Levels of nasal exhaled hydrogen sulfide in the general population and allergic rhinitis patients

Role of exhaled hydrogen sulfide in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is often accompanied by increased excretion of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This study aimed to explore the value of exhaled H2S in the diagnosis of CRC.

METHODS

A total of 80 people with normal colonoscopy results and 57 patients with CRC were enrolled into the present observational cohort study. Exhaled oral and nasal H2S were detected by Nanocoulomb breath analyser. Results were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analysed and area under the curves (AUCs) were calculated to assess the diagnostic value of exhaled H2S. Meanwhile, the clinicopathological features, including gender, lesion location and tumour staging of patients with CRC, were also collected and analysed.

RESULTS

The amount of exhaled H2S from patients with CRC was significantly higher than that of those with normal colonoscopy results. The ROC curve showed an AUC value of 0.73 and 0.71 based on oral and nasal H2S detection, respectively. The exhaled H2S in patients with CRC was correlated with gender, lesion location and tumour progression, including depth of invasion, lymphatic metastasis and TNM (Tumor, Lymph Nodes, Metastasis) staging.

CONCLUSION

Exhaled H2S analysis is a convenient and non-invasive detection method for diagnosing CRC, suggesting a potential role in population screening for CRC.

Exhaled Biomarkers for Point-of-Care Diagnosis: Recent Advances and New Challenges in Breathomics

Cancers, chronic diseases and respiratory infections are major causes of mortality and present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for health care. There is an unmet medical need for non-invasive, easy-to-use biomarkers for the early diagnosis, phenotyping, predicting and monitoring of the therapeutic responses of these disorders. Exhaled breath sampling is an attractive choice that has gained attention in recent years. Exhaled nitric oxide measurement used as a predictive biomarker of the response to anti-eosinophil therapy in severe asthma has paved the way for other exhaled breath biomarkers. Advances in laser and nanosensor technologies and spectrometry together with widespread use of algorithms and artificial intelligence have facilitated research on volatile organic compounds and artificial olfaction systems to develop new exhaled biomarkers. We aim to provide an overview of the recent advances in and challenges of exhaled biomarker measurements with an emphasis on the applicability of their measurement as a non-invasive, point-of-care diagnostic and monitoring tool.

Correlation between B-cell lymphoma 6 with the balance of T helper-1/2 and severity of allergic rhinitis

OBJECTIVE

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevailing immune disorder affecting the nasal mucosa. B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) imposes essential roles in immunity. This study probed into the serum expression of BCL6 and its effect on AR diagnosis and patients' quality of life (QOL).

METHODS

A total of 113 patients with AR including 38 cases with mild AR (MAR) and 75 cases with moderate-severe AR (MSAR) were enrolled, with 101 healthy people enrolled as control. Serum expression of BCL6 was detected by RT-qPCR and the diagnostic efficacy of BCL6 for AR was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve. The proportion of T helper-1/2 (Th1/Th2) cells in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was detected using flow cytometry. The correlation between BCL6 and Th1/Th2 cells and the effects of BCL6 expression on patients' QOL were assessed by Pearson analysis and Mini-RQLQ questionnaire.

RESULTS

BCL6 was downregulated in patients with AR, serum BCL6 level < 0.8450 had certain auxiliary diagnostic values for AR, and serum BCL6 level < 0.5400 could assist the diagnosis of AR severity. Th1 cell proportion in CD4+ T cells was decreased, whereas Th2 cell proportion was increased with AR severity. BCL6 was positively-linked with Th1 cells but inversely-correlated with Th2 cells in patients with AR. Patients with AR with low BCL6 expression had a poorer QOL compared with high BCL6 expression. The domains most affected by BCL6 expression were practical problems, nasal symptoms, and lacrimation.

CONCLUSION

Serum BCL6 is downregulated and low BCL6 expression greatly deteriorates QOL in patients with AR.

Cell division cycle 42 reflects disease risk, symptoms, Th1/Th2 disproportion, and its short-term variation indicates symptom amelioration after treatment in allergic rhinitis patients

BACKGROUND

Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) modulates the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) through regulating immunity, allergic response, and T-helper (Th)1/Th2 imbalance. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of CDC42 to reflect disease risk, symptom scores, and Th1/Th2 axis of AR and the correlation of its vertical change with symptom amelioration after treatment.

