Serum levels of HMW adiponectin and its receptors are associated with cytokine levels and clinical characteristics in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

We aimed to investigate the changes in the levels of high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, adiponectin receptors, and cytokines in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as their potential relationships. Forty-one patients who underwent lobectomy for lung lesions and had a clear postoperative pathological diagnosis were divided into the non-COPD (N = 23) and COPD (N = 18) groups. HMW adiponectin, cytokine, and T-cadherin levels in serum and tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of HMW adiponectin and cytokine (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-10, surfactant protein D, 4-hydroxynonenal, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C reactive protein) in the serum and tissues increased in the COPD group compared to those in the non-COPD group. Patients with COPD exhibited AdipoR1 upregulation and AdipoR2 downregulation. Although T-cadherin did not differ significantly between patients with and those without COPD, its expression was elevated during the progression from COPD with benign lung lesions to combined lung cancer. Furthermore, the HMW adiponectin levels were significantly correlated with the cytokine levels and the clinical characteristics of COPD. HMW adiponectin and its receptors affect the inflammatory process in COPD and may further contribute to the progression of the disease to malignancy.

Predictive Value of GDF-15 and sST2 for Pulmonary Hypertension in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Objective: To confirm whether growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) are indicators of pulmonary hypertension in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD-PH). Methods: All patients admitted to the hospital with AECOPD between July 2020 and October 2021 were enrolled. The patients were then categorized into AECOPD and AECOPD-PH groups according to PH probability, and the differences in GDF-15 and sST2 serum levels in the AECOPD and AECOPD-PH groups were compared. Correlation analysis was carried out to explore the association between GDF-15 and sST2 serum levels and the length of hospital stay of patients with AECOPD-PH. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the clinical significance of GDF-15 and sST2 in predicting patients with AECOPD-PH. Results: Included in this study were 126 patients with AECOPD, including 69 with AECOPD and 57 with AECOPD-PH. The serum levels of GDF-15 and sST2 in the AECOPD-PH group were significantly higher than those in the AECOPD group (P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between the length of hospital stay in AECOPD-PH patients and GDF-15 and sST2 serum levels (P > 0.05). The area under the curves of GDF-15, sST2, and GDF-15 + sST2 for predicting AECOPD-PH and AECOPD-PH patients with poor prognosis were >0.60 and 0.70, respectively. The optimal cutoff values of GDF-15 and sST2 for predicting AECOPD-PH were 1125.33 pg/mL and 80.68 ng/mL and 1309.72 pg/mL and 59.10 ng/mL for predicting AECOPD-PH patients with poor prognosis, respectively. Conclusion: GDF-15 and sST2 levels may be useful in the prediction of AECOPD-PH.

SPTAN1/NUMB axis senses cell density to restrain cell growth and oncogenesis through Hippo signaling.

The loss of contact inhibition is a key step during carcinogenesis. The Hippo-Yes-associated protein (Hippo/YAP) pathway is an important regulator of cell growth in a cell density-dependent manner. However, how Hippo signaling senses cell density in this context remains elusive. Here, we report that high cell density induced the phosphorylation of spectrin α chain, nonerythrocytic 1 (SPTAN1), a plasma membrane-stabilizing protein, to recruit NUMB endocytic adaptor protein isoforms 1 and 2 (NUMB1/2), which further sequestered microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARKs) in the plasma membrane and rendered them inaccessible for phosphorylation and inhibition of the Hippo kinases sterile 20-like kinases MST1 and MST2 (MST1/2). WW45 interaction with MST1/2 was thereby enhanced, resulting in the activation of Hippo signaling to block YAP activity for cell contact inhibition. Importantly, low cell density led to SPTAN1 dephosphorylation and NUMB cytoplasmic location, along with MST1/2 inhibition and, consequently, YAP activation. Moreover, double KO of NUMB and WW45 in the liver led to appreciable organ enlargement and rapid tumorigenesis. Interestingly, NUMB isoforms 3 and 4, which have a truncated phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain and are thus unable to interact with phosphorylated SPTAN1 and activate MST1/2, were selectively upregulated in liver cancer, which correlated with YAP activation. We have thus revealed a SPTAN1/NUMB1/2 axis that acts as a cell density sensor to restrain cell growth and oncogenesis by coupling external cell-cell contact signals to intracellular Hippo signaling.

