Advances in the investigation of the role of autophagy in the etiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory illness. It arises from emphysema and chronic bronchitis and is characterized by progressive and irreversible airflow limitation and chronic inflammation of the lungs, which eventually progresses to pulmonary hypertension, chronic pulmonary heart disease and respiratory failure. Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular homeostasis maintenance mechanism that involves the transport of damaged organelles and proteins to lysosomes for destruction. Dysregulation of autophagy is one of the pathogenic mechanisms of many diseases and is strongly associated with the development of COPD, although the precise mechanisms are unknown. In this paper, we focus on macroautophagy, a type of autophagy that has been thoroughly studied, and describe the characteristics, processes, regulatory pathways, and functions of autophagy, and discuss its relationship with COPD from the perspectives of inflammation, emphysema, mucus hypersecretion, cilia structure and function, airway remodeling, vascular remodeling, and bacterial infections, with a view to searching for the therapeutic targets of COPD from the perspective of autophagy, which is hoped to be helpful for the clinical treatment.

ß-elemene suppresses Warburg effect in NCI-H1650 non-small-cell lung cancer cells by regulating the miR-301a-3p/AMPKα axis.

ß-elemene has been evidenced to suppress the development of numerous cancers including lung cancer. Previous research has found that in A549 cells, ß-elemene increased the expression of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α (AMPKα), which negatively regulates the Warburg effect. Bioinformatics predicted that binding sites exist between AMPKα and miR-301a-3p, an miRNA that has shown oncogenic function in many cancers. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of ß-elemene on the Warburg effect in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and its mechanism. Herein, the expression of miR-301a-3p was evaluated in NSCLC cells. Then, miR-301a-3p was overexpressed or silenced by mimics or inhibitors, respectively, followed by treatment with AMPK agonists or antagonists. NSCLC cells subjected to miR-301a-3p overexpression or inhibition were further treated with ß-elemene. The results demonstrated that AMPKα was targeted and negatively regulated by miR-301a-3p. AMPKα agonists attenuated the Warburg effect in NSCLC cells induced by miR-301a-3p, as evidenced by the decrease in glucose level, lactic acid level, and expression of metabolism-related enzymes (glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), hexokinase 1 (HK1), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA)). Additionally, ß-elemene suppressed the expression of miR-301a-3p, enhanced that of AMPKα, and inhibited the Warburg effect in NSCLC cells. The results indicated that ß-elemene attenuates the Warburg effect in NSCLC cells, possibly by mediating the miR-301a-3p/AMPKα axis.

Retinoid interferon-induced mortality19 (GRIM19) inhibits proliferation and invasion in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) are reportedly involved in RA initiation, progression, and perpetuation. Previously a study showed that retinoid interferon-induced mortality 19 (GRIM19) improved the clinical and histological features of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA),and also inhibited osteoclast formation. However, the role of GRIM19 in RA-FLS remains unclear. In this study, we explored the biological function and underlying mechanism of GRIM19 in cultured RA-FLS. The expression of GRIM19 in synovial tissues and RA-FLS was detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR(qRT-PCR).The effects of GRIM19 on proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and inflammatory cytokines levels in RA-FLS were determined using CCK8, wound healing, transwell invasion, and flow cytometry assays, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.GRIM19 and its related protein expression levels were determined by western blot. We found that GRIM19expression was significantly decreased in synovial tissues and FLS from RA patients.GRIM19significantly inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion; promoted apoptosis; and suppressed inflammatory cytokine secretion by RA-FLS. Moreover, GRIM19 overexpression significantly decreasedthe expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)and its downstreamproteins,CyclinD1, Bcl-2, and MMP-9. These data indicate that promoting the expression of GRIM19 may yield therapeutic benefits in the treatment of RA.

Changes of QT Dispersion in Hemodialysis Patients after Administrating Zhigancao Decoction ().

