【Abstract】Objective To explore Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression and distribution in rat pancreas.Methods Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were applied to detect expression of TLR4-mRNA and TLR4 protein respectively. Results RT-PCR of RNA isolated from rat pancreatic tissue yielded the predicted amplicon for the TLR4. IHC/immunofluorescence revealed TLR4 protein mainly distributed in the epithelium of the pancreatic duct, vascular endothelium of the exocrine section, endocrine islet also had some signs of distribution. No TLR4 protein signal could be detected in the acinar cells. Conclusion TLR4 could be detected in rat pancreas. Its distribution is consistent with its roles in immune surveillance, mainly in tissues exposed to the external environment such as pancreatic duct as well as in immunologically important settings such as pancreatic vascular endothelium. Islet also has some signs of distribution. No TLR4 expression in acinar cells, suggesting TLR4 immunological involvement in the pathophysiology of pancreas.
Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is a type of autoimmune myopathy characterized by relatively severe proximal weakness with high serum muscle enzyme levels, myofiber necrosis with minimal inflammatory cell infiltrate on muscle biopsy, and infrequent extra-muscular involvement. The mechanism of necrotizing myopathy remains unclear. The new European Neuromuscular Centre criteria divides IMNM into three distinct subtypes according to different autoantibodies, which reminds us antibodies may be involved in the pathogenesis of IMNM and different subtypes may have different pathogenesis. This review summarizes the current understanding of the pathogenesis of IMNM.
To investigate the cause of septicemia in patients with obstructive jaundice,the correlationship between intra-biliary tract pressure(IBTP),portal veinous flow rate(PVFR)and interleukin-2(IL-2),soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R),T lymphocyte subpopulation in patient with obstructive jaundice(Group A)has been studied.Group A was subdivided into A1,emergency operation group;A2,elective surgery group;A3,patient’s age over 60 years and A4,age under 60.Ninety patients with simple gallstone(Group B)were also tested as a contrast.The result showed that of all Group A,CD3+,CD4+,CD8+ before operation were much lower than those 10 days after operation(Plt;0.05 or Plt;0.01),while the postoperative sIL-2R was significantly higher than that of 10 days after operation(Plt;0.01),in Group A1,emergency surgery,the preoperative sIL-2R was much more higher than that in others of the jaundice group(Plt;0.01).Corralation analysis showed IBTP was negatively corralated to IL-2,CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,but it had positive correlation with sIL-2R(Plt;0.01).PVFR was positively correlated to IL-2(Plt;0.01).These indicate that obstructive jaundice with infection is closely related to the decreased host immunity.
The pathogenesis of Vogt-Koyanagi Harada disease (VKH) has not yet been fully defined. Current studies mainly suggest that VKH is actually an autoimmune disease, especially related to the immune response mediated by various signal transduction pathways involved in the function of T cells. In recent years, the influence of the balance imbalance of various T cell subsets in cellular immunity on the pathogenesis of VKH has been a hot research direction. Currently, T helper cell 17/T regulatory cells, balance is the focus of clinical research, meanwhile, new discoveries and potential clinical treatment schemes have been made for related cellular pathways, particularly the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription pathway and NF-kappa B pathway. The exploration of B cells in the pathogenesis of VKH has also achieved initial results through the successful application of various targeted drugs. In the future, further screening and localization of genes or proteins that are abnormally regulated or expressed in VKH, for which early comprehensive and in-depth exploration will be helpful, thus improve the efficacy of clinical treatment programs and develop new therapeutic targets.
Objective To study the regulative effect of angelica sinensis on cellular immune function in perioperative patients with obstructive jaundice. Methods Fourteen patients with obstructive jaundice were injected with angelica before and after operation for 14 days. The activity of IL-2 and the expression of IL-2R in lymphocytes in peripheral blood were measured, respectively. Results The activity of IL-2 and the expression of IL-2R decreased significantly in patients with obstructive jaundice (P＜0.01). The activity of IL-2 and the expression of IL-2R in peripheral blood lymphocyte increased significantly before and after operations (after treatment using angelica) (P＜0.01), though there was a little decrease after operation but they were still higher than that befor using angelica.Conclusion It maybe useful to use angelica to improve the cellular immune function in patients with obstructive jaundice.
