Search

Purpose Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) has been reported to be involved in the progression of several human tumors. Nevertheless, clinical significance and molecular mechanism of TRPV4 in gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly defined. Patients and methods Immunohistochemistry assays were used to investigate the correlation between the expression of TRPV4 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in human GC tissues. The correlations between TRPV4 expression and clinicopathological features and between TRPV4 expression and survival rates were also examined. TRPV4 knockdown was performed by using small interfering RNAs. In vitro, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were employed to further explore the biological functions of TRPV4, and Western blotting was used to evaluate the changes in the expression of TRPV4 protein and EMT-related proteins in HGC-27 and MGC-803 human GC cell lines. Results TRPV4 expression was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. TRPV4 overexpression was associated with greater depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, higher TNM stage, poor overall survival, and worse disease-free survival. TRPV4 expression was inversely correlated with E-cadherin expression and positively correlated with vimentin expression. In vitro, knockdown of TRPV4 inhibited GC cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion. Furthermore, the knockdown of TRPV4 modulated EMT by upregulating E-cadherin expression and downregulating the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. In addition, the EMT-related transcription factor Snail was downregulated, whereas the expression levels of other transcription factors such as Slug and Twist did not change. Conclusion TRPV4 was upregulated in human GC and the overexpression of TRPV4 could promote GC progression, partially through Snail-mediated EMT.

Bo Shen,1 Aihua Qian,1 Wenji Lao,1 Weiguang Li,1 Xi Chen,1 Benyan Zhang,2 Huafeng Wang,2 Fei Yuan,2 Yunwei Sun11Department of Gastroenterology of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground: Many studies have shown that programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand, PD-L1, are expressed in advanced gastric cancer. Furthermore, detection of these proteins is associated with infiltrating CD8+ T-cells, indicating that an adaptive immune resistance mechanism occurs in advanced gastric cancer. However, PD-L1 and PD-1 expression in gastric intraepithelial neoplasia and early-stage gastric cancer (EGC) has yet to be elucidated.Patients and methods: Fifty-four resections of low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), and EGC were stained by immunohistochemistry for PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8. CD8+ T-cell densities both within tumors and in the tumor-stromal interface were analyzed. Flow cytometry (FACS) was used to analyze the PD-1 expression in tumor tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and PD-1 and PD-L1 was also evaluated.Results: We demonstrated that PD-L1 expression was significantly increased in HGIN and EGC compared with LGIN, and both PD-1 and PD-L1 showed similar expression patterns, being mainly detected in infiltrating immune cells. FACS also showed that PD-1 was expressed on both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. However, no difference was found in CD8+ T-cell infiltration between LGIN and HGIN+EGC, and this was not not found to be associated with PD-L1 or PD-1 expression. However, Hp infection was significantly associated with expression of PD-L1 and PD-1.Conclusions: The PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint is involved in intraepithelial neoplasia and EGC, but an adaptive immune resistance mechanism does not occur. Expression of PD-1/PD-L1 is also associated with Hp infection, and so Hp infection may be an important initiating factor.Clinical Trial Registration information: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Ruijin Hospital and written informed consent was obtained from all patients.Keywords: PD-L1, PD-1, Helicobacter pylori, LGIN, HGIN

Background Nicotine, an active ingredient in tobacco, can promote epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes that enhance the aggressiveness of a number of human cancers. In the present study, we investigated whether cigarette smoke/nicotine drives EMT in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods Quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence assays were used to evaluate Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) expression associated with cigarette smoking in human PDAC tissue samples and with nicotine exposure in PDAC cell lines. Bioinformatics, loss- and gain- of- function experiments, luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and murine tumor xenograft models were performed to examine the function of YAP1 in PDAC and to identify potential mechanisms of action. Results Exposure to smoking or nicotine promoted EMT and tumor growth in PDAC cells and in xenograft tumors. Functional studies revealed that YAP1 might drive nicotine-stimulated EMT and oncogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. In human PDAC tissues, upregulation of YAP1 was associated with “ever smoking” status and poor overall survival. In term of mechanism, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)1A promoted YAP1 nuclear localization and YAP1 transactivation by directly binding to the hypoxia responsive elements of the YAP1 promoter upon nicotine treatment. Nicotine stimulated HIF1A and YAP1 expression by activating cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha7 (CHRNA7). In addition, YAP1 increased and sustained the protein stability of HIF1A. Conclusions These data demonstrate that YAP1 enhances nicotine-stimulated EMT and tumor progression of PDAC through a HIF1A/YAP1 positive feedback loop. Developing inhibitors that specifically target YAP1 may provide a novel therapeutic approach to suppress PDAC growth, especially in PDAC patients who have a history of smoking.

