Search

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a first-line drug prepared from human plasma for the treatment of autoimmune diseases (AIDs), especially immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Significant differences exist in protein types and expression levels between male and female plasma, and the prevalence of autoimmune diseases varies between sexes. The present study seeks to explore potential variations in IVIG sourced from distinct sex-specific plasma (DSP-IVIG), including IVIG sourced from female plasma (F-IVIG), IVIG sourced from male plasma (M-IVIG), and IVIG sourced from a blend of male and female plasma (Mix-IVIG). To address this question, we used an ITP mouse model and a monocyte–macrophage inflammation model treated with DSP IVIG. The analysis of proteomics in mice suggested that the pathogenesis and treatment of ITP may involve FcγRs mediated phagocytosis, apoptosis, Th17, cytokines, chemokines, and more. Key indicators, including the mouse spleen index, CD16+ macrophages, M1, M2, IL-6, IL-27, and IL-13, all indicated that the efficacy in improving ITP was highest for M-IVIG. Subsequent cell experiments revealed that M-IVIG exhibited a more potent ability to inhibit monocyte phagocytosis. It induced more necrotic M2 cells and fewer viable M2, resulting in weaker M2 phagocytosis. M-IVIG also demonstrated superiority in the downregulation of surface makers CD36, CD68, and CD16 on M1 macrophages, a weaker capacity to activate complement, and a stronger binding ability to FcγRs on the THP-1 surface. In summary, DSP-IVIG effectively mitigated inflammation in ITP mice and monocytes and macrophages. However, M-IVIG exhibited advantages in improving the spleen index, regulating the number and typing of M1 and M2 macrophages, and inhibiting macrophage-mediated inflammation compared to F-IVIG and Mix-IVIG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe blood services in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Regions, (hereinafter referred to as Aba Prefecture), a region of China's Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, the third largest area of Tibet and the main inhabited area of the Qiang people. Design: We present a comprehensive investigation into blood donations, donors, screening and supply in the 13 counties of Aba Prefecture based on data from 2013 to 2018. Geography and population were also used to analyze the differences in blood services among different regions. Participants: The number of blood donors totaled 19,047. Results: Over the past 6 years, blood donations have increased by 29 and clinical blood usage by 45%. The blood donation rate was 3.4‰ and per capita blood use was 1.04 mL, both of which were significantly lower than the national average, and blood donation decreased with altitude. It should be noted that the donation rate of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples is much lower than that of the Han population. Moreover, the rejection rate of blood in laboratory testing was found to be higher than the national average, especially in counties located at higher altitudes. Conclusions: Blood donations and usage increased every year in Aba Prefecture, but blood shortage is still an important issue. In addition, the prevalence of transfusion–transmitted diseases is relatively high, which may be linked to lower-education and unfavorable geographical and medical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that currently has no known cure. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which contains AD-related antibodies and has anti-inflammatory properties, has shown potential as a treatment for AD. However, the efficacy of clinical trials involving AD patients treated with IVIG has been inconsistent. Our previous study found that different IVIGs had significantly varied therapeutic effects on 3xTg-AD mice. In order to investigate the relationship between the composition and function of IVIG and its efficacy in treating AD, we selected three IVIGs that showed notable differences in therapeutic effects. Then, the concentrations of specific antibodies against β-amyloid (Aβ)42, tau, and hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) in three IVIGs, as well as their effects on systemic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Balb/c mice, were analyzed and compared in this study. The results indicated that these IVIGs differed greatly in anti-Aβ42/tau antibody concentration and anti-p-tau ratio, and improved LPS-stimulated peripheral inflammation, liver and kidney injury, and neuroinflammation in Balb/c mice to varying degrees. Combined with our previous results, the efficacy of IVIG against AD may be positively correlated with its level of AD-related antibodies and anti-inflammatory ability. AD-related antibody analysis and functional evaluation of IVIG should be given sufficient attention before clinical trials, as this may greatly affect the therapeutic effect of AD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), belonging to the transforming factor-β superfamily, regulates