The incidence and mortality of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are still very high, but stem cells show some promise for its treatment. Here we found that intratracheal administration of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) significantly improved survival and attenuated the lung inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mice. We also used the proteins-chip and bioinformatics to analyze interactions between UC-MSCs treatment and immune-response alternations of ALI mice. Then we demonstrated that UC-MSCs could inhibit the inflammatory response of mouse macrophage in ALI mice, as well as enhance its IL-10 expression. We provide data to support the concept that the therapeutic capacity of UC-MSCs for ALI was primarily through paracrine secretion, particularly of prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2). Furthermore, we showed that UC-MSCs might secrete a panel of factors including GM-CSF, IL-6 and IL-13 to ameliorate ALI. Our study suggested that UC-MSCs could protect LPS-induced ALI model by immune regulation and paracrine factors, indicating that UC-MSCs should be a promising strategy for ALI/ARDS.
A licensed vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is unavailable, and passive prophylaxis with the antibody palivizumab is restricted to high-risk infants. Recently isolated antibodies 5C4 and D25 are substantially more potent than palivizumab, and a derivative of D25 is in clinical trials. Here we show that unlike D25, 5C4 preferentially neutralizes subtype A viruses. The crystal structure of 5C4 bound to the RSV fusion (F) protein reveals that the overall binding mode of 5C4 is similar to that of D25, but their angles of approach are substantially different. Mutagenesis and virological studies demonstrate that RSV F residue 201 is largely responsible for the subtype specificity of 5C4. These results improve our understanding of subtype-specific immunity and the neutralization breadth requirements of next-generation antibodies, and thereby contribute to the design of broadly protective RSV vaccines.
Secondary thrombocytosis (ST) is frequently observed in children with a variety of clinical conditions. The leading cause of ST is respiratory tract infection (RTI) in children. Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples were collected and assessed for common respiratory viruses. The relationships between virus infections and secondary thrombocytosis were analyzed retrospectively. The blood platelet count and the presence of respiratory viruses were determined for 3156 RTI patients, and 817 (25.9%) cases with platelet ≥500 × 109/L were considered as the thrombocytosis group. Compared with the normal group, the detection rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (HRV) were significantly higher in the thrombocytosis group (P = 0.017 and 0.042, respectively). HRV single infection was a risk factor associated with thrombocytosis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.560, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.108–2.197]. Furthermore, ST was more likely to occur in younger patients who had clinical manifestations of wheezing and dyspnea and who had been diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Furthermore, the course of disease lasted longer in these patients. ST is associated with viral respiratory tract infections, especially RSV and HRV infections. HRV single infection is a risk factor associated with thrombocytosis.
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