Chest
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Comparative Study
Ciliated cultures from patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia do not produce nitric oxide or inducible nitric oxide synthase during early infection.
The mechanism behind why patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) exhibit low nasal and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) remains unknown. One hypothesis is that reduced NO biosynthesis is caused by a defect in one or more NO synthases (NOSs). In healthy cells, the biosynthesis of NO is increased following exposure to respiratory pathogens. Here, we aimed to investigate whether ciliated epithelial cells from patients with PCD increase NO production following pneumococcal infection. ⋯ These results suggest that the biosynthesis of NO in ciliated cells from patients with PCD is abnormal following early bacterial challenge, suggesting an abnormality in the function of inducible NOS in PCD.
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We investigated microRNA expression profiles of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) specimens to identify novel microRNA that are potentially involved in the oncogenic transformation of human pleural cells. ⋯ Further investigation and validation of our microRNA database of MPM may elucidate previously unrecognized molecular pathways and/or mechanisms by identifying novel microRNAs that are involved in malignant transformation. Our study has now found miR-1 to be one of these MPM-associated microRNAs, with potential pathogenic and therapeutic significance.