Purpose Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) has been reported to be involved in the progression of several human tumors. Nevertheless, clinical significance and molecular mechanism of TRPV4 in gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly defined. Patients and Methods Immunohistochemistry assays were used to investigate the correlation between the expression of TRPV4 and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in human GC tissues. The correlations between TRPV4 expression and clinicopathological features and between TRPV4 expression and survival rates were also examined. TRPV4 knockdown was performed by using small interfering RNAs. In vitro, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were employed to further explore the biological functions of TRPV4, and Western blotting was used to evaluate the changes in the expression of TRPV4 protein and EMT-related proteins in HGC-27 and MGC-803 human GC cell lines. Results TRPV4 expression was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. TRPV4 overexpression was associated with greater depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, higher TNM stage, poor overall survival, and worse disease-free survival. TRPV4 expression was inversely correlated with E-cadherin expression and positively correlated with vimentin expression. In vitro, knockdown of TRPV4 inhibited GC cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion. Furthermore, the knockdown of TRPV4 modulated EMT by upregulating E-cadherin expression and downregulating the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. In addition, the EMT-related transcription factor Snail was downregulated, whereas the expression levels of other transcription factors such as Slug and Twist did not change. Conclusion TRPV4 was upregulated in human GC and the overexpression of TRPV4 could promote GC progression, partially through Snail-mediated EMT.

Zinc is a transition metal that has a long history of use as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also soothes pain sensations in a number of animal models. However, the effects and mechanisms of zinc on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy remain unknown. Here we show that locally injected zinc markedly reduces neuropathic pain in male and female mice induced by paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug, in a TRPV1-dependent manner. Extracellularly applied zinc also inhibits the function of TRPV1 expressed in HEK293 cells and mouse DRG neurons, which requires the presence of zinc-permeable TRPA1 to mediate entry of zinc into the cytoplasm. Moreover, TRPA1 is required for zinc-induced inhibition of TRPV1-mediated acute nociception. Unexpectedly, zinc transporters, but not TRPA1, are required for zinc-induced inhibition of TRPV1-dependent chronic neuropathic pain produced by paclitaxel. Together, our study demonstrates a novel mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of zinc on paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain that relies on the function of TRPV1.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a major limiting factor affecting the chemotherapy patients. There is no effective treatment available currently. We demonstrate that zinc prevents paclitaxel-induced mechanical hypersensitivity via inhibiting the TRPV1 channel, which is involved in the sensitization of peripheral nociceptors in chemotherapy. Zinc transporters in DRG neurons are required for the entry of zinc into the intracellular side, where it inhibits TRPV1. Our study provides insight into the mechanism underlying the pain-soothing effect of zinc and suggests that zinc could be developed to therapeutics for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Additional file 1 Supplementary Table s1: Antibodies and chemicals used in this study. Supplementary Table s2: The sequences of the primers included in this manuscript. Supplementary Table s3: Clinicopathologic characteristics of the PDAC patients from whom the TMA specimens were obtained. Fig. S1 Smoking/nicotine exposure modulates the EMT process in PDAC cell lines and tissues. a-b, Immunohistochemical staining analysis of the expression levels of E-cad (a) and Vim (b) in TT pancreas samples from ESs and NSs (n = 173). Scale bar, 100 μm. c-d, Immunohistochemical stained analysis of the expression levels of E-cad (c) and Vim (d) in ANT pancreas samples from ESs and NSs. Scale bar, 100 μm. (e-f) Immunofluorescence assays of the expression levels of E-cad (e) and Vim (f) in human PDAC tissues from ESs and NSs. white scale bar, 100 μm. g, Immunofluorescence assays of the expression levels of Vim in nicotine- or DMSO-treated Panc-1 cells. h, EMT-like morphological changes of Panc-1 cells with DMSO or nicotine (1.0 μM) treatment. Scale bar, 100 μm. EMT, epithelial-mesenchymal transition; TT, tumor tissues; ANT, adjacent non-cancerous tissues; ES, ever smoker; NS, never smoker; E-cad, E-cadherin; Vim, vimentin; PDAC, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Nic, nicotine. GAPDH was used as an internal reference. Chi square test was used for statistical analysis. Fig.S2 YAP1 mediates the effects of nicotine on the cellular functions of Panc-1 and BxPC3 cells. a-d, qRT-PCR and western blot assays of YAP1 expression after transfection with shYAP1 (a,b) or pcDNA4-YAP1 (c,d) and NC in Panc-1 and BxPC3 cells. e-f, MTT assay of cell proliferation rate in Panc-1 (e) and BxPC3 (f) cells after transfection with the indicated vectors upon nicotine treatment. g-h, Wound healing assay of cell migration rate in Panc-1 (g) and BxPC3 (h) cells after transfection with the indicated vectors upon nicotine treatment. i-j, Transwell assay (with matrigel) of cell invasive potential in Panc-1 (i) and BxPC3 (j) cells after transfection with the indicated vectors upon nicotine treatment. NC, negative control; EV, empty vector; Data are shown as the mean ± SD of three replicates.*P

