Bronchopulmonary foregut malformation with severe hemoptysis in advanced age: a case report and literature review.

Bronchopulmonary foregut malformation (BPFM) is a rare developmental malformation disease due to embryonic defects, with an even rarer occurrence in adults. We report a diagnosed case in an adult patient, and notably, this is the first reported case of such advanced age. Additionally, she experienced coughing up approximately 1 liter of blood and partial lung tissue, accompanied by respiratory failure and shock. Following treatment with transcatheter arterial embolization, her condition improved, and she has remained stable during follow-up. We present a case report and conducted a systematic review on this particular case.

Mallory-Weiss syndrome in four hemodialysis patients: a case study.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients are prone to gastrointestinal bleeding, and Mallory-Weiss syndrome (MWS) is one of the causes. Mallory-Weiss syndrome is often induced by severe vomiting, manifests as upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and is self-limited with a good prognosis. However, mild vomiting in hemodialysis patients can lead to the occurrence of MWS, and the mild early symptoms are easy to misdiagnose, leading to the aggravation of the disease. CASE PRESENTATION: In this paper, we report four hemodialysis patients with MWS. All patients displayed symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The diagnosis of MWS was confirmed by gastroscopy. One patient had a history of severe vomiting; however, the other three reported histories of mild vomiting. Three patients received the conservative hemostasis treatment, and the gastrointestinal bleeding stopped. One patient underwent the gastroscopic and interventional hemostasis treatments. The conditions of three of the patients improved. Unfortunately, one of the patients died due to the cardia insufficiency. CONCLUSIONS: We think that the mild symptoms of MWS are easily covered up by other symptoms. This may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. For patients with severe symptoms, gastroscopic hemostasis is still the first choice, and interventional hemostasis can also be considered. For patients with mild symptoms, drug hemostasis is the first consideration.

[Chemerin mediated neutrophil infiltration in oral squamous cell carcinoma and predicted poor prognosis].

PURPOSE: To explore the effect of Chemerin in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissue on neutrophils infiltration and its possible molecular mechanism. METHODS: The relationship between Chemerin expression and neutrophils density was assessed via double immunohistochemistry staining.The chemotactic effect of Chemerin on neutrophils in OSCC was detected by transwell assay, real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR), Western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and flow cytometry. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software package. The relationship between Chemerin expression and neutrophils density was assessed using Spearman rank correlation analysis. ChemR23 knockout efficiency and chemotactic index were calculated by ANOVA. The relationship between Chemerin expression, neutrophils density and clinicopathological factors was analyzed by Mann-Whitney test. Kaplan-Meier test and Log rank test were used for survival analysis, and risk factors affecting the survival of OSCC patients was assessed using Cox regression model. RESULTS: Double immunohistochemistry staining showed that overexpression of Chemerin was significantly correlated with increased neutrophils infiltration in OSCC(P=0.023), and strong Chemerin expression and high neutrophils density were associated with higher clinical stage(P＜0.001), cervical lymph node metastasis (P＜0.001) and tumor recurrence (P=0.002). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients in the strong Chemerin expression + high neutrophils density group had shortened cancer-related overall survival time and disease-free survival time compared with the other two groups. Transwell assay results showed that both OSCC cells and R-Chemerin had a significant chemotactic effect on dHL-60 cells; knockdown of ChemR23 suppressed Chemerin-induced chemotaxis to dHL-60 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of Chemerin in OSCC tissue chemoattracts more neutrophils to tumor sites through its receptor ChemR23 and is related to poor clinical prognosis.

