ACE-2/ANG1-7 ameliorates ER stress-induced apoptosis in seawater aspiration-induced acute lung injury.

Previous studies have shown that apoptosis of alveolar cells can be regulated by autocrine of angiotensin (ANG)II and its counter regulatory ACE-2/ANG1-7 axis. Our earlier study has shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in response to seawater aspiration eventually led to apoptosis in lung tissue. In this study, we examined the hypothesis that ER stress-induced apoptosis in seawater aspiration-induced acute lung injury (ALI) might also be regulated by the ANGII/ANG1-7 system.

[The timing of renal replacement therapy on mortality in patients with acute renal injury: a reanalysis of two recently published randomized control trials].

To investigate the sources of inconsistent findings between two randomized control trials["initiation strategies for renal-replacement therapy in the intensive care unit"(AKIKI trial) vs"effect of early vs delayed initiation of renal replacement therapy on mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury"(ELAIN trial) ], regarding"timing of renal replacement therapy (RRT) on mortality in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). By reanalysis of the published data, it was found that demographics, severity of primary disease and stage of AKI before initiation of RRT were quite different between AKIKI and ELAIN trials. Interestingly, similar mortalities were demonstrated in late group of ELAIN trial, both of early and late groups of AKIKI trial [all patients were classified at Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) classification stage 3 of AKI, 0.

Observation on ultrastructure and histopathology of cornea following femtosecond laser-assisted deep lamellar keratoplasty for acute corneal alkaline burns.

Aim: To demonstrate the changes in ultrastructure and histopathology of the cornea in acute corneal alkaline burns after femtosecond laser-assisted deep lamellar keratoplasty.

Methods: The New Zealand white rabbits treated with alkaline corneal burn were randomized into two groups, Group A (16 eyes) with femtosecond laser-assisted deep lamellar keratoplasty 24h after burn and Group B (16 eyes) without keratoplasty as controls. All eyes were evaluated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 1, 2, 3, and 4wk follow-up, then all corneas were tested by hematoxylin and eosin staining histology.

Evaluating the use of fibrin glue for sealing low-output enterocutaneous fistulas: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The management of an enterocutaneous fistula poses a significant challenge to surgeons and is often associated with a costly hospital stay and long-term discomfort. The use of fibrin glue in the fistula tract has been shown to promote closure of low output enterocutaneous fistulas. Our previous nonrandomized study demonstrated that autologous platelet-rich fibrin glue treatment significantly decreased time to fistula closure and promoted closure rates.

DNA methylation modulates HERV-E expression in CD4+ T cells from systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Background: Previous studies have reported that the DNA of T cells from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients contains global hypomethylation that may contribute to the development of SLE. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are encoded within the genomes of all higher eukaryotes and are of special interest where autoimmune disorders are concerned. Until recently, minimal effort has been made to identify specific HERVs associated with SLE and to explore their precise mechanism of expression.

Application of dsRNA in cancer immunotherapy: current status and future trends.

Cancer cells create a microenvironment that prevents tumor rejection by the host's immune system. The activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) can elicit an innate immune response and guide the adaptive immune response to overcome this. dsRNA analogs can trigger TLR3, RIG-I, MDA5, NLRP3 and several other PRRs to induce not only robust immune response against cancer but also programmed cell death.

T regulatory cells and Th1/Th2 cytokines in peripheral blood from tuberculosis patients.

About 10% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop active tuberculosis (TB), and Th1 effector cells and Th1 cytokines play key roles in controlling M. tuberculosis infection. Here, we hypothesise that this susceptibility to M.