Pigment epithelium-derived factor protects retinal ganglion cells from hypoxia-induced apoptosis by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction

AIM： To investigate the potential of pigment epitheliumderived factor（PEDF） to protect the immortalized rat retinal ganglion cells-5（RGC-5） exposed to Co Cl2-induced chemical hypoxia. METHODS： After being differentiated with staurosporine（SS）, RGC-5 cells were cultured in four conditions： control group cells cultured in Dulbecco ＇s modified eagle medium（DMEM） supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 μmol/m L streptomycin and penicillin（named as normal conditions）; hypoxia group cells cultured in DMEM containing 300 μmol/m L Co Cl2; cells in the group protected by PEDF were first pretreated with 100 ng/m L PEDF for 2h and then cultured in the same condition as hypoxia group cells; and PEDF group cells that were cultured in the presence of 100 ng/m L PEDF under normal conditions. The cell viability was assessed by MTT assay, the percentage of apoptotic cells was quantified using Annexin V-FITC apoptosis kit, and intra-cellar reactive oxygen species（ROS） was measured by dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate（DCFH-DA） probe. The mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was also examined to further study the underlying mechanism of the protective effect of PEDF. The opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores（m PTPs） and membrane potential（Δψm） were tested as cellular adenosine triphosphate（ATP） level and glutathione（GSH）. Also, the expression and distribution of Cyt C and apoptosis inducing factor（AIF） were observed.RESULTS： SS induced differentiation of RGC-5 cells resulting in elongation of their neurites and establishing contacts between outgrowths. Exposure to 300 μmol/m L Co Cl2 triggered death of 30% of the total cells in cultures within 24 h. At the same time, pretreatment with 100 ng/m L PEDF significantly suppressed the cell death induced by hypoxia（P〈0.05）. The apoptosis induced by treatment of Co Cl2 was that induced cell death accompanied with increasing intracellar ROS and decreasing GSH and ATP level. PEDF pretreatment suppressed these effects（P〈0.05）. Additionally, PEDF treatment inhibited the opening of m PTPs and suppressed decreasing of Δψm in RGC-5 cells, resulting in blocking of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.CONCLUSION： Pretreatment of RGC-5 cells with 100 ng/m L PEDF significantly decreases the extent of apoptosis. PEDF inhibits the opening of m PTPs and suppresses decreasing of Δψm. Moreover, PEDF also reduces ROS production and inhibits cellular ATP level＇s reduction. Cyt C and AIF activation in PEDF-pretreated cultures are also reduced. These results demonstrate the potential for PEDF to protect RGCs against hypoxic damage in vitro by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction.

Determination of slug permeability factor for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying

Current models for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipeline system assume some type of steady state conditions for prediction, which limits their capability for increased predictive accuracy relative to experimental data. This is partly because of the nature of slug flow pneumatic conveying system, which, as a dynamic system, never becomes stable. By utilising conservation of mass （airflow）, a dynamic pressure analysis model is proposed on the basis of the derivative of the upstream pressure behaviour. The rate of air permeation through slug, one of the important factors in the conservation model, is expressed as a function of a slug permeability factor. Other factors such as slug velocity, slug length and the fraction of stationary layer were also considered. Several test materials were conveyed in single-slug tests to verify the proposed pressure drop model, showing good agreement between the model and experimental results.

Immunopathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children:two sides of the coin

Background Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is a common form of glomerular nephropathy in children,with an incidence rate of 1.15-16.9/100,000 depending on different nationalities and ethnicities.The etiological factors and mechanisms of childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome have not yet been fully elucidated.This review summarizes the progress of the immunopathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children.Data sources We review the literature on the immunopathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children.Databases including Medline,Scopus,and Web of Science were searched for studies published in any language with the terms"chil-dren","idiopathic nephrotic syndrome","immunopathogenesis","T cells","circulating permeability factors",and"B cells".Results Dysfunction in T lymphocytes and pathogenic circulatory factors were indicated to play key roles in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.Recently,some studies have shown that cellular immune dysfunction may also be involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.Conclusions Both T-and B-cell dysfunction may play significant roles in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome,like two sides of one coin,but the role of B cell seems more important than T cells.

Low-power Helium-Neon laser irradiation enhances the expression of VEGF in murine myocardium

Background Low-power helium-neon (He-Ne) lasers have been increasingly widely applied in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and its vasodilation effect has been proven. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of low-power He-Ne laser irradiation directed at the precardial region of Wistar rats on capillary permeability in the myocardium and the expression of myocardial vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods Sixteen rats were divided randomly into control and irradiated groups (n=8, each). A He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) was applied to the irradiated group with a dose of 60.5 J/cm2. Ferritin was perfused into the left femoral vein and capillary permeability was examined under an electron microscope. VEGF expression in the myocardium was investigated by immunohistochemical methods, RT-PCR, and image analysis. Results The ultrastructures of the myocardial capillaries were examined. Compared to the control group, more high-density granules (ferritin), which were present within the capillary endothelium and the mitochondrions of myocardial cells in the internal layer of the myocardium, were observed in the irradiated group. VEGF staining of the myocardium was stronger in the irradiated group than that in the control group. The optic density of the irradiated group (0.246±0.015) was significantly higher than that of the control group (0.218±0.012, P<0.05). Finally, the levels of RT-PCR products of VEGF165 mRNA were 2.79 times higher in irradiated rats than in the control rats.Conclusions Our study demonstrates that He-Ne laser irradiation (in doses of 60.5 J/cm2) increases myocardial capillary permeability and the production of VEGF in myocardial microvessels and in myocardium. Our study provides experimental morphological evidence that myocardial microcirculation can be improved using He-Ne laser irradiation.

Polymer flow through water- and oil-wet porous media

The effect of wettability on polymer behavior in porous media is investigated through a series of synthetic polymer floods conducted in water- and oil-wet Bentheim and Berea sandstone cores. A new experimental setup is used in which the core effluent polymer concentrations are not measured during polymer flooding, but instead are passed through a capillary tube that is connected to the core outlet. Using the notion of intrinsic viscosity, an approximate expression is presented that can be used to determine the breakthrough time of the injected polymer solution. In addition, polymer adsorption, inaccessible pore volume, and apparent viscosities are evaluated for all cores and wetting conditions. In general, in the presence of residual oil, the oil-wet cores display the lowest degree of polymer retention（Berea） and the lowest inaccessible pore volume-IPV（Bentheim）. The largest wettability impact on the polymer behavior in porous media appears to be for the Berea formation; polymer retention in oil-wet cores decreases 90% and IPV 52% compared to the corresponding amounts for the water-wet ones. On the other hand, the estimated polymer retention and IPV values appear to be similar for the oil- and water-wet Bentheim cores, this is attributed to questionable wettability alteration.