anterior-posterior patterning and inhibits neurogenesis during embryonic development. However, recent studies recognized GDF11 as a rejuvenating (or anti-ageing) factor to reverse age-related cardiac hypertrophy, repair injured skeletal muscle, promote cognitive function, etc. The effects of GDF11 are contradictory and the mechanism of action is still not well clarified. The objective of the present study was to investigate effects of GDF11 on PC12 neural stem cells in vitro and to reveal the underlying mechanism. We systematically assessed the effects of GDF11 on the life activities of PC12 cells. GDF11 significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration, promoted differentiation and apoptosis, and arrested cell cycle at G2/M phase. Both TMT-based proteomic analysis and phospho-antibody microarray revealed PI3K-Akt pathway was enriched when treated with GDF11. Inhibition of ALK5 or PI3K obviously attenuated the effects of GDF11 on PC12 neural stem cells, which exerted that GDF11 regulated neural stem cells through ALK5-dependent PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In summary, these results demonstrated GDF11 could be a negative regulator for neurogenesis via ALK5 activating PI3K-Akt pathway when it directly acted on neural stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High altitude (HA), with the main feature of hypobaric hypoxia, is an independent risk factor for thrombosis. However, little is known on the alterations of fibrinolytic system in adaptation to HA. In this study, we investigated changes of fibrinolytic system parameters between individuals permanently living at HA and low altitude (LA) regions, and provided data for further studies on HA-induced thrombotic disease. A total of 226 eligible participants, including 103 LA participants, 100 healthy HA subjects and 23 high altitude polycythemia (HAPC) patients, were recruited in this study. Six fibrinolytic parameters, i.e. fibrinogen (Fbg), D-dimer (DDi), antithrombin III (AT-III), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen (PLG) were analyzed respectively. PAI-1 and tPA were performed by using bio-immuno-assays and an automated coagulation analyzer was used to conduct Fbg, DDi, AT-III and PLG tests. Plasma levels of Fbg, DDi, PAI-1 and PLG were significantly higher in healthy HA group than in LA group (all p < 0.05), whereas tPA was significantly lower in healthy HA group. No significant difference in AT-III was observed between healthy HA and LA groups (p > 0.05). All these fibrinolytic parameters showed no significant distinctions between healthy HA subjects and HAPC patients (all p > 0.05). HGB showed no relationship with fibrinolytic parameters in HA cohort. This study demonstrates that HA environment has a significant effect on fibrinolytic system and provides a foundation for further studies on HA hypobaric hypoxia-induced thrombotic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the correlations between RBCs indexes and the basic coagulation parameters, and provide data for further studies on high altitude-induced thrombotic disease. Methods: A total of eligible 433 volunteers were divided into different groups according to HGB concentration and HCT, respectively. PT, APTT, TT and Fbg were measured by clotting assays. HGB content, HCT and PLT count were assessed by automated hematology analyzer. Results: APTT and PT were significantly higher in group 4 (high HGB or HCT groups) (p < 0.05 for all comparison) and PLT count was significantly lower in group 4 than in other groups (p < 0.01 for all comparison). APTT and PT showed negative correlations with HGB concentration (r = −0.168 and −0.165 resp.; both p < 0.01), whereas positive correlations were found between APTT and HCT, PT and HCT (r = 0.225 and 0.258, resp.; both p < 0.01). PLT, TT and Fbg showed no correlation with HGB and HCT. Conclusions: HGB and HCT may not correlate with basic coagulation parameters in high altitude population, their predictive value for high altitude-induced thrombotic disease may relatively independent and this remain to be determined in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senescence is the inevitable biological processes and is also considered as the biggest risk factor for the development of age - related diseases (ARDs) and geriatric syndrome (GS). Senescence is also known as inflammaging because it is characterized by persistent, long-term, low-grade inflammation named senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). However, the mechanism for the persistence of inflammaging remains largely unclear. To explore the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in senescence/inflammaging, we established the cellular senescence model and performed TMT-based comparative quantitative proteomics and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) to reveal the changes of EVs between young cells and senescent cells. A total of 3966 proteins were quantifiable, of which 132 were up-regulated, 144 were down-regulated, compared with the young cells. Subsequently, we chose 19 proteins involved