Objective:To study the effects of andrographolide on the expression of IL-18 related cytokines by peripheral blood monocytes.Methods:After treatment of andrographolide in different concentrations on LPS stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and LPS+IFN-γ/IL-4 activated magnetic bead-sorted monocytes (PBM),the transcription level of IL-18,IL-18BP,IL-18Rα and IL-18Rβ was detected by real-time RT-PCR;and secreted IL-18,IL-18BP and IL-1β,IL-1Rα by PBM was detected with ELISA.Results:Andrographolide regulated the transcription of IL-18 and IL-18BP in a dose-and time-dependent effect.Andrographolide up-regulated the transcription of IL-18BP in LPS stimulated PBMC,and increased the ratio of IL-18BP/IL-18.The ratio of IL-18BP/IL-18 rose from 9.60 to 214 in LPS+IFNγ activated PBM,and IL-1Rα/IL-1β declined from 9 200 to 6 520 in IL-4 activated PBM by andrographolide treatment.Conclusion:Andrographolide can regulate IL-18 related gene transcription and expression in activated peripheral blood monocytes,and inhibit the excessive expression of IL-18 during inflammation.

Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) emerged as an opportunist in the setting of immunodeficiency in the 1970s, when serious infections occurred in San Francisco hospitals after USA. Navy experiments had aerosolized the bacteria to study biologic warfare. We investigate the risks of S. marcescens in San Franciscans who undergo mastectomy with implant reconstruction. From 2007 to 2011, the senior author took breast capsule cultures for all patients at the time of tissue expander exchange/explant. Of the 142 women who had reconstruction, 23 had positive cultures. Only the two patients who were positive for S. marcescens developed clinical infections that required explantation. Both had postoperative chemotherapy with transient neutropenia, and both had close ties to San Francisco. Clinical signs of infection emerged for both patients months after initial surgery, despite having previously well healed incisions. Other patients were culture positive for Pseudomonas, Proteus, Enterococcus and MRSA and did not develop require explant. While the link between San Francisco and S. marcescens is controversial, a patient's geography is a simple screening tool when considering postoperative risks, especially in the immunocompromised. Closer monitoring for neutropenia during chemotherapy, and a lower threshold to administer S. marcescens targeted antibiotics may be warranted in these patients.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Biological Warfare ; Breast ; Breast Implants* ; Device Removal ; Drug Therapy ; Enterococcus ; Female ; Geography ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mastectomy ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Neutropenia ; Proteus ; Pseudomonas ; Risk Factors* ; Serratia ; Serratia marcescens* ; Tissue Expansion Devices

Optical spectroscopy devices are being developed and tested for the screening and diagnosis of oral precancer and cancer lesions. This study reports a device that uses white light for detection of suspicious lesions and green-amber light at 545 nm that detect tissue vascularity on patients with several suspicious oral lesions. The clinical grading of vascularity was compared to the histological grading of the biopsied lesions using specific biomarkers. Such a device, in the hands of dentists and other health professionals, could greatly increase the number of oral cancerous lesions detected in early phase. The purpose of this study is to correlate the clinical grading of tissue vascularity in several oral suspicious lesions using the Identafi(®) system with the histological grading of the biopsied lesions using specific vascular markers. Twenty-one patients with various oral lesions were enrolled in the study. The lesions were visualized using Identafi(®) device with white light illumination, followed by visualization of tissue autofluorescence and tissue reflectance. Tissue biopsied was obtained from the all lesions and both histopathological and immunohistochemical studies using a vascular endothelial biomarker (CD34) were performed on these tissue samples. The clinical vascular grading using the green-amber light at 545 nm and the expression pattern and intensity of staining for CD34 in the different biopsies varied depending on lesions, grading ranged from 1 to 3. The increase in vascularity was observed in abnormal tissues when compared to normal mucosa, but this increase was not limited to carcinoma only as hyperkeratosis and other oral diseases, such as lichen planus, also showed increase in vascularity. Optical spectroscopy is a promising technology for the detection of oral mucosal abnormalities; however, further investigations with a larger population group is required to evaluate the usefulness of these devices in differentiating benign lesions from potentially malignant lesions.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, CD34 ; analysis ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; Biopsy ; methods ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; blood supply ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Erythroplasia ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukoplakia, Oral ; blood supply ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Lichen Planus, Oral ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Neoplasms ; blood supply ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Neoplasm Grading ; Optical Imaging ; methods ; Pilot Projects ; Precancerous Conditions ; blood supply ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Spectrometry, Fluorescence ; methods ; Young Adult