Intestinal macrophages are critical for gastrointestinal (GI) homeostasis, but our understanding of their role in regulating intestinal motility is incomplete. Here, we report that CX3C chemokine receptor 1-expressing muscularis macrophages (MMs) were required to maintain normal GI motility. MMs expressed the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel, which senses thermal, mechanical, and chemical cues. Selective pharmacologic inhibition of TRPV4 or conditional deletion of TRPV4 from macrophages decreased intestinal motility and was sufficient to reverse the GI hypermotility that is associated with chemotherapy treatment. Mechanistically, stimulation of MMs via TRPV4 promoted the release of prostaglandin E2 and elicited colon contraction in a paracrine manner via prostaglandin E receptor signaling in intestinal smooth muscle cells without input from the enteric nervous system. Collectively, our data identify TRPV4-expressing MMs as an essential component required for maintaining normal GI motility and provide potential drug targets for GI motility disorders.

Background and Purpose Retinoids, through their activation of retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors, regulate diverse cellular processes, and pharmacological intervention in their actions has been successful in the treatment of skin disorders and cancers. Despite the many beneficial effects, administration of retinoids causes irritating side effects with unknown mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that LE135 [4-(7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-5,7,7,10,10-pentamethyl-5H-benzo[e]naphtho[2,3-b][1,4]diazepin-13-yl)benzoic acid], a selective antagonist of RARβ, is a potent activator of the capsaicin (TRPV1) and wasabi (TRPA1) receptors, two critical pain-initiating cation channels. Experimental Approach We performed to investigate the excitatory effects of LE135 on TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels expressed in HEK293T cells and in dorsal root ganglia neurons with calcium imaging and patch-clamp recordings. We also used site-directed mutagenesis of the channels to determine the structural basis of LE135-induced activation of TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels and behavioural testing to examine if pharmacological inhibition and genetic deletion of the channels affected LE135-evoked pain-related behaviours. Key Results LE135 activated both the capsaicin receptor (TRPV1) and the allyl isothiocyanate receptor (TRPA1) heterologously expressed in HEK293T cells and endogenously expressed by sensory nociceptors. Mutations disrupting the capsaicin-binding site attenuated LE135 activation of TRPV1 channels and a single mutation (K170R) eliminated TRPA1 activity evoked by LE135. Intraplantar injection of LE135 evoked pain-related behaviours. Both TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels were involved in LE135-elicited pain-related responses, as shown by pharmacological and genetic ablation studies. Conclusions and Implications This blocker of retinoid acid signalling also exerted non-genomic effects through activating the pain-initiating TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels.

