ω-3 fatty acids suppress inflammatory cytokine production by macrophages and hepatocytes

Objective

Long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in children is often complicated by parental nutrition–associated liver disease and may even lead to liver failure. Recently, the addition of ω-3 fatty acids to TPN has been shown to reduce the risk of parental nutrition–associated liver disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of ω-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) to demonstrate the protection of the liver against hepatic steatosis and damage.

Materials and Methods

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) were used to stimulate human macrophages and hepatocytes (THLE-3) to induce in vitro inflammatory condition. The cells were then incubated with either ω-3 (EPA) or ω-6 (arachidonic acid) fatty acids. Supernatants were collected at different time points for the measurement of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 10 (IL-10) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, pretreated macrophages by LPS stimulation and after incubation with EPA were added to prestimulated hepatocytes for the subsequent measurement of cytokine response.

Results

Eicosapentaenoic acid effectively reduced LPS-induced or PGE₂-induced TNF-α and IL-6 expression, and increased IL-10 expression significantly when compared with arachidonic acid. Furthermore, supernatant collected after co-culturing EPA with macrophages also suppressed the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in hepatocytes. This would suggest that EPA not only had an anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages and hepatocytes directly, it could indirectly reduce hepatocyte inflammation through activated macrophages.

Conclusions

The addition of ω-3 fatty acids in TPN suppresses the inflammatory response via direct and indirect routes. The findings may help explain the clinical benefits of EPA in pediatric patients receiving long-term TPN.     

结直肠癌患者手术前后血清中IL-6和NO水平的临床意义

目的探讨结直肠癌患者手术治疗前后血清中IL-6和NO水平变化及其临床意义。方法对40例结直肠癌患者分别采用酶联免疫分析法和化学比色法测定手术前后血清中的IL-6和NO水平,并与10名正常健康人作比较。结果结直肠癌患者手术前血清中IL-6水平高于正常人（P〈0.05）,NO水平明显低于正常人（P〈0.01）;经手术治疗2周后,患者血清IL-6水平较治疗前降低（P〈0.05）,而NO水平明显升高（P〈0.05）。结论结直肠癌患者血清中IL-6和NO水平的变化,对病情和预后判断具有重要的临床意义。     

FAK和MMP-9蛋白在结直肠癌组织中的表达及相关性研究

目的 探讨斑激酶(focal adhesion kinase , FAK)和基质金属蛋白酶-9(matrix metalloproteinase,MMP-9)在结直肠癌中的表达.方法 采用免疫组化法检测了67例结直肠癌和癌旁组织以及51例正常结直肠黏膜组织中FAK和MMP-9的表达,并比较了不同临床病理参数下FAK和MMP-9的表达情况.结果 结直肠癌组织FAK阳性表达(77.6%,52/67)高于癌旁组织(50.8%,34/67)和正常结直肠黏膜组织(37.3%,19/51),结直肠癌组织中MMP-9染色阳性率(73.1%,49/67)高于癌旁组织(49.3%,33/67)和正常结直肠黏膜组织(31.4%,16/51),不同肿瘤分化、局部分期以及有无淋巴结转移者FAK和MMP-9表达水平存在差异(P<0. 05).结论 FAK和MMP-9在结直肠癌组织高表达,且FAK和MMP-9表达呈正相关,可能成为判断结直肠癌预后的指标之一.     

LncRNA SNHG9 is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in prostate cancer

BackgroundExpression of Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 9 (SNHG9) is observed in some cancer types, while its role in prostate cancer (PCa) is unclear. We aimed to demonstrate the relationship between SNHG9 and PCa based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.MethodsKruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and logistic regression were used to evaluate relationships between clinical-pathologic features and SNHG9 expression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to describe binary classifier value of SNHG9 using area under curve (AUC) score. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate factors contributing to prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and immune infiltration analysis were performed to identify the significantly involved functions of SNHG9.ResultsIncreased SNHG9 expression in PCa was associated with N stage (P<0.001), Gleason score (P=0.002), primary therapy outcome (P=0.001), residual tumor (P<0.001) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) (P=0.007). ROC curve suggested the significant diagnostic and prognostic ability of SNHG9 (AUC =0.815). High SNHG9 expression predicted a poorer progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.002), and SNHG9 expression (HR: 1.776; 95% CI: 1.067–2.955; P=0.027) was independently correlated with PFS in PCa patients. GSEA and immune infiltration analysis showed that SNHG9 expression was correlated with regulating the function of ribosome and some types of immune infiltrating cells.ConclusionsSNHG9 expression was significantly correlated with poor survival and immune infiltrations in PCa, and it may be a promising prognostic biomarker in PCa.     

Glucose intolerance and hepatocellular carcinoma: recent findings for old diseases

In the last years, an increasing number of evidences on the influence of metabolic syndrome on the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been developed. Type 2 mellitus diabetes (T2MD) has been found to increase the occurrence of primary liver tumors and to define a more aggressive carcinogenetic process. Furthermore, several preclinical and observational studies and a recent meta-analysis have shown that anti-diabetic drugs can modify the risk of HCC development in patients with T2DM. However, despite these evidences, underlying molecular mechanisms linking both pathological conditions have to be completely cleared yet. The study published by Gao et al. has found a possible molecular link between the two conditions, describing the predisposition to T2DM and HCC given by the haploinsufficiency of nuclear receptor coactivator 5 (NCOA5) in murine models. The authors have generated Ncoa5+/– (haploinsufficient) male mice and shown that 94% of male mutant mice developed HCC within 18 months of age, this in contrast with Ncoa5+/+ and Ncoa5+/– female mice. These results suggest that NCOA5 haploinsufficiency is linked to HCC development in male mice. Moreover, mutant male mice showed significantly elevated levels of fasting blood glucose and markedly decreased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared to Ncoa5+/+ littermates. This well-constructed work sheds light on the molecular link between T2DM and HCC and opens the way to further biological and clinical studies in the field of liver tumor prevention and treatment.     

Expression and clinical significance of interleukin-9 in renal tumors

BackgroundTo measure expression levels of interleukin-9 (IL-9) in renal tumors and to determine the clinical significance of those levels.MethodsUsing TCGA database analysis, we found that the expression of IL-9 in renal clear cell carcinoma was significantly down-regulated, and was significantly related to survival. We then verified this using experiments. We enrolled 66 patients who underwent surgical resection of renal tumors between January and December 2018 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Their tumor tissues were paired with adjacent normal tissues and IL-9 expression levels were measured using immunohistochemistry. We determined the correlation of IL-9 expression with clinicopathological features and progression-free survival (PFS).ResultsExpression of IL-9 in renal tumors was significantly lower than in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.0001). There was a significant negative correlation between IL-9 expression levels and R.E.N.A.L. scores (P=0.0277) as well as with differentiation (P=0.0041). However, no significant correlation was found between IL-9 levels and clinicopathological features, including gender (P=0.0716), age (P=0.2566), body mass index (BMI) (P=0.7941), tumor size (P=0.4193) or TNM staging (P=0.5402). PFS time in renal tumor patients with positive IL-9 expression was similar to that of patients with negative IL-9 expression.ConclusionsIL-9 expression was higher in adjacent normal tissues than in renal tumors. Low expression of IL-9 was detected when R.E.N.A.L. score was high or cell differentiation was poor, suggesting that IL-9 may may play a protective role in renal tumor microenvironments.     

Fibrin Plugging as a Cause of Microcirculatory Occlusion During Photodynamic Therapy

An experimental system that allows the white light observation of rapid changes in vessels without disturbance by red laser light was used. Mice were injected with mono-l-aspartyl chlorin-e-6 (Npe-6) i.v. via the tail vein and were immediately exposed to laser light. White emboli were observed forming on the inside of the vessel walls within seconds after commencement of light exposure. Emboli adhered to vessel walls and caused vascular obstruction. Light microscopy of the exposed material using fibrin staining was performed. Electron microscopy on the same material was also carried out. The embolisation time was influenced by both drug dose and laser power. With low laser power, it took a long time to stop the blood flow. Fibrin staining revealed the white emboli to be composed of fibrin. Electron microscopy findings revealed damage to endothelial cells and platelet aggregation. This study suggests that two main mechanisms (direct cellular damage and vascular shut-down ) might actually be complementary and synergistic in the production of vascular lesions using photodynamic therapy. Paper received 28 February 1998; accepted after revision 8 October 1998.     

Changes in Rearfoot Alignment in Chronic Plantar Heel Pain

Plantar heel pain is a common disabling condition in adults. Biomechanical factors are important in the development of plantar heel pain. Quantitative changes in rearfoot alignment in patients with plantar heel pain have not been previously investigated. From April 2016 to March 2017, 100 patients with plantar heel pain and 100 healthy individuals were recruited. The foot posture index was used for the measurement of foot alignment. The generalized joint hypermobility condition was assessed using the Beighton scale. The transverse plane talocalcaneal angle, calcaneocuboid angle, talonavicular uncovering angle, calcaneal inclination angle (CIA), talar declination angle, talar–first metatarsal angle, and sagittal talocalcaneal angle were measured on standard weightbearing anteroposterior and lateral foot radiographs. The body mass index was recorded electronically. The distribution of sex, age, weight, body mass index, side, foot posture index score, and Beighton scale were comparable between groups (p?>?.05). The mean calcaneocuboid angle (p?=?.009), talonavicular uncovering angle (p?=?.000), CIA (p?=?.000), talar declination angle (p?=?.039), and talar–first metatarsal angle (p?=?.000) were significantly higher in the plantar heel pain group. In conclusion, our study has demonstrated a relationship between chronic plantar heel pain and the CIA.     

C REACTIVE PROTEIN IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC RENAL DISEASES

Base-line serum levels of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) are predictive of future myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death in apparently healthy subjects, suggesting the hypothesis that chronic inflammation might be important in the pathogenesis of atherothrombosis. CRP production is mediated by several inflammatory mediators: interleukin 6 (IL-6) is currently felt to be the major cytokine influencing the acute phase response. CRP and other acute phase proteins are elevated in dialysis patients and cardiovascular diseases represent the single largest cause of mortality in chronic renal failure patients. Little information is available, however regarding CRP and IL-6 plasma levels in pre-dialysis renal failure. Plasma CRP was determined by a modification of the laser nephelometry technique; IL-6 by immunoassay (RD System); and fibrinogen, serum albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, hematocrit, white blood cell count, erythrocytic sedimentation rate (ESR) and urinary protein levels by standard laboratory techniques. Results were obtained in 102 chronic pre-dialysis patients whose mean age was 53 ± 5.8 years with a mean creatinine clearance (C_Cr) of 52 ± 37 mL/min). CRP was greater than 5 mg/L in 25% of the global population. CRP and IL-6 were 4.0 ± 4.6 mg/L and 5.8 ± 5.6 pg/mL, respectively and were not significantly correlated (r = 0.11, p = n.s.). CRP and IL-6 were however related with renal function (CRP versus C_Cr r = ?0.40 p < 0.001; IL-6 versus C_Cr r = ?0.45; p < 0.001). When patients were divided in two groups according to renal function, CRP resulted 7.4 ± 6.3 mg/L in the group of patients with a C_Cr lower than 20 mL/min (n = 32) and 2.76 ± 4.35 in the group of patients with a C_Cr higher than 20mL/min (n = 70) (p < 0.0001). CRP and IL-6 were positively related with ESR (r = 0.32 and 0.46 respectively). Serum albumin levels were not significantly different in the two groups of patients (3.2 ± 0.4 versus 3.0 ± 0.5 g/dL). CRP and serum albumin were not significantly related (r = 0.17). CRP and IL-6 correlated positively with ESR (r = 0.32 and 0.46 respectively). In pre-dialysis patients we have demonstrated an increase in both CRP and IL-6 that occurs as renal function decreases. These data provided evidence of the activation – even in the predialysis phase of renal failure – of mechanisms known to contribute to the enhanced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of the uremic syndrome.     