in inflammation or proliferation to carry out PRM validation analysis. The result indicated that proteins promoting NF-κB signal pathway were up-regulated, and proteins promoting cell proliferation were down-regulated. The study provided a comprehensive altered proteomics profiles of EVs from senescent cells, and the result showed that EVs could serve as information carrier for further research on the pathogenesis and progression of senescence/inflammaging. The mechanism of inflammaging occurrence and development has yet been clear. Therefore, this study attempts to provide an improved understanding of inflammaging from the perspective of EVs. The proteomics analysis revealed that the most changed proteins were connected to inflammation signaling pathways, cell growth and cell death, and PRM analysis results showed that proteins involved in NF-κB signal pathway and cell proliferation were more changed. The research systematically analyzed the profiles of proteins in senescence cell model, and the result indicated that further research should focus on the relationship between EVs and senescence/inflammaging. [Display omitted] • Senescent THP-1 cells are characterized by P16INK4a and SA-β-gal activity • The proteomics and PRM reveal there are differentials between young EVs and senescent EVs • EVs carry biological components which involved in cell proliferation, inflammation and immune response [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha1-antitrypsin is a kind of plasma protein that requires a sequence of different fractionation steps to get generally. To report an effective process for isolating and purifying alpha1-antitrypsin from Cohn Fraction IV based upon a new immunoaffinity chromatography medium, named “Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Select,” characterization of alpha1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) was performed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blot, and tandem mass spectroscopy. Total protein content was determined by the method of Bradford under visible light absorption at 595 nm. Pretreatment process and the immunoaffinity chromatography step achieved a 60.35 ± 1.39% yield. Thus, an overall 71.68 ± 1.32 fold increase in purity and a 41.88 ± 6.98% yield were obtained from plasma. The α1-AT had a specific activity of about 1.00–1.05 PU/mg. This technique will develop an effective process for isolating and purifying, with high purity and specific activity, alpha1-antitrypsin from Cohn Fraction IV or human whole plasma, which could be an efficient and scaled-up method for alpha1-antitrypsin products purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase the yield of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) and to reduce their associated thrombotic risks, the influence of washing conditions on the yield, purity, and balance of coagulation factors (FII, FVII, FIX, and FX), and inhibitor proteins (PC, PS, PZ, and AT [antithrombin]) in PCCs was investigated by orthogonal testing, in which three variables (sodium citrate, NaCl, and pH) and their three levels were selected. It was found that AT yield and purity were extraordinarily low, and at lower NaCl content, the general yield, purity, and balance were higher, lower, and better, respectively; however, the results became contrary at higher NaCl. Moreover, within the investigated levels, NaCl was the first determinant for the yield except AT and the purity except FVII, PC, PS, and AT. Sodium citrate was the first determinant for AT yield and FVII, PS, and AT purity. The yield except FII, PS, and AT decreased and the purity except PC increased with increase of sodium citrate content. Just for PC purity, pH was the first determinant. The effect with pH fluctuation on the yield and purity was characteristically unobvious. The outcome undoubtedly supplies the guidance to further improve PCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: In 2007, the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) implemented a management system for lot release of all plasma-derived products. Since then, there have been only a few systematic studies of the blood supply, which is a concern when considering the small amount of plasma collected per capita (approximately 3 L/1000 people). As a result, there may be a threat to the safety of the available blood supply. In this study, we examined the characteristics of the supply of Chinese plasma-derived products. We investigated the reports of lot-released biological products derived from all 8 national or regional regulatory authorities in China from 2007 to 2011. The market supply characteristics of Chinese plasma-derived products were analyzed by reviewing the changes in supply varieties, the batches of lot-released plasma-derived products and the actual supply. As a result, the national regulatory authorities can more accurately develop a specific understanding of the production and quality management information provided by Chinese plasma product manufacturers. The implementation of the lot release system further ensures the clinical validity