Aim: The aim of this study was to characterize the role of Alport syndrome, mental retardation, midface hypoplasia, and elliptocytosis chromosomal region gene 1 (AMMECR1) in human lung cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: AMMECR1 gene expression was evaluated in four lung cell lines, with A549 then selected for further in-depth examination. To characterize the role of AMMECR1, silencing was achieved utilizing lentivirus-mediated RNA interference, and confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The impact of AMMECR1 silencing on cellular proliferation was assessed using Celigobased and MTT assays. Apoptosis was determined using the annexin V-allophycocyanin single staining method. Cell-cycle arrest was assessed by flow cytometry. Finally, colony formation was assessed using Giemsa staining. Results: In A549 cells, AMMECR1 silencing was found to significantly suppress cell proliferation, reduce colony formation, promote apoptosis, and arrest cells in the S and G 2 /M phases. Conclusion: AMMECR1 plays a critical role in cell proliferation, cell-cycle progression, and apoptosis of human lung cancer cells, and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for non-small-cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly malignancies in the world (1). Improvements in diagnosis and therapy have substantially extended the survival of patients with lung cancer (2). However, most patients experience recurrences within 5 years, with limited therapeutic options (3, 4). Precise molecular characterization of abnormal gene expression involved in lung cancer development and progression is necessary to identify novel molecular targets of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which may improve clinical outcome in the future. In Homo sapiens, Alport syndrome, mental retardation, midface hypoplasia, and elliptocytosis chromosomal region gene 1 (AMMECR1) is highly conserved, but its function is poorly understood (5). Deletion of AMMECR1 induced the AMME complex, which is a contiguous gene deletion syndrome (6, 7). Furthermore, AMMECR1 has been shown to be frequently expressed in the K-562 (myeloid) and NTERA-2 cell lines (The Human Protein Atlas, http://www.proteinaltas.org/search/ AMMECR1). Kaplan-Meier analysis has demonstrated that lower AMMECR1 expression is associated with higher overall survival in patients with gastric cancer (p<0.01), but with lower overall survival in patients with ovarian and lung cancer (http://kmplot.com/ analysis/). However, the role of AMMECR1 in lung cancer is still not fully understood. In the present study we examined AMMECR1 expression in several lung cancer cell lines. AMMECR1 knockdown in lung cancer cells was performed to investigate the role of AMMECR1 in lung cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and the cell-cycle.

Background Along with the medical development, organ transplant patients increase dramatically. Since these transplant patients take immunosuppressants for a long term, their immune functions are in a suppressed state, prone to all kinds of opportunistic infections and cancer. However, it is rarely reported that the kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer simultaneously. Case presentation A 60-year-old male was admitted because of persistent lung shadow for 2 years without any obvious symptom 8 years after renal transplant. T-SPOT test was positive but other etiological examinations for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative. Chest CT scan revealed two pulmonary lesions in the right upper and lower lobe respectively. 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) CT found FDG intake increased in both pulmonary consolidation lesions. CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy revealed lung adenocarcinoma and tuberculosis. The video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was operated to resect the malignancy lesions. The patient received specific anti-tuberculosis therapy and was discharged. At the follow-up of 6 months post drug withdrawal, the patient was recovered very well. Conclusions We for the first time reported co-existence of smear-negative pulmonary TB and lung adenocarcinoma in a KTR, which highlighted the clinical awareness of co-occurrence of TB and malignancy after renal transplant and emphasized the value of biopsy and 18F-FDG-PET in early diagnosis of TB and cancer.

Introduction Zhi Sou San (ZSS), a traditional Chinese prescription, has been widely applied in treating cough. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ZSS for cough. Methods We searched relevant articles up to 5 March 2017 in seven electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cqvip Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), and Wanfang Data. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible, regardless of blinding. The primary outcome was the total effective rate. Results Forty-six RCTs with a total of 4007 participants were identified. Compared with western medicine, ZSS significantly improved the total effective rate (OR: 4.45; 95% CI: 3.62–5.47) and the pulmonary function in terms of FEV1 (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.24–0.46) and decreased the adverse reactions (OR: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02–0.01) and the recurrence rate (OR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.16–0.57). However, there was no significant improvement in the cough symptom score comparing ZSS with western medicine. Conclusions This meta-analysis shows that ZSS has significant additional benefits and relative safety in treating cough. However, more rigorously designed investigations and studies, with large sample sizes, are needed because of the methodological flaws and low quality of the included trials in this meta-analysis.

Background Along with the medical development, organ transplant patients increase dramatically. Since these transplant patients take immunosuppressants for a long term, their immune functions are in a suppressed state, prone to all kinds of opportunistic infections and cancer. However, it is rarely reported that the kidney transplant recipient (KTR) had pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer simultaneously. Case presentations: A 60-year-old male was admitted because of persistent lung shadow for two years without any obvious symptom eight years after renal transplant. T-SPOT test was positive but other etiological examinations for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative. Chest CT scan revealed two pulmonary lesions in the right upper and lower lobe. 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) CT found FDG intake increased in both pulmonary consolidation lesions. CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy revealed lung adenocarcinoma and tuberculosis. The video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was operated to resect the malignancy lesions. The patient received specific anti-tuberculosis therapy and was discharged. At the follow-up of 6 months post drug withdrawal, the patient was recovered very well. Conclusion We for the first time reported co-existence of culture-negative pulmonary TB and lung adenocarcinoma in a KTR, which highlighted the clinical awareness of co-occurrence of TB and malignancy after renal transplant and emphasized the value of biopsy and 18F-FDG-PET in early diagnosis of TB and cancer.