Diagnostic value of IFN-gamma in tuberculous pleural effusion.

BACKGROUND: Simple, rapid, and accurate diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) remains challenging. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of IFN-γ in diagnosing TPE. METHODS: We quantified the expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in blood (B), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and IFN-γ in pleural effusions (PE) from 25 TPE patients and 31 non-TPE patients using a combination of immunological assays and flow cytometric analysis. The diagnostic performance of these three biomarkers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: We found that IFN-γ levels in blood and pleural fluid were higher in the TPE group than in the non-TPE group. The mean concentration of IFN-γ in pleural fluid of the TPE group was 3140.90 (1817.94, 6611.05) pg/mL, while that of the non-TPE group was 4.91 (0.69, 8.6) pg/mL), and the difference was statistically significant (z = 6.39, P < 0.001). The mean blood IFN-γ was 40.19 (16.45, 59.08) pg/mL in the TPE group and 2.76 (1.96, 6.02) pg/mL in the non-TPE group, which was statistically different (z = 5.12, P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for pleural fluid IFN-γ, blood IFN-γ, and ADA were 0.999 (95 % CI: 0.994-1.00), 0.901 (95 % CI: 0.798-1.00) and 0.996 (95 % CI: 0.987-1.00), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that IFN-γ has high diagnostic validity in patients with TPE and can potentially be an excellent biomarker.

Erratum: [Corrigendum] Chloroquine potentiates the anticancer effect of sunitinib on renal cell carcinoma by inhibiting autophagy and inducing apoptosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.7635.].

Silencing TRIM29 Sensitizes Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells to Anlotinib by Promoting Apoptosis via Binding RAD50.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have proposed that the transcriptional regulatory factor tripartite motif containing 29 (TRIM29) is involved in carcinogenesis via binding with nucleic acid. TRIM29 is confirmed to be highly expressed when the cancer cells acquire therapy-resistant properties. We noticed that TRIM29 levels were significantly increased in anlotinib-resistant NCI-H1975 (NCI-H1975/AR) cells via mining data information from gene expression omnibus (GEO) gene microarray (GSE142031; log2 fold change > 1, p < 0.05). OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the function of TRIM29 on the resistance to anlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, including NCI-H1975 and A549 cells. METHODS: Real-time RT-PCR and western blot were used to detect TRIM29 expression in anlotinib-resistant NSCLC (NSCLC/AR) cells. Apoptosis were determined through flow cytometry, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining as well as western blot. ELISA was used to measure the content of C-X3-C motif chemokine ligand 1. Co-Immunoprecipitation assay was performed to verify the interaction between TRIM29 and RAD50 double-strand break repair protein (RAD50). RESULTS: TRIM29 expression was shown to be elevated in the cytoplasm and nucleus of NSCLC/AR cells compared to normal NSCLC cells. Next, we demonstrated that TRIM29 knockdown facilitated apoptosis and enhanced the sensitivity to anlotinib in NSCLC/AR cells. Based on the refined results citing from the database BioGRID, it was proved that TRIM29 interacted with RAD50. Herein, RAD50 overexpression diminished the pro-apoptotic effect induced by silencing TRIM29 in anlotinib-resistant A549 (A549/AR) cells. CONCLUSION: Finally, we concluded that the increased sensitivity to anlotinib in NSCLC/AR cells was achieved by knocking down TRIM29, besides, the positive effects of TRIM29 knockdown were attributed to the promotion of apoptosis via binding to RAD50 in NSCLC/AR cell nucleus. Therefore, TRIM29 might become a potential target for overcoming anlotinib resistance in NSCLC treatment.

