Associação entre marcadores inflamatórios e o padrão locomotor durante a ultrapassagem de obstáculos em idosos / Association between inflammatory markers and locomotor pattern during obstacle avoidance in older adults

Resumo Objetivo investigar a associação dos biomarcadores inflamatórios na tarefa de ultrapassagem de obstáculos com diferentes níveis de complexidade manipulados pela característica do obstáculo (sólido e frágil) em idosos. Método 17 idosos (≥60 anos) foram avaliados em dois momentos: 1) Análise do padrão locomotor durante a ultrapassagem de obstáculo em duas condições (sólido e frágil). As variáveis estudadas, para membros de abordagem e suporte foram: velocidade, comprimento, largura e duração da passada, distância horizontal pé-obstáculo, distância horizontal obstáculo-pé, distância vertical pé-obstáculo e Máxima elevação do pé. 2) A análise dos biomarcadores interleucina 6 (IL-6) e proteína C Reativa (PCR) foi realizada por meio de coleta de sanguínea. A análise de regressão linear múltipla foi realizada para verificar associação entre o padrão locomotor e os biomarcadores inflamatórios (IL-6 e PCR) com nível de significância de p≤0,05. Resultados A análise de regressão mostrou que a Interleucina 6 apresentou associação com as seguintes variáveis: 1) largura da passada na condição obstáculo sólido, 2) máxima elevação do pé (membro de suporte) para ultrapassagem do obstáculo frágil, 3) distância horizontal pé-obstáculo (membro de abordagem) na condição de obstáculo sólido, 4) máxima elevação do pé (membro de abordagem) para ultrapassagem do obstáculo frágil, 5) máxima elevação do pé (membro de abordagem) para ultrapassagem do obstáculo sólido. A PCR apresentou associação com a variável Distância Horizontal Pé-Obstáculo (membro de abordagem) apenas para a condição de obstáculo frágil. Conclusão Os biomarcadores inflamatórios apresentam uma associação com o comportamento locomotor em idosos, independente da condição de fragilidade do obstáculo.

Abstract Objective to investigate the association of inflammatory biomarkers on the locomotor pattern during obstacle avoidance with different levels of complexity manipulated by the characteristic of the obstacle (solid and fragile) in older adults. Method 17 older adults (≥60 years old) were evaluated in two moments: 1) Analysis of the locomotor pattern during obstacle crossing in two conditions (solid and fragile). The variables studied for trailing and leading limbs were: speed, length, width and duration of the stride, horizontal foot-obstacle distance, horizontal obstacle-foot distance, vertical foot-obstacle distance and Maximum foot elevation. 2) Blood collection, for analysis of the inflammatory biomarkers Interleukin 6 (IL6) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to verify association between locomotor pattern and inflammatory biomarkers (IL6 and CRP) with a significance level of p≤0.05. Results The regression analysis showed that Interleukin 6 was associated with the following variables: 1) stride width in the solid obstacle condition, 2) maximum foot elevation (leading limb) to avoidance the fragile obstacle, 3) horizontal foot-obstacle distance (trailing limb) in solid obstacle condition, 4) maximum foot elevation (trailing limb) to avoidance the fragile obstacle, 5) maximum foot elevation (trailing limb) to avoidance the solid obstacle. C-Reactive Protein was associated with the horizontal foot-obstacle distance (trailing limb) only for the fragile obstacle condition. Conclusion Inflammatory biomarkers are associated with the locomotor pattern in older adults, regardless of the fragility of the obstacle.