OBJECTIVE: To observe the alteration of QT dispersion (QTd) and QTc dispersion (QTcd) in hemodialysis patients after oral administration of Zhigancao Decoction (, Roasted Licorice Decoction, RLD). METHODS: To investigate the alteration of QTd and QTcd in 68 routine hemodialysis patients before and after hemodialysis with 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) after orally administrated RLD for 4 weeks. Blood was also taken for measurement of plasma electrolytes, liver function, renal function, hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (HCT). RESULTS: After hemodialysis, QTd and QTcd were prolonged evidently; the difference was significant between before and after hemodialysis (P<0.05). After RLD orally administrated for 4 weeks, QTd and QTcd only slightly increased after dialysis compared with pre-dialysis (P>0.05). The QTd and QTcd of the post-therapy-post-dialysis decreased significantly compared with the pre-therapy-post-dialysis (P<0.05). There were no other significant changes in other variables (post-therapy-pre-dialysis vs. pre-therapy-pre-dialysis, or post-therapy-post-dialysis vs. pre-therapy-post-dialysis;P>0.05). After therapy, the number of patients with supraventricular arrhythmia, occasional ventricular premature beat and multiple ventricular premature beat were decreased from 15 to 4, 10 to 2 and 7 to 1, respectively. CONCLUSION: RLD therapy not only lowered the increased QTd and QTcd after hemodialysis, but also displayed a safety profile.

Femoral arteriovenous fistula 3 months after removal of catheter for hemodialysis.

A 56-year-old Asian woman was admitted to hospital for the consideration of hemodialysis (HD). A right femoral dialysis catheter was inserted for HD. Three months after removal of catheter, she was admitted because of right inguinal swelling. A thrill and bruit were felt and heard at the inguinal area. Color Doppler detected a fistula between right superficial femoral artery and right common femoral vein and subsequently confirmed by contrast enhanced computed tomography scan and 3-dimensional reconstruction with computed tomography. At surgery, a 4-mm-diameter fistula was found between the right superficial femoral artery and right common femoral vein. A primary closure of both defects in the artery and vein was then carried out. A follow-up digital vascular study 3 months after surgical repair was normal. In conclusion, nephrologist should have a heightened awareness to the potential of this complication and should at least document a normal exam following the removal of femoral catheters.

Fluoroquinolone-resistant uncomplicated urinary tract infections, Chinese herbal medicine may provide help.

We assessed the effects of Chinese herbs on the uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant strains. A total of 56 pre-menopausal women with uncomplicated UTIs caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant strains were included. Urine cultures were carried out. All organisms were proved to be fluoroquinolone-resistant at baseline. The patients were orally administrated Chinese herbal concoction for ten days. Chinese herbal concoction eradicated the primary pathogen in 71.4% of the patients at the 1-week follow-up. Among the 20 patients who had bacteriologic failures in the Day 5 of treatment, 2 developed superinfection. Of the failures in the group, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Providencia rettgeri were implicated in 50.0%, 50.0% and 100.0% of the failures, respectively. The clinical outcomes were also good, with cure or improvement for more than 80% of all subjects. About 14% of the study subjects reported at least one potential adverse event. The adverse events most frequently reported were nausea and diarrhea. All patients tolerated the symptoms. The adverse reactions did not prevail after discontinuation of the medication. Chinese herbal therapy may be an acceptable alternative for the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant uropathogens.

Effects of Chinese herbs on the hemagglutination and adhesion of Escherichia coli strain in vitro.

The aim of this study is to evaluate Chinese herbs' efficacy on adhesive properties of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The effects of Chinese herbal solution on the hemagglutination and adhesion by E. coli strain were studied. E. coli C16 was isolated from a patient with urinary tract infection. The MIC value of herbal solution for the E. coli C16 was 0.1g/ml. The MBC value was 0.2g/ml. The effects of herbal solution on the hemagglutination abilities of E. coli C16 were dependent on the herbal solution used. The strain C16 lost half of its hemagglutination abilities when the herbal solution concentration was at MIC (0.05g/ml). Herbal solution decreased the adherence of strain C16 in a dose-dependent way. The numbers of adherent bacteria were reduced to 45% of the control values after growth with herbal solution at MIC. The results show that anti-adhesion is one mode of action for Chinese herbs used against pathogens.