Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease clinically, and at present no western medicine can effectively cure the disease. After the analysis of literatures related to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treatment of the disease in the China National Knowledge Internet Database, it was discovered that the syndrome differentiation showed the disease closely associated with phlegm, blood stasis and yin deficiency. In this study, from view point of pulmonary gangrene TCM theory and treatment combined with PAP pathophysiological characteristics, it is emphasized that phlegm accumulation, blood stasis and yang deficiency are the key pathological manifestations of PAP, thus Yanghe decoction, Tounong powder, Kongxian pellet were used for treatment of one such case, the rational thinking in diagnosis and treatment of this patient being consistent with the idea learning western medicine for China use.

Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor9 (TLR9)-myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) signal pathway in alveolar macrophages in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).Methods 30 adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to three groups (with 10 rats in each group).Group A was the control group,with spontaneous respiration after tracheostomy.Rats in group B received mechanical ventilation for 4 hours with normal tidal volume (VT) 7 ml/kg after tracheostomy,and group C rats received mechanical ventilation with VT 40 ml/kg for 4 hours.After termination of ventilation,examination with transmission electron microscopy was performed to observe the ultrastructure changes in alveolar epithelial cell type Ⅱ (AEC Ⅱ) of the lung.Lung wet/dry ratios (W/D) and total protein concentration,the concentration of interleukins (IL-6 and IL-1 β) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined.The protein and mRNA expressions of TLR9,MyD88 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in alveolar macrophages were assayed by Western Blot and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results The ultrastructure of AEC Ⅱ in the group A and group B was almost normal,whereas the chromatin of the nuclei,the lamellar corpuscles in the cytoplasm,the cell membrane and the microvilli of the AEC Ⅱ in the group C showed injurious changes in various degrees.When the group C was compared with the group A and the group B,it was shown that the W/D ratios (5.54 ± 0.17 vs.4.58 ± 0.17,4.69 ± 0.16) and total protein concentration (g/L:6.33 ± 0.61 vs.0.45 ± 0.05,0.47 ± 0.04),IL-6 (μg/L:1.989 ± 0.103 vs.1.033 ± 0.061,1.010 ± 0.069) and IL-lβ (ng/L:2.79 ±0.25 vs.1.05 ±0.15,1.23 ±0.22) in BALF,the protein expressions of TLR9,MyD88 and NF-κB [TLR9 (A value):0.770 ±0.042 vs.0.300 ±0.027,0.310 ±0.037; MyD88 (A value):0.950 ±0.091 vs.0.560 ±0.082,0.580±0.084; NF-κB(A value):1.020 ±0.076 vs.0.740 ±0.052,0.700 ±0.076] in alveolar macrophages were all increased significantly,and all of which showed significant difference (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The mRNA levels of TLR9,MyD88 and NF-κB in alveolar macrophages in the group B were (1.13 ± 0.32),(1.18 ± 0.33),and (1.11 ± 0.22) folds of those of the group A,respectively,but there were no significant differences (all P＞0.05).While the mRNA levels of TLR9,MyD88 and NF-κB of alveolar macrophages in the group C were (8.66 ± 0.69),(6.41 ± 0.53) and (5.29 ± 0.71) folds of those of the group A,respectively,and all of them showed significant difference (all P＜0.01).Conclusion TLR9-MyD88 signaling in alveolar macrophages plays a role in pathogenesis of VILI.

Objective To investigate the changes in the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) mRNA in a rat model of ventilator-induced lung injury.Methods Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 2β5-260 g,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =10 each) using a random number table:control group (group C),small tidal volume (VT) mechanical ventilation group (group S) and large tidal volume mechanical ventilation group (group L).The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal ketamine 100 mg/kg,midazolam 0.2 mg/kg and atropine 1.0 mg/kg.The rats were tracheostomized and spontaneous breathing was maintained in group C,while the rats were tracheostomized and mechanically ventilated for 4 h in groups S and L.The tidal volume was 7 ml/kg (group S) or 40 ml/kg (group L),I ∶ E was 1 ∶ 1,RR was 80 bpm and FiO2 was 100％.At 4 h of spontaneous breathing or mechanical ventilation,broncho-alveolar lung lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for determination of the total protein concentration,white blood cell (WBC) counts and concentrations of MIF,IL-6 and IL-1β (by ELISA).Then the rats were sacrificed and the lungs removed for microscopic examination and for determination of wet to dry lung weight ratio (W/D ratio) and expression of MIF mRNA (by RT-PCR).Results Compared with C and S groups,WBC counts,concentrations of total protein,MIF,IL-6 and IL-1β in BALF,and W/D ratio and expression of MIF mRNA in lung tissues were significantly increased in group L (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the indexes mentioned above between group C and group S (P ＞ 0.05).The pathological changes occurred in group L.Conclusion The up-regulation of MIF mRNA expression in lung tissues may be involved in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury in rats.