ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae), an atypical pathogen, is increasingly recognized as a common and important pathogen. Previous studies showed that M. pneumoniae infection may play a role in asthmatic mechanisms based on evidence collected from peripheral blood or sputum of patients or animal models. However, evidence reported from the airways of patients has been rare. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the role of M. pneumoniae infection in asthma by measuring the immunological parameters from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in pediatric patients with mycoplasma pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 30 patients with mycoplasma pneumonia and 37 patients without M. pneumoniae infection undergoing fiberoptic bronchoscopy were reviewed. The peripheral blood cell count, immunoglobulins (Ig), BALF cell count, and other clinical and laboratory data were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: There were significantly more patients with raised basophil counts in the M. pneumoniae group than that in the control group (p = 0.033). Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgM, and IgG levels in the M. pneumoniae group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p = 0.008, p = 0.011, and p = 0.019, respectively). The percentage of eosinophils in BALF cells was in the range 0 to 10% in M. pneumoniae patients, while it ranged between 0 and 4% in the control group with a significant difference (p = 0.043). In the M. pneumoniae group, we found that the percentage of eosinophils in the BALF cells was positively correlated with age, the percentage of peripheral eosinophils, and BALF lymphocytes (r = 0.298, p = 0.030; r = 0.341, p = 0.014; r = 0.387, p = 0.006; respectively) and negatively correlated with total peripheral white blood cell (r = -0.387, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that M. pneumonia infection is associated with the asthma mechanism, especially in older children.
Subject(s)
Asthma/immunology , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/immunology , Age Factors , Asthma/blood , Asthma/complications , Basophils/metabolism , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/cytology , Bronchoscopy , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulins/metabolism , Infant , Male , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/blood , Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/complicationsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the influence of combined injection with human interferon (hlFNgamma) and human insulin-link growth factor-1 (hIGF-1) on regeneration and fibrosis of skeletal muscle after acute contusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A standard contusion model was reproduced at the right gastrocnemius in 64 male mice of 7 to 12 weeks. All the mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, such as group A (injection with hIFNgamma), group B (injection with hIGF-1), group C (injection with hIGF-1 and hIFNgamma), and group D (injection with physiological saline as control). All injections were introduced on day 10 after injury at local injured gastrocnemius. Before intervention (7 d following injury), and 4 d, 18 d, 32 d after intervention, the local injured gastrocnemius were harvested from 4 mice of each group. Then the expression of MHC- II b and vimentin was detected by real time PCR and immunohistochemistry techniques.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) At the each time following intervention, the expression of MHC-II b mRNA and protein in local injured muscle of group B and C were significantly higher than those of group A and D. (2) After intervention,the expression of vimentin mRNA and protein in local injured muscle of group A, group B, and group C were more inhibited than those of group D. The inhibition of vimentin expression in group A and C was significant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is indicated that injection of hIGF-1 into the injured skeletal muscle following acute contusion could enhance muscle regeneration,and inhibit fibrosis to some extent. (2) It is identified that hIFNgamma injected into injured muscle has the effect of anti-fibrosis, which is more significant than that of hIGF-1. (3) Combined injection with hIGF-1 and hIFNgamma could improve muscle regeneration and inhibit fibrosis simultaneously, and promote the healing of injured muscle.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Immunohistochemistry , Injections , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I , Interferon-gamma , Mice, Inbred C3H , Muscle, Skeletal , Wounds and Injuries , Myosin Heavy Chains , Genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA, Messenger , Transforming Growth Factor beta1 , Vimentin , Genetics , Wound HealingABSTRACT
Objective To explore the role of transforming growth factor (TFG)-? and matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs)in the development of frozen shoulder. Methods Twenty-four patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy were included,and were divided into frozen shoulder group ( n =12) and control group ( n =12; n =2 for shoulder instability,n =5 for rotator cuff tear and n =5 for subacromial impingement). Joint capsule tissues at the rotator cuff interval were obtained,and the expression of TGF-?,MMP-1,MMP-2,MMP-3,MMP-9 and MMP-12 mRNA and protein was detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting,respectively. Results The expression of TGF-? mRNA in frozen shoulder group and control group was 3.36?10 4?2.18?10 3 and 1.85?10 4?3.31?10 3,respectively,the expression of TGF-? protein was 1.55?0.33 and 1.13?0.21,respectively,and there were significant differences between these two groups ( P
