Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and highly lethal fibrotic lung disease with poor treatment and unknown etiology. Emerging evidence suggests that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has an important role in repair and scar formation following epithelial injury during pulmonary fibrosis. Although some miRNAs have been shown to be dysregulated in the pathophysiological processes of IPF, limited studies have payed attention on the participation of miRNAs in EMT in lung fibrosis. In our study, we identified and constructed a regulation network of differentially expressed IPF miRNAs and EMT genes. Additionally, we found the downregulation of miR-26a in mice with experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Further studies showed that miR-26a regulated HMGA2, which is a key factor in the process of EMT and had the maximum number of regulating miRNAs in the regulation network. More importantly, inhibition of miR-26a resulted in lung epithelial cells transforming into myofibroblasts in vitro and in vivo, whereas forced expression of miR-26a alleviated TGF-β1- and BLM-induced EMT in A549 cells and in mice, respectively. Taken together, our study deciphered the essential role of miR-26a in the pathogenesis of EMT in pulmonary fibrosis, and suggests that miR-26a may be a potential therapeutic target for IPF.

Background Cognitive impairment is common in the elderly. Prior studies suggest a link between chronic inflammation and cognitive dysfunction, while aging‐associated epidermal dysfunction has been connected to elevations in circulating cytokines. Objective We assessed here whether improvements in epidermal function can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. Methods This randomized, open‐label pilot trial was carried out in two cities in northern China. A total of 200 participants aged ≥65 years were randomly assigned to the emollient‐treated and untreated groups at 1:1 ratio. Participants in the treated group were treated topically with Atopalm cream® twice‐daily from November to the following May each year for three consecutive years, while the untreated subjects served as controls. The Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) was used to assess the severity of cognitive impairment, while epidermal biophysical properties were measured on the forearms and the shins in parallel. Results Over the three‐year trial, GDS significantly increased from baseline (P < 0.0001) in the controls, while in the treated group, GDS stabilized. While stratum corneum hydration on the forearms did not change significantly in the controls, transepidermal water loss rates (TEWL), significantly increased by the end of the trial compared to baselines in the controls (P < 0.0001). On the forearms of the treated group, stratum corneum hydration increased (P < 0.0001) while skin surface pH decreased from baseline (P < 0.0001). Conclusions These results suggest that improvements in epidermal function with topical emollient can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. However, the sample size was relatively small, and trials in a larger cohort are needed to validate the present results.