Human papillomavirus (HPV) can activate Toll-like receptor (TLR)/nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathways; however, whether the TLR/NO pathway is involved in cervical cancer caused by high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) remains unclear. In this study, 43 HR-HPV-positive patients with cervical cancer (CC group), 39 HR-HPV-positive patients with a healthy cervix (HR-HPV group), and 33 HR-HPV-negative controls were recruited. NO concentration in cervical canal and expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in cervical tissues were detected. Expressions of key TLR/NO pathway genes (TLR3/4/7/8, NF-κB p65, and iNOS) in cervical epithelial cells were detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, and iNOS in CaSki, HeLa, and C33a cells were determined by Western blot. NO concentration in cervical canal of CC group was significantly higher than in other groups (P < 0.05). Positive rates of iNOS in cervical tissues were 72.1%, 28.2%, and 3.1% in the CC group, HR-HPV group, and controls, respectively (P < 0.05). Levels of TLR3, TLR4, TLR7, TLR8, NF-κB p65, and iNOS in cervical epithelial cells were higher in CC group than in other groups (P < 0.05). Both mRNA and protein levels of TLR4, NF-κB p65, and iNOS were higher in HPV-positive HeLa and CaSki cells than in HPV-negative C33a cells (P < 0.05). Together, these results suggest that TLR/NO signaling pathway may be involved in pathogenesis of cervical cancer caused by HR-HPV.
Objective
To study the value of serum soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST) in early diagnosis of sepsis.
Methods
Seventy-two patients were diagnosed with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, or septic shock. Peripheral blood was collected at 0, 12, 24, and 48 hours after admission to the hospital. Levels of sCD14-ST, procalcitonin (PCT), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cells (WBC) were determined.
Results
Levels of sCD14-ST in the patients with septic shock were higher than those in the other patients (P < .01) and peaked at 48 h. PCT and CRP levels were similar in the patients at admission but increased by 5 times to 10 times in the next 48 h, especially in the patients with septic shock. WBC levels remained high and did not change dramatically. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity values of sCD14-ST to diagnose sepsis were much higher than those of the other markers.
Conclusion
Compared with PCT, CRP, and WBC, sCD14-ST is a better biomarker for the early diagnosis of sepsis.
The expression of XB130 is associated with invasion and migration of many tumor cells, but its roles in human colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown. To investigate this, protein expression levels of XB130 in numerous human CRC cell lines were compared with a normal colorectal mucosa cell line by western blotting. Knockdown of XB130 using small interfering (si)RNA was performed to assess the effects on cell invasion and migration in a Transwell assay and a scratch test. Western blotting was also used to quantify the levels of proteins associated with epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), including E‑cadherin, vimentin, phosphorylated (p)‑protein kinase B (AKT), p‑forkhead homeobox type O 3a (FOXO3a) and zinc finger E‑box‑binding homeobox 1 (ZEB‑1). The relative expression of XB130 protein was significantly higher in CRC cells compared with control cells (P<0.01). Knockdown of XB130 using siRNA significantly decreased the invasive and migratory responses of CRC cells (P<0.01). In addition, levels of E‑cadherin were increased, while vimentin, p‑AKT, p‑FOXO3a and ZEB‑1 were decreased (P<0.01). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the expression of XB130 is elevated in CRC cells. Loss of XB130 was associated with decreased invasion and migration of CRC cells, possibly as a result of EMT inhibition. Thus, upregulation of XB130 may underlie some of the tumorigenic events observed in human CRCs. XB130 may be a promising target for CRC therapy in humans; further mechanistic studies exploring the function of XB130 in CRC cells are warranted.
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