Efficacy of quadruple therapy with clarithromycin based on faecal molecular antimicrobial susceptibility tests as first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection: a protocol of a single-centre, single-blind, randomised clinical trial in China

INTRODUCTION

Helicobacter pylori is the most well-known risk factor for gastric cancer. Antibiotic resistance is the main reason for the failure of H. pylori eradication, and understanding the antibiotic resistance before treatment may be the main determinant of successful eradication of H. pylori. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of quadruple therapy based on faecal molecular antimicrobial susceptibility tests for the first-line eradication of H. pylori infection.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial, enrolling 855 patients with H. pylori infection. Patients are randomised to three groups for a 14-day treatment: group A: amoxicillin- and clarithromycin-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) (rabeprazole 10 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg and colloidal bismuth 200 mg two times per day); group B: clarithromycin medication history-based BQT (rabeprazole 10 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, furazolidone 100 mg (with clarithromycin medication history)/clarithromycin 500 mg (without clarithromycin medication history) and colloidal bismuth 200 mg two times per day); group C: antimicrobial susceptibility test-based BQT (rabeprazole 10 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg (clarithromycin-sensitive)/furazolidone 100 mg (clarithromycin resistant) and colloidal bismuth 200 mg two times per day). The primary end point is the eradication rate. The secondary end points are the incidence of adverse events and compliance.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University (Number 20230103). The results will be published in the appropriate peer-reviewed journal.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05718609.

Quadruple therapy with vonoprazan 20 mg daily as a first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection: A single-center, open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Although vonoprazan has been proven to be a highly potent drug for Helicobacter pylori eradication, there have been no randomized trials comparing the effectiveness of regimens containing vonoprazan 20 mg daily with alternative standard strategies. We aimed to assess the efficacy, tolerance, and cost-effectiveness of quadruple therapy with vonoprazan 20 mg daily as a first-line therapy for H. pylori eradication.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a single-center, open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled study in Zhejiang, China. Treatment-naive H. pylori-positive participants (n = 234) were randomly assigned to three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio: vonoprazan 20 mg daily with amoxicillin 1000 mg, furazolidone 100 mg and colloidal bismuth 200 mg each given twice a day for 10 days (V10) or 14 days (V14), or esomeprazole 20 mg with amoxicillin 1000 mg, furazolidone 100 mg and colloidal bismuth 200 mg each given twice a day for 14 days (E14). The primary endpoint was the eradication rates in each group. The secondary endpoints were the incidence of adverse events (AEs) and compliance.

RESULTS

The eradication rates in the V10, V14 and E14 groups were 96.2% (89.2-99.2%), 94.9% (87.4-98.6%), and 93.6% (85.7-97.9%) in the intention-to-treat analysis, and 98.6% (92.7-100.0%), 97.4% (90.8-99.7%), and 94.8% (87.2-98.6%) in the per-protocol analysis, respectively. Quadruple therapy with vonoprazan 20 mg daily was noninferior to the esomeprazole-based regimen (Farrington and Manning test: margin 10%, significance level 2.5%). The adverse event rates were 12.8% versus 3.8% versus 6.4% in the V10, V14, and E14 groups, respectively. All regimens were well tolerated without significant differences (p = 0.096). The cost-effectiveness ratio was 1.32, 1.88, and 3.06 for the V10, V14, and E14 groups in the intention-to-treat analysis, respectively. (NCT04907747).

CONCLUSIONS

Vonoprazan (20 mg daily) was as effective as esomeprazole (20 mg twice a day) in quadruple therapies for the eradication of H. pylori, was more economical, and was well tolerated. In addition, the 10-day regimen of vonoprazan (20 mg daily) was comparable to the 14-day regimen.

MFAP2, upregulated by m1A methylation, promotes colorectal cancer invasiveness via CLK3

BACKGROUND

Distant metastasis is the main cause of mortality in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. N1-methyladenosine (m1A) is a type of epitranscriptome modification. While its regulatory effect on mRNA and its role in CRC metastasis remain unclear.