Biomarcadores inflamatorios en líquido sinovial de trastornos intraarticulares de la articulación temporomandibular. Revisión sistemática

RESUMEN Objetivo: Determinar los biomarcadores inflamatorios del líquido sinovial (LS) de pacientes adultos con trastornos intraarticulares (TI) de la articulación temporomandibular (ATM) y su capacidad diagnóstica. Métodos: Se realizó búsqueda electrónica/manual de artículos (2010-2019) en paralelo por dos investigadores. La calidad de los estudios, se determinó por medio de CONSORT y STROBE y el sesgo según criterios Cochrane RoB 2 en ensayos clínicos aleatorizados y Escala Newcastle-Ottawa en estudios observacionales. Se estudiaron pacientes con TI de la ATM y determinación de biomarcadores del LS. Resultados: De 264 artículos encontrados, 6 cumplieron los criterios inclusión-exclusión, incluyendo 262 pacientes, [OA=153, 93 con desplazamientos discales (DD) y 16 con OA+DD]. Todas las muestras fueron obtenidas por artrocentesis y detectadas por ELISA. Se determinaron 19 biomarcadores en pacientes con OA; 9 en DD y 2 en diagnosticados con OA+DD. El incremento de biomarcadores en el LS de la ATM se asocia con TI. Conclusión: Los biomarcadores detectados con mayor frecuencia en LS de pacientes con TI de ATM fueron IL-1β, IL-6 y TNF-α y en segunda frecuencia TGF-β1, MMP-3 e IFN-γ. Dada la inconsistencia de los protocolos utilizados la evidencia fue débil, imposibilitando asociar biomarcadores con diagnóstico de TI determinado, ni efectuar análisis estadístico.

ABSTRACT: Objective: To determine the evidence of inflammatory biomarkers present in the synovial fluid (SF) of adult patients with intra-articular disorders (ID) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and their diagnostic ability. Methods: Electronic/manual search of articles (2010-2019) was performed. Data were extracted in duplicate. The quality of the studies was determined by CONSORT, STROBE and risk of bias was determined by Cochrane RoB 2 and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The populations studied were patients with TMJ ID and with studies of SF biomarkers. Results: Out of 264 articles found, 6 met the inclusion-exclusion criteria, including 262 patients, 93 with disc displacements (DD) and 16 with OA+DD. All samples were obtained by arthrocentesis and detected by ELISA. Nineteen biomarkers were evaluated in patients with OA, 9 in patients with DD and 2 in those diagnosed with OA+DD. Increased inflammatory biomarkers in the SF of TMJ are associated with ID. Conclusion: The most frequent biomarkers detected in SF of patients with TMJ ID were IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and in second frequency TGF-β1, MMP-3 and IFN-γ. Given the inconsistency of the protocols used, the evidence was weak, making it impossible to associate biomarkers with a given IT diagnosis, or to perform statistical analysis.

Application of proteomics in exploring the inflammatory biomarkers of diabetic retinopathy / 中华实验眼科杂志

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common neurovascular complication of diabetes patients, which seriously threatens the vision health of working-age people and brings a heavy social and economic burden to our society.Most patients with DR have progressed to the stage of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and need to receive intravitreal injection of drugs or surgery but resulting in poor recovery of vision.Therefore, exploring new biomarkers is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of early DR.High-throughput proteomics research can examine smaller volumes of biological fluid specimen such as aqueous humor, vitreous humor, tears, and serum, finding differential proteins involved in inflammatory processes in the retina, providing references for the early diagnosis and treatment of DR.Proteomics techniques used for the screening and identification of inflammatory biomarkers in DR in recent years and existing problems were reviewed in this article.

Inflammatory Markers in the Staging of Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature / Marcadores inflamatorios en la estadificación del trastorno bipolar: una revisión sistemática de la literatura

ABSTRACT Background: Previous studies suggest that inflammatory molecules play an important role in the pathophysiology of Bipolar Disorder (BD). The evidence suggests that BD may present a progressive course. Therefore there are theories that postulate the relationship between progression and stages of the disease with distinct peripheral biomarkers. Objective: The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review of the literature of studies about the association between peripheral inflammatory markers and clinical variables related with staging in BD patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic review using electronic databases: PubMed, SciELO, LiLACS and PsycINFO. Keywords were divided into inflammatory markers and, BD and staging. Studies involving euthymic BD patients, studies evaluating peripheral biomarkers and studies correlating these with clinical variables related to neuroprogression or stage of BD were included. Results: We present and discuss the methods and findings of ten articles. The inflammatory markers were measured with different techniques and show some contradictories results. The TNF superfamily and inflammatory cytokines may have a relationship with the neuroprogression of the disease. Conclusions: This study suggests that TNF and ILs could play a role in neuroprogression. However, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the relationship between factors associated with neuroprogression.

