实时剪切波弹性成像在拉米夫定治疗乙肝纤维化过程中的疗效评估作用

目的探讨实时剪切波弹性成像在评估拉米夫定治疗乙肝纤维化临床疗效中的作用。方法选取2017年1月～2018年1月我院收治的80例乙肝纤维化患者,根据随机数字法分为对照组和观察组,每组40例。对照组采用常规治疗,观察组在对照组的基础上给予拉米夫定进行治疗,治疗6个月。比较两组治疗前后肝功能、肝纤维化指标,利用实时剪切波弹性成像评估两组治疗前后肝脏弹性模量值及肝穿刺活检情况,并进行比较。结果两组治疗后AST、ALT、TBIL水平均明显低于治疗前,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);观察组治疗后AST、ALT、TBIL水平均明显低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);两组治疗后HA、LN、PⅢPN-P、CL-Ⅳ水平及杨氏弹性模量值均显著低于治疗前,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);观察组治疗后HA、LN、PⅢPN-P、CL-Ⅳ水平及杨氏弹性模量值均显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);与治疗前相比,两组治疗后肝穿刺活检结果均有好转,尤其是汇管区、肝小叶内炎症及肝纤维化改善明显。结论实时剪切波弹性成像作为肝脏硬度定量检测的无创性技术,可用于拉米夫定治疗乙肝纤维化临床疗效评估的重要方法。     

Narrowing the focus: Therapeutic cell surface targets for refractory triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined as a type of breast cancer with lack of expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor 2 protein. In comparison to other types of breast cancer, TNBC characterizes for its aggressive behavior, more prone to early recurrence and a disease with poor response to molecular target therapy. Although TNBC is identified in only 25%-30% of American breast cancer cases annually, these tumors continue to be a therapeutic challenge for clinicians for several reasons: Tumor heterogeneity, limited and toxic systemic therapy options, and often resistance to current standard therapy, characterized by progressive disease on treatment, residual tumor after cytotoxic chemotherapy, and early recurrence after complete surgical excision. Cell-surface targeted therapies have been successful for breast cancer in general, however there are currently no approved cell-surface targeted therapies specifically indicated for TNBC. Recently, several cell-surface targets have been identified as candidates for treatment of TNBC and associated targeted therapies are in development. The purpose of this work is to review the current clinical challenges posed by TNBC, the therapeutic approaches currently in use, and provide an overview of developing cell surface targeting approaches to improve outcomes for treatment resistant TNBC.     

Inhibitors of the Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase; Mode of Action and Resistance

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pandemic human pathogen posing a substantial health and economic burden in both developing and developed countries. Controlling the spread of HCV through behavioural prevention strategies has met with limited success and vaccine development remains slow. The development of antiviral therapeutic agents has also been challenging, primarily due to the lack of efficient cell culture and animal models for all HCV genotypes, as well as the large genetic diversity between HCV strains. On the other hand, the use of interferon-α-based treatments in combination with the guanosine analogue, ribavirin, achieved limited success, and widespread use of these therapies has been hampered by prevalent side effects. For more than a decade, the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) has been targeted for antiviral development. Direct acting antivirals (DAA) have been identified which bind to one of at least six RdRp inhibitor-binding sites, and are now becoming a mainstay of highly effective and well tolerated antiviral treatment for HCV infection. Here we review the different classes of RdRp inhibitors and their mode of action against HCV. Furthermore, the mechanism of antiviral resistance to each class is described, including naturally occurring resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in different viral strains and genotypes. Finally, we review the impact of these RAVs on treatment outcomes with the newly developed regimens.     

Immune responses against hepatitis C virus genotype 3a virus-like particles in mice: A novel VLP prime-adenovirus boost strategy

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a major health threat to global population. In India, approximately 15–20% of cases of chronic liver diseases are caused by HCV infection. Although, new drug treatments hold great promise for HCV eradication in infected individuals, the treatments are highly expensive. A vaccine for preventing or treating HCV infection would be of great value, particularly in developing countries. Several preclinical trials of virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccine strategies are in progress throughout the world. Previously, using baculovirus based system, we have reported the production of hepatitis C virus-like particles (HCV-LPs) encoding structural proteins for genotype 3a, which is prevalent in India. In the present study, we have generated HCV-LPs using adenovirus based system and tried different immunization strategies by using combinations of both kinds of HCV-LPs with other genotype 3a-based immunogens. HCV-LPs and peptides based ELISAs were used to evaluate antibody responses generated by these combinations. Cell-mediated immune responses were measured by using T-cell proliferation assay and intracellular cytokine staining. We observed that administration of recombinant adenoviruses expressing HCV structural proteins as final booster enhances both antibody as well as T-cell responses. Additionally, reduction of binding of VLP and JFH1 virus to human hepatocellular carcinoma cells demonstrated the presence of neutralizing antibodies in immunized sera. Taken together, our results suggest that the combined regimen of VLP followed by recombinant adenovirus could more effectively inhibit HCV infection, endorsing the novel vaccine strategy.     

