title: [Changes in serum protease and cytokine in patients with silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes in serum protease and cytokine in patients with silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples of patients with silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer were collected. The variation trends of the expression of granzyme A, cathepsin G, apolipoprotein A, and interferon-β (IFN-β) were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The concentration of apolipoprotein A of the silicosis group was 200 µg/ml, significantly higher than those of the tuberculosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the lung cancer group had a significantly higher concentration of apolipoprotein A compared with the tuberculosis group (P < 0.05). The silicosis group had significantly higher expression of cathepsin G compared with the tuberculosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the tuberculosis group and lung cancer group showed no significant difference in the concentration of cathepsin G (P > 0.05). The tuberculosis group had a significantly higher concentration of granzyme A than the silicosis and lung cancer groups (P < 0.05), and the silicosis group and lung cancer group had similar protein concentration trends (P > 0.05). The tuberculosis group and lung cancer group had significantly higher concentration of IFN-β compared with the silicosis group (P < 0.05), and the tuberculosis group and lung cancer group showed no significant difference in IFN-β concentration (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study may offer diagnostic markers for the clinical diagnosis of silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer, and could provide a basis for the research, as well as potential molecular targets for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Wuxi NO.8 People's Hospital, Wuxi 214011, China.
authors.forename: Rongming
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Bangmei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Dehong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Qingjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Yingyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhonghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Guiliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D056649:Cathepsin G / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D053804:Granzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D012829:Silicosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D016899:Interferon-beta; D010450:Endopeptidases; D053804:Granzymes; D056649:Cathepsin G