METHODS

CDC42, Th1 cells, and Th2 cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and interferon-γ and interleukin-4 in the serum were determined in 200 AR patients. Simultaneously, PBMC CDC42 was detected in 50 non-atopic obstructive snoring patients [as disease controls (DCs)] and 50 healthy controls (HCs).

RESULTS

CDC42 was increased in AR patients compared with DCs and HCs (both p < 0.001) but showed no difference between DCs and HCs (p = 0.054). In AR patients, CDC42 was positively linked to rhinorrhea, itching, sneezing, and total nasal symptom scores (TNSS) (all p < 0.05), but not congestion score (p = 0.052). Meanwhile, CDC42 showed positive correlations with Th2 cells (p < 0.001) and interleukin-4 (p = 0.005), a negative correlation with Th1/Th2 axis (p = 0.001), but no correlation with Th1 cells (p = 0.095) or interferon-γ (p = 0.174). Notably, CDC42 at week 4 after treatment (W4) was reduced compared with that at enrollment (W0) (p < 0.001) and positively correlated with TNSS at W4 (p < 0.001); from W0 to W4, CDC42 change also positively correlated with TNSS change (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

CDC42 is elevated and positively correlates with symptom scores and Th2 cells, whose short-term reduction reflects symptom alleviation in AR patients.

Recent Advances in Molecular Research on Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Role in Diabetes Mellitus (DM)-A Systematic Review

Abundant experimental data suggest that hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is related to the pathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Multiple molecular mechanisms, including receptors, membrane ion channels, signalingmolecules, enzymes, and transcription factors, are known to be responsible for the H₂S biological actions; however, H₂S is not fully documented as a gaseous signaling molecule interfering with DM and vascular-linked pathology. In recent decades, multiple approaches regarding therapeutic exploitation of H₂S have been identified, either based on H₂S exogenous apport or on its modulated endogenous biosynthesis. This paper aims to synthesize and systematize, as comprehensively as possible, the recent literature-related data regarding the therapeutic/rehabilitative role of H₂S in DM. This review was conducted following the “Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses” (PRISMA) methodology, interrogating five international medically renowned databases by specific keyword combinations/“syntaxes” used contextually, over the last five years (2017–2021). The respective search/filtered and selection methodology we applied has identified, in the first step, 212 articles. After deploying the next specific quest steps, 51 unique published papers qualified for minute analysis resulted. To these bibliographic resources obtained through the PRISMA methodology, in order to have the best available information coverage, we added 86 papers that were freely found by a direct internet search. Finally, we selected for a connected meta-analysis eight relevant reports that included 1237 human subjects elicited from clinical trial registration platforms. Numerous H₂S releasing/stimulating compounds have been produced, some being used in experimental models. However, very few of them were further advanced in clinical studies, indicating that the development of H₂S as a therapeutic agent is still at the beginning.

Au@Ag Nanorods-PDMS Wearable Mouthguard as a Visualized Detection Platform for Screening Dental Caries and Periodontal Diseases

The development of easy-to-use, low-cost, and visualized detection platforms for screening human dental caries and periodontal diseases is in urgent demand. In this work, a Au@Ag nanorods-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (Au@Ag NRs-PDMS) wearable mouthguard, which can visualize the tooth lesion sites through the color change of it at the corresponding locations, is presented. The Au@Ag NRs-PDMS composite exhibits a distinct color response to hydrogen sulfide (H₂ S) gas generated by bacterial decay at the lesion sites. Moreover, the Au@Ag NRs-PDMS mouthguard is demonstrated to own desired mechanical properties, excellent chemical stability, as well as good biocompatibility, and can accurately locate the lesion sites in human oral cavity. These findings suggest that the mouthguard has the potential to be utilized on a large scale to help people self-monitor their oral health in daily life, and treat oral diseases locally.