Identification and validation of an immune-related lncRNAs signature to predict the overall survival of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecological cancer in women. Studies had reported that immune-related lncRNAs signatures were valuable in predicting the survival and prognosis of patients with various cancers. In our study, the prognostic value of immune-related lncRNAs was investigated in OC patients from TCGA-RNA-seq cohort (n=378) and HG-U133_Plus_2 cohort (n=590), respectively. Pearson correlation analysis was implemented to screen the immune-related lncRNA and then univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to explore their prognostic value in OC patients. Five prognostic immune-related lncRNAs were identified as prognostic lncRNAs. Besides, they were inputted into a LASSO Cox regression to establish and validate an immune-related lncRNA prognostic signature in TCGA-RNA-Seq cohort and HG-U133_Plus_2 cohort, respectively. Based on the best cut-off value of risk score, patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups. Survival analysis suggested that patients in the high-risk group had a worse overall survival (OS) than those in the low-risk group in both cohorts. The association between clinicopathological feathers and risk score was then evaluated by using stratification analysis. Moreover, we constructed a nomogram based on risk score, age and stage, which had a strong ability to forecast the OS of the OC patients. The influence of risk score on immune infiltration and immunotherapy response were assessed and the results suggested that patients with high-risk score might recruit multiple immune cells and stromal cells, leading to facilitating immune surveillance evasive. Ultimately, we demonstrated that the risk model was associated with chemotherapy response of multiple antitumor drugs, especially for paclitaxel, metformin and veliparib, which are commonly used in treating OC patients. In conclusion, we constructed a novel immune-related lncRNA signature, which had a potential prognostic value for OC patients and might facilitate personalized counselling for immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Evaluating the influence of 6MV and 10MV photon beams on cervical cancer volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a common gynecological cancer among women worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of 6 MV and 10 MV volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) photon beams on the target volume (TV) planning and critical organs in cases of cervical cancer. METHODS: Fifty patients with carcinoma of the cervix who underwent radiotherapy were selected. The transverse diameter (T) of the cross section of the upper edge of the sacroiliac joint on computerized tomography (CT) images of the patients was measured, and the mean value was calculated as 34 cm. All patients were divided into two groups: Group A (T < 34 cm) and Group B (T > 34 cm). The VMAT plans were generated using 6 MV and 10 MV plans separately. The prescription dose was 47.5 Gy, and the daily dose was 1.9 Gy. RESULTS: In Group A, the planning target volume (PTV) dose assessment parameters of 6 MV and 10 MV plans and their homogeneity and conformity indices were not statistically significantly different. A significant difference was observed between the 6 MV and 10 MV plans for the PTV dose assessment parameters and the homogeneity index of the plans for Group B. The monitor units (MUs) of the 10 MV plans were lower than in the 6 MV plans in both Groups A and B, and the difference was statistically significant. The assessment parameter V40 Gy of both the rectum and bladder in the 6 MV plans was smaller than the corresponding parameter in the 10 MV plans in Group A; in Group B, the assessment parameter V50 Gy of the rectum in the 10 MV plans was smaller than in the 6 MV plans. CONCLUSION: When T < 34 cm, 6 MV energy is more suitable for the external irradiation of cervical cancer. When T > 34 cm, 10 MV energy is more suitable for cervical cancer radiotherapy. Therefore, 10 MV should be considered for patients with a large abdominal size.

Dosimetric analysis of postoperative radiotherapy for thymoma.

PURPOSE: To compare the dosimetric differences between intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in the treatment of male and female thymoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This single-institutional analysis included 20 patients with thymoma treated with RT between January 2017 and December 2020. Twenty patients were retrospectively planned for IMRT (IMRT1 with an average field angle of 216°, 288°, 0°, 72°,and 144°; IMRT2 with fan-shaped field angles of 280°, 320°, 0°, 40°, and 80°) and VMAT (VMAT1 with two arcs ranging form 280° to 80°,clockwise and then counterclockwise; VMAT2 with two 360° arcs). The plans for all investigated RT modalities were optimized for a prescriptional dose of 50Gy and fractional dose of 2.0Gy. Planning target volume (PTV) and organs-at-risk (OARs: heart, breasts, lungs, spinal cord, and esophagus) dosimetric parameters were compared. RESULTS: All plans met the preparation aims for all the included metrics. There was little difference in the median values of PTV parameters (D2%, D98%, Dmean, homogeneity index[HI], and conformity index [CI]). The CI of the VMAT2 plan was the closest to 1 in both therapy groups. The monitor unit (MU) of IMRT2 and the estimated total delivery time of VMAT1 were the lowest in both therapy groups and were statistically significant. In the male group, the lung parameters (Dmean, V5Gy, V10Gy, and V20Gy) for VMAT1 were the lowest and showed statistical significance. In the female group, the lung parameters (Dmean, V5Gy, V10Gy, and V20Gy) and bilateral breast parameters (Dmean, V5Gy, V10Gy, and V20Gy) of IMRT2 were the lowest and showed statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: In male thymoma patients undergoing postoperative RT (PORT) treatment, the choice of fan-shaped VMAT may be a better option for protecting the lungs. For female thymoma patients receiving PORT, fan-shaped IMRT can better protect the lungs and breasts. The fan-shaped field performed better than the average and the full arc fields in PORT for thymoma.