RESUMEN Introducción: Estudios previos indican que las moléculas inflamatorias tienen un papel importante en la fisiopatología del trastorno bipolar (TB). La evidencia apunta a que el TB puede presentar un curso progresivo. Por lo tanto, existen teorías que han postulado una relación entre la progresión y los estadios de la enfermedad con diferentes biomarcadores Revisión sistemática periféricos. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es realizar una revisión sistemática de la literatura de los estudios sobre la asociación entre los marcadores inflamatorios periféricos y las variables clínicas relacionadas con la estadificación en los pacientes con TB. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática usando las bases de datos electrónicas PubMed, SciELO, LiLACS y PsycINFO. Las palabras clave se dividieron en marcadores inflamatorios y TB y estadificación. Se incluyeron estudios que evaluaron a pacientes con TB en fase de eutimia, estudios que evaluaron biomarcadores periféricos y estudios que correlacionaron dichos marcadores con las variables clínicas relacionadas con la neuroprogresión o estadificación del TB. Resultados: Se presentan y se discuten los métodos y los hallazgos de 10 artículos. Los marcadores inflamatorios se determinaron con diferentes técnicas y mostraron resultados contradictorios. La super familia del factor de necrosis tumoral y las citocinas inflamatorias podrían tener una relación con la neuroprogresión de la enfermedad. Conclusiones: El presente estudio indica que el factor de necrosis tumoral y las intereucinas pueden tener un papel en la neuroprogresión del TB. Sin embargo, se requieren estudios longitudinales con el fin de clarificar la relación entre los factores asociados con la neuro-progresión.

Quercetin inhibits chronic stress-induced myocardial infarction in rats / La quercetina inhibe el infarto al miocardio inducido por estrés crónico en ratas

RESUMEN: Reportamos recientemente que el estrés crónico súbito (ECS) induce disfunción ventricular izquierda (DVI) en ratas, la que fue inhibida por la quercetina un agente cardioprotector. En base de estos hallazgos y debido a que la mayoría de los pacientes con infarto de miocardio (IM) pueden desarrollar DVI e insuficiencia cardíaca, se buscó producir un modelo animal de IM y DVI en ratas, utilizando este modelo para probar la hipótesis de que la quercetina puede prevenir la inducción potencial de IM por ECS. Las ratas fueron expuestas a ECS usando una variedad de factores de estrés de quercetina (50 mg / kg de peso corporal / día) durante 21 días. Se registró la presión sanguínea y el electrocardiograma (ECG) en todos los grupos de ratas junto con el examen de homogeneizados de tejido del ventrículo izquierdo (VI) y secciones para confirmar la producción del modelo animal. Asociamos los recientes hallazgos sobre el papel de la apoptosis en la patología de DVI y, finalmente, IM. Las mediciones de la presión arterial y la grabación de ECG confirmaron el desarrollo de hipertensión sistémica y del IM en el grupo modelo de ratas expuestas a ECS. Además, la tinción histológica confirmó que el daño del VI se produjo en el mismo grupo. Tambien se obervó un aumento del gen proapoptótico Bax y de los biomarcadores inflamatorios, TNF-α e IL-6. El tratamiento simultáneo con quercetina redujo la presión sanguínea y evitó sustancialmente el IM, bloqueando el aumento del segmento ST en el ECG. Por lo tanto, el IM inducido por ECS en ratas asociado con el aumento de los biomarcadores de lesión tisular, fueron impedidos por la quercetina, lo que concuerda con nuestros hallazgos recientes de un posible papel terapéutico de la quercetina en la disfunción cardíaca inducida por ECS.