Isolation and characterization of new human carrier peptides from two important vaccine immunogens

In the preparation of glycoconjugate vaccines in clinical practice, two highly immunogenic carrier proteins, CRM₁₉₇ and tetanus toxoid (TT), are predominantly conjugated with the capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) of bacterial pathogens. In addition, TT has long been used as an effective vaccine to prevent tetanus. While these carrier proteins play an important role in immunogenicity and vaccine design alike, their defined human major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) T cell epitopes are inadequately characterized. In this current work, we use mass spectrometry to identify the peptides from these carrier proteins that are naturally processed and presented by human B cells via MHCII pathway. The MHCII-presented peptides are screened for their T cell stimulation using primary CD4+ T cells from four healthy adult donors. These combined methods reveal a subset of eleven CD4+ T cell epitopes that proliferate and stimulate human T cells with diverse MHCII allelic repertoire. Six of these peptides stand out as potential immunodominant epitopes by responding in three or more donors. Additionally, we provide evidence of these natural epitopes eliciting more significant T cell responses in donors than previously published TT peptides selected from T cell epitope screening. This study serves toward understanding carrier protein immune responses and thus enables the use of these peptides in developing novel knowledge-based vaccines to combat persisting problems in glycoconjugate vaccine design.     

地黄饮子加减方对血管性痴呆模型大鼠学习记忆能力及海马CA1区神经元损伤的影响

目的:观察地黄饮子加减方对血管性痴呆模型大鼠学习记忆能力及海马CA1区神经元的影响。方法:将84只SD雄性大鼠,按随机原则选出12只大鼠作为假手术组,其余72只大鼠采用两血管阻断法制备血管性痴呆模型,筛选60只模型大鼠,每组12只,随机分为模型组,尼莫地平组(0. 011 g·kg~(-1)),地黄饮子加减方高、中、低(4. 54,2. 27,1. 14 g·kg~(-1))剂量组。连续灌胃30 d后,Morris水迷宫检测大鼠学习记忆能力,苏木素-伊红(HE)观察海马CA1区神经元形态结构改变,透射电镜观察海马CA1区神经元超微结构变化,原位细胞凋亡检测法(TUNEL)检测海马CA1区细胞凋亡水平,免疫组化(IHC)检测海马CA1区组织磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶(PI3K),蛋白激酶B(Akt),半胱氨酸蛋白酶-3(Caspase-3)表达水平。结果:与假手术组比较,模型组大鼠逃避潜伏期显著延长,穿越原平台次数显著减少(P 0. 01),海马CA1区神经元形态均有不同程度地损伤,凋亡率显著增加(P 0. 01),PI3K,Akt的积分吸光度和平均积分吸光度明显降低(P 0. 01),Caspase-3的积分吸光度和平均积分吸光度显著增高(P 0. 01);与模型组比较,各给药组大鼠逃避潜伏期缩短(P 0. 05,P 0. 01),穿越原平台次数增加(P 0. 05,P 0. 01),PI3K,Akt的积分吸光度和平均积分吸光度值显著增高(P 0. 01),Caspase-3的积分光密度和平均积分吸光度不同程度降低(P 0. 05,P 0. 01)。结论:地黄饮子加减方可改善血管性痴呆模型大鼠学习记忆能力和海马CA1区神经元损伤,潜在机制可能与PI3K/Akt信号转导途径的激活,抑制大鼠海马CA1区神经细胞的凋亡有关。     

Cellular targets of regulatory B cell-mediated suppression

Regulatory B cells (Bregs) are defined by their ability to restrain inflammatory responses both in vivo and in vitro. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) production by Bregs is thought to be central to their ability to regulate inflammation, largely due to IL-10s’ ability to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine production by effector lymphocytes and to maintain the differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, with an increase in available published data, it has become evident that Bregs utilize a number of suppressive mechanisms in order to alter the activation of a variety of different lymphocytes. Here, we summarize the multiplicity of cellular targets of Breg-mediated suppression and describe the mechanisms employed by Bregs to suppress chronic inflammatory responses.     

Pharmacological evaluation and mechanistic study of compound Xishu Granule in hepatocellular carcinoma

ObjectiveIn this study, we used HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells to study the effects of Compound Xishu Granule (CXG) on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the cell cycle in vitro. We also used a xenograft tumor model to study the anti-tumor effects of CXG and related mechanisms in vivo.MethodsThe effect of CXG on cell viability was measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 and a colony formation assay. The effect of CXG on apoptosis and the cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry. The in vivo anti-tumor effect of CXG was assessed by measuring the volume change in xenograft tumors after drug administration. The CXG anti-tumor mechanism was studied using western blotting assay to detect cell cycle and apoptotic associated proteins.ResultsCXG suppressed HepG2 cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner in vitro. Colony formation experiments showed that CXG administration for 24 h significantly reduced HepG2 cell formations (P < .01). Flow cytometric analysis showed that CXG treatment for 48 h promoted apoptosis and blocked HepG2 cells in the G2/M phase. Western blotting results showed that Bax was significantly up-regulated and Bcl-2 was down-regulated in graft tumor tissues and HepG2 cells after CXG administration, which increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. PLK1, CDC25C, CDK1, and Cyclin B1 expression were up-regulated. CXG had a good inhibitory effect on graft tumor growth in vivo.ConclusionCXG has good anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, CXG promoted HepG2 cell apoptosis and induced G2/M phase arrest. In vivo, CXG significantly inhibited graft tumor growth. The CXG mechanism in treating hepatocellular carcinoma may be that CXG can induce abnormal apoptotic and cell cycle associated protein expression, leading to mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis.