育阴化湿汤治疗慢性期特应性皮炎疗效及对IL-4与INF-γ的影响

目的 :探讨慢性期特应性皮炎应用育阴化湿汤的临床疗效及对免疫状态的影响。方法 :随机选取我院2013年6月~2015年12月收治的慢性期特应性皮炎患儿74例作为研究对象,随机分为两组,对照组常规服用抗组胺药左西替利嗪片,观察组在对照组治疗基础上加服育阴化湿汤治疗,疗程4周。对比分析两组患儿临床疗效、治疗前后血清白介素-4(IL-4)以及干扰素γ(INF-γ)水平。结果:观察组患儿治疗总有效率明显高于对照组(P0.05),治疗后观察组血清IL-4水平较对照组明显下降(P0.05),观察组INF-γ水平较对照组明显升高(P0.05)。结论:育阴化湿汤治疗慢性期特应性皮炎患儿临床疗效显著,且能降低血清IL-4水平并使INF-γ水平升高,调节Th1/Th2平衡,改善患儿免疫失衡状态。     

Identification of biomarkers for essential hypertension based on metabolomics

AimEssential hypertension (EH) is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of EH is unclear and early diagnostic methods are lacking. Metabolomics demonstrates great potential for biomarker discovery and the mechanistic exploration of metabolic diseases.Data synthesisThis review included human and animal metabolomics studies related to EH in the PubMed and Web of Science databases between February 1996 and May 2020. The study designs, EH standards, and reported metabolic biomarkers were systematically examined and compared. The pathway analysis was conducted through the online software MetaboAnalyst 4.0.Twenty-two human studies and fifteen animal studies were included in this systematic review. There were many frequently reported biomarkers with consistent trends (e.g., pyruvate, lactic acid, valine, and tryptophan) in human and animal studies, and thus had potential as biomarkers of EH. In addition, several shared metabolic pathways, including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and arginine biosynthesis, were identified in human and animal metabolomics studies. These biomarkers and pathways, closely related to insulin resistance, the inflammatory state, and impaired nitric oxide production, were demonstrated to contribute to EH development.ConclusionsThis study summarized valuable metabolic biomarkers and pathways that could offer opportunities for the early diagnosis or prediction of EH and the discovery of the metabolic mechanisms of EH.     

Circulating CCL20: A potential biomarker for active vitiligo together with the number of Th1/17 cells

Background

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease with varying pathological features. Activation of the CCL20-CCR6 axis plays an important role in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, whether CCL20-CCR6 and Th1/17 cells are indicative of active vitiligo is unclear.

灵芝多糖通过上调STAT4促进人外周血淋巴细胞中Th1细胞的分化

目的 探讨灵芝多糖(GLP)对外周血淋巴细胞免疫分群的影响及其作用机制.方法 取肿瘤患者和正常人的外周血,分离外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)后,用不同剂量的GLP(10 ng/ml、50ng/ml和100 ng/ml)刺激后,用流式细胞仪检测DC细胞表面分子(HLA-DR、CD83和CD11c)、Th1细胞、Th2细胞和NK(CD3-CD56+)细胞数;并进一步用免疫磁珠分选出正常人外周血CD4+ Th细胞后用不同浓度GLP刺激24h后,荧光实时定量Q-PCR检测Th1和Th2细胞因子的表达水平,Westernblot分析Th1分化相关的转录因子水平.结果 灵芝多糖可以在体外呈浓度依赖性增加外周血中Th1细胞亚群和DC共刺激分子的表达(P＜0.01),并且增加STAT4的表达和IL-12、IFN-γ和TNF-α的mRNA的表达水平(P＜0.01).结论 灵芝多糖可能通过增加Th细胞STAT4的表达水平,促进其向Th1细胞分化,并增加Th1的分泌细胞因子.     

Immunomodulatory Effects of Curcumin

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), found in the spice turmeric, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and chemopreventive activities. However, the effect of curcumin on the immunological responses largely remains unknown. In this study we have investigated the effect of curcumin on mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin; PHA) stimulated T-cell proliferation, natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, production of cytokines by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse macrophage cells, RAW-264.7. Furthermore, we have carried out an electromobility shift assay to elucidate the mechanism of action of curcumin at DNA protein interaction level. We observed that curcumin inhibits PHA-induced T-cell proliferation, interleukin-2 production, NO generation, and lipopolysachharide-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and augments NK cell cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that curcumin most likely inhibits cell proliferation and cytokine production by inhibiting NF-κB target genes involved in the induction of these immune parameters.     

