Int J Med Sci
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This study investigated the anti-allergic effect of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (PT) on human keratinocytic HaCaT cells in vitro and on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis-like lesions in vivo. The release of TARC, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-8 is increased by IFN-γ and TNF-α in HaCaT cells, and PT extract suppressed the increased production of TARC, MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8. ⋯ The levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin in mouse splenocytes increased after treatment with concanavalin A, and the secretions of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin were lower in the PT-treated group than in the DNCB group. These findings may indicate that PT is useful in drug development for the treatment of AD.
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Background: Oxidative stress plays key roles in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. Recently, we reported that peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4), an antioxidant enzyme, can be a prognostic marker of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). In the present study, we aimed to further investigate the relationship among the PRDX4 expression, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and cell proliferation in LUAD. ⋯ The combination of the PRDX4 expression level with the EGFR mutation status was closely associated with the prognosis of patients with stage I LUAD. Viability assays showed that the proliferation of A549 cells was significantly suppressed after PRDX4 plasmid transfection, while the overexpression of PRDX4 had no effect on the proliferation of EGFR-mutant PC-9 cells. Conclusions: The PRDX4 expression and EGFR mutation status were significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with stage I LUAD, and EGFR mutations affected the role of PRDX4 in the proliferation of LUAD cells.
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Background: Previous studies in human subjects have mostly been confined to peripheral blood lymphocytes for Pneumocystis infection. We here aimed to compare circulating and pulmonary T-cell populations derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected immunocompromised patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in order to direct new therapies. Methods: Peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage samples were collected from patients with and without PCP. ⋯ Interestingly, our data indicated that pulmonary Th1 was negatively correlated with disease severity, whereas pulmonary Tc9 displayed a positive correlation in PCP patients. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that pulmonary expansion of Th1 and Tc9 subsets may play protective and detrimental roles in PCP patients, respectively. Thus, these specific T-cell subsets in the lungs may serve as targeted immunotherapies for patients with PCP.
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Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides in length. They drive many important cancer phenotypes through their interactions with other cellular macromolecules including DNA, RNA and protein. Recent studies have identified numerous lncRNAs active in colorectal cancer (CRC). ⋯ UPF1 was upregulated and ZEB1 was decreased when SNHG6 knockdown, regulating the TGF-β/Smad pathway and inducing EMT respectively. Conclusions: SNHG6 may play an oncogenic role in CRC cells by activating TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway via targeting of UPF1 and inducing EMT via regulating ZEB1. This could be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRC.
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Observational Study
TIMD4 rs6882076 SNP Is Associated with Decreased Levels of Triglycerides and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Ischemic Stroke.
Background: The T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 4 gene (TIMD4) rs6882076 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) levels, but the results are inconsistent. Moreover, little is known about such association in Chinese populations. The aim of this study was to detect the association of the TIMD4 rs6882076 SNP and serum lipid levels and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke (IS) in a Southern Chinese Han population. ⋯ The T allele carriers in healthy controls were also associated with decreased levels of serum TG. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that the TIMD4 rs6882076 SNP is associated with decreased risk of CHD and IS in our study population. It is likely to decrease the CHD and IS risk by reducing serum TG levels.