Association between blood glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio and prognosis of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury / 中华危重病急救医学

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the association between the glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR) and prognosis of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI).@*METHODS@#Based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV), SA-AKI patients aged ≥ 18 years were selected. According to the tertiles of GLR, the patients were divided into GLR1 group (GLR ≤ 4.97×10-9 mmol), GLR2 group (4.97×10-9 mmol < GLR < 9.75×10-9 mmol) and GLR3 group (GLR ≥ 9.75×10-9 mmol). Patients with SA-AKI were divided into survival group and death group according to whether they survived 28 days after admission. The patient's gender, age, vital signs, laboratory test results, comorbidities, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology score III (APS III) score and treatment measures were extracted from the database. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to make the survival curves of patients with SA-AKI at 28 days, 90 days, 180 days and 1 year. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis model was used to explore the independent risk factors of 28-day mortality in patients with SA-AKI. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of GLR for the prognosis of patients with SA-AKI.@*RESULTS@#A total of 1 524 patients with SA-AKI were included, with a median age of 68.28 (58.96, 77.24) years old, including 612 females (40.16%) and 912 males (59.84%). There were 507 patients in the GLR1 group, 509 patients in the GLR2 group and 508 patients in the GLR3 group. There were 1 181 patients in the 28-day survival group and 343 patients in the death group. Grouping according to GLR tertiles showed that with the increase of GLR, the 28-day, 90-day, 180-day and 1-year mortality of SA-AKI patients gradually increased (28-day mortality were 11.64%, 22.00%, 33.86%, respectively; 90-day mortality were 15.98%, 26.72%, 40.55%, respectively; 180-day mortality were 17.16%, 28.29% and 41.73%, and the 1-year mortality were 17.95%, 29.27% and 42.72%, respectively, all P < 0.01). According to 28-day survival status, the GLR of the death group was significantly higher than that of the survival group [×10-9 mmol: 9.81 (5.75, 20.01) vs. 6.44 (3.64, 10.78), P < 0.01]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that GLR was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality in patients with SA-AKI [when GLR was used as a continuous variable: odds ratio (OR) = 1.065, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.045-1.085, P < 0.001; when GLR was used as a categorical variable, compared with GLR1 group: GLR2 group OR = 1.782, 95%CI was 1.200-2.647, P = 0.004; GLR3 group OR = 2.727, 95%CI was 1.857-4.005, P < 0.001]. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of GLR for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with SA-AKI was 0.674, when the optimal cut-off value was 8.769×10-9 mmol, the sensitivity was 57.1% and the specificity was 67.1%. The predictive performance was improved when GLR was combined with APS III score and SOFA score, and the AUC was 0.806, the sensitivity was 74.6% and the specificity was 71.4%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#GLR is an independent risk factor of 28-day mortality in patients with SA-AKI, and high GLR is associated with poor prognosis in patients with SA-AKI.

The Discovery of Novel PGK1 Activators as Apoptotic Inhibiting and Neuroprotective Agents.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of long-term disability that seriously endangers health and quality of human life. Tissue-type fibrinogen activator is currently the only drug approved by FDA for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Neuroprotection is theoretically a common strategy for the treatment of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke; therefore, the development of neuroprotective agent has been the focus of research. However, no ideal neuroprotective drug is clinically available. Phosphoglycerate kinase-1 (PGK1) activator has the effect of inhibiting apoptosis and protecting tissue damage, and therefore could be a potential neuroprotective agent. To obtain effective PGK1 activators, we virtually screened a large chemical database and their evaluated the efficacy by the Drosophila oxidative stress model, PGK1 enzymatic activity assay, and oxygen-glucose stripping reperfusion (OGD/R) model. The results showed that compounds 7979989, Z112553128 and AK-693/21087020 are potential PGK1 activators with protective effects against PQ-induced oxidative stress in the Drosophila model and could effectively ameliorate apoptosis induced by OGD/R-induced neuronal cell injury. Additionally, compounds 7979989 and Z112553128 are effective in alleviating LPS-induced cellular inflammation. This study indicated that these compounds are promising lead compounds that provide theoretical and material basis to the neuroprotective drug discovery.

Identification of C270 as a novel site for allosteric modulators of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease

The papain-like protease (PLpro) in coronavirus is one of key cysteine proteases responsible for the proteolytic processing of viral polyproteins, and plays an important role in dysregulation of host immune response. PLpro is a promising therapeutic target with a major challenge in inhibitor design due to the restricted S1/S2 sites for two consecutive glycine of substrates. Here we reported the discovery of two activators of the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro from a biochemical screening, and the identification of the unique residue, C270, as an allosteric and covalent regulation site for the activators. This site was also specifically modified by glutathione oxidized, resulting in the S-glutathionylation and activation of the protease. Furthermore, one compound was found to allosterically inhibit the protease by covalent binding to this crucial site. Together, these results elucidated an unrevealed molecular mechanism for allosteric modulation of the proteases activity, and provided a new strategy for discovery of allosteric inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro.