Clinical Value of a Nomogram Model Based on Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values Within 1 cm of the Tumor Cavity to Predict Postoperative Progression of Glioma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of constructing a nomogram model based on apparent diffusion coefficient values within 1 cm of the residual tumor cavity to predict the postoperative progression of gliomas. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with glioma who underwent surgery were retrospectively retrieved from the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (mADC) was measured using a picture archiving and communication system. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was constructed with the optimal mADC threshold determined by the X-tile. A nomogram was developed based on the independent risk factors determined using the Cox proportional hazards model (Cox regression model) to predict the progression of postoperative glioma. A receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the model, and decision curve analysis was performed to assess the clinical value of the nomogram. RESULTS: There was good agreement between the mADC values of the 2 repeated measurements before and after, with a consistency correlation coefficient of 0.83. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that peritumoral mADC values, degree of peritumoral enhancement, age, pathological grading, and degree of tumor resection were independent risk factors for predicting postoperative progression of glioma (all P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curves of the nomogram predicting 1, 2, and 3 years postoperative progression were 0.86, 0.82, and 0.91, respectively. The calibration curve showed good consistency between the observed and predicted values in the model. The curve showed that the nomogram model has a good clinical application value. CONCLUSIONS: The peritumoral mADC values, degree of peritumoral enhancement, age, pathological grade, and degree of tumor resection were independent factors affecting the postoperative progression of glioma. The nomogram model established for the first time based on mADC values within 1 cm of the tumor can predict the postoperative condition of patients with glioma intuitively and comprehensively. It can provide a relatively accurate prediction tool for neurosurgeons to individualize the evaluation of survival and prognosis, and formulate treatment plans for patients.

Diagnostic value of serum neuroactive substances in the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated with depression.

We aimed to investigate the potential diagnostic value of five serum neuroactive substances in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) complicated with depression. A total of 103 patients with AECOPD were enrolled between August 2020 and August 2021. All patients were assessed using a self-rating depression scale and divided into AECOPD with or without depression groups. Baseline data and serum neuroactive substance levels were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors. The diagnostic performance of neuroactive substances was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Patients with AECOPD complicated with depression exhibited higher partial pressure of CO2 values and higher chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT) scores. An elevated proportion of patients with more than two acute exacerbations (AEs) in the previous year was observed in this patient group (all P < 0.001). The CAT score and number of AEs during the previous year were identified as independent risk factors for AECOPD complicated with depression. No significant differences were observed in the levels of aspartic acid and glutamate between the two groups (P > 0.05). Serum γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly) levels were decreased. In contrast, serum nitric oxide (NO) levels were increased in the AECOPD complicated with the depression group (P < 0.05). Serum GABA and Gly levels exhibited a negative correlation, and NO levels positively correlated with the number of AEs in the previous year and the CAT score. The area under the ROC curve values for GABA, Gly, and NO were 0.755, 0.695, and 0.724, respectively. Serum GABA exhibited a sensitivity of 85.1% and a specificity of 58.9%, below the cut-off value of 4855.98 nmol/L. Serum GABA, Gly, and NO may represent potential biomarkers for AECOPD complicated with depression.

Clinical Diagnostic Value of Serum GABA, NE, ET-1, and VEGF in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is the one of the most common complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whereas, the associated diagnostic factors are uncertain. The present study aims to investigate useful diagnostic factors in patients with COPD and PH (COPD-PH). Patients and Methods: A total of 111 patients with COPD in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from December 2019 to December 2020 were divided into COPD (PASP≤50 mmHg) and COPD-PH groups (PASP>50 mmHg). Pulmonary function and chest CT results were collected. Routine blood, biochemical, and blood coagulation function indices were examined for all patients. Arterial blood gas analysis and serum cytokines were also measured. Differences in the distribution of the above indicators between the two groups were analyzed using binary logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors of COPD-PH, and multiple linear regression analysis to determine the factors affecting PASP. The influencing factors and joint predictive factors of the above linear regression analysis were analyzed using the ROC curve. The area under the curve and the best cut-off value were calculated, and their predictive value and clinical significance in disease diagnosis were discussed. Results: A total of 27 indexes with statistically significant differences between the two groups were identified (P < 0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the factors influencing the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension were serum GABA, NE, VEGF, BUN, and LYM% levels (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that the factors influencing PASP were serum NE, ET-1, GABA, and VEGF levels, and the goodness of fit of the model was 0.748 (P < 0.001). ROC curve showed that the AUC of the combined diagnosis of serum NE, ET-1, GABA, and VEGF levels was 0.966 (sensitivity, 87.5%; specificity, 93.65%). Conclusion: Serum NE and ET-1 are risk factors for COPD-PH, whereas serum GABA and VEGF are protective factors against COPD-PH. The combined diagnostic value of serum NE, ET-1, GABA, and VEGF levels was the highest.

