Efficacy of inducible protein 10 as a biomarker for the diagnosis of tuberculosis

SummaryObjectiveThis study evaluated inducible protein 10 (IP-10) as a diagnostic biomarker for specific tuberculosis (TB) infection and evaluated the ability of IP-10 to distinguish between active TB and latent TB infection (LTBI).MethodsForty-six patients with active pulmonary TB, 22 participants with LTBI, and 32 non-TB controls were enrolled separately. We measured IP-10 in serum and in supernatants from whole blood stimulated with TB-specific antigens.ResultsTB antigen-dependent IP-10 secretion was significantly increased in the active TB patients and LTBI subjects compared with controls, but did not differ significantly between the active TB patients and LTBI subjects. Serum IP-10 levels were higher in active TB than in LTBI (174.9 vs. 102.7pg/ml, p=0.002). The respective rates of positive responders of TB antigen-dependent IP-10 were 97.8%, 90.9%, and 12.5% in active TB, LTBI, and non-TB controls, respectively. For serum IP-10, 87.5%, 45.5%, and 9.5% of responders were positive in the respective groups.ConclusionsThe IP-10 response to TB antigen may constitute a specific biomarker for TB infection, but does not by itself distinguish between active TB and LTBI. Serum IP-10 may enhance the diagnostic performance when used in combination with another marker

Effects of Murine Dermal Cells on the Regulation of Hair Growth Is Dependent on the Cell Number and Post-Natal Age of Newborn Mice

Dermal cells from neonatal mice can initiate the formation of hair follicles (HFs) when combined with adult mouse epidermal cells and transplanted subcutaneously into athymic mice. In the present study, the effects of dermal cells on HF formation were tested in terms of total cell number and the time course of cell harvest. Results demonstrated that the number of dermal cells is critical to the formation of HF. Furthermore, hair forming ability is rapidly decreasing as the neonatal mice age. To examine potential differences in gene expression, cDNA array was performed. Results demonstrate that numerous molecules which are directly involved in receptor and signaling correlated with decreased hair inductivity in early time points after delivery. It is reported that bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-6 and Wnt3a treatment increased hair inductivity of dermal papilla cells. But in our study, no changes were observed in the expression levels of BMP-6 and Wnt3a. However, several Wnt related genes demonstrate increased or decreased expression levels. Thus, our results suggest that co-ordinated regulation of these molecules will be important in hair neogenesis within our model system

Evaluation of Phage Display Discovered Peptides as Ligands for Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)

The aim of this study was to identify potential ligands of PSMA suitable for further development as novel PSMA-targeted peptides using phage display technology. The human PSMA protein was immobilized as a target followed by incubation with a 15-mer phage display random peptide library. After one round of prescreening and two rounds of screening, high-stringency screening at the third round of panning was performed to identify the highest affinity binders. Phages which had a specific binding activity to PSMA in human prostate cancer cells were isolated and the DNA corresponding to the 15-mers were sequenced to provide three consensus sequences: GDHSPFT, SHFSVGS and EVPRLSLLAVFL as well as other sequences that did not display consensus. Two of the peptide sequences deduced from DNA sequencing of binding phages, SHSFSVGSGDHSPFT and GRFLTGGTGRLLRIS were labeled with 5-carboxyfluorescein and shown to bind and co-internalize with PSMA on human prostate cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy. The high stringency requirements yielded peptides with affinities KD∼1 μM or greater which are suitable starting points for affinity maturation. While these values were less than anticipated, the high stringency did yield peptide sequences that apparently bound to different surfaces on PSMA. These peptide sequences could be the basis for further development of peptides for prostate cancer tumor imaging and therapy. © 2013 Shen et al

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Cancer Pain Assessment Tool (KCPAT)

The Korean Cancer Pain Assessment Tool (KCPAT), which was developed in 2003, consists of questions concerning the location of pain, the nature of pain, the present pain intensity, the symptoms associated with the pain, and psychosocial/spiritual pain assessments. This study was carried out to evaluate the reliability and validity of the KCPAT. A stratified, proportional-quota, clustered, systematic sampling procedure was used. The study population (903 cancer patients) was 1% of the target population (90,252 cancer patients). A total of 314 (34.8%) questionnaires were collected. The results showed that the average pain score (5 point on Likert scale) according to the cancer type and the at-present average pain score (VAS, 0-10) were correlated (r=0.56, p<0.0001), and showed moderate agreement (kappa=0.364). The mean satisfaction score was 3.8 (1-5). The average time to complete the questionnaire was 8.9 min. In conclusion, the KCPAT is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing cancer pain in Koreans

Serum immunoglobulin fused interferon-α inhibited tumor growth in athymic mice bearing colon 26 adenocarcinoma cells