of the plasma-derived products in China and improves the safety of using plasma-derived products. This work provides an assessment of the future Chinese market supply of plasma-derived products and can function as a theoretical basis for the establishment of hemovigilance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is increasingly used for the treatment of autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases with both licensed and off‐label indications. Recent studies indicated that IVIg‐mediated immunomodulation and anti‐inflammation are closely associated with the IgG sialylation, especially with IgG crystallizable fragment (Fc) sialylation. The sialic acid levels of the IgG molecules and Fc fragments in 12 IVIg preparations from six Chinese manufacturers were evaluated. The Fc fragments were derived from the papain digestion of IVIg, followed by affinity and size exclusion chromatography. The sialic acid levels in Fc fragments and IVIg preparations were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, after the sialic acid residues were released from the proteins. The results showed that the sialic acid levels in Chinese IVIg preparations ranged from 0.875 (mol/mol IgG) to 1.085 (mol/mol IgG), and the sialic acid levels in Fc fragments were from 0.321 (mol/mol Fc) to 0.361 (mol/mol Fc). Furthermore, the sialic acid levels of IVIg preparations and Fc fragments from different Chinese manufactures were significantly different. These findings will contribute to an increased understanding of Chinese IVIg preparations and the relationship between the sialic acid levels in IVIg preparations and their clinical efficacy in future clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The safety and effectiveness of clinical transfusion are highly associated with clinical blood transfusion level. A survey was conducted with the aim of providing references to improve the level of clinical blood transfusion. Study design and methods A survey was undertaken by means of a questionnaire which consisted of hospitals’ basic conditions, utilization of blood products and application of autologous blood transfusion in hospitals with scale, geographic and religious diversity in Sichuan, China. Data analysis was conducted in 3 groups according to the official classification of hospital. Results 76.8% (384/500) hospitals answered the questions completely. From 2011 to 2015, the usage of whole blood showed significant decreasing trend (P = 0.047); in level 2 and level 3 hospitals, the used units of plasma and RBC were closely associated with the number of inpatient and operation (all r ≥ 0.442; P < 0.01). The plasma used per operation per year by level 3 hospitals and RBC used per inpatient per year by level 2 hospitals both showed a decreasing trend (P = 0.047 and P < 0.001); the plasma: RBC transfused by level 3 hospitals was higher than 1:1.8; the ABT rate was lower than 42.16% in all hospitals. Conclusions The clinical blood transfusion level of hospitals in Sichuan, China has improved a lot in the past 5 years, but problems still existed, such as whole blood still being used, overuse of plasma and low ABT rate, and further work and improvements are needed to strengthen the management of clinical blood transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing use of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs), there is little knowledge about the biochemical characterization of Chinese PCCs. Six Chinese PCCs were investigated and compared with PCCs (Octaplex ® ) from Europe. The levels of coagulation factors and inhibitors were detected. The presence of activated coagulation factors was assessed. Furthermore, their thrombin inhibitory capacities, specific activity and purity were assayed. All above parameters of biochemical properties were statistically analyzed. Chinese PCCs contained FⅡ, Ⅶ, Ⅸ and Ⅹ, protein C, S and Z, heparin and extremely low level antithrombin, as well as Octaplex ® . The measured FⅨ activities were similar to those declared, however the measured potency of FⅡ, Ⅶ and Ⅹ greatly exceeded the labeled. Though all preparations were negative for activated coagulation factors in non-activated partial thromboplastin time test, the activated coagulation factor Ⅶ (FⅦa) remained in all PCCs and its content differed greatly. Overall, FⅦa content of Chinese PCCs was higher than that of Octaplex ® . Further, Chinese PCCs were inferior to Octaplex ® in the thrombin inhibitory capacities, specific activity and purity. In summary, compared with Octaplex ® , Chinese PCCs' errors about the labeled activity of coagulation factors and probably high risks of thrombosis should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a common contaminant found in plasma pools and plasma derivatives. Previous studies were mainly focused on limited aspects, further assessment of prevalence of B19V DNA and antibodies in plasma donors, the contamination of B19V in pooled plasma and plasma derivatives should be performed in China., Study Design and Methods: Individual plasma donors' samples from four provinces and