Effect of Tanxiang Qingyan Tablets on MyD88/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway in rats with chronic bronchitis / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the effect of Tanxiang Qingyan Tablets on rat model with chronic bronchitisand the effect of MyD88/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway expression in bronchopulmonary tissues of rats.Methods A rat model of chronic bronchitis was established by smoking method combined with lipopolysaccharide(LPS,2g·L-1)tracheal injection.The rats were randomly divided into normal group,sham operation group,model group,and positive drug(Guilong Ruikening tablets)1 g·kg-1)group,Tanxiang Qingyan Tablet high,medium and low dose(1.44,0.72,0.36 g·kg-1)group,with intragastric interventionin continuous 15 days.The pathological changes of bronchopulmonary tissues were observed by HE staining,and the infiltration of bronchial inflammatory cells was counted; ELISA method was used to detect the contents of tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)and interleukin 10(IL-10)in peripheral serum; Western blot and immunohistochemical methodswere employed to detectmyeloid cell differentiation protein 88(MyD88),nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB)and anti-intercellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM-1)protein expression in bronchopulmonary tissues.Results Compared with normal group and sham operation group,the bronchial mucosal epithelial cells of model group were severely damaged,the alveolar septum was widened,the bronchial inflammatory infiltrationsignificantly increased,the serum TNF-α levels significantly increased,IL-10 levels decreased, and MyD88,NF-κB and ICAM-1 protein expression levels increased significantly(P<0.05,0.01)in bronchopulmonary tissues; compared with model group,the pathological damage and inflammatory changes of the bronchopulmonary tissues of rats in Tanxiang Qingyan Tablet group were reduced,and the serum TNF-α content was significantly reduced,IL-10 content did not change significantly,and MyD88,NF-κB and ICAM-1 protein expression levels in bronchopulmonary tissues were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05,0.01).Conclusions Tanxiang Qingyan Tablets can effectively improve bronchopulmonary tissue inflammatory infiltration,which may be related to reducing the release of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and regulating the expression of MyD88/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway.

Clinical application progress of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy / 国际外科学杂志

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is one of the common surgical modalities for the treatment of upper urinary calculi. In recent years, with the continuous development and improvement of endoscopic technology, laser technology and negative pressure suction technology, stone free rate of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy is improved and the operation time is shortened, making the patient trauma smaller, comfort increased and hospitalization time shortened. This positive surgical effect and reliable safety have enabled minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy to develop rapidly and become widely used in the clinic. In this paper, the application and progress of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the clinic are reviewed, with a view to providing a reference basis and clinical guidance for future clinical treatment.

The complete chloroplast genome of Pleione maculata, an orchid with important ornamental value and medicinal value.

Pleione maculata is an epiphytic orchid with significant ornamental value and medicinal value. Here, we report the first complete chloroplast genome of P. maculata. The circular genome was 158,394 bp in length and consisted of a pair of inverted repeats (IR 26,646 bp), which were separated by a large single copy region (LSC 86,603 bp) and a small single copy region (SSC 18,499 bp). It contained 135 genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNAs and 8 rRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis of cp genomes from 41 species of Orchidaceae revealed that all species of Pleione formed one monophyletic clade and P. maculata was located at the base of the genus with high bootstrap values (≥99.1%).

The Discovery of Novel BCR-ABL Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Using a Pharmacophore Modeling and Virtual Screening Approach.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) typically results from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 to produce the bcr-abl oncogene that when translated, yields the p210 BCR-ABL protein in more than 90% of all CML patients. This protein has constitutive tyrosine kinase activity that activates numerous downstream pathways that ultimately produces uncontrolled myeloid proliferation. Although the use of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib have increased the overall survival of CML patients, their use is limited by drug resistance and severe adverse effects. Therefore, there is the need to develop novel compounds that can overcome these problems that limit the use of these drugs. Therefore, in this study, we sought to find novel compounds using Hypogen and Hiphip pharmacophore models based on the structures of clinically approved BCR-ABL TKIs. We also used optimal pharmacophore models such as three-dimensional queries to screen the ZINC database to search for potential BCR-ABL inhibitors. The hit compounds were further screened using Lipinski's rule of five, ADMET and molecular docking, and the efficacy of the hit compounds was evaluated. Our in vitro results indicated that compound ZINC21710815 significantly inhibited the proliferation of K562, BaF3/WT, and BaF3/T315I leukemia cells by inducing cell cycle arrest. The compound ZINC21710815 decreased the expression of p-BCR-ABL, STAT5, and Crkl and produced apoptosis and autophagy. Our results suggest that ZINC21710815 may be a potential BCR-ABL inhibitor that should undergo in vivo evaluation.