Possible association of Toll-like receptor 9 polymorphisms with cytokine levels and posttraumatic symptoms in individuals with various types of orthopaedic trauma: Early findings

Background

Although TLR9 polymorphisms may be associated with cytokine dysregulation, its role in regulation of cytokines due to bodily trauma or in relation to acute stress symptoms or posttraumatic stress symptoms (ASS/PTS) has not been evaluated.

Aims

To assess serum cytokine levels and levels of ASS and PTS in relation to four common TLR9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in individuals with various types of orthopaedic trauma.

Methods

Forty-eight accident-injured individuals, aged 20–60 years were studied. Serum cytokine levels and TLR9 SNPS (1486T/C, 1237T/C, 1174G/A and 2848G/A) were assessed together with intensity of ASS and PTS symptoms.

Results

Statistically significant higher serum levels of IL-12 and IL-1β (p < .05) were found in individuals heterozygous for TLR9-1237 (TC) than in individuals expressing the most common TLR9-1237 type (TT), while differences in levels of IL-6 were not significant. Also, marginally significant levels of IL-6 were found in individuals expressing the common TLR9-1174 (GG) compared with individuals homozygous (AA) or heterozygous (GA) for this SNP. They also had non-significant higher intensity of ASS symptoms. A trend of higher PTS levels in individuals expressing the most common type TLR9-1174 (GG) was found, contrary to homozygous (AA) and heterozygous individuals (GA).

Conclusions

The results of this pilot study suggest that accident-injured individuals with certain TLR9 polymorphisms express higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-12). The associations of TLR9 SNPSs with increased risk of ASS or PTS should be further studied in larger groups of such patients.     

急性胰腺炎合并肝损伤时IL-6、氧自由基变化及IL-2、川芎嗪干预的实验研究

目的：探讨IL－6、氧自由基在急性胰腺炎（acute pancreatitis，AP）合并肝损伤中的作用，及重组人白介素－2（IL－2）、川芎嗪的治疗价值。方法：SD大鼠112只，随机分为14只，每组8只，5％牛磺胆酸钠逆行胰胆管内注射诱发大鼠AP动物模型，检测血浆IL－6、SOD、MDA、ALT、AST、LDH、LIP、AMY，并观察肝、胰病理变化。结果；①AP组血浆AMY、LIP、ALT、AST、LDH明显升高（P＜0．05或0．01），镜下可见胰腺水肿、炎细胞浸润、坏死1肝脏肝窦充血、细胞浊肝及坏死，且损伤程度随时限延长而加重；②AP各组血浆IL－6明显升同（P＜0．01）；③AP各组MDA明显高（P＜0．01）、SOD明显降低（P＜0．01）。④IL－2治疗组、川芎嗪治疗组有IL－2、川芎嗪联合且与NS组比较血浆IL－6、MDA水平明显下降（P＜0．05），SOD明显升高（P＜0．05），胰、肝病理损害程度减轻，并且AMY、LIP、ALT、AST、LDH均明显降低（P＜0．05），平均存活时间明显延长（P＜0．05）；联合应用组降低IL－6、MDSA水平和减轻胰腺坏死优于单药组。结论：①IL－6、氧自由基在急性胰腺炎合并肝损伤程度和明显升同，起损伤作用，而SOD明显降低，其保护作用减弱。检测血浆IL－6、MDA、SOD可作为判断AP合并肝脏损伤程度和预后的指标；②大鼠急性胰腺合并肝损伤过程中应用IL－2、川芎嗪显示出良好的效果，联合应用于亿于这两药的单独应用。     

