Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in non-severe and severe pneumonia patients.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is widely used as a more promising technology than conventional tests. However, its clinical utility in the context of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples for discriminating between non-severe and severe pneumonia is not well established. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of mNGS on BALF samples from 100 individuals suspected of pneumonia, and compared it with conventional microbiological tests (CMT) of BALF samples and the final clinical diagnosis. Twenty-seven cases of non-severe pneumonia and 73 cases of severe pneumonia patients were finally clinically diagnosed. Among 100 cases, diagnostic performance of mNGS and culture showed a significant difference; 65 cases had the same sample types, of which 25 cases were diagnosed as positive by mNGS only (38.46%) and 1 was diagnosed as positive by culture only (1.54%). Moreover, 24 cases were diagnosed positive in both mNGS and culture (36.92%) and 15 cases tested negative in both mNGS and culture (23.08%). Among 35 cases, 28 out of 35 cases were diagnosed as positive by mNGS, while only 4 out of 35 cases were diagnosed as positive by the indirect immunofluorescence method (IIFT). In addition, the positive rate of mNGS was higher than that of culture in cases regardless of prior antibiotic exposure. Mixed pathogens were found to be significantly more prevalent in severe pneumonia patients than in non-severe pneumonia patients. Importantly, among 38 cases who were diagnosed solely by mNGS, 25 patients experienced an improved outcome after physicians changed the therapy according to the mNGS results. In conclusion, the results showed that mNGS of BALF represents a potentially effective tool for detection of mixed pathogens in severe pneumonia.

miR-874 directly targets AQP3 to inhibit cell proliferation, mobility and EMT in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major type of lung cancer with high morbidity and high mortality. miR-874 has been determined to play a role in tumor suppression in several cancers. The purpose of our study was to detect the biological mechanisms of miR-874 and AQP3 in NSCLC. METHODS: CCK-8 and Transwell assays were utilized to perform cell invasion.Western blot was employed to evaluate the protein expression. RESULTS: The expression of miR-874 was lower in NSCLC tissues than that of corresponding adjacent nontumor tissues. Downregulation of miR-874 predicted a poor prognosis in NSCLC. The cell proliferation and mobility were suppressed by overexpression of miR-874, which were promoted by knockdown of miR-874 in A549 and H1299 cells. miR-874 mediated the expression of AQP3 by directly binding to the 3'-untranslated regions (UTR) of AQP3 mRNA in NSCLC cells. Moreover, miR-874 inhibited the proliferation and mobility by targeting AQP3 and inhibited the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in A549 cells. miR-874 inhibited the growth of NSCLC in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, miR-874 inhibited proliferation and mobility by regulating AQP3 in NSCLC. The newly identified miR-874/AQP3 axis provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

Hesperetin ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice through regulating the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway.

Hesperetin, a major bioflavonoid in sweet oranges and lemons, exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in pulmonary diseases; however, its effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury is unclear. This study investigated the effect of hesperetin on LPS-induced lung inflammatory response. Mice were intratracheally instilled with 5 mg/kg body weight LPS, and then were given hesperetin orally (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg body weight) 1 h later. Hesperetin dramatically suppressed the levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Besides, it reduced lung injury, wet weight/dry weight ratio, and myeloperoxidase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, and enhanced superoxide dismutase activity. In addition, hesperetin significantly downregulated the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) protein expression and suppressed nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in lung tissue. Together, these results indicated that the anti-inflammatory effect of hesperetin is associated with the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway, and that hesperetin shows therapeutic potential for LPS-induced acute lung injury.

Effects of yoga training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, several studies have assessed the effect of yoga training on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but these studies involved a wide variation of sample and convey inconclusive results. Hence, the present study was performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of yoga training in COPD patients. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for relevant studies. The primary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1% predicted (% pred). Secondary outcomes included 6-min walking distance (6 MWD), arterial oxygen tension (PaO2), and arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2). Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and heterogeneity was assessed with the I(2) test. RESULTS: Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 233 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Yoga training significantly improved FEV1 (WMD: 123.57 mL, 95% CI: 4.12-243, P=0.04), FEV1% pred (WMD: 3.90%, 95% CI: 2.27-5.54, P<0.00001), and 6 MWD (WMD: 38.84 m, 95% CI: 15.52-62.16, P=0.001). However, yoga training had no significant effects on PaO2 (WMD: 1.29 mmHg, 95% CI: -1.21-3.78, P=0.31) and PaCO2 (WMD: -0.76 mmHg, 95% CI: -2.06-0.53, P=0.25). CONCLUSIONS: The current limited evidence suggested that yoga training has a positive effect on improving lung function and exercise capacity and could be used as an adjunct pulmonary rehabilitation program in COPD patients. However, further studies are needed to substantiate our preliminary findings and to investigate the long-term effects of yoga training.