Horseshoe kidney with PLA2R-positive membranous nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Horseshoe kidney (HSK) is a common congenital defect of the urinary system. The most common complications are urinary tract infection, urinary stones, and hydronephrosis. HSK can be combined with glomerular diseases, but the diagnosis rate of renal biopsy is low due to structural abnormalities. There are only a few reports on HSK with glomerular disease. Here, we have reported a case of PLA2R-positive membranous nephropathy occurring in a patient with HSK. CASE PRESENTATION: After admission to the hospital due to oedema of both the lower extremities, the patient was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome due to abnormal 24-h urine protein (7540 mg) and blood albumin (25 g/L) levels. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed HSK. The patient's brother had a history of end-stage renal disease due to nephrotic syndrome. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with PLA2R-positive stage II membranous nephropathy through renal biopsy under abdominal ultrasonography guidance. He was administered adequate prednisone and cyclophosphamide, and after 6 months of treatment, urinary protein excretion levels significantly decreased. CONCLUSION: The risk and difficulty of renal biopsy in patients with HSK are increased due to structural abnormalities; however, renal biopsy can be accomplished through precise positioning with abdominal ultrasonography. In the literature, 20 cases of HSK with glomerular disease have been reported thus far. Because of the small number of cases, estimating the incidence rate of glomerular diseases in HSK is impossible, and the correlation between HSK and renal pathology cannot be stated. Further studies should be conducted and cases should be accumulated to elucidate this phenomenon.

[Sources and Characteristics of Regional Background PM1 in North China During the Autumn and Winter Polluted Period].

The campaign of investigating the chemical compositions and particle size distributions of NR-PM1(non-refractory PM1) was conducted by using a High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer(HR-ToF-AMS) at the Shangdianzi(SDZ) regional atmospheric background site(117.07°E, 40.39°N), northeast of Beijing, from October 17th 2015 to January 27th 2016. The results showed that organics was the main component of PM1, and the proportion of nitrate was higher than that of sulfate in autumn and winter. The mean mass-resolved size distributions for the main components displayed accumulation mode. The wider organic peak shape and larger nitrate peak size indicated that the organics contributed to both small and large particles at the beginning of the particle formation, growth and aging processes, while most of nitrate particles preferred to grow into large particles during the aging process. The ratios of elements between OM and OC, O/C and H/C were calculated as 1.91, 0.58 and 1.58 respectively. The slope of Van Krevelen diagram of organic aerosols during polluted episode was -0.21, whose oxidation state was higher than those of other city sites. Nitrate was the major contributor of NR-PM1 during the polluted period, while organics was significantly higher than that during clean period. The results of back trajectories analysis demonstrated that the air masses were complex during the pollution episode. The northwest wind from central Inner Mongolia and Siberia dominated the clean episodes, which was conducive to the spread of pollutants.

Intervention of transforming pulmonary fibrosis with NF-κB p65 antisense oligonucleotide.