Metastatic prostate cancer with elevated serum levels of CEA and CA19-9

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is well known as a specific tumor marker for prostate cancer, but carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)- and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9)-elevating adenocarcinomas originating in the prostate gland are rare. We report a case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland with a high serum level of CEA and CA19-9 in a 78-year-old man in whom prostate cancer (T3N1M1) had been diagnosed 2 years ago and who was treated with androgen deprivation therapy. He visited the emergency department because of a loss of appetite and abdominal pain. The serum CEA and CA19-9 levels were increased to 218.9 ng/mL (normal, <5 ng/mL) and 212 ng/mL (normal, <27 ng/mL), respectively. The serum PSA level was slightly elevated (4.41 ng/mL). Computed tomography demonstrated multiple liver metastases, para-aortic lymph node enlargement, and lung metastases. A liver biopsy was performed and the specimen showed high-grade adenocarcinoma with focal positive staining for PSA. Despite chemotherapy with docetaxel, the patient died 3 months after treatment. Based on this case and a review of the literature, an aggressive variant of prostatic carcinoma with a high serum level of CEA and CA19-9 and a low PSA level was shown to progress rapidly with a poor prognosis.     

Morphine metabolites

Morphine is a potent opioid analgesic widely used for the treatment of acute pain and for long-term treatment of severe pain. Morphine is a member of the morphinan-framed alkaloids, which are present in the poppy plant. The drug is soluble in water, but its solubility in lipids is poor. In man, morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucu-ronide (M6G) are the major metabolites of morphine. The metabolism of morphine occurs not only in the liver, but may also take place in the brain and the kidneys. The glucuronides are mainly eliminated via bile and urine. Glucuronides as a rule are considered as highly polar metabolites unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Although morphine glucuronidation has been demonstrated in human brain tissue, the capacity is very low compared to that of the liver, indicating that the M3G and M6G concentrations observed in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after systemic administration reflect hepatic metabolism of morphine and that the morphine glucuronides, despite their high polarity, can penetrate into the brain. Like morphine, M6G has been shown to be relatively more selective for μ-receptors than for 5- and K-receptors while M3G does not appear to compete for opioid receptor binding. The analgesic properties of M6G were recognised in the early 1970s and more recent work suggests that M6G might significantly contribute to the opioid analgesia after administration of morphine. The analgesic potency of M6G after intracerebroven-tricular (ICV) or intrathecal (IT) administration in rats is from 45–800 timer greater than that of morphine, depending on the animal species and the experimental antinociceptive test used. Furthermore, the development of a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the quantitative determination of morphine, M6G and M3G has revealed that M6G and M3G were present in abundance after chronic oral morphine administration and that the area under the plasma concentration-time curve exceeded that of morphine. M3G has been found to antagonise morphine and M6G induced analgesia and ventilatory depression in the rat, which has led to the hypothesis that M3G may influence the development of morphine tolerance. M3G exhibits no analgesic effect after ICV or IT administration. Some studies do, however, indicate that M3G may cause non-opioid mediated hyperalgesia/allodynia and convulsions after IT administration in rats. These observations led to the hypothesis that M3G might be responsible for side-effects, hyperalgesia/allodynia and myoclonus seen after high-dose morphine treatment.     

Effect of interleukin 6 on basal and FSH-stimulated secretion of estradiol and progesterone by human granulosa cells in vitro

Aim: To determine the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the secretion ofestradiol and progesterone by human granulosa cells in vitro. Methods:Granulosa cells were obtained from infertile patients undergoing IVF ETtreatment and cultured with serum-free supplemented HAM's F10 medium.In the absence or presence of FSH, granulosa cells were treated with differ-ent concentrations of gene recombinant human iterlukin-6 (rhIL-6). Themedia were collected after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h and assayed for estradiol andprogesterone. IL-6 and R mRNA was determined by means of RNA slotblot. Results: IL-6 had a significant inhibitory effect on estradiol secre-tion, especially in the presence of FSH. IL-6 inhibited the FSH-stimulatedprogesterone secretion, but not the basal progesterone release. The inhibi-tion shows certain degrees of dose- and time-dependency. Conclusion:IL-6 participates in the regulation of ovarian function through its inhibitoryeffect on FSH-stimulated steroidogenesis by granulosa cells.