction syndromes (MODS) at late stage. Tolerant DC and MODS were induced by intraperotineal injection of zymosan. The immunity of DC was determined by examining interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, IL-2, major histocompatibility complex (MHC), CD86, programmed death (PD-1), programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PIR-B) or T-cell proliferation in serum, spleen homogenate, DC culture or DC/T-cell co-culture.

Efficacy of real-time PCR-based detection of Helicobacter pylori infection and genotypic resistance-guided quadruple therapy as the first-line treatment for functional dyspepsia with Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background: The eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori is steadily decreasing because of increasing resistance to clarithromycin. According to the new version of Maastricht IV guidelines, molecular tests can be performed as a substitute for bacterial culture and the standard clarithromycin susceptibility test for the detection of H. pylori and clarithromycin resistance directly on gastric biopsy samples.

Role of biphasic changes in splenic dendritic cell activity in a mouse model of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

To analyze the changes in splenic dendritic cell (DC) activity and serum cytokine levels during the progression of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). A C57BL/6 mouse model of MODS was established by intraperitoneal injection of zymosan. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were used to detect expression of I-A(b) (MHC-II molecules of mice) as well as co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules in spleen and DC surface.

Expression of Gli1 correlates with the transition of breast cancer cells to estrogen-independent growth.

The failure of breast cancer treatment is largely due to the development of estrogen independence. Current data illustrate that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling may play an important role in breast cancer development. Here, we show that the expression of the Hh effector protein, Gli1 was significantly higher in estrogen-independent breast cancer cells than in estrogen-dependent cells.