Expression of SAL-like 4 protein in human prostate cancer tissue/cell lines and its relationship with clinical outcome

AIM:To evaluate the expression of SAL-like 4 (SALL4) protein in human prostate cancer cell lines and tissues, and to analyze the relationship between SALL4 expression and the clinicopathological parameters. METHODS:Immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression of SALL4 at mRNA and protein levels in 3 common prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP, DU145 and PC-3. The normal prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-1 was used for control. The protein levels of SALL4 in the tissues of benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer tissues were determined by the method of immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:The SALL4 protein was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of the cells. The protein levels of SALL4 in 3 common prostate cancer cell lines were significantly higher than that in RWPE-1 cells. However, the mRNA level of SALL4 had no obvious difference among the 4 cell lines. Immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression level of SALL4 in the cancerous tissues was significantly higher than that in noncancerous (benign and normal) prostatic tissues. In addition, we found that the expression level of SALL4 in prostate cancer was significantly correlated with the Gleason score, clinical stage, prognosis estimation and tissue prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression, but not associated with age, the level of serum total PSA, prostate volume and the expression of androgen receptor in the tissues of the patients. CONCLUSION: The over-expression of SALL4 protein may play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer, and provides some reference indexes for estimating the malignancy, progression and prognosis of prostate cancer.     

Changes of serum T-PSA,F-PSA and F/T ratio in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and its clinical significance

AIM: To evaluate the changes of serum total prostate specific antigen (T-PSA), free prostate specific antigen (F-PSA) and the ratio of F-PSA to T-PSA (F/T) in patients with prostate cancer and its clinical significance. METHODS: The concentrations of T-PSA and F-PSA in serum were measured by micropartical enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) using AxSYM System, and the F/T ratio was calculated. RESULTS: Before operation, the concentrations of T-PSA and F-PSA in patients with PCa were much higher and F/T ratio was significantly lower than that in patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). T-PSA and F-PSA levels decreased, but F/T ratio increased after operation in PCa and BPH. F/T ratio in 83.5% PCa and 6.5% BPH was less than 0.16. To diagnosis PCa, the sensitivity of F/T ratio was 83.5%, and the specificity was 86.7%. CONCLUSION: Serum T-PSA, F-PSA and F/T ratio are important parameters for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.     

Relationship between phosphoglycerate kinase 1 and clinical features of prostate cancer and its role in prognosis

AIM: To study the expression and prognostic functions of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) in prostate cancer. METHODS: The prostatic samples were collected from the patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in TCM-Integrated Hospital of Southern Medical University from Jan 2013 to Dec 2013. The protein expression of PGK1 in the prostate specimens was detected by immunohistochemical analysis and Western blot. Furthermore, the correlations of PGK1 expression with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of prostate cancer were also evaluate. RESULTS: The expression of PGK1 in the prostate specimens was significantly up-regulated compared with the BPH individuals. In addition, the expression of PGK1 was significantly correlated with the local infiltration, Gleason score, TNM grade, bone metastasis, and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration. Finally, bone metastasis, serum PSA level and PGK1 expression were independent risk factors for prostate cancer illustrated by Cox analysis, and high expression of PGK1 was correlated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: PGK1 expression is an independent risk factor for prostate cancer, and it might act as a prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer.     

Effects of astragaloside on the levels of sex hormone and oxidative stress injury in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome

AIM To investigate the effects of astragaloside on the levels of sex hormone and oxidative stress in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS）. METHODS Female SD rats （n=60） were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, Diane-35 （0.339 2 mg/kg） group, low dose astragaloside （12.5 mg/kg） group and high dose astragaloside （50 mg/kg） group, with 12 rats in each group. The PCOS model was induced by letrozole （1 mg/kg）, which was administered by gavage once a day for 3 weeks. After administration, the estrus cycle of the rats was observed by vaginal smear, and the ovarian index was calculated. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the ovaries. Serum levels of the sex hormones testosterone （T）, estradiol （E₂）, luteinizing hormone （LH） and follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH） were measured by ELISA. The levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD）, malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） in serum and ovarian tissue were detected by colorimetry, and the protein levels of steroidogenetic acute regulatory protein （StAR） and apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 in ovarian tissue were detected by Western blot. RESULT Compared with control group, the oestrous cycle of the rats in model group was disorder, and the ovarian index was increased, ovary was polycystic. The serum levels of T, LH and MDAwere significantly increased （P<0.05）, while the contents of E2, FSH and the activities of GSH-Px and SOD were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. The levels of MDA, StAR, cleaved caspase-3 and Bax proteins in ovarian tissue were significantly up-regulated （P<0.05）. GSH-Px and SOD activities and Bcl-2 protein levels were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05）. CONCLUSION Astragalosideeffectively balances the levels of sex hormone in PCOS rats and relieves the oxidative stress injury, the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of StAR expression.     

