TRIM22, a tripartite-motif (TRIM) protein, is upregulated upon interferon alpha (IFNa) administration to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. However, the physiological role of TRIM22 upregulation remains unclear. Here, we describe a potential antiviral function of TRIM22's targeting of the HCV NS5A protein. NS5A is important for HCV replication and for resistance to IFNa therapy. During the first 24 h following the initiation of IFNa treatment, upregulation of TRIM22 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCV patients correlated with a decrease in viral titer. This phenomenon was confirmed in the hepatocyte-derived cell line Huh-7, which is highly permissive for HCV infection. TRIM22 over-expression inhibited HCV replication, and Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of TRIM22 diminished IFNa-induced anti-HCV function. Furthermore, we determined that TRIM22 ubiquitinates NS5A in a concentration-dependent manner. In summary, our results suggest that TRIM22 upregulation is associated with HCV decline during IFNa treatment and plays an important role in controlling HCV replication in vitro.

The acute lung injury (ALI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Amygdalin is derived from the bitter apricot kernel, an efficacious Chinese herbal medicine. Although amygdalin is used by many cancer patients as an antitumor agent, there is no report about the effect of amygdalin on acute lung injury. Here we explored the protective effect of amygdalin on ALI using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine model by detecting the lung wet/dry ratio, the myeloperoxidase (MPO) in lung tissues, inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), inflammatory cytokines production, as well as NLRP3 and NF-κB signaling pathways. The results showed that amygdalin significantly reduced LPS-induced infiltration of inflammatory cells and the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the BALF. The activity of MPO and lung wet/dry ratio were also attenuated by amygdalin. Furthermore, the western blotting analysis showed that amygdalin remarkably inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB and NLRP3 activation. These findings indicate that amygdalin has a protective effect on LPS-induced ALI in mice. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways.

Interferon-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), or C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL10), is a small cytokine belonging to the non-ELR CXC chemokine family. By binding to its specific receptor CXCR3, IP-10 recruits activated CXCR3+ T cells to the liver parenchyma and plays a pivotal role in liver disease initiation and progression. IP-10 is mainly secreted by hepatocytes and liver sinusoidal endothelium. Different IP-10 forms exert different functions: long-length IP-10 directs CXCR3+ T cell migration and is associated with inflammation, while short IP-10 is a CXCR3 antagonist, thereby playing protective role in liver injury. IP-10 levels are positively associated with the severity of liver inflammation, fibrosis stage and acute graft rejection. High IP-10 levels are closely related to anti-HCV therapy failure. Thus, IP-10 may be both a potential prognostic tool and a therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with HCV or HIV/HCV co-infection. The purpose of this review is to highlight the growing advances in basic knowledge and clinical interest of IP-10 in liver disease.

Some controversies still exist between the detection of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)'s DNA and risks of periodontal diseases. Hence, a comprehensive meta-analysis on all available literatures was performed to clarify the relationship between EBV and preidontitis.A comprehensive search was conducted within the PUBMED, EMBASE, and WANFANG databases up to October 10th, 2016 according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and finally 21 case–control literatures were obtained. The outcomes including odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations. Publication bias was determined by Begg or Egger test. Sensitivity analysis was used to investigate reliability and stability of the results.According to the data from included trials, the association between overall increased risks of periodontitis and the detection of EBV was significant (OR = 6.199, 95% CI = 3.119–12.319, P < 0.001). In the disease-type analysis, the pooled ORs for chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis were 6.586 (95% CI = 3.042–14.262, P < 0.001) and 8.361 (95% CI = 2.109–33.143, P = 0.003), respectively. In the subgroup analysis of ethnicity, our results suggested that high EBV-detecting frequencies were correlated with increased risks of periodontitis in Asians, Europeans, and Americans (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis by the sample type showed that subgingival plaque (SgP) samples and tissue samples were available for EBV detecting (P < 0.001). Detecting EBV of samples in ≥5 (6) mm sites of periodontal pockets were easier than in ≤3-mm sites (P = 0.023).This meta-analysis indicates that high frequent detection of EBV correlates with increased risk of periodontal diseases. SgP and tissue are available for detecting EBV in patients of periodontitis. At last, our results suggest that detecting EBV of samples in =5 (6) mm sites of periodontal pockets are more sensitive than in ≤3-mm sites.