Exosomes derived from human-induced pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the pyrolysis of alveolar macrophages / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To investigate the effect and mechanism of exosomes derived from human-induced pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (iMSC-Exos) on alveolar macrophages (AM) pyroptosis.Methods:The exosomes in the culture supernatant of human-induced pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (iMSC) were extracted by rotating ultrafiltration, and the extracted exosomes were identified by transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting and high-resolution adjustable resistance pulse. The rat alveolar macrophage cells (NR8383 cells) were cultured in vitro and the logarithmic growth phase cells were divided into three groups: the control group was added with an equal volume of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) in the AM supernatant; in LPS/ATP group AM cells were stimulated with 500 μg/L LPS for 23 hours and then 5 mmol/L ATP was added for 1 hour to induce pyrolysis; iMSC-Exos group was incubated with AM and 100 mg/L iMSC-Exos for 3 hours before giving LPS and ATP. The cytotoxic activity was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) analysis, the apoptosis and the expression of caspase-1 were observed by immunofluorescence, the levels of inflammatory factors interleukins (IL-1β and IL-18) released by AM were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway and the expression level of pyroptosis related protein gasdermin D (GSDMD) were detected by Western blotting. Results:The extracted exosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy as round vesicles, expressing exosomal markers CD63 and CD9 showed by Western blotting, high-resolution adjustable resistance pulse showed the average diameter of the particles was 130 nm, and could be uptaken by AM. Compared with the control group, the cell activity decreased [(0.56±0.05)% vs. (1.06±0.07)%, P < 0.01], the release of necrotic substance LDH increased (U/L: 1 218.86±22.73 vs. 188.30±1.61, P < 0.01), the expression levels of inflammatory factors increased [IL-1β (ng/L): 958.91±32.78 vs. 194.63±5.14, IL-18 (ng/L): 870.89±21.86 vs. 288.85±24.48, both P < 0.01], and the apoptosis rate [(55.35±6.19)% vs. (12.01±1.32)%, P < 0.01] and caspase-1 expression (fluorescence intensity: 41.06±3.65 vs. 2.80±0.54, P < 0.01) elevated in the AM after LPS/ATP stimulation, suggesting that LPS combined with ATP successfully induced alveolar pyroptosis. Compared with the LPS/ATP group, AM pretreated with iMSC-Exos showed increased cell viability [(0.81±0.05)% vs. (0.56±0.05)%, P < 0.01], decreased LDH secretion (U/L: 535.05±42.55 vs. 1 218.86±22.73, P < 0.01), decreased expression of inflammatory factors [IL-1β (ng/L): 381.82±19.50 vs. 958.91±32.78, IL-18 (ng/L): 533.77±31.54 vs. 870.89±21.86, both P < 0.01], and decreased apoptosis rate [(19.74±2.96)% vs. (55.35±6.19)%, P < 0.01] and caspase-1 expression (fluorescence intensity: 12.16±1.31 vs. 41.06±3.65, P < 0.01). At the same time, the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway [NLRP3 protein (NLRP3/β-actin): 0.62±0.06 vs. 1.89±0.11; cleaved caspase-1 protein (cleaved caspase-1/β-actin): 0.42±0.07 vs. 1.22±0.17, both P < 0.01] and pyrolysis-related protein was significantly inhibited [GSDMD protein (GSDMD/β-actin): 0.57±0.05 vs. 1.22±0.05, P < 0.01]. Conclusion:iMSC-Exos successfully reversed the AM pyroptosis and inflammatory factor expression induced by LPS/ATP, which may be due to the targeted inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, suggesting that iMSC-Exos can exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the pyrolysis of AM.

The complete chloroplast genome of Hydrangea davidii (Hydrangeaceae).

Hydrangea davidii, a perennial shrub of Hydrangeaceae, is an ornamental plant endemic to China. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of H. davidii. The complete chloroplast genome is totally 158,054 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure. It consists a pair of inverted regions (IRs) of 26,140 bp, which were separated by a large single copy (LSC) region of 87,008 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,766 bp, respectively. The chloroplast genome encoded 131 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes and 38 tRNA genes. The GC content in the whole cp genome, LSC region, SSC region, and IR region are 37.8%, 36.0%, 31.7%, and 43.1%, respectively. In total, 49 SSRs were identified in the complete chloroplast genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that H. davidii is closely related to Hydrangea platyarguta with a support rate of 100%.