Circulating miRNA-141 as a non-invasive biomarker for prostate cancer detection and prognosis

AIM:To analyze circulating miR-141 in the serum as a non-invasive biomarker in the patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and healthy individuals. METHODS:A total of 75 patients with PCa, 52 with BPH and 40 healthy individuals were enrolled into this study. Total RNA was isolated from the serum samples and the circulating levels of miR-141 were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:The serum levels of miR-141 were significantly higher in the patients with PCa compared to the patients with BPH and the healthy controls (P<0.01). The level of miR-141 in PCa group obviously differed from that in BPH group and healthy control group with high diagnosis performance, with areas under the curve of 0.785 and 0.801, respectively. No statistically significant difference of the serum miR-141 levels between the patients with BPH and healthy individuals was observed (P>0.05). The serum miR-141 level was also found to be related to Gleason score, clinical stage and bone metastasis status of the patients with PCa (P<0.05), and the patients with higher Gleason scores had higher serum miR-141 levels. No relationship was detected between miRNA-141 level and the patient’s age, biochemistry recurrence and serum prostate-specific antigen level (P>0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Circulating miR-141 could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis, staging and prognosis prediction.     

The relationship between serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3 levels,bone mineral density and bone metabolic markers in postmenopausal patients with osteoporosis

AIM:To study the relationship between serum insulin-like growth factor- 1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels, bone mineral density(BMD) and bone metabolic markers in postmenopausal women. METHODS:Serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3, osteocalcin(BGP), isomeric C-telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTX), estradiol(E₂), calcitonin(CT), parathormone(PTH), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus(P) were measured in 90 postmenopausal osteoporosis patients and 70 healthy postmenopausal women. BMD of lumbar vertebra and left femoral neck were determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.RESULTS:BMD of lumbar vertebra and left femoral neck decreased significantly (P<0.01), serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3, E₂, CT and BGP decreased significantly (P<0.01), serum β-CTX and PTH increased significantly in postmenopausal osteoporosis group (P<0.01). There were no significantly differences in serum Ca, P between two groups (P>0.05). BMD of lumbar vertebra and left femoral neck were positively correlated with serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3, E₂, CT and BGP, but negatively correlated with β CTX and PTH. There were no correlation with serum Ca, P and BMD.CONCLUSION:Serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3, E₂, CT, BGP, β-CTX and PTH level were correlated with BMD of lumbar vertebra and left femoral neck. These markers can be one of the valuable evidences for screening osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.     

Relationship between serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-10, IL-6 and acute coronary syndrome

AIM: To examine the relation between serum concentrations of interleukin-18, interleukin-10, interleukin-6 and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: Serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-10, IL-6 were measured in 17 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 30 patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP), 15 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 20 controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA).The relation between IL-18, IL-6 and IL-10 was compared. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-6 were significantly increased in the AMI and UAP groups in comparison with the SAP and control groups. Conversely, serum concentrations of IL-10 were significantly decreased in the AMI and UAP groups in comparison with the SAP and control groups. The correlation of concentrations of IL-18 and IL-6 had no significance; but the levels of IL-18 and IL-6 were negatively correlated with IL-10. CONCLUSION: Serum IL-18, IL-6 concentrations increase while serum IL-10 concentration decreases in patients with acute coronary syndromes. The inflammatory imbalance between IL-18, IL-6 and IL-10 may play an important role in the instability of atherosclerotic plaque.     

