Ambient Temperature Isolation of a Monatomic Boron(0) Complex.

The first bottleable example of a neutral Group 13 atom bound only by neutral donor ligands (L) has been fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and its structure determined by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. A two-coordinate paramagnetic LB complex can readily be accessed through a facile reduction reaction and is stabilized by π-accepting cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (CAAC) ligands. Further reduction of (CAAC)B leads to the isolation of a stable diamagnetic boride anion.

HLA-G expression in the peripheral blood of live kidney transplant recipients.

Background: The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) has been considered to be an important tolerogeneic molecule playing an essential role in maternal-fetal tolerance, upregulated in the context of transplantation, malignancy, and inflammation, and has been correlated with various clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of the expression of membrane HLA-G (mHLA-G), intracellular HLA-G (iHLA-G), and soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) in the peripheral blood of live kidney transplant recipients.

Methods: We compared the expression of the three HLA-G isoforms in three groups, healthy donors (n=20), recipients with acute rejection (n=19), and functioning transplants (n=30).

Uptake of donor lymphocytes treated with 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet A light by recipient dendritic cells induces CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and down-regulates cardiac allograft rejection.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is an effective immunomodulatory therapy and has been demonstrated to be beneficial for graft-vs-host disease and solid-organ allograft rejection. ECP involves reinfusion of a patient's autologous peripheral blood leukocytes treated ex vivo with 8-methoxypsoralen and UVA light radiation (PUVA). Previous studies focused only on ECP treatment of recipient immune cells.

Assessment of validity of INR system for patients with liver disease associated with viral hepatitis.

International Normalized Ratio (INR), which standardizes prothrombin time (PT) during oral anticoagulation, has been extended to standardize PT in liver diseases and is included in all prognostic models of survival, the classification of CHILD-Pugh or Meld. However, the mechanisms of PT prolongation in liver diseases differ from those involved in oral anticoagulation. Our aim was to assess the validity of the INR system for patients with liver disease associated with viral hepatitis.

Comparison of modes of prothrombin time reporting in patients with advanced liver disease associated with viral hepatitis.

Background: Prothrombin time is widely utilized for evaluation of liver disease severity. However, its standardization of modes of reporting is not established for universal purpose. Variability in thromboplastin reagents leads to large intralaboratory and interlaboratory differences in PT results.

[A discussion of standardization for prothrombin time in patients with advanced liver diseases].

Objective: To determine which expression mode of prothrombin time (PT) might achieve PT standardization in patients with advanced liver diseases.

Methods: PT was measured with six thromboplastins with different ISI values in 16 severe chronic hepatitis patients, 50 decompensated liver cirrhosis patients and 30 patients on oral anticoagulation therapy. The results were expressed in PT (second), PTA (%), PTR and INR.

[The relationship between hemostatic changes in liver cirrhosis patients with different degrees of liver lesions in reference to Child-Pugh scores].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hemostatic changes in liver cirrhosis patients with different degrees of their liver lesions.

Methods: Forty-three patients (35 men, 8 women; age: 25 to 71 yr) with liver cirrhosis were divided into three subgroups (A, B, and C) on the basis of Child-Pugh classification. Among the patients, 13 were classified as Child-Pugh class A, 15 were class B, 15 were class C.

[The relationship among the counts of platelet, thrombopoietin and spleen index in patients with liver cirrhosis].

Objective: To determine the reason of thrombocytopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis, we studied the relationship among platelet counts, serum thrombopoietin (TPO) level and spleen index.

Methods: Serum TPO, platelet counts and spleen index were measured in 71 cirrhotic patients. TPO was measured with ELISA method, spleen index were measured on ultrasonography by the same doctor.

[The contrast study of Pre-S1 protein, HBV-DNA and HBeAg in diagnosing viral replication in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To determine the role of Pre-S1 protein in diagnosing viral replication in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: 104 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B were included in the study, liver biopsy were performed in all patients. Serial serum samples were studied with the quantitative determination of HBV-DNA by a quantitative PCR assay, determination of Pre-S1 protein by ELISA.