Long-Term Effects of Sevelamer on Vascular Calcification, Arterial Stiffness, and Calcification Propensity in Patients Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis: The Randomized Pilot SERENE (Sevelamer on Vascular Calcification, Arterial Stiffness) Trial.

Rationale & Objective: There is a concern regarding increased risk of vascular calcification with the use of calcium-based phosphorus binders. This study aimed to compare the effects of sevelamer used as a second-line, low-dose therapy with calcium-based phosphorus binders with those of sevelamer used as a first-line, high-dose therapy on coronary artery and heart valve calcification, aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and calcification propensity over 2 years in patients with hyperphosphatemia receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Study Design: A 2-year-long prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized pilot study.

The Immuno-Modulatory Activities of Pentaherbs Formula on Ovalbumin-Induced Allergic Rhinitis Mice via the Activation of Th1 and Treg Cells and Inhibition of Th2 and Th17 Cells.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a highly prevalent allergic disease induced by immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated hypersensitivity reaction at the nasal epithelium against inhaled allergens. Previous studies have demonstrated that Pentaherbs formula (PHF), a modified herbal formula comprising five herbal medicines (, , , and ), could suppress various immune effector cells to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects in allergic asthma and atopic dermatitis. The present study aimed to further determine the anti-inflammatory activities of PHF in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR BALB/c mouse model.

Meteorin-β/Meteorin like/IL-41 attenuates airway inflammation in house dust mite-induced allergic asthma.

We sought to examine the regulatory effect of Meteorin-β (Metrnβ)/Meteorin like (Metrnl)/IL-41 on lung inflammation in allergic asthma. We found that Metrnβ was elevated significantly in asthmatic patients and in mice with allergic asthma induced by house dust mite (HDM) extract. Upon exposure to HDM, Metrnβ was secreted predominantly by airway epithelial cells and inflammatory cells, including macrophages and eosinophils.

IL-37 Targets TSLP-Primed Basophils to Alleviate Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) represents a severe global burden on physical, physiological and mental health. Innate immune cell basophils are essential for provoking allergic inflammation in AD. However, the roles of novel immunoregulatory cytokine IL-37 in basophils remain elusive.

Skewed inflammation is associated with aberrant interleukin-37 signaling pathway in atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a severe global burden on physical, physiological, and mental health. The role of IL-37, a fundamental inhibitor of immunity, in AD was herein explored.

Method: Serum levels of IL-37 and T helper (Th) 2-related inflammatory mediators were quantified in subjects with or without AD.

Interleukin-38 ameliorates poly(I:C) induced lung inflammation: therapeutic implications in respiratory viral infections.

Interleukin-38 has recently been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties in lung inflammatory diseases. However, the effects of IL-38 in viral pneumonia remains unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that circulating IL-38 concentrations together with IL-36α increased significantly in influenza and COVID-19 patients, and the level of IL-38 and IL-36α correlated negatively and positively with disease severity and inflammation, respectively.

IL-37 Ameliorating Allergic Inflammation in Atopic Dermatitis Through Regulating Microbiota and AMPK-mTOR Signaling Pathway-Modulated Autophagy Mechanism.

Interaction between eosinophils and dermal fibroblasts is essential for provoking allergic inflammation in atopic dermatitis (AD). co-culture of human eosinophils and dermal fibroblasts upon AD-related IL-31 and IL-33 stimulation, and MC903-induced AD murine model were employed to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of IL-1 family cytokine IL-37 in AD. Results showed that IL-37b could inhibit the induction of AD-related pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, and chemokines CXCL8, CCL2 and CCL5, increase autophagosome biogenesis-related LC3B, and decrease autophagy-associated ubiquitinated protein p62 by regulating intracellular AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway.

Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the novel cytokine interleukin-38 in allergic asthma.

We elucidated the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of IL-38 in allergic asthma. Human bronchial epithelial cells and eosinophils were cocultured upon stimulation with the viral RLR ligand poly (I:C)/LyoVec or infection-related cytokine TNF-α to induce expression of cytokines/chemokines/adhesion molecules. House dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic asthma and humanized allergic asthma NOD/SCID murine models were established to assess anti-inflammatory mechanisms in vivo.