Clinical significance of a new alternatively spliced variant of prostate specific membrane antigen

AIM:To discuss the relationship between prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and prostate cancer and to seek a target for diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer. METHODS:A pair of primers was designed according to the published PSMA mRNA sequence. Total RNA was extracted from prostate cancer tissues and was reversely transcribed into cDNA, which was used as a template for PCR to amplify the PSMA gene. The recombinant was sequenced and the result was analyzed by BLAST. The PSMA5 gene specific primers were designed to identify its expression in different cells and prostate tissues. RESULTS:A new alternatively spliced variant of PSMA named PSMA5 was discovered when sequencing the recombinant. PSMA5 showed well pathological tissue-specificity, and its expression rate in prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia of prostate, and normal prostate tissue were 92.6%, 78.8% and 10.0%, respectively. It expressed specifically in Pca cell line LNCaP, not in cell lines of PC3, bladder carcinoma, renal carcinoma, or hepatoma. CONCLUSION:A new alternative spliced variant of PSMA named PSMA5 was discovered, which was well correlated with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. This finding may give a new clue to the evolution of prostate cancer and may provide a target for the diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer.     

The correlation of serum ghrelin level with the total BMC,LM and body weight in premenopausal women with different thyroid functional status

AIM: To investigate the relationship between serum ghrelin level and body composition including bone mineral content (BMC), fat mass(FM) & lean mass(LM) in premenopausal women with different thyroid functional status. METHODS: We measured the serum ghrelin levels by radioimmunoassay (RIA), the serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and sensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (sTSH) by chemiluminescene immune assay. The total body composition including total BMC, FM and LM was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 71 premenopausal women with different thyroid functional status (33 hyperthyroidism, 18 hypothyroidism and 20 normal subjects). RESULTS: (1) The level of serum ghrelin in patients with hyperthyroidism was significantly lower than that in patients with hypothyroidism (P<0.01) and normal subjects (P<0.01), but the serum ghrelin level in patients with hypothyroidism patients was similar to that in normal subjects (P>0.05). The serum ghrelin level was correlated negatively with FT3 (r=-0.318, P<0.01) and FT4 (r=-0.350, P<0.01), simultaneously correlated positively with serum sTSH (r=0.281, P<0.05). (2) The serum ghrelin level in 71 premenopausal women with different thyroid functional status correlated positively with the total BMC (r=0. 284, P<0.05), the total LM (r=0.259, P<0.05), body weight （r=0.279, P<0.05）but there was not correlation with total FM (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The serum ghrelin level in the premenopausal women with different thyroid functional status may correlate with the total BMC, LM and body weight.     

Prospective study for prognostic value of serum cystatin C in acute renal failure

AIM: To study the level of serum cystatin C (Cys C) and its prognostic value in acute renal failure (ARF). METHODS: 215 critically ill patients were studied prospectively, and each blood sample was determined daily. Serum creatinine (Scr) was measured by enzymic method. Cys C was detected by particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay (PETIA) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by Cockroft-Gault equation. ARF was diagnosed according to ADQI (RIFLE) criteria. RESULTS: 41 patients developed ARF to some degree, among which 7, 13 and 21 patients fulfilled R-, I-, and FLE-criteria, respectively. 21 were death and 20 survival in total 41 ARF patients. 174 patients without ARF served as controls. In patients with ARF, Cys C was significantly increased than that in patients who did not develop ARF (P<0.01). In different RIFLE criteria of ARF, serum Cys C was linearly correlated with serum creatinine (P<0.01), also ［Cys C］-1 with estimated GFR (P<0.01). When ARF was diagnosed according to serum creatinine increased ≥150%, serum Cys C was demonstrated a highly diagnostic value to detect ARF as indicated by area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve of 0.983 (95% confidence interval, 0.960-1.006) (P<0.01). Logistic regression showed serum Cys C and Scr were not independently risk factors for the mortality of ARF (P>0.05). Also ROC analysis demonstrated serum Cys C and Scr had no predicting value of the fatality and survival in ARF (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum Cys C is significantly increased in ARF and correlated well with the severity of ARF. Serum Cys C can be one of the detectable markers of ARF, but it is independent of the mortality and does not predict the prognosis of these patients.     

