Intelligent Recognition Algorithm-Based Color Doppler Ultrasound in the Treatment of Dangerous Placenta Previa.

The study focused on the clinical diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasound of dangerous placenta previa patients under the guidance of intelligent recognition algorithms. 58 patients with placenta previa and placenta accreta admitted to the hospital for treatment were selected as research subjects. The color Doppler ultrasound under the guidance of intelligent recognition algorithm was compared with the two-dimensional ultrasound for specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy. The color Doppler ultrasound results showed that, of the 58 patients, there were 32 cases of complete placenta previa and 26 cases of incomplete placenta previa, which were consistent with the surgical pathology results. It was found that patients with malignant placenta previa and placenta accreta had thickened placenta, disappeared posterior placental space, myometrium <2 mm, and increased incidence of cervical enlargement (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the recognition accuracy of color Doppler ultrasound under the guidance of the intelligent recognition algorithm is more than 90%, and it can effectively identify dangerous placenta previa, assisting doctors in diagnosis and treatment of dangerous placenta previa.

Luteolin, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligand, suppresses tumor metastasis in vitro and in vivo.

Estrogen receptor (ER)­negative breast tumors are associated with low survival rates, which is related to their ability to grow and metastasize into distal organs. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand­activated transcription factor that is involved in several biological processes, is a promising anti­metastatic target. Luteolin, a non­toxic naturally occurring plant flavonoid with diverse biological activities, has been demonstrated to be effective against certain types of cancer, and has also been described as a ligand of AhR. In the present study, various cancer cell lines were first investigated following treatment with luteolin, and luteolin exhibited the lowest IC50 in MDA­MB­231 cells. Then, the efficiency of luteolin in suppressing the metastasis of ER­negative breast cancer in vitro was assessed. MDA­MB­231 cells were treated with luteolin in vitro. Subsequently, MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect cell viability, the cell cycle and apoptosis, and a Transwell assay was used to evaluate cell invasion. In addition, reverse transcription­semi­quantitative PCR and western blot were performed to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)­2 and MMP­9. In addition, the number of surface tumor nodules was measured in vivo, in mice bearing B16­F10 tumors, following treatment with luteolin. Luteolin inhibited the viability and induced the apoptosis of MDA­MB­231 cells, which was accompanied by cell cycle arrest. This was associated with a decrease in the expression of the pro­metastatic markers C­X­C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), MMP­2 and MMP­9, which was reversed by AhR inhibition. Furthermore, it was identified that luteolin could inhibit the metastasis in a B16F10 mouse xenograft model, and the levels of MMP­9, MMP­2 and CXCR4 were significantly decreased in the lung tissues isolated from tumor­bearing nude mice following luteolin treatment. In conclusion, luteolin is a potential molecule for inhibiting breast cancer invasion and metastasis, which could have promising clinical applications.

Prominent immune signatures of T cells are specifically associated with indolent B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and predict prognosis.

OBJECTIVES: T cells play an essential role in controlling the development of B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (BLPDs), but the dysfunction of T cells in BLPDs largely remains elusive. METHODS: Using multiplexed flow cytometry, we quantified all major subsets of CD4+ helper T cells (Th) and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (Tc) in 94 BLPD patients and 66 healthy controls. Statistics was utilised to rank T-cell signatures that distinguished BLPDs from healthy controls and differentially presented between indolent and aggressive categories. RESULTS: By comparing with healthy controls, we found that the indolent but not aggressive type of BLPDs demonstrated a high degree of T-cell activation, showing the increase in type I helper T (Th1) cells and follicular B-helper T (Tfh) cells, both of which strongly associated with the enhanced differentiation of exhaustion-like effector cytotoxic CD8+ T cells expressing PD-1 (Tc exhaustion-like) in indolent BLPDs. Random forest modelling selected a module of T-cell immune signatures best performing binary classification of all BLPD patients. This signature module was composed of low naïve Th cells and high Th1, Tfh and Tc exhaustion-like cells which efficiently identified > 85% indolent cases and was, therefore, assigned as the Indolent Dominant Module of T-cell immune signature. In indolent BLPD patients, a strong bias towards such signatures was found to associate with clinical characteristics of worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our study identified a prominent signature of T-cell dysregulation specifically for indolent BLPDs, suggesting Th1, Tfh and Tc exhaustion-like cells represent potential prognostic biomarkers and targets for immunotherapies.

