Change of Serum Inflammatory Cytokines Levels in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia and Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the serum inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with COPD, pneumonia and lung cancer, and assess the correlation between the levels of inflammatory cytokines levels and development of these diseases. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-two patients including 114 patients with pneumonia, 76 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 42 patients with lung cancer, and 62 age-matched healthy volunteers as controls were enrolled. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 in serum were analyzed by flow cytometry microsphere array (CBA). RESULTS: We found that the levels of TNF-α and IL-10 in patients with lung cancer, COPD and pneumonia were significantly higher than control group. The IL-6 in the lung cancer group were significantly increased compared with the controls and COPD group, pneumonia group. IFN-γ and IL-2 levels were lower in lung cancer compared with controls and COPD group, pneumonia group. TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-10 levels were increased in patients with COPD and pneumonia compared with controls. In addition, the concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-6 were increased in acute exacerbation COPD (AECOPD) group compared with stable COPD group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, elevated TNF-α and IL-10 levels in serum may be related with lung diseases including lung cancer, COPD and pneumonia. Additionally, IFN-γ and IL-6 might be potential biomarkers for the further deterioration of lung disease patients. The increased concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-6 might be used to predict the exacerbation of COPD.

MiR-592 suppresses the development of glioma by regulating Rho-associated protein kinase.

MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate the translation of target mRNA transcripts. MiR-592 has been considered to play important roles in the initiation and progression of cancer by targeting various molecules in several human cancers, but its role in glioma has not been explored. This study aims to explore the suppressive mechanism of miR-592 in the regulation of glioma development, an effect that is crucial for the further exploration of miR-592 as a novel therapeutic target for glioma. Our results proved that the expression of miR-592 was lower and the expression of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK1) was higher in glioma tissue than in adjacent tissue and that lower miR-592 expression was associated negatively with ROCK1 expression. Then, we showed that miR-592 was downregulated in glioma and could suppress the growth of the glioma cell lines U87 and U251. ROCK1, which is a known oncogene, was identified as a direct target of miR-592. A luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-592 regulates ROCK1 expression through binding to its 3'-UTR. Furthermore, our results showed that miR-592 targets the ROCK1 transcript and suppresses glioma cell growth and invasive growth, thereby providing a potential therapeutic target for glioma treatment.

miR-202 acts as a potential tumor suppressor in breast cancer.

Breast cancer affects ~10% of women worldwide and is responsible for ~12% of all cancer-associated mortalities. Breast cancer is more prone to metastasis compared with other types of cancer. Up to 5% of patients with breast cancer present with incurable metastasis and an additional 10-15% of patients develop metastases within 3 years of their initial diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNAs, 21-25 nucleotides in length, that have been shown to significantly affect gene expression. In total >2,000 miRNAs have been identified and specific miRNAs have been revealed to be associated with cancer. In the present study, we observed that the majority of breast cancer specimens collected expressed low levels of miR-202 compared with adjacent tissues and normal cell lines. Mechanistic investigations identified KRAS as a potential target gene of miR-202 and it was demonstrated that miR-202 exerted its tumor-suppressive effects by regulating the expression of KRAS in breast cancer cells. Functional assays revealed that miR-202 significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. In summary, these results indicate the function of miR-202 in breast cancer progression and suggest that its use within breast cancer therapy is promising.

[Analysis of Gene Mutation Types of Thalassemia in Longyan Area of Fujian Province in China].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the type and distribution of thalassemia gene mutation in Longyan area of Fujian province in China, so as to provide a evidence for prenatal diagnosis and to reduce birth defects. METHODS: The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and hemoglobin electrophoresis were used for screened the mutation types of thalassemia. Genotyping of the screened positive sample was performed by gap single polymerase chain reaction (gap-PCR) and reverse dot blot hybridization (RDB). RESULTS: Out of 7823 cases of routine positive blood test, 2826 cases were positive (36.12%) by using hemoglobin electrophoresis; 1905 out of 2710 cases were diagnosed as Mediterranean anemia by genetic test, with 24.35% of carrying rate; 1225 cases were positive alpha thalassaemia and the carrying rate was 15.66%, their major genetic types were --SEA/αα,-α3.7/αα,-α3.7/--SEA and -α4.2/αα, with carrying rate of 12.91%, 1.28%, 0.51% and 0.74%, respectively; 632 cases were positive ß thalassaemia, with carrying rate of 8.08%, the major genotypes were 654M/N,41-42M/N,17M/N,-28M/N and 27-28M/N and with carrying rate of 3.66%, 2.22%, 0.78%, 0.66% and 0.45%, respectively; 48 cases were diagnosed as both α- and ß-thalassemia, with the carrying rate of 0.61%. CONCLUSION: The main gene mutation types of α- and ß-thalassemia in Longyan area of Fujian Province in China were --SEA/aa and 654 M/N. As thalassemia gene mutation prevalents in Fujian, the screening of thalassemia genotypes for childbearing age woman has great significance for raising population quality.