pooled plasma from four Chinese blood product manufacturers were collected and screened using B19V DNA diagnostic kits between October 2018 and May 2020. The positive samples were investigated for the seroprevalence of B19V antibodies and subjected to sequence analysis and alignment for phylogenetic studies. Moreover, 11 plasma donors who were B19V DNA-positive at their first testing were also followed during the later donation period. Additionally, 400 plasma pools and 20 batches of plasma derivatives produced by pooled plasma with a viral load of B19V DNA exceeding 10 4 IU/mL were also collected and tested for B19V DNA and antibodies., Objectives: To comprehensively and systematically determine the frequency and viral load of B19V DNA in plasma donors, pooled plasma, and plasma derivatives from four Chinese blood product manufacturers., Results: A total of 17,187 plasma donors were analyzed and 44 (0.26%) specimens were found positive for B19V DNA. The quantitative DNA levels ranged from 1.01 × 10 1 to 5.09 × 10 12 IU/mL. Forty-four DNA-positive specimens were also investigated for the seroprevalence of B19V antibodies, 75.0% and 2.3% of which were seropositive for B19V IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. The phylogenic analyses showed that the prevalent genotypes in the four provinces' plasma donors belonged to B19V Genotype 1. Eleven individual plasma donors who were B19V DNA-positive at the first donation were then followed for a period, and in general, the DNA levels of B19V gradually decreased. Moreover, 64.8% (259/400) of the pooled plasma was contaminated by B19V, with concentrations of 1.05 × 10 0 -3.36 × 10 9 IU/mL. Approximately 72.6% of the DNA-positive plasma pools were only moderately contaminated (<10 4 IU/mL), while 27.4% contained >10 4 IU/mL. Twenty batches of plasma derivatives produced by pooled plasma with a viral load of B19V DNA exceeding 10 4 IU/mL were also tested. B19V was detected in 5/5 PCC samples and 5/5 factor VIII samples but was not found in the intravenous immune globulin and albumin samples., Conclusion: The contamination of B19V in pooled plasma and plasma-derived clotting factor concentrates is serious. Whether B19V nucleic acid testing (NAT) screening of plasma and plasma derivatives is launched in China, blood product manufacturers should spontaneously perform B19V NAT screening in plasma donors and mini-pool plasma. These measures can ensure that samples with high titer B19V DNA are discarded in order to prevent and control this transfusion transmitted virus., Competing Interests: Xiangzhong Ye, Shangzhi Ji and Jinle Han are employed by Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy. Kuilin Lu and Xuexin He are employed by Chengdu Rongsheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Jiajin Fan and Dawei Cao are employed by Shandong Taibang Biological Products Co., Ltd. Yu Zhang and Yongsheng Yin are employed by Hualan Biological Products Co., Ltd. Yunhua Chen and Xuemei Zhao are employed by Guizhou Taibang Biological Products Co., Ltd., (©2023 Sun et al.)

Background and Objectives: The adverse effects of plasma donation on the body has lowered the odds of donation. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of abnormal serum calcium and total serum protein related to plasma donation, identify the influencing factors, and come up with suggestions to make plasma donation safer., Methods: Donors from 10 plasmapheresis centers in five provinces of China participated in this study. Serum samples were collected before donation. Serum calcium was measured by arsenazo III colorimetry, and the biuret method was used for total serum protein assay. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to conduct serum calcium and total serum protein tests., Results: The mean serum calcium was 2.3 ± 0.15 mmol/L and total serum protein was 67.75 ± 6.02 g/L. The proportions of plasma donors whose serum calcium and total serum protein were lower than normal were 20.55% (815/3,966) and 27.99% (1,111/3,969), respectively. There were significant differences in mean serum calcium and total serum protein of plasma donors with different plasma donation frequencies, gender, age, regions, and body mass index (BMI), (all p  < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that donation frequencies, age, BMI and regions were significantly associated with a higher risk of low serum calcium level, and donation frequencies, gender, age and regions were significant determinants factors of odds of abnormal total serum protein., Conclusions: Donation frequencies, gender, age, regions, and BMI showed different effects on serum calcium and total serum protein. More attention should be paid to the age, donation frequency and region of plasma donors to reduce the probability of low serum calcium and low total serum protein., Competing Interests: Demei Dong and Yang Gao are employees of Beijing Tiantan Biological Products Co., LTD. Ding Yu is an employee of Chengdu Rongsheng Pharmaceuticals Co., LTD. The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2022 Liu et al.)

