Interactions of thymic stromal lymphopoietin with interleukin-4 in adaptive immunity during keratitis.

Aim: To investigate the potential interactions of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) with interleukin-4 (IL-4) in adaptive immunity during fungal keratitis (FK).

Methods: An FK mouse model was induced with (AF) hyphal infection. Mice were divided into several groups: untreated, phosphate buffer saline (PBS), infected with AF, and pretreated with a scrambled siRNA, a TSLP-specific siRNA (TSLP siRNA), murine recombinant TSLP (rTSLP), immunoglobulin G (IgG), murine recombinant IFN (rIFN-γ), murine recombinant IL-4 (rIL-4), rIL-13, murine recombinant IL-17A (rIL-17A), and murine recombinant IL-17F (rIL-17F) groups.

Marital status is an independent prognostic factor for tracheal cancer patients: an analysis of the SEER database.

Background: Although marital status is an independent prognostic factor in many cancers, its prognostic impact on tracheal cancer has not yet been determined. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between marital status and survival in patients with tracheal cancer.

Results: Compared with unmarried patients (42.

Conservative management of empyema-complicated post-lobectomy bronchopleural fistulas: experience of consecutive 13 cases in 9 years.

Background: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is an infrequent but life-threatening complication after lung surgery. Tentative closure of the fistula and irrigation have been the conventional treatments, but are also surgically challenging and associated with a considerable failure rate. This study reports on a conservative practice of this difficult issue, in aim to examine its outcomes.

Prognostic analysis of the bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy of non-small cell lung cancers-10-year experiences of 161 patients.

Background: Bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy is technically demanding. Present study performed a prognostic analysis of lobectomy patient based on 10-year data in a high-volume center.

Methods: Overall, 161 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases underwent bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy between January 2004 and November 2013.

Primary tumour resection showed survival benefits for non-small-cell lung cancers with unexpected malignant pleural dissemination.

Objectives: Although non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural nodules is generally contraindicated for surgery, there is no consensus concerning on-site operative decisions for unexpected, intraoperatively encountered malignant pleural disseminations. The rationale underlying the primary tumour removal and other aggressive interventions remains controversial.

Methods: All surgical NSCLC cases (9576) of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2005 and December 2013 were reviewed.

Cardioprotective activity of placental growth factor in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction: nanoparticle-based delivery versus direct myocardial injection.

Background: To comparatively evaluate the cardioprotective activity of placental growth factor (PGF) delivered through direct injection and a nanoparticle-based system respectively and to study the underlying mechanisms in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based PGF-carrying nanoparticles (PGF-PLGANPs) were created. The mean size and morphology of particles were analyzed with particle size analyzer and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM).

Correlation between interleukin-6 and ammonia in patients with overt hepatic encephalopathy due to cirrhosis.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that elevated serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) correlate with the severity of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) in cirrhotic patients. However, the correlation between serum IL-6 levels and plasma ammonia levels in these patients remains unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated this correlation between both variables in cirrhotic patients with OHE.

[Relationship between the quantities of peripheral dendritic cells and of serum HBV DNA and the inflammatory reaction levels in the liver].

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the quantity of peripheral dendritic cell (DC) and of serum HBV DNA and the inflammatory level in chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: The myeloid DC (DC1) and plasmacytoid DC (DC2) in fresh peripheral blood were enumerated by using three-color flow cytometry in chronic hepatitis B patients and healthy donors. The hepatic inflammatory levels were evaluated by percutaneous liver biopsy.