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Acute respiratory distress syndrome/acute lung injury (ARDS/ALI) involves acute respiratory failure characterized by vascular endothelial and lung alveolar epithelial injury. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can mediate vasculogenesis. However, the limitation of EPCs such as low survival and differentiation, are believed to inhibit effectiveness of autologous cell therapies. We demonstrated that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive small molecule without immunogenicity, is involved in thesurvival and antiapoptotic effects in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. This study aimed to explore whether LPA improveS the survival of EPCs, enhancing the cellular therapeutic efficacy in ARDS. LPA promoted the colony formation, proliferation and migration of EPCs and upregulated the expression of VEGF in EPCs. LPA pretreatment of transplanted EPCs improved the therapeutic effect by increasing EPC numbers in the rat lungs. LPA enhanced EPC proliferation and migration through Lpar1 coupled to Gi/o and Gq/11, respectively. ERK1/2 activation was related to LPA-induced EPC proliferation but not migration. LPA/Lpar1-mediated Gi/o protein was also shown to be involved in promoting VEGF expression and inhibiting of IL-1α expression in EPCs. Low LPA concentrations are present following lung injury; thus, the restoration of LPA may promote endothelial cell homeostasis and lung repair in ARDS. Inhalation of LPA significantly promoted the homing of endogenous EPCs to the lung and reduced lung injury in both rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI and Streptococcus pneumoniae-infected mice. Taken together, these data indicated that LPA/Lpar1-mediated effects in EPCs are involved in maintaining endothelial cell homeostasis and lung tissue repair under physiological conditions.

In order to enable the power grid emergency command center to meet the needs of the emergency work under the current new situation, and provide strong support for emergency response and important activities of power conservation, based on the in-depth study and analysis of the application scenarios and basic business of the power grid emergency command center, combined with advanced information communication technology, and studied the optimization and upgrading methods of the power grid emergency command center. Through the research on the optimization and upgrading method of power grid emergency command center, the optimization and upgrading scheme is proposed to guide the power grid enterprises to carry out the optimization and upgrading work of emergency command center. The optimization and upgrading scheme of the power grid emergency command center will be used for the transformation and upgrading of the emergency command center of the power grid companies at all levels, which will help the power grid companies at all levels to improve their emergency.

It has been proven that the relationship between microalgae and bacteria affects the dynamic process of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Microalgae-associated microorganisms widely exist in the phycosphere and play an essential role in algae-bacteria cross-kingdom interactions. Among these processes, quorum sensing (QS), as a communication system of bacteria, is thought to participate in algae-bacteria interactions. However, the species of QS bacteria in the phycosphere and their ecological function are still unknown. In this study, microalgae-associated microorganisms with a QS system were screened by the biosensor method and identified based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. The types and number of acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL) signalling molecules produced by QS bacteria were analysed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The film formation, β-dimethylmercaptopropionic (DMSP) degradation and algae growth effects of QS bacteria were investigated. The results showed that 113 QS bacteria were isolated from 842 microalgae-associated bacteria. Detection of AHL molecules in 10 different species of QS bacteria showed that most of them were N-(3-Oxodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OC10-HSL), N-Octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C8-HSL) and N-(3-Oxooctanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OC8-HSL). All 10 QS bacteria had film-forming ability, and they could degrade DMSP (except strain E26). The crude metabolic extracts of the 10 QS bacteria can inhibit or promote microalgae growth to different degrees. Our study is helpful to understand the role of microalgae-associated microorganisms with the QS system in algae-bacteria interactions and community succession of HAB microalgae.

