Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is a new technology, widely used in many fields of biomedicine,especially in cancer treatment. Cold plasma can selectively kill a variety of tumor cells, and its biological safety in c...Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is a new technology, widely used in many fields of biomedicine,especially in cancer treatment. Cold plasma can selectively kill a variety of tumor cells, and its biological safety in clinical trials is also very important. In many cases, the patient’s immune level is relatively low, so we first studied the safety assessment of plasma treatment in an immunocompromised animal model. In this study, we examined the safety of immuno-deficient nude mice by oral lavage treatment of plasma-activated water, and studied the growth status, main organs and blood biochemical indexes. Acute toxicity test results showed that the maximum dose of plasma treatment for 15 min had no lethal effect and other acute toxicity. There were no significant changes in body weight and survival status of mice after 2 min and 4 min of plasma-activated water(PAW)treatment for 2 weeks. After treatment, the major organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, were not significantly changed in organ coefficient and tissue structure. Blood biochemical markers showed that blood neutrophils and mononuclear cells were slightly increased, and the others remained unchanged. Liver function, renal function, electrolytes, glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism were not affected by different doses of PAW treatment. The above results indicate that PAW treatment can be used to treat immuno-deficient nude mice without significant safety problems.展开更多
HIV （Human Immuno-deficiency Virus） prevalence in Malawi is one of the highest in the world, with 10.3% of population living with HIV. Kenya has a prevalence rate of 6% and with 1.6 million people living with HIV in...HIV （Human Immuno-deficiency Virus） prevalence in Malawi is one of the highest in the world, with 10.3% of population living with HIV. Kenya has a prevalence rate of 6% and with 1.6 million people living with HIV infection. The broad objective of the study was to assess the proportion of youth aged 15-24 years affected by HIV in Malawi and Kenya. This was a descriptive study design. Data were mainly collected from reports from government, World Bank, World Health Organization and UN agencies. Graphs, tables and charts have been used to present statistics. Data for specific age cohort were hard to find and hence, data were used for general HIV and AIDS with special attention to the youth where possible. In Kenya, HIV prevalence among young women jumps three folds from 2.8% of 15-17 year olds to 8.3% among 23-24 year olds. In Malawi, around 2,100 young people and adolescents are infected with HIV every day. In 2013, four million young people aged 15-24 were living with HIV, with 29% aged under 19 years. This age group includes school going youths, newly employed, economically productive and sexually active group. HIV prevalence in Malawi has been declining over time among persons aged 15-19 years from 16.4% in 1999 to 11.8 % in 2004 to 10.6% in 2010 and 10.3% in 2016. However, in Kenya, the trend of HIV prevalence reached its peak of 10.55% in 1995-1996 after which it declined to 6.7% in 2003 and has been stable since then.展开更多
Antimicrobial peptides,including defensins,are essential effectors in host defence and in the maintenance of immune homeostasis.Clinical studies have linked the defective expression of both α-and β-defensin to the r...Antimicrobial peptides,including defensins,are essential effectors in host defence and in the maintenance of immune homeostasis.Clinical studies have linked the defective expression of both α-and β-defensin to the reduced killing of certain microorganisms by the intestinal mucosa of patients suffering from ileal and colonic Crohn's disease(CD),respectively.Only recently have the events leading to defective expression of defensins in CD been further elucidated,and are discussed herein.These events may account for CD-associated alterations in the microbiome and may subsequently precipitate the development of granulomatous inflammatory lesions in genetically-predisposed patients.We also address how these discoveries may pave the way for the development of a molecular medicine aimed at restoring gut barrier function in CD.展开更多
Despite continuing advances in scientific knowledge about treatments to prevent mother-to-child(MTCT)of the human immune deficiency virus(HIV),there is a paucity of data on pregnant women’s knowledge of treatments to...Despite continuing advances in scientific knowledge about treatments to prevent mother-to-child(MTCT)of the human immune deficiency virus(HIV),there is a paucity of data on pregnant women’s knowledge of treatments to prevent MTCT of HIV in Aba,South Eastern Nigeria.We investigated pregnant women’s knowledge of the availability of treatments to prevent MTCT of HIV in the low resourced setting of Aba town in South Eastern Nigeria.A descriptive study involving 100 consecutive and consenting patients at the antenatal clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital(ABSUTH),Aba,South Eastern Nigeria over the period 1st November, 2007 to 30th November,2007.Using a structured questionnaire,the respondents’sociodemographic data were obtained as well as their knowledge of the availability of treatments to prevent mother to child HIV transmission in pregnant women and self-reported data on their having ever tested for HIV.Knowledge regarding availability of treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV was good as 95%of the respondents were aware that such treatment was available.Knowledge that treatment is available to help someone infected by HIV to live longer was also good as 96% of the respondents were aware of the availability of such treatment.Seventy one percent of the respondents had ever tested for HIV.The levels of knowledge regarding the availability of treatment to prevent mother to child HIV transmission and to help someone infected with HIV are good.Thus, utilization of anti-retroviral prophylaxis amongst HIV infected pregnant women in this community would be expected to be high if the drugs were available.This will reduce the impact of HIV,especially in children.展开更多