OBJECTIVE: NF-κB, especially p65 subunit, plays important role in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we transformed fibroblast into myofibroblast induced by bleomycin, and then studied the effects of NF-κB p65 antisense oligonucleotide on pulmonary fibrosis in mouse model. METHODS: Pulmonary fibrosis was induced by bleomycin in C57BL/6 mouse (modeling group). The NF-κB antisense oligonucleotide was injected intravenously into mouse 6 hours before inducing (test group), we performed broncho-alveolar lavage and blood collecting through cardiac puncture. Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) and serum from normal C57BL/6 mouse (control group) were collected for comparison. Immunohistochemistry staining of the NF-κB and α-SMA on lung tissues and cultured cells were carried out in each group, respectively. RESULTS: The expression level of NF-κB and α-SMA were both consistently higher in modeling group when compared with control group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, they were reduced significantly through the intervention of NF-κB p65 antisense oligonucleotide in the test group (P < 0.05). More importantly, the expression of NF-κB was positively correlated with α-SMA. CONCLUSION: our study suggests the potential in prevention of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis with NF-κB p65 antisense oligonucleotide.

Radiation enhancing effects with the combination of sanazole and irinotecan in hypoxic HeLa human cervical cancer cell line.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the synergistic radiation sensitizing effects of the combination of sanazole and irinotecan in hypoxic cervical cancer HeLa human tumor cell line. METHODS: The 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to evaluate the number of surviving cells. Cell cycle was determined by flow cytometry. Surviving cell fractions were determined by the standard in vitro colony formation assay. RESULTS: The MTT assay showed that the presence of irinotecan with or without sanazole reduced significantly the cells' viability. Flow cytometry demonstrated that the combination of sanazole and irinotecan led to more HeLa cells blocked in G(2) phase. Cell colony formation assay indicated that the radiosensitivity of hypoxic HeLa cells was enhanced by sanazole and/or irinotecan. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the radiation enhancing effects produced by the combination sanazole and irinotecan was significant in hypoxic HeLa cells, which were arrested in the G(2) phase of the cell cycle. This study may provide a new combination modality of radiosensitizers in the radiotherapy of cervical cancer.

[Estimation of PM2.5 over eastern China from MODIS aerosol optical depth using the back propagation neural network].

With the fast economic development in China in recent years, air pollutions are becoming increasingly serious. It is, therefore, imperative to develop new technology to solve this issue. Due to the wide spatial coverage of satellite remote sensing, along with the relatively lower cost compared to ground-based in situ aerosol measurements, satellite retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) is widely recognized as a good surrogate of surface PM2.5 concentrations. In this study, two years (2007-2008) of AOD data from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Terra at five observational sites of China (Benxi, Zhengzhou, Lushan, Nanning, Guilin), combined with five meteorological factors such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature humidity and planetary boundary height, were used as important input to establish the Back Propagation (BP) neural networks model, which was applied to estimate PM2.5. Afterwards, the model estimated PM2.5 was validated by in situ PM2.5 measurements from the five sites. Specially, scatter analysis showed that the linear correlation coefficient (R) between ground PM2.5 observation and model estimated PM2.5 at Lushan was the highest (R = 0.6), whereas the R values at the four other sites were lower, ranging from 0.43 to 0.49. Time series validations were performed as well, indicating that the R value significantly varied from day to day. However, the R value could be significantly improved by fitting the five-day moving average ground observation values against the model estimated PM2.5 data. Also, the R value at Lushan was the highest (R = 0.83), suggesting that MODIS AOD can be used to monitor PM2.5 by the BP networks model developed in this study.

[Application of simplified intensity modulated radiation therapy in gastric cancer after operation].