SUMMARY: We recently reported that chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) induced left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in rats, which was inhibited by the cardioprotective agent quercetin. Based on these findings and because majority of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) can develop LVD and heart failure, we sought to produce an animal model of MI and LVD in rats and use this model to test the hypothesis that quercetin is able to prevent the potential MI induction by CUS. Rats were exposed to CUS using a variety of stressors in the presence and absence of quercetin (50 mg/kg body weight/day) for 21 days. Blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded in all rat groups together with the examination of left ventricle (LV) tissue homogenates and sections to confirm the production of the animal model. We further extend on our recent findings on the role of apoptosis in the pathology of LVD and eventually MI. Blood pressure measurements and ECG recording confirmed the development of systemic hypertension and MI in the model group of rats exposed to CUS. In addition, histological staining confirmed that LV damages occurred in the same group. Furthermore, the proapoptotic gene Bax and the inflammatory biomarkers, TNF-α and IL-6 were augmented in LV homogenates by CUS. Simultaneous quercetin treatment lowered blood pressure and substantially prevented MI since it blocked the elevation of ST segment on the ECG and maintained a normal ECG reading. Quercetin suppressed the expression of Bax RNA messages, and significantly (p<0.05) blocked CUS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 upregulation. Thus, CUS induced MI in rats associated with augmentation of tissue injury biomarkers were prevented by quercetin, which further endorses our recent findings of a potential therapeutic role for quercetin in CUS induced cardiac dysfunction.

Role of serum procalcitonin in evaluating disease activity of 107 patients with inflammatory bowel disease / 中华消化杂志

Objective To preliminarily investigate the clinical value of serum procalciton as a noninvasive marker in disease activity assessment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods From January 2014 to June 2016,clinical data of 107 IBD patients were collected,including biological inflammatory parameters of peripheral blood such as serum procalcitonin levels,C-reactive protein (CRP) levels,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and platelet count,clinical disease activity scores and endoscopic activity scores.The serum level of procalcitonin was measured using the traditional electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECL) method.The accuracy of diagnosis was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman's rank correlation were performed for comparison between groups and correlation analysis.Results In the 60 patients with Crohn's disease (CD),the median serum level of procalcitonin of patients in active phase was higher than that of patients in remission phase (0.066 mg/L,0.047 mg/L to 0.168 rng/L vs 0.033 mg/L,0.024 mg/L to 0.044 mg/L),the median serum level of procalcitonin of patients in moderate to severe active phase was higher than that of patients in mild phase (0.112 mg/L,0.062 mg/L to 0.234 mg/L vs 0.046 mg/L,0.040 mg/L to 0.054 mg/L),and the differences were statistically significant (Z=4.883 and 3.326,both P＜0.01).There was a positive correlation between serum procalcitonin level and CRP,ESR,platelet count,plateletcrit,Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and Crohn's disease endoscopic index of severity (CDEIS) (r=0.494,0.387,0.339,0.328,0.736 and 0.689,all P＜0.05).The sensitivity and specificity of serum procalcitonin level ≥ 0.055 mg/L in predicting moderate to severe active CD were 85.0％ and 88.9％,respectively.The area under ROC curve (AUC) value of the combination of procalcitonin and CRP in diagnosing moderate to severe active CD was 0.905 (95 ％CI 0.827 to 0.982).In the 47 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC),the median serum procalcitonin level of patients in moderate to severe active phase was higher than those of patients in mild active phase and remission phase (0.059 mg/L,0.033 mg/L to 0.100 mg/L;0.030 mg/L,0.020 mg/L to 0.048 mg/L;0.030 mg/L,0.021 mg/L to 0.057 mg/L),and the differences were statistically significant (Z=2.056 and 2.783,P=0.040 and 0.005).Serum procalcitonin level was positively correlated with Mayo score,CRP level and Baron score (r=0.468,0.573 and 0.347,all P＜0.05).The specificity of serum procalcitonin level ≥0.065 mg/L in predicting moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis diagnosis was high but the sensitivity was low.Conclusion Serum procalcitonin may be of value in indicating the disease activity and severity.

