Aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 reduces mucosal inflammation and promotes resolution in a murine model of acute lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe illness with excess mortality and no specific therapy. Protective actions were recently uncovered for docosahexaenoic acid-derived mediators, including D-series resolvins. Here, we used a murine self-limited model of hydrochloric acid-induced ALI to determine the effects of aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 (AT-RvD1; 7S,8R,17R-trihydroxy-4Z,9E,11E,13Z,15E,19Z-docosahexaenoic acid) on mucosal injury. RvD1 and its receptor ALX/FPR2 were identified in murine lung after ALI. AT-RvD1 (~0.5-5 μg kg(-1)) decreased peak inflammation, including bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) neutrophils by ~75%. Animals treated with AT-RvD1 had improved epithelial and endothelial barrier integrity and decreased airway resistance concomitant with increased BALF epinephrine levels. AT-RvD1 inhibited neutrophil-platelet heterotypic interactions by downregulating both P-selectin and its ligand CD24. AT-RvD1 also significantly decreased levels of BALF pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, Kupffer cells, and tumor necrosis factor-α, and decreased nuclear factor-κB-phosphorylated p65 nuclear translocation. Taken together, these findings indicate that AT-RvD1 displays potent mucosal protection and promotes catabasis after ALI.

Insulin promotes T cell recovery in a murine model of autoimmune myocarditis

Glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) is a useful adjunct to myocarditis. Besides its essential action in energy metabolism, insulin also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. This study investigated the effect of insulin on myocardial inflammation in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) in mice and its potential role in T cell regulation. Mice were divided randomly into a normal control group, a saline-treated EAM group and an insulin-treated EAM group. The histopathological changes of myocardium, α-myosin heavy chain (MyHCα)(614-629) antigen-specific autoantibody titre, the serum level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family members' activity and content were measured. Furthermore, the phenotype of T lymphocyte subsets in splenocytes was analysed to evaluate the immune status of mice. Insulin reduced serum cTnI of EAM mice on days 14 and 21 (P < 0·05) after immunization, with no changes in blood glucose and autoantibody production. Western blot revealed that extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) may be a determining factor in this process. Total ERK1/2 and phospho-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) were both up-regulated in insulin-treated mice after immunization. We also found that insulin treatment promoted T cell recovery without changing the naive-to-memory T-cell ratio; in particular, CD3(+) T cells in insulin-treated mice proliferated more vigorously than in control mice (P < 0·05). We report here for the first time that insulin alleviates myocarditis in the EAM model. These data show that insulin has a direct effect on T cell proliferation in EAM. It is possible that GIK or insulin may assist T cell recovery towards normal in myocarditis, especially for diabetic or hyperglycaemic patients.

Intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy for primary treatment of stage IIB cervical cancer: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

A retrospective study to evaluate intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy (IOERT) as a primary treatment modality for stage IIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

Patients underwent treatment with IOERT (n = 78) or radical radiotherapy (RT; n = 89). Patients in the IOERT group received 20 Gy external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in 10 fractions, intracavitary brachytherapy (7-14 Gy, in patients with tumours ≥ 4 cm in diameter) and simple hysterectomy/selective lymphadenectomy with 18 - 20 Gy IOERT. Patients in the RT group received 50 Gy EBRT in 25 fractions followed by intracavitary brachytherapy (35-40 Gy).

RESULTS

Median duration of follow-up was 92 months. IOERT resulted in significantly better 5- and 10-year overall survival, disease-free survival and local control rates, as well as fewer rectal and bladder complications, compared with RT.

CONCLUSION

IOERT is an effective primary treatment for stage IIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 mRNAs in patients with primary hypertension or hypertension-induced atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) affect degradation of vascular elastin, collagen remodelling and formation of atherosclerotic plaque. This cross-sectional study investigated the levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 mRNAs in the blood of patients with primary hypertension with and without hypertension-induced carotid atherosclerosis.

