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Background: Tregs are key drivers of immunosuppression in solid tumors. As an important chemokine receptor on Tregs, the regulatory effect of CCR8 on tumor immunity has received more and more attention. However, the current research on CCR8 in the immune microenvironment of ovarian cancer has not been clear. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was used to compare the transcriptome differences between CD4+ T cells in the peripheral circulation and infiltrated in ovarian tumor tissues. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of chemokine receptor-related differential genes on CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood and ovarian tumor tissues. Multiparameter flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion and phenotypic characteristics of CD4+CCR8+ Tregs and CD4+CCR8− Tregs in different sample types. The expression level of CCR8 ligands was detected at multiple levels. To explore the important role of CCR8-CCL1 and CCR8-CCL18 axis in the migration and invasion of CD4+CCR8+ Tregs into ovarian tumor tissues by establishing a chemotaxis system in vitro. Results: In this study, significantly different gene expression profiles were found between peripheral circulating CD4+ T cells and infiltrating CD4+ T cells in ovarian tumor tissues, in which chemokine-chemokine receptor signaling pathway was significantly enriched in all three groups of differential genes. The expression level of CCR8 in infiltrating CD4+ T cells of ovarian cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in peripheral blood of healthy controls and ovarian cancer patients, and high expression of CCR8 was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage and poor differentiation. CD4+CCR8+ Tregs are the main type of infiltrating CD4+ Tregs in ovarian tumor tissues, which have stronger immunosuppressive phenotypes, secrete more inhibitory cytokines and have stronger proliferation ability. The ligands CCL1 and CCL18 corresponding to CCR8 were significantly overexpressed in ovarian tumor tissues, and the CCR8-CCL1 and CCR8-CCL18 axis played a key role in the migration and infiltration of CD4+CCR8+ Tregs into ovarian tumor tissues. Conclusions: The results of this study may help to understand the phenotypic characteristics and recruitment process of Tregs in the tumor, and provide new ideas for improving the immunosuppressive status of the ovarian cancer microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Our aim was to study the use of prostatic exosomal protein (PSEP) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in diagnosis of prostate-related diseases. Methods A total of 54 cases of acute prostatitis (AP), 72 cases of chronic prostatitis (CP), and 36 cases of prostate cancer (PCa) were enrolled. Levels of PSEP and PSA were analyzed. Results The positive rate and level of PSEP in CP was highest (both P  < .05). The total PSA (tPSA) level in PCa was the highest (P  < .05), followed by AP and CP. The free PSA (fPSA) level was lowest in CP (P  < .05); fPSA/tPSA in AP was the highest (P  < .05). The PSEP level in type II CP was higher than in type IIIa and type IIIb (both P  < .05), and it was higher in type IIIa than in type IIIb (P  < .05). The tPSA level in type IIIb was the lowest in the 3 types (both P  < .05). The fPSA/tPSA in type IIIb was the highest in the 3 types (P  < .05). Conclusion The PSEP combined with PSA better distinguishes prostate-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effect of hemolysis on glycated albumin (GA) levels, as determined by the ketamine oxidase method. Methods GA levels and the hemolysis index were determined in nonhemolyzed serum and hemolyzed serum from corresponding patients. We developed an equation to correct the interference of hemolysis on GA, using multiple regression analysis. Results The degree of hemolysis was negatively correlated with GA levels (R2 = 0.9500). A correction equation for GA (corrected GA = 2.703 × OD of hemolysis + 1.044 × measured GA −0.906) can revert GA concentrations of hemolyzed specimens to values that were not significantly different from the GA concentration of corresponding nonhemolyzed specimens. The bias of GA concentrations before and after correction was statistically significantly different (P <.01). Conclusions Our results indicate that the level of GA measured through the ketamine oxidase method is negatively affected by hemolysis. The individualized correction of GA results provides increased accuracy in hemolyzed specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate a possible mechanism of CD8+ regulatory T-cell (Treg) production in an ovarian cancer ( OC) microenvironment. Materials and methods Agilent microarray was used to detect changes in gene expression between CD8+ T cells cultured with and without the SKOV3 ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line. QRT-PCR was performed to determine glycolysis gene expression in CD8+ T cells from a transwell culturing system and OC patients. We also detected protein levels of glycolysis-related genes using Western blot analysis. Results Comparing gene expression profiles revealed significant differences in expression levels of 1420 genes, of which 246 were up-regulated and 1174 were down-regulated. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that biological processes altered in CD8+ Treg are particularly associated with energy metabolism. CD8+ Treg cells induced by co-culture with SKOV3 had lower glycolysis gene expression compared to CD8+T cells cultured alone. Glycolysis gene expression was also decreased in the CD8+ T cells of OC patients. Conclusions These findings provide a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of DEGs in CD8+ T cells cultured with and without SKOV3 and suggests that metabolic processes may be a possible mechanism for CD8+ Treg induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate a possible mechanism of CD8 + regulatory T-cell (Treg) production in an ovarian cancer (OC) microenvironment., Materials and Methods: Agilent microarray was used to detect changes in gene expression between CD8 + T cells cultured with and without the SKOV3 ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line. QRT-PCR was performed to determine glycolysis gene expression in CD8 + T cells from a transwell culturing system and OC patients. We also detected protein levels of glycolysis-related genes using Western blot analysis., Results: Comparing gene expression profiles revealed significant differences in expression levels of 1420 genes, of which 246 were up-regulated and 1174 were down-regulated. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that biological processes altered in CD8 + Treg are particularly associated with energy metabolism. CD8 + Treg cells induced by co-culture with SKOV3 had lower glycolysis gene expression compared to CD8 + T cells cultured alone. Glycolysis gene expression was also decreased in the CD8 + T cells of OC patients., Conclusions: These findings provide a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of DEGs in CD8 + T cells cultured with and without SKOV3 and suggests that metabolic processes may be a possible mechanism for CD8 + Treg induction., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Inflammation is often linked with the progress and poor outcome of lung cancer. The understanding of the relationship between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and lung cancer cells involves in the underlying mechanism of inflammatory cytokine production. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are engaged in promoting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and play an important role in tumor immunology., Methods: To investigate the mechanisms by which TAMs influence the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in lung cancer cells, we established an in vitro coculture system using TAMs and human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line SPC-A1. Levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 in SPC-A1 were evaluated by RT-PCR and cytometric bead array assay after being cocultured with TAMs. Expression changes of TLRs and TLRs signaling pathway proteins in SPC-A1 were further confirmed by RT-PCR and western blot. The level changes of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 in SPC-A1 were also detected after the stimulation of TLRs agonists., Results: We found that the phenotype markers of TAMs were highly expressed after stimulating human monocyte cell line THP-1 by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Higher mRNA and supernate secretion levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 were detected in SPC-A1 after being cocultured with TAMs. We also found that TLR1, TLR6 and TLR7 were up-regulated in SPC-A1 in the coculture system with TAMs. Meanwhile, TLRs signaling pathway proteins were also significantly activated. Moreover, pre-treatment with agonist ligands for TLR1, TLR6 and TLR7 could dramatically promote inductions of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8., Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that TAMs may enhance IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 expressions via TLRs signaling pathway. We conclude that TAMs contribute to maintain the inflammation microenvironment and ultimately promote the development and progression of lung cancer.