OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Tanreqing injection on airway inflammation in rats. METHODS: A rat model of airway inflammation was generated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Tanreqing injection was given by intratra...OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Tanreqing injection on airway inflammation in rats. METHODS: A rat model of airway inflammation was generated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Tanreqing injection was given by intratracheal instillation, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from the right lung was collected. BALF total cell and neutrophil counts were then determined. In addition, BALF levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1, and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The middle lobe of the right lung was stained with hematoxylin-eosin and histological changes examined. RESULTS: LPS increased airway inflammation, decreased BALF inflammatory cell count, inflammatory cytokine levels, and suppressed leukocyte influx of the lung. The LPS-induced airway inflammation peaked at 24 h, decreased beginning at 48 h, and had decreased markedly by 96 h. CONCLUSION: Tanreqing injection contains anti-inflammatory properties, and inhibits airway inflammation in a dose-dependent manner.展开更多
Background The performance of asthma control test （ACT） at baseline for predicting future risk of asthma exacerbation has not been previously demonstrated. This study was designed to explore the ability of the basel...Background The performance of asthma control test （ACT） at baseline for predicting future risk of asthma exacerbation has not been previously demonstrated. This study was designed to explore the ability of the baseline ACT score to predict future risk of asthma exacerbation during a 12-month follow-up. Methods This post hoc analysis included data from a 12-month prospective cohort study in patients with asthma （n=290）. The time to the first asthma exacerbation was analyzed and the association between baseline ACT scores and future risk of asthma exacerbation was calculated as adjusted odds ratio （OR） using Logistic regression models. Further, sensitivity and specificity were estimated at each cut-point of ACT scores for predicting asthma exacerbations. Results The subjects were divided into three groups, which were uncontrolled （U, n=128）, partly-controlled （PC, n=111）, and well controlled （C, n=51） asthma. After adjustment, the decreased ACT scores at baseline in the U and PC groups were associated with an increased probability of asthma exacerbations （OR 3.65 and OR 5.75, respectively）, unplanned visits （OR 8.03 and OR 8.21, respectively） and emergency visits （OR 20.00 and OR 22.60, respectively） over a 12-month follow-up period. The time to the first asthma exacerbation was shorter in the groups with U and PC asthma （all P 〈0.05）. The baseline ACT of 20 identified as the cut-point for screening the patients at high risk of asthma exacerbations had an increased sensitivity of over 90.0% but a lower specificity of about 30.0%. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the baseline ACT score with a high sensitivity could rule out patients at low risk of asthma exacerbations and predict future risk of asthma exacerbations in clinical practice.展开更多
Background Asthma is a heterogeneous disease for which a strong genetic basis has been firmly established. Until now no studies have been undertaken to systemically explore the network of asthma-related genes using an...Background Asthma is a heterogeneous disease for which a strong genetic basis has been firmly established. Until now no studies have been undertaken to systemically explore the network of asthma-related genes using an internally developed literature-based discovery approach. This study was to explore asthma-related genes by using literature- based mining and network centrality analysis. Methods Literature involving asthma-related genes were searched in PubMed from 2001 to 2011. Integration of natural language processing with network centrality analysis was used to identify asthma susceptibility genes and their interaction network. Asthma susceptibility genes were classified into three functional groups by gene ontology （GO） analysis and the key genes were confirmed by establishing asthma-related networks and pathways. Results Three hundred and twenty-six genes related with asthma such as IGHE （IgE）, interleukin （IL）-4, 5, 6, 10, 13, 17A, and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-alpha were identified. GO analysis indicated some biological processes （developmental processes, signal transduction, death, etc.）, cellular components （non-structural extracellular, plasma membrane and extracellular matrix）, and molecular functions （signal transduction activity） that were involved in asthma. Furthermore, 22 asthma-related pathways such as the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, hematopoietic cell lineage, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and 17 hub genes, such as JAK3, CCR1-3, CCR5-7, CCR8, were found. Conclusions Our study provides a remarkably detailed and comprehensive picture of asthma susceptibility genes and their interacting network. Further identification of these genes and molecular pathways may play a prominent role in establishing rational therapeutic approaches for asthma.展开更多
基金Supported by the Program for Innovative Research at the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, and Sichuan Technology Department (No. 2012SZ0288)
文摘OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Tanreqing injection on airway inflammation in rats. METHODS: A rat model of airway inflammation was generated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Tanreqing injection was given by intratracheal instillation, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from the right lung was collected. BALF total cell and neutrophil counts were then determined. In addition, BALF levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1, and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The middle lobe of the right lung was stained with hematoxylin-eosin and histological changes examined. RESULTS: LPS increased airway inflammation, decreased BALF inflammatory cell count, inflammatory cytokine levels, and suppressed leukocyte influx of the lung. The LPS-induced airway inflammation peaked at 24 h, decreased beginning at 48 h, and had decreased markedly by 96 h. CONCLUSION: Tanreqing injection contains anti-inflammatory properties, and inhibits airway inflammation in a dose-dependent manner.
