Analysis of lncRNA and mRNA Repertoires in Lung From BAFF-R-Deficient Pneumocystis-Infected Mice.

Background: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a common medical issue in immunosuppressive patients. Increasing evidence supports that B cells may play an essential role in PCP individuals. The present study aims to integrate lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles and further investigate the molecular function of mature B cells in PCP. Methods: The lung tissue of wild-type (WT) mice and B-cell-activating factor receptor-deficient (mature B-cell deficiency, BAFF-R-/-) mice were harvested at 3 weeks after being infected with pneumocystis. After total RNAs were extracted, transcriptome profiling was performed following the Illumina HiSeq 3000 protocol. lncRNA-targeted miRNA pairs were predicted using the online databases. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment pathways were analyzed to functionally annotate these differentially expressed genes. Additionally, the immune-related lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA-ceRNA network was subsequently performed. The quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analysis was conducted to evaluate the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles in WT-PCP mice and BAFF-R-/- PCP mice. Results: Compared with the control group, 166 mRNAs were observed to be aberrantly expressed (fold change value ≥2; P <0.05) in the BAFF-R-/- PCP group, including 39 upregulated and 127 downregulated genes, while there were 69 lncRNAs differently expressed in the BAFF-R-/- PCP group, including 15 upregulated and 54 downregulated genes. In addition, GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that BAFF-R deficiency played an important role in the primary and adaptive immune responses in PCP. Furthermore, the lncRNA and mRNA co-expression network was established. We noted that the core network of lncRNA-TF (transcription factor) pairs could be classified into the categories including infection and immunity pathways. Conclusion: In summary, in this study, we further explored the role of mature B cells in the pathogenesis and progression of PCP and the data demonstrated that BAFF-R deficiency could play a significant role in immune regulation in the PCP population.

Value of CT Radiomics Combined with Clinical Features in the Diagnosis of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis.

Objective: Early diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and targeted treatment can block the process of the disease. This study explores the diagnostic value of CT radiomics combined with clinical features in allergic ABPA. Methods: A total of 40 patients with ABPA were studied retrospectively, divided into training set (n = 28) and test set (n = 12). Based on CT imaging, the radiomics features are extracted and combined with clinical features to build a diagnostic model. The diagnosis model was based on support vector machine algorithm. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the model. Results: There was no significant difference in general information and clinical data between the training and test sets (P > 0.05). The AUC of the training set and the test set is 0.896 (95% CI: 0.836-0.963) and 0.886 (95% CI: 0.821-0.952), respectively. Conclusion: Based on the CT radiomics model combined with clinical data, it has high efficiency in the diagnosis of ABPA.

A randomized, controlled multicentric study of inhaled budesonide and intravenous methylprednisolone in the treatment on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Almost all international guidelines recommend corticosteroids for management of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), because it leads to improved outcomes of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Nevertheless, due to its side effects, there are still concerns regarding the use of systemic corticosteroid (SC). Inhaled corticosteroids (IC) can be used as an alternative to SC, while reducing the risk of occurrence of side effects. PURPOSE: To measure the clinical efficacy and side effects of nebulized budesonide and systemic methylprednisolone in AECOPD. METHODS: Valid data from 410 AECOPD patients in 10 hospitals was collected. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups; budesonide group, treated with nebulized budesonide (2 mg 3 times/day); and methylprednisolone group, treated with intravenously injected methylprednisolone (40 mg/day). COPD assessment test (CAT), arterial blood gas analysis, hospitalization days, adverse effects, fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, alanine aminotransferase levels, and blood drug were measured and analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: Symptoms, pulmonary function and arterial blood gas analysis were significantly improved after treatment in both groups (P < 0.05), with no significant differences between them (P > 0.05), while incidence of adverse events in the budesonide group was lower (P < 0.05). No significant differences in CAT score, days of admission, blood gas analysis results and physiological and biochemical indexes were found between the two groups. Patients treated with methylprednisolone showed a higher degree of PaO2 level improvement. CONCLUSION: Results show that inhalation of budesonide (2 mg 3 times/day) and systemic methylprednisolone (40 mg/day) had similar clinical outcome in AECOPD. In conclusion, inhaled budesonide is an alternative to systemic corticosteroids in AECOPD treatment.