Background: Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) has been shown to frequently complicate bronchial stenosis, a condition which can induce dyspnea as a result of airway obstruction, and is also frequently misdiagnosed as either bronchial asthma or lung cancer. Objectives: This study attempted to determine whether there was a correlation between interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels in the serum and bronchial washing fluid (BWF), and the results of the treatment of EBTB patients. Methods: Thirty patients, all of whom were diagnosed as EBTB, were enrolled, as were 10 healthy control subjects. IFN-γ and TGF-β levels were measured by the ELISA method in the serum and BWF of these 30 EBTB patients before and after treatment. The EBTB patients were divided into two groups: those who exhibited bronchial stenosis after treatment and those who did not. Chest computed tomography (CT) and pulmonary function test (PFT) were performed in 16 and 25 patients, respectively, at initial bronchoscopy. Results: IFN-γ and TGF-β levels in the BWF of the EBTB patients were elevated compared to the controls (p < 0.05). After 2 months of treatment, 13 of the 30 EBTB patients exhibited bronchial fibrostenosis and the other 17 cases had recovered without sequelae. In the bronchial stenosis group, the initial serum TGF-β levels were lower than in the patients without bronchial stenosis (p < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of serum TGF-β after treatment were shown to have decreased more than in the patients without bronchial stenosis (p < 0.05). On chest CT findings of 16 EBTB patients, bronchial narrowing was suspected except in 2 cases (1 edematous-hyperemic type, 1 actively caseating type of segmental bronchus). The common features of PFT in EBTB at the initial diagnosis were a restrictive pattern and normal ventilatory function. Conclusions: Elevated IFN-γ and TGF-β levels in the BWF of the EBTB patients may be related to EBTB pathogenesis. Lowered initial serum TGF-β levels as well as the observed changes in the levels of TGF-β in the serum after treatment have been implicated in bronchial fibrostenosis during the course of the disease.

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Calorie restriction (CR) extends lifespan and delays the onset of a number of age-related diseases in multiple laboratory organisms. These anti-aging effects of CR may be mediated by increased lipid metabolism and oxidative stress resistance. Taurine (2-aminoethylphosphonic acid) is an amino acid that has been suggested to function as a regulator of both osmosis and lipid metabolism, and as an antioxidant. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of taurine as a CR mimetic using rats and mice. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed a diet supplemented with 0% (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, 3.0% or 5.0% (w/w) taurine for 2 weeks. SD rats fed a 5% taurine diet displayed a significant reduction in white adipose tissue mass compared with rats fed control diet (p < 0.05). Plasma and liver cholesterol and triglycerides were also significantly decreased in taurine-fed rats compared with controls (p < 0.05). Liver gene expression analysis showed decreased mRNA expression of fatty acid synthase and increased mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, a key mediator of beta-oxidation (p < 0.05). Furthermore, C57BL/6 mice fed a 5% taurine diet for 16 weeks showed increased survival under the oxidative stress induced by injection of 3-nitropropionic acid versus mice fed control diet (p < 0.05). These results suggest that taurine might have CR-mimetic effects through modulation of lipid metabolism and induction of oxidative stress resistance. Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 6. Lipid Science and Aging Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Introduction: Osteoporosis is characterized by loss of bone tissue while age is considered as the common risk factor. There is an impaired osteoblastic bone formation in comparison with osteoclastic bone resorption during aging. One of the possible cellular mechanisms of age-related bone loss is osteoblast senescence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the expression of mRNA/protein targets and play an important part in cellular senescence. The purpose of this study was to investigate alternations in the miRNAs that are expressed in replicative senescence of human osteoblast cells. MICRORNA PROFILES OF IN VITRO CELLULAR SENESCENCE OF HUMAN OSTEOBLASTSMethods: Osteoblasts were grown in vitro and cultivated to the eighth generation cells. We then employed immunohistochemical techniques to identify the expression of senescence markers of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity. RNA isolation, small RNA library construction and deep sequencing were performed. The generated next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were analyzed using the miRSeq software package.Results: In vitro aging model showed the positive cell number of SA-β-gal stained osteoblasts were enhanced in the eighth generation senescent cells. Morphological changes of large, flat and multinucleated than earlier young cells (first generation cell as the control group) were observed. In the NGS profiles, 168 miRNAs demonstrated over 2-fold changes. For those read counts over 10 reads per million (RPM)...