Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is one of the proinflammatory cytokines produced by a subset of CD4+T cells named Th17 cells. It plays a crucial role in both host innate and adaptive immune responses against colonization and infection of respiratory tract bacteria. Studies in animal models have demonstrated that IL-17A can induce the expressions of various chemokines, inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules via multiple intracellular signaling pathways and recruit neutrophils to infection sites. Moreover, recent stud-ies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-17A coding gene can regulate the produc-tion of IL-17A in serum, resulting in individual difference in colonization rate by Streptococcus pneumoniae. This review presents recent data related to the structure, functions and signaling pathways of IL-17A, sum-marizes its roles in host defense based on studies in animal models and discusses the effects of genetic varia-tion of IL-17A on colonization, susceptibility, clinical characteristics and disease prognosis of human respira-tory tract bacteria.

Child ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; genetics ; therapy ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation ; Prognosis ; Transplantation Conditioning ; methods ; Treatment Outcome ; Unrelated Donors

Objective: To summarize the research status of the changes in local microenvironment of acupoints caused by acupuncture, provide theoretical guidance for the initiation mechanisms of local acupuncture effect at acupoints. Methods: Using acupuncture, acupoint as key words to search China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang), Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP), PubMed and other databases, the representative articles were selected for review. Results: Acupuncture could excite afferent nerves, activate cells, and promote the release of chemical substances like neuropeptide, hormone, cytokines, etc. in the local site of acupoints. Besides, it may cause mechanical deformation of connective tissues, and change chemical ions as well as ion channels. Conclusion: The microenvironment changes around acupoints are crucial to acupuncture effect; the concept of 'acupoints network' can be used to objectively describe the local changes around the acupoints after acupuncture.

0.05. Conclusion The tumour chemosensitivity test in vitro gave some prediction and guidances for the clinic chemotherapy,and it could discover the drug resisting cases.The combined chemotherapy should be selected for gastric carcino- ma patients.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted radical gastrectomy between elderly and non-elderly patients with gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 219 patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted radical gastrectomy in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery IV, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute from April 2009 to October 2013 were included in this retrospective study. All patients were divided into elderly (≥65 years) and non- elderly (<65 years)groups. We compared these groups based on clinicopathological characteristics, postoperative morbidities, and survival. Results:Theelderly group showed higher ASA scores and higher number of preoperative comorbidities (P<0.05). The operative time, blood loss,and conversion rate did not differ significantly between the groups (all P>0.05). The mean time to first ambulation in elderly group was 2.2±2.3d while first ambulation time in the non-elderly group was 1.4±1.3d,which showed significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between groups in terms of postoperativemorbidities (34.8％ vs. 28.5％, P> 0.05) as well as 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival (P>0.05). However, the elderly patients withpostoperative morbidities experienced significantly poorer overall survival rate than non-elderly patients (44.5％ vs. 70.5％, P<0.05). Conclusion: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy can be safely and successfully performed in an elderly population with acceptable short- and long-term outcomes.Enhanced perioperative treatment is necessary to improve postoperative outcomes.