Prevalence, Risk Factor and Clinical Characteristics of Venous Thrombus Embolism in Patients with Acute Exacerbation of COPD: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Background and Objective: The prevalence of venous thrombus embolism (VTE) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is higher than in patients without COPD. Owing to the similarity of clinical symptoms between PE and acute exacerbation COPD (AECOPD), PE is likely to be overlooked or underdiagnosed in patients with AECOPD. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence, risk factor, clinical characteristics, and prognostic impact of VTE in patients with AECOPD. Methods: This multicenter, prospective, cohort study was conducted in 11 research centers of China. Data on the baseline characteristics, VTE-related risk factors, clinical symptoms, laboratory examination results, computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and lower limb venous ultrasound of AECOPD patients were collected. Patients were followed up for 1 year. Results: A total of 1580 AECOPD patients were included in the study. The mean (SD) age was 70.4 (9.9) years and 195 (26%) patients were women. The prevalence of VTE was 24.5% (387/1580) and PE was 16.8% (266/1580). VTE patients were older; had higher BMI; and longer course of COPD than non-VTE patients. The history of VTE, cor pulmonale, less purulent sputum, increased respiratory rate, higher D-dimer, and higher NT-proBNP/BNP were independently associated with VTE in hospitalized patients with AECOPD. The mortality at 1-year was higher in patients with VTE than patients without VTE (12.9% vs 4.5%, p<0.01). There was no significant difference in the prognosis of patients with PE in segmental or subsegmental arteries and in main pulmonary arteries or lobar arteries (P>0.05). Conclusion: VTE is common in COPD patients and is associated with poor prognosis. Patients with PE at different locations had poorer prognosis than patients without PE. It is necessary to perform active screening strategy for VTE in AECOPD patients with risk factors.

A large-scale proteogenomic atlas of pear.

Pear is an important fruit tree that is widely distributed around the world. The first pear genome map was reported from our laboratory approximately 10 years ago. To further study global protein expression patterns in pear, we generated pear proteome data based on 24 major tissues. The tissue-resolved profiles provided evidence of the expression of 17 953 proteins. We identified 4294 new coding events and improved the pear genome annotation via the proteogenomic strategy based on 18 090 peptide spectra with peptide spectrum matches >1. Among the eight randomly selected new short coding open reading frames that were expressed in the style, four promoted and one inhibited the growth of pear pollen tubes. Based on gene coexpression module analysis, we explored the key genes associated with important agronomic traits, such as stone cell formation in fruits. The network regulating the synthesis of lignin, a major component of stone cells, was reconstructed, and receptor-like kinases were implicated as core factors in this regulatory network. Moreover, we constructed the online database PearEXP (http://www.peardb.org.cn) to enable access to the pear proteogenomic resources. This study provides a paradigm for in-depth proteogenomic studies of woody plants.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy on top of triple therapy with remdesivir, dexamethasone, and tocilizumab improves PaO2/FiO2 in severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: Despite patients with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receiving standard triple therapy, including steroids, antiviral agents, and anticytokine therapy, health condition of certain patients continue to deteriorate. In Taiwan, the COVID-19 mortality has been high since the emergence of previous variants of this disease (such as alpha, beta, or delta). We aimed to evaluate whether adjunctive infusion of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (hUC-MSCs) on top of dexamethasone, remdesivir, and tocilizumab improves pulmonary oxygenation and suppresses inflammatory cytokines in patients with severe COVID-19. Methods: Hospitalized patients with severe or critical COVID-19 pneumonia under standard triple therapy were separated into adjuvant hUC-MSC and non-hUC-MSC groups to compare the changes in the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio and biological variables. Results: Four out of eight patients with severe or critical COVID-19 received either one (n = 2) or two (n = 2) doses of intravenous infusions of hUC-MSCs using a uniform cell dose of 1.0 × 108. Both high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level and monocyte distribution width (MDW) were significantly reduced, with a reduction in the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-13, IL-12p70 and vascular endothelial growth factor following hUC-MSC transplantation. The PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 83.68 (64.34-126.75) to 227.50 (185.25-237.50) and then 349.56 (293.03-367.92) within 7 days after hUC-MSC infusion (P < 0.001), while the change of PaO2/FiO2 ratio was insignificant in non-hUC-MSC patients (admission day: 165.00 [102.50-237.61]; day 3: 100.00 [72.00-232.68]; day 7: 250.00 [71.00-251.43], P = 0.923). Conclusion: Transplantation of hUC-MSCs as adjunctive therapy improves pulmonary oxygenation in patients with severe or critical COVID-19. The beneficial effects of hUC-MSCs were presumably mediated by the mitigation of inflammatory cytokines, characterized by the reduction in both hs-CRP and MDW.

