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Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease that is caused by a novel bunyavirus SFTSV. Currently our knowledge of the host-related factors that influence the pathogenesis of disease is inadequate to allow prediction of fatal outcome. Here we conducted a prospective study of the largest database on the SFTS patients, to identify the presence of comorbidities in SFTS, and estimate their effect on the fatal outcome. Among 2096 patients eligible for inclusion, we identified nine kinds of comorbidities, from which hyperlipidemia (12.2%; 95% CI: 10.8%–13.6%), hypertension (11.0%; 95% CI: 9.6%–12.3%), chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) (9.3%; 95% CI: 8.1%–10.5%), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (6.8%; 95% CI: 5.7%–7.9%) were prevalent. Higher risk of death was found in patients with DM (adjusted OR = 2.304; 95% CI: 1.520–3.492; P<0.001), CVH (adjusted OR = 1.551; 95% CI: 1.053–2.285; P = 0.026) and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) (adjusted OR = 2.170; 95% CI: 1.215–3.872; P = 0.009) after adjusting for age, sex, delay from disease onset to admission and treatment regimens. When analyzing the comorbidities separately, we found that the high serum glucose could augment diseases severity. Compared to the group with max glucose < 7.0 mmol/L, patients with glucose between 7.0–11.1 mmol/L and glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L conferred higher death risk, with the adjusted OR to be 1.467 (95% CI: 1.081–1.989; P = 0.014) and 3.443 (95% CI: 2.427–4.884; P<0.001). Insulin therapy could effectively reduce the risk of severe outcome in DM patients with the adjusted OR 0.146 (95% CI: 0.058–0.365; P<0.001). For CVH patients, severe damage of liver and prolongation of blood coagulation time, as well as high prevalence of bleeding phenotype were observed. These data supported the provocative hypothesis that treating SFTS related complications can attain potentially beneficial effects on SFTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease that is caused by a novel bunyavirus, SFTSV. We assessed whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were associated with risk to severity of SFTS. Five TNF-α SNPs (SNP1: T-1031C; SNP2: C-863A; SNP3: C-857T; SNP4: G-308A; SNP5: G-238A) were genotyped in 987 hospitalized SFTS patients and 633 asymptomatic/mild SFTSV-infected subjects of Chinese Han origin. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The hospitalized SFTS patients had significantly lower frequency of G-238A A allele than those with mild/asymptomatic infection (P = 0.006). Furthermore, T-1031C C allele (P < 0.001) and G-238A A allele (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased risk of death. Multiple haplotypes were significantly associated with decreased risk of SFTS hospital admission (SNP1-2, CC; SNP1-3, CCC; SNP1-4, CCCG; SNP1-5, CCCGA; SNP2-4, CCGA; SNP3-5, CGA; SNP4-5, GA) and death (SNP1-2, CA; SNP1-3, CAG; SNP1-4, CACG; SNP1-5, CACGG; SNP2-3, AC; SNP2-4, ACG; SNP2-5, ACGG) after correction for multiple comparisons. By using the ELISA assay, we observed that TNF-α concentration of hospitalized patients was significantly increased in acute phase than in convalescent phase (P < 0.001). Elevated TNF-α concentration was also revealed from fatal patients (P < 0.001). The -238A allele was associated with decreased serum TNF-α levels in SFTS patients in acute phase (P = 0.01). Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in TNF-α gene may play a role in mediating the risk to disease severity of SFTS in Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pathogenesis of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has not been well described yet. Recent studies indicate that SFTSV could replicate in endothelial cells. Here we performed a case-control study to determine whether endothelial activation/dysfunction occurred in SFTSV infection and to identify the biomarkers reflecting endothelial dysfunction. Methodology/Principal findings: In a case-control study of 134 SFTS patients and 68 healthy controls, serum levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, tissue plasminogen activator, P-selectin, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecular, CD40 ligand, E-selectin, vascular endothelial growth factor A, serum amyloid antigen 1 (SAA-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecular 1 were significantly enhanced in the patients than the controls (all P<0.05), indicating the occurrence of endothelial activation/dysfunction in SFTS. The intercellular adhesion molecular 1 (ICAM-1) and SAA-1 at the convalescent phase were also significantly associated with severe patients, after adjusting for the potential confounders. The odds ratio was estimated to be 3.364 (95% CI 1.074–10.534) for ICAM-1, and 1.881 (95% CI 1.166–3.034) for SAA-1, respectively. Cutoff value of 1.1×107 pg/mL SAA-1 or 1.2×106 pg/mL ICAM-1 were found to have moderate power of predicting fatal cases. Conclusions: The endothelial dysfunction may be one of the pathogenic mechanism of SFTS. The serum levels of ICAM-1 and SAA-1 might be used to predict adverse outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth factors are a class of cytokines that stimulate cell growth and are widely used in clinical practice, such as wound healing, revascularization, bone repair, and nervous system disease. However, free growth factors have a short half-life and are instable in vivo. Therefore, the search of excellent carriers to enhance sustained release of growth factors in vivo has become an area of intense research interest. The development of controlled-release systems that protect the recombinant growth factors from enzymatic degradation and provide sustained delivery at the injury site during healing should enhance the growth factor’s application in tissue regeneration. Thus, this study reviews current research on commonly used carriers for sustained release of growth factors and their sustained release effects for preservation of their bioactivity and their accomplishment in tissue engineering approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recently our laboratory reported evidence showing that hNUDC acts as an additional cytokine for thrombopoietin receptor (Mpl). Previously known as the human homolog of a fungal nuclear migration protein, hNUDC plays a critical role in megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation. Here we sought to further clarify the hNUDC-Mpl ligand–receptor relationship by utilizing interference RNA (RNAi) to knockdown Mpl expression in a megakaryocyte cell line. We created U6 promoter driven constructs to express short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) with affinity for different sites on Mpl mRNA. By including Mpl-EGFP fusion protein in these constructs, we were able to effectively screen the shRNA that was most efficient in inhibiting Mpl mRNA expression. This shRNA was subsequently transferred into a lentivirus vector and transduced into Dami cells, a cell line which constitutively expresses endogenous Mpl. This lentiviral vector was also designed to simultaneously express EGFP to monitor transfection efficiency. Our results show that lentivirus can be used to effectively deliver shRNAs into Dami cells and cause specific inhibition of Mpl protein expression after transduction. Furthermore, we show the functional effects of shRNA-mediated Mpl silencing by demonstrating reduced hNUDC stimulated megakaryocyte proliferation and differentiation. Thus, the use of a RNAi knockdown strategy has allowed us to pinpoint the connection of hNUDC with Mpl in the regulation of megakaryocyte maturation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: In our previous study, a mutant human acidic fibroblast growth factor without mitogenic action (nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor) was created, and its protection from the cytotoxic effect of hydrogen peroxide treatment was confirmed in cultured cardiomyocytes. Methods: The present study was performed to further investigate whether genetically overexpressing nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor in cardiomyocytes provides similar protection from the cytotoxic effect of hydrogen peroxide and whether in vivo administration of nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor attenuates ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage and protects the carotid sinus baroreceptor from alcohol-induced damage, as shown by a reduced response of blood pressure to short carotid artery occlusion. Results and conclusions: Cardiomyocytes transfected by nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor, with significant increases in the cellular expression and secretion of nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor into a culture medium, were resistant to hydrogen-peroxide-induced cytotoxicity, as measured by cell viability. Hearts isolated from rats pretreated with saline, human acidic fibroblast growth factor, or nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor for 24 h were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion in the Langendorff system. Ischemia/reperfusion induced cardiac dysfunction in the saline group, but not in the group pretreated with human acidic fibroblast growth factor or nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor. Ischemia/reperfusion also caused a release of the cardiac enzyme lactic dehydrogenase into—and an increase in lipid peroxide content in the efflux of—the hearts of saline-treated rats, but not in rats pretreated with human acidic fibroblast growth factor or nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor. There was no difference in cardioprotective effects between human acidic fibroblast growth factor and nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor. Furthermore, the protective effect of in-vivo-administered nonmitogenic acidic fibroblast growth factor on alcohol-induced damage to the carotid sinus baroreceptor, as shown by the reduced response of blood pressure to short carotid artery occlusion, was also observed. These results suggest that nonmitogenic human acidic fibroblast growth factor, similar to the native human acidic fibroblast growth factor, provides significant cardiovascular protection from oxidative damage in vitro and in vivo. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]