The impact of microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids on macrophage activities in disease: Mechanisms and therapeutic potentials.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from the fermentation of carbohydrates by gut microbiota play a crucial role in regulating host physiology. Among them, acetate, propionate, and butyrate are key players in various biological processes. Recent research has revealed their significant functions in immune and inflammatory responses. For instance, butyrate reduces the development of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) generating cells while promoting the development of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Propionate inhibits the initiation of a Th2 immune response by dendritic cells (DCs). Notably, SCFAs have an inhibitory impact on the polarization of M2 macrophages, emphasizing their immunomodulatory properties and potential for therapeutics. In animal models of asthma, both butyrate and propionate suppress the M2 polarization pathway, thus reducing allergic airway inflammation. Moreover, dysbiosis of gut microbiota leading to altered SCFA production has been implicated in prostate cancer progression. SCFAs trigger autophagy in cancer cells and promote M2 polarization in macrophages, accelerating tumor advancement. Manipulating microbiota- producing SCFAs holds promise for cancer treatment. Additionally, SCFAs enhance the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) by blocking histone deacetylase, resulting in increased production of antibacterial effectors and improved macrophage-mediated elimination of microorganisms. This highlights the antimicrobial potential of SCFAs and their role in host defense mechanisms. This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of the latest research on the functional aspects and underlying mechanisms of SCFAs in relation to macrophage activities in a wide range of diseases, including infectious diseases and cancers. By elucidating the intricate interplay between SCFAs and macrophage functions, this review aims to contribute to the understanding of their therapeutic potential and pave the way for future interventions targeting SCFAs in disease management.

The magic mirror: a novel intraoperative monitoring method for parathyroid glands.

The accurate detection of parathyroid glands (PGs) during surgery is of great significance in thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, which protects the function of normal PGs to prevent postoperative hypoparathyroidism and the thorough removal of parathyroid lesions. Existing conventional imaging techniques have certain limitations in the real-time exploration of PGs. In recent years, a new, real-time, and non-invasive imaging system known as the near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) imaging system has been developed to detect PGs. Several studies have confirmed that this system has a high parathyroid recognition rate and can reduce the occurrence of transient hypoparathyroidism after surgery. The NIRAF imaging system, like a magic mirror, can monitor the PGs during surgery in real time, thus providing great support for surgeries. In addition, the NIRAF imaging system can evaluate the blood supply of PGs by utilizing indocyanine green (ICG) to guide surgical strategies. The NIRAF imaging system and ICG complement each other to protect normal parathyroid function and reduce postoperative complications. This article reviews the effectiveness of the NIRAF imaging system in thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies and briefly discusses some existing problems and prospects for the future.

Diagnostic Value of the Survivin Autoantibody in Four Types of Malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated antigen overexpression, which has been reported in many types of cancers, may trigger autoantibody secretion. The present study was designed to test whether levels of circulating autoantibodies to survivin protein-derived antigens is altered in liver, esophageal, breast, and lung cancers. METHODS: Patients with liver (144), esophageal (159), breast (124), and lung cancers (267), and healthy volunteers (362) were recruited for the study, and serum samples were collected for ELISA autoantibody analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, survivin autoantibody levels were significantly higher in serum from patients with breast cancer and lung cancer, but were significantly lower in serum from patients with liver cancer (p < 0.05). In stage I and II lung cancer, the best-fit areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.731 (standard error [SE] = 0.023; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.687-0.776) and the sensitivity, with 90% specificity, was 23.7%. CONCLUSION: Analysis across four types of malignancies revealed that the survivin autoantibody had good specificity and sensitivity in lung cancer. Circulating autoantibodies to survivin could be a potential biomarker for the early lung cancer diagnosis.

A panel of autoantibodies as potential early diagnostic serum biomarkers in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Specific circulating autoantibodies are produced by host immune systems to respond to antigens that arise during tumorigenesis. To achieve auxiliary diagnosis, the present study was designed to test whether circulating autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) were altered in early breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 102 breast cancer patients and 146 age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited to participate in this study. Autoantibody expression was tested using in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with linear peptide envelope antigens derived from TAAs. RESULTS: Student's t tests showed that expression of autoantibodies against the panel (p16, c-myc, TP53, and ANXA-1) was significantly higher in the breast cancer group, stage I and II breast cancer group, and stage III and IV breast cancer group than in the healthy control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). The sensitivities of detection of the panel (90% specificity) in these groups were 33.3%, 31.7%, and 33.3%, respectively, significantly higher than that of any single autoantibody. CONCLUSION: The panel of autoantibodies is more sensitive than single TAA autoantibody detection and may be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Detecting of p16 Autoantibody as a Potential Early Diagnostic Serum Biomarker in Patients with Cervical Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Over-expression of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) may trigger secretion of their auto-antibodies. The present work was designed to test whether circulating antibody to P16 protein-derived antigens was altered in cervical cancer. METHODS: 141 cases of cervical cancer patients, 133 cases of cervical benign tumor patients, and 153 healthy volunteers matched in age were recruited. The level of circulating P16 auto-antibody was tested using an ELISA developed in-house with linear peptide antigens derived from the P16 protein. RESULTS: The P16 auto-antibody in the malignant tumor group had a significantly higher level than the healthy control group and the benign tumor group (t = 4.016, p < 0.001; t = 3.879, p < 0.001). Patients with stage I cervical cancer have the highest level of P16 autoantibody and the sensitivity against > 90% specificity was 20.3%. CONCLUSIONS: The circulating auto-antibody to P16 may be one of a series of potential biomarkers with early prognostic values for cervical cancer.