METHODS

The m1A methylation profile of mRNAs in CRC was revealed by m1A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing. The expression of MFAP2 in tumor tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry and then correlated with the clinical characteristics and prognosis of CRC patients. The role of MFAP2 in the invasiveness of CRC cells was evaluated by transwell assays and peritoneal metastatic model in nude mice. The downstream targets of MFAP2 was screened by mass spectrometry analysis. Then the role of MFAP2-CLK3 signaling axis was verified by cotransfecting MFAP2 siRNA and CLK3 plasmid in CRC cells.

RESULTS

Microfibril associated protein 2 (MFAP2) mRNA was overexpressed and m1A-hypermethylated in CRC. High expression of MFAP2 was closely related to lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, leading to poor prognosis in patients with CRC. In vivo and in vitro studies showed that silencing of MFAP2 inhibited the migration, invasion and metastasis of CRC cells. CDC Like Kinase 3 (CLK3) was a potential downstream target of MFAP2. Further studies showed that MFAP2 depletion might induce autophagic degradation of CLK3, and the role of MFAP2 in the invasiveness of CRC cells was dependent on CLK3.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results uncover a newly identified MFAP2-CLK3 signaling axis, which is a potential therapeutic target for CRC metastasis.

Effectiveness and safety of a newly designed self-assembling gel in the treatment of endoscopic submucosal dissection-induced gastric ulcer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a newly designed self-assembling gel in treating ESD-induced gastric ulcers in patients.

Methods: This open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial enrolled patients who underwent ESD between September 2020 and May 2021. Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive the gel (applied to cover the entire ulcer bed under endoscopic guidance immediately after ESD; gel group) or not (control group). The primary outcome was the ulcer healing rate at 28 days. And the secondary outcomes were the delayed bleeding, changes in the ulcer stage, and adverse events.

Results: Finally, 125 patients (mean age, 63.7 years; 70 [56.0%] males) were enrolled. The ulcer healing rate was higher in the gel group than in the control group at 28 days (96.9 ± 4.1% vs. 94.7 ± 5.0%; p = 0.001). The ulcer reduction rate at 28 days differed significantly (p < 0.001) between ulcers with majority gel coverage (99.8%), ulcers with minority gel coverage (96.2%), and ulcers with no gel coverage (98.0%). Delayed bleeding was found in 1/63 gel-treated patients (1.6%) versus 5/62 controls (8.1%). A1-stage ulcers were found in 16/63 patients in the gel group versus 44/62 patients in the control group (25.4% vs. 71.0%, p < 0.001) at 3–5 days.

Conclusion: The newly developed self-assembling gel was safe and effective in accelerating gastric ulcer healing in patients after ESD.

Clinical Trial Registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry System (registration number, ChiCTR2100052935).

Aberrant lipid metabolism in cancer cells and tumor microenvironment: the player rather than bystander in cancer progression and metastasis

As the primary cause of cancer-induced fatality and morbidity, cancer metastasis has been a hard nut to crack. Existing studies indicate that lipid metabolism reprogramming occurring in cancer cells and surrounding cells in TME also endows the aggressive and spreading properties with malignant cells. In this review we describe the lipid metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells at different steps along the metastatic process, we also summarize the altered lipid metabolism of non-cancer cells in TME during tumor metastasis. Additionally, we reveal both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence the cellular lipid metabolism reprogramming.

