Lung cancer and respiratory commorbidity / 中国实用内科杂志

Lung cancer comorbidity is common in patients. This review focuses on the clinical situations and treatment of patients with both lung cancer and one of the following: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), pulmonary embolism(PE) or interstitial lung disease(ILD). Generally, these patients have more limitations on selecting cancer-related therapies, and they have shorter survival time and higher mortality than patients who had lung cancers only.

Serum antigens assay combined with chest CT scan in diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate serum antigens assay combined with chest CT scan in the diagnosis of patients of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) without neutropenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and thirteen patients with suspected IPA admitted in Department of Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseased, Kidney Disease Centre and ICU were included in the study. Serum levels of 1-3-β-D-glucan (G) antigen and galactomannan antigen (GM) were assayed and chest CT scans were performed in all cases. Clinically invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was defined as proven, probable and possible. Treatment effectiveness was recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In this series 4 proven IPA, 36 probable IPA, 16 possible IPA, and 57 non-aspergillosis infection were diagnosed. GM test was more sensitive than G test. The specificity of two serum test was 84.2% and 87.7%, respectively. The sensitivity of chest CT was 30.0 %. The specificity of GM assay combined with chest CT was 100.0 %, while the sensitivity was 47.5%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The GM assay combined with chest CT may increase the specificity of diagnosis for IPA patients without neutropenia.</p>

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled safety study to evaluate the clinical effects and quality of life of paclitaxel-carboplatin (PC) alone or combined with endostar for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the efficacy and quality of life and safety for paclitaxel and carboplatin (TC) and TC combined with endostar in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. A total of 126 cases of untreated advanced NSCLC were enrolled in this study. There were 63 patients in the TC control arm and TC combined endostar arm, respectively. All enrolled patients were continuously followed-up for disease progression and death.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The objective response rate (ORR) of TC combined with endostar arm was 39.3%, and that of TC control arm was 23.0%, P = 0.078. The progression-free survival rates for TC combined with endostar arm and TC control arm were 78.3% and 58.8%, respectively, in 24 weeks (P = 0.017). The hazard ratio for the risk of disease progression was 0.35 (95%CI 0.13 to 0.90, P = 0.030). The median time to progression (TTP) of the TC combined with endostar arm was 7.1 months and TC arm 6.3 months (P > 0.05). The follow-up results showed that the median survival time (mOS) of the TC + Endostar arm was 17.6 months; (95%CI 13.4 to 21.7 months), and the TC + placebo arm 15.8 months (95%CI 9.4 to 22.9 months) (P > 0.05). The quality of life scores (LCSS patient scale) after treatment of the TC combined with endostar arm was improved, and that of the TC group was improved after completion of two cycles and three cycles of treatment. The quality of life scores compared with baseline after the completion of one cycle treatment was significantly improved for both the TC combined with endostar arm (P = 0.028 and), and TC arm (P = 0.036). It Indicated that TC combined with endostar treatment improved the patient's quality of life in the early treatment. The difference of adverse and serious adverse event rates between the two groups was not significant (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Compared with TC alone treatmrnt, TC combined with endostar treatment can reduce the risk of disease progression at early time (24 weeks), increase the ORR, and can be used as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC. The TC combined with endostar treatment has good safety and tolerability, improves the quality of life, and not increases serious adverse effects and toxicity for patients with advanced NSCLC.</p>