Association of inflammation, dyslipidemia, obesity and physical activity status in children

The aim of this study was to verify the association between inflammatory biomarkers, dyslipidemia, obesity and physical activity status in 10-years old children. Ninety-four children participated in this study and were classified into eutrophic (n=36), overweight (n=34) or obese (n=24) according to their body mass index (BMI). The genic expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL-2) mRNA; the serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and triglycerides; BMI, percentage of body fat (% BF) and waist circumference; and the number of steps per day were determined. The expression of IL-6, TNF-α and CCL-2 were associated (p < 0.05) positively with serum triglycerides, BMI, % BF and waist circumference, and negatively with serum HDL-c. No association (p > 0.05) between pro-inflammatory biomarkers and number of steps per day was found

The effects of smoking and smoking cessation on nasal mucociliary clearance, mucus properties and inflammation

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess nasal mucociliary clearance, mucus properties and inflammation in smokers and subjects enrolled in a Smoking Cessation Program (referred to as quitters). METHOD: A total of 33 subjects with a median (IQR) smoking history of 34 (20-58) pack years were examined for nasal mucociliary clearance using a saccharine transit test, mucus properties using contact angle and sneeze clearability tests, and quantification of inflammatory and epithelial cells, IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations in nasal lavage fluid. Twenty quitters (mean age: 51 years, 9 male) were assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months and 12 months after smoking cessation, and 13 smokers (mean age: 52 years, 6 male) were assessed at baseline and after 12 months. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02136550. RESULTS: Smokers and quitters showed similar demographic characteristics and morbidities. At baseline, all subjects showed impaired nasal mucociliary clearance (mean 17.6 min), although 63% and 85% of the quitters demonstrated significant nasal mucociliary clearance improvement at 1 month and 12 months, respectively. At 12 months, quitters also showed mucus sneeze clearability improvement (∼26%), an increased number of macrophages (2-fold) and no changes in mucus contact angle or cytokine concentrations. CONCLUSION: This study showed that smoking cessation induced early improvements in nasal mucociliary clearance independent of mucus properties and inflammation. Changes in mucus properties were observed after only 12 months of smoking cessation.

Effect of dietary lycopene on inflammatory marker in patients of heart failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF), often referred to as chronic heart failure (CHF), occurs when the heart is unable to pump sufficiently to maintain blood flow to meet the body's needs. Patients with HF are characterized by systemic inflammation, as evident by raised circulating levels of several inflammatory cytokines with increasing levels according to the degree of disease severity. Inflammation occurs in the vasculature as a response to injury, lipid peroxidation, and perhaps infection. Inflammation can be a significant contributor in the pathophysiology of HF. Antioxidants may slow the progression of HF because of their ability to inhibit damaging inflammatory processes. The purpose of this study was to test a dietary intervention in patients with HF to assess the effect of dietary lycopene on biomarkers of inflammation. Methods: Sixty participants with HF were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: lycopene intervention and non-intervention. The lycopene intervention group received 27.212 mg of lycopene intake per day by drinking 1 serving (243 gm) of tomato soup for 30 days. We obtained serum lycopene, and C-reactive protein (CRP), to determine the impact of the intervention. Results: Plasma lycopene levels increased in the intervention group compared with the usual group (0.50 μmol/L to 0.75 μmol/L, P = 0.002; 0.55 μmol/L to 0.57 μmol/L). C-reactive protein levels decreased significantly in the intervention group in both women and men. The pre-intervention and post-intervention CRP level for women was 15.37 ± 1.46 mg/dL and 8.32 ± 1.11 mg/dl respectively and for men was 15.05 ± 2.58 mg/dL and 8.14 ± 1.49 mg/dL respectively. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the antioxidants in a 30-day intervention of tomato soup significantly decreases CRP levels in a sample of female and male patients with HF.

Dose-dependent Modulation of Lipid Parameters, Cytokines and RNA by -tocotrienol in Hypercholesterolemic Subjects Restricted to AHA Step-1 Diet.

