[Analysis of animal models of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on clinical features of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine].

This study analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of existing animal models in China and abroad and their goodness of fit based on the clinical characteristics and diagnostic criteria of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and western medicine, followed by the collation and summarization of model evaluation methodologies. The results showed that the existing animal models of stable COPD were mainly modeled via smoke exposure or the combination of multiple methods like smoke exposure plus lipopolysaccharide or protease or bacterial infection. These animal models generally failed to simulate the clinical characteristics of TCM, and their goodness of fit in western medicine was higher than that in TCM. There is a lack of research on the animal models of stable COPD and the disease-syndrome combination models. Although the modeling is guided by the pathogenesis or mechanism of diseased humans, the established models were still not identical with the actual clinical situations. In-depth research is needed to develop quantitative standards for stable COPD models.

Safety and efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease with increasing morbidity and mortality that cause huge social and economic loss. Although recommended by guidelines, pulmonary rehabilitation has not been widely applied in clinics because of its inherent limitations. Acupuncture therapy (AT) as one of the most popular treatments in traditional Chinese medicine has been used to treat COPD. We aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of COPD. METHODS: Web of science, PubMed, Springer, Medline, Cochrane Library, EBASE, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Wan Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database will be searched from their inception to May 10, 2019. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated the safety and efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment on patients with COPD will be included. The primary outcome measures will include Dyspnea scores, lung function and blood eosinophils. The secondary outcome measures will include St George's Respiratory Questionnaire and 6-minute walk distance. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment will be independently undertaken, respectively. Statistical analysis will be conducted by RevMan software (version 5.3). RESULTS: This study will provide high-quality synthesis based on current evidence of acupuncture treatment for COPD in several aspects, including symptom score, quality of life score, side effects and laboratory examination, such as lung function text, blood eosinophils (EOS) etc. CONCLUSION:: The results of this study will provide updated evidence for weather acupuncture is an effective and safe intervention for COPD. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: It is not necessary for this systematic review to acquire an ethical approval. This review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentation. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019136087.

Tai Chi for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease with increasing morbidity and mortality that cause huge social and economic loss. Although recommended by guidelines, pulmonary rehabilitation has not been widely applied in clinics because of its inherent limitations. Free from restrictions of specific training venues and equipment, Tai Chi, as a kind of pulmonary rehabilitation, has been used to cure the COPD, yet the efficacy and safety of Tai Chi remains to be assessed. In this study, we aim to draw up a protocol for systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tai Chi for COPD. METHODS: We will search the following electronic databases from inception to December 31, 2018: PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Springer, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wan Fang Database, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Clinical trial registrations, potential gray literatures, relevant conference abstracts and reference list of identified studies will also be searched. The literature selection, data extraction, and quality assessment will be completed by 2 independent authors. Either the fixed-effects or random-effects model will be used for data synthesis based on the heterogeneity test. Changes in lung function will be evaluated as the primary outcome. Symptom assessment, quality of life (SGRQ), medication usage, exacerbations, and adverse events will be assessed as the secondary outcomes. The RevMan V.5.3.5 will be used for Meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide a synthesis of current evidence of Tai Chi for COPD from several aspects, such as lung function, SGRQ, medication usage, exacerbations, and adverse events. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our study will provide updated evidence to judge whether Tai Chi is an effective solution to COPD patients. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019122791.

IL­17A promotes CXCR2­dependent angiogenesis in a mouse model of liver cancer.