Expression of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 and their correlation with the biological features of non-small cell lung carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 in human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and to clarify their clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Paraffin embedded tissues from 158 primary non-small lung carcinomas and 30 paracancerous lung tissues were examined for expression of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 by immunohistochemistry (SP method). 30 freshly taken NSCLC tissues were examined by Western blot analysis. The relationship between alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expression and the biological features of lung carcinoma was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rate of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expressions in the lung carcinomas was 65.2% and 51.3%, respectively. There was no expression of either of them in 30 paracancerous lung tissues. Western blot analysis showed that the level of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expressions in NSCLC tissues were 0.49 +/- 0.06 and 0.56 +/- 0.04, respectively, significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissues (0.07 +/- 0.01) (t = 3.693 and t = 6.769, P < 0.01). The positive rate of alpha-tubulin expression was gradually increased with tumor progression, significantly higher in III-IV stage cancers and in poorly differentiated carcinomas (both P < 0.01). There was a distinct statistically significant difference between stage I, stage II and III, and stage IV. The positive rate of alpha-tubulin in well-moderately differentiated carcinomas was lower than that in poorly differentiated ones. There was no significant correlation with age, sex, tumor size, histological type, clinical TNM system and lymph node metastasis. The positive rate of MDR1 was not correlated with sex, age, tumor size, pathological grading, clinical TNM stages and lymph node metastasis. But the positive rate of MDR1 in adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than that in squamous carcinoma and undifferentiated large cell carcinomas (P < 0.01). alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expression had no impact on the outcome of chemotherapy (chi(2) = 0.69 and 1.30, P > 0.05, respectively). Univariate analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate of patients with negative alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expression was 30.7% and 28.5%, respectively, significantly higher than that of patients with positive alpha-tubulin and MDR1 expression (13.5% and 11.8%, respectively) (chi(2) = 20.69 and 15.52, P < 0.01, respectively), and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that alpha-tubulin (RR = 3.287, P = 0.006) and clinical TNM stage (RR = 1.954, P = 0.025) were significantly independent predictive factor for patients with lung cancer, MDR1 and other factors could not be used as an independent predicitive factors. However, there was no significant correlation between the expression of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 in lung carcinoma(r = 0.093, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of alpha-tubulin and MDR1 may play an important role in the development and progression of human non-small cell lung carcinoma. Combined detection could be considered as an important index for predicting prognosis of lung carcinoma.</p>

Correlation of the expression of III β-tubulin and MDR1 protein with biological features of non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the expression of III β-tubulin and MDR1 protein in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to clarify its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Paraffin embedded tissues from 158 primary non-small cell lung cancers and para-cancerous lung tissues were investigated for the expression of III β-tubulin and MDR1 protein by immunohistochemistry, as well as in freshly-taken NSCLC tissues by Western blot. The relationship between the expression of III β-tubulin and MDR1 and the biological features of lung cancer was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rate of III β-tubulin and MDR1 protein expression in lung cancer tissues was 65.19% and 51.27%, respectively. Western blot analysis showed that the level of of III β-tubulin and MDR1 protein in NSCLC tissues was remarkably higher than that in normal tissues (P < 0.01). The expression of III β-tubulin in stage III-IV cases was significantly higher than that in stage I-II cases (P < 0.05), while the expression of MDR1 protein showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). The positive rate of III β-tubulin expression in well-moderate pathological grades was lower than that in poor ones. The positive rate of MDR1 expression in adenocarcinoma was higher than that in squamous cell carcinoma and large cell undifferentiated cancers (P < 0.01). The positive rate of expression of MDR1 protein and III β-tubulin was not correlated with sex, age, tumor size and lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of III β-tubulin and MDR1 may play an important role in the development and progression of human non-small cell lung cancer, and could be looked as an important index for judging the prognosis of lung cancer.</p>

Activated changes of platelet ultra microstructure and plasma granule membrane protein 140 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Platelet activation may play an important role in pathologic progress in lung cancer. In this study, we aimed to clarify the influence of activated platelets on lung cancer generation and growth, and the relationship among these functional and ultrastructural changes of platelets and the severity of pathogenetic condition in these patients with NSCLC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and thirty-six cases of patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC were included in this study. Fifty-four healthy people were enrolled as controls. The change of ultra microstructure and activity of blood platelets were observed under the transmission and scanning electron microscope. Simultaneous determination of plasma granule membrane protein 140 (GMP-140) was made.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Transmission electron microscopy showed remarkable changes of ultra microstructure of platelets in patients with NSCLC, including swelling, increase of a-granules, vesicles, and glycogenosome. Scanning electron microscopy showed many more surface processes and wrinkles on platelets in patients with NSCLC. The reference plasma levels of GMP-140 of healthy controls were (18.2 +/- 2.7) microg/L. The plasma levels of GMP-140 in patients with NSCLC were (47.8 +/- 12.3) microg/L, which were much higher than those of the controls. There was a medium positive correlation between plasma levels of GMP-140 and amount of a-granules (r = 0.514, P < 0.01) and a high positive correlation between plasma levels of GMP-140 and area of platelet (r = 0.84, P < 0.01) in patients with NSCLC. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed significant shift to the left in patients with NSCLC whose a-granules per platelet were 19 or more compared to those 18 or less (Log rank statistic, chi(2) = 17.38, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There are significant activated changes of ultra microstructure and increased activity of blood platelets in patients with NSCLC. These activated platelets may play an important role in the generation and growth of lung cancer. These changes can be used as a diagnostic index of severity, progression, and prognosis of NSCLC.</p>

