Eikenella corrodens isolated from pleural effusion: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The bacterium Eikenella, classified as a gram-negative member of the phylum Proteobacteria, is distinguished by its rarity, corrosive nature, facultative anaerobic properties, and conditional pathogenicity. It represents the sole species within its genus-Eikenella corrodens (E. corrodens)-and can be found colonizing both human and animal oral and nasopharyngeal regions. Additionally, it occasionally inhabits the gastrointestinal or urogenital tracts. However, its slow growth rate can be attributed to its high nutritional requirements. However, there is an uneven distribution of construction and diagnostic capacity in China which poses undeniable challenges for the clinical examination and analysis of this case, especially in the basic hospitals. CASE SUMMARY: Here we presented a case of empyema associated with E. corrodens infection in a 67-year-old male patient without any previous history of infectious diseases in our primary hospital in Dongguan district of China. The patient was admitted due to recurrent worsening cough, sputum production, and dyspnea for 3 d, which had persisted for over 20 years. Moreover, the patient experienced a one-hour episode of unconsciousness. Upon admission, immediate comprehensive examinations were conducted on the patient which subsequently led to his admission to the intensive care unit. Meanwhile, the patient presented with drowsiness and profuse sweating along with bilateral conjunctival edema observed during initiation of non-invasive ventilation, suggesting empyema. A significant amount of coffee-colored malodorous pleural fluid was drained during the procedure above and sent to the laboratory department for inspection. Finally, laboratory culture results confirmed the presence of E. corrodens infection in the pleural fluid sample. The patient received antimicrobial therapy until died on day 22 in the hospital. CONCLUSION: In this report, we presented a case of empyema associated with E. corrodens infection. Multiple courses of morphological examination, viable culture analysis, and biochemical identification revealed its difficulties in detecting distinctive characteristics, as well as a detection model worth promoting. It's just that there were still certain deficiencies in terms of morphological assessment, biochemical identification, and drug susceptibility testing.

PPP1R15A-expressing monocytic MDSCs promote immunosuppressive liver microenvironment in fibrosis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Recent studies demonstrated the importance of fibrosis in promoting an immunosuppressive liver microenvironment and thereby aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), particularly via monocyte-to-monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell (M-MDSC) differentiation triggered by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). We thus aimed to identify druggable targets in these immunosuppressive myeloid cells for HCC therapy. Methods: M-MDSC signature genes were identified by integrated transcriptomic analysis of a human HSC-monocyte culture system and tumor-surrounding fibrotic livers of patients with HCC. Mechanistic and functional studies were conducted using in vitro-generated and patient-derived M-MDSCs. The therapeutic efficacy of a M-MDSC targeting approach was determined in fibrosis-associated HCC mouse models. Results: We uncovered over-expression of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 15A (PPP1R15A), a myeloid cell-enriched endoplasmic reticulum stress modulator, in human M-MDSCs that correlated with poor prognosis and ICB non-responsiveness in patients with HCC. Blocking TGF-ß signaling reduced PPP1R15A expression in HSC-induced M-MDSCs, whereas treatment of monocytes by TGF-ß upregulated PPP1R15A, which in turn promoted ARG1 and S100A8/9 expression in M-MDSCs and reduced T-cell proliferation. Consistently, lentiviral-mediated knockdown of Ppp1r15a in vivo significantly reduced ARG1+S100A8/9+ M-MDSCs in fibrotic liver, leading to elevated intratumoral IFN-γ+GZMB+CD8+ T cells and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy of ICB. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of PPP1R15A by Sephin1 reduced the immunosuppressive potential but increased the maturation status of fibrotic HCC patient-derived M-MDSCs. Conclusions: PPP1R15A+ M-MDSC cells are involved in immunosuppression in HCC development and represent a novel potential target for therapies. Impact and implications: Our cross-species analysis has identified PPP1R15A as a therapeutic target governing the anti-T-cell activities of fibrosis-associated M-MDSCs (monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells). The results from the preclinical models show that specific inhibition of PPP1R15A can break the immunosuppressive barrier to restrict hepatocellular carcinoma growth and enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade. PPP1R15A may also function as a prognostic and/or predictive biomarker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The distribution and antibiotic-resistant characteristics and risk factors of pathogens associated with clinical biliary tract infection in humans.

