[Effects of PI3Kδ-RhoA pathway on phagocytosis defect of alveolar macrophages in a mouse model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

Objective: To investigate effects of Phosphoinositide3-Kinases (PI3Kδ)-Ras homolog gene family member A(RhoA) pathway on phagocytosis deficiency of alveolar macrophages (AMs) in a mouse model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Twenty mice were exposed to cigarette smoking to establish the COPD model, with 20 mice as the control group. AMs were isolated from lung tissue by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation and then divided into a healthy control group, a COPD group, a healthy IC87114 group and a COPD IC87114 group. The culture of IC87114 group was mixed with a final concentration of 1 nmol/L IC87114 for 24 hours. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and the positive percent of AMs engulfing flurescein isothiocyanate-labeled Escherichina coli (FITC-E.coli) (AM%) were detected by flow cytometry. Real-Time PCR(RT-PCR)and Western blot were applied to detect mRNA and protein. G-LISA RhoA Kit was used to detect the activity of RhoA, and laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to observe the cytoskeleton structure of AMs. Results: Phagocytosis of AM: MFI and AM %in the COPD group [(4 512±517), (32.2±4.6)%] were decreased than those in the healthy control group [(9 857±1 042), (68.0±4.0)%, all P<0.01]. Compared with the COPD group, MFI and AM% in the COPD IC87114 group [(6 894±472), (50.6±2.1)%] were increased (all P<0.01). The expressions of mRNA and protein of PI3Kδ in the COPD group (3.14±0.54, 0.84±0.08) were increased than those in the healthy control group (1.00±0.00, 0.57±0.07) (all P<0.01). Compared with the COPD group, the expressions of mRNA and protein of PI3Kδ in the COPD IC87114 group (1.52±0.28, 0.66±0.13) were decreased (all P<0.01). The RhoA mRNA, protein and activity in the COPD group (0.70±0.07, 0.41±0.10, 0.70±0.06) were decreased compared to those in the healthy control group (1.00±0.00, 0.56±0.09, 1.19±0.09) (all P<0.01). Compared with the COPD group, the expression of mRNA, protein and activity of RhoA in the COPD IC87114 group(0.91±0.08, 0.48±0.06, 0.86±0.06) were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Cytoskeleton of AM: The pseudopods of the healthy control group and the healthy IC87114 group extended well, and the ability of phagocytosing FITC-E.coli was intact, but there were some defects in the COPD group. Compared with the COPD group, the COPD IC87114 group was better, both in phagocytosing and extending of pseudopods. Negative correlations existed between the mRNA, protein of PI3Kδ with mRNA, protein and activity of RhoA. Negative correlations also existed between the mRNA, protein of PI3Kδ with MFI, but positive correlations between RhoA and MFI were observed in all groups. Conclusion: The phagocytosis of AMs in COPD mice was defective, with abnormal rearrangement of the cytoskeleton. PI3Kδ negatively regulated RhoA, while PI3Kδ over activation resulted in decreasing activity of RhoA and then induced abnormal cytoskeleton rearrangement in AMs, which led to phagocytosis deficiency.IC87114 inhibited PI3Kδ activation, improved the activity of RhoA and partly recovered phagocytosis of AMs.

[Mechanisms of cytoskeleton and PI3Kδ-RhoA in fine particulate matter deteriorating phagocytosis defect of alveolar macrophage in mice with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

