Objectives The cellular repressor of E1A-activated genes (CREG), a novel gene, was recently found to play a role in inhibiting cell growth and promoting cell differentiation. The purpose of this study was to obtain an...Objectives The cellular repressor of E1A-activated genes (CREG), a novel gene, was recently found to play a role in inhibiting cell growth and promoting cell differentiation. The purpose of this study was to obtain antibody against CREG protein and to study the expression of CREG protein in human internal thoracic artery cells (HITASY) which express different patterns of differentiation markers after serum withdrawal. Methods The open reading frame of CREG gene sequence was amplified by PCR and cloned into the pGEX-4T-1 vector. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-CREG fusion protein was expressed in E. Coli BL21 and purified from inclusion bodies by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography. Rabbits were immunized with the purified GST-CREG protein. Western blot examined with immunohistochemistry staining and the protein expression level was analyzed by Western blot in HITASY cells after serum removal. Results It was confirmed by using endonuclease digesting and DNA sequencing that the PCR product of CREG was correctly inserted into the vector. The GST-CREG protein was purified with gel filtration chromatography. Polyclonal antibody against GST-CREG was obtained from rabbits. CREG protein immunohistochemistry staining displayed a perinuclear distribution in the cytoplasm of HITASY cells. Results from Western blot suggested that comparing with the untreated cells upregulation of CREG polyclonal antibody against CREG was comfirmed. Using this antibody, the changes of CREG protein expression was observed in the process of phenotypic modulation of HITASY cells. These results provide basic understanding on the relationship of CREG gene with the cell phenotypic conversion.展开更多
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the United States killing over 130,000 people each year. While a combination of chemo and radiation therapy may be effective, surgery is still required for m...Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the United States killing over 130,000 people each year. While a combination of chemo and radiation therapy may be effective, surgery is still required for many patients. Without surgery, the disease may progress and lead to metastases. We sought to determine if treatment with anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody would inhibit movement of the cells in the presence and absence of glabridin (an isoflavonoid compound shown to inhibit cell migration by inhibiting myosin). We compared inhibition by glabridin to that of an anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody and a combination therapy of both at 12 and 24 hours post wound creation. Cells that took up the anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody were greatly inhibited in motility and exhibited no significant change in wound healing. Glabridin treatment resulted in a dramatic increase in wound size within 12 hours and regeneration within 24 hours. The greatest decrease in motility was observed in cells treated with the combination of both glabridin and anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody. By 24 hrs, cell migration had halted due to death of the cells resulting from this combination. Further testing needs to be done to determine a safe mode of delivery of the combination therapy to ensure only local distribution. Controlled release drug delivery depot systems have been used as a means to provide local release of drugs intra-tumorally or adjacent to the cancerous tissue after surgical resection and have great potential.展开更多
BACKGROUND There is a nationwide shortage of organs available for liver transplantation.Living donors help meet this growing demand.Not uncommonly,donors will have positive autoantibodies.However,it is unclear whether...BACKGROUND There is a nationwide shortage of organs available for liver transplantation.Living donors help meet this growing demand.Not uncommonly,donors will have positive autoantibodies.However,it is unclear whether donor positive autoantibodies are correlated with worse outcomes following living liver donor transplantations.AIM To analyze the significance of positive autoantibodies in donors on post-transplant outcomes in recipients.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of living liver donors who had undergone liver transplantation between January 1,2012 and August 31,2021.Demographic characteristics and pre-transplant data including antinuclear antibodies(ANA)and anti-smooth muscle antibody titers were collected in donors.Outcomes of interest were post-transplantation complications including mortality,biliary strictures,biliary leaks,infection,and rejection.Pediatric recipients and donors without measured pre-transplant autoantibody serologies were excluded from this study.RESULTS 172 living donor liver transplantations were performed during the study period,of which 115 patients met inclusion criteria.37(32%)living donors were autoantibody-positive with a median ANA titer of 1:160(range 1:80 to 1:1280)and median anti-SMA titer of 1:40(range 1:20 to 1:160).There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the autoantibody positive and negative donors.Post-transplantation rates of death(P value=1),infections(P value=0.66),and overall rates of complications(P value=0.52)were similar between the autoantibody positive and negative groups.Higher incidences of anastomotic strictures and rejection were observed in the autoantibody positive group;however,these differences were not statistically significant(P value=0.07 and P value=0.30 respectively).CONCLUSION Isolated pre-transplant autoantibody positivity is not correlated to worse post-transplant outcomes in living liver donor transplants.展开更多
