Int J Med Sci
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BMMSCs have drawn great interest in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine attributable to their multi-lineage differentiation capacity. Increasing evidence has shown that the mechanical stiffness of extracellular matrix is a critical determinant for stem cell behaviors. However, it remains unknown how matrix stiffness influences MSCs commitment with changes in cell morphology, adhesion, proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation. ⋯ The cells exhibited a polygonal morphology and larger spreading area. These results suggest that matrix stiffness modulates commitment of BMMSCs. Our findings may eventually aid in the development of novel, effective biomaterials for the applications in tissue engineering.
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Background: Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic, life-long dermatologic diseases, which has considerable negative effects on quality of life. Psoriasis is considered as a systemic inflammatory disease, thus acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and orosomucoid (ORM) have been shown to play a role in its pathophysiology. This study was aimed to compare CRP, serum ORM (se-ORM) and urinary ORM (u-ORM) levels of psoriatic patients to healthy individuals. ⋯ No significant differences were found between the groups regarding se-ORM levels. HsCRP, se-ORM and u-ORM/u-CREAT levels were significantly higher in patients with severe psoriasis than in mild and moderate cases (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a highly sensitive, easily available biomarker u-ORM shows itself capable of becoming a new inflammatory marker in psoriasis providing clinically useful information on disease severity.
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Background: For peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) patients, high-dose therapy combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) has been an alternative treatment option, due to the lack of efficacy from conventional chemotherapy. While not all PTCLs could have benefit in survival from HDT/ASCT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of high-dose therapy combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) in Chinese patients with Peripheral T-cell Lymphomas (PTCLs), in order to determine the cohort most suitable to receive HDT/ASCT. ⋯ Patients with natural killer / T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) who received HDT/ASCT with CR1 also had benefit in survival from HDT/ASCT, while nearly 90% of non-CR1 patients appeared bone marrow involvement after HDT/ASCT. Conclusion: Patients who achieved complete remission after first-line therapy, especially with AITL and NKTCL, should strongly be recommended to receive HDT/ASCT. The future prospective trial is warranted.
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Background: Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) is a cardiometabolic predictor of cardiovascular (CV) disease in humans. We evaluated the association between serum A-FABP levels and future CV events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: A total of 106 CAD patients were enrolled in this study between January and December 2012 and were followed-up until June 30, 2017. ⋯ Multivariate Cox analysis showed that triglycerides (hazard ratio (HR): 1.008, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001-1.016, p = 0.026) and serum A-FABP levels (HR: 1.027, 95% CI: 1.009-1.047, p = 0.004) were independently associated with CV events. Conclusion: Serum A-FABP level is a biomarker for future CV events in patients with CAD. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the mechanisms underlying this association.
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Long-term administration of classic immunosuppressants can induce severe adverse effects. The development of novel immunosuppressants confronts great challenges and opportunities. Ibrutinib, an approved drug for B-cell lineages and chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD), exhibits immunosuppressive efficacy in autoimmune diseases. ⋯ Ibrutinib decreased the amount of T/B cells and lymphocyte infiltration. Altogether, ibrutinib exhibited immunosuppressive potential through cytokine regulation and T cell inhibition ex vivo and in vitro. Repositioning of ibrutinib as an immunosuppressant will greatly facilitate novel immunosuppressant development.