Health-related quality of life of COVID-19 patients after discharge: A multicenter follow-up study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of COVID-19 patients after discharge and its predicting factors. BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has caused a worldwide pandemic and led a huge impact on the health of human and daily life. It has been demonstrated that physical and psychological conditions of hospitalised COVID-19 patients are impaired, but the studies focus on physical and psychological conditions of COVID-19 patients after discharge from hospital are rare. DESIGN: A multicentre follow-up study. METHODS: This was a multicentre follow-up study of COVID-19 patients who had discharged from six designated hospitals. Physical symptoms and HRQoL were surveyed at first follow-up (the third month after discharge). The latest multiple laboratory findings were collected through medical examination records. This study was performed and reported in accordance with STROBE checklist. RESULTS: Three hundred eleven patients (57.6%) were reported with one or more physical symptoms. The scores of HRQoL of COVID-19 patients at third month after discharge, except for the dimension of general health, were significantly lower than Chinese population norm (p < .001). Results of logistic regression showed that female (odds ratio (OR): 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-3.06), older age (≥60 years) (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.33-4.47) and the physical symptom after discharge (OR: 40.15, 95% CI: 9.68-166.49) were risk factors for poor physical component summary; the physical symptom after discharge (OR: 6.68, 95% CI: 4.21-10.59) was a risk factor for poor mental component summary. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related quality of life of discharged COVID-19 patients did not come back to normal at third month after discharge and affected by age, sex and the physical symptom after discharge. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare workers should pay more attention to the physical and psychological rehabilitation of discharged COVID-19 patients. Long-term follow-up on COVID-19 patients after discharge is needed to determine the long-term impact of COVID-19.

The absence of coronavirus in expressed prostatic secretion in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan city.

Due to the cellular entry of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) modulated by angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the ACE2 bearing prostate is therefore hypothesized as a susceptible organ to COVID-19. To delineate whether the pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could be detected in the expressed prostatic secretion (EPS), a total of ten male patients with confirmed COVID-19 were recruited. All patients were stratified into two groups: one group with positive nasopharyngeal swabbing SARS-CoV-2 within 3 days of the EPS taken day (PNS group, n = 3) and the other group with previously positive nasopharyngeal swabbing SARS-CoV-2 but turned negative before the taken day (PNNS group, n = 7). The COVID-19 patients showed elevated inflammatory indictors, i.e. C-reaction protein (3.28 (1.14, 33.33) mg/L), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (22.50 (8.00, 78.50) mm/h), and interleukin-6 (6.49 (4.96, 21.09) pg/ml). Serum IgM against SARS-CoV-2 was only positive in the PNS group, whereas serum IgG was positive for all patients. Furthermore, our data showed for the first time that none of the COVID-19 patients had positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA in EPS. To this end, this study found the negativity of SARS-CoV-2 in EPS and possibly exclude the sexual transmission of COVID-19.

Multiple Copies in T-Cell Malignancy 1 (MCT-1) Promotes the Stemness of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells via Activating Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Signaling through Suppressing MiR-34a Expression.

BACKGROUND Although the oncogenic roles of multiple copies in T-cell malignancy 1 (MCT-1) have been revealed in multiple cancers, its effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression are still uncertain. This study aimed to reveal the effects of MCT-1 on the stem cell-like traits of NSCLC cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS Western blot, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), spheroid forming ability, and ALDH1 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1) activity analysis were carried out to examine the effects of MCT-1/micrRNa-34 (miR-34a)/interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the stem cell-like characteristics of lung cancer cells. RESULTS MCT-1 knockdown reduced the spheroid forming ability, characterized as the decreased spheroid size and number. Additionally, MCT-1 knockdown decreased the expression of the NSCLC stemness markers and the activity of ALDH1. Moreover, MCT-1 knockdown decreased IL-6 secretion that promotes NSCLC cell stemness. Furthermore, MCT-1 knockdown increased the level of miR-34a, which attenuated the stemness of NSCLC cells through targeting IL-6R (IL-6 receptor) expression. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest MCT-1/miR-34a/IL-6/IL-6R axis is responsible for MCT-1-mediated effects on NSCLC cell stemness.