Aims: Evaluate the consumption of -tocotrienol (free from tocopherols) on serum lipid parameters, and several cytokines (TNF-, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), including gene expression and circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in hypercholesterolemic subjects. Study Design: The present preliminary dose-response study consisted of six phases. All hypercholesterolemic subjects took increasing doses of -tocotrienol (125, 250, 500,750 mg/d) plus AHA Step-1 diet for 4 weeks during the 30 weeks study period. Methodology: Hypercholesterolemic (n = 31; serum cholesterol > 5.2 mmol/L) subjects (males- 26/females 5; age range 50-71 years) were enrolled in the study from Wah Cantonment, Pakistan. Serum lipid parameters were measured by auto analyzers. Various plasma cytokines, cDNA, and miRNAs were estimated by Signosis kits. Results: All participants (n = 31) completed all phases of study. The -tocotrienol plus AHA Step-1 diet caused reductions in lipid parameters in a dose-dependent manner with maximum effects on serum total cholesterol (15%), LDL-cholesterol (18%), triglycerides (14%) with 250 mg/d dose (P< 0.001). Doses above 500 mg/d resulted ininduction in levels of all lipid parameters, except HDLcholesterol. The cytokines associated with cardiovascular disease (plasma TNF-, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) were all down-regulated 39%-64% by -tocotrienol treatment (P< 0.01). Similar results were obtained with gene expression of these cytokines using whole blood messenger-RNA. In contrast, circulating miRNA-7a, miRNA-15a, miRNA-20a (anti-angiogenic), miRNA-21, miRNA- 29a, miRNA-92a, miRNA-200, miRNA-206 (skeletal muscle regeneration) down-regulated in hypercholesterolemic subjects, were up-regulated by -tocotrienol treatment as compared to baseline (P< 0.01). Conclusion: The present results confirm that consumption of -tocotrienol plus AHA Step-1 diet causes significant reduction in serum lipid parameters and several cytokines (TNF-, IL-2, IL-4, IL- 6, IL-8, IL-10) at a low optimal dose (250 mg/d). The capacity of -tocotrienol to modulate inflammation is partly attributable to dose-dependent properties of inhibition/activation, which may play a major role in future treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Changes of inflammatory factor level in 2-diabetes patients before and after improving glycemic control / 中国综合临床

Objective To investigate the inflammation levels of 2-diabetes patients before and after 3 months of improving glycemic control.Methods A longitudinal study was performed in a subgroup of 48 subjects with T2D and poor glycemic control.Forty-four healthy individuals were taken as control group.The serum concentration of C-reactionprotein (CRP),interleukin-6 (IL-6),interleukin-6 (IL-8),transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (MCP1) in all participants were measured simultaneously by multiplexed Luminex assay.Results The serum levels of CRP,MCP-1 of 2-diabetes patients were 3.96 (3.45,5.58) mg/L and (195.0± 129.8) ng/L,significant higher than those in control group (2.25 (1.24,3.22) mg/L,(148.5±85.7) ng/L),and the differences were significant(t=-2.580,P=0.010;t=-2.118,P =0.047).No significant difference was found in the serum levels of IL-6,IL-8,TGF-β lbetween the two groups (P＞0.05).TGF-β1 level in patients with good glycemic control decreased to 26.85 (23.17-31.12) ng/l,significant lower than that before glycemic control (43.5(26.5-62.25) g/L;Z=-2.191,P=0.028),and there were no significant differences among the other 4 kinds of inflammatory factors before and after blood glucose control(CRP:Z =-0.937P =0.372;IL-6:Z =-0.875,P =0.396;IL-8:Z =-1.215,P =0.286;MCP-1:t =-1.846,P=0.065).Conclusion Low grade systemic inflammation status in T2D patients.Improvement of glycemic control reduces TGF-β1 levels and plays a key role in delaying the development of diabetic nephropathy.

