High-Throughput Sequencing Investigation of Bacterial Diversity in Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media and Middle Ear Cholesteatoma.

Background: Chronic otitis media is a common middle ear disease in otolaryngology. Bacterial infection is considered as the cause of the disease, but relying on conventional bacterial cultures can be problematic for identifying specific pathogens. Current research suggests that bacteria in microbial communities can only be identified by rDNA sequencing of bacteria. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized broad-range PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes with clone analysis to compare bacterial diversity in lesions from 6 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and 10 patients with cholesteatoma of middle ear lesions. Bacteria were analyzed at the levels of phylum, order, family, genus, and species. Results: The age and sex difference between the patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and the patients with middle ear cholesteatoma were comparable (P > 0.05). Bacterial species abundance and species diversity were greater in cholesteatoma of the middle ear lesions than in CSOM lesions. The total number of detected operational taxonomic units (OTU) was 838, comprising 788 OTU detected in cholesteatoma pathological tissues, 230 in CSOM pathological tissues, and 180 OTU common to both groups. Proteus is a major part of CSOM (99.46%, P = 0.000321). The phyla detected in the Cholesteatoma samples were Proteus (Proteobacteria) (35.77%), thikum (Firmicutes) (44.21%, P = 0.001071), and Actinomycetes (Actinobacteria) (16.66%, P = 0.032464). At all bacterial taxonomic levels, the epithelial tissue of middle ear cholesteatoma was complex in terms of bacterial diversity, covering many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, likely related to bacterial microbiome formation. In contrast, the bacteriology of the CSOM lesions was relatively simple at all taxonomic levels, with all sequences characterized as belonging to Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion: Our results suggest that persistent middle ear cholesteatoma infection may be a microbial flora disorder related to conditional pathogenic bacteria rather than a single bacterial infectious disease. The pathogen is relatively single in the diseased tissue of chronic suppurative otitis media, which is the main reason for its effective antiinfection treatment.

Silencing Nrf2 attenuates chronic suppurative otitis media by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion through up-regulating TLR4.

Compromised TLR-mediated chronic inflammation contributes to bacterial infection-caused chronic suppurative otitis media, but the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined the expression status of nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and TLRs in human middle-ear mucosae tissues collected from patients with chronic suppurative otitis media, chronic otitis media and non-otitis media, and found that Nrf2 was high-expressed, whereas TLR4, instead of other TLRs, was low expressed in chronic suppurative otitis media compared to chronic otitis media and non-chronic otitis media groups. Consistently, inflammatory cytokines were significantly up-regulated in the chronic suppurative otitis media group, instead of the chronic otitis media and non-chronic otitis media groups. Next, LPS-induced acute otitis media and chronic suppurative otitis media models in mice were established, and high levels of inflammatory cytokines were sustained in the mucosae tissues of chronic suppurative otitis media mice compared to the non-otitis media and acute otitis media groups. Interestingly, continuous low-dose LPS stimulation promoted Nrf2 expression, but decreased TLR4 levels in chronic suppurative otitis media mice mucosae. In addition, knock-down of Nrf2 increased TLR4 expression levels in chronic suppurative otitis media mice, and both Nrf2 ablation and TLR4 overexpression inhibited the pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in chronic suppurative otitis media. Finally, we found that both Nrf2 overexpression and TLR4 deficiency promoted chronic inflammation in LPS-induced acute otitis media mice models. Taken together, knock-down of Nrf2 reversed chronic inflammation to attenuate chronic suppurative otitis media by up-regulating TLR4.