Background It is generally accepted that gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors with poor prognosis. We aimed to explore the relationship of the immunity of the central nervous system and the genesis and dev...Background It is generally accepted that gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors with poor prognosis. We aimed to explore the relationship of the immunity of the central nervous system and the genesis and development of glioma. Methods G422 glioma was implanted in the brain of BALB/c mice （immuno-competent mice）, nude mice （T cell related immuno-deficient） and complement C3 knock-out mice （complement C3 related immunodeficient）. The survival time of the host, growth and histopathology of the tumor, and concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interferon-γ （INF-γ） in tumor tissues were assessed. Results Tumor spheres were formed in all mice after injection, and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） positive staining of the cells declared their glioma origin. The longest median survival time of （44.3±6.0） days was found in BALB/c mice, followed by （24.8±5.2） days in nude mice and the shortest （18.6±5.8） days in complement C3 knock-out mice. Accordingly, the growth of the tumor was fastest in complement C3 knock-out mice, followed by the nude mice and slowest in the BALB/c mice. Although the proportions of infiltrating CD68^± lymphocytes in tumor tissues showed no significant difference （P 〉0.05）, TNF-α level in the nude and C3 knock-out mice, （28.11±4.86） μmol/L and （22.87±6.36） μmol/L respectively, were significantly lower （P 〈0.01） than that in the BALB/c mice, which was （230.21±39.17） μmol/L. The INF-γ level was highest in the BALB/c mice （（180.76±29.19） μmol/L）, followed by the nude mice （（113.46±23.76） μmol/L） and then the C3 knock-out mice （（16.84±4.45） μmol/L）. Conclusions The G422 glioma implanted in the brains of mice with different immune ability would be a useful model for studying the relationship of the immune system and tumor in the central nervous system. Furthermore, the T cells and complement C3 compartments of the immune response may affect the growth of implanted tumors and inflammatory factors such as TNF-α and INF-γ.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51307135)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2017M610639)the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities
文摘Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is a new technology, widely used in many fields of biomedicine,especially in cancer treatment. Cold plasma can selectively kill a variety of tumor cells, and its biological safety in clinical trials is also very important. In many cases, the patient’s immune level is relatively low, so we first studied the safety assessment of plasma treatment in an immunocompromised animal model. In this study, we examined the safety of immuno-deficient nude mice by oral lavage treatment of plasma-activated water, and studied the growth status, main organs and blood biochemical indexes. Acute toxicity test results showed that the maximum dose of plasma treatment for 15 min had no lethal effect and other acute toxicity. There were no significant changes in body weight and survival status of mice after 2 min and 4 min of plasma-activated water(PAW)treatment for 2 weeks. After treatment, the major organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, were not significantly changed in organ coefficient and tissue structure. Blood biochemical markers showed that blood neutrophils and mononuclear cells were slightly increased, and the others remained unchanged. Liver function, renal function, electrolytes, glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism were not affected by different doses of PAW treatment. The above results indicate that PAW treatment can be used to treat immuno-deficient nude mice without significant safety problems.
文摘HIV （Human Immuno-deficiency Virus） prevalence in Malawi is one of the highest in the world, with 10.3% of population living with HIV. Kenya has a prevalence rate of 6% and with 1.6 million people living with HIV infection. The broad objective of the study was to assess the proportion of youth aged 15-24 years affected by HIV in Malawi and Kenya. This was a descriptive study design. Data were mainly collected from reports from government, World Bank, World Health Organization and UN agencies. Graphs, tables and charts have been used to present statistics. Data for specific age cohort were hard to find and hence, data were used for general HIV and AIDS with special attention to the youth where possible. In Kenya, HIV prevalence among young women jumps three folds from 2.8% of 15-17 year olds to 8.3% among 23-24 year olds. In Malawi, around 2,100 young people and adolescents are infected with HIV every day. In 2013, four million young people aged 15-24 were living with HIV, with 29% aged under 19 years. This age group includes school going youths, newly employed, economically productive and sexually active group. HIV prevalence in Malawi has been declining over time among persons aged 15-19 years from 16.4% in 1999 to 11.8 % in 2004 to 10.6% in 2010 and 10.3% in 2016. However, in Kenya, the trend of HIV prevalence reached its peak of 10.55% in 1995-1996 after which it declined to 6.7% in 2003 and has been stable since then.