METTL14-Mediated miR-30c-1-3p Maturation Represses the Progression of Lung Cancer via Regulation of MARCKSL1 Expression

Lung cancer (LC) is a pulmonary malignant tumor with extremely low 5-year survival rate. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is confirmed to regulate diverse pathophysiological processes including cancers. Methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14) is an important RNA methyltransferase in m6A modification. However, researches on the regulatory mechanism of METTL14 on LC progression are relatively rare. Tumor xenograft experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of METTL14 on LC in vivo. The relative expression of METTL14, miR-30c-1-3p, and myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate-like protein-1 (MARCKSL1) in LC tissues and/or cell lines was determined using qRT-PCR. Western blot assay was used to measure the protein levels of METTL14 and MARCKSL1 in tumor xenograft model and/or LC cell lines. MTT, wound healing, and transwell assays were performed to detect LC cell viability and metastasis. RNA immunoprecipitation assay and qRT-PCR were used to verify the effects of METTL14 on pri-miR-30c-1-3p. The relationship between miR-30c-1-3p and MARCKSL1 was confirmed by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. METTL14 was remarkably downregulated in LC tissues and cell lines. METTL14 mediated the maturation of miR-30c-1-3p. The overexpressed METTL14 and overexpressed miR-30c-1-3p suppressed the cell viability and metastasis in LC. Meanwhile, the increased METTL14 also repressed the growth of tumor xenograft in vivo. In addition, MARCKSL1 was confirmed to be the target gene of miR-30c-1-3p. High expression of MARCKSL1 and low expression of miR-30c-1-3p reversed the suppressive effects of METTL14 overexpression on cell viability and metastasis. METTL14 promoted the maturation of miR-30c-1-3p and mediated MARCKSL1 expression to inhibit the progression of LC. This study may provide a new insight for the LC clinical therapy.

Up-regulated lncRNA-PVT1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with coronary artery disease is correlated with decreased interleukin-10 production

OBJECTIVES

Plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is a newly discovered long non-coding RNA, which has not been previously studied in the inflammatory responses of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 15 CAD patients and 15 non-CAD (NCAD) individuals. The PVT1 expression was assessed in the PBMCs of the participants using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Interleukin (IL)-10, IL-22, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were measured in the plasma and supernatant of cultured PBMCs in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

An increased expression of PVT1 was observed in the untreated PBMCs of CAD patients, compared to the NCAD group. The PVT1 was significantly up-regulated after LPS treatment in the PBMCs of both groups. Plasma MMP-9 levels were found to be higher in CAD patients than in the control individuals. The level of IL-10 and IL-22 production by the non-treated PBMCs of CAD cases was significantly lower than the NCAD group. Overall, in the examined population, PVT1 expression was negatively correlated with IL-10 secretion. Moreover, the results showed a significant negative correlation between PVT1 expression and IL-10 production by untreated cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The PVT1 expression augmented in the PBMCs of CAD patients, which could be associated with the decreased IL-10 generation by the PBMCs of these patients.

The Role of Exhaled Hydrogen Sulfide in the Diagnosis of Colorectal Adenoma

Purpose

Exhaled determination can detect metabolite hydrogen sulfide in the intestine. We aim to analyze the predictive value of hydrogen sulfide in the diagnosis of colorectal adenoma.

Methods

We recruited seventy patients diagnosed with colorectal adenoma as the observation group and sixty-six healthy subjects as the control group. The colorectal adenoma was diagnosed by colonoscopy at the Endoscopy Center of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University from June 2018 to November 2019. Exhaled gas was collected through the nose and mouth, respectively, and hydrogen sulfide in exhaled gas was determined according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Results

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was analyzed based on the exhaled data of the observation group and the control group. The ROC curve showed an area under ROC curve (AUC) 0.724 for nasal exhaled H₂S, which had a diagnostic value. When nasal exhaled H₂S was >13.3 part per billion (ppb), the sensitivity and the specificity of predicting colorectal adenoma were 57% and 78%, respectively. The exhaled H₂S of the observation group was significantly different from that of the control group. The AUC value was 0.716 as a prognostic factor of colorectal adenoma. As exhaled H₂S was >28.8 ppb, the sensitivity and the specificity of predicting colorectal adenoma were 63% and 77%, respectively.

