Clinical characteristics and related risk factors of disease severity in 101 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Wuhan, China.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in December 2019. Due its high morbility and mortality, it is necessary to summarize the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients to provide more theoretical basis for future treatment. In the current study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients and explored the risk factors for the severity of illness.

Chronic microaspiration of bile acids induces lung fibrosis through multiple mechanisms in rats.

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and microaspiration of duodenogastric refluxate have been recognized as a risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis. Recent evidence suggests that bile acid microaspiration may contribute to the development of lung fibrosis. However, the molecular evidence is scarce and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

Overexpression of farnesoid X receptor in small airways contributes to epithelial to mesenchymal transition and COX-2 expression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) contribute to airway remodelling and inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recent data suggest that the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a nuclear receptor traditionally considered as bile acid-activated receptor, is also expressed in non-classical bile acids target tissues with novel functions beyond regulating bile acid homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of FXR in the development of COPD, as well as factors that affect FXR expression.

Bile acids induce activation of alveolar epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts through farnesoid X receptor-dependent and independent pathways.

Background And Objective: The roles of bile acid microaspiration and bile acid-activated farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remain unclear. We hypothesized that bile acids activate alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) and lung fibroblasts, which may be regulated by FXR activation.

Methods: Human AECs and normal or IPF-derived lung fibroblast cells were incubated with the three major bile acids: lithocholic acid (LCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA).

Selective Cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human lung cancer cells via activating MEK-ERK signaling.

Increasing evidence has suggested that high expression level of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) is associated with the malignancies of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), leading to a rationale of applying Cox-2 inhibitors as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of NSCLC. However, the addition of celecoxib, a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, to chemotherapy in clinical trials failed to benefit the survival of NSCLC patients, which urges the investigation to re-evaluate this strategy for NSCLC treatment. In this study, we observed that celecoxib treatment at clinically relevant concentrations induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NSCLC cells regardless of Cox-2 status, which, however, was not recapitulated using another Cox-2 inhibitor, etodolac.

Sulfated polymannuroguluronate inhibits Tat-induced SLK cell adhesion via a novel binding site, a KKR spatial triad.

Aim: Sulfated polymannuroguluronate (SPMG), a candidate anti-AIDS drug, inhibited HIV replication and interfered with HIV entry into host T lymphocytes. SPMG has high binding affinity for the transactivating factor of the HIV-1 virus (Tat) via its basic domain. However, deletion or substitution of the basic domain affected, but did not completely eliminated Tat-SPMG interactions.

[The effect of biofilms on the production of beta-lactamases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa].

Objective: To investigate the effect of formation of biofilms on the expression of beta-lactamases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Method: Four strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing TEM and CARB extended spectrum beta-lactamases were induced by 3 antimicrobials (Ciprofloxacin, Ceftazidime and Imipenem) to generate beta-lactamases before and after the formation of biofilms. Different expression of beta-lactamases-mRNA was determined by relatively quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

MS80, a novel sulfated oligosaccharide, inhibits pulmonary fibrosis by targeting TGF-beta1 both in vitro and in vivo.

Aim: The pro-fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) has attracted much attention for its potential role in the etiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Here, we demonstrate that MS80, a novel sulfated oligosaccharide extracted from seaweed, can bind TGF-beta1. The aim of the present study was to determine whether MS80 is capable of combating TGF-beta1-mediated pulmonary fibrotic events both in vitro and in vivo, and to investigate the possible underlying mechanisms.

[Therapeutic effect and mechanism of sulfate polysaccharide of algae on lung cancer].

Objective: To study the effect of sulfate polysaccharide of algae (SPA) on lung carcinoma and it's mechanism.

Methods: (1) C57BL/6 mice implanted with Lewis lung carcinoma were used as experimental animal model. The mice were randomly divided into a control group, SPA groups (3 groups) and a FT-207 group.