Differential Immunohistochemical Expression of Syndecan-1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Colonic Mucosa of Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in intestinal mucosa plays a key role in the inflammation characterizing Crohn’s disease (CD). Moreover, adhesion molecule syndecan-1 mediates the maintenance of mucosal integrity and supports tissue repair. Therefore, our aim in this study was to correlate simultaneous expression of TNFα and syndecan-1 in patients affected by CD. Biopsies from 10 patients with CD of large bowel and 10 subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (controls) were studied by immunohistochemical detection of both TNFα and syndecan-1 on successive serial sections. Overall labeling index (OLI) was indicated by the percentage of positive stromal (i.e., nonepithelial) cells/1000 counted in randomized fields, whereas selected labeling index (SLI) was represented by the simultaneous evaluation of both molecules in a same single selected field of each specimen. TNFα and syndecan-1 OLI were significantly higher in CD compared with controls, while SLI showed an inverse relationship between the molecules in CD which was not observed in controls. Epithelial syndecan-1 cytoplasmatic staining of superficial epithelium was associated with loss of basolateral staining in the crypts and high stromal TNFα in CD. In conclusion, TNFα and syndecan-1 expression is increased in the intestinal mucosa of patients with CD. However, the expression of the two molecules is inversely related when a single field is considered, these data supporting the possibility of a downregulation exerted by TNFα.     

Autologous canine immunotherapy: short-time generated dendritic cells loaded with canine transmissible venereal tumor-whole lysate

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of autologous DCs loaded with whole tumor cell lysate of CTVT generated under a simplified and rapid procedure in vitro production process, in a vulvar submucosal model of CTVT in dogs.

Materials and methods: We generated a model of intravulvar CTVT in dogs. A CTVT lysate antigen was prepared according to the method of 1-butanol and after administered with complete Freund's adjuvant via subcutaneous in female healthy dogs and challenge with CTVT cells to corroborate the immunogenicity. Short-time generated dendritic cell pulsed with CTVT whole-lysate was performed, and analyzed by FITC-dextran uptake assay and characterized using anti-canine monoclonal antibodies CD14, CD80, CD83, and DLAII by flow cytometry. Dendritic cell therapy was administered in a frequency of three times every 2 weeks when the CTVT had 4 months of growth and 89?±?5 cm diameter. The CD3⁺, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ lymphocytes were determined by flow cytometry, and IFN-γ by ELISA assay.

Results and discussion: The administration of CTVT whole-lysate resulted in tumor prevention. The short-time generated dendritic cell pulsed with CTVT whole-lysate administration resulted in an efficient reduction and elimination of CTVT, probably due to the increase in lymphocyte populations (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺), IFN-γ production and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the efficacy of immunotherapy based in short-time generated dendritic cell pulsed with CTVT whole-lysate for the treatment of CTVT, and offer veterinary oncologists new alternative therapies to treat this and another malignancy.     

FcγRI plays a critical role in patients with ulcerative colitis relapse

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease that frequently relapses and affects more than 0.1% general population; the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Published data show that polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) contribute to the pathogenesis of UC. This study aims to identify antigen (Ag)-specific PMNs and investigate their role in UC relapse. In this study, the correlation between PMN activities and UC relapse was assessed in a group of UC patients. A UC mouse model was developed to expand the findings of UC patient study. The results showed that a positive correlation was detected between the high PMN activities and the food Ag-specific IgG amounts in colon biopsies of UC patients. UC patient-derived Ag-specific PMNs could be activated upon exposure to food specific Ag. The Ag/FcγRI complexes were detected on the surface of PMNs in UC patients. Re-exposure of sensitized PMNs to specific Ag triggered PMN activation and induced UC-like inflammation in the mouse colon. We conclude that FcγRI plays a critical role in UC relapse. Inhibition of FcγRI can efficiently inhibits experimental UC.