Effect of toll-like receptor 3 agonist poly I:C on intestinal mucosa and epithelial barrier function in mouse models of acute colitis

AIM To investigate potential effects of poly I:C on mucosal injury and epithelial barrier disruption in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis. METHODS Thirty C57BL/6 mice were given either regular drinking water (control group) or 2% (w/v) DSS drinking water (model and poly I:C groups) ad libitum for 7 d. Poly I:C was administrated subcutaneously (20 mu g/mouse) 2 h prior to DSS induction in mice of the poly I:C group. Severity of colitis was evaluated by disease activity index, body weight, colon length, histology and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as well as the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-alpha), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and interferon-. (IFN-gamma). Intestinal permeability was analyzed by the fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled-dextran (FITC-D) method. Ultrastructural features of the colon tissue were observed under electron microscopy. Expressions of tight junction (TJ) proteins, including zo-1, occludin and claudin-1, were measured by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS DSS caused significant damage to the colon tissue in the model group. Administration of poly I:C dramatically protected against DSS-induced colitis, as demonstrated by less body weight loss, lower disease activity index score, longer colon length, colonic MPO activity, and improved macroscopic and histological scores. It also ameliorated DSS-induced ultrastructural changes of the colon epithelium, as observed under scanning electron microscopy, as well as FITC-D permeability. The mRNA and protein expressions of TJ protein, zo-1, occludin and claudin-1 were also found to be significantly enhanced in the poly I:C group, as determined by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, Western blot and RT-qPCR. By contrast, poly I:C pretreatment markedly reversed the DSS-induced up-regulated expressions of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-17 and IFN-gamma. CONCLUSION Our study suggested that poly I:C may protect against DSS-induced colitis through maintaining integrity of the epithelial barrier and regulating innate immune responses, which may shed light on the therapeutic potential of poly I:C in human colitis.

Beneficial effects of a novel shark-skin collagen dressing for the promotion of seawater immersion wound healing

Background: Wounded personnel who work at sea often encounter a plethora of difficulties. The most important of these difficulties is seawater immersion. Common medical dressings have little effect when the affected area is immersed in seawater, and only rarely dressings have been reported for the treatment of seawater-immersed wounds. The objective of this study is to develop a new dressing which should be suitable to prevent the wound from seawater immersion and to promote the wound healing.Methods: Shark skin collagen(SSC) was purified via ethanol de-sugaring and de-pigmentation and adjusted for p H. A shark skin collagen sponge(SSCS) was prepared by freeze-drying. SSCS was attached to an anti-seawater immersion polyurethane(PU) film(SSCS+PU) to compose a new dressing. The biochemical properties of SSC and physicochemical properties of SSCS were assessed by standard methods. The effects of SSCS and SSCS+PU on the healing of seawaterimmersed wounds were studied using a seawater immersion rat model. For the detection of SSCS effects on seawaterimmersed wounds, 12 SD rats, with four wounds created in each rat, were divided into four groups: the 3 rd day group, 5 th day group, 7 th day group and 12 th day group. In each group, six wounds were treated with SSCS, three wounds treated with chitosan served as the positive control, and three wounds treated with gauze served as the negative control. For the detection of the SSCS+PU effects on seawater-immersed wounds, 36 SD rats were divided into three groups: the gauze(GZ)+PU group, chitosan(CS)+PU group and SSCS+PU group, with 12 rats in each group, and two wounds in each rat. The wound sizes were measured to calculate the healing rate, and histomorphology and the immunohistochemistry of the CD31 and TGF-β expression levels in the wounded tissues were measured by standard methods.Results: The results of Ultraviolet-visible(UV-vis) spectrum, Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR) spectrum, circular dichroism(CD) spectra, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), and amino acid composition analyses of SSC demonstrated that SSC is type I collagen. SSCS had a homogeneous porous structure of approximately 200μm, porosity rate of 83.57%±2.64%, water vapor transmission ratio(WVTR) of 4500 g/m2, tensile strength of 1.79±0.41 N/mm, and elongation at break of 4.52%±0.01%. SSCS had significant beneficial effects on seawater-immersed wound healing. On the 3 rd day, the healing rates in the GZ negative control, CS positive control and SSCS rats were 13.94%±5.50%, 29.40%±1.10% and 47.24%±8.40%, respectively. SSCS also enhanced TGF-in the initial stage of the healing period. The SSCS+PU dressing effectively protected woundsβ and CD31 expression from seawater immersion for at least 4 h, and accelerated re-epithelialization, vascularization and granulation formation of seawater-immersed wounds in the earlier stages of wound healing, and as well as significantly promoted wound healing. The SSCS+PU dressing also enhanced expression of TGF-n and gauze dressings.β and CD31. The effects of SSCS and SSCS+PU were superior to those of both the chitosaConclusion: SSCS has significant positive effects on the promotion of seawater-immersed wound healing, and a SSCS+PU dressing effectively prevents seawater immersion, and significantly promotes seawater-immersed wound healing.