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the application and the dosimetry characteristic of the simplified intensity modulated radiation therapy (sIMRT) for gastric cancer after operation, and to compare the dose distribution with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and three-dimension conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). METHODS: Twelve patients with gastric cancer after operation were enrolled in this study. 3D-CRT plan, 5-field IMRT plans (20 degree, 80 degree, 180 degree, 280 degree, 340 degree) and 5-field sIMRT plans (20 degree, 80 degree, 180 degree, 280 degree, 340 degree) were performed for each patient. The conformal index (CI), heterogeneity index (HI) of the planning target volume (PTV) and the dose of normal organs were analyzed with the dose volume histogram (DVH). The total MU and treatment time were also compared. RESULTS: The sIMRT and IMRT plans had comparable CI (sIMRT>IMRT>3D-CRT), and showed better dose conformity but worse homogeneity than 3D-CRT. The percentage of volume receiving 20 Gy, 25 Gy, 30 Gy and 40 Gy by liver were significantly lower in sIMRT than that in 3D-CRT, and comparable to IMRT. All the dose volumes to kidneys with sIMRT were still significantly lower as compared to 3D-CRT, and comparable to IMRT. The sIMRT plan was better than IMRT plan in total MU and treatment time. CONCLUSIONS: sIMRT has comparable dose distribution in patients with gastric cancer to IMRT, but is significantly better than 3D-CRT. Treatment time of sIMRT is the shortest. So sIMRT technique can be applied more simply.

C-reactive protein level predicts prognosis in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of C-reactive protein (CRP) level on the prognosis of patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy. Fifty-seven patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma (cT3-4, N0-3, M0) treated with chemoradiotherapy were reviewed retrospectively. Chemoradiotherapy comprised external beam radiotherapy to the larynx (70 Gy) with three cycles of cisplatin at 3-week intervals. Elevated CRP was defined as >8 mg/L. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and a multivariate analysis was used to identify significant factors associated with prognosis, using a Cox proportional hazards model. During the median (range) follow-up of 5 years (1.3-5), 29 patients died from laryngeal cancer; the 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate was 49.12%. Fifteen patients had a high CRP level before chemoradiotherapy (>8 mg/L), and their CSS rate was significantly worse than that in the remaining patients (P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that CRP and tumor site were independent prognostic indicators for CSS, with a hazard ratio of 2.66 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.22-5.82; P = 0.014) and a hazard ratio of 1.67 (95% CI, 1.01-2.77; P = 0.045), respectively. Of those with elevated CRP, the CRP levels of ten patients became normal after chemoradiotherapy, of whom four were alive with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis during the follow-up. By contrast, all six with no CRP normalization after chemoradiotherapy died within 3.8 years. The elevation of CRP before treatment predicts a poor prognosis in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy.

[Research progress of selective mGluR1 antagonists].

As an important member of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR), metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) plays an important role in the signal transduction of central nervous system. Selective mGluR1 antagonists can block the signaling pathway activated by mGluR1 and exert a series of physiological actions including analgesia, antianxiety, antidepression, etc. Currently, the discovery and modification of selective mGluR1 antagonists have become a hot research focus. This paper reviews the structural catalogs of selective mGluR1 antagonists and their structure-activity relationships in the last decade.

Aerosol background at two remote CAWNET sites in western China.

The frequency distributions and some statistical features of background aerosol concentrations were investigated at two remote China Atmosphere Watch Network (CAWNET) stations. The estimated elemental carbon (EC) background at Akdala (AKD) in the mid-latitudes of northwestern China (approximately 0.15 microg m(-3)) was only half of that at Zhuzhang (ZUZ) in low-latitude southwestern China (approximately 0.30 microg m(-3)). The contributions of EC to the aerosol mass also differed between sites: EC contributed 3.5% of the PM(10) mass at AKD versus 5.1% at ZUZ. Large percentages of the total organic carbon (OC) apparently were secondary organic carbon (SOC); SOC/OC averaged 81% at ZUZ and 68% at AKD. The OC/EC ratios in PM(10) (ZUZ: 11.9, AKD: 12.2) were comparable with other global background sites, and the OC/EC ratios were used to distinguish polluted periods from background conditions. The SO(4)(2)(-), NH(4)(+) and soil dust loadings at AKD were higher and more variable than at ZUZ, probably due to impacts of pollution from Russia and soil dust from the Gobi and adjacent deserts. In contrast to ZUZ, where the influences from pollution were weaker, the real-time PM(10) mass concentrations at AKD were strongly skew right and the arithmetic mean concentrations of the aerosol populations were higher than their medians. Differences in the aerosol backgrounds between the sites need to be considered when evaluating the aerosol's regional climate effects.