BACKGROUND Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)is a serious disease that causes significant morbidity.PBC is confirmed with liver biopsy but autoantibodies are frequently used as proxies for diagnosis.The performance of a...BACKGROUND Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)is a serious disease that causes significant morbidity.PBC is confirmed with liver biopsy but autoantibodies are frequently used as proxies for diagnosis.The performance of autoantibodies for the diagnosis of PBC seems to vary widely across populations.AIM To assess the diagnostic performance of several autoantibodies for the diagnosis of PBC in Latin American individuals.METHODS We studied 85 female adult Colombians,43 cases with biopsy-confirmed PBC and 42 controls in whom a liver biopsy ruled out PBC.Plasma anti-mitochondrial antibodies(AMAs),anti-smooth muscle antibodies(ASMAs)and anti-nuclear antibodies(ANAs),as well as total immunoglobulin(Ig)M and IgG were determined using immunofluorescence or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in all study participants within 1 year of the biopsy.For all variables,values analyzed were those closest to the date of the biopsy.Patients with viral or alcoholic hepatitis were excluded.RESULTS Mean age at diagnosis was 58.7 years for cases and 56.9 years for controls,and the body mass index was lower among cases.Most cases received ursodeoxycholic acid,while most controls received vitamin E.Sjögren syndrome and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were the most frequent autoimmune comorbidities of PBC.The prevalence of AMA positivity among PBC cases was unexpectedly low.The sensitivity and specificity values were respectively 44.2%and 76.2%for AMA,74.4%and 38.1%for ANA,14.0%and 73.8%for ASMA,26.7%and 80.0%for IgG,and 57.1%and 85.7%for IgM.The combination of positive AMA plus positive IgM had 91%positive predictive value for PBC.Among AMA-negative cases,the most prevalent antibodies were ANA(87.5%).In all,62%of AMA-positive and 84.6%of IgM-positive individuals had fibrosis in their biopsy.CONCLUSION AMA positivity was very low among female Latin American patients with PBC.The performance of all antibodies was quite limited.These results highlight the urgent need for better PBC biomarkers.展开更多
AIM To determine how the auto-antibodies(Abs) profiles overlap in chronic hepatitis C infection(CHC) and autoimmune hepatitis(AIH) and correlate to liver disease.METHODS Levels of antinuclear Ab, smooth muscle antibod...AIM To determine how the auto-antibodies(Abs) profiles overlap in chronic hepatitis C infection(CHC) and autoimmune hepatitis(AIH) and correlate to liver disease.METHODS Levels of antinuclear Ab, smooth muscle antibody(SMA) and liver/kidney microsomal-1(LKM-1) Ab and markers of liver damage were determined in the sera of 50 patients with CHC infection, 20 AIH patients and 20 healthy controls using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and other immune assays. RESULTS We found that AIH patients had more severe liver disease as determined by elevation of total Ig G, alkaline phosphatase, total serum bilirubin and serum transaminases and significantly higher prevalence of the three non-organ-specific autoantibodies(auto-Abs) than CHC patients. Antinuclear Ab, SMA and LKM-1 Ab were also present in 36% of CHC patients and related to disease severity. CHC cases positive for auto-Abs were directly comparable to AIH in respect of most markers of liver damage and total Ig G. These cases had longer disease duration compared with auto-Ab negative cases, but there was no difference in gender, age or viral load. KLM-1+ Ab CHC cases showed best overlap with AIH. CONCLUSION Auto-Ab levels in CHC may be important markers of disease severity and positive cases have a disease similar to AIH. Auto-Abs might have a pathogenic role as indicated by elevated markers of liver damage. Future studies will unravel any novel associations between these two diseases, whether genetic or other.展开更多
BACKGROUND Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy is a rare autoimmune myopathy characterized by muscle weakness and elevated serum creatine kinase,with unique skeletal muscle pathology and magnetic resonance imaging fe...BACKGROUND Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy is a rare autoimmune myopathy characterized by muscle weakness and elevated serum creatine kinase,with unique skeletal muscle pathology and magnetic resonance imaging features.CASE SUMMARY In this paper,two patients are reported:One was positive for anti-signal recognition particle antibody,and the other was positive for anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase antibody.CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics and treatment of the two patients were analysed,and the literature was reviewed to improve the recognition,diagnosis,and treatment of this disease.展开更多