Correlation between Skip N2 Metastases and SUVmax, Long Diameter of Tumor, and Ki67 Expression in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: We aim at investigating the correlation between skip N2 metastases (SN2) and SUVmax, long diameter of tumor mass after 18F-FDG PET/CT, and pathological Ki67 expression in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed the factors that might affect the pathogenesis of SN2 in these patients. The clinical SN2 symptoms in patients with squamous carcinoma or adenocarcinoma were investigated. The work curve was utilized to analyze the optimal cutoff value for the SUVmax and long diameter of tumor. Multivariate analysis revealed that high expression of Ki67 was a risk factor for mediastinal SN2 (OR = 1.042, 95% CI: 1.009-1.076). Subgroup analysis indicated that the SUVmax of the non-SN2 group was significantly higher than that of the SN2 group in patients with squamous carcinoma (16.3 ± 6.0 vs. 10.7 ± 5.6, P = 0.026). In the patients with adenocarcinoma, the long diameter of tumor in the SN2 group was significantly longer than that of the non-SN2 group (43.8 ± 16.3 mm vs. 30.1 ± 13.8 mm, P = 0.032). The Ki67 expression in the SN2 group was significantly higher than that of the non-SN2 group (51.7 ± 24.0 vs. 30.0 ± 19.2, P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: The differences of clinical features of the patients in the SN2 group and non-SN2 group in the NSCLC patients were associated with the pathological subtypes, which were featured by lower SUVmax in the SN2 of the squamous carcinoma, and longer diameter of SN2 in the adenocarcinoma patients.

Pelvic MRI combined with TRUS-guided transperineal template mapping biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To assess the clinical value and safety of pelvic MRI combined with transurethral ultrasound (TRUS)-guided transperineal template mapping biopsy (TTMB) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.@*METHODS@#A total of 164 men underwent MRI plus TRUS-guided TTMB for the diagnosis of prostate cancer from December 2015 to May 2018. The patients averaged 71.2 years of age and, based on the PSA level, were divided into four groups: PSA 100 μg/L (n = 27). All the patients received digital rectal examination, pelvic MRI and TRUS-guided X+12-core TTMB.@*RESULTS@#The procedures of TRUS-guided TTMB were successfully completed in all the patients, with an average number of 14.2 (14－16) cores and mean operation time of 18 (15－28) minutes. Post-biopsy complications included transient hematuria in 4 cases, perineal hematoma in 12 and fever in 1, but no acute urinary retention. Pathological results revealed 95 cases of prostate cancer, 2 cases of ductal epithelial carcinoma, 63 cases of prostatic hyperplasia with benign interstitial inflammation, and 4 cases of atypical prostatic hyperplasia. The positive biopsy rates in the PSA 100 μg/L groups were 25.00%, 42.86%, 73.58% and 100.00% respectively, with statistically significant difference between the PSA 100 μg/L groups (P < 0.01), but not between the PSA <10 μg/L and PSA 10－20 μg/L groups (P = 0.086).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Pelvic MRI combined with TRUS-guided X+12-core TTMB, with the advantages of high accuracy and low rate of complications, is an ideal approach to the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