METHODS

Hypertensive patients with and without atherosclerosis and age- and gender-matched normotensive subjects were enrolled. MMP-9 and TIMP-1 mRNA were quantified using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Hypertensive patients (n = 86) had significantly lower levels of TIMP-1 mRNA than normotensive subjects (n = 43). Hypertensive patients with atherosclerosis (n = 42) showed significantly elevated levels of MMP-9 mRNA compared with both normotensive subjects and hypertensive patients without atherosclerosis (n = 44).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary hypertension resulted in decreased TIMP-1 mRNA levels, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing to the degradation of elastin. Hypertension-induced atherosclerosis was associated with significantly increased levels of MMP-9 mRNA, which may enhance both the deposition of types I and III collagen and atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Diagnostic accuracy of narrow-band imaging for the differentiation of neoplastic from non-neoplastic colorectal polyps: a meta-analysis

AIM

Narrow-band imaging (NBI) is a novel imaging technology that makes the superficial vasculature of gastrointestinal mucosa visible. However, the real accuracy for the differentiation of neoplastic from non-neoplastic polyps by NBI for the colorectum is still unknown.

METHOD

A meta-analysis was carried out of studies which assessed the precision of NBI in the diagnosis of colorectal neoplastic polyps. Searches included PubMed and Embase and two reviewers independently assessed their quality with a modified version of the quadas and stard tools. The study pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

There were 11 relevant original papers which fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.93) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.81-0.86) respectively. The AUC for NBI was 0.95 [SE 0.01; DOR 53.72 (95% CI 35.66-80.92)]. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.94) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.78-0.84) with magnification, and 0.91 (95% CI 0.88-0.93) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.89) without magnification. For the mucosal pattern sensitivity and specificity were 0.90 (95% CI 0.85-0.940) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.93), and for vascular pattern intensity they were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.94) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.83-0.91).

CONCLUSION

Narrow-band imaging, with or without magnification, has a high diagnostic precision for colorectal neoplastic polyps using either vascular pattern intensity or mucosal pattern assessment as the measure.

In vivo time-resolved DOT measurement and image reconstruction of human forearm under exercises

In vivo measurement of time-resolved diffuse optical tomography (TR-DOT) were performed for human forearms under the exercises. The DOT images of oxygenation state were reconstructed, and the activities of the inner muscles were assessed.

Refolding of recombinant human interferon alpha-2a from Escherichia coli by urea gradient size exclusion chromatography

Protein refolding is still a puzzle in the production of recombinant proteins expressed as inclusion bodies (IBs) in Escherichia coli. Gradient size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a recently developed method for refolding of recombinant proteins in IBs. In this study, we used a decreasing urea gradient SEC for the refolding of recombinant human interferon alpha-2a (rhLFNalpha-2a) which was overexpressed as IBs in E. coli. In chromatographic process, the denatured rhLFNalpha-2a would pass along the 8.0-3.0 M urea gradient and refold gradually. Several operating conditions, such as final concentration of urea along the column, gradient length, the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione and flow rate were investigated, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, 1.2 x 10(8) IU/mg of specific activity and 82% mass recovery were obtained from the loaded 10 ml of 1.75 mg/ml denatured protein, and rhLFNalpha-2a was also purified during this process with the purity of higher than 92%. Compared with dilution method, urea gradient SEC was more efficient for the rhl FNalpha-2a refolding in terms of specific activity and mass recovery.

PTP1B expression is an independent positive prognostic factor in human breast cancer

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a non-transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase that has come into focus as a critical regulator of multiple signaling pathways. The role of PTP1B in breast cancer remains unclear with evidence suggesting that PTP1B can exert both tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting effects. To better define the role of PTP1B in human breast cancer, and its relationship with HER2, we performed immunohistochemical studies on a large cohort of functionally annotated primary breast cancer specimens. 683 of 1,402 (49 %) evaluable primary breast cancers are positive for PTP1B. There is no statistically significant association between PTP1B expression and age, tumor size, T stage, histologic grade, lymph node status, or histological subtype. Of note, there is no significant association between PTP1B expression and HER2 expression (PTP1B expression 53.1 % in HER2(+) cancers vs. 47.5 % in HER2(-) cancers, p = 0.0985). However, PTP1B expression is significantly associated with estrogen receptor expression (PTP1B expression 50.7 % in ER(+) cancers vs. 43.1 % in ER(-) cancers, p = 0.0137) and intrinsic molecular subtype (PTP1B expression 53.9 % in the luminal B HER2(+) subtype and 37.9 % in the basal-like subtype). Of note, multivariate analyses demonstrate that PTP1B is an independent predictor of improved survival in breast cancer (HR 0.779, p = 0.006). Taken together, we demonstrate in the largest study to date that (1) PTP1B is commonly expressed in breast cancer, (2) there is no association or functional impact of PTP1B expression in HER2(+) breast cancer, and (3) PTP1B expression in breast cancer is associated with significantly improved clinical outcome. Until additional studies are performed, caution should be exercised in using PTP1B inhibitors in human breast cancer.