Src tyrosine kinase is a protein encoded by the Src gene. The present study aimed to determine the role of Src protein kinase in asthma using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology. Several Src siRNAs were designed and the most effective siRNA pair was selected. A rat model of asthma was established using ovalbumin, and the rats were treated with Src siRNA, empty vector or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). A non-asthmatic control group was also established. The rats were clinically observed and Src mRNA and protein levels were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Pathological observation of the lung tissue, counting of white blood cells (WBCs) and eosinophils (EOSs) and analysis of the concentrations of IL-5, IL-33 and IFN-γ in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were performed. The expression levels of Src mRNA in the control, PBS, empty vector and siRNA groups were 110±30.7x103, 253±55.4x103, 254±41.3x103 and 180±50.9x103, respectively. Histochemical analysis of the lung tissue of rats in the siRNA group exhibited a relatively complete lung structure and little damage to the alveolar cavity. Src protein expression and IL-5, IL-33 levels, WBC and EOS levels were positively correlated with Src mRNA expression, while the IFN-γ concentration was negatively correlated with Src mRNA expression. These results indicate that Src knockdown inhibits the release of tracheal inflammatory factors and significantly alleviates asthma in rats. In conclusion, the present study utilized a gene transfer technique to interfere with the expression of Src in rats, which decreased the levels of IL-5, IL-33, WBCs and EOSs and increased the level of IFN-γ; these changes effectively ameliorated the condition of the trachea in asthmatic rats.

Sepsis serves as a leading cause of admission to and death of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is described as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by abnormal host response to infection. Adipose‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) have exhibited reliable and promising clinical application potential in multiple disorders. However, the function and the mechanism of ADSCs in sepsis remain elusive. In the present study, the crucial inhibitory effect of ADSC‑derived hydroxy‑carboxylic acid receptor 1 (HCAR1) on sepsis was identified. Reverse transcription quantitative‑PCR determined that the mRNA expression of HCAR1 was reduced while the mRNA expression of Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), NOD‑like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), and the levels of interleukin‑1β (IL‑1β), tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α), interleukin‑10 (IL‑10), and interleukin‑18 (IL‑18) were enhanced in the peripheral blood of patients with sepsis. The expression of HCAR1 was negatively correlated with TLR4 (r=‑0.666), MHC II (r=‑0.587), and NLRP3 (r=‑0.621) expression and the expression of TLR4 was positively correlated with NLRP3 (r=0.641), IL‑1β (r=0.666), TNF‑α (r=0.606), and IL‑18 (r=0.624) levels in the samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of HCAR1, TLR4, MHC II and NLRP3 mRNA expression was 0.830, 0.853, 0.735 and 0.945, respectively, in which NLRP3 exhibited the highest diagnostic value, and the AUC values of IL‑1β, IL‑18, TNF‑α, and IL‑10 were 0.751, 0.841, 0.924 and 0.729, respectively, in which TNF‑α exhibited the highest diagnostic value. A sepsis rat model was established by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, including a normal control group (NC group; n=6), a sepsis model group (LPS group; n=6), an ADSC transplantation group (L + M group; n=6), a combined HCAR1 receptor agonist group [L + HCAR1 inducer (Gi) + M group; n=6], and a combined HCAR1 receptor inhibitor group [L + HCAR1 blocker (Gk) + M group; n=6]. Hematoxylin and eosin staining determined that ADSCs attenuated the lung injury of septic rats and ADSC‑derived HCAR1 enhanced the effect of ADSCs. The expression of HCAR1, TLR4, MHC II, NLRP3, IL‑1β, IL‑18 and TNF‑α levels were suppressed by ADSCs and the effect was further induced by ADSC‑derived HCAR1. However, ADSC‑derived HCAR1 induced the levels of anti‑inflammatory factor IL‑10. The negative correlation of HCAR1 expression with TLR4, MHC II, and NLRP3 expression in the peripheral blood and lung tissues of the rats was then identified. It is thus concluded that ADSC‑derived HCAR1 regulates immune response in the attenuation of sepsis. ADSC‑derived HCAR1 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for sepsis.

The quorum sensing (QS) system plays a significant role in the bacteria-bacteria or plant-bacteria relationships through signal molecules. However, little is known about the distribution and functional diversity of QS bacteria in the root environment of Suaeda glauca and Phragmites australis in coastal wetlands. We explored the bacterial community by amplicon sequencing and isolated 1050 strains from the rhizosphere soil and root tissues of S. glauca and P. australis in northern China to investigate the bacterial community and AHL producers. AHL activity was found in 76 isolates, and 22 distinct strains were confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A substantial number of AHL producers clustered in rhizobiales and sphingomonadale, which derived from the root tissues. AHL producers in the rhizosphere soil mostly belonged to rhodobacterales. The different taxa of AHL producers in the rhizosphere soil and root tissues resulted in a variation of AHL profiles that C6-HSL dominated the AHL profiles in root bacteria compared to the C8-HSL in rhizobacteria, implying different ecological roles for AHL producers in the rhizosphere soil and root tissues. Many AHL producers may form biofilms, and some can degrade DMSP and oil, demonstrating that QS bacteria in the root environment have a wide ecological roles. In our study, for one of the first times here, we explore the distribution and functional variety of AHL producers in the root environment of S. glauca-P. australis. This study expands current knowledge of the relationship between QS bacteria and coastal plants (S. glauca and P. australis), and vital roles of QS bacterial in maintaining the health of coastal wetlands.