MicroRNA-155 reduces inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide in alveolar macrophages / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To observe the effect of microRNA-155 (miR-155) on the inflammatory response of rat alveolar macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods The alveolar macrophages NR8383 of rat were cultured in vitro, the macrophages in logarithmic growth phase were harvested to conduct experiment. ① The 1 mg/L LPS was used to stimulate the rat alveolar macrophages for 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours, a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) control group was also set up. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the dynamic changes of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the supernatant, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the dynamics expression of miR-155 in the cells, which confirmed the optimal time for LPS stimulation was 12 hours. ② Carboxyfluorescein (FAM) labeled mimic (FAM mimic) and inhibitor (FAM inhibitor) were used to transfect the alveolar macrophage, and the transfection effect was observed under inverted fluorescence microscope 6 hours later to confirm the optimal transfection concentration of mimic was 20 nmol/L, and the optimal transfection concentration of inhibitor was 100 nmol/L. miR-155 mimic and miR-155 inhibitor were transfected to alveolar macrophages respectively at the optimal transfection concentration for 24 hours, and 1 mg/L LPS was used to stimulate the cells for 12 hours. A mimic negative control + LPS group and an inhibitor negative control + LPS group were set up. The expressions of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant were determined by ELISA to observe the regulation of miR-155 on inflammatory response of alveolar macrophages. Results ① After stimulation of 1 mg/L LPS on alveolar macrophages, the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant and the expression of miR-155 in the cells were increased gradually with time prolongation, IL-1β and TNF-α contents peaked at 12 hours, and the expression of miR-155 peaked at 24 hours [as compared with PBS control group, IL-1β (ng/L): 910.43±36.09 vs. 22.66±7.84, TNF-α (ng/L): 3 138.39±394.10 vs. 233.92±8.84, miR-155 (2-ΔΔCt): 7.82±0.30 vs. 1, all P < 0.05]. ② Under inverted fluorescence microscope, after 20 nmol/L FAM mimic or 100 nmol/L FAM inhibitor transfected alveolar macrophages for 6 hours, a large number of cells showed green fluorescence, indicating that the transfection was successful. The expression of miR-155 in the cells transfected with 20 nmol/L miR-155 mimic was up-regulated by (236.73±46.49) times as much as that in the negative control group (P < 0.05), and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant of the cells stimulated by 1 mg/L LPS for 12 hours were significantly lower than those in the negative control group [IL-1β (ng/L): 324.37±36.59 vs. 799.31±39.44, TNF-α (ng/L): 1 554.01±342.48 vs. 3 020.49±418.30, both P < 0.05]. The miR-155 activity was significantly inhibited in the cells transfected with 100 nmol/L miR-155 inhibitor, and the expression of miR-155 was decreased by (4.00±3.26)% as compared with the negative control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant of the cells stimulated by 1 mg/L LPS for 12 hours were significantly higher than those in the negative control group [IL-1β (ng/L): 1 358.98±212.04 vs. 878.68±53.42, TNF-α (ng/L): 4 225.57±281.11 vs. 2 881.32±286.08, both P < 0.05]. Conclusion In LPS induced inflammatory response of alveolar macrophages, miR-155 plays an obvious inhibitory role.

Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial risk calculator for evaluating the risk of prostate cancer in the high-risk Chinese population / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial risk calculator (PCPT-RC) is an online tool for assessing the risk of prostate cancer (PCa) based on age, race, serum PSA, biopsy history, family history, and other factors. This study aimed to investigate the value, sensitivity and specificity of the PCPT-RC 2.0 in assessing the risk of PCa in the Chinese high-risk population.@*METHODS@#This study included 622 patients with the high risk of PCa characterized by high serum PSA (PSA >3 μg/L) or abnormality in digital rectal examination or imaging of the prostate. According to the results of prostate biopsy, we divided the patients into a PCa and a non-PCa group and used the PCPT-RC 2.0 for evaluation of all the cases followed by statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#PCa was detected in 264 (42.4%) of the 622 patients, including 126 cases of high-grade malignancy. Compared with the non-PCa group, the PCa patients showed a significantly older age (［68.40 ± 7.30］ vs ［72.80 ± 7.20］ yr, P 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The PCPT risk score is valuable in predicting the risk of PCa in China, which may play a better role than the serum PSA level in screening PCa and avoid unnecessary prostate biopsy, though its advantage is not so obvious in identifying high-grade malignancy. A prediction tool needs to be established for evaluating the risk of PCa in the Chinese population.

The inflammatory effect of exosomes derived from alveolar epithelial cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide on the alveolar macrophages / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To explore the inflammatory effect of exosomes derived from alveolar epithelial cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the alveolar macrophages (NR8383). Methods The alveolar epithelial cells disposed with different treatments were co-cultured with alveolar macrophages by using a Transwell system separately. Alveolar epithelial cells (RLE-6TN) were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal group, LPS-stimulated group, exosome inhibitor group, and exosome inhibitor pretreatment + LPS stimulation group. NR8383 cultured alone was considered as a blank control. After the 12-h co-culture, the real-time PCR (qPCR) was performed to examine the mRNA relative expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in NR8383 cells. To further explore the role of exosomes derived from RLE-6TN on alveolar macrophages mediated inflammationary response, the experimental exosomes (exosomes derived from LPS-induced RLE-6TN) and control exosomes exosomes derived from normal RLE-6TN were extracted by gradient ultracentrifugation. Transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting analyses was performed to identify the exosomes, and qNano particle diameter analyzer was conducted to measure the particle diameter of exosomes. In vitro, NR8383 cells were divided into 3 groups which were cultured with exosomes derived from LPS-stimulated RLE-6TN at a concentration of 10 μg/mL (experimental group), exosomes derived from untreated RLE-6TN at the same concentration of 10 μg/mL (control group), and the PBS at the same volume with experimental group (PBS group), respectively for 12 h. After the treatment, the phagocytosis of NR8383 cells was observed by laser confocal microscope and the release of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in supernatants of NR8383 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA Results (1)In the co-culture experiment, the mRNA relative expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine in the LPS group was significantly increased compared with the blank control group (P<0.01), however comparing the exosome inhibitor pretreatment+LPS group with the LPS group, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine was decreased (P<0.01). (2) The extracted exosomes were observed as circular or elliptical vesicles with a diameter of 40-100 nm under the transmission electron microscopy. Western blotting analyses showed that the extracted exosomes express the protein marker, such as CD63 and CD9; After incubation with NR8383 cells for 5 h, laser scanning confocal microscope showed that the exosomes labeled with red fluorescent were uptaken by NR8383 cells. (3)After the exosomes derived from the LPS-disposed RLE-6TN and the normal RLE-6TN cells were incubated with NR8383 cells respectively. The ELISA test showed that treated the alveolar macrophages with LPS induced alveolar epithelial secreted exosomes led to a robustly increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokine (P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the control group and PBS group (P>0.05). Conclusions Exosomes derived from LPS-disposed alveolar epithelial cells activate the alveolar macrophage-mediated inflammatory response.