Conclusion

Exhaled and nasal H₂S determination has a predictive value for colorectal adenoma as a novel and noninvasive method. Therefore, it is worth conducting more research to analyze exhaled and nasal H₂S.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) - therapeutic relevance in rehabilitation and balneotherapy Systematic literature review and meta-analysis based on the PRISMA paradig

Background. An active molecule in sulfurous mineral - therapeutic waters and also in sapropelic mud is H2S, a hormetic gaseous molecule that can actively penetrate the skin. While high levels of H2S are extremely toxic, low levels are tolerated and have potential cytoprotective effects, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant applications. Objective. This systematic review aims to rigorously select related articles and identify within their content the main possible uses of hydrogen sulfide from balneary sources and to explain its physiological mechanisms and therapeutic properties. Methods. To elaborate our systematic review, we have searched for relevant open access articles in 6 international databases: Cochrane , Elsevier , NCBI/PubMed , NCBI/PMC , PEDro , and ISI Web of Knowledge/Science , published from January 2016 until July 2021. The contextually quested keywords combinations/ syntaxes used are specified on this page. The eligible articles were analyzed in detail regarding pathologies addressed by hydrogen sulfide. All articles with any design (reviews, randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies), if eligible according to the above-mentioned selection methodology, containing in the title the selected combinations, were included in the analysis. Articles were excluded in the second phase if they did not reach the relevance criterion. Results. Our search identified, first, 291 articles. After eliminating the duplicates and non-ISI articles, remained 121 papers. In the second phase, we applied a PEDro selection filter, resulting in 108 articles that passed the relevance criterion and were included in this systematic review. Conclusions. H2S biology and medical relevance are not fully understood and used adequately for sanogenic or medical purposes. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and importance of this therapeutic gase. The link between balneotherapy and medical rehabilitation regarding the usage of hydrogen sulfide emphasises the unity for this medical speciality.

Knockdown of RMST Impedes Neuronal Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress in OGD/R-Induced Ischemic Stroke Via Depending on the miR-377/SEMA3A Signal Network

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have pivotal roles in regulating ischemic stroke (IS), including lncRNA rhabdomyosarcoma 2-associated transcript (RMST). The purpose of this report is to discover the functional mechanism of RMST. The expression detection of RMST, microRNA-377 (miR-377) and Semaphorin 3A (SEMA3A) was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) in N2a cells was used to mimic IS environment in vitro. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry were implemented to assess cell viability and apoptosis. Oxidative stress was analyzed via assaying the associated indicators. Dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were jointly administrated for binding analysis between targets. SEMA3A protein level was measured using western blot. We found in IS serum samples, RMST was upregulated while miR-377 was downregulated. After the establishment of OGD/R-induced IS model, we found that the decreased RMST abrogated the OGD/R-triggered apoptosis and oxidative stress. Through the target analysis, miR-377 was shown to be sponged by RMST and the effects of RMST knockdown on OGD/R-induced cell injuries were related to miR-377 upregulation. Besides, SEMA3A served as a target gene of miR-377 and the mitigation of miR-377 for ischemic brain damages was achieved by downregulating SEMA3A. What's more, RMST could regulate SEMA3A by playing the sponge action on miR-377. Collectively, all these findings clarified that RMST repression retarded IS progression in vitro via SEMA3A downregulation by targeting miR-377, which represented a different perspective in the pathological development of IS.

Levels of nasal exhaled hydrogen sulfide in the general population and allergic rhinitis patients

Background

Objective measures used for the differential diagnosis and severity assessment of allergic rhinitis (AR) are still lacking. The involvement of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in the development of AR indicates that nasal exhaled H₂S (NeH₂S) has potential as a biomarker to be used in AR patients. This study aimed to evaluate the application value of NeH₂S measurement in the diagnosis and assessment of AR.

Methods

This study was a multi‐center cross‐sectional survey conducted in Northwestern China. Demographic information collection and rhinitis assessment were completed through questionnaires. The level of NeH₂S and serum immunoglobulin E were measured.

Results

The level of NeH₂S in general population ranged from 0 to 35 ppb, with a median value of 2 ppb. The NeH₂S levels in seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) patients were significantly lower than those in general population (2 [1, 2.75] vs. 2 [2, 3] ppb; p = .023), and the NeH₂S value of the SAR group tended to be lower than that of the non‐allergic rhinitis (NAR) group (2 [1, 2.75] vs. 2 [2, 3] ppb; p = .094). The subgroup of AR patients with symptoms lasting longer than 2 weeks per month had a lower NeH₂S level compared with the subgroup of patients with symptoms lasting less than 2 weeks per month (2 [1, 2] vs. 2 [2, 3] ppb; p = .015).

Conclusion

This study described the distribution range of NeH₂S levels in the general population. Further study with larger sample size was needed to clarify the relationship between NeH₂S level and AR.