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Background: A novel method, termed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), was developed by Notomi et al. (2000). Individually published results have been reported that this technology has been successfully applied to the detection of a variety of pathogens. However, the overall diagnostic accuracy of LAMP for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) remains unclear. A meta-analysis was therefore performed to review the accuracy of LAMP for Mycoplasma pneumoniae., Methods: Cochrane Library and PubMed were systematically searched and checked for studies using LAMP for detecting mycoplasma pneumoniae. We used PCR as a reference standard to evaluate the quality of the studies eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Then, the data from the studies were extracted by two independent assessors. Meta-DiSc 1.4 software was utilized to test the heterogeneity of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SP), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnosis odds ratio (DOR). The pooled analysis results were plotted, and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was plotted by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Generated pooled summary estimates (95% CIs) were calculated for the overall accuracy, and a bivariate meta-regression model was used for the meta-analysis., Results: Seven studies with nine fourfold tables were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled SEN and SPE for diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87-0.93) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-0.99), respectively. The PLR was 31.25 (95% CI: 14.83-65.87), NLR 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05-0.22), DOR 399.32 (95% CI: 172.01-927.00), and AUC 0.9892., Conclusions: In conclusion, compared with PCR, LAMP is a valuable alternative method for Mycoplasma pneumoniae diagnosis in clinic with high sensitivity and specificity. However, more evidence is required to confirm that LAMP can fully replace other methods in the clinical diagnosis of MP.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells can ameliorate the inflammation of allergic rhinitis (AR) and correct the Th1/Th2 immune imbalance., Methods: This study was performed to explore the immunomodulation properties of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) in the treatment of AR in vivo and in vitro. BALB/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) by intraperitoneal injection, and then SHEDs or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) were injected intravenously before challenge. We evaluated nasal symptoms, inflammatory infiltration of nasal mucosa, immunoglobulin secretion, cytokine production, and mRNA expression in the spleen. In addition, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AR patients were cultured with SHEDs or BMMSCs in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). PBMCs cultured alone with or without PHA served as controls. After 3 days of culture, we examined the effect of SHEDs on T lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine secretion, and the proportion of Foxp3 + Treg cells via flow cytometry. Finally, to determine the role of soluble factors (TGF-β 1 , PGE 2 ) in the immunomodulatory mechanism, a cytokine neutralization assay was performed., Results: Nasal symptoms and inflammatory infiltration were significantly reduced after SHED administration. The OVA-specific IgE and IgG 1 levels in serum were significantly decreased, and the increased IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-17A levels in the spleen after OVA challenge were markedly downregulated, while the level of IFN-γ was upregulated by SHED administration. The mRNA expression levels also changed correspondingly. SHEDs significantly inhibited the proliferation of T lymphocytes; increased the levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, PGE 2 , and TGF-β 1 ; decreased the levels of IL-4 and IL-17A; and induced the expansion of Treg cells in the coculture system. The neutralization of TGF-β 1 partly relieved the immunosuppression of SHEDs, but blocking PGE 2 did not. In addition, SHEDs were superior to BMMSCs in inhibiting the Th2 immune response in vivo and inducing the expansion of Treg cells in vitro., Conclusion: These results suggest that SHEDs could correct the CD4 + T cell immune imbalance via Treg cells and may be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of allergic diseases, such as AR, in the future.

Background: Gross target volume of primary tumor (GTV-P) is very important for the prognosis prediction of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but it is unknown whether the same is true for locally advanced NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). This study aimed to clarify the prognostic value of tumor volume for patient with locally advanced NPC receiving IMRT and to find a suitable cut-off value of GTV-P for prognosis prediction., Methods: Clinical data of 358 patients with locally advanced NPC who received IMRT were reviewed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify the cut-off values of GTV-P for the prediction of different endpoints [overall survival (OS), local relapse-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and disease-free survival (DFS)] and to test the prognostic value of GTV-P when compared with that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer T staging system., Results: The 358 patients with locally advanced NPC were divided into two groups by the cut-off value of GTV-P as determined using ROC curves: 219 (61.2%) patients with GTV-P ≤46.4 mL and 139 (38.8%) with GTV-P >46.4 mL. The 3-year OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS rates were all higher in patients with GTV-P ≤46.4 mL than in those with GTV-P > 46.4 mL (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that GTV-P >46.4 mL was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for patient survival. The ROC curve verified that the predictive ability of GTV-P was superior to that of T category (P < 0.001). The cut-off values of GTV-P for the prediction of OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS were 46.4, 57.9, 75.4 and 46.4 mL, respectively., Conclusion: In patients with locally advanced NPC, GTV-P >46.4 mL is an independent unfavorable prognostic indicator for survival after IMRT, with a prognostic value superior to that of T category.