Thiopurine S-Methyltransferase Gene Polymorphisms in a Healthy Slovak Population and Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is a key component in thiopurine metabolism. There is an insufficient evidence about the distribution of the genotype frequencies of TPMT variants and frequencies of TPMT alleles associated with intermediate and deficient activity in a healthy Slovak population and pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). TPMT variant alleles (*1,*2, *3A, *3B, and *3C) were determined in 114 children treated for IBD and in 281 healthy volunteers. Mutant alleles were present in 9/114 (7.89%) in the IBD patients and in 23/281 (8.19%) of probands. The distribution of the most frequent variants of TPMT gene was similar in a healthy population and patients with IBD.     

PCT与IL-6联合检测鉴别诊断脓毒性和非脓毒性全身炎症反应综合征的临床价值

目的:探讨降钙素原(PCT)与白细胞介素-6(IL-6)联合检测鉴别诊断ICU患者脓毒性和非脓毒性全身炎症反应综合征(SIRS)的临床价值。方法:选择2013年~2016年入住我院ICU的100例患者,包括61例非脓毒性SIRS患者与39例脓毒症患者,同时选择同期50例健康者作对照,分别设为非脓毒性组、脓毒血症组及对照组,采用电化学发光分析法检测三组血清PCT与IL-6水平,并以PCT为2μg/L和IL-6为50 ng/L为临界值来鉴别非感染性SIRS和脓毒血症,评价联合检测的临床诊断价值。结果:非脓毒性组PCT与IL-6最大值分别为0.91±0.54μg/L、62.77±11.75 ng/L,脓毒血症组为24.49±5.00μg/L、1542.69±361.66 ng/L,对照组为0.08±0.06μg/L、3.68±1.11 ng/L,非脓毒性组与脓毒血症组PCT与IL-6最大值均显著高于对照组(P0.05);与非脓毒性组比较,脓毒血症组PCT与IL-6均显著升高(P0.05)。非脓毒性组PCT2μg/L、IL-650 ng/L的占比分别为21.31%、65.57%,脓毒血症组为92.31%、87.18%,脓毒血症组PCT2μg/L、IL-650 ng/L的占比均显著提高于非脓毒性组(P0.05)。PCT的阳性预期值、灵敏度、特异度均显著高于IL-6,而联合检测的阳性预期值、特异度显著高于IL-6及PCT,联合检测的灵敏度显著高于IL-6,P均0.05。结论:PCT与IL-6联合检测有助于脓毒性和非脓毒性SIRS的鉴别诊断。     

Varicuothiols A and B,New Fungal Metabolites from Aspergillus versicolor with Anti‐Inflammatory Activities

Chemical examination of a coral‐associated fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD‐44‐03 resulted in the isolation of two new compounds with the trivial names of varicuothiols A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ) as a unique scaffold. Their structures were determined through extensive spectroscopic analyses in association with the modified Mosher's method and chemical conversion. Both 1 and 2 exhibited significant inhibition against LPS‐induced RAW24.7 cell proliferation, in association with the down regulation of nitrite production and cytokines (MCP‐1, IL‐6, and TNF‐α).     

Asymptotic distributions of kappa statistics and their differences with many raters,many rating categories and two conditions

In clinical research and in more general classification problems, a frequent concern is the reliability of a rating system. In the absence of a gold standard, agreement may be considered as an indication of reliability. When dealing with categorical data, the well‐known kappa statistic is often used to measure agreement. The aim of this paper is to obtain a theoretical result about the asymptotic distribution of the kappa statistic with multiple items, multiple raters, multiple conditions, and multiple rating categories (more than two), based on recent work. The result settles a long lasting quest for the asymptotic variance of the kappa statistic in this situation and allows for the construction of asymptotic confidence intervals. A recent application to clinical endoscopy and to the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) is shortly presented to complement the theoretical perspective.     

慢性炎症与动脉粥样硬化关系的研究进展

动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis,AS)的发病机制非常复杂,对其研究经历了一个半世纪,直到1999年Ross提出"动脉粥样硬化是一种炎症性疾病",各种炎症细胞和炎症因子参与动脉粥样硬化的发生和发展过程。已有众多的基础和临床研究都证实炎症在AS中的重要作用,但仍需要对AS发生发展的深入研究,使我们更准确认识和有效的防治AS。本文就近年来慢性炎症与动脉粥样硬化关系的研究进展作一综述。     

A role for the non‐receptor tyrosine kinase ACK1 in TNF‐alpha‐mediated apoptosis and proliferation in human intestinal epithelial caco‐2 cells

The roles of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐alpha) and its mediators in cellular processes related to intestinal diseases remain elusive. In this study, we aimed to determine the biological role of activated Cdc42‐associated kinase 1 (ACK1) in TNF‐alpha‐mediated apoptosis and proliferation in Caco‐2 cells. ACK1 expression was knocked down using ACK1‐specific siRNAs, and ACK1 activity was disrupted using a small molecule ACK1 inhibitor. The Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin‐dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) and the BrdU incorporation assays were used to measure apoptosis and cell proliferation, respectively. ACK1‐specific siRNA and the pharmacological ACK1 inhibitor significantly abrogated the TNF‐alpha‐mediated anti‐apoptotic effects and proliferation of Caco‐2 cells. Interestingly, TNF‐alpha activated ACK1 at tyrosine 284 (Tyr284), and the ErbB family of proteins was implicated in ACK1 activation in Caco‐2 cells. ACK1‐Tyr284 was required for protein kinase B (AKT) activation, and ACK1 signaling was mediated through recruiting and phosphorylating the down‐stream adaptor protein AKT, which likely promoted cell proliferation in response to TNF‐alpha. Moreover, ACK1 activated AKT and Src enhanced nuclear factor‐кB (NF‐кB) activity, suggesting a correlation between NF‐кB signaling and TNF‐alpha‐mediated apoptosis in Caco‐2 cells. Our results demonstrate that ACK1 plays an important role in modulating TNF‐alpha‐induced aberrant cell proliferation and apoptosis, mediated in part by ACK1 activation. ACK1 and its down‐stream effectors may hold promise as therapeutic targets in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, in particular, those induced by chronic intestinal inflammation.