Introduction: Biliary Infection in patients is a common and important phenomenon resulting in severe complications and high morbidity, while the distributions and drug resistance profiles of biliary bacteria and related risk factors are dynamic. This study explored the characteristics of and risk factors for biliary infection to promote the rational use of antibiotics in clinically. Methods: Bacterial identification and drug susceptibility testing were completed using the Vitek 2 Compact analysis system. The distribution and antibiotic-resistant characteristics of 3,490 strains of biliary bacteria in patients at Nankai Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were analyzed using Whonet 5.6 and SPSS 26.0 software. We then retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and risk factors associated with 2,340 strains of Gram-negative bacilli, which were divided into multidrug-resistant bacteria (1,508 cases) and non-multidrug-resistant bacteria (832 cases) by a multivariate Cox regression model. Results and discussion: A total of 3,490 pathogenic bacterial strains were isolated from bile samples, including 2,340 (67.05%) Gram-negative strains, 1,029 (29.48%) Gram-positive strains, and 109 (4.56%) fungal strains. The top five pathogenic bacteria were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The rate of Escherichia coli resistance to ciprofloxacin increased (p < 0.05), while the resistance to amikacin decreased (p < 0.05). The resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae to cephalosporins, carbapenems, ß-lactamase inhibitors, cephalases, aminoglycosides, and quinolones increased (p < 0.05), and the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ticacillin/clavulanic acid, and amicacin declined significantly (p < 0.05). The resistance of Enterococcus faecium to tetracycline increased by year (p < 0.05), and the resistance of Enterococcus faecalis to erythromycin and high-concentration gentamicin declined (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that the administration of third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins was an independent risk factor for biliary infection. In summary, Gram-negative bacilli were the most common pathogenic bacteria isolated from biliary infection patients, especially Escherichia coli, and the rates and patterns of drug resistance were high and in constant flux; therefore, rational antimicrobial drug use should be carried out considering risk factors.

Mechanistic study of transcription factor Sox18 during heart development.

Heart development is a delicate and complex process regulated by coordination of various signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated the role of sox18 in heart development by modulating Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathways. Our spatiotemporal expression analysis revealed that sox18 is mainly expressed in the heart, branchial arch, pharyngeal arch, spinal cord, and intersegmental vessels at the tailbud stage of Xenopus tropicalis embryo. Overexpression of sox18 in the X. tropicalis embryos causes heart edema, while loss-of-function of sox18 can change the signal of developmental heart marker gata4 at different stages, suggesting that sox18 plays an essential role in the development of the heart. Knockdown of SOX18 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells suggests a link between Sox18 and ß-CATENIN, a key regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway. Sox18 negatively regulates islet1 and tbx3, the downstream factors of Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling, during the linear heart tube formation and the heart looping stage. Taken together, our findings highlight the crucial role of Sox18 in the development of the heart via inhibiting Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling.

A theoretical study on the line defects in ß12-borophene: enhanced direct-current and alternating-current conductances.

Using density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green's function method, we theoretically investigated the structures, stabilities, electronic properties, and the direct-current (DC) and alternating-current (AC) transport properties of the line defects in two-dimensional material ß12-borophene. Our results suggest that there exist six line defects that can enhance the stability of ß12-borophene and the line defects have profound influences on the electronic structure of ß12-borophene. Along the zigzag direction, the line defects can change the atomic orbital components of the Dirac cones in perfect ß12-borophene, but the line defects along the armchair direction have complicated influences on the Dirac cones. In the case of DC transport, some of the line defects lead to the constant DC phenomenon and the negative differential resistance effect, and enhance the DC conductances since the line defects exhibit typical one-dimensional characteristics. In the case of AC transport, some of the line defects enhance the AC conductances in the medium-frequency and high-frequency ranges through the photon-assisted tunneling effect. The microscopic mechanisms of the enhanced DC and AC conductances are different. In addition, for a low-frequency range, the equivalent circuits of ß12-borophene and the line defects were also suggested, which will be beneficial for designing borophene-based functional nanodevices.

Baicalin reversal of DNA hypermethylation-associated Klotho suppression ameliorates renal injury in type 1 diabetic mouse model.