BACKGROUND The demand for plasma and plasma products has increased in China, which has a short supply. Compared with whole blood donors, plasma donors and their donation behavior have received less attention. This study aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits of Chinese plasma donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS During 2018-2019, information on plasma donors was collected from blood product companies using a 25-item questionnaire, including sex, age, height, weight, blood group, donation frequency, occupation, smoking and drinking, and sleeping and dietary habits. RESULTS Among 15 497 plasma donors, 70.5% were women and 78.5% were aged 46-55 years. Among 4847 plasma donors, the average height of men was 169.5±6.2 cm and the average height of women was 157.0±4.6 cm. In addition, the average weight of men was 67.0±10.4 kg and the average weight of women was 60.0±8.3 kg. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥30.0 kg/m²) of all donors was 14.8%; 14.7% of men were obese, and 15% of women were obese. Among all plasma donors, 88.8% were farmers and 60% were frequent donors with a donation history of at least 5 years. Among all donors, 84.0% did not smoke, 67.3% did not drink, and 95.1% reported good sleep quality. All respondents reported healthy dietary habits. CONCLUSIONS Healthy lifestyle habits considerably affect the health of plasma donors and the quality of source plasma. Chinese plasma donors in this study demonstrated imbalances in terms of characteristics, which became more marked with age.

Background: As the most basic material, synthetic human Amyloid-β (1-42) (Aβ 42 ) peptide from different manufacturers have been widely used. Their aggregation ability is vital to the reliability, repeatability and comparability of studies on Aβ 42 physiology and pathology. However, it has not been evaluated and compared., Objective: To analyze the consistency of the aggregation ability of 5 commercially available Aβ 42 peptide., Methods: 5 Aβ 42 peptide represented as A, B, C, D and E were pretreated by HFIP. The pretreated Aβ 42 peptide were dissolved in Thioflavin T (ThT) solution, and their aggregation kinetics was monitored for 30 h with the aggregation kinetics test. Meanwhile, the pretreated peptide were aggregated in phosphate buffered saline. After aggregated for 12 h, they were detected by methods of ThT fluorescence, far-UV circular dichroism (CD), SDS-PAGE, western blot, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. After aggregation for 8 h and 12 h, their cytotoxicity to SH-SY5Y cells was further evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8., Results: For aggregation kinetics, peptide A, C and E remained low level curves, while peptide B and D presented typical sigmoidal kinetics curves. In CD measurement, the aggregates of peptide B and D showed relatively high negative CD peaks with the height of -8.09 mdeg and -14.37 mdeg, while the height of peptide A, C and E was -1.04, -3.55, and -3.88. In ThT assay, relative fluorescence intensity of the aggregates of peptide B and D were 7.79 and 8.82, higher than 1.19, 1.71, and 2.70 of peptide A, C and E, respectively. In SDS-PAGE, all aggregates contained monomers and eleven polymers. Moreover, peptide B-E presented a trapezoidal distribution from dimers to trimers, and peptide A aggregated to dimers. By western blot, the bands of monomers remained in all aggregates. Furthermore, peptide B and D aggregated to dimers and trimers, peptide A and C only aggregated to dimers, and peptide E showed a strong band of trimers. By TEM, protofibrils were observed only in peptide B, while substantial spherical aggregates were formed in other peptide. Additionally, peptide B, D and E exhibited higher cytotoxicity after aggregated for 8 h, whereas peptide A, B and D presented relatively high cytotoxicity after 12-hour aggregation., Conclusion: Commercially available Aβ 42 peptide showed obvious differences in aggregation ability, which should arouse enough attention in the field of basic study related to Aβ 42 . The aggregation ability evaluation with the various assay methods has some discrepancies, and it is highly urgent to establish a reasonable and uniform measurement strategy., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Purpose: Individual lifespans vary widely, and longevity is the main concern from ancient to modern times. This study is aimed to identify plasma proteins associated with longevity by proteomics technique., Experimental Design: Tandem mass tags (TMT)-based proteomics analysis is performed for the plasma of Bama longevity group and a control group to analyze