Definite therapy of mixed infection alleviates refractory dilemma of adult chronic suppurative otitis media.

The characteristics, risk factors, microbial distributions and effective treatment regimens for Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) patients intractable to empirical therapy were analyzed. Adult CSOM patients of China Medical University Hospital from 2018 to 2020 were included. Subjects of refractory and non-refractory groups were investigated for characteristics of age, sex, nation, comorbidities, otomycosis, and associated complications. Risk factors, microbiology distributions, and treatment regimens were analyzed. Twenty-six refractory patients (55.0 ± 17.7 years) and 66 non-refractory patients (54.1 ± 13.7 years) were studied. A significantly higher rate of otomycosis and CSOM complications was observed in refractory group than in non-refractory one (73.1% vs. 36.4%; p = 0.002; 57.7% vs. 10.6%, p < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed atopic diathesis (p = 0.048), otomycosis (p = 0.003) and CSOM complications (p < 0.001) were risk factors of refractory CSOM. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were the prevailing pathogens. Patients of refractory group tented to have higher rates of mixed infection (42.9%% vs. 23.7%) and significantly more included fungal pathogen (19.0% vs. 2.6%; p = 0.049) than those of non-refractory cohort. Topical treatment of fungus significantly improved outcome of refractory CSOM. Atopic diathesis, otomycosis, and CSOM-associated complications were risk factors of refractory CSOM. Systemic and local treatment to possible drug-resistant pathogens, likely CoNS and fungus, possible improves recalcitrant CSOM. Correspondingly, early identification of CSOM complications, routine culture and susceptibility testing and treatment of resistant bacteria and fungus are key elements to the successful management of adult CSOM.

Gefitinib-induced hemorrhagic cystitis and inflammatory contracted bladder in a patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring compound epidermal growth factor receptor G719S and S768I missense mutations: a case report.

Background: Numerous clinical studies have established the efficacy and safety of gefitinib for treating patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer. Gefitinib-induced urinary system-related adverse reactions are rare but may lead to discontinuation of gefitinib. Case Description: In our report, we describe a patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring compound EGFR G719S and S768I who developed hemorrhagic cystitis and inflammatory contracted bladder during first-line gefitinib therapy. A 56-year-old male smoker, presented with chronic cough, sputum expectoration, and shortness of breath for 6 months that had worsened over the last 2 weeks, was diagnosed with T2N2M1A stage IV adenocarcinoma of the right lower lung with bilateral lung metastases. Upon detecting a compound EGFR G719S and S768I using a next-generation sequencing-based assay, the patient was administered with gefitinib (250 mg/day) as a first-line regimen. Despite achieving partial response (PR) within 6 weeks of gefitinib therapy, the patient developed several drug-related adverse reactions, including diarrhea, elevated liver enzymes, and inflammatory contracted bladder with hemorrhagic cystitis. Routine urinalysis indicated full high-power field (HPF) view of red blood cell (RBC) and 40-50 white blood cell (WBC) counts/HPF at 1.5 months of gefitinib therapy as compared with no RBC and WBC per HPF before gefitinib therapy (normal range: 0-1 RBC/HPF and 0-3 WBC/HPF). The urinary symptoms and hematuria were alleviated after discontinuation of gefitinib. Icotinib was administered without benefit and subsequently switched to afatinib as the third-line therapy. A PR was achieved; however, it only lasted for 3 months. Then the patient was lost to follow-up. Conclusions: Our case shows that gefitinib can induce hemorrhagic cystitis and contracted bladder. Clinicians must be aware that these uncommon adverse reactions affecting the urinary system could occur in patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. Monitor for urinary symptoms and hematuria in this cohort of patients is essential.