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 30971326 and No. 30901907）Sichuan Youth Science ＆ Technology Foundation （No. 2010JQ008）, and Youth Science Funding of Sichuan University （No. 2011SCU04B 17）.
文摘Background The performance of asthma control test （ACT） at baseline for predicting future risk of asthma exacerbation has not been previously demonstrated. This study was designed to explore the ability of the baseline ACT score to predict future risk of asthma exacerbation during a 12-month follow-up. Methods This post hoc analysis included data from a 12-month prospective cohort study in patients with asthma （n=290）. The time to the first asthma exacerbation was analyzed and the association between baseline ACT scores and future risk of asthma exacerbation was calculated as adjusted odds ratio （OR） using Logistic regression models. Further, sensitivity and specificity were estimated at each cut-point of ACT scores for predicting asthma exacerbations. Results The subjects were divided into three groups, which were uncontrolled （U, n=128）, partly-controlled （PC, n=111）, and well controlled （C, n=51） asthma. After adjustment, the decreased ACT scores at baseline in the U and PC groups were associated with an increased probability of asthma exacerbations （OR 3.65 and OR 5.75, respectively）, unplanned visits （OR 8.03 and OR 8.21, respectively） and emergency visits （OR 20.00 and OR 22.60, respectively） over a 12-month follow-up period. The time to the first asthma exacerbation was shorter in the groups with U and PC asthma （all P 〈0.05）. The baseline ACT of 20 identified as the cut-point for screening the patients at high risk of asthma exacerbations had an increased sensitivity of over 90.0% but a lower specificity of about 30.0%. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the baseline ACT score with a high sensitivity could rule out patients at low risk of asthma exacerbations and predict future risk of asthma exacerbations in clinical practice.
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 30971326 and No. 30901907）, Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Foundation （No. 2010JQ0008）, and Youth Science Funding of Sichuan University （No. 2011SCU04B 17）. Conflict of interest： none.
文摘Background Asthma is a heterogeneous disease for which a strong genetic basis has been firmly established. Until now no studies have been undertaken to systemically explore the network of asthma-related genes using an internally developed literature-based discovery approach. This study was to explore asthma-related genes by using literature- based mining and network centrality analysis. Methods Literature involving asthma-related genes were searched in PubMed from 2001 to 2011. Integration of natural language processing with network centrality analysis was used to identify asthma susceptibility genes and their interaction network. Asthma susceptibility genes were classified into three functional groups by gene ontology （GO） analysis and the key genes were confirmed by establishing asthma-related networks and pathways. Results Three hundred and twenty-six genes related with asthma such as IGHE （IgE）, interleukin （IL）-4, 5, 6, 10, 13, 17A, and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-alpha were identified. GO analysis indicated some biological processes （developmental processes, signal transduction, death, etc.）, cellular components （non-structural extracellular, plasma membrane and extracellular matrix）, and molecular functions （signal transduction activity） that were involved in asthma. Furthermore, 22 asthma-related pathways such as the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, hematopoietic cell lineage, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and 17 hub genes, such as JAK3, CCR1-3, CCR5-7, CCR8, were found. Conclusions Our study provides a remarkably detailed and comprehensive picture of asthma susceptibility genes and their interacting network. Further identification of these genes and molecular pathways may play a prominent role in establishing rational therapeutic approaches for asthma.
