Efficacy and safety of interleukin-17 antagonists in patients with plaque psoriasis: a meta-analysis from phase 3 randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The interleukin-17 (IL-17) cytokine pathway plays a key role in the development of psoriasis. Antibodies targeting IL-17 or blocking its receptor may be a new therapeutic approach for psoriasis. To assist treatment selection in daily practice, it is essential to understand the benefit and risk profile of IL-17 antagonists. OBJECTIVE: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IL-17 antagonists in patients with psoriasis. METHODS: We searched a number of databases for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before May 2016. The following outcomes were evaluated: Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75, 90, 100 response, Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score of 0 or 1 response, adverse events (AEs) and withdrawals. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.2 software. RESULTS: Nine RCTs with 5951 patients were included. IL-17 antagonists achieved higher PASI 75, 90, 100 response rates and Dermatology Life Quality Index 0 or 1 response rates than placebo and a lower incidence of discontinuations due to lack of efficacy. In the safety analysis, no significant differences were found between the IL-17 antagonists and placebo in the proportion of patients with serious AEs, cardiovascular disease and discontinuations due to AEs. However, IL-17 antagonists were associated with a higher proportion of patients with any AEs and infections than placebo. CONCLUSION: IL-17 antagonists were effective, with an acceptable safety profile, for patients with plaque psoriasis. Vigilance because of the potential for infection will be necessary for IL-17 antagonists.

Rapid identification of Salmonella using Hektoen enteric agar and 16s ribosomal DNA probe-gold nanoparticle immunochromatography assay in clinical faecal specimens.

UNLABELLED: A rapid identification of Salmonella, one of the most common foodborne pathogens worldwide, in clinical patients can enable better rational managements and prevent further outbreaks. The traditional immunochromatography using antibody-gold nanoparticles (Ab-AuNPs), such as the home pregnancy test, has been used for the Salmonella detection. In this study, we developed a new and rapid method using DNA probe-AuNPs for the detection of 16s ribosomal DNA of Salmonella. To evaluate the proposed method in clinical specimens, we performed a clinical test by identifying 159 stool samples on Hektoen agar containing black or crystalloid colonies using the method and the VITEK 2 system for confirmation. Eighty of the isolates were correctly identified as Salmonella to achieve 100% sensitivity. Seventy-five samples were correctly identified as non-Salmonella spp., but four were incorrectly identified as Salmonella. The specificity was 94·93%. The assay time is about 30 min after the DNA purification. The time-consuming and labour-intense biochemical tests can be replaced. We demonstrated that this assay is a rapid, convenient and cost-effective tool for Salmonella identification of clinical faecal samples, which is worth for further promotion and clinical use. This is the first application of using 16s ribosomal DNA probe-Au-NPs and immunochromatography on clinical samples. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first application of using 16s ribosomal DNA probe-gold nanoparticles and immunochromatography method on clinical samples with sensitivity 100% and specificity 94·93%. The assay time is about 30 min after the DNA purification. We find this assay a rapid, convenient, sensitive and inexpensive tool for Salmonella identification of clinical faecal samples, which is worth further promotion and clinical use and can replace the traditional time-consuming and labour-intense biochemical tests. The potential benefit of this approach is to develop a rapid point-of-care test that provides results while the patient is still at the doctors' office.

Association of variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism in the IL-4 gene with ischemic stroke in the Chinese Uyghur population.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a multifactorial disorder, and genetic factors act as important contributors to its onset and progression. Inflammation is a key event that is closely associated with the pathophysiology of IS. The association of genetic polymorphisms of inflammatory cytokines with IS remains poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) for IL-4, which is an important biomarker of inflammation, and the risk of IS. To assess the nature of the VNTR polymorphism in IL-4 and identify any links with IS, we recruited 200 subjects from a unique population that has 60% European and 40% East Asian ancestry. The subjects comprised 100 IS patients diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging within 24 h of symptom onset and 100 age-, gender- and ethnicity-matched normal healthy controls. VNTR was identified using high-performance capillary electrophoresis with specially designed tailed primers. The IL-4 VNTR polymorphism was significantly associated with IS after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (OR = 0.571, 95%CI = 0.330-0.949, P < 0.05). Our data indicate that IL-4 VNTR polymorphism may affect susceptibility to IS in the Chinese Uyghur population. Moreover, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, waist-to-hip ratio, hypertension, history of heart diseases, and negative events may increase the risk of IS, with a trend for HDL to be a protective factor for IS in the Uyghur population.

Tissue-engineered peripheral nerve grafting by differentiated bone marrow stromal cells.

Bone marrow stromal cells are multipotential stem cells that contribute to the differentiation of tissues such as bone, cartilage, fat and muscle. In the experiment, we found that bone marrow stromal cells can be induced to differentiate into cells expressing characteristic markers of Schwann cells, such as S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. Tissue-engineered bioartificial nerve grafting of rats by differentiated bone marrow stromal cells was applied for bridging a 10 mm-long sciatic nerve defect. Twenty-eight inbred strains of female F344 rats weighing 160 approximately 200 g were randomly divided into four nerve grafting groups, with seven rats in each group. Differentiated bone marrow stromal cell-laden group: poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid tubes with an intrinsic framework were seeded with syngeneic bone marrow stromal cells which were induced for 5 days; Schwann cell-laden group: poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid tubes with an intrinsic framework were seeded with syngeneic Schwann cells; acellular group: poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid tubes were only filled with an intrinsic framework; autografts group. Three months later, a series of examinations was performed, including electrophysiological methods, walking track analysis, immunohistological staining of nerves, immunostaining of S-100 and neurofilament, and axon counts. The outcome indicated that bone marrow stromal cells are able to differentiate into Schwann-like cells and Schwann-like cells could promote nerve regeneration. Bone marrow stromal cells may be potentially optional seed cells for peripheral nerve tissue engineering because of abilities of promoting axonal regeneration.