胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素在抗病毒治程中的特异性CTL效应

目的:探究在e抗原(HBe Ag)阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者采用聚乙二醇干扰素-2a(peg-2a)联合核苷类药物治疗过程中,加用胸腺五肽对细胞免疫应答的影响。方法:选择采用聚乙二醇干扰素α-2a联合核苷类药物(拉米夫定+阿德福韦酯)治疗48周,HBe Ag仍为阳性,且HLA-A2阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者18例,分为两组。一组原方案延长联合治疗作为对照,另一组在原方案基础上再加用胸腺五肽治疗(10 mg/次,2次/周,共24周)治疗,所有病人均治疗至96周。并做体外HBV特异性细胞毒T淋巴细胞(HBV specific CTL)培养增殖,通过Elispot技术分析其分泌细胞因子(肿瘤坏死因子-α,干扰素-γ,白介素-10)的功能。结果:HBe Ag转阴率,治疗96周时联合胸腺五肽组为44.4%(4/9),原方案对照组为22.2%(2/9)。HBs Ag滴度,48周时,HBs Ag为4571±3772 IU/m:;96周时,联合胸腺五肽组为1962±2869 IU/m L,转阴1人,原方案对照组为3490±3124 IU/m L,P=0.093。HBV特异性CTL培养增殖,96周时联合胸腺五肽组高于原方案对照组,且联合胸腺五肽组TNF-的分泌也高于原方案对照组,P0.05。结论:胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素抗病毒治疗过程中的特异性CTL效应。     

Canolol Inhibits Gastric Tumors Initiation and Progression through COX-2/PGE2 Pathway in K19-C2mE Transgenic Mice

4-vinyl-2, 6-dimethoxyphenol (canolol) is an antioxidant phenolic compound extracted from crude canola oil. In current research, K19-C2mE transgenic mice, developing hyperplastic tumors spontaneously in the glandular stomach, were used to study the mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammation and anti-tumor effects of canolol. Tg mice receiving canolol diet had a reduced tumor incidence, to 41.2%, compared with Non-treatment Tg mice, 77.8% of which had gastric tumor (P=0.002). Besides that, the mean tumor diameter was decreased from 6.5mm to 4.5mm (P<0.001) after canolol administration. COX-2/PGE2 pathway is known to play pivotal role in inflammation-induced gastric tumorigenesis. The neutrophils and lymphocytes infiltration was suppressed significantly, and the mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines COX-2, IL-1β and IL-12b were also downregulated in gastric mucosa. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis showed that COX-2, EP2, Gαs and β-catenin, key factors involving in PGE2 signal transduction, were positive staining with higher H scores in Non-treatment Tg mice, while the expressions were suppressed significantly by 0.1% canolol (P<0.001). In addition, tumor-suppressor miR-7 was reactivated after canolol administration, and COX-2 was showed to be a functional target of miR-7 to suppress the tumor progression. In conclusion, canolol could inhibit the gastritis-related tumor initiation and progression, and the suppression effect was correlated with the blocking up of canonical COX-2/PGE2 signaling pathway and might be regulated by miR-7.     

Age and Gender Adjusted Comparison of Clinical Features between Severe Cases Infected with H7N9 and H1N1pdm Influenza A in Jiangsu Province,China

Background

Influenza H7N9 and H1N1pdm can cause severe human infections. It is important to investigate the distinguishing clinical features between these two diseases. Several studies have compared the differences in general, however, age and gender adjusted comparisons may be more useful and informative to the health professionals.

Methods

A total of 184 severe H1N1pdm patients and 37 severe H7N9 patients from Jiangsu Province were included in this analysis to perform age and gender adjusted comparison of clinical features.

Results

After adjusting age and gender, no significant differences in chronic medical conditions or treatment were found between severely ill patients with H7N9 and H1N1pdm. Severely ill patients with H7N9 had significantly longer interval from onset of illness to neuraminidase inhibitor treatment and to death. They were more likely to have complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), liver and renal dysfunctions, and had a significantly higher risk of death.

