Imaging features of glucagonoma syndrome: A case report and review of the literature.

Glucagonoma syndrome appears as an extremely rare neuroendocrine tumour, with few studies ever having detailed its imaging manifestations. In particular, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of the lesion have not yet been reported. The present study describes a 54-year-old male who presented with uncontrollable skin erythema and weight loss that had been apparent for two years, and diabetes mellitus that had been apparent for five years.

Doxycycline ameliorates aggregation of collagen and atrial natriuretic peptide in murine post-infarction heart.

Heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with the aggregation of collagen and some misfolded proteins. This study was aimed to assess the therapeutic efficacy of doxycycline (Dox) in MI-induced heart failure and elucidate the potential mechanisms involved. A heart failure model of animals was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery of rats.

The association of LOXL1 polymorphisms with exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma: Meta-analysis.

Aim: To investigate the association of lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with exfoliation syndrome (XFS)/exfoliation glaucoma (XFG).

Methods: Published manuscripts from PubMed and EMBASE were identified until May 2014. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LOXL1 (rs1048661, rs2165241 and rs3825942) polymorphisms and the risk of XFS/XFG were estimated using random- or fixed- effect model.

Surveillance of antifungal susceptibilities in clinical isolates of Candida species at 36 hospitals in China from 2009 to 2013.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the species distribution and to monitor the antifungal susceptibility profiles of clinical Candida isolates collected in China from 2009 to 2013.

Methods: The antifungal susceptibilities of 952 Candida isolates were tested.

Results: Candida albicans was the most common species, accounting for 65.

Comparison of conventional and directional freezing for the cryopreservation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Aim: To compare conventional slow equilibrium cooling and directional freezing (DF) by gauze package for cryopreservation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Methods: HUVECs were randomly assigned to conventional freezing (CF) and DF by gauze package group. The two groups of HUVECs were incubated with a freezing liquid consisting of 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), 60% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 30% Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and then put into cryopreserved tubes.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides protect human lens epithelial cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and senescence.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the protective effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and senescence in human lens epithelial cells.

Methods: To study apoptosis, SRA01/04 cells, a human lens epithelial cell lines, were exposed to 200 µM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 24 h with or without pretreatment with LBPs. Cell viability was measured using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.

Efficacy and Safety of Ologen Implant Versus Mitomycin C in Primary Trabeculectomy: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy with Ologen implant versus trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) for treatment of glaucoma.

Patients And Methods: Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials. The outcome measures of efficacy were intraocular pressure and glaucoma medications reductions, and success rate.

Risk factors associated with failed sonographically guided saline hydrostatic intussusception reduction in children.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors associated with failed sonographically guided saline hydrostatic intussusception reduction in children.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and sonograms of 288 cases of intussusception over a 3-year period. Logistic regression was used for the analysis of the clinical data (sex, age, duration of symptoms, and presence or absence of emesis or bloody stool) and sonographic features (initial location and intussusception length, presence or absence of free peritoneal fluid, and trapped fluid in the intussusception).

Net platelet angiogenic activity (NPAA) correlates with progression and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Circulating platelets are abundant sources of angiogensis molecules for the tumor vasculature affecting tumor growth and metastasis. The relationship between non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and intra-platelet levels of VEGF, TSP-1 and net platelet angiogenic activity (NPAA) is unclear. The aim of this study was to better understand the role of these factors in the progression of NSCLC cancer and to assess its clinical significance.

Overexpression of tumstatin in genetically modified megakaryocytes changes the proangiogenic effect of platelets.

Background: Thrombocytopenia is a common side effect of tumor chemotherapy, the main management approach to which is based on platelet (PLT) transfusion. However, PLTs, containing angiogenesis regulators, play a major role in boosting tumor growth and metastasis. The purpose of the study was to determine whether PLTs have the capacity to overexpress tumstatin by modified megakaryocyte (MK) and PLT precursors using lentivirus-mediated gene transfer, which might lead to alteration in proangiogenic effect of PLTs.

The potential role of increasing the release of mouse β- defensin-14 in the treatment of osteomyelitis in mice: a primary study.

Mammalian β-defensins are small cationic peptides that have been implicated in mediating innate immune defenses against microbial infection. Mouse β-defensin-14 (MBD-14), based on structural and functional similarities, appears to be an ortholog of human β-defensin-3 (HBD-3). Previous studies identified signaling pathway p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) that contributed to the expression of MBD-14 in mouse osteoblasts upon contacted with methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) supernatant, which provided a theoretical basis as a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of intramedullary infection with MRSA in vivo.

Increasing glutamate promotes ischemia-reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias in rats in vivo.

Background: Glutamate mediates cerebral ischemia injury via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-coupled ion channels, but the activities of glutamate in the heart remain unclear.

Aims: To investigate whether or not glutamate contributes to ischemia- and reperfusion (IR)-induced arrhythmias.

Methods: Myocardial IR was induced by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min and reperfusion for another 30 min.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of antibiotic-impregnated bone cement use in primary total hip or knee arthroplasty.

Background: Antibiotic-impregnated bone cement (AIBC) has been widely used for the treatment of infected revision arthroplasty, but its routine use in primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) remains considerably controversial. With this meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials, we intended to assess the antimicrobial efficacy and safety of AIBC for its prophylactic use in primary TJA.

Methods: A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, Embase, CBMdisc and the Cochrane Library until June, 2013.

