New strategies for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. There is an increasing interest in using microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers in diseases. In this study, we examined the expression of miR-21 in serum exosomes from patients with HCC or chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and investigated the potential clinical significance of miR-21. Quantitative RT-PCR indicated that the concentration of miR-21 was significantly higher in exosomes than in exosome-depleted supernatants or the whole serum. Further, the expression level of serum exosomal miR-21 was significantly higher in patients with HCC than those with CHB or healthy volunteers (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, resp.). High level of miR-21 expression correlated with cirrhosis (P = 0.024) and advanced tumor stage (P = 0.001). Although serum level of miR-21 was higher in patients with HCC than in patients with CHB and healthy volunteers, the sensitivity of detection is much lower than using exosomal miR-21. These findings indicate that miR-21 is enriched in serum exosomes which provides increased sensitivity of detection than whole serum. Exosomal miR-21 may serve as a potential biomarker for HCC diagnosis.

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Pregnane X Receptor (PXR), a master regulator of drug metabolism and inflammation, is abundantly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract. Baicalein and its O-glucuronide baicalin are potent anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer herbal flavonoids that undergo a complex cycle of interconversion in the liver and gut. We sought to investigate the role these flavonoids play in inhibiting gut inflammation by an axis involving PXR and other potential factors. The consequences of PXR regulation and activation by the herbal flavonoids, baicalein and baicalin were evaluated in vitro in human colon carcinoma cells and in vivo using wild-type, Pxr-null, and humanized (hPXR) PXR mice. Baicalein, but not its glucuronidated metabolite baicalin, activates PXR in a Cdx2-dependent manner in vitro, in human colon carcinoma LS174T cells, and in the murine colon in vivo. While both flavonoids abrogate dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-mediated colon inflammation in vivo, oral delivery of a potent bacterial β-glucuronidase inhibitor eliminates baicalin’s effect on gastrointestinal inflammation by preventing the microbial conversion of baicalin to baicalien. Finally, reduction of gastrointestinal inflammation requires the binding of Cdx2 to a specific proximal site on the PXR promoter. Pharmacological targeting of intestinal PXR using natural metabolically labile ligands could serve as effective and potent therapeutics for gut inflammation that avert systemic drug interactions.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neuroinflammatory disease found mostly in young adults in the western world. Oxidative stress induced neuronal apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MS. In current study, astragaloside IV (ASI), a natural saponin molecule isolated from Astragalus membranceus, given at 20 mg/kg daily attenuated the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice significantly. Further studies disclosed that ASI treatment inhibited the increase of ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, down-regulation of SOD and GSH-Px activities, and elevation of iNOS, p53 and phosphorylated tau in central nervous system (CNS) as well as the leakage of BBB of EAE mice. Meanwhile, the decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was reversed by ASI. Moreover, ASI regulated T-cell differentiation and infiltration into CNS. In neuroblast SH-SY5Y cells, ASI dose-dependently reduced cellular ROS level and phosphorylation of tau in response to hydrogen peroxide challenge by modulation of Bcl-2/Bax ratio. ASI also inhibited activation of microglia both in vivo and in vitro. iNOS up-regulation induced by IFNγ stimulation was abolished by ASI dose-dependently in BV-2 cells. In summary, ASI prevented the severity of EAE progression possibly by counterbalancing oxidative stress and its effects via reduction of cellular ROS level, enhancement of antioxidant defense system, increase of anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory pathways, as well as modulation of T-cell differentiation and infiltration into CNS. The study suggested ASI may be effective for clinical therapy/prevention of MS.

Dendritic epidermal T cells (DETC) are a group of immune cells expressing canonical γδ TCR in the murine epidermis. Similar to γδ T cells in the human epidermis, DETC serve an important barrier cell in the skin and participate in skin immune surveillance, immune regulation, skin homeostasis, tissue protection, and other activities. Since its discovery in 1983, research on DETC has grown rapidly and unevenly. To evaluate DETC research trends and map the DETC knowledge structure, we have applied bibliometric methods and techniques. A total of 384 DETC-related articles obtained from the Scopus database published between 1983 and 2019 were analyzed using indicators of publication and citation metrics, country and international cooperation, author and co-authorship, and keyword co-occurrence cluster. The present research status, the emerging global trends and the future development direction are also visualized and discussed. In summary, this study provides novel and useful data for the DETC research scientific community, and will help researchers explore DETC more intuitively and effectively.

Background: Respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can cause asthma exacerbations and bronchiolitis. Both conditions are associated with enhanced cognate immune responses and inflammation and reduced immune regulation. Lung epithelial cells (LECs) can contribute to antiviral and allergic immune responses while gut epithelial cells can inhibit effector T cell responses. A study was performed to determine whether healthy LECs regulate antigen-specific T cell responses and if this regulation is lost during RSV infection. Methods: LA4 cells, a murine LEC line, infected with RSV or primary murine LECs were co-cultured with ovalbuminspecific T cell receptor transgenic CD4+ T cells from DO11.10 mice and ovalbumin-pulsed bone marrowderived dendritic cells (DC) to assess T cell proliferation by flow cytometry and cytokine production. Results: The presence of LECs abrogated DC-induced T cell proliferation and significantly reduced T cell cytokine release. These effects of LECs were predominantly contact-dependent, primarily affected T cells directly and were partly mediated by transforming growth factor b. Soluble factors and DC-mediated effects also contributed to T cell inhibition. RSV infection of LECs reduced their inhibitory capacity in an infection dose-dependent manner. This was independent of proinflammatory cytokines released by infected LECs, but in part due to Toll-like receptor activation and to infection-induced cell death. Conclusion: Healthy LECs are potent inhibitors of T cell activation, but this regulatory function is lost after RSV infection. These findings suggest a central role for LECs in maintaining the tolerogenic environment of healthy lungs. Loss of this regulatory capacity after viral infection may allow development of excessive cognate immune responses and pulmonary inflammation.

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors including programmed death-1 inhibitors are promising agents for many types of malignancies; however, it is still an off-label choice for type B3 thymoma. We reported for the first time a patient with type B3 thymoma developed fatal myocarditis and rhabdomyolysis after one dose of nivolumab administration. The results from myocardial and muscle biopsies revealed extensive myocyte damage, T-lymphocytic infiltration and strongly expression of PD-L1 which confirmed the nivolumab-related immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The blood tests showed elevated levels of serum AChR-binding antibody and inflammatory cytokines, in addition abnormal lymphocyte subsets were noted. Our report suggested that administration of nivolumab in type B3 thymoma could cause rare but fatal myocarditis and rhabdomyolysis, over-expressed AChR-binding antibody and inflammatory cytokines may be potential biomarkers for irAEs.