Objective: To explore the mechanism of cytoskeleton and PI3Kδ-RhoA in fine particulate matter deteriorating phagocytosis defect of alveolar macrophage (AM) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mice. Methods: Forty mice were randomly divided into four groups: health control group, COPD group, health PM2.5 group, COPD PM2.5 group and with ten in each group. A mouse model of COPD was established by cigarette smoke exposure, and health PM2.5 group and COPD PM2.5 group mice were given PM2.5 (588 μg/m(3)) aerosol inhalation for 90 days. AM were isolated from lung tissue by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and the percent of alveolar macrophage engulfing flurescein isothiocyanate-labeled Escherichia coli (FITC-E.coli) AM (AM%) were detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expression were measured by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. The activity of RhoA was measured by GTPase linked immunosorbent assay (G-LISA) Kit. Cytoskeleton was observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Results: The MFI and the AM% in COPD group [4 512±517, (32.19±4.57)%] and health PM2.5 group [7 631±585, (50.78±4.58)%] were significantly lower than those in health control group [9 857±1 042, (68.53±2.88)%], while those in COPD PM2.5 group [3 121±393, (21.90±2.58)%] were lower than those in COPD group (all P<0.01). The mRNA and protein of PI3Kδ in COPD group (3.41±0.54, 0.84±0.08)and health PM2.5 group (1.52±0.35, 0.71±0.11) were higher than those in health control group (1.00±0.00, 0.57±0.07) (all P<0.05), and in COPD PM2.5 group (5.53±0.42, 1.17±0.25), the above parameters were remarkably increased as compared to those in COPD group (all P<0.01). The mRNA, protein and activity of RhoA in COPD group (0.70±0.07, 0.41±0.10, 0.70±0.06) and health PM2.5 group (0.84±0.06, 0.46±0.11, 0.87±0.07) were lower than those in health control group (1.00±0.00, 0.56±0.09, 1.19±0.09) (all P<0.05), and above parameters of COPD PM2.5 group (0.42±0.05, 0.31±0.06, 0.44±0.04) were significantly lower than COPD group (all P<0.01). Cytoskeleton of AM: long and dense filopodia and membrane fold could been seen clearly around the AM of health control group; in COPD group and health PM2.5 group, short and sparse filopodia and slightly deformed AM can been seen. Filopodia remarkably decreased and rigid cells with impaired capacity of engulfing FITC-E.coli can be generally observed in COPD PM2.5 group. Negative correlations were existed between PI3Kδ mRNA, protein and RhoA mRNA, protein, activity in all groups (all P<0.01). Negative correlations were existed between PI3Kδ mRNA, protein and MFI, and positive correlations were existed between RhoA mRNA, protein, activity and MFI in all groups (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can deteriorate the phagocytosis of AM from COPD mice through over activating PI3Kδ and inhibiting the activity of RhoA then causing cytoskeleton abnormal rearrangement.

[Ventilator-associated pneumonia among premature infants <34 weeks' gestational age in neonatal intensive care unit in China: a multicenter study]

Objective: To investigate the incidence and pathogen distribution of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among preterm infants admitted to level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in China. Method: A prospective study was conducted in 25 level Ⅲ NICU, enrolling all preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age admitted to the participating NICU within the first 7 days of life from May 2015 to April 2016. Chi-square test, t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Result: A total of 7 918 patients were enrolled, within whom 4 623(58.4%) were males. The birth weight was (1 639±415) g and the gestational age was (31.4±2.0) weeks; 4 654(58.8%) infants required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 154(27.2%) required intubation. Of all the mechanically ventilated patients, VAP occurred in 95 patients. The overall VAP rate was 7.0 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days, varying from 0 to 34.4 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days in different centers. The incidence of VAP was 9.6 and 6.0 per 1 000 ventilator days in children's hospitals and maternity-infant hospitals respectively, without significant differences (t=1.002, P=0.327). Gram-negative bacilli (76 strains, 91.6%) were the primary VAP microorganisms, mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (24 strains, 28.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (23 strains, 27.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 strains, 12.0%). Conclusion: The incidence of VAP in China is similar to that in developed counties, with substantial variability in different NICU settings. More efforts are needed to monitor and evaluate the preventable factors associated with VAP and conduct interventions that could effectively reduce the occurrence of VAP.

[Primary hypogammaglobulinemia complicated with liver cirrhosis and literature review]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of primary hypogammaglobulinemia complicated with liver cirrhosis in a child.

METHOD

Pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA ) complicated with liver cirrhosis in a child were analyzed in Shanghai Children's Medical Center.Using"primary hypogammaglobulinemia"and"liver cirrhosis"as keywords, literatures were searched from Pubmed and Chinese data of Weipu and Wanfang data from January 1988 to January 2015.

RESULT

The patient was a 12 years old boy with the chief complaint of 3 times hematemesis with diagnosis of XLA in the past 7 years. He received treatment with immunoglobulin (Ig) monthly for 6 years. He had no hepatitis C virus( HCV ) infection and serologic tests for autoantibodies were negative. Anti-HBs, anti-HBe and anti-HBc were positive, which revealed previous hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection. Gastroscopy suggested esophageal gastric varices. Liver pathology showed liver cell degeneration, necrosis, fiber tissue hyperplasia and pseudolobuli. After hospitalization the boy underwent liver transplantation (LT). He was given tacrolimus (3 mg/d), prednisone (5 mg/d), lamivudine (150 mg/d) and acyclovir (900 mg/d) by oral administration after LT. After 3 months follow-up, the boy was alive and well with stable results of liver function tests. There were no report in Weipu and Wanfang data. A total of 19 cases, including 12 cases of common variable immunodeficiency, 3 cases of XLA, 2 cases of Hyper-IgM syndrome and 2 cases of congenital hypogammaglobulinemia were obtained from Pubmed published between January 1, 1988 and January 1, 2015. Seventeen of the cases had HCV infection. Two cases had autoimmune hepatitis. Of the HCV infected patients, 15 were given intravenous gamma globulin. Seven of the 19 cases survived. Among 5 cases who received liver transplantation, 3 cases died.