基金The work was supported by grant from The National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No.30070280)
文摘Objectives The cellular repressor of E1A-activated genes (CREG), a novel gene, was recently found to play a role in inhibiting cell growth and promoting cell differentiation. The purpose of this study was to obtain antibody against CREG protein and to study the expression of CREG protein in human internal thoracic artery cells (HITASY) which express different patterns of differentiation markers after serum withdrawal. Methods The open reading frame of CREG gene sequence was amplified by PCR and cloned into the pGEX-4T-1 vector. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-CREG fusion protein was expressed in E. Coli BL21 and purified from inclusion bodies by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography. Rabbits were immunized with the purified GST-CREG protein. Western blot examined with immunohistochemistry staining and the protein expression level was analyzed by Western blot in HITASY cells after serum removal. Results It was confirmed by using endonuclease digesting and DNA sequencing that the PCR product of CREG was correctly inserted into the vector. The GST-CREG protein was purified with gel filtration chromatography. Polyclonal antibody against GST-CREG was obtained from rabbits. CREG protein immunohistochemistry staining displayed a perinuclear distribution in the cytoplasm of HITASY cells. Results from Western blot suggested that comparing with the untreated cells upregulation of CREG polyclonal antibody against CREG was comfirmed. Using this antibody, the changes of CREG protein expression was observed in the process of phenotypic modulation of HITASY cells. These results provide basic understanding on the relationship of CREG gene with the cell phenotypic conversion.
文摘Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the United States killing over 130,000 people each year. While a combination of chemo and radiation therapy may be effective, surgery is still required for many patients. Without surgery, the disease may progress and lead to metastases. We sought to determine if treatment with anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody would inhibit movement of the cells in the presence and absence of glabridin (an isoflavonoid compound shown to inhibit cell migration by inhibiting myosin). We compared inhibition by glabridin to that of an anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody and a combination therapy of both at 12 and 24 hours post wound creation. Cells that took up the anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody were greatly inhibited in motility and exhibited no significant change in wound healing. Glabridin treatment resulted in a dramatic increase in wound size within 12 hours and regeneration within 24 hours. The greatest decrease in motility was observed in cells treated with the combination of both glabridin and anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody. By 24 hrs, cell migration had halted due to death of the cells resulting from this combination. Further testing needs to be done to determine a safe mode of delivery of the combination therapy to ensure only local distribution. Controlled release drug delivery depot systems have been used as a means to provide local release of drugs intra-tumorally or adjacent to the cancerous tissue after surgical resection and have great potential.
文摘BACKGROUND There is a nationwide shortage of organs available for liver transplantation.Living donors help meet this growing demand.Not uncommonly,donors will have positive autoantibodies.However,it is unclear whether donor positive autoantibodies are correlated with worse outcomes following living liver donor transplantations.AIM To analyze the significance of positive autoantibodies in donors on post-transplant outcomes in recipients.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of living liver donors who had undergone liver transplantation between January 1,2012 and August 31,2021.Demographic characteristics and pre-transplant data including antinuclear antibodies(ANA)and anti-smooth muscle antibody titers were collected in donors.Outcomes of interest were post-transplantation complications including mortality,biliary strictures,biliary leaks,infection,and rejection.Pediatric recipients and donors without measured pre-transplant autoantibody serologies were excluded from this study.RESULTS 172 living donor liver transplantations were performed during the study period,of which 115 patients met inclusion criteria.37(32%)living donors were autoantibody-positive with a median ANA titer of 1:160(range 1:80 to 1:1280)and median anti-SMA titer of 1:40(range 1:20 to 1:160).There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the autoantibody positive and negative donors.Post-transplantation rates of death(P value=1),infections(P value=0.66),and overall rates of complications(P value=0.52)were similar between the autoantibody positive and negative groups.Higher incidences of anastomotic strictures and rejection were observed in the autoantibody positive group;however,these differences were not statistically significant(P value=0.07 and P value=0.30 respectively).CONCLUSION Isolated pre-transplant autoantibody positivity is not correlated to worse post-transplant outcomes in living liver donor transplants.
