Function of miR-24 and miR-27 in Pediatric Patients With Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

Purpose: We investigated the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) by measuring the effects two specific miRNAs on Th2 cells in children with this disease.Methods: After informed consent, we enrolled 20 children with active INS before steroid initiation, 20 children with INS in remission after steroid therapy, and 20 age-matched healthy controls. Flow cytometry was used to measure the levels of Th2 cells and a cytometric bead array was used to measure the levels of IgE, interleukin (IL)−4, and IL-13. RT-PCR was used to measure the levels of miR-24 and miR-27 in CD4+TCD25− cells. PBMCs were isolated using Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, and transfected with different mimic or inhibitor miRNAs. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of different RNAs, and flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of Th2 cells.Results: Relative to healthy controls, children with active INS had higher percentages of Th2 cells (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in controls and children in remission. The plasma levels of IgE, IL-4, and IL-13 were significantly increased in children with active INS (P < 0.05). There were lower levels of miR-24 and miR-27 in children with active non-atopic INS (P < 0.05). Transfection experiments indicated that upregulation of each miRNA decreased the percentage of Th2 cells and the level of IL-4 (P < 0.05), and down-regulation of each miRNA had the opposite effects (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Children with active INS, with or without atopy, had higher levels of IgE, possibly related to their higher levels of IL-13 and IL-4 due to a drift toward Th2 cells. miR-24 and miR-27 suppressed the expression of Th2 cells and have a critical function regulating Th2 cell expression in INS.

Function of miR-24 and miR-27 in Pediatric Patients With Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

Background: The specific etiology and mechanism of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in children remain unclear, so we investigated the pathogenesis of INS by measuring the effects two specific miRNAs on Th2 cells in children with this disease. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to measure the levels of Th2 cells and a cytometric bead array was used to measure the levels of IgE, interleukin (IL) -4, and IL-13. RT-PCR was used to measure the levels of miR-24 and miR-27 in CD4+TCD25− cells. PBMCs were isolated using Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, and transfected with different mimic or inhibitor miRNAs. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of different RNAs, and flow cytometry was used to determine the percentages of Th2 cells. Results: Children with active INS had higher percentages of Th2 cells than healthy controls (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference for children in remission. The plasma levels of IgE, IL-4, and IL-13 were significantly increased in children with active INS (P<0.05). miR-24 and miR-27 were at lower levels in children with active non-atopic INS (P<0.05). Transfection experiments indicated that upregulation of each miRNA decreased the percentage of Th2 cells and the level of IL-4 (P<0.05), and down-regulation of each miRNA had the opposite effects (P<0.05). Conclusion: Children with active INS, with or without atopy, had higher levels of IgE, possibly related to their higher levels of IL-13 and IL-4 due to drift toward Th2 cells. miR-24 and miR-27 suppress the expression of Th2 cells and have a critical function in Th2 expression in INS.

Profiling of Microrna Expression within the Cells of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear after an Infection with Serotype-2 of Dengue Virus: Preliminary Study

The role of microRiboNucleic Acids (miRNA), a small-non coding RNA has been associated with immune regulation in various viral infectionincluding dengue infection. The microRNA will bind a specific protein target in order to encourage an explosive expression of various cytokines, known as cytokines storm in Dengue infection.The objective of this study aimed to determine and evaluate themicroRNAs profile expression withinperipheral blood mononuclear cells having been infected with one of the dengue virus serotype.To obtained the PBMCs from a healthy donor, Ficoll density gradient centrifugation was used to isolate the PBMCs and then followed infecting it with a DENV-2 clinical isolate. Prior to PBMCs isolation, the virus has been propagated and having titration to get an optimal virus titer. We conducted the infection at the multiplication of infections 4 PFU/106 cells.MiRCURYLNATMExiqon was utilized on purpose to extract the RNA. Quantitative Real-Time PCR was applied in order for the miRNAs relative expression to be measured. The preliminary result reveals that miR-150, miR-146a, hsa-let-7e expression were increased 1.74 folds, 2 folds, and 1.49 foldsrespectively at 12 hours post-infection on PBMCs upon DENV-2 infection.The expression of microRNAswas discovered to behigher inPBMCsat the time of infection withDENV-2.ThemiRNAs expression in the uninfected PMBCs was lower than that of the miRNA. This high expression of miRNAsin dengue infection may proceedto dengue infection pathogenesis.