CONCLUSION

In addition to HCV infection and autoimmune hepatitis as causes of liver cirrhosis in primary hypogammaglobulinemia, chronic HBV infection is another cause. Intravenous gammaglobulin is an important way of transmitting HCV and HBV infection. The effect of liver transplantation remains to be evaluated via further follow-up and studies.

[Comparision of Different Methods of Area Measurement in Irregular Scar]

OBJECTIVES

To determine a measurement standard of irregular scar area by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods in measuring same irregular scar area.

METHODS

Irregular scar area was scanned by digital scanning and measured by coordinate reading method, AutoCAD pixel method, Photoshop lasso pixel method, Photoshop magic bar filled pixel method and Foxit PDF reading software, and some aspects of these methods such as measurement time, repeatability, whether could be recorded and whether could be traced were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the scar areas by the measurement methods above. However, there was statistical difference in the measurement time and repeatability by one or multi performers and only Foxit PDF reading software could be traced back.

CONCLUSIONS

The methods above can be used for measuring scar area, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to develop new measurement software for forensic identification.

[Application of three-dimensional visualization technique in pediatric living donor liver transplantation]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the value of three-dimensional(3D) visualization technology for donor evaluation in pediatric living donor liver transplantation(LDLT).

METHODS

The clinical data of 348 familial donors who underwent LDLT from January 2013 to December 2015 in Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine were reviewed retrospectively.3D visualize-vascular type and liver grafts volume were analyzed and compared to the actual volume and anatomy. Paired t-test was used to compared the liver volume between 3D visualization estimated-liver grafts and actual volume.

RESULTS

Among the LDLT recipients, 168 were male and 180 were female aged from 5 to 176 months(median age 8 months), and average body weight was(9.4±5.4)kg, average abdominal circumference was (56.3±13.3)cm.Among the LDLT candidates, 131 were male and 217 were female aged from 19 to 59 years(average age (32.0±13.0)years, median age 30 years). The type of liver grafts from 348 donors included: 308 left lateral lobe(88.5%)(5 were reduced-size grafts(1.4%) and 2 were hyper reduced-size grafts (0.6%)), 32 left lobe donor(9.2%), 7 right lobe donor(2.0%) and 1 right posterior lobe donor(0.3%). The difference between the mean volume of 3D visualization estimated-liver grafts and the mean actual volume was not significant((300.3±80.7)ml vs.(287.6±71.5)ml)(P=0.15), the average weight was (291.9±75.6)g and mean graft recipient body weight ratio was (3.2±0.1)%.The mean operation time was (205±59)minutes, the mean blood loss was (153±49)ml, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was (7±3)days.

CONCLUSION

3D visualization reconstruction technique can accurately assess the donor condition and ensure the safety both donors and recipients.

Multiprotein bridging factor 2 regulates the expression of the fibroin heavy chain gene by interacting with Bmdimmed in the silkworm Bombyx mori

Multiprotein bridging factor 2 (MBF2) was first isolated from the posterior silk gland of Bombyx mori. However, its function in B. mori is still unknown. Herein, MBF2 transcripts were detected mainly in the posterior silk gland and Malpighian tubules of B. mori larvae via a quantitative PCR analysis. An analysis of temporal expression patterns showed that the expression pattern of MBF2 was the opposite of that of the fibroin heavy chain (fibH) gene, as its expression was high during the fourth-instar moulting stage, decreased gradually during the fifth-instar feeding stage and disappeared at the end of the fifth-instar phase. Furthermore, bimolecular fluorescent complementation and Far-Western blot assays showed that MBF2 interacted with the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Bmdimmed. Dual luciferase reporter assays showed that MBF2 down-regulated the promoter activity of fibH and inhibited the effect of Bmdimmed (Bmdimm) on fibH expression. MBF2 expression was induced in silk glands after treatment with 20-hydroxyecdysone in vivo and in vitro. These findings suggest that MBF2 is a transcriptional repressor that is involved in controlling the regulation of the fibH gene in the posterior silk gland by interacting with Bmdimm.