Conclusion

Our results suggests that age and gender should be adjusted as important confounding factors when comparing the clinical features between severe H7N9 and H1N1pdm patients to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the differences between these two diseases particularly in terms of clinical severity and prognosis.     

Pathological Features of Localized Prostate Cancer in China: A Contemporary Analysis of Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in China, especially in areas with boosted economic development. In this study, we analyzed the pathological features of a contemporary series of radical prostatectomy cases. A total of 230 consecutive, whole-mounted radical prostatectomy specimens collected from 2012 to 2014 were reviewed. The median age of the patients was 68 years, and 64.3% of patients presented with prostate specific antigen alone. Pathological examination indicated that a high proportion (77.4%) of patients had intermediate- or high-risk disease according to the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment Post-Surgical score. After surgery, only 28 patients met the criteria for active surveillance (organ-confined Gleason ≥6 disease). The Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance criteria achieved a sensitivity of 57.1% and a specificity of 98.0% for identifying candidates. The probability of Gleason score upgrading was 24.8% in the entire group and 59.0% in biopsy-confirmed Gleason ≥6 disease. The predominant tumor was located in the transition zone in 14.8% of cases, while only three patients (1.3%) had a predominant tumor located in the anterior region. Patients with transition zone-predominant tumor were likely to have been referred with urinary symptoms and high prostate specific antigen levels. The results of this study highlight the contemporary pathological features of localized prostate cancer in urban China. There was an increased trend towards asymptomatic cases, though most patients had intermediate- or high-risk disease and were suitable for definitive treatment. The low prevalence of dominant cancer in the anterior region may reflect race-based pathological differences.     

Common Variants Related to Serum Uric Acid Concentrations Are Associated with Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Secretion in a Chinese Population

Background

Elevated serum uric acid concentration is an independent risk factor and predictor of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Whether the uric acid-associated genes have an impact on T2D remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of the uric acid-associated genes on the risk of T2D as well as glucose metabolism and insulin secretion.

Method

We recruited 2,199 normal glucose tolerance subjects from the Shanghai Diabetes Study I and II and 2,999 T2D patients from the inpatient database of Shanghai Diabetes Institute. Fifteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapped in or near 11 loci (PDZK1, GCKR, LRP2, SLC2A9, ABCG2, LRRC16A, SLC17A1, SLC17A3, SLC22A11, SLC22A12 and SF1) were genotyped and serum biochemical parameters related to uric acid and T2D were determined.

Results

SF1 rs606458 showed strong association to T2D in both males and females (p = 0.034 and 0.0008). In the males, LRRC16A was associated with 2-h insulin and insulin secretion (p = 0.009 and 0.009). SLC22A11 was correlated with HOMA-B and insulin secretion (p = 0.048 and 0.029). SLC2A9 rs3775948 was associated with 2-h glucose (p = 0.043). In the females, LRP2 rs2544390 and rs1333049 showed correlations with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and insulin secretion (p = 0.028, 0.033 and 0.052 and p = 0.034, 0.047 and 0.038, respectively). SLC2A9 rs11722228 was correlated with 2-h glucose, 2-h insulin and insulin secretion (p = 0.024, 0.049 and 0.049, respectively).

Conclusions

Our results indicated that the uric acid-associated genes have an impact on the risk of T2D, glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in a Chinese population.     

Separation of Folinic Acid Diastereomers in Capillary Electrophoresis Using a New Cationic β-Cyclodextrin Derivative

A method for the separation of folinic acid diastereomers by capillary electrophoresis in chiral separation media was developed. Aiming to achieve a good separation of the anionic analytes, a newly synthesized cationic β-cyclodextrin derivative, mono-6-deoxy-6-piperdine-β-cyclodextrin, was applied as the chiral selector. The effect of background electrolyte pH, the concentration of the cyclodextrin additive, and organic modifier on the separation was investigated. A good separation of folinic acid diastereomers was obtained with 30 mmol/L phosphate buffer at pH 6.50 containing 6.0 mmol/L of mono-6-deoxy-6-piperdine-β-cyclodextrin in 10% acetonitrile. Based on the capillary electrophoresis data, the binding constants of each diastereomer with mono-6-deoxy-6-piperdine-β-cyclodextrin were determined. Moreover, a computational modeling study, using the semi-empirical PM3 method, was used to discuss the possible mechanism of separation of folinic acid with mono-6-deoxy-6-piperdine-β-cyclodextrin.     