Successful management of twin pregnancy in a woman with advanced chronic kidney disease: A case report.

RATIONALE: Twin pregnancy in women with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is very rare but poses a great risk to both mother and children. In developing countries like China, advanced CKD twin pregnancies are often terminated. Here, we report a successful case and reviewed related cases, hope to facilitate further study. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 29-year-old woman with a twin pregnancy showed serum creatinine (Scr) 100 µmol/L (CKD2) at conception. During her 12th week, Scr reached 263 µmol/L (CKD4) with urine protein 3+ and hypertension. DIAGNOSES: Due to her pregnancy, renal biopsy was not considered. Lab tests showed deterioration of renal function and ultrasound detections showed small kidney size. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was given basic drug therapy to control her blood pressure and supplemental nutrition without hemodialysis. OUTCOMES: The patient delivered 2 healthy babies weighting 0.9 and 0.7 kg by cesarean section at the 28th week, but has been under maintenance hemodialysis since then. LESSONS: Despite low birth weight and preterm delivery, successful twin pregnancies in some patients with CKD could be realized under early multidisciplinary intervention, but this poses great risks for mothers and twins, especially for patients with advanced CKD and those on hemodialysis.

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Hyperactivation Associates With Follicular Helper T Cell Differentiation and Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are the specialized CD4+ T cell subset that supports B cells to produce high-affinity antibodies and generate humoral memory. Not only is the function of Tfh cells instrumental to mount protect antibodies but also to support autoantibody production and promote systemic inflammation in autoimmune diseases. However, it remains unclear how the activation of Tfh cells is driven in autoimmune diseases. Here, we report that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), excessive generation of CXCR5+PD-1+ memory Tfh cells was observed and the frequency of memory Tfh cells correlated with disease activity score calculator for RA (DAS28). The differentiation of Tfh cells is dependent on signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), the key transcription factor downstream of cytokine signal pathways. A drastic increase of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) in CD4+ T cells were detected in RA patients who also produced larger amounts of STAT3-stimulating cytokines, including IL-6, IL-21, IL-10, and leptin than those of healthy controls. Importantly, the phosphorylation status of STAT3 in CD4+ T cells positively correlated with the plasma concentration of IL-6 and the frequency of memory Tfh cells. This study reveals an IL-6-pSTAT3-Tfh immunoregulatory axis in the pathogenesis of RA and reinforces its candidature as biomarkers and targets for diagnosis and therapy.

CXCR5(+) follicular cytotoxic T cells control viral infection in B cell follicles.

During unresolved infections, some viruses escape immunological control and establish a persistant reservoir in certain cell types, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which persists in follicular helper T cells (TFH cells), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which persists in B cells. Here we identified a specialized group of cytotoxic T cells (TC cells) that expressed the chemokine receptor CXCR5, selectively entered B cell follicles and eradicated infected TFH cells and B cells. The differentiation of these cells, which we have called 'follicular cytotoxic T cells' (TFC cells), required the transcription factors Bcl6, E2A and TCF-1 but was inhibited by the transcriptional regulators Blimp1, Id2 and Id3. Blimp1 and E2A directly regulated Cxcr5 expression and, together with Bcl6 and TCF-1, formed a transcriptional circuit that guided TFC cell development. The identification of TFC cells has far-reaching implications for the development of strategies to control infections that target B cells and TFH cells and to treat B cell-derived malignancies.

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and apoptosis.

Apoptosis is a physiological cell death process that plays a critical role in development, homeostasis, and immune defense of multicellular animals. Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) constitute a family of proteins that possess between one and three baculovirus IAP repeats. Some of them also have a really interesting new gene finger domain, and can prevent cell death by binding and inhibiting active caspases, but are regulated by IAP antagonists. Some evidence also indicates that IAP can modulate the cell cycle and signal transduction. The three main factors, IAPs, IAP antagonists, and caspases, are involved in regulating the progress of apoptosis in many species. Many studies and assumptions have been focused on the anfractuous interactions between these three main factors to explore their real functional model in order to develop potential anticancer drugs. In this review, we describe the classification, molecular structures, and properties of IAPs and discuss the mechanisms of apoptosis. We also discuss the promising significance of clinical applications of IAPs in the diagnosis and treatment of malignancy.