Coinfection with influenza virus and non-typeable aggregates inflammatory lung injury and alters gut microbiota in COPD mice.

Background: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is associated with high mortality rates. Viral and bacterial coinfection is the primary cause of AECOPD. How coinfection with these microbes influences host inflammatory response and the gut microbiota composition is not entirely understood.

Novel Fatty Acid in Suppresses Influenza A (H1N1) Virus-Induced Proinflammatory Response Through Regulating Innate Signaling Pathways.

Influenza virus (IV) infections usually cause acute lung injury characterized by exaggerated proinflammatory responses. The paucity of therapeutic strategies that target host immune response to attenuate lung injury poses a substantial challenge in management of IV infections. In this study, we chemically synthesized a novel fatty acid (2,4)-deca-2,4-dienoic acid (DDEA) identified from by using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS techniques.

[Research advances in direct interspecies electron transfer within microbes].

Hydrogen and formic acid have been considered as the intermediate electron transporters among microbes for a long time. In recent years, however, it has been found that direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) might be an alternative beyond hydrogen/formic acid to transfer electron among microbes. As a new way of electron transfer among microbes, the electron transfer efficiency of DIET is higher than that of traditional hydrogen/formate transfer.

Total alkaloids from Alstonia scholaris inhibit influenza a virus replication and lung immunopathology by regulating the innate immune response.

Background: Alstonia scholaris is a folk medicine used to treat cough, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China. Total alkaloids (TA) from A. scholaris exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in acute respiratory disease, which suggests their possible anti-inflammatory effect on influenza virus infection.

β-sitosterol ameliorates influenza A virus-induced proinflammatory response and acute lung injury in mice by disrupting the cross-talk between RIG-I and IFN/STAT signaling.

β-Sitosterol (24-ethyl-5-cholestene-3-ol) is a common phytosterol Chinese medical plants that has been shown to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. In this study we investigated the effects of β-sitosterol on influenza virus-induced inflammation and acute lung injury and the molecular mechanisms. We demonstrate that β-sitosterol (150-450 μg/mL) dose-dependently suppresses inflammatory response through NF-κB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells, which was accompanied by decreased induction of interferons (IFNs) (including Type I and III IFN).

A novel allosteric site in casein kinase 2α discovered using combining bioinformatics and biochemistry methods.

Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a highly pleiotropic serine-threonine kinase, which catalyzed phosphorylation of more than 300 proteins that are implicated in regulation of many cellular functions, such as signal transduction, transcriptional control, apoptosis and the cell cycle. On the other hand, CK2 is abnormally elevated in a variety of tumors, and is considered as a promising therapeutic target. The currently available ATP-competitive CK2 inhibitors, however, lack selectivity, which has impeded their development in cancer therapy.

Simvastatin downregulates expression of TGF-βRII and inhibits proliferation of A549 cells via ERK.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β receptor II (TGF-βRII) plays an important role in the regulation of proliferation and progression in cancer. Statins have been documented to exhibit anticancer and cancer chemopreventive properties.

Comparison of the outcomes of monopolar and bipolar radiofrequency ablation in surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effects and safety of monopolar and bipolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation used during cardiac surgery to treat atrial fibrillation.

Methods: We retrospectively studied a total of 81 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who underwent open cardiac surgery with concomitant RF ablation between January 2007 and March 2011. Fifty-eight patients received bipolar RF ablation and 23 received monopolar RF ablation, respectively.

[Clinical application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for treatment of adult refractory cardiogenic shock].

Objective: To summarize the clinical experience of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for adult refractory cardiogenic shock.

Methods: From January 2003 to January 2011, patients with refractory cardiogenic shock required veno-arterial ECMO by failure of conventional therapy and intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation therapy were retrospectively studied. Patients with severe traumatic brain injury, advanced malignancies and multiple organ failure were excluded.

Personalized management of anastomotic leak after surgery for esophageal carcinoma.

Objective: To summarize the management of anastomotic leak following surgery for esophageal carcinoma.

Methods: The medical records of the patients developing digestive tract leak after surgery for esophageal carcinoma in our hospital from January 2003 to March 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: A total of 36 patients were included, in whom 13 developed cervical anastomotic leak, 18 had intra-thoracic anastomotic leak, and 5 had intra-thoracic gastric necrosis.

Pump scheme for gain-flattened Raman fiber amplifiers using improved particle swarm optimization and modified shooting algorithm.

An effective pump scheme for the design of broadband and flat gain spectrum Raman fiber amplifiers is proposed. This novel approach uses a new shooting algorithm based on a modified Newton-Raphson method and a contraction factor to solve the two point boundary problems of Raman coupled equations more stably and efficiently. In combination with an improved particle swarm optimization method, which improves the efficiency and convergence rate by introducing a new parameter called velocity acceptability probability, this scheme optimizes the wavelengths and power levels for the pumps quickly and accurately.

μ-Cyanido-1:2κN:C-tricyanido-2κC-(rac-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexa-methyl-1,4,8,11-tetra-aza-cyclo-tetra-decane-1κN,N',N'',N''')dinickel(II) N,N-di-methyl-formamide monosolvate hemi-hydrate.

The two Ni(II) atoms in the title complex, [Ni(2)(CN)(4)(C(16)H(36)N(4))]·C(3)H(7)NO·0.5H(2)O, are bridged by a cyanide ion. The macrocycle folds around one Ni(II) atom, which is five-coordinated in an NiN(5) square-pyramidal geometry.

[bcl-2 expression in small cell lung cancer: a mechanism for apoptosis antagonism and immune evasion].

Objective: To observe bcl-2 expression and its correlation with apoptosis antagonism and immune evasion of small cell lung cancer cell line and explore the application of bcl-2 antisense thio-oligonucleotide (bcl-2 SON) in gene therapy for lung cancer.

Methods: Western blotting was performed to detect bcl-2 expression in NCI-H69 cell line expressing Bcl-2 protein treated with bcl-2 SON. The treated NCI-H69 cells, along with the cells without bcl-2 SON treatment and NCI-H82 cells that did not express Bcl-2 protein, were respectively co-cultured with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) isolated from fresh tumor samples, and the apoptosis of the lung cancer cells was assessed by JAM assay.