Effects of rhein on intestinal epithelial tight junction in IgA nephropathy

AIM: To investigate the effects of rhein on intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins in rats with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). METHODS: Twenty-eight female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (7 per group): Control, IgAN, Rhein-treated, and Rheinprevented. Bovine serum albumin, lipopolysaccharide and CCl4 were used to establish the rat model of IgA nephropathy. The Rhein-treated group was given rhein from week 7 until the rats were sacrificed. The Rheinprevented group was given rhein from week 1. Animals were sacrificed at the end of week 10. We observed the changes in the intestinal epithelial tight junctions using transmission electron microscopy, and expression of intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins zona occludens protein (ZO)-1 and occludin by immunofluorescence using laser confocal microscopy. Changes in mRNA and protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin were measured by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The ratio of urinary lactulose/mannitol was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for assessing the intestinal permeability. RESULTS: In the control group, the tight junctions lied between epithelial cells on the top of the outer side of the cell membrane, and appeared in dense dotted crystal structures, the neighboring cells were binded tightly with no significant gap, and the tight junction protein ZO-1 and occludin were evenly distributed in the intestinal epithelial cells at the top of the junction. Compared with the control group, in the IgAN group, the structure of the tight junction became obscured and the dotted crystal structures had disappeared; the fluorescence of ZO-1 and occludin was uneven and weaker (5.37 ± 1.27 vs 10.03 ± 1.96, P < 0.01; 4.23 ± 0.85 vs 12.35 ± 4.17, P < 0.01); the mRNA expression of ZO-1 and occludin decreased (0.42 ± 0.19 vs 0.92 ± 0.24, P < 0.01; 0.40 ± 0.15 vs 0.97 ± 0.25, P < 0.01); protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin was decreased (0.85 ± 0.12 vs 1.98 ± 0.43, P < 0.01; 0.72 ± 0.15 vs 1.38 ± 0.31, P < 0.01); and the ratio of urinary lactulose/mannitol increased (3.55 ± 0.68 vs 2.72 ± 0.21, P < 0.01). In the Rheinprevented and Rhein-treated groups, compared with the IgAN group, the intestinal epithelial tight junctions were repaired; fluorescence of ZO-1 and occludin was stronger (11.16 ± 3.52 and 8.81 ± 2.30 vs 5.37 ± 1.27, P < 0.01; 10.97 ± 3.40 and 9.46 ± 2.40 vs 4.23 ± 0.85, P < 0.01); mRNA of ZO-1 and occludin increased (0.81 ± 0.17 and 0.64 ± 0.16 vs 0.42 ± 0.19, P < 0.01; 0.82± 0.22 and 0.76 ± 0.31 vs 0.40 ± 0.15, P < 0.01); protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin was increased (2.07 ± 0.41 and 1.57 ± 0.23 vs 0.85 ± 0.12, P < 0.01; 1.34 ± 0.21 and 1.15 ± 0.17 vs 0.72 ± 0.15, P < 0.01); and the ratio of urinary lactulose/mannitol decreased (2.83 ± 0.43 and 2.87 ± 0.18 vs 3.55 ± 0.68, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Rhein can enhance the expression of ZO-1 and occludin, repair damaged tight junctions, and protect the intestinal barrier.

Mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix with rare lung metastases: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Mesonephric adenocarcinoma(MNA)of the female reproductive system is a rare tumor arising from remnants of the mesonephric duct,which is mainly located in the cervix.MNA often occurs in adult women.Due to the rarity of the disease and few reports,the specific clinical features have not been established.CASE SUMMARY We present a case of a cervical MNA in a 48-year-old woman with an incidental intra-operative diagnosis who received postoperative chemotherapy.Rare lung metastases were detected during follow-up.The existing literature is reviewed.CONCLUSION The clinical manifestations,pathological characteristics,diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of MNA have been summarized through the review of the existing literature and the case in this paper.Due to the rarity of this disease,it is very important for the research of MNA in the future.

Up-regulation of Human Leukocyte Antigen G Expression in Primary Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Associated with Host-vs-tumor Immune Response

Human leukocyte antigen G （HLA-G） is one of the molecules implicated in immunotolerance. To investigate the role of HLA-G in primary cutaneous malignant melanoma （CMM）, a series of 47 skin melanocytic lesions were immunohistochemically evaluated. The correlation between HLA-G expression and CMM clinicohistopahtological data and Bcl-2 expression was also analyzed. HLA-G expression was detected in a variety of cell types. No significant difference in HLA-G expression was observed between malignant and non-malignant melanocytic lesions. HLA-G expression was significantly correlated with the inflammatory infiltration and Bcl-2 expression, whereas no significant correlation with ulceration, tumor thickness, clinical stage, histopathological subtypes were observed. HLA-G expression may be the result of host immune reaction in tumor microenvironment rather than a malignant feature of CMM.

Effects of Ribavirin combined with Clostridium butyricum powder on T lymphocyte subsets and inflammatory factors in child patients with rotavirus enteritis

Objective: To observe clinical efficacy of Ribavirin combined with Clostridium butyricum powder on child patients with rotavirus enteritis and analyze serum IL-6, IL-8, TNF-αconcentration and change of T lymphocyte subsets. Methods: A total of 90 patients with rotavirus enteritis were randomly divided into control group (n=45) and observation group (n=45). The control group was given conventional therapy combined with Ribavirin. The observation group was treated with Clostridium butyricum powder on the basis of control group. The changes of T lymphocyte subsets and inflammatory factors were measured before and after treatment in all subjects. Results: There was no significant difference in serum T lymphocyte subsets between the control group and the observation group before treatment. After treatment, the levels of serum CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in both groups were higher than those before treatment, while CD8+ level was lower than that before treatment. The levels of serum CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after treatment, while the CD8+ level was lower than that in control group in the corresponding period. There was no significant difference in the concentration of inflammatory factors between the control group and the observation group before treatment. After treatment, the levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α in the two groups were lower than those before treatment. The observation group was significantly lower than control group in corresponding period after treatment and difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: On the basis of conventional therapy and Ribavirin treatment, combined with Clostridium butyricum Powder for children with rotavirus enteritis can reduce concentration of inflammatory factors in peripheral blood and decrease expression of CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets level and improve the level of CD3+, CD4+ level. It is a potent effective drug for treatment of children with rotavirus enteritis.