Starch Capped Atomically Thin CuS Nanocrystals for Efficient Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy requires efficient plasmonic nanomaterials with small size, good water dispersibility, and biocompatibility. This work reports a one-pot, 2-min synthesis strategy for ultrathin CuS nanocrystals (NCs) with precisely tunable size and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), where a single-starch-layer coating leads to a high LSPR absorption at the near-IR wavelength 980 nm. The CuS NC diameter increases from 4.7 (1 nm height along [101]) to 28.6 nm (4.9 nm height along [001]) accompanied by LSPR redshift from 978 to 1200 nm, as the precursor ratio decreases from 1 to 0.125. Photothermal temperature increases by 38.6 °C in 50 mg L-1 CuS NC solution under laser illumination (980 nm, 1.44 W cm-2 ). Notably, 98.4% of human prostate cancer PC-3/Luc+ cells are killed by as little as 5 mg L-1 starch-coated CuS NCs with 3-min laser treatment, whereas CuS NCs without starch cause insignificant cell death. LSPR modeling discloses that the starch layer enhances the photothermal effect by significantly increasing the free carrier density and blue-shifting the LSPR toward 980 nm. This study not only presents a new type of photothermally highly efficient ultrathin CuS NCs, but also offers in-depth LSPR modeling investigations useful for other photothermal nanomaterial designs.

Younger adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 exhibited more prevalent olfactory dysfunction in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly transmitted from person to person, causing global pandemic since December 2019. Instantly detecting COVID-19 is crucial for epidemic prevention. In this study, olfactory dysfunction is a significant symptom in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients but relatively rare in other respiratory viral infections. The Taiwan smell identification test (TWSIT) is a speedy and inexpensive option for accurately distinguishing anosmia that also quantifies the degree of anosmia. Using TWSIT in the outpatient clinic for early identifying the patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 can be promising. METHODS: Nineteen patients confirmed COVID-19 in central Taiwan were collected and divided into two groups: olfactory dysfunction and non-olfactory dysfunction. Demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, and the results of the olfactory test were compared between these two groups. FINDINGS: Thirteen (68.4%) of the 19 patients had olfactory dysfunction. The patients with olfactory dysfunction were younger than those without this symptom. The statistical difference in age distribution was significant between these two groups (IQR: 25.5-35.5 vs. IQR: 32.5-60.3; p-value: 0.012). There was no significant difference in gender, smoking history, comorbidities, travel history, respiratory tract infection symptoms, and laboratory findings between these two groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that young adults were prone to develop olfactory dysfunctions. In the flu season, olfactory dysfunction is considered a specific screening criterion for early detecting COVID-19 in the community. TWSIT can serve as a decent test for quantifying and qualifying olfactory dysfunction.

Featuring COVID-19 cases via screening symptomatic patients with epidemiologic link during flu season in a medical center of central Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CO-V-2), was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China has now rapidly spread over 50 countries. For the prevention and control of infection, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control initiated testing of SARS-CoV-2 on January 24th 2020 for persons suspected with this disease. Until February 28th, 43 flu-like symptomatic patients were screened in China Medical University Hospital. METHODS: Two patients were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by rRT-PCR as COVID-19 patients A and B. Causative pathogens for included patients were detected using FilmArray™ Respiratory Panel. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical presentations, laboratory data, radiologic findings, and travel and exposure contact histories, of the COVID-19 patients in comparison to those with other respiratory infections. RESULTS: Through contact with Taiwan No. 19 case patient on 27th January, COVID-19 patients A and B were infected. Both patients had no identified comorbidities and developed mild illness with temporal fever, persistent cough, and lung interstitial infiltrates. Owing to the persistence of positive SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimen, the two COVID-19 patients are still in the isolation rooms despite recovery until 10th of March. The results of FilmArrayTM Respiratory Panel revealed 22 of the 41 non-COVID-19 patients were infected by particular pathogens. In general, seasonal respiratory pathogens are more prevalent than SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients in non- COVID-19 endemic area during the flu season. Since all patients shared similar clinical and laboratory findings, expanded surveillance of detailed exposure history for suspected patients and application of rapid detection tools are highly recommended.

