Peripheral whole blood FOXP3 TSDR methylation: a potential marker in severity assessment of autoimmune diseases and chronic infections

Immune dysregulation is a cardinal feature of autoimmune diseases and chronic microbial infections. In particular, regulatory T cells are downregulated in autoimmune diseases while upregulated in chronic microbial infections. FOXP3 is the master regulator of Treg development. Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) is a highly conserved locus on the FOXP3 gene that is fully demethylated in natural Tregs but methylated in effector T cells. In our study, we used high resolution melt-polymerase chain reaction (HRM-PCR) to determine the FOXP3 TSDR methylation status in autoimmune diseases and chronic microbial infections. We found that FOXP3 TSDR to have the highest mean melting temperature (highly methylated) in active SLE patients compared to all the other groups (p?<?0.001). The psoriasis group also had a significantly high mean melting temperature (78.62?±?0.20) when compared with the inactive SLE group (78.49?±?0.29, p?<?0.05) and control group (78.44?±?0.25, p?<?0.01). There was no significant difference in melting temperature between inactive SLE and healthy controls. Disease activity in SLE was directly associated with methylation of the FOXP3 TSDR. On the other hand, patients with chronic microbial infections had significantly lower FOXP3 TSDR mean melting temperature (demethylated) when compared with healthy controls (78.28?±?0.21 vs 78.44?±?0.25, p?<?0.05). Our results suggest that the use of HRM-PCR to detect FOXP3 TSDR methylation status is a reliable and easy method to predict natural regulatory T cell levels in peripheral blood in different disease conditions. Determining FOXP3 TSDR methylation status can be a useful tool in diagnosis, and monitoring the severity of autoimmune diseases and chronic microbial infections.     

滋阴益肾法治疗特发性血小板减少性紫癜疗效及对患者血清IL-4、IL-6和免疫功能的影响

目的: 探讨滋阴益肾法治疗特发性血小板减少性紫癜(ITP)的疗效及对血清IL-4、IL-6、TNF-α及免疫功能的影响。方法:选取ITP患者84例,随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,各42例。对照组采用口服泼尼松片治疗,观察组在对照组用药基础上给予滋阴益肾法治疗。比较两组临床疗效,治疗前后IL-4、IL-6、TNF-α、外周血T淋巴细胞亚群(CD₃⁺、CD₄⁺、CD₈⁺、CD₄⁺ /CD₈⁺)及免疫球蛋白水平变化情况。结果:两组治疗后中医症候积分明显降低,观察组优于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组总有效率95.24%高于对照组78.57%(P<0.05); 两组治疗后PLT计数均明显升高、PAIgG表达水平降低,观察组更明显(P<0.05); 两组治疗前IL-4、IL-6、TNF-α及外周血T淋巴细胞亚群水平比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05); 治疗后CD₃⁺、CD₄⁺、CD₄⁺ /CD₈⁺均升高,IL-4、IL-6、TNF-α、CD₈⁺均降低(P<0.05); 观察组治疗后CD₃⁺、CD₄⁺、CD₄⁺ /CD₈⁺均高于对照组,IL-4、IL-6、TNF-α、CD₈⁺均低于对照组(P<0.05)。治疗后观察组的血清IgA和IgG水平明显高于对照组(P<0.05),而血清IgM水平差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。两组不良反应情况比较无统计学差异(P>0.05)。结论: 滋阴益肾法可显著降低ITP患者血清IL-4、IL-6等因子水平,提高患者免疫能力。     