Retinoids are structurally related derivatives of vitamin A and are required for normal vision as well as cell proliferation and differentiation. Clinically, retinoids are effective in treating many skin disorders and cancers. Application of retinoids evokes substantial irritating side effects, including pain and inflammation; however, the precise mechanisms accounting for the sensory hypersensitivity are not understood. Here we show that both naturally occurring and synthetic retinoids activate recombinant or native transient receptor potential channel vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1), an irritant receptor for capsaicin, the pungent ingredient of chili peppers. In vivo, retinoids produced pain-related behaviors that were either eliminated or significantly reduced by genetic or pharmacological inhibition of TRPV1 function. These findings identify TRPV1 as an ionotropic receptor for retinoids and provide cellular and molecular insights into retinoid-evoked hypersensitivity. These findings also suggest that selective TRPV1 antagonists are potential therapeutic drugs for treating retinoid-induced sensory hypersensitivity.

Background Chronic itch is a highly debilitating symptom that underlies many medical disorders with no universally effective treatments. Although unique neuronal signaling cascades in the sensory ganglia and spinal cord have been shown to critically promote the pathogenesis of chronic itch, the role of skin-associated cells remains poorly understood. Objective We sought to examine the cutaneous mechanisms underlying transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4)–mediated allergic and nonallergic chronic itch. Methods Expression of TRPV4 in chronic itch and healthy control skin preparations was examined by using real-time RT-PCR. Trpv4 eGFP mice were used to study the expression and function of TRPV4 in the skin by means of immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, calcium imaging, and patch-clamp recordings. Genetic and pharmacologic approaches were used to examine the role and underlying mechanisms of TRPV4 in mouse models of dry skin–associated chronic itch and spontaneous scratching associated with squaric acid dibutylester–induced allergic contact dermatitis. Results TRPV4 is selectively expressed by dermal macrophages and epidermal keratinocytes in mice. Lineage-specific deletion of TRPV4 in macrophages and keratinocytes reduces allergic and nonallergic chronic itch in mice, respectively. Importantly, TRPV4 expression is significantly increased in skin biopsy specimens from patients with chronic idiopathic pruritus in comparison with skin from healthy control subjects. Moreover, TRPV4-dependent chronic itch requires 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) signaling secondary to activation of distinct 5-HT receptors in mice with allergic and those with nonallergic chronic itch conditions. Conclusion Our study reveals previously unrecognized mechanisms by which TRPV4-expressing epithelial and immune cells in the skin critically and dynamically mediate chronic itch and unravels novel targets for therapeutics in the setting of chronic itch.

Background and aim NFκB plays a major role in the immune and inflammation responses of pancreatitis. Recently, there is increasing evidence that the expression and activity of PPARγ may participate in the activity of NFκB. Therefore, we investigated a putative relationship of the two transcription factors in cerulein-treated pancreatic acinar AR42J cells. Method AR42J were stimulated by cerulein with or without the presence of a PPARγ activator pioglitazone or a PPARγ antagonist GW9662. Results Treatment of AR42J cells with pioglitazone attenuated cerulein induced p50 and p65 NFκB dimer activity in the nucleus as measured by transcription factor assay. Cytosolic expression of IκBα protein was reduced by cerulein, basal signalling was not influenced by the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662 and pioglitazone. Adversely, the inhibitory effect of pioglitazone on NFκB activity induced by cerulein was almost reversed by GW9662. Conclusion These findings provide evidence for the involvement of the nuclear hormone receptors PPARγ in the activity of NFκB in cerulein-treated AR42J cells.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that alcohol consumption was positively related to colorectal cancer. However, the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal adenoma (CRA), the established precancerous lesion of colorectal cancer, remains unclear. We identified studies from a literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science through 31 October 2013, and by searching reference lists of pertinent articles. Summary relative risks with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model. A total of 30 studies with 26,145 incident CRA cases were included. Overall, an increase of 25 g (two drinks) per day of alcohol consumption was related to an increased risk of CRA (summary relative risk=1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.37). There was considerable heterogeneity between studies not explained by study design, sex, geographic location, publication year, site or size of the lesions, type of adenoma, number of cases, endoscopic assessment, or adjustment for main confounders. The positive association was evident for both men and women and for colonic adenoma, but not for rectal adenoma. Increased alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of CRA for both men and women and for adenoma in the colon, but not in the rectum.

