Altered miR-143 and miR-150 expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer

Background Sensitive and specific biomarkers for identifying early stage of non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） are urgently needed to improve the therapeutic outcome and reduce the mortality.Small non-coding microRNAs （miRNAs） are key components of cancer development and are considered as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and for monitoring treatment.The aim of this study was to determine whether aberrant miRNA expression can be used as a marker in peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMC） for the diagnosis of NSCLC.Methods The levels of two mature miRNAs （miR-143 and miR-150） were detected by probe-based stem-loop quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR （RT-qPCR） in PBMC of 64 patients with NSCLC and 26 healthy individuals,and the relationship between miR-143 and miR-150 levels and clinical and pathological factors was explored.Results All endogenous miRNAs were present in peripheral blood in a remarkably stable form and detected by RT-qPCR.MiR-143 expression in the PBMC specimens was significantly lower in NSCLC patients than in healthy individuals （P ＜0.0001）.MiR-150 expression in the PBMC specimens was not significantly different between NSCLC patients and healthy individuals （P=0.260）.MiR-150 expression was significantly higher in lung adenocarcinoma patients than in healthy individuals （P=0.001）.There was a very strong difference in the expression level of miR-150 between lung adenocarcinoma patients and lung squamous cell caminoma patients （P ＜0.0001）.In receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） analysis,low expression of miR-143 showed the area under the ROC （AUC） of 0.885 for distinguishing cancer patients from healthy subjects.High expression of miR-150 had an AUC of 0.834 for distinguishing lung adenocarcinoma patients from healthy subjects.High expression of miR-150 had an AUC of 0.951 for distinguishing lung adenocarcinoma from lung squamous cell carcinoma.The miR-150 level was significantly associated with distant metastasis （P=0.014）.Conclusions It is indicated that there is a potential for using miR-143 as a novel diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC.Moreover,miR-150 can be a highly accurate marker for differentiating adenocarcinoma from squamous cell carcinoma.

Donor MHC gene to mitigate rejection of transplantation in recipient mice

Background Donor organ rejection continues to be a significant problem for patients receiving transplants. We therefore tested whether transferring a donor＇s major histocompatibility complex （MHC） gene to the recipient would mitigate the rejection of transplanted hearts in mice. Methods H-2K^kgene from donor mice was amplified using nested polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and ligated into a mammalian expression vector, which was then transfected into thymus ground mass cells collected from the recipients. Clones stably expressing the transgene were then injected into the recipients＇ thymus visualized using ultrasound. Control mice were administered cells previously transfected with empty vector. Following heart transplantation, cardiac activity was monitored electrocardiographically. Recipient thymus cells were tested for MHC antigenicity using flow cytometry and spleen cells were subjected to mixed lymphocyte culture tests. Finally, the transplanted hearts were sectioned, stained and examined under light microscopy. Results Southern analysis following nested PCR revealed clear expression of H-2K^ gene. Following transplantation, electrocardiosignals were detectable highly significantly longer in recipients administered thymal cells expressing donor H-2K^ than in those receiving control cells. Flow cytometric analysis using an anti-H-2K^ antibody confirmed its expression in H-2K^ treated recipients but not in control mice. Mixed lymphocyte cultures containing H-2K^ treated cells showed significantly less proliferation than those containing control cells. Hearts from control mice showed substantially greater lymphocyte infiltration than those from H-2K^ treated mice and large areas of necrosis. Conclusion Rejection of transplanted hearts can be mitigated substantially by introducing the donor＇s MHC into the recipient.

Fistulectomy as a surgical option for pulmonary arteriovenous nalformation

Background Surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for pulmonary arteriovenous malformation but removes some normal lung parenchyma. This study aimed to evaluate the effect and safety of the lung-saving procedure of fistulectomy as an alternative to lung resection. Methods From July 2003 to July 2008, 6 selected patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations underwent fistulectomies. Among them, 1 patient underwent emergency operation and 2 underwent bilateral operations. One patient received postoperative embolotherapy. Results No hospital deaths or postoperative morbidity occurred. PaO2 increased significantly after operation. All patients were free of symptoms and hypoxia during a follow-up for 9 months to 5 years. Conclusions Fistulectomy is a safe and effective procedure for patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformation and may be an alternative to lung resection.