[Effectiveness of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion assisted with microscope in treatment of lumbar degenerative disease].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) assisted with microscope for lumbar degenerative disease.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 82 patients with lumbar degenerative disease (minimally invasive group) undergoing minimally invasive TLIF assisted with microscope between January 2010 and June 2011, which was compared with those of 76 patients (traditional group) undergoing traditional open TLIF. There was no significant difference in age, gender, disease duration, disease type, lesion level, preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS), and preoperative Oswestry disability index (ODI) between 2 groups (P > 0.

Establishment of a lentiviral vector encoding human HGF and the infection of human ADSCs.

The delivery of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) for promoting tissue repair has become a potential new therapy, while hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is an important growth factor with angiogenic, anti-fibrotic, and anti-inflammatory benefits. In this paper, hADSCs were separated, cultured and identified based on the expression of cell surface antigens and multiple differentiation potential. We successfully generated a lentiviral vector encoding human HGF, infected hADSCs with this vector and examined the protein expression pattern.

Distinct different sensitivity of Treg and Th17 cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis signaling in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: An imbalance in CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells and Th17 cells has been found to correlate to occurrence of acute coronary syndrome [ACS, including unstable angina (UA) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI)]. However, the mechanisms of Th17/Treg imbalance in ACS patients are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of differences in sensitivity of Th17 and Tregs to Fas-mediated apoptosis which could lead to Th17/Treg imbalance in ACS patients.

CD4(+)CD25 (+)CD127 (low/-) T cells: a more specific Treg population in human peripheral blood.

The quantitative identification and enrichment of viable regulatory T cells (Treg) requires reliable surface markers that are selectively expressed on Treg. Foxp3 is the accepted marker of nTreg, but it cannot be used to isolate cells for functional studies. In this study, we compared four staining profiles of Treg, including CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells, CD4(+)CD39(+) T cells, CD4(+)CD73(+) T cells, and CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low/-) T cells.

Decreased tumstatin-mRNA is associated with poor outcome in patients with NSCLC.

Tumstatin is a candidate tumor suppressor that plays an important role in tumor growth and angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between tumstatin-mRNA expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor angiogenesis, outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specimens from 68 patients with NSCLC were recruited in this study.

[Total hip replacement with collum femoris preserving for the treatment of advanced stage of femoral head necrosis of young patients: a report of results of more than five years follow-up].

Objective: To observe the results of total hip replacement with collum femoris preserving for the treatment of advanced stage of femoral head necrosis of youth.

Methods: From August 2002 to November 2009, 21 patients (28 hips) with advanced stage of femoral head necrosis were treated with total hip replacement with collum femoris preserving. Sixteen males (22 hips) and 5 females (6 hips) with an average age of 36 years (range from 26 to 51 years) were included.

Decrease of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells and TGF-beta at early immune reconstitution is associated to the onset and severity of graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic haematogenesis stem cell transplantation.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a frequent and life threatening complication of allogeneic haematogenesis stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). The correlation of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the patients after aHSCT to the occurrence and severity of acute and chronic GVHD (aGVHD and cGVHD) is not fully investigated. Here, we examined the levels of CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs by assessment of CD4(+)CD25(high) and CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low) in peripheral blood, and the levels of serum TGF-beta and TNF-alpha in 56 patients at early immune reconstitution following aHSCT.

Development of an ELISA for quantification of tumstatin in serum samples and tissue extracts of patients with lung carcinoma.

Background: Tumstatin, an angiogenesis inhibitor with anti-tumor activity in mice, is the bioactive NC1 domain of Col IVa3, the potential significance of tumstatin as an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor in human is not yet completely understood. This study aimed to develop an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for tumstatin to accurately measure its concentrations in biological samples.

Methods: Recombinant tumstatin as an immunogen was expressed by E.

Posterior scleral reinforcement in the treatment of macular retinoschisis in highly myopic patients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical curative effect of posterior scleral reinforcement for macular retinoschisis in highly myopic patients. Twenty-four highly myopic eyes with macular retinoschisis were treated with posterior scleral reinforcement surgery from September 2005 to March 2007 in our hospital. Visual field, best corrected vision acuity (BCVA), refractive error, optical coherence tomography and A/B Scan ultrasound graphy results were retrospectively analysed.

Expression of soluble, biologically active recombinant human tumstatin in Escherichia coli.

Tumstatin, a 28-kDa C-terminal fragment of collagen IV, is a potent anti-angiogenic protein and inhibitor of tumour growth. Recombinant tumstatin was prepared from Escherichia coli deposited as insoluble, inactive inclusion bodies. In the present study, we produced soluble and biologically active recombinant human tumstatin in E.

Correlation of the CD4+CD25high T-regulatory cells in recipients and their corresponding donors to acute GVHD.

Graft-versus-host disease continues to be a major life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (aHSCT). The relationship of acute GVHD (aGVHD) with the levels of peripheral CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in patients after aHSCT and in their corresponding donors is not fully investigated. We examined the levels of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in patients after aHSCT and in their corresponding donors, and analyzed the relationship of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells to the incidence and prognosis of aGVHD.

Construction, expression, and characterization of a new targeted bifunctional fusion protein: tumstatin45-132-TNF.

The anti-angiogenic activity of tumstatin45-132 is mediated by binding to alphaVbeta3 on endothelial cells and tumor vascular endothelium showing increased expression of alphaVbeta3. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is known to not only possess direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells, but also induces tumor vessel disruption, however, clinical use of TNF-alpha as an anticancer drug is hampered by severe systemic toxicity. In this study, we explore the possibility of fusing tumstatin45-132 with human TNF-alpha in the hope of generating a targeting, bi-functional protein in tumor treatment.