Neutrophil lncRNA ZNF100-6:2 is a potential diagnostic marker for active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) poses challenges in rapid diagnosis within complex clinical conditions. Given the close association between neutrophils and tuberculosis, we explored differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in neutrophils as potential molecular markers for diagnosing active PTB. We employed a gene microarray to screen for lncRNA alterations in neutrophil samples from three patients with active PTB and three healthy controls. The results revealed differential expression of 1457 lncRNAs between the two groups, with 916 lncRNAs upregulated and 541 lncRNAs down-regulated in tuberculosis patients. Subsequent validation tests demonstrated down-regulation of lncRNA ZNF100-6:2 in patients with active PTB, which was restored following anti-tuberculosis treatment. Our findings further indicated a high diagnostic potential for lncRNA ZNF100-6:2, as evidenced by an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.9796 (95% confidence interval: 0.9479 to 1.000; P < 0.0001). This study proposes lncRNA ZNF100-6:2 as a promising and novel diagnostic biomarker for active PTB.

Accuracy of steps measured by smartphones-based WeRun compared with ActiGraph-GT3X accelerometer in free-living conditions.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of steps tracked by smartphone-based WeChat app compared with Actigraph-GT3X accelerometer in free-living conditions. Design: A cross-sectional study and repeated measures. Methods: A total of 103 employees in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, participated in this study. The participants wore an ActiGraph-GT3X accelerometer during the period of August to September 2019 (Time 1), December 2019 (Time 2) and September 2020 (Time 3). Each time, they wore the ActiGraph-GT3X accelerometer continuously for 7 days to assess their 7-day step counts. The smartphone-based WeRun step counts were collected in the corresponding period when subjects wore accelerometers. The subjects were invited to complete basic demographic characteristics questionnaires and to perform physical examination to obtain health-related results such as height, body weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure. Results: Based on 103 participants' 21 days of data, we found that the Spearman correlation coefficient between them was 0.733 (P < 0.01). The average number of WeRun steps measured by smartphones was 8,975 (4,059) per day, which was higher than those measured by accelerometers (8,462 ± 3,486 per day, P < 0.01). Demographic characteristics and different conditions can affect the consistency of measurements. The consistency was higher in those who were male, older, master's degree and above educated, and traveled by walking. Steps measured by smartphone and accelerometer in working days and August showed stronger correlation than other working conditions and time. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) for step counts ranged from 0.5 to 15.9%. The test-retest reliability coefficients of WeRun steps ranged from 0.392 to 0.646. A multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, and MVPA/step counts measured during Time 1 showed that body composition (body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference) was correlated with moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, but it was not correlated with WeRun step counts. Conclusions: The smartphone-based WeChat app can be used to assess physical activity step counts and is a reliable tool for measuring steps in free-living conditions. However, WeRun step counts' utilization is potentially limited in predicting body composition.

The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine promotes immune response and inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by suppressing the VWF/p38 MAPK axis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) demonstrates applications in the prevention of exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is often characterized by fibrosis of the small airways. This study aims at investigating the physiological mechanisms by which NAC might mediate the pulmonary fibrosis in COPD. METHODS: A total of 10 non-smokers without COPD and 10 smokers with COPD were recruited in this study, and COPD rat models were established. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) cell models were constructed. The gain- or loss-of-function experiments were adopted to determine the expression of VWF and the extent of p38 MAPK phosphorylation, levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM and IgA) in the serum of COPD rats and supernatant of alveolar epithelial cells and to detect cell invasion and migration and the ratio of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+T lymphocytes. RESULTS: Expression of VWF and the extent of p38 MAPK phosphorylation were increased in COPD. NAC inhibited p38 MAPK phosphorylation by reducing the VWF expression. NAC could inhibit cell migration and invasion, elevate E-cadherin expression, the ratio of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+T lymphocytes, and levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM, and reduce N-cadherin expression and levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in CSE cells and serum of COPD rats. NAC promoted immune response and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) to relieve COPD-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the VWF/p38 MAPK axis. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, NAC could ameliorate COPD-induced pulmonary fibrosis by promoting immune response and inhibiting EMT process via the VWF/p38 MAPK axis, therefore providing us with a potential therapeutic target for treating COPD.