In vivo effects of the NLRP1/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway on latent respiratory virus infection.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat protein (NLRP)1/NLRP3 inflammasome pathways on latent viral infection of the respiratory tract. A total of 55 BALB/c mice were assigned to the control, bleomycin (BLM)­treated, murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), MCMV+BLM and MCMV+BLM+CD4+ T­cell groups. The viral loads were detected in the salivary glands, kidney, liver and lung tissues via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The weight, lung coefficient and hydroxyproline (HYP) were detected. HE and Masson staining were performed to score for alveolitis and degree of pulmonary fibrosis. Reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blot were applied to assess the expression levels of the NLRP inflammasome components caspase­1, interleukin (IL)­1ß and IL­18. ELISA was used to evaluate the expression levels of caspase­1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)­α, IL­1ß and IL­18. The weight of the mice decreased, and the lung coefficient and HYP content increased in the BLM, MCMV, MCMV+BLM and MCMV+BLM+CD4+ T­cell groups compared with those in the control group. Compared with the control group, mice in the BLM, MCMV+BLM and MCMV+BLM+CD4+ T­cell groups had obviously increased alveolitis and degrees of pulmonary fibrosis, increased mRNA expression levels of caspase­1, IL­1ß and IL­18, and increased protein expression levels of caspase­1(p20), mature IL­1ß and mature IL­18. The values in the MCMV+BLM group were also higher than those in the BLM group and those in the MCMV+BLM+CD4+ T­cell group. The serum levels of caspase­1, TNF­α, IL­1ß and IL­18 in the serum of mice in the MCMV+BLM group were significantly higher than those in the BLM group. Compared with the MCMV+BLM group, the MCMV+BLM+CD4+ T­cell group had decreased levels of caspase­1, TNF­α, IL­1ß and IL­18 (all P<0.05). These results demonstrated that the activation of the NLRP1 and NLRP3 inflammasome pathways may contribute to pulmonary fibrosis caused by latent MCMV infection in mice.

#2714, a novel active inhibitor with potent G2/M phase arrest and antitumor efficacy in preclinical models.

Arresting cell cycle has been one of the most common approaches worldwide in cancer therapy. Specifically, arresting cells in the G2/M phase is a promising therapeutic approach in the battle against lung cancer. In the present study, we demonstrated the anticancer activities and possible mechanism of compound #2714, which can prompt G2/M phase arrest followed by cell apoptosis induction in Lewis lung carcinoma LL/2 cells. In vitro, #2714 significantly inhibited LL/2 cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner while exhibiting few toxicities on non-cancer cells. The mechanism study showed that cell proliferation inhibition due to the treatment with #2714 correlated with G2/M phase arrest and was followed by LL/2 cell apoptosis. The characterized changes were associated with the downregulation of phosphorylated cell division cycle 25C (Cdc25C) and upregulation of p53. Apoptosis-associated activation of cleaved caspase-3 was also detected. Moreover, #2714 strongly attenuated LL/2 cell proliferation by disrupting the phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In vivo, intraperitoneal administration of #2714 (25-100 mg/kg/day) to mice bearing established tumors in xenograft models significantly prevented LL/2 tumor growth (58.1%) without detectable toxicity. Compound #2714 significantly increased apoptosis in LL/2 lung cancer cells in mice models, as observed via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and the data from an immunohistochemical analysis showed that #2714 remarkably inhibited the proliferation and angiogenesis of lung cancer in vivo. Taken together, our data suggest that #2714 has a high potential anti-lung cancer efficacy with a pathway-specific mechanism of G2/M phase arrest and subsequent apoptosis induction both in vitro and in vivo; its potential to be an anticancer candidate warrants further investigation.

Chloroquine potentiates the anticancer effect of sunitinib on renal cell carcinoma by inhibiting autophagy and inducing apoptosis.

Sunitinib based adjuvant chemotherapy combined with chloroquine (CQ) for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is in clinical trials; however, its anti-RCC effect and the mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, the anti-RCC effect of sunitinib with CQ and the underlying mechanism was investigated. An MTT assay demonstrated that CQ enhanced the proliferation inhibitory effect of sunitinib against the OS-RC-2 RCC cell line. CQ inhibited sunitinib-induced autophagy in OS-RC-2, which was evidenced by the inhibition of autophagic vacuoles, acidic vesicular organelle formation, light chain 3 (LC3)-II recruitment to the autophagosomes and the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II, as induced by sunitinib. The inhibition of autophagy by CQ enhanced sunitinib-induced apoptosis, which was characterized by the activation of caspase-3, caspase-9, Bcl-2 and p53. Additionally, the exposure of OS-RC-2 cells to CQ and sunitinib resulted in the inhibition of AKT, tuberous sclerosis complex 2, mechanistic target of rapamycin and p70 ribosomal S6 kinase, which are associated with cell proliferation. In in vivo study, a combination of sunitinib with CQ in mice significantly reduced OS-RC-2 cell xenograft growth compared with the sunitinib alone group. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that CQ may enhance the anti-RCC effect of sunitinib by inhibiting the autophagy induced by sunitinib, and enhance the rate of apoptosis. Inhibiting cell proliferation may also serve a role in the synergistic antitumor effect of sunitinib and CQ. These data suggest that combination therapy of sunitinib with CQ may be a promising strategy for adjuvant chemotherapy in RCC.

Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental pulmonary fibrosis by activating TGF-ß1.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypotheses that cytomegalovirus (CMV) may trigger idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in a susceptible host and/or that the presence of CMV may alter IPF in response to a well-defined trigger of pulmonary fibrosis. A mouse model of murine CMV (MCMV) infection was established, and the mice were divided into a control group, bleomycin group and an MCMV+bleomycin group. Changes in the weights of the mice were determined in the three groups. Pulmonary fibrosis was detected using a histopathological method. The activity of transforming growth factor (TGF)­ß1 was measured, and the levels of E­cadherin, Vimentin and phosphorylated (phospho)­small mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD)2 were determined using western blot analysis. MCMV was found to invade the lungs, however, it did not cause pulmonary fibrosis. The progression of fibrosis in the mice treated with MCMV+bleomycin was more rapid, compared with that in the control mice. The protein levels of Vimentin and phospho-SMAD2 were upregulated, whereas the level of E­cadherin was downregulated in the MCMV+bleomycin group,. The results suggested that latent MCMV infection aggravated pulmonary fibrosis in the mouse model, possibly through the activation of TGF-ß1.

YL4073 is a potent autophagy-stimulating antitumor agent in an in vivo model of Lewis lung carcinoma.

Cancer cells activate autophagy in response to anticancer therapies. Autophagy induction is a promising therapeutic approach to treat cancer. In a previous study, YL4073 inhibited the growth of liver cancer and induced liver cancer cell apoptosis. Here, we demonstrated the anticancer activity and specific mechanisms of YL4073 in Lewis lung carcinoma LL/2 cells. Our results show that YL4073-induced autophagy was followed by apoptotic cell death. The anticancer and autophagy stimulating efficacy was confirmed by several factors, including the appearance of autophagic vacuoles, formation of acidic vesicular organelles, recruitment of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 II (LC3-II) to the autophagosomes, conversion and cleavage of LC3-I to LC3-II, upregulation of Beclin 1 expression, and formation of the Atg12-Atg5 conjugate in LL/2 cells after YL4073 treatment for 24 or 48 h. Furthermore, P53 activation and p-histone H3 phosphorylation occurred after cell exposure to YL4073 for 48 h, suggesting that cell apoptosis had occurred. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy using 3-methyladenine increased cell apoptosis. Molecular level studies revealed that YL4073 inhibited survival signalling by blocking the activation of Akt and mTOR phosphorylation and reduced the expression of p-mTOR downstream targets for phosphorylation, including p70S6K, p-TSC, p-MAPK, and p-AMPK. This suggests that the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K and TSC/MAPK/AMPK pathways are involved in the effects of YL4073 treatment in LL/2 cells. In addition, YL4073 significantly inhibited LL/2 tumor growth and induced apoptosis in vivo. These data suggest that YL4073 has a significant anticancer effect, with a pathway-specific mechanism of autophagy both in vitro and in vivo.

Expression variations of connective tissue growth factor in pulmonary arteries from smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Cigarette smoking contributes to the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the pulmonary vascular remodeling, the structural basis of PH, could be attributed to abnormal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs).In this study, morphometrical analysis showed that the pulmonary vessel wall thickness in smoker group and COPD group was significantly greater than in nonsmokers. In addition, we determined the expression patterns of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and cyclin D1 in PASMCs harvested from smokers with normal lung function or mild to moderate COPD, finding that the expression levels of CTGF and cyclin D1 were significantly increased in smoker group and COPD group. In vitro experiment showed that the expression of CTGF, cyclin D1 and E2F were significantly increased in human PASMCs (HPASMCs) treated with 2% cigarette smoke extract (CSE), and two CTGF siRNAs with different mRNA hits successfully attenuated the upregulated cyclin D1 and E2F, and significantly restored the CSE-induced proliferation of HPASMCs by causing cell cycle arrest in G0. These findings suggest that CTGF may contribute to the pathogenesis of abnormal proliferation of HPASMCs by promoting the expression of its downstream effectors in smokers with or without COPD.