Lack of efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the lower limbs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: a meta-analysis.

Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were carried out to investigate the role of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, these studies have small sample size and different measures for evaluating outcomes, and convey inconclusive results. We carried out a meta-analysis to assess the effects of NMES to COPD patients. A computerized search was performed through PubMed and Embase databases (up to December 2012) for relevant RCT. Two investigators independently screened the articles. The primary outcome measures were quadriceps strength and exercise capacity, secondary outcomes included dyspnoea and muscle fibre characteristics. The weighted mean difference (WMD) or standardized mean difference and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated, and the heterogeneity was assessed with the I(2) test. Eight trials involving 156 patients were included in this meta-analysis. We found that NMES was not associated with significant changes in quadriceps strength (standardized mean difference 0.38; 95% CI: -0.13-0.89) nor 6 min walk distance (WMD 13.63 m; 95% CI: -17.39-44.65). NMES failed to improve the muscle fibre characteristics (type I: WMD 1.09%; 95% CI: -19.45-21.64; type IIa: WMD -7.50%; 95% CI: -19.81-4.81). NMES significantly improved dyspnoea (WMD -0.98 scores; 95% CI: -1.42- -0.54). Evidence to support the benefits of NMES to COPD patients is currently inadequate. Larger-scale studies are needed to investigate the efficacy of NMES.

[Detection and clinical significance of vascular cell adhesion molecules-1 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecular-1 (sPECAM-1) of prethrombotic state mediators in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: The blood plasma levels of D-dimer (D-D), sVCAM-1 and sPECAM-1 in 20 healthy volunteers (control group) and 35 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD ( AECOPD) before and after treatment were measured by ELISA. The statistical analysis used Student' s t test of significance and Pearson linear correlation analysis. RESULTS: The level of D-D in patients before treatment [(4.49 +/- 1.47) mg/L] was significantly higher than that after treatment [(1.98 +/- 0.92) mg/L] and that of the control group [(0.44 +/- 0.14) mg/L] (t = 0.91, 13.10, both P < 0.001); the level of D-D in patients after treatment was also higher than that of the control group (t = 4.96, P < 0.001). The level of sVCAM-1 in patients before treatment [(11 +/- 5) nmol/L] was significantly higher than those of patients after treatment [(8 +/- 4) nmol/L] and control group [(7 +/- 4) nmol/L] (t = 2. 24, 2.75, both P < 0.001); but the difference of sVCAM-l between the post-treatment group and the control group was not significant (t = 0.75, P > 0.05). The level of sPECAM-1 in patients after treatment [(61 +/- 13) pmol/L] was significantly higher than that before treatment [(36 +/- 8) pmol/L] and that of the control group [(43 +/- 10) pmol/L] (t = 9.23, 5.91, both P < 0.001), and the level of the control group was also higher than that of patients before treatment (t = 2.35, P < 0.05). Before treatment, there was significant positive correlation between D-D and sVCAM-1 (r = 0.759, P < 0.01) but no correlation between sPECAM-1 and D-D or sVCAM-1 (r = 0.045, 0.078, both P > 0.05). After treatment, there was significant negative correlation between D-D and sPECAM-1 (r = -0.548, P < 0.01) but no correlation between sVCAM-land D-D or sPECAM-1 (r = -0.032, 0.143, both P > 0.05). There were no correlations among D-D and sPECAM-1 and sVCAM-1 respectively in the control group (r = 0.137, -0.121, 0.035, all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The levels of D-D and sVCAM-1 increase significantly during acute exacerbation of COPD, which suggests that prethrombotic state exists in acute exacerbation of COPD. The measurement of D-D and sVCAM-1 is useful to monitor prethrombotic state during acute exacerbation of COPD and may be useful in evaluating the severity. The significant increase of sPECAM-1 in plasma of patients after treatment suggests that sPECAM-1 may be a protective factor against prethrombotic state.