miRNA-146a在炎症与肿瘤之间的调节作用

越来越多的临床证据和研究显示,慢性感染和炎症可以导致癌变。其中,MicroRNA(miRNA)与炎症、肿瘤相关的信号转导通路具有密切的联系。miRNA是一种非编码的短链RNA,它在转录后水平调节多个靶基因的表达,进而参与机体诸多生理、病理过程。miRNA-146a更是今年来研究的热点,NF-κB依赖的miR-146a,在炎症与肿瘤之间可能具有桥梁作用;同时我们推测miR-146a对肿瘤相性巨噬细胞(TAM)的功能也有强烈的调控作用,miR-146a的过表达将有助于TAM对肿瘤的促发展作用。我们就miR-146a在炎症及肿瘤中调节作用的研究进展进行综述。     

Emotional reactivity to emotional and smoking cues during smoking abstinence: Potentiated startle and P300 suppression

Negative affect is thought to be an important factor in the maintenance of cigarette smoking, and thus it is important to further develop objective measures of smoking‐related emotional responses. Nonsmokers, nonabstinent smokers, and abstinent smokers participated in a cue reactivity task where eyeblink startle amplitude and startle probe P300 (P3) suppression were measured during the presentation of emotional pictures. During unpleasant pictures, the amplitude of both measures was smaller in nonabstinent smokers than in nonsmokers or abstinent smokers. P3 suppression, but not startle amplitude, was larger in abstinent smokers than in nonsmokers. Abstinence‐induced increases in cigarette craving were associated with P3 suppression during tobacco‐related pictures. Results suggest that tobacco abstinence increases emotional reactivity to unpleasant stimuli, which is consistent with negative reinforcement models of tobacco addiction.     

miRNA-149在口腔鳞状细胞癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的：通过对比检测口腔鳞癌患者肿瘤组织与癌旁组织miRNA-149的表达水平,分析其在口腔鳞癌中潜在的临床意义。方法：收集28例口腔鳞癌患者的肿瘤组织及其2cm癌旁组织,通过实时定量PCR反应检测miR-149在二者间的表达水平江分析其水平与口腔鳞癌患者性别、年龄、吸烟史、TNM临床分期以及病理分级之间的相关性。结果：口腔鳞癌患者肿瘤组织中miR-149的表达水平显著低于对照组,且发现miR-149的表达水平在有淋巴结转移的、TNM临床分期较晚以及病理分化较差的肿瘤中明显降低。结论：miR-149在口腔鳞癌患者肿瘤组织中表达显著下调,其表达水平与肿瘤的淋巴结浸润、转移以及病理分级有着重要的关系,从而miR-149可能会成为将来判断口腔鳞癌临床分期的一个重要的标记物。     

An outbreak of severe infectious diseases caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 clone among hospitalized patients and nursing staff in a tertiary care university hospital

The USA300 clone, which produces Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), is a major highly pathogenic community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) clone that is spreading throughout the world. Although the prevalence of the USA300 clone in Japan was very limited a decade ago, its incidence has been increasing in both community and hospital settings in recent years. There is great concern that the USA300 clone will cause more complicated diseases and become a serious threat to immunocompromised patients in hospital settings. Here, we report an outbreak of severe infectious diseases in a tertiary care university hospital involving the incidence of deep infections, including bacteremia, and continuous and frequent isolation of MRSA strains for five months from six patients and a healthy nursing staff member in the same ward. The genotype of all MRSA isolates was identical to that of the USA300 clone. Furthermore, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that all MRSA had the same patterns. These data demonstrate that a USA300 clone outbreak had occurred in the hospital. Fortunately, this outbreak was terminated subsequent to the interventions of the infection control team and all patients recovered following the appropriate therapies. Our report demonstrates that patients carrying highly pathogenic CA-MRSA have the potential to become a source of nosocomial outbreaks that can spread to healthy healthcare workers. Therefore, stricter standard precautions should be applied for all patients at the time of admission to prevent such nosocomial outbreaks.     

Pathophysiological Links Between Diabetes and Blood Pressure

Hypertension is highly prevalent among people with diabetes, and the presence of diabetes among those with hypertension portends an increase in cardiovascular risk. In this review we aim to explore the pathophysiological links between diabetes and hypertension. Renal sodium handling differs in diabetes because there is an upregulation of sodium transporters in the kidneys. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may be upregulated in diabetes, leading to hypertension through a direct effect mediated by angiotensin II, as well as indirectly through upregulation of sympathetic activity. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade is a mainstay therapy for hypertension, and evidence suggests that it might also reduce the incidence of diabetes. People with diabetes frequently have autonomic dysfunction, which could contribute to hypertension through increased sympathetic tone and through stimulation of renin production in the juxtaglomerular apparatus. Furthermore, people with diabetes also frequently show an abnormality in their circadian blood pressure pattern. Another important link between hypertension and diabetes is the development as well as progression of diabetic kidney disease, the pathophysiology of which is mediated through several pathways including endothelial dysfunction and advanced glycation end products. Finally, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, through their effects on various hormones and inflammation, might also contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension and diabetes.