Expression of interleukin-37, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and transforming growth factor-β1 and their correlation with T cells in children with primary immune thrombocytopenia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the expression of interleukin-37 (IL-37), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in children with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and their correlation with T cells.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was conducted on 45 children with ITP (ITP group) who were admitted to Handan Central Hospital from January 2020 to April 2022, and 30 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same period were included as the healthy control group. The mRNA expression levels of IL-37, VEGFA, and TGF-β1 and the levels of regulatory T cells (Treg) and helper T cells 17 (Th17) were measured before and after treatment, and the correlation between the mRNA expression levels of IL-37, VEGFA, and TGF-β1 and the levels of Treg, Th17, and Treg/Th17 ratio were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the healthy control group, the ITP group had a significantly higher mRNA expression level of IL-37 and a significantly higher level of Th17 before and after treatment, as well as significantly lower mRNA expression levels of VEGFA and TGF-β1 and significantly lower levels of Treg and Treg/Th17 ratio (P<0.05). After treatment, the ITP group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression level of IL-37 and the level of Th17 and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of VEGFA and TGF-β1 and the levels of Treg and Treg/Th17 ratio (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that in the ITP group, the mRNA expression levels of IL-37 and TGF-β1 were negatively correlated with the levels of Treg and Treg/Th17 ratio (P<0.05) and were positively correlated with the level of Th17 (P<0.05) before and after treatment; the mRNA expression level of VEGFA was positively correlated with the levels of Treg and Treg/Th17 ratio (P<0.05) and was negatively correlated with the Th17 level (P<0.05) before and after treatment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Abnormal expression levels of IL-37, VEGFA, and TGF-β1 may be observed in children with ITP, which is significantly associated with the imbalance of Treg/Th17 ratio. It is speculated that the cytokines such as IL-37, VEGFA, and TGF-β1 may be involved in the development and progression of ITP or may become important potential targets for the treatment of children with ITP. Citation:Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2023, 25(11): 1131-1136.

Screening of Serum Biomarkers for Distinguishing between Latent and Active Tuberculosis Using Proteome Microarray / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify potential serum biomarkers for distinguishing between latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (TB).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A proteome microarray containing 4,262 antigens was used for screening serum biomarkers of 40 serum samples from patients with LTBI and active TB at the systems level. The interaction network and functional classification of differentially expressed antigens were analyzed using STRING 10.0 and the TB database, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to validate candidate antigens further using 279 samples. The diagnostic performances of candidate antigens were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Both antigen combination and logistic regression analysis were used to improve diagnostic ability.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Microarray results showed that levels of 152 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-antigen- specific IgG were significantly higher in active TB patients than in LTBI patients (P < 0.05), and these differentially expressed antigens showed stronger associations with each other and were involved in various biological processes. Eleven candidate antigens were further validated using ELISA and showed consistent results in microarray analysis. ROC analysis showed that antigens Rv2031c, Rv1408, and Rv2421c had higher areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.8520, 0.8152, and 0.7970, respectively. In addition, both antigen combination and logistic regression analysis improved the diagnostic ability.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Several antigens have the potential to serve as serum biomarkers for discrimination between LTBI and active TB.</p>

Influences of intervention on the abilities of detecting pulmonary tuberculosis cases in general hospitals / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the influences of intervention on the abilities of detecting pulmonary tuberculosis cases in general hospitals.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We selected 6 general hospitals at 3 different levels (A, B, and C). The intervened group included hospitals A1, B1, and C1, and the non-intervened group included hospitals A2, B2, and C2. The results after intervention were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The report rate of pulmonary tuberculosis, sputum positive rate of reported cases, and sputum check rate of reported cases were significantly higher in hospital A1 than grouping hospital A2 (P = 0.000, P = 0.045, and P = 0.017, respectively). The report rate and sputum examination rate of reported cases were significantly higher in hospital B1 than grouping hospital B2 (P = 0.000, P = 0.024, respectively). The report rate and sputum examination rate of reported cases were significantly lower in hospital C1 than grouping hospital C2 (P = 0.000, P = 0.001, respectively). In hospital A1, the report rate, sputum positive rate of reported cases, and sputum check rate of reported cases were not significantly different before and after intervention (P = 0.182, P = 0.116, and P = 0.583, respectively). In hospital B1, the report rate were significantly different before and after intervention (P = 0.004), while the sputum positive rate of reported cases and sputum check rate of reported cases were not significantly different (P = 0.909, P = 0.052, respectively). In hospital C1, the report rate was significantly higher after intervention (P = 0.025). In hospital C2, the sputum check rate significantly increased (P = 0.000).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Intervention influences the hospitals abilities to detect pulmonary tuberculosis cases. However, more optimized and long-term intervention mechanism should be established to increase case detection rate of pulmonary tuberculosis.</p>