Androgen responsive element decoy DNA inhibits the promoter of prostate specific antigen and induces apoptosis of LNCaP cells

AIM:To observe the effect of exogenous androgen responsive element decoy on the promoter of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and the growth of LNCaP cells for searching the possibility of gene therapy for prostate cancer. METHODS:Firstly, pGL3-PSA luciferase expression vector containing 640bp-promoter fragment of PSA gene was constructed. Then, a 23-mer phosphorothioated ARE decoy based on the deduced ARE sequence at the promoter region of PSA gene was synthesized. pGL3-PSA and ARE decoy DNA were cotransfected into PC3-M cell by lipofectamineTM 2000. Through detecting the activity of luciferase, the effect of ARE decoy on the promoter of PSA was studied. Then the ARE decoy DNA was transfected into LNCaP cells. The effect of decoy DNA on the proliferation of LNCaP cells was examined by using MTT assay. The effects of apoptosis were detected by phase contrast microscopy, DNA agrose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the nuclear extract was prepared from LNCaP cells and DNA-protein interactions were examined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RESULTS:The reporter assay showed that the activity of luciferase was significantly reduced in the ARE decoy-transfected cells, bnt not in the cells transfected with the control decoy. EMSA demonstrated specific binding of the ARE decoy to androgen receptor. The growth of LNCaP was remarkably inhibited and apoptotic morphological changes as well as DNA fragmentation were observed in the ARE decoy-transfected cells. The rate of apoptosis was 22.4% detected by FCM. CONCLUSION:The ARE decoy is capable of inhibiting the promoter of PSA gene and inducing the apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. It may become a potential therapeutic tool for prostate cancers.     

Serum apelin and chemerin levels in female obese children and their correlation with insulin resistance

AIM: To investigate the serum levels of apelin and chemerin in female obese children and their correlation with insulin resistance (IR).METHODS: Thirty-five female children participated in the study, 20 of which were obese and 15 were non-obese controls ,without statistical difference in age between the 2 groups. Serum levels of apelin and chemerin were measured by ELISA method. The concentrations of triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose and fasting insulin (FINS) were measured. Body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated for all participants. RESULTS: A significant difference of BMI between obese group and control group (24.02±3.90 vs 16.46±1.93, P<0.01) was observed. Serum levels of TG, LDL-C, FINS, and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in obese group than those in control group (allP<0.05). Serum levels of apelin and chemerin were also significantly higher in obese children than those in the controls . Serum level of apelin was positively correlated with BMI-SDS (r=0.356, P<0.05), TG (r=0.548, P<0.01), FINS (r=0.541, P<0.01) and HOMA-IR (r=0.551, P<0.01) in all individuals. The negative correlation between serum chemerin level and age (r=-0.362, P< 0.05), and positive correlations between serum chemerin level and BMI-SDS (r= 0.315, P<0.01), TG (r= 0.28, P<0.05), FINS (r= 0.38, P<0.01) and HOMA-IR (r= 0.41, P< 0.01) were detected.CONCLUSION: Increased serum apelin and chemerin levels are correlated with insulin resistance, indicating their roles in the pathogenesis of children obese.     

Value of endonuclease domain containing 1 in progression of prostate cancer

AIM: To analyze the difference of endonuclease domain containing 1 (ENDOD1) expression between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues and prostate cancer (PCa) tissues and to investigate the effect of ENDOD1 on the biological function of human prostate cancer cells. METHODS: The BPH samples (n=20) and PCa samples (n=21) were processed and analyzed according to the instruction of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The mRNA and protein levels of ENDOD1 in the normal prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer cells were evaluated by RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. The recombinant plasmids pCMV-N-Flag-ENDOD1 was constructed and was transfected into the human prostate cancer cells. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion abilities of the prostate cancer cells were evaluated by MTT assay, flow cytometry, Transwell migration and Matrigel invasion assays, respectively. RESULTS: The analysis of variance of the immunoreactivity score showed that PCa tissues with high Gleason score displayed significantly lower ENDOD1expression than that with low Gleason score and BPH (P<0.05). The expression of ENDOD1 at mRNA and protein levels in PC3 cells and DU145 cells was significantly lower than that in the LNCap cells (P<0.05). The proliferation of DU145 transfected with ENDOD1 was inhibited. The flow cytometry indicated that ENDOD1 over-expression in the DU145 cells resulted in a notable increase in G₀/G₁ phase arrest (P<0.05), but the apoptotic rates showed no statistical difference. The results of Transwell assay showed that migration and invasion abilities of the cells were also inhibited after transfection with over-expressing ENDOD1 plasmid (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of ENDOD1 significantly decreased in prostate cancer with high Gleaon score. Meanwhile, the ENDOD1 is specifically down-regulated in androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPC) cell lines. Over-expression of ENDOD1 remarkably inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of AIPC.     

