急性结膜炎血浆炎性细胞因子水平变化的研究

目的：观察急性结膜炎炎症急性期和炎症缓解后的血浆炎性细胞因子水平变化。方法：应用放射免疫分析法和超敏免疫分析测定了127例急性结膜炎患者治疗前后血浆白介素（IL）-1β、IL-6、IL-8、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）和超敏-C反应蛋白（hs-CRP）水平,并与正常对照组进行比较,行相关性分析。结果：127例急性结膜炎患者治疗前后血浆IL-1β、IL-6、IL-8、TNF-α和hs-CRP水平与54例正常对照组相比明显增高,两组间差异有统计学意义（P均〈0.01）。治疗后半个月,在急性炎症缓解后血浆炎性因子基本恢复至正常水平。血浆hs-CRP与IL-1β、IL-6、IL-8和TNF-α水平相关系数分别为0.613 8、0.604 4、0.615 6和0.627 8。结论：急性结膜炎血浆炎性细胞因子在炎症急性期有明显增高。血浆hs-CRP与IL-1β、IL-6、IL-8和TNF-α水平呈正相关。     

Intake of brown rice lees reduces waist circumference and improves metabolic parameters in type 2 diabetes

Intake of whole grains has been associated with lower risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Brown rice is unrefined whole grain and is produced by removing the outermost layers containing the germ and bran, which are rich in nutrients including dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other unmeasured dietary constituents. The lees of brown rice (LB) are by-products of its fermentation in the process of manufacturing takju, a Korean turbid rice wine. In this study, we hypothesized that intake of LB would reduce waist circumference, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetic patients. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was scheduled for 12 weeks. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to receive a supplement prepared from the LB or from a mixed-grain dietary product (MG). Body weight, waist circumference, body composition, lipid profiles, and other laboratory parameters were measured. The LB group showed greater reduction in waist circumference (LB: 87.9 ± 8.8 to 85.1 ± 9.0 cm; MG: 86.9 ± 8.8 to 86.0 ± 9.3 cm; P = .032). In addition, the consumption of LB resulted in a significantly greater decrease in the level of aspartate transaminase (LB: 25.4 ± 8.5 to 21.0 ± 5.1 IU/mL; MG: 22.5 ± 5.3 to 22.4 ± 5.7 IU/mL; P = .044) and alanine transaminase (LB: 28.6 ± 11.3 to 21.9 ± 8.2 IU/mL; MG: 24.4 ± 7.5 to 24.5 ± 9.9 IU/mL; P = .038). Consumption of the LB was associated with a decreased waist circumference in type 2 diabetic patients. Further study is required to evaluate the metabolic effect of the extract of the LB in type 2 diabetes.     

The key role of macrophage depolarization in the treatment of COPD with ergosterol both in vitro and in vivo

Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the lung, which play an important role in COPD. The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation of ergosterol are well documented. However, the effect of ergosterol on macrophage polarization has not been studied. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of ergosterol on macrophage polarization in CSE-induced RAW264.7 cells and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats COPD model. Our results demonstrate that CSE-induced macrophages tend to the M1 polarization via increasing ROS, IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as increasing MMP-9 to destroy the lung construction in both RAW264.7 cells and SD rats. However, treatment of RAW264.7 cells and SD rats with ergosterol inhibited CSE-induced inflammatory by decreasing ROS, IL-6 and TNF-α, and increasing IL-10 and TGF-β, shuffling the dynamic polarization of macrophages from M1 to M2 both in vitro and in vivo. Ergosterol also decreased the expression of M1 marker CD40, while increased that of M2 marker CD163. Moreover, ergosterol improved the lung characters in rats by decreasing MMP-9. Furthermore, ergosterol elevated HDAC3 activation and suppressed P300/CBP and PCAF activation as well as acetyl NF-κB/p65 and IKKβ, demonstrating that HDAC3 deacetylation was involved in the effect of ergosterol on macrophage polarization. These results also provide a proof in immunoregulation of ergosterol for therapeutic effects of cultured C. sinensis on COPD patients.