Microplastics have emerged as new pollutants in oceans. Nevertheless, information of the long-term variations in the composition of plastic-associated microbial communities in coastal waters remains limited. This study applied high-throughput sequencing to investigate the successional stages of microbial communities attached to polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics exposed for one year in the coastal seawater of China. The composition of plastisphere microbial communities varied remarkably across geographical locations and exposure times. The dominant bacteria in the plastisphere were affiliated with the Alphaproteobacteria class, particularly Rhodobacteraceae, followed by the Gammaproteobacteria class. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the microplastics showed signs of degradation. Microbial communities showed adaptations to plastisphere including more diverse microbial community and greater "xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism" in metabolic pathway analysis. The findings elucidate the long-term changes in the community composition of microorganisms that colonize microplastics and expand the understanding of plastisphere microbial communities present in the marine environment.

Power system is one of the most fundamental infrastructure systems for human society. The stability of power system greatly affects the economy and security of the city. Therefore, recovering the power system in cities after a severe disaster is the high priority work in a disaster emergency process. Among several kinds of huge disasters, typhoon is a highly valuable research target. Different from the earthquake or tsunami, typhoons often last several days before landing after their generation, so there is much more time for people to prepare and cope with the damage to power system. In this paper, a damage class prediction method for determining the command institution is researched. Based on the actual power system damage data in China from 2004 to 2019, this research proposed the prediction method with machine learning algorithm. The result shows SVM model can reach 77.4 % accuracy in this task, and it is accurate enough to support the emergency decision.

At present domestic emergency information interaction lack of flexibility, after a natural disaster, on-site rescue workers with the rescue headquarters, emergency command center, sharing of information between were studied based on the scene of the electric power emergency mobile information real-time interactive methods, design a kind of power at the scene of the emergency mobile friendly each other, are at the scene of the emergency and emergency command center cluster information real-time interactive technology, gives the power emergency field information real-time interactive system prototype and power at the scene of the emergency information real-time interactive software and hardware integration solutions, to build the efficient method of multi-type information submitted by emergency disposal across departments and information interaction ability.

For the problems of power fluctuation and over-current in grid-connected inverters under unbalanced grid voltage, a fault ride through control strategy based on finite control set-model predictive control (FCS-MPC) with peak current limitation is proposed for fault-tolerant NPC three-level photovoltaic grid-connected inverter. Firstly, the current reference value is calculated with the goal of balancing the current, eliminating active and reactive power oscillations. Then, the quantitative relationship between the power reference set value and the peak output current value is deduced to guide the power reference value setting under unbalanced grid voltage. In addition, the grid-connected model predictive current control strategy based on the reference voltage cost function method is used to realize the accurate tracking of the reference current. Simulation results show that the proposed method can realize the control objectives of output current balance, active power constant, and reactive power constant under unbalanced grid voltage, and the current peak is limited effectively under the three control objectives.

