BackgroundCardiovascular damages poses risks to children with Kawasaki disease (KD). Although hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesteremia are risk factors of cardiovascular damages, studies on the blood lipid metabolism in KD are still limited. This study aims to analyze the blood lipids and coagulation in KD.MethodsTriglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels in the plasma and serum from 20 children with KD were examined in comparison with 10 healthy children (HC) as well as 10 children with high fever from identified bacterial infections (BT). Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, we profiled the lipid species. Blood coagulation was analyzed. Statistics was analyzed by one-way ANOVA using SigmaStat.ResultsWe found that in KD, plasma TG level was significantly increased, but not serum TG. A total of 19 molecular species of TG were identified, and they were all increased in KD and BT patients, and more pronounced in KD. On the other hand, major molecular species of plasma phosphotidylcholine and lyso-phosphotidylcholine were decreased in KD and BT. Pronounced hypercoagulation was found in KD blood.ConclusionOur data indicate hyperlipidemia in KD, especially for TG, which contributes to the hypercoagulation and the potential risk of cardiovascular damages. Evaluation of blood lipid levels in severe KD patients could provide valuable information for treatment and prognosis, thus would be worthy of consideration.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12944-015-0167-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Due to the large surface area-to-volume ratio and rapid electron transfer, two-dimensional (2D) TiO2 nanosheets with ultrathin thicknesses are synthesized by using a bottom-up strategy and these self-assembled nanosheet (NS)-based photocatalysts and photodetectors were explored for the first time. The influence of calcination temperature on microstructures and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanosheets were discovered and presented. The as-obtained TiO2 nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The following heat treatment process induced phase evolution from rutile to anatase. The TiO2 nanosheets calcined at 500 °C exhibited the best activity for photo-degradation of organic dyes under UV light irradiation. The obtained photodetector exhibits excellent performance with a high photocurrent to dark current ratio and fast response and recovery times. Additionally, we demonstrated that the device may have potential applications in the future low-power optoelectronics system.
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway on the proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and oxidative stress of Raji cells via regulating HSP70 expression.Material/MethodsRaji cells were divided into Blank, HSP70 siRNA, NC siRNA, AG490 (a JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway inhibitor), and HSP70 siRNA + rh JAK2 (recombinant human JAK2) groups. HSP70 expression was detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR); the expression levels of HSP70 and JAK2/STAT3 pathway-related proteins were evaluated by Western blotting; cell proliferation was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays; cell cycle distribution was observed by flow cytometry; cell apoptosis was tested by Annexin V-FITC/PI and Hoechst 33342/PI staining; reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured by dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assays; and MDA content and SOD and GSH-Px activities were determined using detection kits.ResultsAG490 obviously down-regulated HSP70 expression, inhibited proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, and promoted apoptosis in Raji cells; these effects were similar to the effects of HSP70 siRNA. Furthermore, ROS production and MDA content were increased in Raji cells treated with HSP70 siRNA or AG490, while SOD and GSH-Px activities were reduced. Raji cells in the HSP70 siRNA + rh JAK2 group did not significantly differ from those in the Blank group in regards to proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and oxidative stress.ConclusionsBlocking the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway may inhibit proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest, and promote oxidative stress and apoptosis in Raji cells via the down-regulation of HSP70.
The tuber of amorphophallus konjac (TuAK) is an antitumor herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. The present study investigated the inhibitory effect of TuAK against gastric cancer and the underlying mechanisms associated with two programmed cell death pathways, apoptosis and autophagy. TuAK was extracted by organic solvents including ethanol and ligarine. The extract of TuAK, shortened as TuAKe, significantly inhibited the growth of cultured gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901 and AGS, with IC50 of 35-45 µg/ml. TuAKe could increase cell apoptosis and induce cell cycle arrest. For the apoptosis-associated proteins, expressions of survivin and Bcl-2 were decreased by treatment of TuAKe, and the expression of Bax and caspase-9 was increased. Furthermore, TuAKe could promote autophagy, and the antitumor efficacy of TuAKe was significantly hampered by targeted suppression of autophagy, suggesting that autophagy contributed to TuAKe-induced cell death. Furthermore, patients with gastric cancer who received TuAK-based medicinal decoction achieved improved scores in assessment of life quality compared with those without TuAK treatment. This study demonstrated the antitumor activity of TuAKe against gastric cancer, and is the first report to show that the underlying mechanism is associated with induction of autophagy. Our data provided support of the clinical use of amorphophallus konjac-based medication in combination with classical chemotherapy to achieve optimized outcome for gastric cancer.
Most randomized trials for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have investigated highly selected patients under idealized conditions, and the findings need to be validated in the real world. We conducted a population-based study of all APL patients in Zhejiang Province, China, with a total population of 82 million people, to assess the generalization of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic as front-line treatment. The outcomes of APL patients were also analyzed. Between January 2015 and December 2019, 1,233 eligible patients were included in the final analysis. The rate of ATRA and arsenic as front-line treatment increased steadily from 66.2% in 2015 to 83.3% in 2019, with no difference among the size of the center (≥5 or <5 patients per year, p = 0.12) or age (≥60 or <60 years, p = 0.35). The early death (ED) rate, defined as death within 30 days after diagnosis, was 8.2%, and the 3-year overall survival (OS) was 87.9% in the whole patient population. Age (≥60 years) and white blood cell count (>10 × 109/L) were independent risk factors for ED and OS in the multivariate analysis. This population-based study showed that ATRA and arsenic as front-line treatment are widely used under real-world conditions and yield a low ED rate and a high survival rate, which mimic the results from clinical trials, thereby supporting the wider application of APL guidelines in the future.
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