Associations of Serum Clara Cell Protein 16 with Severity and Prognosis in Adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Background: Clara cell protein 16 (CC16) has multiple functions, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulation properties. Nevertheless, the concrete function of CC16 in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remained blurred. Methods: A total of 541 adult patients with CAP were recruited on admission. Peripheral blood specimens, clinical parameters, and demographic characteristics were collected. The concentration of serum CC16 was evaluated through ELISA. The relationships between serum CC16 and clinical parameters were appraised by Spearman or Pearson correlative analyses. The correlations of serum CC16 with severity and prognosis were assessed using linear or logistic regression models. Results: The level of CC16 was gradually decreased across with the elevated severity scores system of CAP. After treatment, the level of serum CC16 was upregulated. Correlative analyses found that serum CC16 was negatively related to inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, multivariate linear and logistic regression models revealed that serum CC16 was inversely associated with severity scores system. In addition, reduced serum CC16 on admission elevated the risks of vasoactive agent usage, ICU admission, and death during hospitalization. We observed an almost discriminatory ability for severity and death between serum CC16 and severity scores system, and were all obviously elevated compared to routine inflammatory and infectious markers. Conclusion: There are substantially inverse correlations between serum CC16 level on admission with severity scores and poorly prognostic outcomes, indicating that CC16 is involved in the pathophysiological process of CAP. This study is helpful for establishing the potential application of serum CC16 in risk evaluation and targeted treatment.

Arsenic exposure and lung function decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: The mediating influence of systematic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Lung tissue is one of the target sites of arsenic (As). The goal of this investigation was to assess the associations of blood As concentration with pulmonary function indicators in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as the roles of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in this relationship. All 791 COPD patients were selected. Blood As concentration, and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) were detected in the serum of COPD cases. Blood As was robustly related to pulmonary function parameters in an inverse dose-dependent manner. Multivariate linear regression analyses verified that a 1-unit increase of blood As was linked to declines of 0.263 L in FVC, 0.288 L in FEV1, 3.454 in FEV1/FVC%, and 0.538 in predicted FEV1%, respectively. The potential for pulmonary function decline gradually increased across the elevated tertiles of blood As. Nonsmokers were susceptible to As-induced pulmonary function reduction. Blood As was positively linked to the levels of TNF-α and 8-iso-PGF2α. Increased TNF-α and 8-iso-PGF2α partially mediated As-induced the reductions in FEV1 and FVC among COPD patients. As exposure is intensely linked to pulmonary function reduction. Systematic inflammation and oxidative stress partially mediate such associations in COPD patients.

Near-Infrared Light-Controllable Multifunction Mesoporous Polydopamine Nanocomposites for Promoting Infected Wound Healing.

The successful treatment of infected wounds requires strategies with effective antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and healing-promoting properties. Accordingly, the use of Cu2+ and tetracycline (TC), which can promote angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, and collagen deposition, also antibacterial activity, at the wound site, has shown application prospects in promoting infected wound repair. However, realizing controllable release to prolong action time and avoid potential toxicities is critical. Moreover, near-infrared light (NIR)-activated mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA NPs) reportedly exert anti-inflammatory effects by eliminating the reactive oxygen species generated during inflammatory responses. In this study, we assess whether Cu2+ and TC loaded in MPDA NPs can accelerate infected wound healing in mice. In particular, Cu2+ is chelated and immobilized on the surface of MPDA NPs, while a thermosensitive phase-change material (PCM; melting point: 39-40 °C), combined with antibiotics, was loaded into the MPDA NPs as a gatekeeper (PPMD@Cu/TC). Results show that PPMD@Cu/TC exhibits significant great photothermal properties with NIR irradiation, which induces the release of Cu2+, while inducing PCM melting and, subsequent, TC release. In combination with anti-inflammatory therapy, NIR-triggered Cu2+ and TC release enables the nanocomposite to eradicate bacterial wound infections and accelerate healing. Importantly, negligible damage to primary organs and satisfactory biocompatibility were observed in the murine model. Collectively, these findings highlight the therapeutic potential of this MPDA-based platform for controlling bacterial infection and accelerating wound healing.