[Protective effects of hepatocyte growth factor on hypoxic human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on hypoxic human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). METHODS: HPMECs were cultured in vitro, and the hypoxic model was established by the physical method. Cells were divided into 4 groups: the control group, the hypoxic group, HGF group, and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) group. The 7(th) generation of HPMECs was evaluated by the method of immunocytochemistry. The persistence rate of HPMECs was measured by MTT assay and the adhesive cells were counted by the microscopy. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) protein was determined by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: The adherence percentage of cells significantly decreased after hypoxia, whereas the expression of the ICAM-1 protein was significantly higher in the hypoxia group than in control group (P<0.01). Compared with the hypoxia group, the persistence and adherence percentage of cells in the HGF group significantly increased (P<0.01), whereas the expression of the ICAM-1 protein significantly dropped (P<0.01). In the PHA group, the persistence and adhesion rate were significantly different from those in the hypoxia group and HGF group (P<0.01), and the expression of the ICAM-1 protein increased significantly (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: HGF could inhibit the hypoxic damage of HPMECs by decreasing the persistence and the adhesive capacity of these cells and inducing the expression of ICAM-1.

Effects of OM-85 BV in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to identify the effects of OM-85 BV in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The major end point was exacerbation rate, and the minor end points included duration of hospitalization, severity of acute exacerbation, incidence rate of patients using antibiotics, and adverse events. All data were derived with relative risks (RRs) and weighted mean differences. Five RCTs with 1190 patients were enrolled in the meta-analysis. OM-85 BV was associated with 20% and 39% reductions in exacerbation rate (RR, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CIs], 0.65-0.97; P = .03) and incidence rate of patients using antibiotics (RR, 0.61; 95%CI, 0.48-0.77; P < .0001) compared with the placebo. However, OM-85 BV was not significantly associated with duration of hospitalization, severity of acute exacerbation, and total adverse events. Current evidence supporting the benefits of OM-85 BV to COPD patients is inadequate. Further larger-scale trials must be conducted to validate our findings and the efficacy of OM-85 BV in COPD patients.