GLP-1 receptor agonists alleviate colonic inflammation by modulating intestinal microbiota and the function of group 3 innate lymphoid cells.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which are drugs used for treating type 2 diabetes, have been reported to exert anti-inflammatory effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the mechanism of which remains elusive. Here, we report that GLP-1RAs ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in both wild-type and T/B-cell-deficient mice through modulating group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s), a subset of innate lymphoid cells that regulate intestinal immunity. GLP-1RAs promote IL-22 production by ILC3, and the protective effect of GLP-1RAs on DSS-induced colitis was abrogated in ILC3-deficient RORgtgfp/gfp mice. Furthermore, the treatment effect of GLP-RAs on colitis, as well as the generation of IL-22-producing ILC3s by GLP-RAs, is dependent on the gut microbiota. GLP-1RAs increase the abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the gut, particularly beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus reuteri, and decrease the abundance of enteropathogenic Staphylococcus bacteria. The untargeted gas chromatography (GC)/liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) of faecal metabolites further revealed enrichment of N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS), an endogenous metabolite derived from sphingosine, in the GLP-1RA-treated group. Strikingly, DMS ameliorates colitis while promoting intestinal IL-22-producing ILC3s. Taken together, our findings show that GLP-1RAs exert a therapeutic effect on colitis possibly by regulating the microbiota-DMS-IL-22+ILC3 axis, highlighting the potential beneficial role of GLP-RAs in inflammatory intestinal disorders with diabetes complications.

Relationship between warfarin dosage and international normalized ratio: a dose-response analysis and evaluation based on multicenter data.

PURPOSE: The objectives of the study were to establish a dose-response model for warfarin based on the relationship between daily warfarin dose and international normalized ratio (INR) and to evaluate the stability and reliability of the established model using external data. METHODS: Clinical data were recorded from 676 outpatients with a steady-state warfarin dosage. Demographic characteristics, concomitant medications, daily dosage of warfarin, CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotypes, and INR were recorded. Data analysis based on the Michaelis-Menten equation to describe the relationship between daily warfarin dose and INR was performed using NONMEM. The reliability and stability of the final model were evaluated using goodness-of-fit plots, resampling techniques with a nonparametric bootstrap, and external data. RESULTS: The daily warfarin dose and INR were described by a more pharmacologically expressive model than multivariate linear regression (MLR) model. The population standard value of Km was 3.56 mg, and the Hill coefficient was 0.512, with individual variabilities of 53.1% and 55.9%, respectively. CYP2C9 *1/*3, VKORC1 AA, concomitant amiodarone, and nonheart valve replacement reduced the warfarin Km by 30.4%, 74.3%, 34.5%, and 39.4%, respectively. The Km value decreased with age and increased with fat free mass (FFM). INR prediction error (73.0%) of the external datasets was within ± 20%. CONCLUSION: A dose-response model of warfarin was established based on the relationship between daily warfarin dose and INR. Expected genotype effects on Km and demographic characteristics were confirmed. The model has the potential to be a powerful tool for individualized warfarin therapy for Chinese outpatients.

Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among Chinese women with urinary tract infections in Shanghai: A community-based cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study explored chlamydia trachomatis (CT), ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and/or neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) in 5893 women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Shanghai. METHODS: From January 2009 to December 2014, 5893 women with UTIs in Shanghai were selected to undergo CT, UU and NG detection. Baseline characteristics including age, education level, occupation, reproductive history, sexual behavior and contraceptive method were obtained for epidemiological analysis. RESULTS: The total CT, UU and/or NG infection rate in the urine samples of 5893 patients was 50.69% (2987/5893), while the infection rate in vaginal secretion samples was 56.22% (3313/5893). The two detection methods were consistent. Patients aged 21-30, service personnel and unemployed persons had the highest rates of CT, UU and/or NG infection, while patients with higher education levels exhibited lower rates. As the number of previous pregnancies, natural births, abortions, sexual partners and the frequency of sexual intercourse increased, the rates of CT, UU and/or NG infection were elevated. Sexual intercourse during the menstruation period, a lack of cleaning before sexual intercourse and the use of intrauterine devices could all lead to an increased rate of CT, UU and/or NG infection. CONCLUSIONS: These data revealed that the rate of CT, UU and/or NG infection may be associated with age, education level, occupation, reproductive history, sexual behavior and type of contraceptive method in female patients with UTI in Shanghai.

GATA2 Inhibition Sensitizes Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells to Chemotherapy.

Drug resistance constitutes one of the main obstacles for clinical recovery of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Therefore, the treatment of AML requires new strategies, such as adding a third drug. To address whether GATA2 could act as a regulator of chemotherapy resistance in human leukemia cells, we observed KG1a cells and clinical patients' AML cells with a classic drug (Cerubidine) and Gefitinib. After utilizing chemotherapy, the expression of GATA2 and its target genes (EVI, SCL and WT1) in surviving AML cells and KG1a cells were significantly enhanced to double and quadrupled compared to its original level respectively. Furthermore, with continuous chemotherapeutics, AML cells with GATA2 knockdown or treated with GATA2 inhibitor (K1747) almost eliminated with dramatically reduced expression of WT1, SCL, EVI, and significantly increased apoptotic population. Therefore, we propose that reducing GATA2 expression or inhibition of its transcription activity can relieve the drug resistance of acute myeloid leukemia cells and it would be helpful for eliminating the leukemia cells in patients.

Correction: GATA2 Inhibition Sensitizes Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells to Chemotherapy.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170630.].

Effect of CYP2C9, CYP4F2 and VKORC1 genetic polymorphisms on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of mean daily maintenance dose of warfarin in Chinese patients.

In this study, we studied the effects of different genetic variants of CYP2C9, VKORC1 and CYP4F2, and clinical factors on the concentration levels of S-warfarin (WF), R-WF and S, R-7-OH-WF, as well as the mean daily maintenance dose of warfarin in 211 patients on warfarin therapy for at least 3 months. The genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), CYP2C9, VKORC1 1173C>T and CYP4F2 were identified by PCR. Plasma concentrations of S-WF and R-WF and S-7-OH-WF, R-7-OH-WF were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry on chiral columns. The warfarin dosage requirement correlated negatively with age and was in direct proportion to body weight. VKORC1 1173CC carrier had significantly lower dosage requirements than that with the heterozygous VKORC1 1173CT genotype. The concentration of both 7-OH-S-WF and 7-OH-R-WF, and the warfarin dose showed a significant difference. There were significant differences in the concentrations of S-WF and 7-OH-S-WF among the CYP2C9 variants. The concentration of warfarin, 7-OH-WF and warfarin maintenance dose were not affected by the CYP4F2 V433M variant. In conclusion, VKORC1 1173C>T genotype correlates strongly with a lower daily warfarin dose and the concentration of S-7-OH, R-7-OH warfarin in Han Shanghainese patients. In addition, the results not only demonstrated the effect on pharmacodynamics of warfarin, but also enhanced the enzymatic activity of CYP450 to influence the pharmacokinetic of warfarin.