Expression of Caspase 8 and phospho-Akt in condyloma acuminatum lesions / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To determine the expression of Caspase 8 and phospho-Akt(p-Akt)in condyloma acuminatum(CA)lesions, and to evaluate their significance. Methods Skin lesion samples were collected from 30 patients with CA, cancer tissue samples from 20 with cervical cancer, and normal skin samples from 20 healthy controls. All the samples were subjected to paraffin embedding. An immunohistochemical study was conducted to determine the expression and distribution of Caspase 8 and p-Akt in the above samples. Results The expression rate of Caspase 8 was significantly lower in CA lesions (23.33%)than in normal skin samples(90%, P < 0.01)and cervical cancer lesions(80%, P < 0.001). Moreover, the expression rate of p-Akt in CA lesions(93.33%)was significantly higher than that in the normal skin samples(90%, P<0.001), but lower than that in the cervical cancer lesions(95%, P<0.001). No significant correlations were observed between the expression of Caspase 8 and p-Akt in either CA lesions or normal skin samples. However, the expression of Caspase 8 was positively correlated with the expression of p-Akt in cervical cancer lesions(r=0.369, P<0.05). Conclusion Both suppressed apoptosis initiation of Caspase 8 and anti-apoptotic effect of p-Akt may be involved in the occurrence and development of CA.

Immunoexpression of apollon in breast cancer tissues before neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its clinical significance / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether apollon immunoexpression in breast cancer tissues helps to predict pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expressions of Apollon, Her-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) were detected immunohistochemically in biopsy tissues from 124 breast cancer patients. The clinical responses to NAC were evaluated in line with the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). The pCR rate was analyzed for different types of breast cancer. The correlations between Apollon status with Her-2, ER, PR, lymph node status and tumor size were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to compared the changes in Apollon expression in the breast cancer tissues before and after NAC.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The pCR rate was 18.5% (23/124) in these patients. Negative expressions of apollon, ER and PR were all associated with a higher pCR rate after NAC. Apollon was significantly correlated with Her-2, ER, PR and lymph node involvement. Chemotherapy significantly down-regulated apollon expression in the tumor cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A negative apollon expression might be a predictor of pCR in patients with breast cancer.</p>

Effects of artesunate on tumor necrosis factor alpha and chemotactic factors in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate of collagen-induced arthritis rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of Artesunate on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), and on reduced activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty male Wistar rats were selected to establish the CIA rat model. On the 6th day after modeling, 60 rats with the sum of arthritis index of right metapedes and two propodium > or = 6 were selected, and randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 10), i.e., the blank control group, the CIA model control group (treated with normal saline, abbreviated as the CIA group), the MTX positive control group (abbreviated as the MTX group), the large dose Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 20 mg/kg), the moderate dose Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 10 mg/ kg), and the small dose of Artesunate group (at the daily dose of 2.5 mg/kg). Mice were sacrificed 7 days of immune injection and their venous blood was collected to obtain the serum. Meanwhile, the synovial tissues of the knee joint were taken by aseptic techniques and primary cultured for 48 h. The supernate was collected by centrifuge. The changes of MCP-1, RANTES, and TNF-alpha in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate were observed in each group before and after treatment using ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Artesunate significantly decreased the expressions of TNF-alpha in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate, showing significant difference when compared with the model control groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the large dose Artesunate group and the moderate dose Artesunate group when compared with the MTX group (P > 0.05). But statistical difference existed in the large dose Artesunate group, the moderate dose Artesunate group, and the MTX group when compared with the small dose Artesunate group (P < 0.05). Artesunate could significantly decrease the expressions of MCP-1 and RANTES in the serum and the synoviocyte culture supernate, showing statistical difference when compared with the model control group (P < 0.05). But no statistical difference existed when compared with the MTX group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mechanism of anti-inflammatory action and immune regulation of Artesunate might be correlated with the inhibition of inflammatory factor TNF-alpha and chemotactic factors MCP-1 and RANTES.</p>

Expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR9 and DC-specific intracellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing non-integrin (SIGN) in condyloma acuminatum lesions / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of TLR4, TLR9 and DC-SIGN in primary and recurrent condyloma acuminatum (CA) lesions. Methods An immunohistochemical method using streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) was performed to detect the expressions and distribution of TLR4, TLR9 and DC-SIGN in tissue specimens obtained from the recurrent CA lesions of 30 patients, primary CA lesions of 30 patients, and from the foreskin of 20 normal human controls. Results The expression levels of TLR4, TLR9 and DC-SIGN in primary and recurrent CA lesions were significantly higher than those in normal control tissue (all P < 0.001), and the cells expressing TLR4, TLR9 or DC-SIGN were mainly located in the basal and spinous layer in CA lesions. There was no significant difference in the expressions of TLR4, TLR9 or DC-SIGN between primary and recurrent CA lesions (all P> 0.05). A positive correlation was found between the expression of TLR4, TLR9 and DC-SIGN in CA lesions. Conclusion The overexpression of TLR4, TLR9 and DC-SIGN probably plays an important role in the occurrence and recurrence of CA.