Effect of inflammatory biomarkers on death of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中国综合临床

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of related inflammatory biomarkers on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated mortality,in order to provide the basis for clinical screening of high risk patients.Methods One thousand five hundred cases of outpatients and inpatients from Feb.2012 to Mar.2013 were selected as our subjects.All patients were conducted 15-27 months followup.According to patient outcome,they were divided into survival(1346 cases) and death groups (154 cases).The clinical data,pulmonary function,level of respiratory difficulty and inflammatory biomarker levels were recorded.Results The average age of the death group was (65.3 ± 12.2) years old,significantly higher than that of the survival group ((60.2 ± 11.5) years old,and the difference was significant (t =5.180,P ＜ 0.01).Body mass index(BMI) in death group was (19.8 ±5.4) kg/m2,significantly lower than that of the survival group(23.2 ± 5.6) kg/m2 and the difference was significant (t =7.373,P ＜ 0.01).There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of gender (P ＞ 0.05).The levels of 1 s forced expiratory volume (FEV1),FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC),the British Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (MMRC) rating in death group were (1.1 ± 0.4) L,(40.8 ± 8.2) ％ and (2.8 ± 1.3),significantly lower than those of the survival group((1.5 ±0.5) L,(46.3 ± 11.2) ％,(2.1 ± 1.2))..FEV1 and FEV1/FVC of death group were significantly lower than those of the survival group,while the MMRC significantly higher,and the differences were significant (t =9.582,5.914,6.797,P ＜ 0.01).The levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-8,tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),neutrophil levels in death group were (4.8 ± 1.2)mg/L,(154.4 ± 28.6) ng/L,(398.8 ± 86.3) ng/L,(942.6 ± 212.8) ng/L,(6.0 ± 2.8) × 109/L,significantly higher than those of the survival group ((3.4 ± 1.1) mg/L,(112.8 ±23.6) ng/L,(332.7 ± 76.3) ng/L,(1 482.8 ± 223.6) ng/L,(5.1 ± 1.5) × 109/L),and the differences were statistically significant (t =14.818,20.242,10.041,29.684,6.299,P＜0.01).Conclusion Inflammatory biomarkers including CRP,IL-6,IL-8,TNF-α and neutrophils are the risk factors of death in patients with COPD.Then clinical attention should be paid to the patients with inflammatory biomarkers for monitoring physical level,in order to guide the clinical screening for high-risk cases,timely take corresponding measures and improve the prognosis.

Treatment of Cultured Sebocytes with an EGFR Inhibitor Does Not Lead to Significant Upregulation of Inflammatory Biomarkers

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are being used to treat malignancies originating from epithelia. Unfortunately, blocking the EGFR pathway leads to various side effects, most frequently acneiform eruptions. OBJECTIVE: To probe the mechanism underlying this side effect, we investigated the effect of EGFR inhibitors on cultured sebocytes. METHODS: To examine the effects of an EGFR inhibitor (cetuximab, Erbitux(R) 10 ng/ml) and the effects of EGFR ligands, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF, 10 ng/ml) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha, 5 ng/ml), on the production of inflammatory cytokines in cultured sebocytes, we used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, immunocytofluorescence and Western blots. Outcomes included the expression of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) and EGFR. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the expression of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha, PPAR-gamma and EGFR between (a) groups treated with an EGFR inhibitor or an EGFR ligand and (b) the control group, except for a significant increase in the expression of IL-1 in the EGF-treated group. CONCLUSION: EGFR inhibitors and EGFR ligands do not provoke the expression of inflammatory biomarkers in cultured sebocytes. The role of the sebaceous glands in EGFR inhibitor-induced acneiform eruption should be investigated more thoroughly.

Improvement in Symptoms and QuantiFERON TB-2G Test Results after Isoniazid Administration in a Patient with Normal Routine Tests Results / General Medicine

Diagnosis is difficult in patients who complain of slight fever without objective abnormalities. It is not rare that patients without signs of typical <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (TB) infection have a delayed TB diagnosis. It has been reported that the QuantiFERON TB-2G test is useful for diagnosing latent TB infection. We report a patient who suffered from sweating, body weight loss, and a fever of less than 37.5C without abnormalities in routine tests. Except for his complaints, only QuantiFERON TB-2G testing suggested his illness, after which he was successfully treated with isoniazid administration. QuantiFERON TB-2G testing might be useful to diagnose patients with slight fever when TB is suspected but a conventional workup is not diagnostic.