[Effects of antisense oligonucleotide to nuclear factor-kappaB on the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and IL-4 expression therein: experiment with mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and its effects on IL-4 expression therein, and to investigate the therapeutic role of antisense oligonucleotide (ASON) to NF-kappaB on IPF. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: bleomycin (BLM) group (n = 35, injected with BLM through caudal vein), control group [n = 20, injected with normal saline (NS) via caudal vein], ASON group (n = 35, injected with ASON to p65, a subunit of NF-kappaB, at the dose of 900 microg), and SON group (n = 35, injected with sense oligonucleotide to p65 subunit). Six hours after intravenous injection, the BLM, ASON, and SON groups were treated with BLM-A5 (5 mg/kg dissolved in 20 microl NS) by intratracheal installation, and the control group was treated with NS (20 microl). 0.5, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days following intratracheal instillation of BLM or 0.5, 1, 14 days following intratracheal instillation of NS, 5 mice of every group were sacrificed and bronchoalveolar lavage was performed. The BALF was collected and assayed with ELISA for IL-4. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and microscope image analysis were completed to detect the expression of p65 and IL-4 in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells. Another 5 mice from each group were sacrificed 28 days after intratracheal instillation with their total right lungs taken out to undergo pathohistological examination. The content of hydroxyproline in the left lung was detected by high performance liquid chromatography and ELISA. RESULTS: (1) Twenty-eight days after intratracheal instillation, the BLM and the SON groups showed consolidation of the lung parenchyma with loss of the alveolar architecture and increased cellularity, while the ASON and control groups showed no significant pulmonary consolidation or fibrosis. (2) Twenty-eight days after intratracheal instillation, the hydroxyproline content of the BLM group was 876.8 +/- 91.1 nmol/lung, significantly higher than that of the control group (347.6 +/- 53.9 nmol/lung, t = -9.833, P < 0.001); the hydroxyproline content of the ASON group was 505.6 +/- 34.8 nmol/lung, significantly lower than that of the BLM group (t = -9.862, P < 0.001); however, the hydroxyproline content of the SON group was 775.2 +/- 68.9 nmol/lung, not significantly different from that of the BLM group (t = 2.118, P = 0.102). (3) One day after the intratracheal instillation of BLM, the value of average integral optical density of p65 in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells of the BLM, SON, and ASON groups were 275 +/- 13, 233 +/- 60, 233 +/- 60, and 126 +/- 34 respectively, all significantly higher that of the control group (38 +/- 18, t = 27.350, 8.039, and 6.107, P < 0.001, = 0.001, and = 0.004), that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = 7.664 and -3.407, P = 0.002 and 0.027). (4) IHC showed that 1 day after the intratracheal instillation, the value of average integral optical density of IL-4 of the BLM, SON, and ASON groups were 134 +/- 16, 128 +/- 2, and 80 +/- 9 respectively, all significantly higher than that of the control group (33 +/- 12, t = 10.346, -5.927, and 5.313, P < 0.001, = 0.004, = 0.006), that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = 6.967 and -3.591, P = 0.002 and 0.023). (5) ELISA showed that 1 day after the intratracheal instillation the IL-4 level BLM, SON, and ASON groups were (20.8 +/- 7.2) ng/L, (21.4 +/- 8.0) ng/L, and (9.7 +/- 1.4) ng/L respectively, all significantly higher than that of the control group [(1.6 +/- 3.6) ng/L, t = 6.494, 4.143, and 4.331, P = 0.003, 0.014, and 0.012], that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = -3.553 and -3.577, P = 0.024 and 0.023) (6) Correlation analysis showed that 1 day after intratracheal instillation the expression of p65 was positively correlated with IL-4 expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells in the treatment group (r = 0.890, P < 0.05) and the ASON group (r = 0.909, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of NF-kappaB is significantly increased and augments the expression of IL-4 indirectly in the BALF cells during the process of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. ASON significantly inhibits the NF-kappaB activation and the IL-4 expression, and may be useful in gene therapy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Chemical characteristics of aerosol particles (PM2.5) at a site of Horqin Sand-land in northeast China.