Pyroptosis mediated by mitochondrial DNA amplifies the inflammatory response of alveolar macrophage / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To observe the amplification effect of mitochondrial DNA (mtNDA) on the inflammatory response of rat alveolar macrophage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and to preliminarily explore its mechanism. Methods mtDNA of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat liver tissue was harvested, ultra-micro spectrophotometer and 1% agarose gel electrophoresis were used to detect the concentration and quality of mtDNA. The alveolar macrophages of SD rat were isolated and cultured, the macrophages in logarithmic growth phase were divided into phosphatic buffer solution (PBS) group, LPS group, mtDNA group and LPS+mtDNA group. The first three groups were added equal volumes of PBS, LPS 1 mg/L or mtDNA 10 mg/L to the alveolar macrophages medium for 6 hours and 12 hours, respectively; the alveolar macrophage medium of LPS+mtDNA group was stimulated with 1 mg/L LPS for 6 hours and then stimulated with 10 mg/L mtDNA for 6 hours. The levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cell supernatant were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA);the expression of the key protein of Pyroptosis-Gasdermin D (GSDMD) was detected by Western Blot. Results ① The mtDNA A260/280 ratios were between 1.8-2.0, and agarose gel electrophoresis showed a single band, with a size of about 16 kb. ② After alveolar macrophages stimulated by LPS or mtDNA for 6 hours or 12 hours, respectively, the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were higher than those in PBS group. When cells were treated with mtDNA for 6 hours after LPS stimulation 6 hours, the levels of IL-1β were higher than those in LPS 12 hours group (ng/L: 366.27±23.35 vs. 154.70±23.32, 1 < 0.01), but the levels of TNF-α had no significant difference compared with LPS 12 hours group (ng/L: 836.13±25.01 vs. 802.67±30.48, 1 > 0.05). ③ The protein expressions of GSDMD in LPS group, mtDNA group and LPS+mtDNA group were significantly higher than those in PBS group (GSDMD/β-actin: 1.77±0.05, 1.65±0.04,2.40±0.05, 1.00±0.02, all 1 < 0.01), and the protein expression of GSDMD in LPS+mtDNA group was higher than that in LPS group (1 < 0.01). Conclusion mtDNA amplifies LPS-induced alveolar macrophage inflammatory responses,which mechanism may be related to the increase in pyroptosis mediated by mtDNA.

miR-21 targets and inhibits tumor suppressor gene PTEN to promote prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion: An experimental study

OBJECTIVE@#To study whether miR-21 targets and inhibits tumor suppressor gene PTEN can promote prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion.@*METHODS@#Prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 were cultured and divided into negative control group (NC group), miR-21 group, pcDNA3.1 group, miR-21+pcDNA3.1 group and miR-21+PTEN group that were transfected with different miR and plasmid, respectively. After 12 h and 24 h of transfection, the cell viability and invasive cell number were determined; after 24 h of transfection, Bcl-2, Survivin, MMP2, MMP9, PTEN, PI3K, and AKT expression in cells were determined.@*RESULTS@#After 12 h and 24 h of transfection, OD value and invasive cell number of miR-21 group were significantly higher than those of NC group; after 24 h of transfection, Bcl-2, Survivin, MMP2, MMP9, PI3K and AKT expression levels were significantly higher than those of NC group while PTEN expression level was significantly lower than that of NC group; after 12 h and 24 h of transfection, OD value and invasive cell number of miR-21+pcDNA3.1 group were significantly higher than those of pcDNA3.1 group, and the OD value and invasive cell number of miR-21+PTEN group were significantly lower than those of miR-21+pcDNA3.1 group; after 24 h of transfection, Bcl-2, Survivin, MMP2 and MMP9 content of miR-21+pcDNA3.1 group were significantly higher than those of pcDNA3.1 group, and Bcl-2, Survivin, MMP2 and MMP9 content of miR-21+PTEN group were significantly lower than those of miR-21+pcDNA3.1 group.@*CONCLUSIONS@#miR-21 can target and inhibit tumor suppressor gene PTEN expression to promote prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