Identification and functional characterization of SOC1-like genes in Pyrus bretschneideri.

Flowering is a prerequisite for pear fruit production. Therefore, the development of flower buds and the control of flowering time are important for pear trees. However, the molecular mechanism of pear flowering is unclear. SOC1, a member of MADS-box family, is known as a flowering signal integrator in Arabidopsis. We identified eight SOC1-like genes in Pyrus bretschneideri and analyzed their basic information and expression patterns. Some pear SOC1-like genes were regulated by photoperiod in leaves. Moreover, the expression patterns were diverse during the development of pear flower buds. Two members of the pear SOC1-like genes, PbSOC1d and PbSOC1g, could lead to early flowering phenotype when overexpressed in Arabidopsis. PbSOC1d and PbSOC1g were identified as activators of the floral meristem identity genes AtAP1 and AtLFY and promote flowering time. These results suggest that PbSOC1d and PbSOC1g are promoters of flowering time and may be involved in flower bud development in pear.

Different forms of adiponectin reduce the apoptotic and damaging effect of cigarette smoke extract on human bronchial epithelial cells.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease, in which adiponectin may serve an important role. The present study investigated the role of adiponectin in the apoptotic and damaging effect of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBECs). An MTT assay showed that CSE significantly inhibited the proliferation of 16HBECs (F=1808.88, P<0.01). The 16HBECs were treated with different concentrations of high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and globular domain (gAd) adiponectin and it was observed that HMW and gAd dose-dependently inhibited the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-8, and the generation of 4-hydroxy-nonenal and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in 16HBECs, thereby blocking the upregulating effect of CSE on these factors. However, the inhibitory effect of gAd on TNF-α and IL-8 expression was stronger compared with that of HMW, but the suppressing effect of HMW on ROS production was superior compared with that of gAd. Further testing of apoptosis indicated that CSE and HMW promoted the apoptosis of 16HBECs. However, such effects of HMW declined with an increase in concentration. In contrast, gAd showed an inhibitory effect on apoptosis and inhibited the occurrence of CSE-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that different forms of adiponectin may have different mechanisms of action, suggesting that further exploration of their effects may open a new avenue for the treatment of COPD.

Effect of glucocorticoid on MIP-1α and NF-κB expressing in the lung of rats undergoing mechanical ventilation with a high tidal volume.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator induced lung injury (VILI) is a serious complication in the treatment of mechanical ventilating patients, and it is also the main cause that results in exacerbation or death of patients. In this study, we produced VILI models by using glucocorticoid in rats with high tidal volume mechanical ventilation, and observed the content of macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the expression of MIP-1α mRNA and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 mRNA in the lung so as to explore the role of glucocorticoid in mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Thirty-two healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group, a ventilator induced lung injury (VILI) group, a dexamethasone (DEX) group and a budesonide (BUD) group. The content of MIP-1α in plasma and BALF was measured with ELISA and the level of MIP-1α mRNA and NF-κBp65 mRNA expressing in the lung of rats were detected by RT-PCR. The data were expressed as mean±SD and were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The content of MIP-1α in plasma and BALF and the level of MIP-1α mRNA and NF-KBp65 mRNA in the lung in the DEX and BUD groups were significantly lower than those in the VILI group (P<0.001). Although the content of MIP-1α in plasma and BALF and the level of MIP-1α mRNA and NF-κBp65 mRNA in the lung in the BUD group were higher than those in the DEX group, there were no significant differences between them (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Glucocorticoid could down-regulate the expression of MIP-1α by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB in the lung and may exert preventive and therapeutic effects on VILI to some extent. The effect of local use of glucocorticoid against VILI is similar to that of systemic use, but there is lesser adverse reaction.