红景天苷通过TLR4调控DC提高T细胞对肺癌3LL细胞的杀伤力

目的：探讨红景天苷（salidroside，SAL）对树突状细胞（dendritic cell，DC）表型及细胞毒性T细胞（cytotoxic T lympho‐cyte，CTL）抗肿瘤能力的影响。方法：选用Lewis肺癌细胞株3LL、野生型C57BL/6和TLR4-/-C57BL/6小鼠，获取小鼠骨髓来源的DC前体细胞，经过培养分化成未成熟DC，收获第6天的DC，经磁珠分选后获得纯度较高的CD11c+DC。将细胞分成PBS组、SAL组和脂多糖（lipopolysaccharide，LPS）组，培养48 h后用流式细胞术检测SAL体外对DC表面分子、吞噬功能、TLR4通路和对T细胞杀伤能力的影响。结果：与 PBS 组比较，SAL组DC的表面分子CD80、CD86、MHC Ⅱ表达水平显著升高（均 P<0.05）、吞噬功能显著下降（P<0.05）、TLR4 表达水平显著升高（P<0.01）；与野生型组比较，TLR4-/-组DC经SAL或LPS处理后，其表面分子CD80、CD86、MHC Ⅱ的表达水平显著降低（均P<0.05）；与PBS组比较，SAL组刺激活化的CTL对肺癌3LL细胞的杀伤效应显著升高（P<0.05）。结论：SAL可以通过调控TLR4诱导DC成熟，从而提高T细胞的杀伤能力     

Intimate partner violence as a mechanism of traumatic ocular injury in women

ObjectiveDetermine the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) as a mechanism of traumatic ocular injury in women, typical injury patterns, and the clinical course of affected patients. Encourage IPV screening and safety assessment in patients presenting with characteristic ocular trauma.MethodsMedical records of 211 female patients with traumatic ocular injuries evaluated at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics between January 1995 and January 2015 were reviewed to determine the rate of IPV as a mechanism of ocular trauma. Twenty-one patients were excluded due to no documented trauma.ResultsLeading causes of traumatic ocular injuries in the 190 female patients included were accidental trauma with an inanimate object (n = 70/190, 36.8%), falls (n = 52/190, 27.4%), motor vehicle collisions (n = 21/190, 11.1%), and assault (n = 16/190, 8.4%). In 2.1% of cases (n = 4/190), no mechanism of traumatic injury was documented. Assault was the fourth leading mechanism of injury accounting for 8.4% of cases (n = 16/190), with IPV accounting for more than one third of cases with a documented perpetrator (n = 5/13). No perpetrator was documented in 18.8% (n = 3/16). All 5 patients with IPV-related injuries sustained scleral laceration or rupture; 4 out of 5 patients had no light perception vision and ultimately required enucleation.ConclusionIPV is an important mechanism of traumatic ocular injury. IPV-associated injuries tend to be severe in nature, as demonstrated by the high rate of globe laceration or rupture and subsequent enucleation in the study population. By appropriate screening and referral, ophthalmologists have an opportunity to redirect a potentially devastating course.     

Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Immunoregulatory Role at the Periapex: Associative and Mechanistic Evidences from Human and Experimental Periapical Lesions

IntroductionThe balance between the host proinflammatory immune response and the counteracting anti-inflammatory and reparative responses supposedly determine the outcome of periapical lesions. In this scenario, the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) may exert a protective role because of its prominent immunoregulatory capacity. In this study, we investigated (in a cause-and-effect manner) the potential involvement of VIP in the development of human and experimental periapical lesions.MethodsPeriapical granulomas (n = 124) and control samples (n = 48) were comparatively assessed for VIP and multiple immunologic/activity marker expression through real-time polymerase chain reaction. Experimental periapical lesions (C57Bl/6 wild-type mice) were evaluated regarding endogenous VIP expression correlation with lesion development and the effect of recombinant VIP therapy in lesion outcome. CCR4KO and IL4KO strains and anti-glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein inhibition were used to test the involvement of Treg and Th2 cells in VIP-mediated effects.ResultsVIP expression was more prevalent in periapical granulomas than in controls, presenting a positive association with immunoregulatory factors and an inverse association/correlation with proinflammatory mediators and the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio. Endogenous VIP expression up-regulation was temporally associated with lesion immunoregulation and a decline of bone loss. VIP therapy in mice prompted the arrest of lesion development, being associated with an anti-inflammatory and proreparative response that limits the proinflammatory, Th1, Th17, and osteoclastogenic response in the periapex. The VIP protective effect was dependent of Treg migration and activity and independent of interleukin 4.ConclusionsOur results show that VIP overexpression in human and experimental periapical lesions is associated with lesion inactivity and that VIP therapy results in the attenuation of experimental lesion progression associated with the immunosuppressive response involving Treg cells.     