Obesity, sleep disorders, psychological stress, sedentary are modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. There is growing evidence that these risk factors may accelerate the chronic inflammatory process of atherosclerosis and lead to myocardial infarction. Studies on the role of immune cells and their related immune mechanisms in atherosclerosis have shown that the above modifiable risk factors can affect the hematopoiesis of the bone marrow system, affect the production of immune cells and phenotypes, and then affect the progress of atherosclerosis. This review will focus on the effects of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors on the progression of atherosclerosis through the role of the innate immune system.
T lymphocyte acid α-naphthl acetate esterase (Tc-ANAE) activity was measured in 23 pathologically proved gastric cancer patients before and after surgical intervention. The result showed that interventional treatment obviously decreased the Tc-ANAE activity in patients with gastric cancer (Ｐ＜0.01), especially decreased the immune function in late stage cases (stage Ⅳ) (Ｐ＜0.01), the more advanced the cancer was, the more impaired the immune function was. Interventional treatment had no influence on immune function in earlier stages (Ｐ＞0.05).
Objective To investigate activated toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) signaling pathway involved in pathophysiological mechanisms of type A aortic dissection (TAAD). Methods Specimens of full-thickness ascending aorta wall from the TAAD patients (n=12) and the controlled donors (n=12) were collected. Western blotting was used to examine the associated proteins' expression of TLR4 signaling pathway. Blood samples from TAAD (n=43) and controlled patients (n=50) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the circulating plasma cytokines levels of interleukin-1β (L-1β). Results In the aortic wall of TAAD, expression levels of TLR4 and protein expression of major molecule significantly elevated, and activated macrophages increased. Furthermore, elevated IL-1β levels were observed in the TAAD patients’ plasma compared with the control plasma. Multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that elevated IL-1β could be a novel and promising biomarker with important diagnostic and predictive value in the identification of TAAD. Conclusion Activated TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway regulates inflammatory response to involve in pathophysiological mechanisms of type A aortic dissection and its regulated inflammatory products have important predictive value for patients with TAAD.
Objective To investigate the expression and significance of Fork head /winged helix protein 3 (Foxp3) , retinoic acid-related orphan receptorγt (RORγt) , and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in Guinea pigs with emphysema. Methods Smoking and active immunization with elastin were separately used in guinea pigs to establish emphysema model. Then the destruction of lung tissue was assayed by measurement of the average radius of alveolar. The expressions of Foxp3 , RORγt, and IL-17 in lung tissue of the guinea pigs were detected by immunohistochemical technique. The results were compared with the normal control group by the analysis of variance or kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the ratio of Foxp3/RORγt and IL-17, also the correlation between Foxp3/RORγt and the average radius of alveolar. Results In the smoking group and the active immunization group, the average radius of alveolar were significantly longer than the control group (Plt;0.05) . And the expression of Foxp3/RORγt was significantly unbalanced, with the number of Foxp3-positive cells decreased and RORγt-positive cells increased (Plt;0.05) . Meanwhile the level of IL-17 was significantly increased compared with the control group ( Plt;0.05) . The difference between the smoking group and the active immunization group was not significant (Pgt;0.05) . The ratio of Foxp3/RORγt was negatively correlated with the level of IL-17 and the average radius of alveolar. Conclusions Active immunization with elastin can induce emphysema in guinea pigs. The Foxp3/RORγt expression was unbalanced in lung tissue of guinea pigs with emphysema.This imbalance may be an important mechanism attributed to the disordered expression of CD4+ Treg cells and Th17 cells, which may be involved in autoimmune regulation and development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The application of gene therapy in ocular diseases is gradually expanding from mono-gene inherited diseases to multigene, multifactorial, common and chronic diseases. This emerging therapeutic approach is still in the early exploratory stage of treating diseases, and the expected benefits and risks remain highly uncertain. In the delivery process of gene therapy drugs, viral vector is currently one of the most mature and widely used vectors. The occurrence of vector-associated immunity will affect the short-term and long-term effects of gene therapy, and even cause permanent and serious damage to visual function. Therefore, gene therapy vector-associated immunity is the focus and challenge for the safety and long-term efficacy of gene therapy. During the perioperative and follow-up of gene therapy, attention should be paid to the monitoring of vector-associated immune inflammation, and appropriate measures should be taken to deal with the corresponding immune response, so as to achieve the best visual benefits for patients.