: CD4 cell count declines were dependent on CD4 strata and can inform timing of clinic visits and treatment initiation in South Africa. Incidence rates of OIs suggest that targeted OI prophylaxis could prevent substantial HIV-related morbidity in South Africa.

Micro-RNAs typically function at the level of post-transcriptional gene silencing within the cytoplasm; however increasing evidence suggests that they may also function in nuclear, Argonaut containing complexes, to directly repress target gene transcription. We have investigated the role of micro-RNAs in mediating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses. ER stress triggers the activation of three signaling molecules: Ire-1α/β, PERK and ATF6 whose function is to facilitate adaption to the ensuing stress. We demonstrate that PERK induces miR-211, which in turn attenuates stress-dependent expression of the pro-apoptotic transcription factor chop/gadd153. MiR-211 directly targets the proximal chop/gadd153 promoter where it increases histone methylation and represses chop expression. Maximal chop accumulation ultimately correlates with miR-211 down regulation. Our data suggests a model where PERK-dependent miR-211 induction prevents premature chop accumulation and thereby provides a window of opportunity for the cell to re-establish homeostasis prior to apoptotic commitment.

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This study characterized body temperature (Tb), locomotor activity (Act), and feeding behavior under normal conditions and following injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or inoculation with live influenza virus of transgenic C57/black mice deficient in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). Tb and Act in freely moving mice were measured by biotelemetry. Mice deficient in IL-1 beta had normal circadian rhythm of Tb but were less active than their control counterparts. Mice injected with LPS (2.5 mg/kg i.p.) responded with a prompt decrease of Tb, which lasted approximately 10 h, followed by a fever in which Tb reached a peak at approximately 24 h postinjection. There was no difference between groups in the early drop of Tb after the LPS; however, the 24-h peak of Tb was lower in IL-1 beta-deficient mice. The anorexic effects of LPS and influenza infection were similar in both groups of mice. In mice given influenza virus (17.5 plaque-forming units, median lethal dose), Tb and Act gradually decreased. The fall of Tb was smaller in the transgenic mice. The mice deficient in IL-1 beta displayed a higher mortality rate due to influenza infection than the control mice. We conclude that deficiency in IL-1 beta results in lower fever following the LPS injection and in impairment of the defense response to infection with influenza.

Objective-Regional tidal lung strain may trigger local inflammation during mechanical ventilation, particularly when additional inflammatory stimuli are present. However, it is unclear whether inflammation develops proportionally to tidal strain or only above a threshold. We aimed to: (1) assess the relationship between regional tidal strain and local inflammation in vivo during the early stages of lung injury in lungs with regional aeration heterogeneity comparable to that of humans; and (2) determine how this strain-inflammation relationship is affected by endotoxemia. Design-Interventional animal study.Setting-Experimental laboratory and positron emission tomography (PET) facility. Subjects-Eighteen 2-4-month-old sheep.Interventions-Three groups of sheep (n=6) were mechanically ventilated to the same plateau pressure (30-32 cmH 2 O) with High-Strain (V T =18.2±6.5 ml/kg, PEEP=0), High-Strain plus intravenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (V T =18.4±4.2 ml/kg, PEEP=0), or Low-Strain plus LPS (V T =8.1±0.2 ml/kg, PEEP=17±3 cmH 2 O). At baseline, we acquired respiratory-gated PET scans Conclusions-Local inflammation develops proportionally to regional tidal strain during early lung injury. The regional inflammatory effect of strain is greatly amplified by intravenous LPS. Tidal strain enhances local 18 F-FDG uptake primarily by increasing the rate of intracellular 18 F-FDG phosphorylation.

BackgroundAdult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by neutrophilia and NLRP3 inflammasome and macrophage activation. We investigated the role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the pathogenesis of AOSD, and explored the effect of NETs on activating NLRP3 inflammasome and proinflammatory macrophages.MethodsThe sera of 73 AOSD patients and 40 healthy controls were used to detect the level of cell-free DNA and NET-DNA complexes. NET formation ex vivo was analyzed using immunofluorescence and flow plates. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in THP-1 cells and proinflammatory macrophages stimulated with DNA purified from NETs was measured using RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blotting and flow cytometry.ResultsThe levels of cell-free DNA and NET-DNA complexes were significantly increased in the circulation of patients with AOSD compared with healthy controls, and freshly isolated neutrophils from patients with AOSD were predisposed to high levels of spontaneous NET release. Interestingly, enhanced NET release was abrogated with NADPH oxidase inhibitors and a mitochondrial scavenger. Furthermore, DNA purified from AOSD NETs activated NLRP3 inflammasomes. NET DNA from AOSD also exerted a potent capacity to accelerate the activation of CD68+CD86+ macrophages and increased the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Finally, the copy number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in NETs and plasma was significantly increased in AOSD patients, suggesting that mtDNA may be involved in the activation of NLRP3 and inflammatory macrophages.ConclusionsThese findings implicate accelerated NET formation in AOSD pathogenesis through activation of NLRP3 and proinflammatory macrophages, and identify a novel link between neutrophils and macrophages by NET formation in AOSD.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13075-018-1800-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PURPOSE Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a rare hereditary cancer syndrome associated with germline mutations in the TP53 gene. While sarcomas, brain tumors, leukemias, breast and adrenal cortical carcinomas are typically recognized as LFS- associated tumors, the occurrence of gastrointestinal neoplasms has not been fully evaluated. In this analysis, we investigated the frequency and characteristics of gastric cancer (GC) in LFS. METHODS Pedigrees and medical records of 62 TP53 mutation-positive families were retrospectively reviewed from the Dana-Farber/National Cancer Institute LFS registry. We identified subjects with GC documented either by pathology report or death certificate, and performed pathology review of the available specimens. RESULTS Among 62 TP53 mutation-positive families, there were 429 cancer-affected individuals. GC was the diagnosis in the lineages of 21 (4.9%) subjects from 14 families (22.6%). The mean and median ages at GC diagnosis were 43 and 36 years, respectively (range 24-74 years), significantly younger compared to the median age at diagnosis in the general population based on SEER data (71 years). Five (8.1%) families reported 2 or more cases of GC and 6 (9.7%) families had cases of both colorectal and gastric cancers. No association was seen between phenotype and type/location of the TP53 mutations. Pathology review of the available tumors revealed both intestinal and diffuse histologies. CONCLUSIONS Early-onset GC appears to be a component of LFS, suggesting the need for early and regular endoscopic screening in individuals with germline TP53 mutations, particularly among those with a family history of GC.

Anti-PS/PT antibody assays demonstrated high diagnostic performance for Chinese patients with APS, detected some APS patients negative for criteria markers and may serve as potential risk predictors for venous thrombosis and obstetric complications.