Study on carbapenemase and 16S rRNA methylase of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate the prevalence of 16S rRNA methylases gene in imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from China. Methods A total of 342 imipenem-resistant A.baumannii isolates were collected between December 2004 and December 2005, from 25 hospitals of China. Agar dilution was used to determinate the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of these isolates. The homology of these isolates was analyzed by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Several 16S rRNA methylase genes and carbapenemase genes were detected by PCR-based assays and PCR products were sequenced. Results The rates of resistance to ampicillin-sulbactam, cefoperazone-sulbactam, tobramycin, and minocycline were 68.0%, 54.2%, 87.4%, and 75.9%, respectively. The rate of resistance to polymyxin E was 10.8%, the lowest among the tested agents. The rates of resistance to all other tested antimicrobial agents were more than 90%. The A.baumannii isolates belonged to 29 distinct clones. Among them, 6 clones were dominant, consisting of 303 isolates in total. All isolates contained the blaOXA-51-1ike gene (blaOXA-66) and 322 isolates contained the blaOXA-23-1ike gene. PCR with the ISAbal-OXA-23-like primers generated a PCR product in 314 isolates, and PCR with the ISAbal-OXA-51-1ike primers generated a PCR product in 13 strains. 221 armA-positive isolates were identified. Conclusion Most of the imipenem-resistant A.baumannii contained blaOXA-23, with ISAbal upstream of the gene. 16S rRNA methylase gene armA was widely distributed in these isolates. The results suggested that the spread of clones played an important role in the outbreak of imipenem-resistant A. baumannii in China.

hVEGF siRNA inhibits initial growth of A549 tumor cells in nude mice and angiogenesis on CAM assay / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting human vascular endothelial growth factor (hVEGF) on A549 cell growth in nude mice and angiogenesis on chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Three pairs of hVEGF siRNA-plasmid and non-silencing-plasmid were constructed, and transfected into A549 cells through lipofectamine 2000, respectively. The most effective pair of hVEGF siRNA-plasmid was selected by ELISA and real-time RT-PCR. A549 cells transfected with selected hVEGF siRNA- plasmid, A549 cells transfected with non-silencing-plasmid and A549 cells without transfection were inoculated into nude mice, respectively. Chick embryos were randomly divided into four groups and CAM was treated by different solutions for 48 h: culture media DMEM as negative control group,un-transfected A549 cell culture supernatants as positive control group, hVEGF siRNA A549 cell culture supernatants as hVEGF siRNA group and nonsilencing siRNA A549 cell culture supernatants as non-silencing siRNA group. The CAMs were harvested on d12 for microscopic assays.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with control group, hVEGF siRNA-plasmid induced 48% reduction in hVEGF secretion by A549 cells accompanied by 70% reduction in hVEGF mRNA. Compared with non-silencing siRNA group, the mean tumor volume of murine xenograft was reduced by 58% in hVEGF siRNA group; time for xenografts growing to 50 mm(3)was delayed by 5.4 d. hVEGF contents in xenograft were reduced by 54%; but mean doubling time of tumors and the growth rate of tumors were not significantly reduced. In CAM assays, hVEGF content was zero in negative group, and in hVEGF siRNA group that was 40%-44% of non-silencing siRNA group or positive group; vessels branch points of CAM in hVEGF siRNA group or non-silencing siRNA group or positive group were increased by 45%-55% compared with negative group; total vessel length of CAM in hVEGF siRNA group was increased by 53% compared with negative group, while in non-silencing siRNA group or positive group that was increased by 97% or 99%. Compared with negative control group, the proliferation of microvessels was increased when cell culture supernatant with hVEGF was added in hVEGF siRNA group, significant proliferated vessels were observed in non-silencing siRNA group or positive group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A plasmid-mediated hVEGF siRNA has been constructed and verified, which can effectively downregulate the expression of hVEGF in human A549 cells, resulting in the inhibition of angiogenesis. hVEGF siRNA can delay initial growth of A549 tumor xenograft but not reduce the growth rate.</p>