文摘Antimicrobial peptides,including defensins,are essential effectors in host defence and in the maintenance of immune homeostasis.Clinical studies have linked the defective expression of both α-and β-defensin to the reduced killing of certain microorganisms by the intestinal mucosa of patients suffering from ileal and colonic Crohn's disease(CD),respectively.Only recently have the events leading to defective expression of defensins in CD been further elucidated,and are discussed herein.These events may account for CD-associated alterations in the microbiome and may subsequently precipitate the development of granulomatous inflammatory lesions in genetically-predisposed patients.We also address how these discoveries may pave the way for the development of a molecular medicine aimed at restoring gut barrier function in CD.
文摘Despite continuing advances in scientific knowledge about treatments to prevent mother-to-child(MTCT)of the human immune deficiency virus(HIV),there is a paucity of data on pregnant women’s knowledge of treatments to prevent MTCT of HIV in Aba,South Eastern Nigeria.We investigated pregnant women’s knowledge of the availability of treatments to prevent MTCT of HIV in the low resourced setting of Aba town in South Eastern Nigeria.A descriptive study involving 100 consecutive and consenting patients at the antenatal clinic of Abia State University Teaching Hospital(ABSUTH),Aba,South Eastern Nigeria over the period 1st November, 2007 to 30th November,2007.Using a structured questionnaire,the respondents’sociodemographic data were obtained as well as their knowledge of the availability of treatments to prevent mother to child HIV transmission in pregnant women and self-reported data on their having ever tested for HIV.Knowledge regarding availability of treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV was good as 95%of the respondents were aware that such treatment was available.Knowledge that treatment is available to help someone infected by HIV to live longer was also good as 96% of the respondents were aware of the availability of such treatment.Seventy one percent of the respondents had ever tested for HIV.The levels of knowledge regarding the availability of treatment to prevent mother to child HIV transmission and to help someone infected with HIV are good.Thus, utilization of anti-retroviral prophylaxis amongst HIV infected pregnant women in this community would be expected to be high if the drugs were available.This will reduce the impact of HIV,especially in children.
文摘Background It is generally accepted that gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors with poor prognosis. We aimed to explore the relationship of the immunity of the central nervous system and the genesis and development of glioma. Methods G422 glioma was implanted in the brain of BALB/c mice （immuno-competent mice）, nude mice （T cell related immuno-deficient） and complement C3 knock-out mice （complement C3 related immunodeficient）. The survival time of the host, growth and histopathology of the tumor, and concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interferon-γ （INF-γ） in tumor tissues were assessed. Results Tumor spheres were formed in all mice after injection, and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） positive staining of the cells declared their glioma origin. The longest median survival time of （44.3±6.0） days was found in BALB/c mice, followed by （24.8±5.2） days in nude mice and the shortest （18.6±5.8） days in complement C3 knock-out mice. Accordingly, the growth of the tumor was fastest in complement C3 knock-out mice, followed by the nude mice and slowest in the BALB/c mice. Although the proportions of infiltrating CD68^± lymphocytes in tumor tissues showed no significant difference （P 〉0.05）, TNF-α level in the nude and C3 knock-out mice, （28.11±4.86） μmol/L and （22.87±6.36） μmol/L respectively, were significantly lower （P 〈0.01） than that in the BALB/c mice, which was （230.21±39.17） μmol/L. The INF-γ level was highest in the BALB/c mice （（180.76±29.19） μmol/L）, followed by the nude mice （（113.46±23.76） μmol/L） and then the C3 knock-out mice （（16.84±4.45） μmol/L）. Conclusions The G422 glioma implanted in the brains of mice with different immune ability would be a useful model for studying the relationship of the immune system and tumor in the central nervous system. Furthermore, the T cells and complement C3 compartments of the immune response may affect the growth of implanted tumors and inflammatory factors such as TNF-α and INF-γ.