[Association between physical activity and risk of stroke among adults aged 40 years and above: a prospective cohort study]

Objective: To examine the effect of physical activity (PA) on the incident risk of stroke among adults aged 40 years and above. Methods: The baseline data including PA and demographic characteristics were obtained from the Adult Chronic Disease Surveillance with population representativeness in Ningbo in 2015. The follow-up data of interested health outcomes from 2015 to 2019 were retrieved from a population-based Integrated Noncommunicable Disease Collaborative Management System in Ningbo. The two databases were matched to form a queue. PA was divided into three levels of low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity according to the metabolic equivalents (METs) spent per week. Cox regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 3 353 subjects were included at baseline survey in 2015. Until Dec 31, 2019, there had been 31 stroke events had occurred since then, with accumulative incidence rate of 242/100 000, and an average follow-up time of (50.28±2.54) months. When adjusted for gender, age, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, BMI and hypertension, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that greater PA was associated with a 37.9% reduction of incidence of stroke (HR=0.621,95%CI:0.393-0.983). Compared with those who had low-intensity PA, those who were with vigorous-intensity. PA appeared associated with a 63.1% decrease in the incidence of stroke (HR=0.369, 95%CI: 0.139-0.976). However, there was no statistical significance with moderate-intensity PA (HR=0.712,95%CI:0.323-1.569), noticed. Conclusions: Greater PA is likely to reduce the incidence of stroke. Our findings indicated that people should be encouraged to increase the PA level and developing a healthy supportive environment in the community.

The diagnosis of intramural esophageal squamous cell carcinoma without mucosal invasion using endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy: A case report

RATIONALE

Intramural esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) without mucosal invasion is extremely rare. Endoscopic mucosal biopsy results are often negative, making diagnosis difficult. In these cases, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy is a useful diagnostic method.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 78-year-old female was admitted to hospital due to dysphagia, and gastroscopy showed a concentric narrowing of the esophageal lumen with a smooth and undamaged esophageal mucosa.

DIAGNOSES

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) revealed that the esophageal mucosa was thickened with a low echo, and the layers of the esophageal wall could not be clearly distinguished. Cytologic and pathologic diagnoses were obtained through EUS-FNA, which suggested ESCC.

INTERVENTIONS

According to the pathologic diagnosis obtained by EUS-FNA, surgery or radiotherapy were recommended for this patient. Eventually, this patient elected to seek treatment at another medical institution.

OUTCOMES

This type of disease cannot be diagnosed according to gastroscopic biopsy alone, and the diagnosis was eventually confirmed through EUS-FNA.

LESSONS

When an imaging examination suggests a possible malignant lesion of the oesophagus, EUS-FNA may be considered if the surface mucosa contains no endoscopic damage. EUS-FNA has high diagnostic value with high sensitivity, minimal invasiveness, and high safety.

Organoid of ovarian cancer: genomic analysis and drug screening

Ovarian cancer is the most common malignant tumors of the female reproductive system, and its standard treatments are cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Great advances have been achieved in novel treatment strategies, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy. However, ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among gynecological tumors due to therapeutic resistance and the gap between preclinical data and actual clinical efficacy. Organoids are a 3D culture model that markedly affects gene analysis, drug screening, and drug sensitivity determination of tumors, especially when used in targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In addition, organoid can lead to advances in the preclinical research of ovarian cancer due to its convenient cultivation, good genetic stability, and high homology with primary tumors.

MT1‑MMP promotes the proliferation and invasion of gastric carcinoma cells via regulating vimentin and E‑cadherin

The present study aimed to explore the possible effects of membrane‑type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1‑MMP) on gastric carcinoma cells proliferation and invasion. Immunohistochemistry analysis was conducted to measure MT1‑MMP expression level in 15 patients with gastric carcinoma. Subsequently, recombinant short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vectors targeting MT1‑MMP were constructed to silence the expression of MT1‑MMP in gastric carcinoma cells. Then, the inhibitive efficiency was verified via reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) and western blot analysis. The effects of MT1‑MMP silencing on cell proliferation and invasion were detected through Cell Counting Kit‑8 test and Transwell assays. The expression levels of vimentin and epithelial cadherin (E‑cadherin) were detected by RT‑qPCR. The immunohistochemistry analysis results revealed that MT1‑MMP expression in gastric carcinoma tissues was markedly overexpressed compared with non‑cancerous adjacent tissues. The MT1‑MMP expression level in cancer‑derived cell line AGS cells was also significantly increased compared with that in non‑cancer‑derived GES‑1 cells. In addition, the MT1‑MMP expression level in AGS cells was significantly decreased via shRNA transfection. Cell proliferation and invasion were markedly inhibited following knockdown of MT1‑MMP level in AGS cells. These inhibitory effects were associated with the decreased expression of vimentin and increased expression of E‑cadherin. MT1‑MMP was overexpressed in gastric carcinoma cells, and silencing of MT1‑MMP inhibited the proliferation and invasion of cells via regulating the expression of vimentin and E‑cadherin.

