Green tea is a widely consumed beverage known for its beneficial anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, and cardioprotective properties. Here, we administered epigallocatechin gallate fraction of green tea extract (EGTE) to mice for 6 weeks and examined the effects on the innate and adaptive immune responses by measuring phagocytic and natural killer (NK) cell activity, as well as antigen-specific proliferation, cytolysis, cytokine secretion, and antibody production. Our data show that EGTE administration increased NK cell cytolysis and peritoneal cell phagocytosis, as well as splenocyte proliferation and secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ. Of note, EGTE treatment decreased the production antigen-specific IgE via increased the proportion of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T lymphocytes in the spleen, suggesting that EGTE may play a role in regulating the allergic response.

Recently, we developed a new method to measure the resting level of superoxide anion in whole blood using an ultrasensitive chemiluminescence analyzer and lucigenin amplification. The advantage of this method is that the assay system can be performed in the absence of leukocyte isolation and stimulant administration. In this study, we applied this method to measure the blood resting levels of superoxide anion in 104 uremic patients on chronic hemodialysis (CHD) and 98 sex- and age-matched healthy controls to clarify the influence of HD on blood levels of superoxide anion. Simultaneously, the plasma levels of copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD), glutathion peroxidase (GPX), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and lactoferrin (Lacto-F) were measured. The results showed that the basal blood levels of superoxide anion, Cu,Zn-SOD, and MPO in CHD patients were significantly greater than those of healthy controls. However, there was no difference in the basal plasma levels of Lacto-F and GPX between CHD patients and healthy controls. One session of HD further increased the blood levels of superoxide anion, MPO, Lacto-F and Cu,Zn-SOD but not GPX. These results suggest that the blood levels of superoxide anion are higher in CHD patients and further increase after one session of HD. This mechanism should be studied further.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the syndrome of qi vacuity means that the patient's body has a low level of energy to react to stress. Recently, we used a score, the QV score, by scaling the severity of symptoms and signs of qi vacuity in patients with tiredness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between QV score and skin electrical conductance in patients with tiredness. One hundred and forty-three healthy controls and 103 patients with tiredness were involved. Each subject received a weak electrical stimulation with constant voltage (1.75 volt), and conductance was measured between two different limbs. The mean value of skin conductance among four limbs was calculated and expressed by a special unit, namely Chin. The correlation between the skin conductance and QV score was analyzed by a linear regression analysis. The results showed that skin electrical conductance of healthy controls was negatively correlated with age (r-coefficient = -0.51, P = 0.000). The skin conductance of patients with tiredness was significantly lower than that of healthy controls with matching age (P = 0.000 by Student's t-test). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the decrease of skin conductance and the QV score in patients with tiredness (r-coefficient = +0.68, P = 0.000). These results suggest that a decrease in skin electrical conductance may be closely related to the severity of qi vacuity. The skin conductance test is a simple, reliable, and quantitative method for detection of syndrome of qi vacuity.

Objective. Hemodialysis is a common therapeutic strategy for patients with end stage renal failure. During the hemodialytic process, the neutrophils are activated (neutrophil burst) due to the hemoincompatibility induced by hemodialysis. As a result, the activated neutrophils release reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, and hypochlorite, into the bloodstream and cause oxidative damage. Methods. This study investigated the antioxidant alteration of plasma in uremic patients undergoing hemodialysis by chemiluminescent analysis. The antioxidant capacities of plasma in scavenging hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, and hypochlorite were investigated in this experiment. In addition, investigation of the ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) would be covered in this study as well. Results. This study found that after hemodialysis, the antioxidant capacities of plasma in scavenging hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, and hypochlorite decreases 7.9%, 18.8%, and 18.9%, respectively. Moreover, the FRAP is reduced by 56%. We speculate that the loss of dialyzable solutes (such as uremic solutes and antioxidants with small molecular weight) in plasma resulted in its decrease in antioxidant capacity. Conclusion. We therefore suggest that the supplement of antioxidants with small molecular weight is capable of regaining antioxidant defense in plasma and preventing oxidative damage induced by hemodialysis.

Our data suggest that selection of a hemodialyzer based on the clearance of identified uremic solutes might not be sufficient. Application of external techniques to determine additional external factors (i.e., clearance of unidentified uremic solutes) can facilitate a better decision in the selection of the ideal hemodialyzer.