Expression of glucose transporter in non-small cell lung carcinoma and its clinical significance / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of glucose transporter (Glut)1, Glut3, and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha in human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Specimens of cancer tissues and paracancerous lung tissues from 34 cases of NSCLC and 17 specimens of benign lung lesions were collected. The expressions of Glut1, Glut3, and HIF-1 alpha were detected with immunohistochemical staining, RT-PCR, and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The relative mRNA expressions of Glut1 and HIF-1 alpha were 0.689 +/-0.245, 0.693 +/-0.248 in cancer tissues; and 0.338 +/-0.157, 0.351 +/-0.184 in paracancerous lung tissues (P <0.001); while those of Glut3 were 0.506 +/-0.246 in cancer tissues and 0.482 +/-0.238 in paracancerous tissues (P >0.05). The relative protein expressions of Glut1 and HIF-1 alpha were 0.582 +/-0.247, 0.525 +/-0.246 in cancer tissues and 0.288 +/-0.151, 0.261 +/-0.135 in paracancerous lung tissues (P<0.001), but the protein expressions of Glut3 were 0.551 +/-0.251 and 0.436 +/-0.224 respectively (P>0.05). Glut1 and HIF-1 alpha expressions were higher in poor differentiation group and in stage III group, than those in medium and well differentiation group and stage I and II group. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between the expression of Glut1 and HIF-1 alpha (r=0.854, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Glut1 and HIF-1 alpha are highly expressed in NSCLC, and their expressions are associated with tumor differentiation and clinical stage.</p>

Diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in lung is very rare, and the most common among them is mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALToma), whose clinical features and laboratory characteristics are poorly defined, making diagnosis difficult. The purpose of this study was to study the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary MALToma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 12 patients treated for MALToma between August 1992 and December 2005 were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No specific symptoms or signs, or results of bronchoscopy, ultrasonagraphy or bone marrow examination could be found in the 12 patients. Only radiography was useful in diagnosis, though the final diagnosis of all the patients was based on histology and immunohistochemistry. Two patients also had gastric MALToma. Operations were performed on 6 patients, including 5 radical operations and 1 partial resection: 4 patients also received adjuvant chemotherapy. One patient experienced recurrence 152 months after the operation, while the other 5 patients have survived disease-free. Four patients were treated with chemotherapy alone, two of whom experienced complete remission and the others partial remission. The final 2 patients received no treatment and had survived for 7 and 27 months respectively. All the patients were still alive at the most recent follow-up, 7 to 160 months (mean 71.3 months).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Except radiography, no specific clinical manifestations could be identified for pulmonary MALToma. The final diagnosis should be based on histology and immunohistochemistry. Several treatment methods can be used to achieve good outcomes.</p>

Comparison of different vehicles for nebulized salbutamol in treatment of bronchial asthma exacerbations: a Meta-analysis / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the efficacy of two vehicles for nebulized salbutamol in treatment of asthma exacerbations with Meta-analysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All relevant randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) with isotonic magnesium sulphate and saline as vehicles for inhaled salbutamol in treatment of asthma exacerbations were searched. A Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the results of the two therapies.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Five relevant RCTs from literature were collected and total 219 cases were included for analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that the significant improvements were obtained from isotonic magnesium sulphate as a vehicle for nebulized salbutamol, in comparison with saline [pooled standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.55(95% CI 0.28 - 0.83), P <0.001]. By further subgroup analysis, this change was properly significant in the subgroup of severe patients with their baseline FEV1% <30% [FEV1 weighted mean difference (WMD)=0.72 L(95% CI 0.30 L - 1.14 L), P <0.01]. The pooled results of vital signs between two vehicles did not demonstrate statistical significance. Overall, the risk of admission to hospital was not statistically reduced in patients using magnesium sulphate, who presented to the emergency department with an asthma exacerbation [pooled RR=0.64(95% CI 0.38 - 1.08), P >0.05].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with saline,the use of isotonic magnesium sulfate as an adjuvant to nebulize salbutamol is a beneficial therapy with improving spirometric airway function in the severe asthma exacerbation.</p>