The early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis are of particular importance to patient survival. To obtain novel biomarkers that serve as prompt indicators of sepsis, the current study screened the differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) that were associated with sepsis susceptibility. The correlation between the elucidated DEMs and the inflammatory response was also examined. The present study included 40 patients with sepsis and 40 healthy controls. RNA‑sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis were applied to screen the DEMs between the two cohorts. The expression of these DEMs was subsequently verified by performing reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR). In addition, IL‑6, IL‑21, C‑X‑C motif chemokine ligand‑8 (CXCL8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein‑1 (MCP‑1) levels, along with T‑cell death‑associated gene 8 (TDAG8) and toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression levels were assessed. The association between microRNA (miRNA/miR)‑3663‑3p and the secretion of various proinflammatory cytokines or TDAG8 and TLR4 mRNA expressions were subsequently evaluated by linear correlation analysis. The results revealed 305 DEMs (P0.05; fold change2) between patients with sepsis and healthy controls. Among these, the top 18 up‑ and downregulated miRNAs were selected for RT‑qPCR verification. In addition, the serum content of IL‑6, IL‑21, CXCL8 and MCP‑1, and the expression of TDAG8 and TLR4 mRNAs were significantly increased in patients with sepsis compared with healthy controls. Moreover, in patients with sepsis, a positive correlation was identified between miR‑3663‑3p and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines or TDAG8 and TLR4 mRNA expression. A positive correlation was also elucidated between TDAG8 and TLR4 mRNA expression and proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine secretion. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of miR‑3663‑3p expression, IL‑6, IL‑21, CXCL8 and MCP‑1 secretion and TDAG8 and TLR4 mRNA expression demonstrated that miRNA analysis may be invaluable for the diagnosis of sepsis. Collectively, the results determined that miR‑3663‑3p may be a potentially powerful diagnostic and predictive biomarker of sepsis and that the combined and simultaneous detection of several biomarkers, including proteins, miRNAs and mRNA may be a reliable approach for the fast diagnosis and early identification of sepsis.

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common type of fatal interstitial lung disease and IPF patients usually have a poor prognosis. Biomarkers that can predict the occurrence, process and prognosis of IPF will be useful for its diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to identify the potential biomarkers of IPF and analyze the regulation of upstream miRNAs. Methods The miRNA and gene expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEMs) between IPF and normal groups were identified. After co-expression gene pair analysis, functional enrichment analysis was performed. Then, the potential biomarkers of IPF were screened and validated. Finally, the upstream regulatory miRNA of biomarkers was predicted. Results A total of 343 DEGs and 21 DEMs were identified between IPF and normal samples. CLDN18, COL6A3, MYRF, PRSS8, RRAS, and SBNO1 were identified as potential IPF biomarkers. In addition, 17 miRNA-target relationship pairs were obtained. The up-regulation of hsa-miR-657, hsa-miR-671-5p, hsa-miR-198, and hsa-miR-940 could regulate the down-regulation of MYRF and the up-regulation of hsa-miR-198 and hsa-miR-373-3p could regulate the down-regulation of RRAS and CLDN18, respectively. Our data indicated that PRSS8, hsa-miR-614, and hsa-miR-503-5p might be involved in the migration and invasion of IPF related cells. Conclusions CLDN18, COL6A3, MYRF, PRSS8, RRAS, and SBNO1 might be potential IPF biomarkers. However, the specific role of these genes and miRNA in IPF needs further experimental research.

The emergency prediction analysis and emergency decision-making are still largely dependent on the actual experience of relevant personnel involved in emergency response. The judgment of emergencies is greatly influenced by subjective factors, and the lack of relevant data and information for auxiliary analysis and Models and methods of decision making. Conduct correlation analysis of emergency big data, construct predictive analysis models for various emergencies, and establish data link relationships between emergencies and emergency decisionmaking through big data technology to support emergency analysis and decision.

Oceanicola sp. strain D3 was isolated from the plastisphere of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in coastal water of Qingdao, China. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of strain D3, which consists of a chromosome of 3,926,685 bp with a G+C content of 64.49% and 4,964 coding DNA sequences. This is the first report of a quorum-sensing (QS) system in an Oceanicola sp. strain.

Oceanicola sp. strain D3 was isolated from the plastisphere of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in coastal water of Qingdao, China. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of strain D3, which consists of a chromosome of 3,926,685 bp with a G+C content of 64.49% and 4,964 coding DNA sequences. This is the first report of a quorum-sensing (QS) system in an Oceanicola sp. strain.