Associations between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and ankylosing spondylitis in Chinese Han population: a case-control study

We assessed whether the vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms (FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI) were associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a Chinese Han population. The TaqI polymorphism G allele was a risk factor in AS susceptibility.

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have found that serum vitamin D levels are declined in patients with AS. The present study aims to evaluate the role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms in AS susceptibility in a Chinese Han population.

METHODS

Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the VDR gene (FokI (rs2228570), BsmI (rs1544410), ApaI (rs7975232), and TaqI (rs731236)) were genotyped by the improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) method in 620 AS patients and 620 geographically and ethnically matched healthy controls. Haplotypes were constructed after linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis.

RESULTS

Statistically significant difference was only found in the TaqI polymorphism between AS patients and controls. The TaqI polymorphism G allele was higher in AS group than that in controls (OR [95 % CI] = 1.624 [1.122-2.352], χ (2) = 6.705, P = 0.006). Linkage disequilibrium has been detected in TaqI and BsmI polymorphisms (D' = 0.87, r (2) = 0.70). Two novel haplotypes (H1: AC and H2: GT) were significantly associated with the risk of AS, and they play protective and risk roles in AS morbidity, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The VDR gene TaqI polymorphism G allele may be a risk factor in AS susceptibility.

CMV Primary Infection Is Associated With Donor-Specific T Cell Hyporesponsiveness and Fewer Late Acute Rejections After Liver Transplantation

Viral infections, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), abrogate transplantation tolerance in animal models. Whether this also occurs in humans remains elusive. We investigated how CMV affects T cells and rejection episodes after liver transplantation (LT). Phenotype and alloreactivity of peripheral and allograft-infiltrating T cells from LT patients with different CMV status were analyzed by flow cytometry. The association of CMV status with early and late acute rejection was retrospectively analyzed in a cohort of 639 LT patients. CMV-positivity was associated with expansion of peripheral effector memory T cell subsets after LT. Patients with CMV primary infection showed donor-specific CD8(+) T cell hyporesponsiveness. While terminally differentiated effector memory cells comprised the majority of peripheral donor-specific CD8(+) T cells in CMV primary infection patients, they were rarely present in liver allografts. Retrospective analysis showed that R(-) D(+) serostatus was an independent protective factor for late acute rejection by multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.04-0.86, p = 0.015). Additionally, CMV primary infection patients showed the highest Vδ1/Vδ2 γδ T cell ratio, which has been shown to be associated with operational tolerance after LT. In conclusion, our data suggest that CMV primary infection may promote tolerance to liver allografts, and CMV status should be considered when tapering or withdrawing immunosuppression.

Association between DEFB103 gene copy number variation and ankylosing spondylitis: a case-control study

In this brief communication, we investigate the role of DEFB103 gene copy number variation (CNV) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility. A total of 807 Chinese individuals including 406 AS patients and 401 controls were enrolled. The DEFB103 copy number was measured by two sets of probes to obtain a stable result in a custom-by-design Multiplex AccuCopy(™) kit (Genesky Biotechnologies Inc., Shanghai, China) based on a multiplex fluorescence competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) principle. The copy number of DEFB103 ranged from 2 to 6 in both AS patients and controls. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-squared test were performed to analyze the difference of DEFB103 copy number between AS patients and controls while no statistical difference has been found. We considered the copy number of DEFB103 gene may not associate with susceptibility to AS.

Induction of COX-2-PGE2 synthesis by activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway contributes to neuronal death triggered by TDP-43-depleted microglia

Neuroinflammation is a striking hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Previous studies have shown the contribution of glial cells such as astrocytes in TDP-43-linked ALS. However, the role of microglia in TDP-43-mediated motor neuron degeneration remains poorly understood. In this study, we show that depletion of TDP-43 in microglia, but not in astrocytes, strikingly upregulates cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production through the activation of MAPK/ERK signaling and initiates neurotoxicity. Moreover, we find that administration of celecoxib, a specific COX-2 inhibitor, greatly diminishes the neurotoxicity triggered by TDP-43-depleted microglia. Taken together, our results reveal a previously unrecognized non-cell-autonomous mechanism in TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration, identifying COX-2-PGE2 as the molecular events of microglia- but not astrocyte-initiated neurotoxicity and identifying celecoxib as a novel potential therapy for TDP-43-linked ALS and possibly other types of ALS.