Selective granulocyte and monocyte apheresis in inflammatory bowel disease:Its past,present and future

The etiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease,are not fully understood so far.Therefore,IBD still remains incurable despite the fact that significant progress has been achieved in recent years in its treatment with innovative medicine.About 20 years ago,selective granulocyte and monocyte apheresis(GMA)was invented in Japan and later approved by the Japanese health authority for IBD treatment.From then on this technique was extensively used for IBD patients in Japan and later in Europe.Clinical trials from Japan and European countries have verified the effectiveness and safety of GMA therapy in patients with IBD.In 2013,GMA therapy was approved by China State Food and Drug Administration for therapeutic use for the Chinese IBD patients.However,GMA therapy has not been extensively used in China,although a few clinical studies also showed that it was effective in clinical and endoscopic induction of remission in Chinese IBD patients with a high safety profile.This article reviews past history,present clinical application as well as the future prospective of GMA therapy for patients with IBD.

Application of positive behavior management in patients after breast cancer surgery

BACKGROUND As a radical treatment,breast cancer surgery has a positive psychological impact on most patients.However,some patients do not have a clear understanding of the disease,which requires a more scientific and comprehensive consideration during clinical intervention and are based on cognition.The positive behavior management model is based on this kind of background-derived new interventions,which can better serve the clinical rehabilitation process of patients.The positive behavior management model based on cognitive architecture is a new type of intervention derived from this background,which can better serve the clinical rehabilitation process of patients.AIM To analyze the influence of a positive behavior management model based on cognitive framework on the degree of hope and self-efficacy of patients with breast cancer surgery.METHODS Eighty-four patients with breast cancer who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from August 2016 to December 2018 were included in the study.The patients were divided into the experimental group(n=42)and control group(n=42)by random number table grouping.The control group received traditional nursing intervention,while the experimental group received a positive behavior management model based on cognitive framework based on the traditional intervention of the control group.General Self-efficacy Scale,Herth Hope Scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale,Self-Rating Depression Scale and Cancer Patient Specific Scale were used to evaluate the two groups before and 1 wk after intervention.RESULTS After the intervention,self-efficacy and hope level of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the quality of life scores between the two groups before intervention(P>0.05).The quality of life scores in all aspects in the experimental group after intervention were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The positive behavior management model based on cognitive framework applied to patients with breast cancer surgery improved hope for treatment and selfefficacy,reduced negative emotion,and improved quality of life.

FLNB haploinsufficiency-related short stature:a new syndrome or an expanded spectrum of Larsen syndrome

FLNB encodes the protein filamin B(FLNB),which is expressed in chondrocytes of the human growth plate[1].To date,pathogenic mutations in the FLNB gene have solely been found to cause skeletal deformities,indicating the crucial role of FLNB in skeletal development.FLNB-related disorders include spondylocarpotarsal synostosis(SCT,OMIM:272,460).

Thiourea Based Conjugated Polymer Fluorescent Chemosensor for Cu^＋ and Its Use for the Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide and Glucose

A novel conjugated polymer, poly（1）, containing thiourea moieties in main chain is synthesized via Suzuki coupling reaction. The addition of cuprous ion quenches the fluorescence of poly（1）, whereas the fluorescence changes slightly upon addition of other metal ions, exhibiting the fluorescent almost turn-off sensing ability towards Cu~＋. When hydrogen peroxide was added to the solution containing poly（1） and Cu~＋, Cu~＋ was oxidized into Cu^（2＋）, resulting in the fluorescence recovery. The H_2O_2 released from glucose oxidation by glucose oxidase（GOD） also recovered the fluorescence of poly（1）/Cu~＋ solution. The results indicated that the poly（1）/Cu~＋ solution could serve as a sensing platform for hydrogen peroxide and glucose.