Baicalin is a flavone glycoside that possesses numerous pharmacological properties. but its protective mode of action in kidney injury induced by diabetes mellitus remains incompletely understood. Using a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse model, we found that baicalin could ameliorate diabetes-induced the pathological changes of the kidney function and morphology through suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, baicalin treatment could alleviate interstitial fibrosis in the diabetic kidney via inhibiting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which was accompanied by a sharp upregulation of Klotho, the endogenous inhibitor of renal fibrosis. We further verified that baicalin-rescued expression of Klotho was associated with Klotho promoter hypomethylation due to aberrant methyltransferase 3a expressions. Klotho knockdown via RNA interferences largely abrogated the anti-renal fibrotic effects of Baicalin in HK2 cells. These findings suggested that baicalin could alleviate renal injury-induced by diabates through partly modulating Klotho promoter methylation, which provides new insights into the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.

Baicalin rescues hyperglycemia-induced neural tube defects via targeting on retinoic acid signaling.

We, in this study, studied whether or not antioxidant activities of Baicalin could reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the presence of hyperglycemia. Using early chick embryos, we demonstrated that Baicalin at 6 µM dramatically reduced NTDs rate and impaired neurogenesis in E4.5-day and HH10 chick embryo neural tubes induced by high glucose (HG). Likewise, immunofluorescent staining showed that Baicalin mitigated the HG-induced regression of Pax7 expression in neural tubes of both HH10 and E4.5-day chick embryos. Additionally, PHIS3 immunofluorescent staining in neural tubes of both HH10 and E4.5-day chick embryos manifested that cell proliferation inhibited by HG was significantly reversed by the administration of Baicalin, and similar result could also be observed in neurosphere assay in vitro. c-Caspase3 or γH2AX immunofluorescent staining and quantitative PCR showed that Baicalin administration alleviated HG-induced cell apoptosis and DNA damage. Bioinformatics results indicated that retinoic acid (RA) was likely to be the signaling pathway that Baicalin targeted on, and this was confirmed by whole-mount RALDH2 in situ hybridization and quantitative PCR of HH10 chick embryos in the absence/presence of Baicalin. In addition, blocking RA with an inhibitor abolished Baicalin's protective role in HG-induced NTDs, suppression of neurogenesis and cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis, which further verified the centrality of RA in the process of Baicalin confronting HG-induced abnormal neurodevelopment.

Large Cutting Depth and Layered Milling of Titanium Alloy Thin-Walled Parts.

Deformation of thin-walled titanium alloys can occur during the milling process due to the cutting force and chatter vibration, which can influence the precision of the finished parts. In this research, a new milling method without auxiliary support for machining of thin-walled parts was proposed. A large cutting depth and layered milling technology were used during rough machining, with a different machining allowance for each subsequent remaining layer. In the finishing stage, the surface of the previous layer needed to be dressed before processing the next layer. A TiAlSiN-coated, cemented carbide milling cutter was used to machine titanium alloy thin-walled parts, which are characterized by continuous multilayers of unequal thickness. The processing path was simulated using HyperMILL software, and the machining accuracy was detected by the 3D optical scanner. The measurement results indicated that the surface contour accuracy of the parts was ±0.21 mm, within a range of ±0.30 mm. The machining efficiency was increased by 40%, while guaranteeing machining accuracy.

Applying chlorogenic acid in an alginate scaffold of chondrocytes can improve the repair of damaged articular cartilage.

Damaged cartilage has very low regenerative potential which has led to the search for novel tissue-engineering approaches to help treat cartilage defects. While various approaches have been reported, there is no perfect treatment currently. In this study we evaluated the effects of a plant extract, chlorogenic acid (CGA), as part of chondrocyte transplantation on a model of knee joint injury in chicks. First, primary cultured chondrocytes used to evaluate the effects of CGA on chondrogenesis. Then using an articular cartilage injury model of chick knee we assessed the functional recovery after transplantation of the complexes containing chondrocytes and CGA in an alginate scaffold. Histological analysis, PCR, and western blot were further used to understand the underlying mechanisms. We showed that 60 µM CGA in alginate exhibited notable effects on stimulating chondrogenesis in vitro. Secondly, it was shown that the application of these complexes accelerated the recovery of injury-induced dysfunction by gait analysis when followed for 21 days. Histochemical analysis demonstrated that there was less abnormal vasculature formation, more chondrocyte proliferation and cartilage matrix synthesis in the presence of the complexes containing CGA. We discovered CGA treated transplantation up-regulated the expressions of Sox9 and Col2a1 which were responsible for the stimulation of chondrogenesis. Furthermore, the application of these complexes could suppress the abnormal angiogenesis and fibrosis at the injury site. Lastly, the elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, TNF-α, p-p65, and MMPs expression were decreased in the presence of CGA. This may be caused through adjusting cellular redox homeostasis associated with Nrf2. This study suggests that combining chondrocytes and CGA on an alginate scaffold can improve the recovery of damaged articular cartilage.