Role of androgen receptor in the pathogenesis of human prostate cancer

AIM: To investigate molecular mechanisms associated with the acquisition of androgen-independent growth of human prostate cancer during progression. METHODS: Upon continuously passaging, the androgen-independent LNCaP cell model was established. The expression of AR and PSA proteins in the course of prostate cancer progression was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Upon continuous passage, the biological behavior of androgen-dependent parental LNCaP C-33 cells (passage number less than 33) was altered. LNCaP C-81 cells (passage number higher than 80) exhibited more aggressive growth and lower androgen-dependence than C-33 and C-51 cells (passage number between 33 and 80). C-81 cells secreted a higher level of PSA and the degree of DHT stimulation on PSA secretion was lower in C-81 cells than C-33 cells. The three LNCaP subclones expressed a similar level of total AR protein, but C-81 cells showed a characteristic loss of expression of the AR-B and increase in expression of the AR-A. CONCLUSION: Multiple factors, including the different expression of AR isoforms, contribute to the development of androgen-independent growth of prostatic carcinoma cells.     

Effect of monocyte-secreted VEGF induced by electrical burn serum on monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion

AIM: To observe the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secreted by monocytes cultured with electrical burn serum, and to explore the effect of VEGF on monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion.METHODS: The electrical burn serum of the rat was prepared. The normal serum from the rats without treating electric current was also collected for control. The contents of VEGF and its soluble receptor sFlt-1 in electrical burn group were determined by double-antibody sandwich ELISA. THP-1 cells were randomly divided into normal serum group and electrical burn serum group. The contents of VEGF and sFlt-1 in the culture supernatants were measured by double-antibody sandwich ELISA. THP-1 cells were also randomly divided into another 4 groups:normal serum group, electrical burn serum group, normal serum+inhibitor group and electrical burn serum+inhibitor group. THP-1 cells, which were incubated with the serum for 3 h and 6 h, were labeled with calcein-AM and then were added into the well with monolayer of endothelial cell line EA.hy926 to detect monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion.RESULTS: The levels of serum VEGF of the rats with electrical burns were significantly increased, the levels of serum sFlt-1 were significantly decreased as compared with the controls. The levels of VEGF secreted by THP-1 cells cultured with electrical burn serum were significantly increased, the levels of sFlt-1 were decreased correspondingly. Electrical burn serum enhanced monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, sFlt-1 inhibited the adhesion between monocytes and endothelial cells.CONCLUSION: The monocytes exposed to the electrical burn serum secrete VEGF, which enhance the adhesion between monocytes and endothelial cells. Blockage of VEGF activity may effectively inhibit monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion.     

Role of TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling pathway-mediated lysine hydroxylase 2 activity in collagen deposition of pulmonary fibrosis