Recently underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) have drawn much attention because of their great value in many underwater applications where human operation is hard to carry out. In this paper, we introduce and compare the performance of four localization algorithms in UASNs, namely, distance vector-hop (DV-hop), a new localization algorithm for underwater acoustic sensor networks (NLA), large-scale hierarchical localization (LSHL), and localization scheme for large scale underwater networks (LSLS). The four algorithms are all suitable for large-scale UASNs. We compare the localization algorithms in terms of localization coverage, localization error, and average energy consumption. Besides, we analyze the impacts of the ranging error and the number of anchor nodes on the performance of the localization algorithms. Simulations show that LSHL and LSLS perform much better than DV-hop and NLA in localization coverage, localization error, and average energy consumption. The performance of NLA is similar to that of the DV-hop. The advantage of DV-hop and NLA is that the localization results do not rely on the number of anchor nodes; that is, only a small number of anchor nodes are needed for localization.

Recently, heterogeneous wireless sensor network (HWSN) routing protocols have drawn more and more attention. Various HWSN routing protocols have been proposed to improve the performance of HWSNs. Among these protocols, hierarchical HWSN routing protocols can improve the performance of the network significantly. In this paper, we will evaluate three hierarchical HWSN protocols proposed recently—EDFCM, MCR, and EEPCA—together with two previous classical routing protocols—LEACH and SEP. We mainly focus on the round of the first node dies (also called the stable period) and the number of packets sent to sink, which is an important aspect to evaluate the monitoring ability of a protocol. We conduct a lot of experiments and simulations on Matlab to analyze the performance of the five routing protocols.

Recently Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks have rapidly developed and been widely adopted to meet all kinds of applications, while they are exposed to an open underwater environment which is particularly vulnerable to various attacks, among which Sybil attack is one of the most common and harmful one. In this case, it is urgent to find an effective method to detect the Sybil attack. Our paper puts forward a novel scheme based on state information of nodes to detect the Sybil attack. We implement the feature of our scheme through both by numerical analysis and simulation performance in MATLAB. And the simulation results demonstrate that the detecting accuracy can be up to 94 percent. Our proposed scheme can efficiently detect the Sybil nodes.

Background & Aims Reports on the association between dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal adenoma (CRA), the precursor of colorectal cancer, have been inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies to analyze this association. Methods We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to identify relevant studies published through July 2013. A random-effects model was used to estimate summary relative risks (SRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between fiber intake and CRA risk. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Cochran Q and I 2 statistics. Results Our meta-analysis included 20 studies involving 10,948 subjects with CRA. The SRRs of CRA for total dietary fiber were 0.72 (95% CI, 0.63–0.83) in a high- vs low-intake analysis and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.87–0.95) per 10-g/day increase in fiber intake in a dose-response model. Subgroup analyses indicated a significant inverse association between total fiber intake and CRA risk in case-control studies (SRR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.56–0.77), but not in cohort studies (SRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.76–1.10). The SRRs of CRA were 0.84 for fruit fiber (95% CI, 0.76–0.94; n = 6 studies), 0.93 for vegetable fiber (95% CI, 0.84–1.04; n = 6 studies), and 0.76 for cereal fiber (95% CI, 0.62–0.92; n = 9 studies) in high- vs low-intake analyses. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that high dietary fiber intake is associated inversely with CRA risk. Further studies with prospective designs that use validated questionnaires and control for important confounders are warranted.

