Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of the level of serum neurone specific enolase (NSE) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMbase, CBMdisc, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1950 to December 2007). Studies meeting the eligibility criteria were retrieved and their bibliographies were checked for other relevant publications. The quality of included studies was evaluated by 2 reviewers independently. Meta-analyses were performed for the results of homogeneous studies using STATA 7.0 software. Results Nine studies involving 2 021 SCLC patients were included. About 66.0% of patients had high serum levels of NSE, according to the cut-off value defined by the authors. The hazard ratio (HR) of high levels of NSE for overall survival (OS) was 1.27 times of that of low levels of NSE for OS in SCLC patients (95% CI 1.19 to 1.35, P=0.281). Conclusion Patients with high levels of NSE appear to have a poorer OS compared with those with low levels of NSE, thus the level of NSE has a prognostic value in SCLC patients. Due to the potential publication bias, selection bias, and measurement bias among these studies, the conclusion should be interpreted carefully. More high-quality homogeneous studies are required to accurately evaluate the prognostic value of NSE.
Objective To explore whether microRNA-203 (miR-203) targets and regulates the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-κB)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) to protect alveolar epithelial cells from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced apoptosis and inflammation injury. Methods The alveolar epithelial A549 cells were used as the research objects and divided into: Control group (normal culture), LPS group (LPS treatment), LPS+miR-NC mimics group (LPS treatment after transfection of miR-NC mimics), LPS+ miR-203 mimics group (LPS treatment after transfection of miR-203 mimics), LPS+miR-203 mimics+pcDNA group (LPS treatment after transfection of miR-203 mimics and pcDNA), LPS+miR-203 mimics+pcDNA-TLR4 group (LPS treatment after transfection of miR-203 mimics and pcDNA-TLR4). Dual luciferase reporter gene was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-203 and TLR4; Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the relative expression levels of miR-203 and TLR4 mRNA; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6; flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate of A549 cells; Western blot was used to detect the expression of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 gene (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), TLR4, NF-κB and NLRP3 proteins in A549 cells. Results There was a targeted regulation relationship between miR-203 and TLR4. Compared with the Control group, the expression of miR-203, TLR4 mRNA and protein, Bax, NF-κB, and NLRP3 proteins in A549 cells in the LPS group increased, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the cell supernatant increased, the apoptosis rate increased, the level of Bcl-2 protein in cells decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the LPS+miR-NC mimics group, the expression of TLR4 mRNA and protein, Bax, NF-κB, and NLRP3 proteins in A549 cells in the LPS+miR-203 mimics group decreased, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the cell supernatant decreased, the apoptosis rate decreased, the expression level of miR-203 and the level of Bcl-2 protein in cells increased (P<0.05). Compared with the LPS+miR-203 mimics+pcDNA group, the expression of miR-203, TLR4 mRNA and protein, Bax, NF-κB, and NLRP3 proteins in A549 cells in the LPS+miR-203 mimics+pcDNA-TLR4 group increased, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the cell supernatant increased, the apoptosis rate increased, the expression level of miR-203 and the level of Bcl-2 protein in cells decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion MiR-203 can target TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 to protect alveolar epithelial cells from apoptosis and inflammation induced by LPS.