Effect of miR-340-5p on proliferation of laryngeal cancer Hep2 cells and its intrinsic molecular mechanism / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective@#To study the effect of miR-340-5p on the proliferation of laryngeal cancer Hep2 cells and explore its intrinsic molecular mechanism, so as to screen potential biomarkers and targets for the diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancer. @*Method@#The expression of miR-340-5p in laryngeal cancer tissues, paracancerous tissues, laryngeal cancer cell lines Hep2 and normal bronchial HBE cell lines was quantitatively analyzed by qRT-PCR; The double luciferase reporter vector was constructed to verify whether STAT3 was a potential target gene of microRNA-340-5p; The miR-340-5p mimics/inhibitor was transfected into Hep2 cells by liposome and verified by qRT-PCR; The CCK-8 method and Annexin V/PI method were used to analyze the proliferation and apoptosis of transfected cells; and Western Blot was used to detect the expression of STAT3 and Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins after transfection. @*Result@#The results of qRT-PCR showed that the level of miR-340-5p in laryngeal cancer tissues and Hep2 cells was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues and HBE cells, and the expression of miR-340-5p was significantly increased or decreased after overexpression or inhibition; Luciferase activity showed that miR-340-5p directly interacted with target gene STAT3 3'-UTR and negatively regulated its expression; Cell proliferation and apoptosis analysis showed that up-regulation of microRNA-340-5p could significantly inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of Hep2 cells in vitro, and vice versa; Western Blot results showed that the levels of STAT3 and β-catenin, c-Myc, TCF-4, CyclinD1 and ROCK1 in Hep2 cells were significantly lower than those in the control group after over-expression of miR-340-5p, and vice versa. @*Conclusion@#The expression of miR-340-5p is abnormally low in laryngeal cancer tissues and Hep2 cells. It can be used as a potential biological target for diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancer by targeting STAT3 gene to negatively regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Effect of miR-340-5p on proliferation of laryngeal cancer Hep2 cells and its intrinsic molecular mechanism / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

To study the effect of miR-340-5p on the proliferation of laryngeal cancer Hep2 cells and explore its intrinsic molecular mechanism, so as to screen potential biomarkers and targets for the diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancer. The expression of miR-340-5p in laryngeal cancer tissues, paracancerous tissues, laryngeal cancer cell lines Hep2 and normal bronchial HBE cell lines was quantitatively analyzed by qRT-PCR; The double luciferase reporter vector was constructed to verify whether STAT3 was a potential target gene of microRNA-340-5p; The miR-340-5p mimics/inhibitor was transfected into Hep2 cells by liposome and verified by qRT-PCR; The CCK-8 method and Annexin V/PI method were used to analyze the proliferation and apoptosis of transfected cells; and Western Blot was used to detect the expression of STAT3 and Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins after transfection. The results of qRT-PCR showed that the level of miR-340-5p in laryngeal cancer tissues and Hep2 cells was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues and HBE cells, and the expression of miR-340-5p was significantly increased or decreased after overexpression or inhibition; Luciferase activity showed that miR-340-5p directly interacted with target gene STAT3 3'-UTR and negatively regulated its expression; Cell proliferation and apoptosis analysis showed that up-regulation of microRNA-340-5p could significantly inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of Hep2 cells in vitro, and vice versa; Western Blot results showed that the levels of STAT3 and β-catenin, c-Myc, TCF-4, CyclinD1 and ROCK1 in Hep2 cells were significantly lower than those in the control group after over-expression of miR-340-5p, and vice versa. The expression of miR-340-5p is abnormally low in laryngeal cancer tissues and Hep2 cells. It can be used as a potential biological target for diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancer by targeting STAT3 gene to negatively regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

[Correlation analysis of bacterial biofilm formation and bacterial culture in chronic otitis media].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the bacterial biofilm formation and bacterial culture in chronic otitis media. METHOD: As a prospective reserch, we used scanning electron microscopy to examinate patients samples which collected from 32 cases of patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and middle ear cholesteatoma in the operations, and performed the middle ear secretions bacterial culture. According to the different types of chronic otitis media group, we analysised the relationship between chronic otitis media bacterial biofilm formation and the bacterial culture results. RESULT: Chronic suppurative otitis media (activity) and middle ear cholesteatoma bacterial biofilm formation rate were 87.5%, 81.3%, chi-square (P > 0.05). Compared bacterial biofilm results with the results of bacterial cultured in chronic otitis media, sensitivity was 70.37%, specificity was 60.00%, the misdiagnosis rate was 40.00%, the missed diagnosis was 29.63%, positive predictive value was 90. 46%, negative predictive value was 27.27%, accuracy was 68.75%. Youden index was 30. 37%, and Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.232 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Chronic suppurative otitis media (activity) and middle ear cholesteatoma bacteria had a higher biofilm formation rate. The routine bacterial culture results can't reflecte bacterial biofilm formation in chronic otitis media. We need to explore more reliable experimental methods to accurately reveal the infection status of chronic otitis media.