The objective of this study was to characterize the mass concentration and chemical composition of aerosol particles (PM2.5) collected at Tongliao (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China), a site in Horqin Sand-land in northeast China. During spring 2005, the mass concentration for PM2.5 was (126 +/- 71)microg/m3 in average. Five dust storm events were monitored with higher concentration of (255 +/- 77)microg/m3 in average than the non dusty days of (106 +/- 44)microg/m3. Concentrations for 20 elements were obtained by the PIXE method. Mass concentrations of Al, Mg, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, and V, which increased with the PM2.5 concentration, were higher than the pollution elements (S, Cl, Zn, Ar, Se, Br, and Pb). Enrichment factor relative to crust material was also calculated, which showed dust trace elements were mainly from earth upper crust and pollution elements were dominated the anthropogenic aerosols. The Si/Al, Ca/Al, and Fe/Al ratios in PM2.5 samples at Tongliao were 4.07, 0.94, and 0.82, respectively, which were remarkably different with those on other source regions, such as "Western desert source region", "North desert source region" and central Asia source. Air mass back-trajectory analysis identified three kinds of general pathways were associated with the aerosol particle transport to Tongliao, but have the similar elemental ratios, implying that elemental signatures for dust aerosol from Horqin Sand-land were different with other regions.

[Clay ratio as a tracer to assess the origin of soil-derived dust].

The objectives of this research are to characterise the mineralogy of soil-derived dust in Northern China and to set up the mineralogical signature to trace their origin. Mineral composition of aerosol particles is investigated at five sites (Aksu, Dunhuang, Yulin, Tongliao and Changwu) during the intensive field campaign period of ACE-Asia. The results show that the Kaolinite (K) to Chlorite (C) ratio is sensitive to the regional origin of Asian dust. Western source areas (represent by Aksu) displayed the lowest K/ C ratio of 0.3 (in average), while it was found that to increase up to 0.70 (in average) as moving towards north source areas (represent by Yulin). By studying transported dust in a depositional area representative of the Chinese Loess Plateau, the usefulness of the K/C ratio to retrieve the origin of the dust by associating it with back air-mass trajectories is checked. Compared the mineralogical data between Asian dust and Sahara dust, it is shown that K/C ratio is also a good signature to identify the source areas on the global scale.

Effect of antisense oligonucleotides to nuclear factor-kappaB on the survival of LPS-induced ARDS in mouse.

Because nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-regulated cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), from monocytes and macrophages have been implicated in the pathogenesis and development of septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the effect of the antisense oligonucleotide to the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB on the survival of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS in BALB/c mice was examined. None and 70% of the animals died of diffuse hemorrhagic lung edema 1 to 2.5 days after intraperitoneal administration of 10 and 20 mg/kg LPS alone, respectively. Intravenously administered antisense oligonucleotide alone did not produce any significant changes in the behavior or lung histology. After intravenous administration of the anti-sense oligonucleotide, both peripheral blood monocytes and alveolar macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were confirmed to contain sufficiently large amounts of intracellular antisense oligonucleotides for their function usingfluorescein isothiocyanate (FTCC)-labeled microscopy. The antisense oligonucleotide administered 6 hours before the intraperitoneal administration of LPS significantly decreased the survival rate with the progress of hemorrhagic edema in lung histology; 90% and 100% of animals treated with the antisense oligonuleotide died 0.5 to 1.5 days after the administration of 10 and 20 mg/kg LPS, respectively. These findings suggest that the suppression of cytokines and mediators in monocytes and alveolar macrophages by the antisense oligonucleotide to the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB worsens the survival of LPS-induced ARDS in mice with the progress of hemorrhagic lung edema.