Imbalance of Circulating Follicular Regulatory and Follicular Helper T Cell Subpopulations Is Associated with Disease Progression and Serum CYFRA 21-1 Levels in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the changes of follicular helper T (TFH) and follicular regulatory T (TFR) cell subpopulations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their significance. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from 58 NSCLC patients at different stages and 38 healthy controls. Flow cytometry was used to detect TFH cell subpopulation based on programmed death 1 (PD-1) and inducible co-stimulator (ICOS), and TFR cell subpopulation based on cluster determinant 45RA (CD45RA) and forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3). The levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-17a (IL-17a), interleukin-21 (IL-21), and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) in the plasma were measured, and changes in circulating B cell subsets and plasma IgG levels were also analyzed. The correlation between serum cytokeratin fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1) levels and TFH, TFR, or B cell subpopulations was further explored. RESULTS: The TFR/TFH ratio increased significantly in NSCLC patients. The CD45RA+FoxP3int TFR subsets were increased, with their proportions increasing in stages II to III and decreasing in stage IV. PD-1+ICOS+TFH cells showed a downward trend with increasing stages. Plasma IL-21 and TGF-ß concentrations were increased in NSCLC patients compared with healthy controls. Plasmablasts, plasma IgG levels, and CD45RA+FoxP3int TFR cells showed similar trends. TFH numbers and plasmablasts were positively correlated with CYFRA 21-1 in stages I-III and negatively correlated with CYFRA 21-1 in stage IV. CONCLUSION: Circulating TFH and TFR cell subpopulations and plasmablasts dynamically change in different stages of NSCLC, which is associated with serum CYFRA 21-1 levels and reflects disease progression.

Analysis of Factors Related to Hypopituitarism in Patients with Nonsellar Intracranial Tumor.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have suggested that postoperative hypopituitarism in patients with nonsellar intracranial tumors is caused by traumatic surgery. However, with development of minimally invasive and precise neurosurgical techniques, the degree of injury to brain tissue has been reduced significantly, especially for parenchymal tumors. Therefore, understanding preexisting hypopituitarism and related risk factors can improve perioperative management for patients with nonsellar intracranial tumors. METHODS: Chart data were collected retrospectively from 83 patients with nonsellar intracranial tumors admitted to our hospital from May 2014 to April 2015. Pituitary function of each subject was determined based on results of preoperative serum pituitary hormone analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods were used to analyze relationships between preoperative hypopituitarism and factors including age, sex, history of hypertension and secondary epilepsy, course of disease, tumor mass effect, site of tumor, intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebrospinal fluid content, and pituitary morphology. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (36.14%) presented with preoperative hypopituitarism in either 1 axis or multiple axes; 23 (27.71%) were affected in 1 axis, and 7 (8.43%) were affected in multiple axes. Univariate analysis showed that risk factors for preoperative hypopituitarism in patients with a nonsellar intracranial tumor include an acute or subacute course (≤3 months), intracranial hypertension (ICP >200 mm H2O), and mass effect (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that mass effect is an independent risk factor for preoperative hypopituitarism in patients with nonsellar intracranial tumors (P < 0.05; odds ratio, 3.197). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of hypopituitarism is high in patients with nonsellar intracranial tumors. The occurrence of hypopituitarism is correlated with factors including an acute or subacute course (≤3 months), intracranial hypertension (ICP >200 mm H2O), and mass effect (P < 0.05). Mass effect is an independent risk factor for hypopituitarism.

Thrombin generation increasing with age and decreasing with use of heparin indicated by calibrated automated thrombogram conducted in Chinese.

OBJECTIVE: Calibrated Automated Thrombogram(CAT) is a test to monitor the generation of thrombin. It can be described by four parameters: lag time, peak thrombin, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and time to peak (ttPeak). This study aims to determine the normal ranges of CAT parameters in Chinese, and evaluate whether thrombin generation is correlated with the concentration of heparin/low molecular weight heparin. METHODS: Plasma from 120 healthy subjects were collected to determine the normal rangea of CAT parameters in Chinese. Normal plasma pool (NPP, n=25) spiked with different concentrations of heparin or enoxaparin were used to detecte CAT parameters. The overall and age specific normal ranges of CAT parameters were calculated using descriptive statistics method with mean±2SD. The correlation between CAT parameters and age or concentrations of heparin, enoxaparin were analyzed with linear regression model. RESULTS: The normal ranges for lag time, peak thrombin, ETP, ttPeak in the subjects were 3.648±2.465 min, 367.39±151.93 nmol/L, 2277±1030 nmol/L•min and 6.372±4.280 min respectively. Age was linearly correlated with lag time (r=-0.6583, P<0.0001), peak thrombin (r=0.4863, P<0.0001), ETP (r=0.3608, P<0.0014) and ttPeak (r=-0.6313, P<0.0001). The values of ETP/peak ratio were linearly correlated with concentrations of heparin. CONCLUSION: The normal ranges of four CAT parameters for Chinese were determined. CAT parameters are associated with age. ETP/peak ratio could be used to monitor the process of anticoagulation therapy.