With the development of various underwater applications, localization techniques of large-scale Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) have played a more and more important role in these applications. In this paper, we introduce three localization algorithms for large-scale UWSNs: Node Discovery and Localization Protocol (NDLP), Large-Scale Hierarchical Localization Approach (LSHL) and Localization Scheme for Large Scale underwater networks (LSLS). They are all distributed and range-based localization schemes. Moreover, we compare the localization algorithms in three parameters: localization coverage, localization error and average energy consumption. The simulation results demonstrate that LSLS outperforms LSHL and NDLP in terms of localization coverage. LSHL has lower localization error and energy consumption than LSLS in given conditions. NDLP has higher localization error and energy consumption than LSLS and LSHL, but it performs relatively well when the communication range of nodes is big enough.

BACKGROUND&AIMS: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a nonselective cation channel, and involved in physical sensing in various types of tissues. TRPV4 is expressed in sensory neuron and vascular endothelial cells in various organs. In gastrointestinal tracts, TRPV4 activation in epithelial cells increases in intracellular calcium concentrations and induces colitis. However, the localization and the role of the TRPV4 channel expressed in vascular endothelial cells in colitis are still poorly defined. In the present study, we investigated the alteration of TRPV4 expression in the colonic vascular endothelial cells during dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. METHODS: Eight week-old wild type (WT) and TRPV4 knock-out (TRPV4 KO) mice were used. Colitis was induced by 2% DSS solution given as drinking water for 7 days. The disease activity index (DAI) was evaluated during the treatment, while colon length, histological damage, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were examined post-DSS treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in distal colon. TRPV4-immunoreactivity was detected by using immunohistochemical staining with fluorescein-conjugated tyramide amplification. CD31, CD105, CD11b, CD68, Ly6B.2, and VEGF receptor-2 were detected by indirect staining with their specific antibodies. Vascular leakage was investigated using Evans blue dye extrusion assay. RESULTS: TRPV4 KO mice protected against DSS-induced weight loss, neutrophil (MPO), colon shortening, diarrhea, occult-fecal blood, and histological damage. TRPV4 immunoreactivities were detected mostly in epithelial cells of normal distal colon. DSS treatment drastically increased TRPV4 expression in vascular endothelial cells of mucosa and submucosal layer which colocalized with CD31, CD105, and VEGF receptor-2, but not epithelial cells. Repeated intrarectal and intravenous administration of TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A exacerbated the severity of DSS colitis. Increased vascular permeability was observed following single intravenous administration of GSK1016790A in DSS colitis and this effect was abolished with TRPV4 antagonist RN1734. CD11b, CD68, Ly6B.2 immunopositive cells were detected around TRPV4 positive vascular endothelial cells in mucosa and submucosal layer in DSS colitis. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the alteration of TRPV4 in vascular endothelial cells may contribute to progression of colonic inflammation via increasing vascular permeability.

Backgrounds and aims: This study aimed to compare the esophageal motility between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients with typical symptoms but without globus sensation and GERD patients only with globus symptoms. Methods: A total of 57 consecutive GERD patients diagnosed by endoscopy or by 24-hour pH monitoring between May 2013 and September 2015 were included retrospectively into the study. The patients were grouped based on the presence or absence of globus. Thirty patients presented with typical reflux symptoms but without globus were assigned to the typical GERD group and 27 patients only with globus symptom were assigned to the globus GERD group. All patients underwent esophageal high resolution manometry (HRM) and the differences in esophageal motility between the two groups were analyzed. Results: The globus GERD group showed a significantly greater lower esophageal sphincter (LES) length, LES basal pressure and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) residual pressure than that of the typical GERD group (3.47 ± 0.76 vs. 2.65 ± 0.62 cm, 21.71 ± 9.68 vs. 16.04 ± 8.49 mmHg, 7.30 ± 4.42 vs. 4.12 ± 2.92 mmHg, all p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the distal wave amplitude, mean wave duration, distal contractile integral (DCI), contractile front velocity (CFV), distal latency (DL), integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) and UES basal pressure. The incidence of esophageal dysmotility in the globus GERD group (33.3%) was higher than in the typical GERD group (23.3%). There was no significant difference in esophageal acid exposure of the non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (NERD) patients between the two groups. Conclusions: Globus GERD patients have a higher UES residual pressure, longer LES length, higher LES basal pressure and greater esophageal dysmotility than typical GERD patients. HRM is useful in evaluating esophageal motility of GERD patients.