ABSTRACT
Radiation pneumonia is a side effect that cannot be ignored in the current radiation therapy for lung cancer. At present, there are studies and reports of the introduction of functional imaging technology into lung cancer radiotherapy plans, in which 4DCT has better application prospects in radiotherapy for lung cancer because of its advantages of simple operation, high spatial resolution and no additional cost, etc. Compared with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-CT, positron emission tomography (PET)-CT, MRI has a better application prospect in radiotherapy of lung cancer. The use of 4DCT to obtain the patient's lung function status can predict radiation pulmonary toxicity and assist clinicians to deliver prompt interventions. Moreover, it can help carry out radiotherapy for functional lung avoidance, mitigate the damage of normal lung tissues, and alleviate chest toxicity, which may have wider application value in the future. In this article, research progress on functional lung imaging algorithms based on 4DCT and the application of radiation therapy for lung cancer was reviewed.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation of miR-181c expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with interferon-γ (IFN-γ), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in children with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). MethodsA total of 27 children with AIH who were admitted to The Affiliated Hospital of Yanbian University from March 2015 to May 2019 were enrolled as AIH group, and 30 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same period of were enrolled as control group. The expression of miR-181c in PBMCs and the expression of IFN-γ, CXCL10, and TLR4 were measured for the two groups. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate the correlation of miR-181c expression with each index, and a logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of each factor on AIH. ResultsCompared with the control group, the AIH group had significantly higher levels of the liver function parameters aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and total bilirubin (TBil) (t=14.445,20.064，11.728,13.822, all P＜0.001). The AIH group also had significantly higher levels of IgA, IgM, and IgG than the control group (t=7.772, 5147, and 6771, all P＜0.05). The AIH group had significantly lower relative expression of miR-181c in PBMCs than the control group (0.784±0173 vs 1.106±0.224, t=5.819, P＜0.05). Compared with the control group, the AIH group had significantly higher levels of IFN-γ and CXCL10 and mRNA expression of TLR4 (t=6.949, 12.303, and 13.835, all P＜0.05). The correlation analysis showed that in the children with AIH, the expression of miR-181c in PBMCs was negatively correlated with IFN-γ, CXCL10, TLR4, AST, ALT, GGT, TBil, and IgG (r=-0.316, -0.348, -0.322, -0.427, -0.442, -0.408, -0.396, and -0.321, all P＜0.05). The univariate logistic regression analysis showed that AST, ALT, GGT, TBil, IFN-γ, CXCL10, TLR4 mRNA, and miR-181c were all included in the regression model (all P＜0.05) and were the influencing factors for the onset of AIH. ConclusionChildren with AIH have downregulated expression of miR-181c in PBMCs, which is closely associated with IFN-γ, CXCL10, and TLR4, suggesting that miR-181c may affect the development of AIH in children by regulating the immune system.