Role of Immune Cells and Non-immune Cells with Immune Functions in the Pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS

This review outlines the effects of different types of cells with immune function on acute lung injury(ALI)inflammation and the regulation of inflammatory responses between these cells via cell-cell interactions.It is expected to provide some possible strategies for the research and treatment of ALI and acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).

INFLUENCE OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE ON HYPERTENSION VASCULAR DEMENTIA AND ITS RED CELL IMMUNE FUNCTION IN THE RAT

Objective: To probe into the effect of electroacupuncture (EA)on vascular dementia and red cell immune function in the rat. Methods: 30 SD rats were made into renal hypertension rats(RHR) by clamping the kidney arteries with silver clip. 42 days later, their bilateral common carotid arteries were blocked repeatedly to cause cerebral ischemia. The Hypertension vascular dementia model was then set up. Then they were randomly divided into VD model group, EA groupand medication group (Dihydroergotoxine, DHET), with 10 cases in each group. The therapeutic course was 28 days. The ability of learning and memory was using an obs erved by water maze, and the function of red blood cell immune was detected after treatment. Results: the latecy of the EA group and medication group was shorter than that of model group (P<0.05, P<0.005), and that of EA group was shorter than medication group (P<0.05, P<0.005). EA and medication could increase the RBCC 3b receptor flower circle rate and reduce the RBCIC flower circle rate significantly(P<0.05, P< 0.01). Conclusion: The results indicated that EA therapy could raise the ability of learning and memory and improve the function of red cell immune in VD rats, while the therapeutic effect of EAis better than DHET.

Critical analysis of the effects of proton pump inhibitors on inflammatory bowel disease:An updated review

This letter critically evaluates the effects of proton pump inhibitors(PPIs)on inflammatory bowel disease,particularly focusing on Crohn's disease(CD)and ulcerative colitis(UC),as discussed in Liang et al’s recent review.While the review provides significant insights,it relies heavily on cross-sectional and observational studies,which limits the ability to draw causal inferences.The heterogeneous study populations and inconsistent definitions of long-term PPI use further complicate the findings.This letter also highlights the need for rigorous control of confounding factors and considers the potential publication bias in the existing literature.The implications of these issues are discussed in the context of both CD and UC,and future research directions are proposed to address these shortcomings.

Monitoring immune function after rapid corticosteroid reduction in kidney transplant recipients

Background Long-term use of steroid with large dosage might cause many adverse effects in kidney transplant patients; reducing steroid dosage to a low level for maintenance is helpful in avoiding the side-effects, but meanwhile, acute rejection may rise to be a main concern. The present research monitored the immune function changes and the incidence of acute rejection and infection after rapid steroid reduction to investiclate the safety of this strategy.Methods A prospective trial was conducted, using tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil as the basic immunosuppressive regimen, in addition to antibody induction with basiliximab. Corticosteroid dosage was rapidly reduced to 10 mg/d seven days post-transplantation in the experimental group, and the standard corticosteroid therapy was employed in the control group. Patient immunity was monitored by the Immune Cell Function Assay pre- and two weeks post-transplantation. The incidence of acute rejection and infection were compared between the experimental and control group.Results Comparison of intracellular adenosine triphosphate （iATP） values detected two weeks post-transplantation for the control group （（324±45） ng/ml） and the experimental group （（345±91） ng/ml） did not reveal a significant difference （P 〉0.05）. The incidence of acute rejection was analogous between groups （P 〉0.05）, while an increased incidence of infection was observed in the control group （53% （n=-16）） versus the experimental group （22% （n=-6）, P 〈0.05）. Overall, recipients in the control group had longer and more recurrent infections than those in the experimental group （P 〈0.05）. Patients in the control group had a lower immune response （（235±35） ng/ml） than those in the experimental group （（286±16） ng/ml） when infection occurred （P 〈0.05）.Conclusion Rapid reduction of steroid early after kidney transplantation does not lead to a significant rise in patient immunity. It is a safe and effective therapy for kidney transplant patients.

Infections caused by Flavimonas oryzihabitans

Objective To assess retrospectively the clinical characteristics and cell immune function of infections caused by Flavimonas oryzihabitans (F oryzihabitans) Methods We indentified 11 cases of F oryzihabitans positive cultures from all microbial cultures collected in our hospital from November 1994 to December 1998 Relevant clinical information was collected, including demographic data, underlying disease, and clinical manifestations of the F. oryzihabitans infections Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 15 antimicrobial agents against the 11 F oryzihabitans isolates were determined Cell immune function tests were determined by flow cytometry including T lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD4, CD8 and ratio CD4/CD8) and NK cells (CD16+56) from peripheral blood Results Six of these patients with infections caused by F oryzihabitans were male, 5 were female and the mean age was 47 64 years (range, 5 to 69 years) All but 1 patients had severe underlying diseases 9 (81 8%) of these patients developed infection while hospitalization and 2 (18 2%) before hospitalization (Cases 2 and 5) 8 (72 7%) of these patients manifested primary F oryzihabitans bacteremia and one each (9 1%) had pleurisy, soft tissue infection and peritonitis All these isolates were susceptible to amikacin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, but resistance to cefazolin, nitrofurantoin, penicillin and piperacillin CD3, CD4, CD4/CD8 and CD16+56 value (±s) of these patients were significatly lower than normal values ( P <0 01) The mean time of body temperature fell ≤37℃ after antibiotic treatment in these patients was 3 5 days (range, 1 to 6 days) All clinical symptom caused F oryzihabitans after antibiotic treatment disappeared and all patients recovered Conclusions Infections caused by F oryzihabitans was very few clinically, and relative to underlying diseases and the presence of foreign material Immune function abnormality was among mostly factor for the F oryzihabitans infections