Eosinophil-derived TGFß1 controls the new bone formation in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is characterized by chronic eosinophilic inflammation and new bone formation (NBF). These processes may be associated with each other in the pathogenesis and influence the severity and prognosis of the disease. However, it is still unclear how eosinophilic inflammation is involved in the NBF. METHODOLOGY: Sinus bone cells were isolated from ethmoid bone tissues of patients with CRSwNP and controls. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFß1) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression in sinus bone cells was determined using quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry. The co-localization of TGFß1 with eosinophils was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Sinus bone cells were co-cultured with eosinophils (Eol-1 cell line), which were differentiated with butyrate, to measure the osteoblast differentiation activity of sinus bone cells. RESULTS: TGFß1 expression was increased in sinus bone tissues and correlated with CT scores in CRSwNP. TGFß1 was also increased in the submucosa of CRSwNP and co-localized predominantly with eosinophils compared with neutrophils Differentiated Eol-1 cells-derived TGFß1 increased ALP expression in sinus bone cells. Treatment with a TGFß inhibitor attenuated TGFß1-induced ALP expression and staining in sinus bone cells of CRSwNP, leading to loss of bone formation. CONCLUSIONS: Eosinophil-derived TGFß1 was enriched in the submucosa of CRSwNP, which induced ALP expression in sinus bone cells and NBF. Therefore, eosinophil-derived TGFß1 may mediate aberrant bone remodeling in CRSwNP.

Association of common variations of 8q24 with the risk of prostate cancer in Koreans and a review of the Asian population.

UNLABELLED: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The association between subjects with the genetic variation of 8q24 and the risk of development of prostate cancer in Korean men was found. As a result of haplotype analysis, [AGC] and [CTA] carriers showed a significant association with prostate cancer risk. This is clinically meaningful as an initial study on genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer in Korean men and the first report of 8q24 haplotypes in an Asian population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between genetic variation of 8q24 with prostate cancer risk in Korean men. PATIENTS AND METHODS: With a hospital-based case-control study design, we enrolled 194 patients with prostate cancer and 169 healthy controls from visitors for cancer screening. DNA samples were obtained from peripheral blood for the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Three SNPs of 8q24, including rs16901979, rs6983267, and rs1447295, were genotyped on cases and controls. RESULTS: The subjects with the rs1447295 CA or AA genotype had a higher risk of prostate cancer than the CC genotype. The A allele at SNP rs1447295 was associated with the incidence of prostate cancer. The rs16901979 CA genotype carriers had a higher risk of prostate cancer than the CC genotype. Individuals with the [AGC] and [CTA] haplotypes had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer compared with the [CTC] haplotype ([AGC] with adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-2.96; P = 0.022; [CTA] with adjusted OR 5.17; 95% CI 2.40-11.15; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The genetic variation of 8q24 is associated with the risk of prostate cancer in Korean men. Individuals with the [AGC] and [CTA] haplotypes had a significant association with prostate cancer risk.

Expression of muscarinic receptors in human and mouse sclera and their role in the regulation of scleral fibroblasts proliferation.

PURPOSE: To determine the expression of muscarinic receptor subtypes (mAChRs) in human and mouse scleral fibroblasts (SFs), to investigate the mechanism that mediate the role mAChRs play in cell proliferation, and to explore the underlying intracellular signaling pathways involved in mouse SFs with treatment of muscarinic agents. METHODS: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect mRNA expression of mAChRs in the human and mouse sclera. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry were used to detect proteins of mAChRs in the cultured SFs. An immunohistochemical study was used to further detect the presence of mAChR proteins in frozen scleral sections. BrdU (5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine ) cell proliferation assay was performed to measure DNA synthesis. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure in vitro kinase activity for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R), fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. Expressions of epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGF-R); protein kinase C (PKC); Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk-2), v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (B-Raf), Rat Sarcoma (Ras), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK1/2), and ERK1/2 were detected by immunoblot. RESULTS: mAChR for subtypes M(1)-M(5) were detected in both mouse and human SFs by protein, cellular, and mRNA analysis. EGF-R, PKC, Pyk-2, B-Raf, Ras, JNK1/2, and ERK1/2 were activated after treatment by agonists and antagonists, indicated by changes in phosphorylation of these proteins. Atropine abolished the carbachol-induced activation of SF cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Carbachol also activated p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Ras in a time-dependent manner. Muscarinic agents also modulated fibroblast growth factor expression in these cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the presence and functional role of all five mAChRs in human and mouse SFs. These results show that proliferative responses of SFs to muscarinic receptor stimulation are mediated via the activation of the classical MEK-ERK-MAPK cascade.

Effect of temperature and dissolved oxygen on biological nitrification at high ammonia concentrations.

Effect of temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration on nitrification rate were investigated with enrichment cultures of nitrifying bacteria. Values of specific nitrite oxidation rate in the absence of ammonia were 2.9-12 times higher than maximum specific ammonia oxidation rates at the same temperatures. The presence of high ammonia levels reversed this relationship, causing maximum specific nitrite oxidation rates to fall to 19 to 45% as high as maximum specific ammonia oxidation rates. This result suggests that nitrification at high ammonia levels will invariably result in nitrite accumulation. The K(O2) for nitrite oxidation in the presence of high ammonia levels was higher than the K(O2) for ammonia oxidation when temperature exceeded 18 degrees C, whereas the opposite was true at lower temperatures. These results indicate that low oxygen tensions will exacerbate nitrite accumulation when water temperature is high.

Effects of toxicants on nitrifying biomass in flocs vs. carriers.

Effects of chemical toxicants on nitrifying bacteria in flocs and porous carriers were compared. Mean inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of toxicants were invariably higher in carrier suspensions than floc suspensions. The greatest differences were seen with cyanide, nickel and copper, whereas small differences were observed for the organic toxicants Methomyl and thiourea. Decreasing the size of the carriers lessened their protective effect. The results suggest that carriers would be advantageous for nitrification systems subjected to short-term inputs of heavy metals or cyanide but not helpful for systems subjected to transient inputs of organic chemicals.

Removal of nitrogen and phosphate from wastewater by addition of bittern.

Removal of nitrogen and phosphate through crystallization of struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4).6H(2)O) has gained increasing interest. Since wastewaters tend to be low in magnesium relative to ammonia and phosphates, addition of this mineral is usually required to effect the struvite crystallization process. The present study evaluated the feasibility of using bittern, a byproduct of salt manufacture, as a low-cost source of magnesium ions. High reaction rates were observed; the extent of nitrogen and phosphorus removals did not change beyond 10 min. Phosphorus removals from pure solutions with bittern added were equivalent to those obtained with MgCl(2) or seawater. Nitrogen removals with bittern were somewhat lower than with the alternate Mg(2+) sources, however. Application of bittern to biologically treated wastewater from a swine farm achieved high phosphate removal, but ammonia removals were limited by imbalance in the nitrogen:phosphorus ratio.