Matrine inhibits bladder cancer cell growth and invasion in vitro through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway: An experimental study

OBJECTIVE@#To study the inhibitory effect of matrine on bladder cancer cell growth and invasion in vitro through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.@*METHODS@#Human T24 bladder cancer cell lines were cultured and treated with different doses of matrine (0.25 mg/mL, 0.5 mg/mL and 1.0 mg/mL) as well as 20 μmol/L PI3K inhibitor LY294002 for 24 h, and the cell proliferation activity, the number of invasive cells as well as the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, proliferation genes and invasion genes were determined.@*RESULTS@#Different doses of matrine could decrease the cell viability value, the number of invasive cells as well as the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, MMP2 and MMP9, and increase the expression of p16, p21 and p27 in dose-dependent manner; p16, p21 and p27 expression in cells of 20 μmol/L LY29002 group were significantly higher than those of 0 μmol/L LY29002 group while MMP2 and MMP9 expression were significantly lower than those of 0 μmol/L LY29002 group (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Matrine can inhibit bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and regulate the expression of cell cycle-inhibiting molecules and invasion-related genes through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

A clinical study of lung protective ventilation and sequential lung recruitment maneuver for treatment of severe acute pancreatitis complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical therapeutic effects of lung protective ventilation and sequential recruitment maneuver (RM) on treatment of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods Sixty patients with SAP complicated with ARDS admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from April 2014 to March 2016 were enrolled. They were divided into control group and experimental group by random number table, 30 patients in each group. On the basis of comprehensive treatment, the patients in control group were treated with lung protective ventilation mode: low tidal volume ventilation (6 mL/kg) + optimal end-expiratory positive pressure (PEEP) ventilation mode, when the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was essentially returned to a normal level (Ⅰ grade intra-abdominal hypertension), the patients in experimental group were treated by the combination with RM therapy, and the rest treatment was the same as the control group. Under the two types of ventilation strategies, the clinical effects, respiratory mechanics, hemodynamics and arterial blood gas indexes were compared between the two groups. Results The mechanical ventilation time (days: 13.82±4.40 vs. 19.87±7.40), the length of ICU stay (days:22.67±4.40 vs. 26.43±5.39) and incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia [VAP: 16.67% (5/30) vs. 26.67% (8/30)] of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group (all P < 0.05), the mortality rate of the experimental group was slightly lower than that of the control group [26.67% (8/30) vs. 30.00% (9/30)] without statistical significance (P > 0.05). Plateau pressure (Pplat) and the peak airway pressure (PIP) at each time point were decreased after treatment in both groups, while the static lung compliance (Cst), the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) were increased compared with those before treatment, especially the changes at 72 hours after recruitment in the experimental group were more significant than those in the control group [Pplat (cmH2O, 1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa):15.6±4.0 vs. 21.2±5.6, PIP (cmH2O): 18.3±5.0 vs. 25.1±5.4, Cst (mL/cmH2O): 41.2±4.8 vs. 31.2±6.0, PaO2 (mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 90.93±6.45 vs. 80.27±4.51, PaO2/FiO2 (mmHg): 238.33±18.31 vs. 185.83±11.14]. Heart rate [HR (bpm): 110.23±7.92 vs. 98.23±8.44] and the central venous pressure [CVP (mmHg): 8.62±1.52 vs. 6.32±1.42] were significantly higher than those before treatment, the mean arterial pressure [MAP (mmHg): 86.74±7.65 vs. 94.92±10.93] and cardiac output [CO (L/min): 5.32±1.36 vs. 6.42±1.32] were significantly reduced compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.05). The values of HR, MAP, CVP, CO at 5 minutes after recruitment were (97.87±5.77) bpm, (94.54±6.87) mmHg, (6.33±1.44) mmHg, (6.32±1.41) L/min, respectively. The changes of these parameters were not significant when compared with those of the basal conditions (P > 0.05) Conclusions Based on the lung protective ventilation in the early stage, sequential RM is applied in treatment of patients with SAP complicated with ARDS, after the IAP is essentially returned to a normal, which is beneficial to improving lung compliance, promoting oxygenation, shortening the time of mechanical ventilation, reducing the length of ICU stay, and decreasing the incidence of VAP without any obvious hemodynamic influence.

