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Objective: Early diagnosis and intervention of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is necessary to optimize therapy in order to delay the progression of diabetes. This research aimed to reveal the change of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in patients with DN, and to assess possible correlations with glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) values. Methods: The present study was a retrospective, single-center study conducted at a teaching hospital in the northeast China. A total of 120 patients were divided into proteinuria-positive group (n = 40), the microalbuminuria group (n = 40), and the high proteinuria group (n = 40) according to the urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), and 40 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group. The levels of VEGF, ET-1 and HbA1c were measured in all subjects and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to classify and reveal correlations between VEGF, ET-1 and HbA1c. Results: Compared to the control group, a significant difference in the increase of HbA1c was detected in group I, II and III. A significant increase in the concentrations of serum VEGF and ET-1 was also observed. HbA1c in DN patients had proven to be positively correlated with VEGF (r = 0.7941; p < 0. 0001) and ET-1 (r = 0.8504; p < 0.0001) respectively. Conclusion: The elevated levels of VEGF and ET-1 in serum have been proposed as being able to supplement the additional information about the progression of DN. These data suggest that the decrease in endothelial function may be related to poor glycemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine bone marrow is traditionally regarded as a highly nutritious food that has been widely used as a medicinal and health food for several decades in China. A large number of adulterated and counterfeit bone marrows from pigs and donkeys have been used in place of bovine bone marrow in commercial products, which are almost identical morphologically between species. Therefore, we explored the feasibility of multiplex PCR technology to differentiate bovine bone marrows from different domestic animals. Three pairs of specific primers for bovine, pig, and donkey were designed according to the conserved sequence in mitochondrial cytochrome b. A modified method was used to extract the genomic DNA from common domestic animals' bone marrows. The optimal reaction conditions for triple PCR were optimized. A three-fold PCR detection assay was successfully established to identify three species of bovine, pig, and donkey. Three primers have good specificity and high sensitivity. Additionally, the assay sensitivity test confirmed that the extracted DNA concentration was the lowest in bovine bone marrow at 10°pg/μL. The assay also showed 100% specificity. Rapid authentication of bovine bone marrow and differentiation from nonbovine products can be achieved using an improved SDS alkali denaturation method and species-specific PCR assay. Both species-specific PCR methods described in this study can be potentially applied for the quality evaluation of functional food and drug resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten (2.7%) Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) were isolated from 370 samples of raw minced beef, mutton, pork, and chicken from the Jilin region of China; and additional 10 E. coli O157:H7 isolates were previously isolated from different Jilin regions. Seventeen of the isolates were multiresistant, exhibiting resistance to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, gentamycin, and streptomycin. Class 1 integrons were detected in nine (45.0%) of the STEC isolates and consisted of serogroups O157, O62, O113, O149, and O70. Integrons containing amplicons of a 0.5-1.5 or 1.0 kb gene cassette were found in seven (77.8%) of the integron-containing isolates. Sequencing analysis revealed that these gene cassettes encode genes conferring resistance to trimethoprim (dfrA1) and streptomycin (aadA1). The 0.5 kb cassette described here was found to encode a putative transporter peptide in the STEC. Seventeen isolates contained plasmids with different bands, and transfer by conjugation between strains of E. coli demonstrated that class 1 integrons located on mobile plasmids could contribute to the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin, gentamycin, streptomycin, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim amongst STEC. These data revealed the high prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant STEC isolates in Jilin's surrounding regions, providing important and useful surveillance information reflecting antimicrobial selection pressure., (© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)