Dark matter results from 225 live days of XENON100 data

We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso for 13 months during 2011 and 2012. XENON100 features an ultralow electromagnetic background of (5.3 ± 0.6) × 10(-3) events/(keV(ee) × kg × day) in the energy region of interest. A blind analysis of 224.6 live days × 34 kg exposure has yielded no evidence for dark matter interactions. The two candidate events observed in the predefined nuclear recoil energy range of 6.6-30.5 keV(nr) are consistent with the background expectation of (1.0 ± 0.2) events. A profile likelihood analysis using a 6.6-43.3 keV(nr) energy range sets the most stringent limit on the spin-independent elastic weakly interacting massive particle-nucleon scattering cross section for weakly interacting massive particle masses above 8 GeV/c(2), with a minimum of 2 × 10(-45) cm(2) at 55 GeV/c(2) and 90% confidence level.

Diabetes mellitus and the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of 24 cohort studies

AIM

The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) were quantified in persons with and without diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHOD

Medline and Embase were searched for articles published before July 2010. Cohort studies that evaluated incidence and mortality of DM and CRC were included. The initial search identified 1887 titles, of which 24 articles met the inclusion criteria. We defined the relative risk (RR) as the metric of choice; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random-effects model.

RESULTS

There was an increase in the RR of developing CRC in persons with DM compared with those without DM (RR 1.28; 95% CI 1.19-1.39), without heterogeneity between studies (P(heterogeneity) = 0.13). The association between duration of DM and CRC incidence was stronger in the 11-15-year group (RR 1.51; 95% CI 1.12-2.03) than in the <10-year group (RR 1.05; 95% CI 0.90-1.22) and the >15-year group (RR 1.25; 95% CI 0.80-1.94), and there was significant heterogeneity among subgroups (P(heterogeneity) = 0.01). In studies reporting standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), there was an increased incidence of CRC with DM (RR 1.27; 95% CI 1.14-1.42; P(heterogeneity) = 0.09), and the association was stronger among men (RR 1.47; 95% CI 1.15-1.86) than women (RR 1.08; 95% CI 1.00-1.17); there was significant heterogeneity among gender (P(heterogeneity) = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggests that individuals with DM have a significant increase in risk of developing CRC.

Effectiveness and safety assessment of lamotrigine monotherapy for treatment of epilepsy

BACKGROUND

Epilepsy is a recurrent chronic nervous system disease. A correct choice of antiepileptic drug is the key to control seizures and improve patient's life quality.

AIM

To study the effectiveness and safety of lamotrigine monotherapy for treatment of epilepsy, systemic evaluation was carried out on published comparative trials between lamotrigine and carbamazepine.

METHODS

The retrieval method referred to the search strategy developed by Cochrane Epilepsy Group and software Rev.Man 5 was used for META analysis and forest plots. The Odds ratio (OR) was selected as the effect size and funnel plot was used to analyze the publication bias.

RESULTS

A total of 9 studies and 2269 cases of patients were included in the analysis. There was no significant difference between lamotrigine and carbamazepine for treatment of epilepsy as the OR was 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.88, 1.54]. However, lamotrigine had advantages in the overall withdrawal rate and withdrawal rate due to side effects as the ORs were 0.57, 95% CI [0.47, 0.69] and 0.41, 95% CI [0.32, 0.52].

CONCLUSIONS

Lamotrigine has certain advantages over carbamazepine for treatment of epilepsy as it has less side effects and higher tolerability. In addition, the quality of such clinical trials should be further improved to have a more comprehensive understanding.

Advances in the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) are relatively rare and generally felt to follow an indolent course. But poorly differentiated tumours can behave aggressively with 5-year survival ranging from 31% to 48%. Recent data suggest that patients with pNETs may derive benefit from treatment targeting the molecular changes expressed in this tumour group. This article describes advances in the treatment of unresectable pNETs that have led to a doubling of progression free survival.