A panel of autoantibodies as potential early diagnostic serum biomarkers in patients with cervical cancer.

The study was designed to test whether circulating autoantibodies against associated antigens (TAAs) were altered in early cervical cancer and benign cervical tumors. A total of 111 cervical cancer patients, 137 cervical benign tumor patients, and 160 healthy volunteers matched in age were recruited in this study. The expression of autoantibodies was tested using in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with linear peptide envelope antigens derived from TAAs. One-way ANOVA test showed that there was no difference in the CD25 autoantibody expression among the cervical cancer group, benign tumor group, and healthy control group (P = 0.063; P = 0.191). The expression of autoantibodies against survivin and TP53 in the cervical cancer group was significantly higher than that in the benign tumor group (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). The levels of autoantibodies against cyclinB-1 and ANXA-1 were higher in the cervical cancer group than in the healthy control group (P = 0.010; P = 0.001), while autoantibodies in the cervical cancer group showed no difference in expression compared with that in the benign tumor group. The panel of five TAAs showed a sensitivity of 37.8 % and a specificity of 90 %, which was much higher than the sensitivity of the single-TAA testing group. The data from this study further support our previous hypothesis that the detection of autoantibodies for the diagnosis of a specific cancer type can be enhanced using a panel of several selected TAAs as target antigens.

FOXP3 autoantibody as a potential early prognostic serum biomarker in patients with cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Overexpression of tumor-associated antigens has been reported in many types of cancer and may trigger secretion of their autoantibodies. The present work was designed to test whether circulating antibody to FOXP3 protein-derived antigens was altered in early cervical cancer and cervical benign tumors. METHODS: A total of 141 patients with cervical cancer, 133 patients with cervical benign tumors and 148 healthy age-matched volunteers were recruited. The level of circulating anti-FOXP3 IgG antibody was tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed in-house with linear peptide antigens derived from FOXP3 protein. The linear peptide antigens were designed according to the computational prediction of HLA-II epitopes. RESULTS: Student's t test showed that anti-FOXP3 IgG in the malignant tumor group and the benign tumor group was significantly higher than in the control group (t = 6.127, p < 0.001; t = 2.704, p = 0.007). In addition, patients with stage I cervical cancer (t = 2.968, p = 0.003) had a significantly higher level of FOXP3 autoantibodies than patients with benign tumors. The sensitivity against >90 % specificity was 20.6 % with an interassay deviation of 11.7 % in the cervical cancer group. Based on a cut-off value determined by the 98th percentile of the control group IgG levels, the anti-FOXP3 IgG positivity was 2.1 % in patients with cervical cancer compared to 2.0 % in the health controls (chi-squared = 0.004, p = 0.952, OR = 1.051, 95 % CI 0.209-5.295). CONCLUSION: The circulating autoantibody to FOXP3 reflecting the continuous development of the cervical lesion, may be a potential biomarker with early prognostic values for cervical cancer.

Sectional anatomy aid for improvement of decompression surgery approach to vertical segment of facial nerve.

The aim of this study was to find a surgical approach to a vertical segment of the facial nerve (VFN) with a relatively wide visual field and small lesion by studying the location and structure of VFN with cross-sectional anatomy. High-resolution spiral computed tomographic multiplane reformation was used to reform images that were parallel to the Frankfort horizontal plane. To locate the VFN, we measured the distances as follows: from the VFN to the paries posterior bony external acoustic meatus on 5 typical multiplane reformation images, to the promontorium tympani and the root of the tympanic ring on 2 typical images. The mean distances from the VFN to the paries posterior bony external acoustic meatus are as follows: 4.47 mm on images showing the top of the external acoustic meatus, 4.20 mm on images with the best view of the window niche, 3.35 mm on images that show the widest external acoustic meatus, 4.22 mm on images with the inferior margin of the sulcus tympanicus, and 5.49 mm on images that show the bottom of the external acoustic meatus. The VFN is approximately 4.20 mm lateral to the promontorium tympani on images with the best view of the window niche and 4.12 mm lateral to the root of the tympanic ring on images with the inferior margin of the sulcus tympanicus. The other results indicate that the area and depth of the surgical wound from the improved approach would be much smaller than that from the typical approach. The surgical approach to the horizontal segment of the facial nerve through the external acoustic meatus and the tympanic cavity could be improved by grinding off the external acoustic meatus to show the VFN. The VFN can be found by taking the promontorium tympani and tympanic ring as references. This improvement is of high potential to expand the visual field to the facial nerve, remarkably without significant injury to the patients compared with the typical approach through the mastoid process.