[The relationship of preoperativelymphocyte-monocyte ratio and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer]

Objective: To investigate the relationship of preoperative lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: Clinical data of 364 cases of EOC patients with initial treatment were collected in Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from 2005-2011 and analyzed retrospectively.The optimal cut-off points of preoperative LMR to predict the postoperative survival period of EOC patients were determined by the establishment of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The patients were divided into low LMR group and high LMR group according to the optimal cut-off points, and the relationship of LMR and the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of EOC patients were analyzed. Results: The best cut-off point of preoperative LMR to predict the postoperative survival period of EOC patients was 3.84. The preoperative LMR of EOC patients was significantly associated with the postoperative FIGO stage, ascites and CA125 level (all P<0.05). The median follow-up time was 37 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) time of low LMR group was 56 months, significantly shorter than 88 months of high LMR group (P<0.01). And the median overall survival (OS) time of low LMR group was 69 months, significantly shorter than 100 months of high LMR group (P<0.01). The univariate analysis showed that the postoperative FIGO stage, pathological grade, ascites, lymph node metastasis, CA125 level, adjuvant therapy, preoperative LMR were all significantly associated with PFS (all P<0.05). In addition, the age, postoperative FIGO stage, pathological grade, ascites, lymph node metastasis, CA125 level, adjuvant therapy, preoperative LMR were all significantly associated with OS (all P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that postoperative FIGO stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, low differentiation, positive lymph node metastasis, without postoperative adjuvant therapy and LMR≤3.84were independent risk factors of PFS and OS of EOC patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: The preoperative LMR is an independent influence factor of PFS and OS of EOC patients, and can be used to evaluate the prognosis of patients with EOC.

Expression and Transcriptional Regulation of Human ATP6V1A Gene in Gastric Cancers

Recent studies demonstrate that the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer (GC) is closely associated with a multi-subunit vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase). Here we investigated the expression and role of the human ATP6V1A gene that encodes the catalytic subunit A of V-ATPase in GC. We found that ATP6V1A expression level is significantly elevated in GCs compared to normals, but GC patients with higher expression levels of ATP6V1A have a better prognosis. Genomic analysis revealed that APT6V1A copy number is gained in a small fraction of GC patients and lost in a minimum number. Moreover, the ATP6V1A copy number was positively correlated with its mRNA level. To explore additional mechanisms by which ATP6V1A overexpressed in GCs, we investigated the relationship between transcription factor YY1 and ATP6V1A, and found that mRNA expression of YY1 had significant correlation with that of ATP6V1A. To validate that YY1 transcriptionally regulates ATP6V1A, we discovered that the ATP6V1A core promoter region contains three YY1 binding sites. Moreover, RNAi-mediated knockdown of YY1 in GC cells significantly decreased ATP6V1A mRNA and protein expression, while YY1 overexpression increased ATP6V1A expression level. In conclusion, YY1 may play an important regulatory role in ATP6V1A expression with potential mechanistic and clinical implications in GC.