Baicalin administration attenuates hyperglycemia-induced malformation of cardiovascular system.

In this study, the effects of Baicalin on the hyperglycemia-induced cardiovascular malformation during embryo development were investigated. Using early chick embryos, an optimal concentration of Baicalin (6 µM) was identified which could prevent hyperglycemia-induced cardiovascular malformation of embryos. Hyperglycemia-enhanced cell apoptosis was reduced in embryos and HUVECs in the presence of Baicalin. Hyperglycemia-induced excessive ROS production was inhibited when Baicalin was administered. Analyses of SOD, GSH-Px, MQAE and GABAA suggested Baicalin plays an antioxidant role in chick embryos possibly through suppression of outwardly rectifying Cl(-) in the high-glucose microenvironment. In addition, hyperglycemia-enhanced autophagy fell in the presence of Baicalin, through affecting the ubiquitin of p62 and accelerating autophagy flux. Both Baicalin and Vitamin C could decrease apoptosis, but CQ did not, suggesting autophagy to be a protective function on the cell survival. In mice, Baicalin reduced the elevated blood glucose level caused by streptozotocin (STZ). Taken together, these data suggest that hyperglycemia-induced embryonic cardiovascular malformation can be attenuated by Baicalin administration through suppressing the excessive production of ROS and autophagy. Baicalin could be a potential candidate drug for women suffering from gestational diabetes mellitus.

Atg7-Mediated Autophagy Is Involved in the Neural Crest Cell Generation in Chick Embryo.

Autophagy plays a very important role in numerous physiological and pathological events. However, it still remains unclear whether Atg7-induced autophagy is involved in the regulation of neural crest cell production. In this study, we found the co-location of Atg7 and Pax7+ neural crest cells in early chick embryo development. Upregulation of Atg7 with unilateral transfection of full-length Atg7 increased Pax7+ and HNK-1+ cephalic and trunk neural crest cell numbers compared to either Control-GFP transfection or opposite neural tubes, suggesting that Atg7 over-expression in neural tubes could enhance the production of neural crest cells. BMP4 in situ hybridization and p-Smad1/5/8 immunofluorescent staining demonstrated that upregulation of Atg7 in neural tubes suppressed the BMP4/Smad signaling, which is considered to promote the delamination of neural crest cells. Interestingly, upregulation of Atg7 in neural tubes could significantly accelerate cell progression into the S phase, implying that Atg7 modulates cell cycle progression. However, ß-catenin expression was not significantly altered. Finally, we demonstrated that upregulation of the Atg7 gene could activate autophagy as did Atg8. We have also observed that similar phenotypes, such as more HNK-1+ neural crest cells in the unilateral Atg8 transfection side of neural tubes, and the transfection with full-length Atg8-GFP certainly promote the numbers of BrdU+ neural crest cells in comparison to the GFP control. Taken together, we reveal that Atg7-induced autophagy is involved in regulating the production of neural crest cells in early chick embryos through the modification of the cell cycle.

Effect of the Diabetic Environment On the Expression of MiRNAs in Endothelial Cells: Mir-149-5p Restoration Ameliorates the High Glucose-Induced Expression of TNF-α and ER Stress Markers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to screen microRNAs and their corresponding target genes that are associated with vascular injury in type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM), investigate the effects of differentially expressed miRNAs and their target genes on high glucose-induced vascular injury and establish the mechanism underlying these effects. METHODS: A high-throughput digital gene expression (DGE) sequencing was performed to sequence microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and determine their differential expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) incubated with serum samples from patients with T2DM and healthy volunteers. The HUVECs were transfected with si-TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor α) and a miR-149-5p inhibitor or mimic in vitro and then treated with normal or high glucose. The relative content of nitric oxide (NO) in the cells was detected using the Griess Reagent System. The mRNA and protein expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The content of endothelin-1 (ET-1), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1) were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using the Annexin V/PI apoptosis detection kit. The mRNA and protein expression levels of ER stress (ERS) markers were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Based on the high-energy sequencing and in vitro pre-experiment studies, we determined that miR-149-5p and TNF-α were a differentially expressed mRNA/miRNA pair in T2DM with vascular injury. The luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that miR-149-5p could directly target TNF-α. The upregulation of miR-149-5p reduced the high glucose-induced dysfunction in the HUVECs by significantly decreasing the levels of ET-1, vWF, and ICAM-1 and increasing the level of NO and the expression of eNOS. Additionally, we found that miR-149-5p can improve cell injury and reduce apoptosis by restoring the ameliorated high glucose-induced expression of ERS markers. CONCLUSION: TNF-α and miR-149-5p were differentially expressed in T2DM vascular endothelial injury. The over-expression of miR-149-5p ameliorates the high glucose-induced injury in the HUVECs by regulating the expression of TNF-α and ERS markers.

