Pingli Wang

Neonatal vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin elicits long-term protection in mouse-allergic responses.

Background:  Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) vaccination has been shown to inhibit allergic airway inflammation in animal models, associated with the regulation of allergen‐specific T‐cell immunity. However, little is known about whether neonatal BCG treatment could inhibit allergic inflammation by regulating allergen‐specific T‐cell response in aged mice. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of neonatal BCG treatment on allergic asthma and possible mechanism(s) underlying the action of BCG in different ages of mice.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 regulates TGF-β1 production in airway epithelia and asthmatic airway remodeling in mice

Transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 produced in airway epithelia has been suggested as a contributor to the airway remodeling observed in asthma patients. The protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 is a demonstrable modulator of TGF‐β1 production and thus a potential regulator of airway remodeling.

Asthma research in China: A five‐year review

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide with increasing morbidity. China has the largest asthmatic population and is one of the countries with the highest asthma mortality. Fortunately, asthma research in China, both clinical and scientific, has developed markedly over the past few years. This has resulted in significant increases in our understanding of Chinese asthma prevalence, risk factors, control status, pathogenesis, and new prevention or treatment strategies. In this review, the major achievements of asthma research in China from 2008 to 2012 are summarized.

Inhibition of allergen-induced airway remodeling by neonatal bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination is associated with interferon-gamma–producing T cells but not regulatory T cells in mice

BACKGROUND Epidemiological assessments of patients and studies using animal models show that exposure to Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine in early life prevents asthma development. However, little is known about the potential of neonatal BCG vaccination in preventing the development of airway remodeling of asthma. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of multiple BCG vaccinations of neonates on the airway remodeling in mice and the accompanied pulmonary T cell responses. METHODS BALB/c neonates were vaccinated with BCG 3 times. At 5 and 7 weeks of age, the mice were sensitized and then challenged with aerosolized ovalbumin (OVA) 3 times per week for 8 successive weeks. The extent of airway remodeling and induced pulmonary T cell responses were characterized. RESULTS Multiple BCG vaccinations of neonates reduced OVA-induced remodeling events, including levels of peribronchial α-smooth muscle actin, peribronchial fibrosis, and airway epithelial mucin accumulation. The BCG vaccinations also decreased peribronchial cells expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). In contrast, BCG vaccinations increased the frequency of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-producing T cells in the lung and IFN-γ level in BALF, with no effects on pulmonary regulatory T cells and IL-17-producing T cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that multiple BCG vaccinations of neonates reduced metrics characteristic of allergen-induced airway remodeling. More importantly, this decrease was not associated with an increased number of pulmonary regulatory T cells but instead correlated with an increase of IFN-γ-producing T cells.

A new phenotype of asthma: chest tightness as the sole presenting manifestation

FEV1, Forced expiratory volume in one 1 second; PD20, the dose producing a 20% decrease in FEV1; CI, confidence interval. P < .001. P < .05. wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing, particularly at night. Apart from these classic features, some patients present with atypical symptoms, such as cough variant asthma with chronic cough as the only symptom. In this letter, we present a new group of asthma patients with chest tightness as their sole presenting manifestation. These patients are likely to be misdiagnosed. We believe that these cases represent a new clinical variant of asthma: chest tightness variant asthma (CTVA). This study was conducted in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Second Hospital of Zhejiang University. From 2004 to 2011, 24 so-called CTVA patients complained of recurrent chest tightness as their only symptom, without symptoms of breathlessness, wheezing, or recurrent cough, or without wheezing on auscultation. The frequency of chest tightness episodes (chest tightness score) was measured using a 5-point scale (0 1⁄4 never, 1 1⁄4 rare, 2 1⁄4 sometimes, 3 1⁄4 often, 4 1⁄4 always).1 In all cases, alternative causes of chest tightness were excluded, including cardiac disease, inhalation of harmful dust or fumes at home or in the workplace, hematologic disorder, hyperthyroidism, neurological disease, and myopathy. All 24 patients had spirometry tests, and a patient who had either a positive bronchial provocation test (methacholine provocation dose causing a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] [PD20] 2.5 mg) with diurnal peak expiratory flow variability of over 20%, or a positive bronchodilator test (FEV1 increases 12% or increases 200 mL after bronchodilator inhalation), was diagnosed as asthma. Patients also had atopy testing and were considered atopic if they had 1 or more positive allergen-specific immunoglobulin E2 and had undergone sputum induction and measures of sputum cytology before steroid treatment.3 To evaluate mental status, all patients received psychological examination by a psychiatrist. The Hamilton Depression Table and Anxiety Scale were used to evaluate depression and anxiety, respectively. Like other patients with classical asthma, these CTVA subjects also received inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or ICS plus long-acting b2 agonist (LABA) as a basic asthma management.4 For those with psychological disorders, additional treatments were used, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and benzodiazepines. The characteristics of the CTVAsubjects are summarized inTable 1. The 24 patients include 10 men and 14 women, with a mean age of 34.5 2.2 years. The time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 3.8 0.8 years. Eighteen patients had both methacholine airway

Distant lymph nodes serve as pools of Th1 cells induced by neonatal BCG vaccination for the prevention of asthma in mice.

Neonatal Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination induces vigorous T‐helper type 1 (Th1) responses and inhibits allergy‐related airway dysfunction, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of this study was to address where the Th1 cells induced by neonatal BCG vaccination are generated and stored, and how they are recruited into the inflamed airway for the prevention of allergen‐induced airway inflammation.

Multiple synchronous primary malignancies induced by benzene exposure: a case report.

BackgroundChronic exposure to high concentrations of benzene is usually associated with the development of haematological diseases. However, solid tumors induced by benzene exposure are less frequent.Case presentationWe present an unusual case of triple synchronous primary malignancies most likely induced by occupational benzene exposure in a male patient. This spray painter was diagnosed as chronic aplastic anemia in his 21 years old after exposing to high concentration of benzene for three years. Then he was treated with glucocorticoid for four years. 40 years later, this patient developed three synchronous primary neoplasms with three different histologies including a basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the gum.ConclusionThis case reminds us that the occurrence of solid tumors should be monitored in workers with occupational history linked with a high concentration exposure to benzene, though its rarely happened.