Online Methods Supplement; Tables; Figures 1. Online Methods Supplement. 1.1 Section S1: Study Subjects: Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. 1.2 Section S2: Randomization. 1.3 Section S3: Blinding and Quality Control. 1.4 Section S4: Study Methods. 2. Online Tables: 2.1 Table S1: Subgroup Analysis. 1.2 Table S2: Inclusion Number for Each Center per Year. 3. Online Figures: 3.1 Figure S1: The Daily Ventilation Time of NIV. 3.2 Figure S2: The maximum levels of IPAP (above EPAP) and EPAP Use during NIV. (PDF 376 kb)

Objective: To observe the presence of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene polymorphism in the venous blood in patients with sepsis, meanwhile, to observe the expression and the diagnostic value of TLR4 mRNA, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-23 (IL-23), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with different degrees of sepsis.Methods: The peripheral blood samples from the subjects were collected to extract genomic DNA, gene sequencing and enzyme digestion method were applied to the detection of TLR4 Asp299Gly loci polymorphism. The expression of TLR4 mRNA in the peripheral blood was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-23, PCT and CRP were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: (1) The gene polymorphism was not present in TLR4 Asp299Gly loci; (2) The expression of TLR4 mRNA in the peripheral blood in patients with sepsis: on d1, there were statistically significant differences between the normal group and the group (APACHE II ≤ 20), between the normal group and the group (APACHE II > 20), between the group (APACHE II ≤ 20) and the group (AAPACHE II > 20) (t = 5.741, 14.780 and 10.500, all p < .01). APACHE II stands for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II. On d7, there were statistically significant differences between the normal group and the group (APACHE II ≤ 20), between the normal group and the group (APACHE II > 20), between the group (APACHE II ≤ 20) and the group (APACHE II > 20) (t = 4.186, 13.830 and 9.645, all p < .01); (3) The expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-23, PCT and CRP were obviously upregulated (all p < .01), and TLR4 was positively correlated with IFN-γ and IL-23 (all p < .01); (4) The best cutoff value of TLR4 mRNA at baseline was 891.6 μg/L, with a sensitivity of 100% and a diagnostic specificity of 57%. The best cutoff value of IFN-γ at baseline was 84.5 μg/L, with a sensitivity of 100% and a diagnostic specificity of 57%. The best cutoff value of IL-23 at baseline was 861 μg/L, with a sensitivity of 100% and a diagnostic specificity of 97%.Conclusions: (1) The Asp299Gly polymorphism is not present in TLR4 gene; (2) The expression levels of TLR4 mRNA, IFN-γ and IL-23 are relatively high in patients with sepsis, and will be higher with the increased severity of sepsis; (3) TLR4 mRNA, IFN-γ and IL-23 can be used as molecular biomarkers for the early diagnosis of sepsis.

This paper studies and analyzes the influence of micro-meteorological disasters on power system, points out the main problems in the establishment of power micro-meteorological monitoring and early warning system, puts forward the system architecture of power micro-meteorological monitoring and early warning system, which provides a reference for the establishment of power micro-meteorological monitoring and early warning system.

The water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from endosperm of Gleditsia japonica var. delavayi seeds (EGSP) were identified as galactomannan having the M/G ratio of 2.54–2.66 and a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 1913 kDa. The molecular structure of EGSP was determined by periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, methylation, FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The main chain is composed of β-1,4- d -mannopyranose and the branches composed of single α-1- d -galactopyranose. We had also established a model to speculate the fine structure of galactomannan molecules and given preliminary results. The I2-KI test indicated that there were many branches on the EGSP backbone and no starch in EGSP. The CD spectra and Congo red test showed EGSP was random coil conformations in solution and could form a small quantity of helical conformation under alkaline conditions. The microstructure of morphology was observed by OM, SEM and AFM. The results showed that the fibers composed of multiple microfibers formed a network construction by entangling with each other.

In order to realize effective prevention from faults, cut-off the fault quickly and power supply recovery from power loss load in intelligent distribution network, this paper proposed a state transition model of self-healing control for intelligent distribution network based on Finite State Machine (FSM). We divided the running states into normal state and fault state, added finite variables to FSM. determined the operation state transition control schemes of intelligent distribution network self-healing control. Considering distributed generation(DG), we established the state transition model of intelligent distribution network self-healing control system on Matlab/Stateflow platform and applied to simulation example. The results show that the proposed state transition scheme is feasible and effective.

This phase II study is performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine combined with preoperative radiotherapy (RT) in Chinese patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Between February 2007 and December 2008, 62 patients with LARC were treated with capecitabine (825 mg/m(2), twice daily) and concurrent RT (50.4 Gy/28 fractions). Patients underwent surgery after 6-8 weeks of combined therapy, followed by 4 cycles of adjuvant capecitabine (1,250 mg/m(2), twice daily on days 1-14, every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR).Fifty-eight patients (93.5%) completed the preoperative chemoradiation course as initially planned. The most severe hematologic adverse event was leucopenia, which occurred with grade 2 intensity in 12 (19.7%) patients and grade 3 in 2 (3.3%) patients. Grade 3 diarrhea and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) were observed in one (1.6%) and two (3.3%) patients, respectively. However, no grade 4 toxicity was observed. There were no treatment-related deaths during this study. Of the 59 patients treated with surgery, all had radial margins (R0 resections). Among the 29 patients with the primary tumor ≤5 cm from the anal verge, 18 (62.1%) underwent sphincter-preserving surgical resections. pCR was found in eight patients (13.6%). The pathologic stage was lower than the initial clinical stage in 57.6% (34/59), 63.4% (26/41), and 81.4% (48/59) of the resected tumors for the primary tumor (T), lymph node (N), and combined TN categories, respectively. The estimate of disease-free survival and overall survival at 24 months were 80.6% (95% CI, 70.8-90.4%) and 92.5% (95% CI, 85.9-99.1%), respectively.Preoperative chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine and RT appears to be a safe, well-tolerated, and effective neoadjuvant treatment modality for LARC.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the role of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in transplantation in rats with sepsis induced by endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides, LPS). Methods EPCs of Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated, cultured, and identified. EPCs were fluorescently labeled with the green fluorescent protein adenoviral transfection method. The rats were divided into normal control group (NC group), endothelial progenitor cell transplantation control group (EPC group), sepsis model group (LPS group), and endothelial progenitor cell transplantation treatment group (LPS+EPC group). The sepsis model was established by intravenous delivery of LPS. Two EPC transplantation groups were injected with a fluorescently labeled EPC suspension via the tail vein. One day and 7 days after transplantation, lung, liver, and kidney tissues were obtained to detect the wet/dry ratio (W/D) and perform hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. An ELISA assay was used to detect cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect TLR4 mRNA expression in lung, liver, and kidney tissues. Results EPC transplantation can significantly reduce lung, liver, and kidney tissue damage and W/D ratios in septic rats, downregulate TLR4 mRNA expression, and reduce IL-6 and IL-10 levels. Conclusion EPC transplantation can significantly alleviate lung, liver, and kidney tissue damage.

To investigate the role of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) transplantation in rats with sepsis induced by endotoxin (lipopolysaccharides, LPS).Sixty clean grade Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with genetic background were divided into three groups according to random number table method: control group, model group, and EPCs transplantation group, with 20 rats in each group. The sepsis model was reproduced by intravenous delivery of LPS 5 mg/kg. Rats in control group were injected with the same amount of normal saline. EPCs were isolated, and cultured and identified were fluorescently labeled with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) adenoviral transfection method. The EPC transplantation group was injected with LPS, then a fluorescently labeled EPCs suspension was injected via the tail vein 1 hour later. The expression of fluorescent markers of EPCs was detected with both small animal in vivo imaging instrument and frozen section. Seven days after transplantation, abdominal aorta blood was collected to determine interleukins (IL-6 and IL-10) in peripheral blood with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the lung, liver, and kidney tissues were harvested, the wet/dry ratio of the lung (W/D) was calculated, and hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe, the change in histopathology. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression in lung, liver, and kidney tissues was determined with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).The positive rate of EPCs cells with double marking of CD133 and CD34 was 99.0% at the 5th generation of subculture by using flow cytometry. After the transplantation of EPCs labeled with the green fluorescent protein, the appearance of fluorescence indicated that EPCs were mainly localized in the chest, and a stronger fluorescence was observed near the blood vessels. EPCs transplantation could significantly reduce the inflammatory cell infiltration and cell damage in lung, liver, and kidney tissue in septic rats. Compared with control group, the expression of IL-6 and IL-10 in the peripheral blood, W/D ratio, and TLR4 mRNA in lung, liver, and kidney were increased significantly in the model group. Compared with model group, the expressions of IL-6 and IL-10 in the peripheral blood were significantly reduced after EPCs transplantation [IL-6 (μg/L): 2.127±0.118 vs. 2.664±0.438, IL-10 (ng/L): 24.5±3.9 vs. 31.5±3.8, both P0.01]. EPCs transplantation reduced the W/D ratio of lung, liver and kidney tissues (lung: 4.68±0.24 vs. 5.48±0.15, liver: 3.33±0.11 vs. 3.94±0.09, kidney: 4.08±0.20 vs. 4.84±0.21, all P0.05], and down-regulated the expression of TLR4 mRNA (×10(3), lung: 782±131 vs. 1 136±126, liver: 39.1±14.0 vs. 69.2±8.7, kidney: 52.2±15.2 vs. 83.5±17.1, all P0.01).EPCs can enter the lung, liver and kidney tissues of the rat successfully after transplantation of EPCs via vein. EPCs transplantation can down-regulate pro-inflammatory process, help to recover the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory processes, alleviate the damage to the lung, liver, and kidney tissue significantly.