Biliary reconstruction and complications in adult living donor liver transplantation: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare outcomes of different techniques used for biliary reconstruction in adult donor liver transplantation.

METHODS

We searched the literature via Pubmed, Embase, Ovid, the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Regsistry, the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Library database, and Web of Science. Then with the data extracted from the literature, the effects that biliary reconstruction techniques in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) had on the occurrence of biliary complications were compared. With the use of random-effects and fixed-effect models, the results were obtained and expressed as odds ratio.

RESULTS

We found 16 eligible studies from various medical centers around the world. Duct-to-duct (DD) reconstruction was performed in the majority of patients (922/1,564). Multiple biliary ducts were encountered in 16.7%-60.4%, and ductoplasty was performed in 7.9%-74% of the patients. Both graft and posterior layer of bile duct anastomosis in DD reconstruction were studied, and no statistically differences in incidence of biliary complications were found between the Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (RYHJ) and DD groups. Nonsurgical management of biliary complications was the first choice of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found that there is no clear evidence in favor of using DD or RYHJ during adult LDLT.

The contribution of TGF-β in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT): Down-regulation of E-cadherin via snail

TGF-β plays a central role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a highly conserved and reversible process that governs tumor development, invasion and metastasis. Through this transition, the epithelial cell acquires a migratory behavior which allows it to move away from the cell community and to integrate into the surrounding tissue. The cells lost epithelial phenotypes including the change of cell polarity and the loss of specialized cell-cell contacts, which related with the shortage of E-cadherin directly. The increasing reports indicated that TGF-β down-regulated the expression of E-cadherin through snail signaling pathway, which played an important role in the development of EMT. In this review, we summarized the contribution of TGF-β in EMT and discussed the molecular mechanism of snail signaling participating in the regulation of E-cadherin triggered by TGF-β.

KEYWORDS

TGF-β, Epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT), snail family, E-cadherin.

The dynamic dielectric at a brain functional site and an EM wave approach to functional brain imaging

Functional brain imaging has tremendous applications. The existing methods for functional brain imaging include functional Magnetic Resonant Imaging (fMRI), scalp electroencephalography (EEG), implanted EEG, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which have been widely and successfully applied to various brain imaging studies. To develop a new method for functional brain imaging, here we show that the dielectric at a brain functional site has a dynamic nature, varying with local neuronal activation as the permittivity of the dielectric varies with the ion concentration of the extracellular fluid surrounding neurons in activation. Therefore, the neuronal activation can be sensed by a radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) wave propagating through the site as the phase change of the EM wave varies with the permittivity. Such a dynamic nature of the dielectric at a brain functional site provides the basis for an RF EM wave approach to detecting and imaging neuronal activation at brain functional sites, leading to an RF EM wave approach to functional brain imaging.

Nature of subproton scale turbulence in the solar wind

The nature of subproton scale fluctuations in the solar wind is an open question, partly because two similar types of electromagnetic turbulence can occur: kinetic Alfvén turbulence and whistler turbulence. These two possibilities, however, have one key qualitative difference: whistler turbulence, unlike kinetic Alfvén turbulence, has negligible power in density fluctuations. In this Letter, we present new observational data, as well as analytical and numerical results, to investigate this difference. These results show, for the first time, that the fluctuations well below the proton scale are predominantly kinetic Alfvén turbulence, and, if present at all, the whistler fluctuations make up only a small fraction of the total energy.

Serotonin modulates outward potassium currents in mouse olfactory receptor neurons

Monoaminergic neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), also known as serotonin, plays important roles in modulating the function of the olfactory system. However, thus far, the knowledge about 5-HT and its receptors in olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and their physiological role have not been fully characterized. In the present study, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed the presence of 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(1B) receptor subtypes in mouse olfactory epithelium at the mRNA level. With subtype selective antibodies and standard immunohistochemical techniques, both receptor subtypes were found to be positively labeled. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms of 5-HT act on the peripheral olfactory transduction, the whole-cell patch clamp techniques were used on freshly isolated ORNs. We found that 5-HT decreased the magnitude of outward K(+) current in a dose-dependent manner and these inhibitory effects were markedly attenuated by the 5-HT(1A) receptor blocker WAY-100635 and the 5-HT(1B) receptor antagonist GR55562. These data suggested that 5-HT may play a role in the modulation of peripheral olfactory signals by regulating outward potassium currents, both 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(1B) receptors were involved in this regulation.