Synergism between RIZ1 gene therapy and paclitaxel in SiHa cervical cancer cells

RIZ1 is a tumor suppressor gene. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of RIZ1 gene therapy on the growth of SiHa cervical cancer cells and its synergism with paclitaxel. The expression levels of RIZ1 were examined by real-time PCR and western blotting before and after transfection of RIZ1. The effects of paclitaxel or pcDNA3.1(+)-RIZ1 alone or in combination, on the proliferation of SiHa cells were evaluated by MTT method. The inhibitory effect on the proliferation of SiHa cells was more significant in the pcDNA3.1(+)-RIZ1 combined with paclitaxel group than in the pcDNA3.1(+)-RIZ1 or paclitaxel groups (P<0.05). The expression level of RIZ1 in SiHa cells increased after treatment with paclitaxel, which indicated a synergism between them. RIZ1 gene therapy combined with paclitaxel showed stronger cell inhibition than paclitaxel alone, which indicated a synergism between them.

Combination of HDAC inhibitor TSA and silibinin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by targeting survivin and cyclinB1/Cdk1 in pancreatic cancer cells

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are involved in diverse biological processes and therefore emerge as potential targets for pancreatic cancer. Silibinin, an active component of silymarin, is known to inhibit growth of pancreatic cancer in vivo and in vitro. Herein, we examined the cytotoxic effects of TSA in combination with silibinin and investigated the possible mechanism in two pancreatic cancer cell lines (Panc1 and Capan2). Our study found that combination treatment of HDAC inhibitor and silibinin exerted additive growth inhibitory effect on pancreatic cancer cell. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that combination therapy induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in Panc1and Capan2 cells. The induction of apoptosis was further confirmed by evaluating the activation of caspases. Moreover, treatment with TSA and silibinin resulted in a profound reduction in the expression of cyclinA2, cyclinB1/Cdk1 and survivin. Taken together, our study might indicate that the novel combination of HDAC inhibitor and silibinin could offer therapeutic potential against pancreatic cancer.

LXRα-mediated downregulation of FOXM1 suppresses the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Liver X receptors (LXRs), including LXRα and LXRβ isoforms, have important roles in the metabolic regulation of glucose, cholesterol and lipid. Moreover, activation of LXRs also represses the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1, and thus suppresses the proliferation of multiple cancer cells, but the relevant mechanism is not well known. Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) is a proliferation-specific member of forkhead box family, which is highly expressed in proliferating normal cells and numerous cancer cells. FOXM1 directly activates transcription of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1, resulting in the enhancement of cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. However, it is unclear whether LXRs are involved in the regulation of FOXM1. In this study, we demonstrated that specific LXRs agonists downregulated expression of FOXM1, cyclin D1 and cyclin B1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which led to cell cycle and cell proliferation arrest. Knockdown of FOXM1 significantly alleviated LXRs activation-mediated cell cycle arrest and cell growth suppression. Reporter assays showed that the activation of LXRs significantly reduced the transcriptional activity of FOXM1 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that LXRα but not LXRβ could bind to an inverted repeat IR2 (-52CCGTCAcgTGACCT-39) in the promoter region of FOXM1 gene. Moreover, the xenograft tumor growth and the corresponding FOXM1 expression in nude mice were dramatically repressed by LXRs agonists. Taken together, we conclude that LXRα but not LXRβ functions as a transcriptional repressor for FOXM1 expression. The pathway 'LXRα-FOXM1-cyclin D1/cyclin B1' is a novel mechanism by which LXRs suppress the proliferation of HCC cells, suggesting that the pathway may be a novel target for HCC treatment.

Intranasal administration of TAT-haFGF(₁₄₋₁₅₄) attenuates disease progression in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Human acidic fibroblast growth factor (haFGF), a neurotrophin-like growth factor in the brain, plays important roles in the development, differentiation and regeneration of brain neurons, which makes it potential to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, haFGF(14-154) and TAT-haFGF(14-154) (haFGF(14-154) fused with the cell-penetrating peptide transactivator of transcription protein transduction domain (TAT-PTD)) were intranasally administrated for 5 weeks to investigate the effects on senescence-accelerated mouse prone-8 (SAMP8) mice (a mouse model of AD). Results showed that TAT-PTD could increase the concentration of haFGF in the brain significantly, and TAT-haFGF(14-154) was more effective than haFGF(14-154) in the same dosage (300 μg/kg). Importantly, TAT-haFGF(14-154) improved the learning and memory abilities of SAMP8 mice in the behavioral test, and promoted the function of cholinergic system by measuring the relevant biomarkers (acetylcholine (ACh) level, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activities). TAT-haFGF(14-154) also significantly reduced β-amyloid protein(1-42) (Aβ(1-42)) deposits as well as the levels of Aβ soluble forms in the mice brains and prevented the neurons from apoptosis. Besides, the oxidative stress impairment in the brain and serum was also ameliorated. The results suggest that TAT-haFGF(14-154) could attenuate the disease progression of SAMP8 AD mice, and the mechanism is related to the regulation of neurons microenvironment including neurotransmitters, Aβ pathology and oxidative stress.

