No abstract

Non-invasive strategies for monitoring posttuberculosis (TB) tracheobronchial stenosis (PTTS) are clinically important but currently lacking. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and procollagen type I N-propeptide (PINP) have been identified as markers of fibrosis. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum TGF-β1 and PINP in PTTS. Serum samples were collected from 119 patients with tracheobronchial TB after the condition was treated for at least 6 months (59 patients with airway stenosis and 60 patients with no stenosis). Serum TGF-β1 and PINP levels were measured using ELISA and compared between the groups. Relationships between serum TGF-β1 and PINP levels and clinical characteristics, interventional bronchoscopy and outcomes of airway stenosis were analysed. The correlation between TGF-β1 and PINP, and their diagnostic efficacy for airway stenosis were also analysed. The TGF-β1 and PINP levels in the airway stenosis group were higher than those in the non-stenosis group. Furthermore, airway stenosis with atelectasis or mucus plugging was associated with higher TGF-β1 levels, and airway stenosis with atelectasis, mucus plugging, right main bronchus stenosis or severe airway tracheal stenosis was associated with higher PINP levels. In addition, TGF-β1 and PINP levels increased after interventional bronchoscopy therapy and airway stenosis with recurrent stenosis was associated with higher baseline levels of both markers. Finally, TGF-β1 levels were positively correlated with PINP levels in patients with airway stenosis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of TGF-β1 and PINP for distinguishing airway stenosis from non-stenosis cases was 0.824 (95% CI: 0.748-0.900) and 0.863 (95% CI: 0.796-0.930), respectively. Therefore, TGF-β1 and PINP are potential biomarkers that may be useful for diagnosing and monitoring PTTS.

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) serves a significant role in pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) contribute to PF pathogenesis via EMT regulation. However, the role of miR-483-5p in PF remains unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated the potential effect of miR-483-5p on TGF-β1-induced EMT in PF. It was found that the expression of miR-483-5p was upregulated in both PF tissue and A549 cells treated with TGF-β1, whereas expression of Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor 1 (RhoGDI1) was downregulated. miR-483-5p mimic transfection promoted TGF-β1-induced EMT; by contrast, miR-483-5p inhibitor inhibited TGF-β1-induced EMT. Also, miR-483-5p mimic decreased RhoGDI1 expression, whereas miR-483-5p inhibitor increased RhoGDI1 expression. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that miR-483-5p directly regulated RhoGDI1. Moreover, RhoGDI1 knockdown eliminated the inhibitory effect of the miR-483-5p inhibitor on TGF-β1-induced EMT via the Rac family small GTPase (Rac)1/PI3K/AKT pathway. In conclusion, these data indicated that miR-483-5p inhibition ameliorated TGF-β1-induced EMT by targeting RhoGDI1 via the Rac1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in PF, suggesting a potential role of miR-483-5p in the prevention and treatment of PF.

No abstract

In this study, a novel ultra-broadband absorber is suggested and numerically analyzed to demonstrate that the suggested absorber can achieve an average absorbance of 98.6% in the visible to near-infrared wavelength range (496–2100 nm). The structure of the proposed new ultra-wideband absorber consists of four thin films of silicon dioxide (SiO2), iron (Fe), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), and chromium (Cr). We have examined the structure’s electromagnetic field intensity distribution at numerous selected optical wavelengths and the influence of various structural parameters on the absorption performance of the absorber to offer a physical mechanism underlying the ultra-broadband absorption effect. Furthermore, in the presence of high-performance absorption, the structure has the effect of stabilizing absorption at large angles of incidence and is polarization-independent at vertical angles of incidence. The study also assesses the solar absorption capability of this structure, indicating that the structure has potential applications in solar absorption, such as solar energy collection and conversion, solar power generation, and thermal emitters.