miR-181a increases FoxO1 acetylation and promotes granulosa cell apoptosis via SIRT1 downregulation.

Oxidative stress impairs follicular development by inducing granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis, which involves enhancement of the transcriptional activity of the pro-apoptotic factor Forkhead box O1 (FoxO1). However, the mechanism by which oxidative stress promotes FoxO1 activity is still unclear. Here, we found that miR-181a was upregulated in hydrogen peroxide (

Identification of quality markers of Xiaojin Pills using a combination of high-performance liquid chromatographtandem mass spectrometry and multivariate analysis

Purpose: To establish an appropriate quality control method for Xiaojin pills using high-performance liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry combined with multivariate analysis.Methods: High-performance liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry was established to detect and quantify 13 chemical components of Xiaojin Pills. In order to evaluate the quality difference between diverse specimens of Xiaojin Pills, several multivariate statistical techniques were applied to analyze the dissimilarity between different batches of samples, including principal composition analysis method and clustering methodology.Results: Five chemical components were identified as primary quality markers, which can be used to accurately distinguish various samples and command the quality of Xiaojin Pills.Conclusion: The results afford a professionally scientific basis for the quality monitoring of Xiaojin Pills and also furnishes reasonable ideas and suggestions for the quality control of other traditional drugs.Keywords: Xiaojin Pills, HPLC-MS/MS, Quality control, Chemometrics, Quality marker

Prognostic implications of plasma fibrinogen and serum Creactive protein levels in non-small cell lung cancer resection and survival

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic implications of plasma fibrinogen and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in tumour resection and survival following successful tumour resection in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods: One hundred and fifty-three NSCLC patients who underwent surgical resection at a tertiary care hospital from January 2006 through December 2010 were enrolled. Pre-operative serum CRP and plasma fibrinogen levels were  measured. The levels of these biomarkers correlated with tumour size and pathologic TNM stage. The possibility of complete resection and associated findings are reported.Results: Plasma fibrinogen (r = 0.381, p = 0.002) and serum CRP (r = 0.471, p < 0.001) levels were positively associated with tumour diameter. Increased levels of these biomarkers were significantly associated with sex, smoking status, histological type, tumour stage, and clinical stage. Partial tumour resection occurred in 28 % (27/95) of patients with an increased plasma fibrinogen level compared to 10 % (6/58) with a normal fibrinogen level (p = 0.008), and in 30 % (29/97) of patients with an increased serum CRP level compared to 11 % (6/56) with a normal CRP level (p = 0.006). Patients with elevated CRP and fibrinogen concentrations demonstrated higher susceptibility to disease advancement andsurvival compared to patients with normal fibrinogen and CRP levels.Conclusion: Pre-operative functional concentrations of serum CRP and plasma fibrinogen could serve as indicators of tumour resectability wherein a high tumour resection rate is possible in patients with favourable pre-operative levels of these biomarkers. Increased concentrations of serum CRP and plasma fibrinogen are associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival.Key words: Plasma fibrinogen, serum C-reactive protein, biomarker, non-small cell lung cance

Involvement and therapeutic implications of airway epithelial barrier dysfunction in type 2 inflammation of asthma

Type 2 inflammation is a complex immune response and primary mechanism for several common allergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. It is the predominant type of immune response against helminths to prevent their tissue infiltration and induce their expulsion. Recent studies suggest that epithelial barrier dysfunction contributes to the development of type 2 inflammation in asthma, which may partly explain the increasing prevalence of asthma in China and around the globe. The epithelial barrier hypothesis has recently been proposed and has received great interest from the scientific community. The development of leaky epithelial barriers leads to microbial dysbiosis and the translocation of bacteria to inter- and sub-epithelial areas and the development of epithelial tissue inflammation. Accordingly, preventing the impairment and promoting the restoration of a deteriorated airway epithelial barrier represents a promising strategy for the treatment of asthma. This review introduces the interaction between type 2 inflammation and the airway epithelial barrier in asthma, the structure and molecular composition of the airway epithelial barrier, and the assessment of epithelial barrier integrity. The role of airway epithelial barrier disruption in the pathogenesis of asthma will be discussed. In addition, the possible mechanisms underlying the airway epithelial barrier dysfunction induced by allergens and environmental pollutants, and current treatments to restore the airway epithelial barrier are reviewed