Objective To explore the distribution of dendritic cells (DCs) and the expression of adhesion molecules in rat kidney with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO),as well as the regulatory effect of anti-P-selectin lectin-EGF domain monoelonal antibody (PsL-EGFmAb) on adhesion,maturation and function of human DCs cultured in vitro.Methods UUO rat models were established,which were divided into sham group (n=6),untreated group (n=18)and treated group with PsL-EGFmAb(n=18).DCs were analyzed with Axioplan 2 microscopy,while P-selectin being observed by immunohistochemistry.CD34~+ stem cells were isolated from cord blood and cultured in 20%IMDM medium with SCF,GM-CSF,TGF-?1,Flt-3L and TNF-?in vitro.During development, PsL-EGFmAb was added and IL-10 served as control.FACS was performed to detect the expression of HLA-DR,CD1a,CD11c,CD54,CD83,CD80,CD86,CD209 (DC-SIGN) and CD62-P,-E,-L (P-,E-,L-selectin) on DCs.RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of NF-_KB P50, P65 mRNA.MLR was performed to detect the stimulatory effect of DCs on T cell proliferation and ELISA to determine IL-12p70 amount.Results Comparing with Sham group,the expression of P- selectin was up-regulated among tubulointerstitium mainly on renal tubular epithelial cell after unilateral ureteral obstruction on day 1,while CD1a~+CD80~+DCs being also found in renal interstitium. The expression of P-seleetin and CD1a~+CD80~+DCs was increased evidently on day 7,and correlated with the degree of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis closely.However,these changes became less conspicuous in rat treated with PsL-EGFmAb.In vitro experiment showed on day 5 after cultured with the induction of TNF-?,immature DCs highly expressed C-type lectin DC-SIGN of pattern recognition receptors;the expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as CD11c,CD83,CD80 and CD86 on mature DCs was up-regulated in paralleling with the mRNA level of NF-_KB;the secretion of IL-12 was enhanced,as well as displaying the features of antigen-presenting cells with a higher ability to induce proliferation of T lymphocytes in vitro.In addition,L-selectin expressed highly on immature DCs,but lowly on mature DCs,neither of two DCs expressed P- and E-selectin.Compared with the IL-10 treated group,PsL-EGFmAb had an inhibitory effect on DC-SIGN of DCs with down- regulating the mRNA level of NF-_KB.PsL-EGFmAb could also inhibited CD11c,CD83,CD80, CD86 expression,reduced secretion of IL-12,and inhibited T cell proliferation stimulated by DCs in vitro.Conclusion DCs may play a critical role on initiating the inflammatory injury of renal tubulointerstitium,and the inhibitory effect of PsL-EGFmAb on DC maturation and function correlated with the inhibition of DC-SIGN,which is mainly mediated through NF-_KB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo assess the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the follow-up of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and to compare it with that of computed tomography (CT).

METHODSFrom December 2009 to September 2011, 40 patients (47 hepatocellular carcinomas) were treated with RFA after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and underwent MRI and CT for follow-up. RFA margins were assessed on a five-point scale with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were evaluated.

RESULTSThe interobserver agreement rate for MRI was significantly higher (Kappa=0.935) than for CT (Kappa=0.714; P < 0.05). The scores of 1 and 5 points for MRI, which confirms the presence or absence of residual tumor, accounted for 89.4% (84/94), while for CT accounting for only 31.9% (30/94). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MRI was significantly higher than that of CT (P < 0.05), as were the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of detection rate (mean, 100%, 96.4%, 76.9%, 100%, and 96.8% for MRI, respectively, vs. 30.0%, 57.1%, 10.3%, 87.7%, and 63.8% for CT).

CONCLUSIONMRI is superior to CT in assessing the RFA margins in terms of the diagnostic accuracy and detection rate .

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm, Residual ; diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This study was purposed to investigate the expression of c-fes gene in leukemia patients and its clinical significance. The expression of c-fes mRNA in bone marrow cells from 121 cases of acute and chronic leukemia patients, and the expression of c-fes mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 20 normal persons were detected by real time-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR). The results showed that the level of c-fes mRNA in AML patients was higher than that in normal controls [(48.017 +/- 57.170) x 10(-3) vs (0.152 +/- 0.398) x 10(-3)] (p < 0.0001); but there was no significant differences of level of c-fes mRNA between samples of ALL and normal controls(0.047 +/- 0.068) x 10(-3) vs(0.152 +/- 0.398) x 10(-3) (p>0.05); the level of c-fes mRNA in CML patients was higher than that in normal persons (21.605 +/- 24.818) x 10(-3) vs (0.152 +/- 0.398) x 10(-3) (p < 0.0001). The positive expression rate of c-fes gene in CML-CP patients (80%) was higher than that in CML-AP patients (66.7%) and CML-BP (28.6%) patients. In AML patients, c-fes gene was expressed higher in M(2) (80.77%) and M(3) (92.86%) patients. The remission rate of AML (except M(3))patients who had expression of c-fes gene was 81.08%, which was higher than that of patients with no expression of c-fes gene (40.00%). It is concluded that c-fes gene expression was found in myeloid leukemias, whereas low or no expression in lymphocytic leukemias. The differentiation of myelocytic cells may be related to c-fes gene. All AML (except M(3))patients with high level of c-fes mRNA may get good prognosis.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; genetics ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; genetics ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Male ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fes ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the expression level and significance of glucose transporter 1 (Glut-1) in normal breast tissue, adenosis, adenoma and breast carcinoma.