Interferon (IFN) has therapeutic potential for a wide range of infectious and proliferative disorders. However, the half-life of IFN is too short to have a stable therapeutic effect. To overcome this problem, serum immunoglobulin has been fused to IFN. In this study, the efficacy of serum immunoglobulin fused INFs (si-IFN1 and si-IFN2) was evaluated on athymic mice bearing colon 26 adenocarcinoma cells. Seven days after the implantation of tumor cells, each group of mice was injected once a week with si-IFN1 and si-IFN2 at two different concentrations (10 × : 30 µg/kg and 50 × : 150 µg/kg). A slight anti-tumoral effect was observed in all 10 × groups compared to the control. In the 50 × groups, however, si-IFN1 and si-IFN2 showed significant anti- tumoral effects compared to the control. To gain more information on the mechanisms associated with the decrease of tumor size, a Western blot assay of apoptosis-related molecules was performed. The protein expression of cytochrome c, caspase 9, 6, and 3 were increased by si-IFN1 and si-IFN2. These 2 IFNs also increased the expressions of p53, p21, Bax and Bad. Interestingly, si-IFN1 and si-IFN2 decreased the expression of VEGF-β. Taken together, serum immunoglobulin fused IFNs increased therapeutic efficacy under current experimental condition

Retropharyngeal abscess coinfected with and after rhinoviral infection in a 1-month-old infant

A retropharyngeal abscess is a rare disease entity in young infants but can develop after nasopharyngeal viral infection. Group B Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus are the most common pathogens in young infants, however, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is very rare. We report the case of retropharyngeal abscess and coinfection with S. aureus and M. tuberculosis in a very young infant presenting with respiratory symptoms due to upper airway obstruction. Usually tuberculous retropharyngeal abscesses are caused by the direct invasion of the bacteria from the spine via anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. However, in this case, no associated spinal disease was observed

Optimising the management of dysplastic lesions in the oesophagus with photodynamic therapy

The outcome of patients suffering from adeno and squamous carcinoma of the oesophagus remains poor. In the west, the incidence of adenocarcinoma has increased dramatically, with most cases occurring in association with Barrett's oesophagus (BE). Both adeno and squamous carcinoma are believed to progress through worsening degrees of dysplasia. This thesis assesses the role of Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy (ESS) as an objective diagnostic test for dysplasia and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) as a less invasive treatment option. It also looks for a better understanding of the factors influencing mucosal healing after PDT. Using ESS, the sensitivity and specificity was 83% for distinguishing HGD/cancer from LGD/non dysplastic BE. Low dose ALA (30mg/kg) PDT eradicated 38% of HGD in BE compared with 67% eradication with a higher dose (60mg/kg). The higher dose also decreased the length of BE. In a study comparing red with green light (fixed light doses) for treating HGD, at 30 mg/kg ALA, 63% and 13 % of patients were clear of HGD with red and green laser respectively. At 60 mg/kg, the corresponding figures were 78% and 33% for the same light dose. 5 of 5 patients with LGD in BE and 4 of 5 patients with HGD in squamous mucosa had their dysplasia eradicated with ALA PDT. Successful PDT involves healing by regeneration of normal squamous mucosa. My in vitro studies created a PDT wound model using malignant oesophageal cell lines to assess the role of different cytokines in healing. Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF) was found to promote wound healing after PDT and significantly encouraged (p 0.001) the development of squamous cell lines. In conclusion: 1. ESS can differentiate dysplasia and early cancer from non-dysplastic and normal mucosa (sensitivity and specificity 83%). 2. PDT using high dose (60mg/kg) ALA (but not low dose) is effective in eradicating HGD in BE using red light. 3. The cytokine, KGF may promote healing with squamous mucosa after PDT. 4. Larger scale clinical trials are now required to confirm these results

Guidelines for Tailored Chemical Functionalization of Graphene

Graphene oxide (GO) has been synthesized by the Hummers method with modification of experimental condition by different research groups, but there is no guideline to prepare tailored GO for targeted applications. In this research, we suggest a guideline for tailor-fittable functionalization of graphene on the basis of the scope of our previous report on the two-step oxidation of GO. We describe a detailed procedure for synthesis of GO, effects of degree of step I oxidation on characteristics of GO and comparing them with effects of degree of step II oxidation. Characteristic changes of GO occurring during step I oxidation and those occurring during step II oxidation are different in species of oxygen functional groups, interlayer spacing, thermal stability, size distribution, and yield of GO. On the basis of the results, three types of tailor-fitted GO for a fiber, transparent conducting film, and hydrogen storage material are synthesized by controlling the degree of step I and step II oxidation. Compared to the reference GO synthesized by conventional modified Hummers method, the tailor-fitted GO showed 33.5%, 117%, and 104% enhanced performance in strength of the fiber, figure of merits of transparent conducting film, and hydrogen storage, respectively. Our results show that the performance of GO based application is significantly influenced by the synthesis condition of GO, and optimized performance of the applications can be obtained by the tailor-fitted functionalization of GO. We anticipate that this study would be helpful for a variety of researches, both synthesis and application of GO

A Case of Acute Hepatitis with Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection and Transient Depression of Multiple Coagulation Factors

We report a case of acute severe hepatitis with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection and transient depression of multiple coagulation factors. A 5-year-old boy, previously healthy, was admitted with pneumonia. M. pneumoniae infection was confirmed by serology testing. Liver enzymes were elevated on admission without any past medical history. After treatment with azithromycin for 3 days, pneumonia improved, but the hepatitis was acutely aggravated. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was prolonged and depression of multiple coagulation factors developed. Liver biopsy revealed features consistent with acute hepatitis. A week later, liver enzymes were nearly normalized spontaneously. Normalization of prolonged PTT and coagulation factors were also observed several months later. This may be the first case of transient depression of multiple coagulation factors associated with M. pneumoniae infection