Intracerebroventricular administration of neuronostatin delays gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit in mice.

Neuronostatin is a 13-amino acid amidated peptide widely distributed in various organs including gastrointestinal tract. However, the effect of neuronostatin on gastrointestinal motility has not been well characterized. In the present work, effects of central administration of neuronostatin on gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit were investigated. The results indicated that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of neuronostatin (1, 5, 10 or 20nmol/mouse) delayed gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit in a dose-related manner in mice. The effects were significantly reversed by melanocortin 3/4 receptor antagonist SHU9119 or classical opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, suggesting that the central melanocortin system and opioid system may be involved in the gastrointestinal effects elicited by i.c.v. administration of neuronostatin. In addition, we found that C-terminal amidation modification of neuronostatin is essential to exert its gastrointestinal effects. These results indicated that neuronostatin may play an important role in regulating gastrointestinal function.

Central administration of neuronostatin induces antinociception in mice.

Neuronostatin, a recently discovered endogenous bioactive peptide, was encoded by pro-mRNA of somatostatin that contributes to modulation of nociception. However, nociceptive effect of neuronostatin is still not fully known. The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of neuronostatin on nociception and elucidate its possible mechanism of action. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of neuronostatin (0.3, 3, 6, 12nmol/mouse) produced a dose- and time-related antinociceptive effect in the tail immersion assay in mice, an acute pain model. The antinociceptive effect of neuronostatin was significantly antagonized by naloxone, and was strongly inhibited by co-injection with ß-funaltrexamine or nor-binaltorphimine, but not by naltrindole. Also, melanocortin 3/4 receptor antagonist, SHU9119, completely blocked the effect of neuronostatin. These data indicated the involvement of both µ- and κ-opioid receptors and central melanocortin system in the analgesic response induced by neuronostatin. In addition, neuronostatin (6nmol, i.c.v.) increased c-Fos protein expression in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) that have a pivotal role in regulating descending pain pathways. Taken together, this study is the first to reveal that neuronostatin produces antinociceptive effect via opioid and central melanocortin systems, which is associated with an increase in neuronal activity the PAG and NRM.

Intracerebroventricular administration of neuronostatin induces depression-like effect in forced swim test of mice.

Neuronostatin is a recently discovered endogenous bioactive peptide that is encoded by pro-mRNA of somatostatin. In the present study, we investigated the effect of neuronostatin on mood regulation in the forced swim test of mice. Our results showed intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of neuronostatin produced an increase in the immobility time, suggesting that neuronostatin induced depression-like effect. In order to rule out the possibility that neuronostatin had increased immobility time by a non-specific reduction in general activity, the effect of neuronostatin on locomotor activity was examined. Neuronostatin had no influence on locomotor activity in mice. In addition, the depression-like effect of neuronostatin was completely reversed by melanocortin 3/4 receptor antagonist SHU9119 or GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline, but not by opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. These data suggested that the depression-like effect induced by i.c.v. administered neuronostatin was dependent upon the central melanocortin system and GABAA receptor. In conclusion, the results of this study report that neuronostatin induces depression-like effect. These findings reveal that neuronostatin is a new neuropeptide with an important role in regulating depressive behavior.

The antidepressant-like effect of human opiorphin via opioid-dependent pathways in mice.

In the present study, we investigated the antidepressive activity of opiorphin with central administration in the forced swim test in mice. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of opiorphin (1-6 µg/mouse) dose-dependently decreased the immobility time, which was reversed by nonselective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, δ-selective naltrindole and µ-selective ß-FNA. The data suggested that central administration of opiorphin produced an antidepressant-like effect by activating both µ and δ opioid receptors indirectly. In order to eliminate the possibility of a false-positive result in the forced swim test, locomotor activity was checked in both non-habituated and habituated mice. Opiorphin had no influence on non-habituated mice, though had weak effect on habituated mice. In addition, mice treated with opiorphin did not display any convulsive behaviors.