the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). A validation set is used to verify the results of TMT-based proteomics., Results: Between Bama natives and the control individuals, the authors identify 175 DEPs, which are mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascades, metabolism of glyco and lipid, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton. Consistent with the proteomic analysis, plasma levels of MMP2, CCL5, and PF4 are significantly lower in Bama participants than in controls, whereas IGFBP2 and C9 increase in Bama individuals, in the validation set. By ROC analysis, combinations of these five proteins result in a high AUC value (0.991, 95% CI, 0.929-1.000, p < 0.0001) to distinguish longevous participants from controls., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The results highlight the roles of complement and coagulation cascades, metabolism of glyco and lipid, and inflammatory and immune response may play important roles in longevity. And the DEPs may serve as clinically useful biomarkers for healthy aging and predicting longevity., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background: The specific Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is developing, which contains a high level of naturally occurring autoantibodies against amyloid-β (nAbs-Aβ), and the measure of nAbs-Aβ content is greatly essential. Though Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) has been widely used in detecting the nAbs-Aβ content, the impact of Aβ aggregates species chosen as antigen in ELISA on this measure has not been evaluated., Objective: To clarify the influence of different Aβ40/42 aggregates as antigen during ELISA on the content of nAbs-Aβ40/42 measured in IVIG., Method: Preparation of various Aβ40/42 aggregates was performed by different aggregation solutions and various lengths of time, and analyzed by western blot. Different Aβ40/42 aggregates as antigen were adopted to measure the nAbs-Aβ40/42 content in IVIG by ELISA, and the control was carried out to reduce interference of nonspecific binding. The Bonferroni and Dunnett's T3 were used for statistical analysis., Results: The duration for the formation of Aβ40/42 aggregates had more effect on detecting nAbs-Aβ40/42 content in IVIG than the aggregation solution. Higher content of nAbs-Aβ40/42 in the same IVIG was displayed when measured with Aβ40/42 aggregates at day 3, instead of at day 0.5 and day 7.0. The nAbs- Aβ40/42 contents in the same IVIG measured with Aβ40/42 aggregates prepared in different solutions were obviously different, but there was no significant regularity among them., Conclusion: The nAbs-Aβ40/42 content in the same IVIG is significantly different when measured with Aβ40/42 aggregated under different conditions. The nAbs-Aβ40/42 content in IVIG by antigen-dependent measures, like ELISA, is uncertain., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

GDF11, a member of TGF-β superfamily, has recently received widespread attention as a novel anti-ageing/rejuvenation factor to reverse age-related dysfunctions in heart and skeletal muscle, and to induce angiogenesis and neurogenesis. However, these positive effects of GDF11 were challenged by several other studies. Furthermore, the mechanism is still not well understood. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of GDF11 on C17.2 neural stem cells. GDF11 induced differentiation and apoptosis, and suppressed migration of C17.2 neural stem cells. In addition, GDF11 slightly increased cell viability after 24 h treatment, showed no effects on proliferation for about 10 days of cultivation, and slightly decreased cumulative population doubling for long-term treatment ( p  < 0.05). Phospho-proteome profiling array displayed that GDF11 significantly increased the phosphorylation of 13 serine/threonine kinases ( p  < 0.01), including p-p38, p-ERK and p-Akt, in C17.2 cells, which implied the activation of MAPK pathway. Western blot validated that the results of phospho-proteome profiling array were reliable. Based on functional analysis, we demonstrated that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in signal transduction which was implicated in cellular behavior. Collectively, our findings suggest that, for neurogenesis, GDF11 might not be the desired rejuvenation factor, but a potential target for pharmacological blockade., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Background: ABO blood group is a hereditary factor of plasma levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Age and gender have been shown to influence FVIII, VWF, fibrinogen (Fbg), and ADAMTS13 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). We investigated