Wen Chen’s research while affiliated with First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University and other places

Background Liver fibrosis is a common disease that can lead to hepatic failure. Aims Our aims were to reveal the role of GAS5 in the regulation of liver fibrosis. Methods LX-2 human hepatic satellite cells (HSCs) were cultured and activated using TGF-β1 treatment. A CCK-8 assay was performed to assess cell viability. A luciferase assay was employed to monitor the interactions between miR-433–3p and GAS5 or toll-like receptor 10 (TLR10). Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were applied to detect the expression levels of α-SMA, Col. I, PCNA-, MMP2-, MMP9-, TLR10-, and NF-κB-related molecules at the protein and RNA levels. Results GAS5 and TLR10 were decreased while miR-433–3p was upregulated in TGF-β1-activated LX-2 cells. Upregulation of GAS5 or downregulation of miR-433–3p suppressed HSC activation, and luciferase assays indicated that miR-433–3p binds with GAS5 and the 3′-UTR of TLR10. MiR-433–3p upregulation and TLR10 downregulation rescued the impacts of GAS5 overexpression or miR-433–3p knockdown on LX-2 cells. Upregulation of GAS5 also suppressed the phosphorylation of NF-κB through the miR-433–3p/TLR10 axis. Conclusion LncRNA GAS5 exerts an inhibitory effect on HSC activation by suppressing NF-κB signalling through regulation of the miR-433–3p/TLR10 axis.

The Toll‐like receptor (TLR) family acts as a bridge connecting innate and acquired immunity. TLR10 remains one of the least understood members of this family. Some studies have examined TLR10 ligands, dimerization of TLR10 with other TLRs, and downstream signalling pathways and functions, but they have often arrived at conflicting conclusions. TLR10 can induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines by forming homodimers with itself or heterodimers with TLR1 or other TLRs, but it can also inhibit proinflammatory responses when co‐expressed with TLR2 or potentially other TLRs. Mutations in the Toll/Interleukin 1 receptor (TIR) domain of TLR10 alter its signalling activity. Polymorphisms in the TLR10 gene can change the balance between pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory responses and hence modulate the susceptibility to infection and autoimmune diseases. Understanding the full range of TLR10 ligands and functions may allow the receptor to be exploited as a therapeutic target in inflammation‐ or immune‐related diseases. Here, we summarize recent findings on the pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory roles of TLR10 and the molecular pathways in which it is implicated. Our goal is to pave the way for future studies of the only orphan TLR thought to have strong potential as a target in the treatment of inflammation‐related diseases.

The aims of this article are to investigate the effects of Th22 and Th17 cells and plasma cytokines in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to examine the correlation between Th22 and Th17 cells levels and disease progression. Blood samples from 70 patients with NAFLD and 26 healthy controls (HCs) were collected. Flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis were performed. ELISA revealed interleukin (IL)-22 plasma level in FibroScan subgroup patients was 2.2-fold higher than that in the HCs ( P

To evaluate the utility of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) for differential diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis. We searched the literature for studies reporting the sensitivity, specificity, and other accuracy measures of serum CA19-9 levels for differentiating pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis. Pooled analysis was performed using random-effects models, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. Study quality was assessed using Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy and Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy tools. A total of 34 studies involving 3125 patients with pancreatic carcinoma and 2061 patients with chronic pancreatitis were included. Pooled analysis of the ability of CA19-9 level to differentiate pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis showed the following effect estimates: sensitivity, 0.81 (95%CI: 0.80-0.83); specificity, 0.81 (95%CI: 0.79-0.82); positive likelihood ratio, 4.08 (95%CI: 3.39-4.91); negative likelihood ratio, 0.24 (95%CI: 0.21-0.28); and diagnostic odds ratio, 19.31 (95%CI: 14.40-25.90). The area under the ROC curve was 0.88. No significant publication bias was detected. Elevated CA19-9 by itself is insufficient for differentiating pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, however, it increases suspicion of pancreatic carcinoma and may complement other clinical findings to improve diagnostic accuracy.

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in patients with choledocholithiasis. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for studies reporting on the sensitivity, specificity and other accuracy measures of diagnostic effectiveness of MRCP for detection of common bile duct (CBD) stones. Pooled analysis was performed using random effects models, and receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to summarize overall test performance. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of studies using standards for reporting diagnostic accuracy and quality assessment for studies of diagnostic accuracy tools. A total of 25 studies involving 2310 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis and 738 patients with CBD stones met the inclusion criteria. The average inter-rater agreement on the methodological quality checklists was 0.96. Pooled analysis of the ability of MRCP to detect CBD stones showed the following effect estimates: sensitivity, 0.90 (95%CI: 0.88-0.92, χ (2) = 65.80; P < 0.001); specificity, 0.95 (95%CI: 0.93-1.0, χ (2) = 110.51; P < 0.001); positive likelihood ratio, 13.28 (95%CI: 8.85-19.94, χ (2) = 78.95; P < 0.001); negative likelihood ratio, 0.13 (95%CI: 0.09-0.18, χ (2) = 6.27; P < 0.001); and diagnostic odds ratio, 143.82 (95%CI: 82.42-250.95, χ (2) = 44.19; P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.97. Significant publication bias was not detected (P = 0.266). MRCP has high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of choledocholithiasis. MRCP should be the method of choice for suspected cases of CBD stones.

To investigate the clinical usefulness of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the differential diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) from Crohn's disease (CD) by meta-analysis. A systematic search of English language studies was performed. We searched the following databases: Medline, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy initiative and Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy tool were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. Sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of the accuracy of IGRAs in the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD were pooled and analyzed using random-effects models. Receiver operating characteristic curves were applied to summarize overall test performance. Two reviewers independently judged study eligibility while screening the citations. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. The average inter-rater agreement between the two reviewers for items in the quality checklist was 0.95. Analysis of IGRAs for the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD produced summary estimates as follows: sensitivity, 0.74 (95%CI: 0.68-0.80); specificity, 0.87 (95%CI: 0.82-0.90); positive likelihood ratio, 5.98 (95%CI: 3.79-9.43); negative likelihood ratio, 0.28 (95%CI: 0.18-0.43); and diagnostic odds ratio, 26.21 (95%CI: 14.15-48.57). The area under the curve was 0.92. The evaluation of publication bias was not significant (P = 0.235). Although IGRAs are not sensitive enough, they provide good specificity for the accurate diagnosis of ITB, which may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD.