Disruption of sleep architecture in Prevotella enterotype of patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation are critical pathophysiological processes involved in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Those manifestations independently affect similar brain regions and contribute to OSAHS-related comorbidities that are known to be related to the host gut alteration microbiota. We hypothesized that gut microbiota disruption may cross talk the brain function via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Thus, we aim to survey enterotypes and polysomnographic data of patients with OSAHS. METHODS: Subjects were diagnosed by polysomnography, from whom fecal samples were obtained and analyzed for the microbiome composition by variable regions 3-4 of 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and bioinformatic analyses. We examined the fasting levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha of all subjects. RESULTS: Three enterotypes Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Prevotella were identified in patients with OSAHS. Arousal-related parameters or sleep stages are significantly disrupted in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15 patients with Prevotella enterotype; further analysis this enterotype subjects, obstructive, central, and mixed apnea indices, and mean heart rate are also significantly elevated in AHI ≥15 patients. However, blood cytokines levels of all subjects were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates the possibility of pathophysiological interplay between enterotypes and sleeps structure disruption in sleep apnea through a microbiota-gut-brain axis and offers some new insight toward the pathogenesis of OSAHS.

[Correlationship between chemokines and oxidative stress in chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the possible associations of chemokines IP-10, Rantes and oxidative stress in chronic hepatits B (CHB). METHODS: 70 CHB patients and 10 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and regulated on activation normal T-cell-expressed and secreted (Rantes) and oxidative stress parameters (glutathione, GSH; glutathione disulfide, GSSG). Correlationship were analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation. RESULT: The levels of IP-10 and Rantes were higher in CHB patients than healthy controls, and strong positive associations were found between IP-10/Rantes and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The levels of GSH and GSH/GSSG were lower in CHB patients than healthy controls, and GSH and GSH/GSSG were negatively correlated with ALT. The levels of IP-10 and Rantes were negatively correlated with GSH and GSH/GSSG respectively. CONCLUSION: Strong associations were found between chemokines and oxidative stress which participated in the pathogenesis of CHB.

Detection of the hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) antigen and anti-HBx antibodies in cases of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) expressed in Escherichia coli DH5alpha by recombinant DNA technology was purified to homogeneity by use of glutathione-Sepharose beads. Immunological characterization of the recombinant HBx protein was performed. Specific binding between the anti-HBx monoclonal antibody and HBx protein showed the specificity of the recombinant HBx protein. The intact HBx protein of the factor Xa-digested glutathione S-transferase-HBx fusion protein was further purified and was used as an antigen for screening the titers of anti-HBx antibodies in sera. Titers of anti-HBx in sera from 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 20 patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), and 20 healthy individuals were evaluated by Western blotting and a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results indicated that 70% of sera from HCC patients and 5% of sera from CH patients contained antibodies with significant binding to the HBx protein. Western blotting of HBx protein in liver extracts from 20 HCC patients was also performed by using the anti-HBx monoclonal antibody. Results showed that 85% of HCC patients' liver tissues contained a specific HBx protein with the same molecular size as the purified intact HBx. Full correlation was found between anti-HBx antibody positivity in serum and HBx protein positivity in HCC tissues. The data demonstrated that the etiology of HCC is involved with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and that HBx in particular plays a role in the development of HBV-related HCC.