the effects of ABO type, age, and gender on plasma levels of FVIII, Fbg, VWF, and ADAMTS13 in a Chinese population., Methods: A total of 290 healthy volunteers were eligible for this study. ABO blood group was determined by indirect technique. FVIII:C and Fbg were measured by clotting assays. VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), collagen-binding activity (VWF:CBA), and ADAMTS13 antigen were assessed by ELISA, whereas VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:Rcof) was performed by agglutination of platelets with ristocetin., Results: Mean FVIII:C and VWF levels (VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof) were significantly higher in non-O than in O type subjects ( p  < 0.05 for all comparison). ADAMTS13 antigen decreased with increasing age, whereas the other parameters increased. Other than ADAMTS13 ( p  < 0.01), no gender-related variations were observed in the other parameters. Moreover, FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof showed significant and positive relationships with age ( r  = 0.421, 0.445, 0.410, 0.401, and 0.589, resp.; all p  < 0.001), whereas a negative relationship was observed for ADAMTS13 antigen ( r  = 0.306; p  = 0.006). Furthermore, FVIII:C were strongly correlated with VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof ( r  = 0.746, r  = 0.746, and r  = 0.576, resp.; p  < 0.0001). VWF parameters were also strongly correlated with each other ( r  = 0.0.847 for VWF:Ag and VWF:CBA; r  = 0.722 for VWF:Ag and VWF:Rcof; p  < 0.0001)., Conclusions: ABO blood group, age, and gender showed different effects on plasma levels of FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, VWF:Rcof, and ADAMTS13 antigen. These new data on a Chinese population are quite helpful to compare with other ethnic groups., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Alpha1-antitrypsin is a kind of plasma protein that requires a sequence of different fractionation steps to get generally. To report an effective process for isolating and purifying alpha1-antitrypsin from Cohn Fraction IV based upon a new immunoaffinity chromatography medium, named "Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Select," characterization of alpha1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) was performed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blot, and tandem mass spectroscopy. Total protein content was determined by the method of Bradford under visible light absorption at 595 nm. Pretreatment process and the immunoaffinity chromatography step achieved a 60.35 ± 1.39% yield. Thus, an overall 71.68 ± 1.32 fold increase in purity and a 41.88 ± 6.98% yield were obtained from plasma. The α1-AT had a specific activity of about 1.00-1.05 PU/mg. This technique will develop an effective process for isolating and purifying, with high purity and specific activity, alpha1-antitrypsin from Cohn Fraction IV or human whole plasma, which could be an efficient and scaled-up method for alpha1-antitrypsin products purification.

To date, two types of ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) have been found in Jatropha curcas. One is curcin, which has been isolated from the endosperm, and the other is curcin-L, which is expressed in leaves upon stress treatment. Phylogenetic analysis of the predicted amino acid sequences of the RIPs in plants revealed that these belong to a major subfamily and are close to trichosanthin (TCS). Studies on the mRNA and protein levels showed that both curcin and curcin-L have an organ-specific expression pattern. Curcin is only expressed and accumulated in the endosperm; its expression begins in the globular embryo period and peaks during the mature embryo period. In contrast, curcin-L is only expressed in the leaves, but its expression is induced by certain conditions such as treatment with phytohormones or polyethylene glycol, exposure to high and low temperatures, and fungal infection. Analysis of the 5' flanking regions of curcin and curcin-L revealed that the 5' flanking region of curcin-L has three major inserted fragments, which are not present in the corresponding region of curcin. Comparison of characteristic cis-elements suggests the presence of several motifs that are involved in the endosperm-specific expression in the 5' flanking region of curcin, while in curcin-L some stress- and defense-responsive motifs are found to be mainly located in the three inserted fragments. Comparison of the antifungal activity of the two RIPs showed that the one of curcin-L is higher than that of curcin. Differences in the expression and activity of curcin and curcin-L suggest that these two RIPs have different functions.