BRE modulates granulosa cell death to affect ovarian follicle development and atresia in the mouse.

The BRE (brain and reproductive expression) gene, highly expressed in nervous and reproductive system organs, plays an important role in modulating DNA damage repair under stress response and pathological conditions. Folliculogenesis, a process that ovarian follicle develops into maturation, is closely associated with the interaction between somatic granulosa cell and oocyte. However, the regulatory role of BRE in follicular development remains undetermined. In this context, we found that BRE is normally expressed in the oocytes and granulosa cells from the primordial follicle stage. There was a reduction in follicles number of BRE mutant (BRE-/-) mice. It was attributed to increase the follicular atresia in ovaries, as a result of retarded follicular development. We established that cell proliferation was inhibited, while apoptosis was markedly increased in the granulosa cells in the absence of BRE. In addition, expressions of γ-H2AX (marker for showing DNA double-strand breaks) and DNA damage-relevant genes are both upregulated in BRE-/- mice. In sum, these results suggest that the absence of BRE, deficiency in DNA damage repair, causes increased apoptosis in granulosa cells, which in turn induces follicular atresia in BRE-/- mice.

HBV Infection Status and the Risk of Cholangiocarcinoma in Asia: A Meta-Analysis.

Background. The inconsistent finding was between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). This meta-analysis is to explore this relationship in Asia. Methods. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to October 30, 2015. Pooled incidence rate and OR with 95% CI were calculated using STATA 11.0. Results. Thirty-nine studies were included. The pooled incidence rate of CCA patients with HBV infection was 31% (95% CI 22%-39%). The pooled OR showed increased risk of CCA incidence with HBV infection (OR = 2.72, 95% CI 1.90-3.88), especially in ICC (OR = 3.184, 95% CI 2.356-4.302), while it showed no risk in ECC (OR = 1.407, 95% CI 0.925-2.141). Also, the pooled OR showed increased risk of ICC and ECC incidence (OR = 6.857, 95% CI 4.421-10.633 and OR = 1.740, 95% CI 1.260-2.404) in patients with HBsAg+/HBcAb+. The pooled OR showed increased risk of ICC incidence (OR = 1.410, 95% CI 1.095-1.816) in patients with HBsAg-/HBcAb+. Conclusion. It is suggested that HBV infection is associated with an increased risk of CCA in Asia. Two HBV infection models (HBsAg+/HBcAb+ and HBsAg-/HBcAb+) increase the risk of CCA, and patients with HBsAg-/HBcAb+ also had a risk of ICC. This trial is registered with PROSPERO CRD42015029264.

Leukotriene D4 nasal provocation test: Rationale, methodology and diagnostic value.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (LT) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR), but few studies have investigated the nasal mucosal physiological response to LTs in AR patients. The aim of the present study was to establish the methodology and investigate the diagnostic value and safety of a leukotriene D4 (LTD4) nasal provocation test. LTD4 nasal provocation tests were performed in 26 AR patients and 16 normal control subjects. Nasal airway responsiveness was assessed by calculating the concentration of LTD4 required to cause a 60% increase in nasal airway resistance (PC60NAR-LTD4), which was measured using rhinomanometry and a composite symptom score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate the diagnostic value of LTD4 nasal provocation test, and adverse events were recorded. The study protocol was registered with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01963741). PC60NAR-LTD4 in AR was significantly lower compared with that of normal controls [8.36 (IQR, 10.00) vs. 17.00 (IQR, 0.00) µg/ml, P=0.005]. Composite symptom score was higher in AR as compared with normal controls (1.19±0.94 vs. 0.12±0.50, P<0.001). The symptom scores included sneezing (0.12±0.34 vs. 0.00±0.00, P=0.149), rhinorrhea (0.79±0.66 vs. 0.06±0.25, P<0.001) and chemosis or itching of the eyes (0.06±0.25 vs. 0.21±0.42, P=0.216). High diagnostic value was indicated by the ROC [AUC: 0.822, 95%CI (0.665, 0.961)]. No serious adverse events were observed. Thus, the present results indicate that AR patients exhibited nasal hyperactivity to LTD4, and the established procedure of LTD4 nasal provocation testing is effective and safe for use in the diagnosis of AR.