文摘BACKGROUND Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)is a serious disease that causes significant morbidity.PBC is confirmed with liver biopsy but autoantibodies are frequently used as proxies for diagnosis.The performance of autoantibodies for the diagnosis of PBC seems to vary widely across populations.AIM To assess the diagnostic performance of several autoantibodies for the diagnosis of PBC in Latin American individuals.METHODS We studied 85 female adult Colombians,43 cases with biopsy-confirmed PBC and 42 controls in whom a liver biopsy ruled out PBC.Plasma anti-mitochondrial antibodies(AMAs),anti-smooth muscle antibodies(ASMAs)and anti-nuclear antibodies(ANAs),as well as total immunoglobulin(Ig)M and IgG were determined using immunofluorescence or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in all study participants within 1 year of the biopsy.For all variables,values analyzed were those closest to the date of the biopsy.Patients with viral or alcoholic hepatitis were excluded.RESULTS Mean age at diagnosis was 58.7 years for cases and 56.9 years for controls,and the body mass index was lower among cases.Most cases received ursodeoxycholic acid,while most controls received vitamin E.Sjögren syndrome and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were the most frequent autoimmune comorbidities of PBC.The prevalence of AMA positivity among PBC cases was unexpectedly low.The sensitivity and specificity values were respectively 44.2%and 76.2%for AMA,74.4%and 38.1%for ANA,14.0%and 73.8%for ASMA,26.7%and 80.0%for IgG,and 57.1%and 85.7%for IgM.The combination of positive AMA plus positive IgM had 91%positive predictive value for PBC.Among AMA-negative cases,the most prevalent antibodies were ANA(87.5%).In all,62%of AMA-positive and 84.6%of IgM-positive individuals had fibrosis in their biopsy.CONCLUSION AMA positivity was very low among female Latin American patients with PBC.The performance of all antibodies was quite limited.These results highlight the urgent need for better PBC biomarkers.
文摘AIM To determine how the auto-antibodies(Abs) profiles overlap in chronic hepatitis C infection(CHC) and autoimmune hepatitis(AIH) and correlate to liver disease.METHODS Levels of antinuclear Ab, smooth muscle antibody(SMA) and liver/kidney microsomal-1(LKM-1) Ab and markers of liver damage were determined in the sera of 50 patients with CHC infection, 20 AIH patients and 20 healthy controls using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and other immune assays. RESULTS We found that AIH patients had more severe liver disease as determined by elevation of total Ig G, alkaline phosphatase, total serum bilirubin and serum transaminases and significantly higher prevalence of the three non-organ-specific autoantibodies(auto-Abs) than CHC patients. Antinuclear Ab, SMA and LKM-1 Ab were also present in 36% of CHC patients and related to disease severity. CHC cases positive for auto-Abs were directly comparable to AIH in respect of most markers of liver damage and total Ig G. These cases had longer disease duration compared with auto-Ab negative cases, but there was no difference in gender, age or viral load. KLM-1+ Ab CHC cases showed best overlap with AIH. CONCLUSION Auto-Ab levels in CHC may be important markers of disease severity and positive cases have a disease similar to AIH. Auto-Abs might have a pathogenic role as indicated by elevated markers of liver damage. Future studies will unravel any novel associations between these two diseases, whether genetic or other.
文摘BACKGROUND Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy is a rare autoimmune myopathy characterized by muscle weakness and elevated serum creatine kinase,with unique skeletal muscle pathology and magnetic resonance imaging features.CASE SUMMARY In this paper,two patients are reported:One was positive for anti-signal recognition particle antibody,and the other was positive for anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase antibody.CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics and treatment of the two patients were analysed,and the literature was reviewed to improve the recognition,diagnosis,and treatment of this disease.