AIM: To investigate the effect of TGFβ1/Smad3 signaling pathway on the changes of lysyl hydro-xylase2 (LH2) activity, and to study the role in the relationship between LH2 and collagen deposition of pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: Human lung fibroblast cell line HFL1 was cultured in F12 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were divided into control group, TGFβ1 (10 μg/L) stimulation group, and minoxidil (5 μmol/L) intervention group. The cells in control group were treated with the equivalent volume of medium. The RNA and protein were collected after 48 h. The mRNA levels of PLOD2, α-SMA and COLⅠ were detected by RT-qPCR. The protein levels of LH2, total Smad3, phosphorylated Smad3, α-SMA, COLⅠ and COL Ⅳ were determined by Western blot. Hydroxylysylpyridinoline (HP) content was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: After stimulation with TGFβ1, the mRNA expression of PLOD2, α-SMA and COLⅠ was increased (P<0.01), and the protein levels of LH2, p-Smad3, α-SMA, COLⅠ and COL Ⅳ were also up-regulated, but the total Smad3 protein did not change. Treatment with minoxidil decreased the levels of above indexes (P<0.01). Compared with control group, stimulation with TGFβ1 increased the content of HP. However, treatment with minoxidil decreased the synthesis of HP (P<0.05). CONCLUTION: Activation of TGFβ1/Samd3 signaling pathway enhances LH2 expression. Minoxidil inhibits the TGFβ1/Samd3 signaling transduction, thereby reducing the expression of LH2 and the synthesis of hydroxylysyl collagen pyridine chain, and reducing pulmonary fibrosis.     

Effect of blood glucose and insulin on serum free fatty acid level after gluconse loading in essential hypertension patients

AIM: To investigate the effects of internal change of serum insulin and plasma glucose levels on serum free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations after glucose loading. METHODS: Serum insulin, plasma glucose and FFA concentrations were measured simultaneously in 234 essential hypertension patients who were undergoing oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)[including 20 cases with 2 type diabetes mellitus(DM),74 impaired glucose tolerance(IGT),140normal glucose tolerance(NGT);98 males,136 females]. RESULTS: Fasting serum FFA concentration (μmol/L) in DM (1 048.47±481.6) was higher than that in IGT (760.1±332.1) (P＜0.05) and in NGT (725.8±353.9) (P＜0.05). Compared with the NGT group, the glucose curve was elevated and the insulin releasing curve was characterized by a low response and a delayed peak in DM group. As for the FFA releasing curve, three groups showed a significantly decreasing trend, which was more evident in DM group. Serum FFA levels at 30 min, 60 min and 120 min after glucose ingestion were not significantly different between the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Easting serum FFA levels were elevated in DM group. The absolute deficiency of insulin secretion decreased rather increased the difference of FFA level difference between DM group and IGT group, NGT group during OGTT. These results suggest the level of glucose utilization may have an important effect on serum FFA concentration.     

Influences of apolipoprotein CII concentrations on high-density lipoprotein subclass distribution

AIM: To investigate the influence of serum apolipoprotein (apo) CII concentrations on the distribution of serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses. METHODS: Serum HDL subclasses in 247 subjects were determined by two dimensional gel electrophoresis-immunodetection. RESULTS: With the increase in serum apolipoprotein CII levels, age, BMI, the contents of TG, TC, apoB100, apoCII, apoCIII, apoE, preβ1-HDL, preβ2-HDL, HDL3b and HDL3a increased significantly, but the contents of HDL-C, HDL2a and HDL2b decreased remarkably. The contents of preβ1-HDL increased with the rise in apoCII and apoA I levels, whereas the content of HDL2b increased with the rise in serum apoA I level in the same apoC II group, but decreased with the increase in serum apolipoprotein CII level in the same apoA I group. With the increase in the ratio of apoCII/ apoCIII, the content of preβ1-HDL elevated, but the content of HDL2b decreased. The correlation analysis illustrated that the apoCII level was positively correlated with preβ1-HDL (r=0.186, P<0.01), but inversely correlated with HDL2b (r=-0.149, P<0.05). The apoA I level was positively associated with all HDL subclasses (r in the range of 0.349-0.587, P<0.01). In addition, the apoCIII level was positively correlated with preβ1-HDL (r=0.184, P<0.01) and preβ2-HDL (r=0.178, P<0.01), while the apoE level was positively correlated with HDL3a (r=0.040, P<0.05). The apoB100 level was inversely correlated with HDL2a (r=-0.102, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The particles of HDL show a general shift towards smaller size with the increase in apoCII levels, indicating that the maturation of HDL is abnormal. Whereas the contents of apoA I level correct the effect of apoCII on the distribution profile of HDL subclasses. The ratio of apoCII/apoCIII might also been taken as one of the indexes reflecting the distribution profile of serum HDL subclasses.