Involvement of the NF-κB pathway in multidrug resistance induced by HBx in a hepatoma cell line

It is widely believed that hepatocellular cancer (HCC), especially HBV associated HCC, is highly resistant to chemotherapy. To investigate the molecular influence of HBx protein on multidrug resistance (MDR) in HCC and the potential role of the NF-κB pathway in this process. We established HBx-expressing cells by liposome-mediated transfection of the HBx into the HepG2 cell line. We found that HBx expression in HCC cells induces drug resistance against multiple drugs, a significantly lower apoptosis ratio in HepG2-HBx and HepG2.2.15 cells, compared with HepG2 and HepG2-3.1 cells (P < 0.05) after treating with 5-FU or adriamycin. And compared with the control group, the HBx-transfected cells showed a higher expression of MDR-associated and anti-apoptotic genes. Furthermore, we found that the NF-κB activity was remarkably high in the HBx-expressing cells as measured by p65 nuclear localization. In addition, the upregulated anti-apoptotic genes, Gadd45b and Survivin, in HBx-expressing HCC cells were downregulated by IMD-0354 treatment, which is the NF-κB pathway inhibitor. Taken together, these results suggest that HBx protein might be one of the causes for the occurrence of MDR in HCC, and the NF-κB pathway might be involved in this change.

Interleukin 18 transfection enhances antitumor immunity induced by dendritic cell-tumor cell conjugates

Dendritic cell (DC)-based tumor vaccine represents a promising approach to the immunotherapy of malignant tumors. We prepared a novel type of DC-based vaccine, stable conjugates of DCs and EL4 cells transduced with cDNA of OVA (E.G7). Immunization with DC-E.G7 conjugates led to generation of T helper (Th) 1 cytokine-producing cells, antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells, and strong antitumor immunity that is dependent on both CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells. To further increase the potency of the vaccine, interleukin 18-transfected DCs were used to prepare the IL18DC-E.G7 conjugates. Immunization with such conjugates significantly increased the production of Th1 cytokine-producing cells and the number of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells, as well as stronger antitumor immunity. Furthermore, the increased Th1 cytokine production and stronger antitumor effect were not observed in mice depleted of IFN-gamma. These data indicated that DC-tumor cell conjugates are a potent tumor vaccine. Interleukin 18 can be administrated using gene-transfected cells and enhances antitumor immunity, which is mainly mediated by IFN-gamma.

Effects of acute ethanol exposure on polyamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid metabolism in the regenerating liver

