Genetic variants in FH are associated with renal histopathologic subtypes of lupus nephritis: a large cohort study from China

Objective Genetic variants in FH (complement factor H) were reported to associate with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study proposed that the genetic defects of FH in the susceptibility and in the development of lupus nephritis might be different. Methods This study enrolled 334 lupus nephritis patients, 269 SLE patients without clinical renal involvement and 350 controls. Two-step genotyping was performed. First, all the exons of the FH gene were fully sequenced in 100 lupus nephritis patients and 100 healthy controls. Second, genotyping of three common variants reported to be functional, rs1061170, rs800292 and rs6677604, was conducted in all the recruited individuals. Further, analysis of their associations with SLE/lupus nephritis susceptibility and the clinico-pathological parameters in the lupus nephritis group was performed. Results No significant differences were observed in allele and genotype frequencies of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms between lupus patients and controls. There was a significantly higher ratio of CC/CT genotypes of rs1061170 in lupus nephritis patients with class III than in the other two classes (class III vs. class IV vs. class V: 21.0% vs. 9.7% vs. 9.4%; P = .044). The rs6677604-GG genotype was observed to be associated with the absence of anti-ds DNA antibody ( P = .021), and the rs800292-TT genotype was associated with a higher level of circulating C3 ( P = 0.20) in lupus nephritis. Conclusion In an independent cohort, this is the first genetic association analysis focusing on FH genetic variants in Chinese lupus nephritis patients. It was found that the variants in the FH gene might affect the histopathologic subtypes and some clinical features of the disease.

Kidney Exchange to Overcome Financial Barriers to Kidney Transplantation

Organ shortage is the major limitation to kidney transplantation in the developed world. Conversely, millions of patients in the developing world with end-stage renal disease die because they cannot afford renal replacement therapy-even when willing living kidney donors exist. This juxtaposition between countries with funds but no available kidneys and those with available kidneys but no funds prompts us to propose an exchange program using each nation's unique assets. Our proposal leverages the cost savings achieved through earlier transplantation over dialysis to fund the cost of kidney exchange between developed-world patient-donor pairs with immunological barriers and developing-world patient-donor pairs with financial barriers. By making developed-world health care available to impoverished patients in the developing world, we replace unethical transplant tourism with global kidney exchange-a modality equally benefitting rich and poor. We report the 1-year experience of an initial Filipino pair, whose recipient was transplanted in the United states with an American donor's kidney at no cost to him. The Filipino donor donated to an American in the United States through a kidney exchange chain. Follow-up care and medications in the Philippines were supported by funds from the United States. We show that the logistical obstacles in this approach, although considerable, are surmountable.

A fluorescence turn-off-on chemosensor based on carbon nanocages for detection of ascorbic acid

A type of carbon nanocages has been constructed through grilling of turbot by a facile method, and applied successfully as a fluorescent probe for rapid, selective as well as sensitive detection of ascorbic acid.

Fluorescent nanoparticles from mature vinegar: their properties and interaction with dopamine

In this paper we report the discovery of fluorescent nanoparticles (FNs) in Chinese mature vinegar.

Physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity of carbon dots in grilled fish

Fluorescent CDs with good biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity are extracted from grilled pike eel, which are used for bio-imaging.

Presence and formation of fluorescence carbon dots in a grilled hamburger

Carbon nanoparticles in a grilled hamburger were discovered, which showed different structures and properties at various heating temperatures.

Cutaneous protothecosis on the bilateral wrists of a food handler

Cutaneous protothecosis is caused by the achlorophyllic algae Prototheca, typically presenting as a localized plaque in immunocompetent individuals. We report a patient with bilateral erythematous plaques and pustules on her forearms, which had initially been treated with steroids for presumed eczema. Histology showed spherical spore-like bodies with internal morula-like septation, which were positive for periodic-acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, consistent with cutaneous protothecosis. Definitive treatment with oral itraconazole resulted in resolution of the lesions.