High-Throughput Immunological Analysis of Dictamni Cortex: Implication in the Quality Control of Herbal Medicine.

Quality inconsistency of herbal medicine is an obstacle that limits the extensive use and study of traditional Chinese medicine. Differences in environmental conditions and processing methods of herbal medicine often result in varying clinical outcomes in patients. Standard chemical markers used for the quality control (QC) of herbal medicine are usually the most abundant and characteristic components, which may not be therapeutically relevant or cannot comprehensively reflect the biological quality of the herbs.

Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Pentaherbs formula and Its Influence on Gut Microbiota in Allergic Asthma.

Allergic asthma is a highly prevalent airway inflammatory disease, which involves the interaction between the immune system, environmental and genetic factors. Co-relation between allergic asthma and gut microbiota upon the change of diet have been widely reported, implicating that oral intake of alternative medicines possess a potential in the management of allergic asthma. Previous clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies have shown that the Pentaherbs formula (PHF) comprising five traditional Chinese herbal medicines Lonicerae Flos, Menthae Herba, Phellodendri Cortex, Moutan Cortex, and Atractylodis Rhizoma possesses an anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory potential through suppressing various immune effector cells.

Activation of Eosinophils Interacting with Bronchial Epithelial Cells by Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37: Implications in Allergic Asthma.

The role of antimicrobial peptide LL-37 in asthma exacerbation is unclear. Microbial infection, which is the most common inducer of asthma exacerbation, is accompanied by elevated LL-37. The present study found that co-culture of eosinophils and bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B significantly enhanced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on both cells and CD18 expression on eosinophils upon LL-37 stimulation.

Aberrant Expression of Novel Cytokine IL-38 and Regulatory T Lymphocytes in Childhood Asthma.

We investigated the expression of novel anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-38 and regulatory T (Treg) lymphocytes in childhood asthma patients. The protein and mRNA expression level of IL-38, periostin, peripheral CD4⁺CD25⁺CD134⁺ T lymphocytes as well as CD4⁺CD25(high)FoxP3⁺ and CD4⁺CD25(high)CD127(-) Treg lymphocytes from 40 asthmatic patients and 20 normal control (NC) subjects were studied using ELISA, qPCR and flow cytometry. Serum and supernatant cytokines/chemokines were determined by multiplex assay.

Aberrant Expression of Bacterial Pattern Recognition Receptor NOD2 of Basophils and Microbicidal Peptides in Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing inflammatory skin disease, associated with basophil infiltration into skin lesions and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-induced inflammation. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including microbicidal peptide human neutrophil α-defensins (HNP) and dermcidin, can exert immunomodulating activity in innate immunity and skin inflammation.

Aberrant expression of regulatory cytokine IL-35 and pattern recognition receptor NOD2 in patients with allergic asthma.

We investigated the plasma concentration of the novel regulatory cytokine IL-35 and intracytosolic pattern recognition receptors nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors in granulocytes and explored their potential implication in disease severity monitoring of allergic asthma. The expression of circulating IL-35 and other pro-inflammatory mediators in asthmatic patients or control subjects were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The intracellular expressions of NOD1 and NOD2 in CCR3+ granulocytes were assessed using flow cytometry.

NOD-like receptors mediated activation of eosinophils interacting with bronchial epithelial cells: a link between innate immunity and allergic asthma.

Key intracytosolic pattern recognition receptors of innate immunity against bacterial infections are nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs). We elucidated the NOD1 and NOD2-mediated activation of human eosinophils, the principal effector cells for allergic inflammation, upon interacting with human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells in allergic asthma. Eosinophils constitutively expressed NOD1,2 but exhibited nonsignificant responses to release chemokines upon the stimulation by NOD1 ligand γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP) and NOD2 ligand muramyl dipeptide (MDP).

Profiles of cytokine and chemokine gene expression in human pulmonary epithelial cells induced by human and avian influenza viruses.

Influenza pandemic remains a serious threat to human health. In this study, the repertoire of host cellular cytokine and chemokine responses to infections with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, low pathogenicity avian influenza H9N2 and seasonal human influenza H1N1 were compared using an in vitro system based on human pulmonary epithelial cells. The results showed that H5N1 was more potent than H9N2 and H1N1 in inducing CXCL-10/IP-10, TNF-alpha and CCL-5/RANTES.