Objective: To detect the expression changes of proton-sensing receptor G protein-coupled receptor 2A (G2A) and ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptors 1 (OGR1) in human peripheral blood cells of patients with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH). Methods: Thirty-one patients with HPH were enrolled for IPH group, 16 males and 15 females, aged (65.19 ± 5.86) years; and 30 healthy people were enrolled for control group (NC group), 15 males and 15 females, aged (63.47 ± 6.16) years. The peripheral blood samples were collected and the mRNA expressions of G2A and OGR1 were determined by using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) of HPH group was detected with echocardiography for the analysis of blood gas and pulmonary function testing. Human peripheral blood was collected to detect the mRNA levels of G2A, OGR1 and the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Results: PaCO 2 was increased significantly in HPH group than that in NC group ( p < .05). The percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 s in predicted value (FEV1 pro%) and the ratio of FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) in HPH group were significant lower than those in NC group ( p < .05). The expressions of peripheral blood G2A mRNA and TNF-α in HPH group were increased dramatically than those in NC group ( p < .05). The expressions of OGR1 mRNA in peripheral blood had no difference between HPH group and NC group. The expressions of G2A mRNA and TNF- in HPH group were positively related to pulmonary artery pressure significantly. Conclusions: The expression of proton-sensing receptor G2A and the level of TNF-α were increased in peripheral blood cells of patients with pulmonary hypertension. The expressions of TNF-α and G2A had positive correlations with pulmonary artery pressure.

The present study aimed to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms in the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR)-associated protein (TIRAP) genes, and/or their expression levels, influence the susceptibility of a patient to sepsis. A total of 106 patients with sepsis were divided into two groups on the basis of their acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores: i) Sepsis group A (APACHE II 20). In addition, 100 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the control group. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used to detect the following genetic polymorphisms: The Ser180Leu allele of the TIRAP gene and the Asp299Gly and Thr399I1e alleles of the TLR4 gene. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of TLR4 and TIRAP were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genetic polymorphisms were not detected for the TLR4 and TIRAP genes; however, the protein expression levels of TLR4 and TIRAP differed significantly between the control, sepsis A and sepsis B groups (P

Background: There is an urgent need for an effective second-line chemotherapy regimen after failure of the standard cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil therapy. Patients and Methods: This study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of docetaxel (30 mg/m2) during a 1-hour infusion, followed by nedaplatin (50 mg/m2) during a 2-hour infusion (both drugs were administered on day 1 as an outpatient regimen and repeated every 2 weeks) as second-line chemotherapy for patients with cisplatin-pretreated refractory metastatic/recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after surgery. Results: Forty-six of the 48 patients (95.8%) were assessable for response. Partial response was confirmed in 13 of 48 cases yielding a response rate of 27.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.5–39.7%). The median overall time to progression and overall survival was 3.1 months (95% CI, 2.3–3.9 months) and 5.9 months (95% CI, 3.9–7.8 months), respectively. The estimate of overall survival at 12 months was 16.7% (95% CI, 6.1–27.2%). Grade 3 anemia leucopenia, grade 4 anemia leucopenia and neutropenia were detected in only 4 (8.7%), 8 (17.4%), and 9 patients (19.6%), respectively. Conclusions: The combination chemotherapy of docetaxel and nedaplatin in the outpatient setting is well tolerated and useful as second-line chemotherapy for cisplatin-pretreated refractory metastatic/recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.