METHODSA total of 147 cases of female breast tissue samples, including 92 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, 26 cases of breast fibroadenoma, 24 cases of breast adenosis and 5 cases of normal breast tissues, were collected for quantitative detection of the expression of Glut-1 protein by immunohistochemistry (EnVision method) and Western blot, and its mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSIn normal breast tissue and benign lesions of the breast, Glut-1 was undetectable or only weakly detectable in cytoplasm of ductal and acinar epithelia. In contrast, the intensity of Glut-1 staining was significantly higher in invasive ductal carcinomas (P = 0.0002) with protein expression predominantly in cellular membrane and lesser in cytoplasm. Western blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that the expression of Glut-1 protein and mRNA were significantly increased in invasive ductal carcinoma than fibroadenoma (P =0.001 for protein; P <0.05 for mRNA) and adenosis (P =0.001 for protein; P < 0.05 for mRNA). There was a significant difference among groups (P = 0.0002 for protein; P = 0.0001 for mRNA).

CONCLUSIONSGlucose transport activity, as indicated by Glut-1 protein and its mRNA expression, significantly increases in breast carcinoma than non-cancerous lesions. The over-expression of Glut-1 in breast carcinoma is tightly coupled with tumor cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, implying that Glut-1 may serve as a new marker in the early diagnosis and prognostication of breast malignancy as well as a new therapeutic target.

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Glucose ; physiology ; Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glucose Transporter Type 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Prognosis

Objective To analyze the efficacy and safety of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy ( FSRT ) combined with temozolomide ( TMZ ) for large brain metastases ( BMs ) in a prospective phaseⅡclinical trial.Methods From 2010 to 2015, a total of 33 patients were enrolled as subjects.The median Karnofsky Performance Status scores before and after treatment were 70 and 80, respectively.The major primary tumor was non-small cell lung cancer (57.6%).The brain metastasis had a diameter of≥3 cm or a volume of ≥6 cm3 .The radiation dose was 52 Gy in 13 fractions or 52.2 Gy in 15 fractions.Patients received TMZ at a dose of 75 mg/m2 per day concurrently.The radiotherapy was followed by 6 cycles of adjuvant treatment with TMZ (150 mg/m2, days 1-5, 28 days per cycle).Patients were reexamined by magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) during the treatment.The radiation field would be shrunk if the gross target volume ( GTV) was reduced by≥20%.The treatment outcomes were evaluated by MRI at 2-3 months after treatment.Results The total numbers of tumors and GTVs were 95 and 38, respectively. Twenty-four (63%) out of the 38 GTVs had a volume larger than 10 cm3 and the median GTV was 15.3 cm3 (5.7-142.8 cm3).Twenty-two (67%) out of the 33 patients achieved field shrinking during the treatment, and the median reduction rate of GTV was 44%( 21%-88%) .The median total dose was 59.5 Gy, and 100%and 21.2%of patients completed the concurrent and adjuvant treatment with TMZ, respectively.In all patients, the overall response rate was 97.0%;the 1-year local control, intracranial progression-free
survival, and overall survival rates were 97%, 70%, and 62%, respectively;the median survival time was 15.3 months.The main adverse reactions were grade 1-2 nausea and vomiting.One patient got grade 3 liver function impairment.Conclusions FSRT combined with TMZ is a safe and effective approach for treating large BMs.More than 50%of patients can achieve field shrinking to shorten treatment duration and reduce toxicity.Clinical Trial Registry ClinicalTrials.gov,registration number:NCT02654106.