Recently, it has been suggested that ethanol-induced inhibition of liver regeneration results from decreases in hepatic putrescine levels and/or increases in hepatic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic activity. Because putrescine can be metabolized by diamine (DAO) and monoamine (MAO) oxidases to GABA, we documented the effects of acute ethanol exposure on hepatic MAO or DAO activity following partial hepatectomy (PHx) in rats. We also documented the effects of ethanol on GABA transaminase (GABA-T), the enzyme responsible for GABA metabolism in the liver, and tissue putrescine and GABA levels. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were treated with either ethanol (3 g/kg) or equal volumes of saline by gastric gavage 1 h prior to a 70% PHx or sham surgery. Rats were then sacrificed (n = 5-7/group) at various times (0-72 h) post-PHx. Enzymatic activity and putrescine/GABA levels were determined by standard isotopic techniques and high-performance liquid chromatography respectively. Hepatic DAO activities in ethanol-treated rats were transiently higher than in saline-treated controls (30% increases at 6 h, p < 0.05). Hepatic MAO and GABA-T activities in acute ethanol-treated rats were essentially identical to saline-treated controls. Although hepatic putrescine levels were similar in ethanol- and saline-treated rats, hepatic GABA levels were approximately three times higher in ethanol-treated rats at 12 and 24 h post-PHx (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that acute ethanol exposure has a limited effect on the enzymatic conversion of putrescine to GABA following partial hepatectomy in the liver. The results also indicate that increased GABAergic inhibition rather than decreased putrescine stimulation is more likely to play a role in ethanol-induced inhibition of hepatic regeneration.

[The effect of IL-2 and IL-3 gene therapy in mice on immunological recovery receiving high dose chemotherapy]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of Ad-IL-2 and Ad-IL-3 on immunological recovery.

METHODS

The Ad-IL-2 and/or Ad-IL-3 were i.p. injected into C57BL/6 mice having received high dose cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) 24 hours before. The number and cytotoxicity, Ia antigen expression of peritoneal macrophages, the proliferation and NK cell activity of splenic cells were observed.

RESULTS

After i.p. injection with Ad-IL-3, the number, cytotoxicity and Ia antigen expression of peritoneal macrophagee were increased. After i.p. injection with Ad-IL-2, the proliferation and NK cell activity of splenic cells were significantly augmented. As i.p. injection with Ad-IL-2 and Ad-IL-3 simultaneously, both the peritoneal macrophages and splenic cells were activated.

CONCLUSION

Intraperitoneal injection of Ad-IL-2 and Ad-IL-3 can promote immune recovery after high dose chemotherapy.

[Partial nucleotide sequencing of hepatitis E virus isolated from sera of patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E in China]

28 hepatitis E virus (HEV) cDNA isolates were obtained from 41 sera of patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E (HE) in Shenzhen, Changchun and Hangzhou by a reverse transcription nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) and 3 of the 28 RT-nPCR products of HEV cDNA ORF2 region were sequenced. The nucleotide homology of these three HEV isolates was 80.2%, 79.9% and 79.4%, respectively, as compared with the Maxico strain of HEV (M); 93.4%, 92.3% and 93.8% with the Burma epidemic strain of HEV(B) (Ep); 95.5%, 93.9% and 95.1% with the Burma sporadic strain of HEV(B) (Sp); 97.0%, 96.5% and 95.9% with the Xinjiang epidemic strain of HEV CH 1.1. It is demonstrated that these three isolates of HEV obtained from sera of acute sporadiic hepatitis E cases have a higher degree of homology with the Xinjiang strain of HEV CH 1.1 and the Burma strain of HEV(B). The data indicate that these three HEV isolates may belong to HEV(B) subtype, as the HEV CH 1.1 does.

Bioavailability and pharmacokinetic disposition of tacrine in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

The pharmacokinetic disposition of intravenous and oral doses of tacrine was determined in 5 elderly patients (aged 64 to 96 y) with the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The bioavailability of the oral formulation was low (9.9% to 36.4%), and the plasma half-life was not altered by route of drug delivery. These data indicate that tacrine elimination occurs by a 1st-order process. Plasma clearance of tacrine varied more than its half-life, which is consistent with a modulating effect of apparent volume of distribution (Vd). Our findings, together with other limited published studies, suggest that use of tacrine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will be confounded by the high interindividual variability in its kinetic disposition.

[Volatile oil in Ephedra sinica Stapf. and its processed products by GC-MS]

This paper deals with the changes in contents and chemical composition in the volatile oil of Ephedra sinica before and after processing. The results indicate that after processing, the more the substances of low boiling point, the higher their contents and vice versa. The changes are particularly obvious in yellow-fried Ephedra sinica.