CD4 T-Cell-Independent Antibody Response Reduces Enterovirus 71 Lethality in Mice by Decreasing Tissue Viral Loads

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has induced fatal encephalitis in hundreds of thousands of infants and young children in the Asia-Pacific region since the past decade. Lymphocyte and antibody responses have been suspected to aggravate EV71-induced neurological symptoms, so anti-inflammatory agents have been used to treat patients with neurological symptoms. In the present study, we found that mice deficient in CD4+ T cells were resistant to EV71 infection as wild-type mice, whereas mice deficient in B cells were highly susceptible to viral infection. Compensation of CD4 T-cell function by other immune cells was not likely, because wild-type mice depleted of CD4+ T cells were also resistant to viral infection. Infected CD4 T-cell-deficient mice produced virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, IgM and IgG. Moreover, adoptive transfer of the virus-specific antibody produced by infected CD4 T-cell-deficient mice protected B-cell-deficient mice from infection by reducing tissue viral loads. Collectively, our results show that the CD4 T-cell-independent antibody response promotes the survival of EV71-infected mice and suggest great potential for the use of vaccines and neutralizing antibodies to reduce fatal symptoms in patients

Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Induced Invasion and Angiogenesis of Human Basal Cell Carcinoma Cells by Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are associated with invasion, angiogenesis, and poor prognosis in many human cancers. However, the role of TAMs in human basal cell carcinoma (BCC) remains elusive. We found that the number of TAMs infiltrating the tumor is correlated with the depth of invasion, microvessel density, and COX-2 expression in human BCC cells. TAMs also aggregate near COX-2 expressing BCC tumor nests. We hypothesize that TAMs might activate COX-2 in BCC cells and subsequently increase their invasion and angiogenesis. TAMs are a kind of M2 macrophage derived from macrophages exposed to Th2 cytokines. M2-polarized macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes were cocultured with BCC cells without direct contact. Coculture with the M2 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent invasion and angiogenesis of BCC cells. Human THP-1 cell line cells, after treated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), differentiated to macrophages with M2 functional profiles. Coculture with PMA-treated THP-1 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent release of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and subsequent increased invasion of BCC cells. Macrophages also induced COX-2-dependent secretion of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor-A, and increased angiogenesis in BCC cells

Dual Targeting of 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase and Histone Deacetylase as a Therapy for Colorectal Cancer

AbstractStatins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (HMGR) inhibitors decreasing serum cholesterol and have shown promise in cancer prevention. In this study, we demonstrated the oncogenic role of HMGR in colorectal cancer (CRC) by disclosing increased HMGR activity in CRC patients and its enhancement of anti-apoptosis and stemness. Our previous studies showed that statins containing carboxylic acid chains possessed activity against histone deacetylases (HDACs), and strengthened their anti-HDAC activity through designing HMGR-HDAC dual inhibitors, JMF compounds. These compounds exerted anti-cancer effect in CRC cells as well as in AOM-DSS and ApcMin/+ CRC mouse models. JMF mostly regulated the genes related to apoptosis and inflammation through genome-wide ChIP-on-chip analysis, and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) predicted their respective regulation by NR3C1 and NF-κB. Furthermore, JMF inhibited metastasis, angiogenesis and cancer stemness, and potentiated the effect of oxaliplatin in CRC mouse models. Dual HMGR-HDAC inhibitor could be a potential treatment for CRC

Seminar Report From the 2014 Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TSIBD) Spring Forum (May 24th, 2014): Crohn's Disease Versus Intestinal Tuberculosis Infection

Since Taiwan is an endemic area for tuberculosis (TB), differential diagnosis between the intestinal TB and Crohn's disease is an important issue. The steering committee of Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TSIBD) has arranged a seminar accordingly on May 24th, 2014 and the different point of views by gastroenterologist, radiologist, pathologist and infectious disease specialist were suggested to help the proper diagnosis and management of these two diseases