A clinical study of lung protective ventilation and sequential lung recruitment maneuver for treatment of severe acute pancreatitis complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical therapeutic effects of lung protective ventilation and sequential recruitment maneuver (RM) on treatment of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods Sixty patients with SAP complicated with ARDS admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from April 2014 to March 2016 were enrolled. They were divided into control group and experimental group by random number table, 30 patients in each group. On the basis of comprehensive treatment, the patients in control group were treated with lung protective ventilation mode: low tidal volume ventilation (6 mL/kg) + optimal end-expiratory positive pressure (PEEP) ventilation mode, when the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was essentially returned to a normal level (Ⅰ grade intra-abdominal hypertension), the patients in experimental group were treated by the combination with RM therapy, and the rest treatment was the same as the control group. Under the two types of ventilation strategies, the clinical effects, respiratory mechanics, hemodynamics and arterial blood gas indexes were compared between the two groups. Results The mechanical ventilation time (days: 13.82±4.40 vs. 19.87±7.40), the length of ICU stay (days:22.67±4.40 vs. 26.43±5.39) and incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia [VAP: 16.67% (5/30) vs. 26.67% (8/30)] of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group (all P < 0.05), the mortality rate of the experimental group was slightly lower than that of the control group [26.67% (8/30) vs. 30.00% (9/30)] without statistical significance (P > 0.05). Plateau pressure (Pplat) and the peak airway pressure (PIP) at each time point were decreased after treatment in both groups, while the static lung compliance (Cst), the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) were increased compared with those before treatment, especially the changes at 72 hours after recruitment in the experimental group were more significant than those in the control group [Pplat (cmH2O, 1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa):15.6±4.0 vs. 21.2±5.6, PIP (cmH2O): 18.3±5.0 vs. 25.1±5.4, Cst (mL/cmH2O): 41.2±4.8 vs. 31.2±6.0, PaO2 (mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 90.93±6.45 vs. 80.27±4.51, PaO2/FiO2 (mmHg): 238.33±18.31 vs. 185.83±11.14]. Heart rate [HR (bpm): 110.23±7.92 vs. 98.23±8.44] and the central venous pressure [CVP (mmHg): 8.62±1.52 vs. 6.32±1.42] were significantly higher than those before treatment, the mean arterial pressure [MAP (mmHg): 86.74±7.65 vs. 94.92±10.93] and cardiac output [CO (L/min): 5.32±1.36 vs. 6.42±1.32] were significantly reduced compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.05). The values of HR, MAP, CVP, CO at 5 minutes after recruitment were (97.87±5.77) bpm, (94.54±6.87) mmHg, (6.33±1.44) mmHg, (6.32±1.41) L/min, respectively. The changes of these parameters were not significant when compared with those of the basal conditions (P > 0.05) Conclusions Based on the lung protective ventilation in the early stage, sequential RM is applied in treatment of patients with SAP complicated with ARDS, after the IAP is essentially returned to a normal, which is beneficial to improving lung compliance, promoting oxygenation, shortening the time of mechanical ventilation, reducing the length of ICU stay, and decreasing the incidence of VAP without any obvious hemodynamic influence.

Water-related diseases along the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project / 中国人兽共患病学报

The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemic condition of water-related diseases in the eastern route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP).All data were extracted from published literatures in Chinese about water-related diseases in the eastern route of SNWDP.Pooled analysis was used to explore geographical distribution and epidemiology of the disease.A total of 325 articles about water-related diseases were retrieved during 1953 to 2013,and 209 articles were included in this study.Pooling analysis showed that Shandong Province had the largest number of cases for water-related diseases,following by Jiangsu,Hebei,Tianjin,and Anhui.The numbers of cases were relative small before 1960s according to epidemic curve,and the curve peaked in the 1970s,and decreased after the 1980s.A total of 1 383 834 cases of bacillary dysentery was reported,accounting for 84％ of all water-related diseases on these regions of SNWDP,and followed by hepatitis A,hepatitis E,Japanese encephalitis,typhoid and paratyphoid fever and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.Other reported diseases displayed scatter condition and a small numbers of cases.The prevalence of water-related diseases is sporadic and a trend of decline along the regions of the eastern route of SNWDP.