Downregulation of serum exosomal miR-150-5p is associated with poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Growing evidence have revealed the serum exosomal miRNAs emerged as biomarkers for various cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we sought to explore the potential clinical significance of serum exosomal miR-150-5p in CRC. A total of 133 CRC patients and 60 healthy volunteers as control group were recruited in this study. Exosomes were isolated from the serum of all the participants. The total RNA was isolated from the exosomes and the serum exosomal miR-150-5p levels were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The findings showed that the serum exosomal miR-150-5p levels were significantly reduced in CRC cases compared with those in the control group. Serum exosomal miR-150-5p levels in post-operative blood samples were greatly upregulated one month after surgical treatment. In addition, decreased serum exosomal miR-150-5p expression was closely correlated with poorly differentiation, positive lymph node metastasis and advanced TNM stage. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed serum exosomal miR-150-5p level had good performance to identify CRC cases from healthy volunteers, and a combination of serum exosomal miR-150-5p and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) could improve the diagnostic accuracy with an increased the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value. Furthermore, the survival time of patients with higher serum exosomal miR-150-5p expression was significantly longer than those with lower expression. Serum exosomal miR-150-5p was confirmed as an independent prognostic indicator in CRC. Mechanistically, ZEB1 was identified as a direct downstream target of miR-150-5p. Collectively, serum exosomal miR-150-5p might be a novel noninvasive biomarker for CRC diagnosis and prognosis.

Ceftriaxone combination therapy versus respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy for community-acquired pneumonia: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to investigate whether ceftriaxone combination therapy is associated with better clinical outcomes than respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy for adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We conducted a meta-analysis of published studies. METHODS: Using the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, we performed a literature search of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published as original articles before September 2017. RESULTS: Nine RCTs, involving 1520 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled relative risks (RRs) for the efficacy of ceftriaxone combination therapy versus respiratory fluoroquinolones monotherapy were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92-1.01), based on clinically evaluable populations, and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99) based on intention-to-treat (ITT) populations. No statistically significant differences were observed in microbiological treatment success (pooled RR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.90-1.09), although drug-related adverse events were significantly lower with ceftriaxone combination therapy than with respiratory fluoroquinolones monotherapy (pooled RR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.04-1.55). CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence showed that the efficacy of ceftriaxone combination therapy was similar to respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy for hospitalized CAP patients, and was associated with lower drug-related adverse events.

[Effects of dexamethasone on acute lung injury in rats induced by lipopolysacharide].

OBJECTIVE: To study the difference between the preventive and therapeutic effects of dexamethasone on acute lung injury models induced by lipopolysacharide (LPS) in different phases. METHODS: Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1)control group to receive intraperitoneal NS injection (2 mL/kg). (2)LPS group to receive intraperitoneal LPS injection (5 mg/kg). (3)one-hour group to receive intraperitoneal dexamethasone injection (2 mg/kg) one hour after LPS injection. (4)three-hour group to receive intraperitoneal dexamethasone injection (2 mg/kg) three hours after LPS injection. Then histopathology, arterial blood gases, lung permeability, wet-to-dry weight ratio and immunohistochemistry AQP1 were performed 24 hours later. RESULTS: Dexamethasone could improve biological indexes. Lung permeability, wet-to-dry weight ratio and immunohistochemistry AQP1 were (5.73+/-1.37), (4.92+/-0.23), (19.92+/-6.47) in LPS group, (2.4+/-0.51), (4.89+/-0.21), (33.47+/-9.41) in one-hour group and (2.15+/-0.63), (4.57+/-0.14), (40.69+/-9.18) in three-hour group, respectively. Dates in three-hour group were prior to those of one-hour group, and there was slight but no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone can improve lung permeability and reduce lung edema. There is no need to be treated with glucocorticoids in advance.