Psoriasis confined strictly to vitiligo areas – a Koebner‐like phenomenon?

Vitiligo and psoriasis are both common skin disorders. However, psoriasis strictly confined to pre-existing vitiligo areas is rare and suggests a causal relationship. We report here on two patients with a strict anatomical colocalization of vitiligo and psoriasis. The histopathological examinations showed typical changes for both diseases together with a dense infiltrate of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. By immunohistochemistry, intracytoplasmatic granzyme B and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected within the T-cell population, suggesting the functional activity of these cells and the creation of a local T helper 1 (Th1)-cytokine milieu. Additionally, in one patient we could identify anti-melanocytic T cells by tetramer staining and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) analysis. These skin-infiltrating lymphocytes might trigger, by the local production of Th-1 cytokines such as TNF-alpha and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), the eruption of psoriatic plaques in patients with a genetic predisposition for psoriasis.     

三列凹顶藻中倍半萜成分的研究

目的从三列凹顶藻Laurenciatristicha中寻找具有多样性结构的倍半萜化学成分,供药理活性筛选。方法采用凝胶柱色谱、硅胶柱色谱、重结晶和高效液相色谱等方法进行分离;借助包括一维和二维NMR等波谱方法和X-单晶衍射鉴定化合物的结构;用MTT法对得到的化合物进行细胞毒活性评价。结果分离得到5个倍半萜类化合物,分别鉴定为海兔阿普里素(aplysin,)、海兔阿普里醇(aplysinol,)、去溴海兔阿普里醇(debro-moaplysinol,)、凹顶藻联苯(laurebiphenyl,)、约翰斯顿醇(johnstonol,);在人肿瘤细胞株HCT-8、Bel-7402、BGc-823、A549和HeLa模型上,化合物对所有细胞株均显示毒性,化合物对HeLa细胞显示中等强度的细胞毒活性,其他化合物对所有细胞株均无明显毒性,IC50均大于10.0μg/mL。结论化合物~均为首次从三列凹顶藻中得到,化合物对HeLa细胞具有中等强度的选择性细胞毒活性,化合物对所有细胞株均显示毒性。     

Effect of norethisterone acetate on serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters as well as on blood coagulation in female monkeys (M. fascicularis)

The effects of daily oral administration of a high dose of 10 mg norethisterone acetate (NET-Ac.)/kg/day over 14 weeks on serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters as well as on blood coagulation were investigated in female monkeys (M. fascicularis). Measurements of lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol were performed in weeks —5 and — 1 before treatment and in weeks 4, 8 and 12 after treatment. In addition, various blood coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters were determined in weeks 11–14 after treatment with NET-Ac. Furthermore, the serum levels of norethisterone (NET) were determined in order to monitor the real systemic compound exposure and revealed that C_max and AUC (0–3 h) values reached for norethisterone in this experiment in monkeys were about 25 times higher than those obtained after an oral contraceptive dose of NET-Ac. in women.

The results of lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol determinations showed decreases in serum total lipids, phospholipids, triglycerides and total cholesterol associated with similar decreases in HDL-, LDL- and VLDL-cholesterol fractions after NET-Ac.-treatment in monkeys. These effects were observed from week 4 onwards and maintained their magnitude up to week 12 after treatment. Since both HDL- and LDL-cholesterol fractions decreased, the HDL/LDL-ratio remained almost unchanged. Thus, the results obtained in this study after high-dose treatment with NET-Ac. in monkeys did not indicate any changes of lipid and lipoprotein parameters which in humans are supposed to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular lesions, namely a decrease in HDL- and increase in LDL-cholesterol fractions.

The results of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters showed increased antithrombin-III and plasminogen levels besides minor changes in other parameters, thus indicating that NET-Ac. -treatment does not contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular thrombotic events in the cynomolgus monkey.