Re-Examining of Moffitt’s Theory of Delinquency through Agent Based Modeling

Moffitt’s theory of delinquency suggests that at-risk youths can be divided into two groups, the adolescence- limited group and the life-course-persistent group, predetermined at a young age, and social interactions between these two groups become important during the adolescent years. We built an agent-based model based on the microscopic interactions Moffitt described: (i) a maturity gap that dictates (ii) the cost and reward of antisocial behavior, and (iii) agents imitating the antisocial behaviors of others more successful than themselves, to find indeed the two groups emerging in our simulations. Moreover, through an intervention simulation where we moved selected agents from one social network to another, we also found that the social network plays an important role in shaping the life course outcome.     

MiRNA-615-5p Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Targeting AKT2

Background

Aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is associated with tumor development. This study aimed to elucidate the role of miR-615-5p in the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods

Locked nucleic acid in situ hybridization (LNA-ISH) was performed to compare miR-615-5p expression in patients between PDAC and matched adjacent normal tissues. Effects of miR-615-5p overexpression on cell proliferation, apoptosis, colony formation, migration, and invasion were determined in the pancreatic cancer cell lines PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2. Effects of miR-615-5p on AKT2 were examined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Lentivirus expressing miR-615 was used to create stable overexpression cell lines, which were subsequently used in mouse xenograft and metastasis models to assess tumor growth, apoptosis and metastasis.

Results

miR-615-5p expression was significantly lower in PDAC than in adjacent normal tissues. Low levels of miR-615-5p were independently associated with poor prognosis (HR: 2.243, 95% CI: 1.190-4.227, P=0.013). AKT2 protein expression was inversely correlated with miR-615-5p expression (r=-0.3, P=0.003). miR-615-5p directly targeted the 3’-untranslated region of AKT2 mRNA and repressed its expression. miR-615-5p overexpression inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, miR-615-5p overexpression also induced pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions

These results show that miR-615-5p inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting AKT2. The data implicate miR-615-5p in the prognosis and treatment of PDAC.     

Enhancement of Protective Efficacy through Adenoviral Vectored Vaccine Priming and Protein Boosting Strategy Encoding Triosephosphate Isomerase (SjTPI) against Schistosoma japonicum in Mice

Background

Schistosomiasis japonica is a zoonotic parasitic disease; developing transmission blocking veterinary vaccines are urgently needed for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in China. Heterologous prime-boost strategy, a novel vaccination approach, is more effective in enhancing vaccine efficacy against multiple pathogens. In the present study, we established a novel heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy, the rAdV-SjTPI.opt intramuscular priming and rSjTPI subcutaneous boosting strategy, and evaluated its protective efficacy against Schistosoma japonicum in mice.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Adenoviral vectored vaccine (rAdV-SjTPI.opt) and recombinant protein vaccine (rSjTPI) were prepared and used in different combinations as vaccines in a mouse model. The specific immune responses and protective efficacies were evaluated. Furthermore, the longevity of protective efficacy was also determined. Results showed that the rAdV-SjTPI.opt priming-rSjTPI boosting strategy elicited higher levels of specific IgG responses and broad-spectrum specific cellular immune responses. The protective efficacy could reach up to nearly 70% and 50% of protection could be observed at 10 weeks after the last immunization in mice.

Conclusions/Significance

The rAdV-SjTPI.opt intramuscular priming-rSjTPI subcutaneous boosting vaccination strategy is a novel, highly efficient, and stable approach to developing vaccines against Schistosoma japonicum infections in China.