Ankle brachial index (ABI) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) are widely used noninvasive modalities to evaluate atherosclerosis. Recently, evidence has increased supporting the use of ABI and baPWV as markers of cerebrovascular disease. This study sought to examine the relationship between ABI and baPWV with ischemic stroke. This study also aimed to determine which pathogenic mechanism, large artery disease (LAD) or small vessel disease (SVD), is related to ABI or baPWV. Retrospectively, 121 patients with ischemic stroke and 38 subjects with no obvious ischemic stroke history were recruited. First, ABI and baPWV were compared between the groups. Then, within the stroke group, the relevance of ABI and baPWV with regard to SVD and LAD, which were classified by brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed tomography angiography (CTA) findings, was assessed. The baPWV was higher in the stroke group than non-stroke group (1,944.18±416.6 cm/s vs. 1,749.76±669.6 cm/s, P<0.01). Regarding LAD, we found that mean ABI value was lower in the group with extracranial large artery stenosis (P<0.01), and there was an inverse linear correlation between ABI and the grade of extracranial large artery stenosis (P<0.01). For SVD, there was a significant correlation between SVD and baPWV (2,057.6±456.57?cm/s in the SVD (+) group vs 1,491±271.62?cm/s in the SVD (-) group; P<0.01). However, the grade of abnormalities detected in SVD did not correlate linearly with baPWV
Rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial isolates is an increasing problem in China. Integron, a conserved DNA sequence, which is carried on episomal genetic structures, plays a very important role in development of antibiotic resistance. This systematic analysis was based on MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We summarized the distribution and proportion of different types of gene cassette arrays of integrons (including class 1, 2, 3 and atypical class 1 integron) from clinical bacteria isolates in China. Fifty-six literatures were included in this study. Most of the strains were Gram-negative bacteria (94.1%, 7,364/7,822) while only 5.9% strains were Gram-positive bacteria. Class 1 integrons were detected in 54.2% (3,956/7,295) Gram-negative strains. aadA2 was the most popular gene cassette array detected from 60 Gram-positive bacteria while dfrA17-aadA5 were detected in 426 Gram-negative bacteria. This study identified 12 novel gene cassette arrays which have not been previously found in any species. All the novel gene cassette arrays were detected from Gram-negative bacteria. A regional characteristic of distribution of integrons was presented in this study. The results highlight a need for continuous surveillance of integrons and provide a guide for future research on integron-mediated bacteria resistance.
Melatonin plays a critical role in regulating photoperiodic signals and has recently been shown to decrease immunosenescence with age. In this study, we examined whether melatonin activates T lymphocytes as major adaptive immune cells in in vitro and in vivo models. Splenocytes, CD4+, and naïve CD4 T lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen of BALB/c mice and the cell population patterns and mRNA profiles associated with T cell activation (CD28 and p21) and the melatonin receptor (MT1A and MT1B) were assessed. The T cell activation-related proteins Ki67 and Bcl2 were also evaluated to confirm the relationship between gene and protein levels. Our data clearly revealed that CD28, p21, MT1A, and MT1B mRNA were highly expressed in the presence of melatonin. Co-culture of CD4+ T lymphocyte and peritoneal macrophage 7 days after melatonin administration to young and aged mice significantly increased APRIL mRNA, suggesting induction or maintenance of T lymphocyte responses. We also found that the intracellular amount of Ki67 and Bcl2 proteins were significantly upregulated in aged CD4+ T lymphocytes, suggesting enhancing T cell proliferation and ling-term maintenance of memory T cells. Taken together, we conclude that melatonin supplementation may enhance immunity in aged individuals by upregulating immunosenescence indices in association with T lymphocytes and may be an attractive pharmacological candidate for aged and immunocompromised individuals.
The fermentation of natural plants has a favorable effect on the functional and biological activities of living systems. These include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelet aggregation activities. This is attributed to the chemical conversion of the parent plants to functional constituents, which show more potent biological activity. In our study, rice bran along with oriental medicinal plants (Angelicae gigantis, Cnidium officinale, Artemisia princeps, and Camellia sinensis) was fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Pichia deserticola (FRBE). We evaluated the effects of oral administration of FRBE on atopic dermatitis in 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-treated NC/Nga mice. FRBE significantly ameliorated the macroscopic and microscopic appearance of skin lesions in DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis and reduced levels of serum immunoglobulin E and the differential white blood cell count. In addition, it reduced skin thickness compared to that of atopic dermatitis-affected skin. FRBE treatment also reduced mast cell incorporation in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis. The total cell number in dorsal skin tissue and the axillary lymph node increased following DNCB application, and this was normalized by FRBE treatment. Moreover, it decreased the levels of CD8+ helper T cells and Gr-1+/CD11b+ B cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and skin lesions in DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, we demonstrated that FRBE significantly inhibited mRNA expression of cytokines (e.g., interleukin-5 and interleukin-13) and cyclooxygenase-2 in AD skin lesions. These results suggest that FRBE could be a valuable herbal remedy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.