Gamma-H2AX biodosimetry for use in large scale radiation incidents: comparison of a rapid lyse/fix protocol with a routine method

Following a radiation incident, preliminary dose estimates made by γ-H2AX foci analysis can supplement the early triage of casualties based on clinical symptoms. Sample processing time is important when many individuals need to be rapidly assessed. A protocol was therefore developed for high sample throughput that requires less than 0.1 ml blood, thus enabling finger prick sampling. The technique combines red blood cell lysis and leukocyte fixation in one step on a 96 well plate, in contrast to the routine protocol, where lymphocytes are separated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation with subsequent washing and fixation steps. The rapid lyse/fix method reduced the estimated sample processing time for 96 samples to about 4 h compared to 15 h using the routine protocol. However, scoring 20 cells in 96 samples prepared by the rapid protocol took longer than for the routine method (3.1 versus 1.5 h at zero dose; 7.0 versus 6.1 h for irradiated samples). Similar foci yields were scored for both protocols and reliable dose estimates were obtained for coded samples, with mean absolute differences from the actual doses of 0.26 and 0.27 Gy for the routine and lyse/fix method, respectively. The lyse/fix protocol can therefore facilitate high throughput processing for γ-H2AX biodosimetry for use in large scale radiation incidents, at the cost of somewhat longer foci scoring times.

Gamma-H2AX biodosimetry for use in large scale radiation incidents: comparison of a rapid lyse/fix protocol with a routine method

Following a radiation incident, preliminary dose estimates made by γ-H2AX foci analysis can supplement the early triage of casualties based on clinical symptoms. Sample processing time is important when many individuals need to be rapidly assessed. A protocol was therefore developed for high sample throughput that requires less than 0.1 ml blood, thus enabling finger prick sampling. The technique combines red blood cell lysis and leukocyte fixation in one step on a 96 well plate, in contrast to the routine protocol, where lymphocytes are separated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation with subsequent washing and fixation steps. The rapid lyse/fix method reduced the estimated sample processing time for 96 samples to about 4 h compared to 15 h using the routine protocol. However, scoring 20 cells in 96 samples prepared by the rapid protocol took longer than for the routine method (3.1 versus 1.5 h at zero dose; 7.0 versus 6.1 h for irradiated samples). Similar foci yields were scored for both protocols and reliable dose estimates were obtained for coded samples, with mean absolute differences from the actual doses of 0.26 and 0.27 Gy for the routine and lyse/fix method, respectively. The lyse/fix protocol can therefore facilitate high throughput processing for γ-H2AX biodosimetry for use in large scale radiation incidents, at the cost of somewhat longer foci scoring times.

Study on MR Imaging of Endothelial Progenitor Cells Labeled with the Complex of Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide and Transfection

To explore the characteristics of magnetic resonance（MR）imaging of the rat endothelial progenitor cells（EPCs）labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide（SPIO）. Total mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated from SD rat peripheral blood by ficoll density gradient centrifugation, and then the cells were plated on fibronectin-coated culture dishes. Attached cells were collected after 7 days cultured. EPCs were indentified by the laser confocal microscope and were counted in the inverted fluorescence microscope. EPCs were incubated with Fe2O3-arginine for 24 h, and the cells underwent MR imaging with three sequences (T1 WI, T2 WI, T2*WI). The results showed that the effective rate of labeled EPCs was 96%, and the survival rate of cells was 95%. The signal intensity on MRI was significantly decreased in labeled EPCs compared with unlabeled cells. EPCs labeled with SPIO can be sensitively displayed by the MR imaging.

Impact of Human Granulocyte and Monocyte Isolation Procedures on Functional Studies

ABSTRACTOne of the first lines of defense against infection is the activation of the innate immune system. It is becoming clear that autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, may be caused by disturbed innate immunity, and relating granulocyte and monocyte functions to the patient genotype has become an important part of contemporary research. Although it is essential to move this field forward, a systematic study comparing the efficacy and suitability for functional studies of the various available protocols for the isolation of these immune cells has not been performed. Here, we compare human granulocyte functionality under three enrichment protocols: (i) Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, (ii) anti-CD15 antibody-conjugated microbeads (positive selection), and (iii) Polymorphoprep. Primary monocytes were isolated in parallel using (i) anti-CD14 magnetic microbeads, (ii) non-monocyte depletion by antibody-conjugated magnetic microbeads (negative selection), (iii) RosetteSep antibody cocktail, and (iv) the classical adherence protocol. The best results in terms of purity and cell functionality were obtained with positive selection by magnetic microbeads for both human granulocytes and monocytes. Whereas phagocytosis ofEscherichia colibacteria was identical in all isolation procedures tested, the granulocyte respiratory burst was higher in positively selected cells. In addition, different granulocyte enrichment procedures affect cell surface receptor expression to different extents.In toto, we propose that positive selection of granulocytes and monocytes be adopted as the procedure of choice for studies of human granulocyte and monocyte functions but caution investigators to be aware of possible alterations in cell phenotypes with different isolation procedures.