Inhibition of expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors in pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell by TNP-470 in combination with gemcitabine / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Angiogenesis is required for solid tumor growth and facilitates tumor progression and metastasis. The inhibition effects of O-(chloroacetyl-carbamoyl) fumagillol (TNP-470), an angiogenesis inhibitor, and gemcitabine, a chemotherapeutic agent, on expression of growth factors were investigated using human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line, A549. The A549 cells were divided into four groups: control group, 10(-6) mg/ml gemcitabine treated group, 10(-4) mg/ml TNP-470 treated group and gemcitabine+TNP-470 treated group. The mRNA and protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (FLT-1) and kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR), in different groups were measured. The growth of A549 cell cultured with gemcitabine or TNP-470 was inhibited in an almost dose-dependent manner. Although gemcitabine (10(-6) mg/ml) alone and TNP-470 (10(-4) mg/ml) alone had no effect on the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF and its receptors (FLT-1, KDR) in A549 cells compared to the control (P>0.05), 10(-6) mg/ml gemcitabine in combination with 10(-4) mg/ml TNP-470 had significant effect (P<0.01). Moreover, combination of the two drugs significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of VEGF, FLT-1 and KDR compared to either drug alone (P<0.05). This study suggests that combined treatment with TNP-470 plus gemcitabine may augment the antiangiogenic and antineoplastic effects in lung cancer cells in vitro.

Study on mechanism of tea polyphenols in inducing human lung cancer cell apoptosis in vitro / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the apoptosis inducing effect of tea polyphenols (TPP) on human lung cancer cell (LCC) and its associative mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The apoptosis inducing effect of TPP on LCC in vitro, and its influence on expression of the related gene were determined by MTT assay, laser scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TPP in different concentration (50,100,200 and 400 microg/ml) had dose-dependent inhibitory effect on LCC, the inhibitory rate was 28.69+/-1.27% ,46. 19+/-1.79% ,64.61+/-1.29%, 75.90+/-1.96%, respectively. The inhibited LCC were blocked in (G0/G1 phase, and could not transferred to S and G2/ M phase of cell cycle. Meanwhile, TPP could induce apoptosis of LCC, the apoptotic rate being 4.76+/-0.11 %, 5.78+/-0.38 %, 10.06+/-0.67 %, 24.44+/-0.44 %, respectively. Morphologic changes of cells were seen in laser scanning confocal microscopy observation. Compared to the control group, intracellular Ca2+ concentration, Annexin V expression, phospatase and tensin homologe deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) protein and expression gradually increased, while Cyclin D1 protein expression gradually decreased in the TPP treated groups along with the increasing of TPS concentration.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TTP can induce LCC apoptosis, the mechanism is related to the change of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, PTEN protein and Cyclin D1 protein expression.</p>

The effect of silicon dioxide on the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB in THP-1 cells / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) on the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in THP-1 cell line.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>THP-1 cells were incubated with a series of doses of SiO(2) (0, 100, 200 micro g/ml). The location of NF-kappaB p65 subunit (NF-kappaB/p65) in THP-1 cells was detected by immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). The expression of NF-kappaB/p65 in nuclei was measured by Western blot analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The majority of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled NF-kappaB/p65 located in the nuclei 30 min after stimulation by 100 micro g/ml SiO(2), whereas the FITC-labelled NF-kappaB/p65 were mainly seen in the plasma of normal control cells. The expression of NF-kappaB/p65 in THP-1 nuclear protein was low in control group (0 micro g/ml SiO(2)) while it increased after stimulation by 100 micro g/ml SiO(2) and 200 micro g/ml SiO(2) for 15 min and 30 min. The level of NF-kappaB/p65 was comparatively increased with the increasing of doses and time. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an activator of NF-kappaB, had similar effect as SiO(2) on the activation of NF-kappaB/p65 in THP-1 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SiO(2) could activate and internalize NF-kappaB in the THP-1 cell line.</p>