[Mechanism of oxymatrine in preventing hepatic fibrosis formation in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of oxymatrine in preventing hepatic fibrosis formation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A total of 80 CHB patients receiving routine therapies for liver protection and support were divided into two groups. Oxymatrine at the daily dose of 150 mg was injected intravenously in the therapeutic group (n=40), and gluthion (1.2 g daily) was injected in the control group (n=40) for 8 weeks. The liver functions, indexes of hepatic fibrosis and the levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured in these patients before and after the therapy. RESULTS: Liver functions was obviously improved after therapy in both groups, showing no significant difference between them (P>0.05). The indexes of hepatic fibrosis such as HA, LN, PCIII and C-IV were significantly lower in the therapeutic group than in the control group (P<0.01). The serum levels of TGF-beta1 and TNF-alpha decreased while IL-10 increased significantly after the treatment in the therapeutic group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The effect of oxymatrine against hepatic fibrosis is mediated by lowering the levels of TGF-beta1 and TNF-alpha and increasing the level of IL-10 in CHB patients.

Hepatitis B virus X protein upregulates HSP90alpha expression via activation of c-Myc in human hepatocarcinoma cell line, HepG2.

BACKGROUND: The Hepatitis B Virus X protein (HBx) plays a major role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, however, its contribution to tumor invasion and metastasis has not been established so far. Heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90alpha) isoform is an ATP-dependent molecular chaperone that maintains the active conformation of client oncoproteins in cancer cells, which is abundantly expressed in HCC, especially in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related tumors, might be involved in tumor progression. METHODS: The levels of HSP90alpha, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and c-Myc in HBx-transfected HepG2 cells were determined by western blots analysis. The endogenous ERKs activity was demonstrated by ELISA assay. The regulation of c-Myc-mediated HSP90 alpha promoter transactivation by HBx was evaluated through electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA). The c-Myc-mediated HSP90alpha transcription was analysed by promoter assay. The HBx-expressing cells were transfected with specific small interference RNA (siRNA) against c-Myc. The in vitro invasion potentials of cells were evaluated by Transwell cell invasion assay. RESULTS: HBx induces HSP90alpha expression at the transcription level. The induction effect of HBx was inhibited after treatment with c-Myc inhibitor, 10058-F4. In addition, the luciferase activity of the HSP90alpha promoter analysis revealed that the HBx is directly involved in the c-Myc-mediated transcriptional activation of HSP90alpha. Furthermore, HBx induces c-Myc expression by activation of Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 cascades, which in turn results in activation of the c-Myc-mediated HSP90alpha promoter and subsequently up-regulation of the HSP90alpha expression. Overexpression of HSP90alpha in HBx-transfected cells enhances tumor cells invasion. siRNA-mediated c-Myc knockdown in HBx-transfected cells significantly suppressed HSP90alpha expression and cells invasion in vitro. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the ability of HBx to promote tumor cells invasion by a mechanism involving the up-regulation of HSP90alpha and provide new insights into the mechanism of action of HBx and its involvement in tumor metastasis and recurrence of HCC.

[Effects of Danqi Huogan Capsule in protecting the liver, promoting circulation and removing clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Danqi Huogan Capsule in protecting the liver, promoting the circulation and removing blood clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A total of 104 CHB patients were randomized into two groups. Routine therapies for liver protection were given in the control group (n=50), and Danqi Huogan Capsule was administered in the therapeutic group (n=54) in addition to the routine therapies. The changes in the clinical symptoms, physical signs, liver functions, and hemorrheology were observed after the 3-month therapies. RESULTS: Danqi Huogan Capsule treatment obvious improved the clinical symptoms, physical signs and liver functions of the patients (P<0.01), and significantly decreased the hematocrit, low-shear blood viscosity, plasma viscosity and index of red blood cell aggregation (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Danqi Huogan Capsule is effective in protecting the liver, improving hemorrheology, promoting the blood circulation and removing clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B.