Serum interleukin (IL)­17A level is associated with higher microvessel density and poor prognosis in liver cancer. However, the specific mechanism underlying the role of IL­17A in liver cancer remains controversial. In the present study, the effect of IL­17A on liver cancer cells was examined. IL­17A had no evident impact on vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) production in HepG2 and Huh7.5 cells as determined by reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and ELISA, but it did stimulate angiogenic CXC chemokine secretion, including chemokine (C­X­C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL6 and CXCL8 in Huh7.5 cells and CXCL2 in HepG2 cells. In addition, the production of angiostatic chemokines such as CXCL10 was not affected. The supernatant of Huh7.5­IL17A cells promoted endothelial cell chemotaxis, which was attenuated by the C­X­C chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2) inhibitor SB225002. Although there was no role of IL­17A in promoting in vitro cell proliferation, IL­17A markedly increased the tumor growth of Huh7.5 cells in both subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models with increased vascularization. Taken together, these results demonstrated that IL­17A may stimulate chemokine­induced angiogenesis and promote tumor progression, independent of VEGF signaling. The CXCL­CXCR2 axis may be a novel target for the anti­angiogenesis treatment of liver cancer.

Adipocyte-derived stem cell-based gene therapy upon adipogenic differentiation on microcarriers attenuates type 1 diabetes in mice.

BACKGROUND: Insulin replenishment is critical for patients with type 1 diabetes; however, current treatments such as pancreatic islet transplantation and insulin injection are not ideal. In addition to stem cell or gene therapy alone, stem cell combined with gene therapy may provide a new route for insulin replenishment, which could avoid an autoimmune reaction against differentiated ß cells or systematic viral vector injection. METHODS: In this study, human adipocyte-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were transducted with lentiviral vectors expressing a furin-cleavable insulin gene. The expression levels of insulin were measured before and after adipogenic differentiation in the presence or absence of an adipocyte-specific promoter AP2. In vitro proliferation and in vivo survival of cells were examined on cytodex and cytopore microcarriers. The effect of ADSC-based gene therapy upon adipogenic differentiation on microcarriers was evaluated in the streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mouse model. RESULTS: We found that differentiation of ADSCs into adipocytes increased insulin expression under the EF1 promoter, while adipocyte-specific AP2 promoter further increased insulin expression upon differentiation. The microcarriers supported cell attachment and proliferation during in vitro culture and facilitate cell survival after transplantation. Functional cells on the cytopore 1 microcarrier formed tissue-like structures and alleviated hyperglycemia in the type 1 diabetic mice after subcutaneous injection. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that differentiation of ADSC and tissue-specific promotors may enhance the expression of therapeutic genes. The use of microcarriers may facilitate cell survival after transplantation and hold potential for long-term cell therapy.

Acupuncture for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is a major chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract. A large number of epidemiological investigations have shown that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) is increasing, resulting in a large burden of disease. Desensitizing drugs such as nasal glucocorticoids and antihistamines are commonly used to treat allergic rhinitis, but this method has a long treatment period and is prone to repeated attacks, and there are certain adverse reactions. Acupuncture can be used to treat a wide variety of diseases including allergic rhinitis without the occurrence of drug damage. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Relevant databases include the English databases incorporating Web of science, PubMed, Springer, Medline, Cochrane Library, EBASE, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), as well as the Chinese databases like the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database will be searched normatively according to the rule of each database from the inception to September 1, 2018. Reference list of identified studies, potential gray literatures, relevant conference abstracts, and clinical trial registrations will also be searched. The literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment will be conducted by 2 researchers independently. Data will be synthesized by either the fixed-effects or random-effects model according to a heterogeneity test. Symptom score will be assessed as the primary outcome. Rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), participants with asthma can use asthma control test (ACT), medicine usage and scoring, laboratory examination, and side effects or adverse events will be evaluated as the secondary outcome. Meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan5.3.5 software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. RESULTS: This study will provide high-quality synthesis based on current evidence of acupuncture treatment for allergic rhinitis in several aspects, including symptom score, drug score, quality of life score, asthma control score, side effects and laboratory examination such as nasal function test, serum total immunoglobulin (IgE), nasal secretion smear, etc. CONCLUSION:: The results of this study will provide updated evidence for weather acupuncture is an effective and safe intervention for allergic rhinitis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: It is not necessary for this systematic review to acquire an ethical approval. This review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentation. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42018109105.