Lipoprotein(a) as a predictor of poor collateral circulation in patients with chronic stable coronary heart disease

As a mechanism compensating for obstructive coronary artery disease, coronary collateral circulation (CCC) has attracted cardiologists for a long time to explore its potential impact. In the present study, Chinese patients suffering from ≥95% coronary stenosis, as diagnosed by angiography, have been investigated for the correlation between CCC and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels. A cohort of 654 patients was divided into four categories according to Rentrop grades 0, 1, 2, and 3. Lp(a) levels were divided into model 1, discretized with critical values of 33 and 66%, and model 2, discretized with a cutoff value of 30.0 mg/dL. Furthermore, we evaluated the correlation between CCC and serum Lp(a) levels. The four groups had significantly different Lp(a) levels (25.80±24.72, 18.99±17.83, 15.39±15.80, and 8.40±7.75 mg/dL; P<0.001). In model 1, concerning R0, the risk in the third Lp (a) tertile (OR=3.34, 95%CI=2.32-4.83) was greater than that in the first tertile. In model 2, concerning R0, the risk in Lp(a) >30.0 group (OR=6.77, 95%CI=4.44-10.4) was greater than that of Lp(a) <30.0 mg/dL. The worst condition of CCC can be predicted independently by Lp(a) levels. In addition to clinical usage, Lp(a) levels can also be utilized as biological markers.

microRNA-142-3p inhibits apoptosis and inflammation induced by bleomycin through down-regulation of Cox-2 in MLE-12 cells

microRNA (miR)-142-3p is implicated in malignancy and has been identified as a biomarker for aggressive and recurrent lung adenocarcinomas. This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of miR-142-3p on apoptosis and inflammation induced by bleomycin in MLE-12 cells. MLE-12 cells were first transfected either with miR-142-3p mimic or miR-142-3p inhibitor and then the cells were exposed to 50 μg/mL of bleomycin. Thereafter, cell viability, apoptosis and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed using CCK-8, flow cytometry, RT-PCR and western blot analyses. Cox-2, PI3K, AKT and mTOR expressions were detected by western blotting after bleomycin was administered together with NS-398 (an inhibitor of Cox-2). As a result, cell viability was significantly decreased, as well as apoptosis and the expression of IL-1 and TNF-α were remarkably increased after 50 and 100 μg/mL of bleomycin administration. miR-142-3p overexpression alleviated bleomycin-induced apoptosis and overproduction of these two pro-inflammatory cytokines, while miR-142-3p suppression exhibited completely opposite results. Up-regulation of Cox-2 and inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR were found in bleomycin-pretreated cells, while these abnormal regulations were partially abolished by miR-142-3p overexpression and NS-398. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that miR-142-3p overexpression protected bleomycin-induced injury in lung epithelial MLE-12 cells, possibly via regulating Cox-2 expression and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings provide evidence that miR-142-3p may be a therapeutic strategy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment.

High mobility group box 1 as a mediator of endotoxin administration after hemorrhagic shock-primed lung injury

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was discovered as a novel late-acting cytokine that contributes to acute lung injury (ALI). However, the contribution of HMGB1 to two-hit-induced ALI has not been investigated. To examine the participation of HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of ALI caused by the two-hit hypothesis, endotoxin was injected intratracheally in a hemorrhagic shock-primed ALI mouse model. Concentrations of HMGB1 in the lung of the shock group were markedly increased at 16 h (1.63 ± 0.05, compared to the control group: 1.02 ± 0.03; P < 0.05), with the highest concentration being observed at 24 h. In the sham/lipopolysaccharide group, lung HMGB1 concentrations were found to be markedly increased at 24 h (1.98 ± 0.08, compared to the control group: 1.07 ± 0.03; P < 0.05). Administration of lipopolysaccharide to the hemorrhagic shock group resulted in a notable HMGB1 increase by 4 h, with a further increase by 16 h. Intratracheal lipopolysaccharide injection after hemorrhagic shock resulted in the highest lung leak at 16 h (2.68 ± 0.08, compared to the control group: 1.05 ± 0.04; P < 0.05). Compared to the hemorrhagic shock/lipopolysaccharide mice, blockade of HMGB1 at the same time as lipopolysaccharide injection prevented significantly pulmonary tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta and myeloperoxidase. Lung leak was also markedly reduced at 16 h; blockade of HMGB1 24 h after lipopolysaccharide injection failed to alter lung leak or myeloperoxidase at 48 h. Our observations suggest that HMGB1 plays a key role as a late mediator when lipopolysaccharide is injected after hemorrhagic shock-primed ALI and the kinetics of its release differs from that of one-hit ALI. The therapeutic window to suppress HMGB1 activity should not be delayed to 24 h after the disease onset.

Hepatic local micro-environmental immune status in hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhotic tissues / Estatus inmune microambiental local hepático en el carcinoma hepatocelular y los Tejidos Cirróticos

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumours in the world, especially in Guangxi, China. The causes and mechanism of its tumourigenesis and development have not been completely clarified Some studies revealed that the hepatic local cellular immune function was one of the factors. In the present study, the local micro-environmental immune status was explored by investigating the number, distribution and function of CD3, CD57, CD20, CD68, and granzyme B (GrB) positive cells in 60 patients with HCC and 62 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and its relationship with the prognosis of the patients. The results showed that the number of T and B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells in the liver of HCC patients was significantly higher than that in the LC and normal controls; while the number of macrophages (Mphi) was significantly lower The number of Mphi in the tissues decreased successively with the decrease of HCC differentiation; GrB-expressing cells in the liver predominantly consisted of CD57 positive cells. The number of NK cells, B lymphocytes and GrB-expressing cells in the cancerous tissues of stage I and II was significantly higher than that of stages III and IV. The number of T lymphocytes, NK cells, Mphi, and GrB-expressing lymphocytes in HCC cases without metastasis in 15 months was significantly higher than in the metastatic counterparts. The number of T and B lymphocytes, NK cells, and GrB-expressing cells decreased in patients with the progression of the HCC. These results suggest that the number of T and B lymphocytes, NK cells, Mphi and GrB-positive lymphocytes might be important markers in the estimation of hepatic local immune status and be useful factors for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.