Survey for the presence of BK, JC, KI, WU and Merkel cell polyomaviruses in human brain tissues.

Background: Recently three previously unknown polyomaviruses (KI, WU and Merkel cell polyomaviruses) have been identified from human specimens. The spectrum of clinical manifestations and their tissue tropism are currently unknown. Since a member of this virus family, JC virus, is well-known for its capacity to establish latency in human brain tissue where reactivation in immunocompromised individuals can result in fatal progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, we sought to examine for the presence of all the five known human polyomaviruses in a series of human brain tissues.

Seasonal influenza activity in Hong Kong and its association with meteorological variations.

Influenza seasons appear consistently in the temperate regions, but are more variable in tropical/subtropical regions. The determinant for such variation remains poorly understood. This study documented the activity of influenza over a 10-year period in Hong Kong; examining its association with changes in temperature and relative humidity.

Viral loads and duration of viral shedding in adult patients hospitalized with influenza.

Background: The goal of this study was to characterize viral loads and factors affecting viral clearance in persons with severe influenza.

Methods: This was a 1-year prospective, observational study involving consecutive adults hospitalized with influenza. Nasal and throat swabs were collected at presentation, then daily until 1 week after symptom onset.

Clearance of dengue virus in the plasma-derived therapeutic proteins.

Background: Viral safety is of paramount importance for human plasma-derived therapeutic proteins. Recent reports of blood-associated transmission and continuous regional outbreaks of dengue fever have prompted a validation of clearance of dengue virus in the manufacture processes of the plasma-derived products.

Study Design And Methods: A high titer of cultured dengue virus serotype 2 was spiked into process samples before individual steps of albumin and immunoglobulin manufacture processes, including cold ethanol precipitation, cation-exchange chromatography, pasteurization, solvent/detergent treatment, and virus filtration.

Evaluation of Epstein-Barr virus antigen-based immunoassays for serological diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Immunofluorescence (IF) assays based on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded antigens have traditionally been the preferred approach for serological screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Objectives: To compare the performance of two new commercial assays (indicated by COMM) using, respectively, the IF and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) formats with an in-house IF assay (IFA).

Study Design: Sera from 163 patients with histologically confirmed NPC, and 98 healthy controls were tested with each of these assays and their results compared.

Characterizing 56 complete SARS-CoV S-gene sequences from Hong Kong.

Background: The spike glycoprotein (S) gene of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been useful in analyzing the molecular epidemiology of the 2003 SARS outbreaks.

Objectives: To characterize complete SARS-CoV S-gene sequences from Hong Kong.

Study Design: Fifty-six SARS-CoV S-gene sequences, obtained from patients who presented with SARS to the Prince of Wales Hospital during March-May 2003, were analysed using a maximum likelihood (ML) approach, together with 138 other (both human and animal) S-gene sequences downloaded from GenBank.

The large 386-nt deletion in SARS-associated coronavirus: evidence for quasispecies?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is reported to have deletions of various sizes. Recently, the large 386-nucleotide deletion (L386del) comprising nucleotide positions 27719-28104 and spanning open reading frames 9-11 has been reported in the genomes of some human isolates from Hong Kong. In this study, archived specimens from 71 patients with SARS who were admitted to the New Territory East Cluster Hospitals in Hong Kong were analyzed to determine whether the L386del variant of SARS-CoV was present.

Hepatitis C virus genotype distribution among intravenous drug user and the general population in Hong Kong.

This study describes the distribution of hepatitis C genotypes among 106 intravenous drug users and 949 non-drug users in Hong Kong. Genotypes were identified by multiplex RT-PCR targeting the core region of viral genome. The accuracy of this typing system in identifying genotypes 1b and 6a was assessed by phylogenetic analysis.

Persistent infection of SARS coronavirus in colonic cells in vitro.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) can produce gastrointestinal symptoms. The intestinal tract is the only extrapulmonary site where viable viruses have been detected. This study examined seven established human intestinal cell lines, DLD-1, HCT-116, HT-29, LoVo, LS-180, SW-480 and SW-620, for their permissiveness to SARS-CoV infection.