The CD4+ T-lymphocyte count is an important predictor for the prognosis of cryptococcosis

There is great heterogeneity of immunity among patients with cryptococcosis, and severe immunodeficiency can lead to negative clinical outcomes. Underlying disease is a poor surrogate for immune status and inferior in predicting an individual’s prognosis. This study was intended to determine whether T-lymphocyte subgroups would be more suitable indicators regarding the severity of infection and clinical outcomes of such patients. We retrieved clinical data on 101 patients with cryptococcosis and compared the validity of multiple parameters (underlying disease and T-lymphocyte subgroups) in predicting the severity of infection and clinical outcome in these patients. For patients with CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte counts lower than 400/μL, the odds ratio of disseminated cryptococcosis was 23.3 (P = 0.005). There was a moderate negative correlation between CD4⁺ T-cell count and Apache II score (−0.609, P < 0.001). Mortality among patients with low levels of CD4⁺ T lymphocytes was significantly higher than among those with normal levels (23.8% vs 5.3%, P = 0.016). However, the difference was not significant if the patients were grouped by underlying disease (P = 0.067). The CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte count in peripheral blood is a simple and more accurate biomarker for predicting severity of infection and clinical outcome in patients with cryptococcosis.

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 promotes cancer cell migration independent of its metabolic activity

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) is a glycolytic enzyme that coordinates glycolysis and biosynthesis to promote cancer growth via its metabolic activity. Here, we report the discovery of a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cancer metastasis. A proteomic study identified α-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) as a PGAM1-associated protein. PGAM1 modulated actin filaments assembly, cell motility and cancer cell migration via directly interacting with ACTA2, which was independent of its metabolic activity. The enzymatically inactive H186R mutant retained its association with ACTA2, whereas 201-210 amino acids deleted PGAM1 mutant lost the interaction with ACTA2 regardless of intact metabolic activity. Importantly, PGAM1 knockdown decreased metastatic potential of breast cancer cells in vivo and PGAM1 and ACTA2 were jointly associated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Together, this study provided the first evidence revealing a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cell migration, and gained new insights into the role of PGAM1 in cancer progression.

The Prevalence, Clinical, and Molecular Characteristics of Congenital Hypothyroidism Caused by DUOX2 Mutations: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Guangzhou

Thyroid dyshormonogenesis (DH) has recently been reported to be more frequently associated with mutations in the dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) gene. The present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical, and molecular characteristics of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) caused by DUOX2 mutations in Guangzhou. A population-based cohort of 156 patients with CH was recruited based on neonatal screening among 433 578 newborns born in Guangzhou from 2011 to 2012. Genetic analysis of DUOX2 was performed in 96 patients with suspected thyroid dyshormonogenesis (SDH) by PCR-amplified direct sequencing. Apart from 2 cases without ultrasonographic data, 118 (76.6%) of the 156 patients were classified as SDH and 36 (23.4%) as thyroid dysgenesis (TD) according to thyroid ultrasound at diagnosis. Genetic analysis revealed 23 different variants in 60 unrelated individuals (60/96, 62.5%), including 13 novel variants that were absent from HGMD, dbSNP databases, and the 50 normal controls. The novel missense variants were predicted to be pathogenic by SIFT and PolyPhen-2. The p.K530X was the most common mutation. Ninety-three percent of mutant alleles occurred in exons 5, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 25, 27, and 28. There were no significant differences in phenotypes between biallelic and monoallelic variants cases or between with-DUOX2 and non-DUOX2 variants cases. Most patients with DUOX2 defects (78.2%) were transient CH. In conclusion, the prevalence of DUOX2 pathogenic variants was high (62.5%) in this cohort. Thirteen novel probably pathologic variants were reported. The p.K530X was the most common mutation in the Chinese population. There was no correlation between DUOX2 genotypes and clinical phenotypes.