[Surveillance and sociological factors of schistosomiasis among mobile populations in Haining City]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation between the source of Schistosoma japonicum infections and sociological factors among mobile populations in Haining City, so as to provide insights into the management of schistosomiasis among mobile populations in Haining City.

METHODS

A total of 12 villages were randomly sampled from 8 townships and 4 subdistricts in Haining City. The mobile populations from schistosomiasis-endemic areas were detected for S. japonicum infections using serological tests. In addition, the awareness of schistosomiasis prevention and control knowledge was investigated using a questionnaire survey.

RESULTS

A total of 1 019 mobile populations were investigated in 12 villages from Haining City, and 23 sero-positives were found, with a positive rate of 2.26%; however, no egg-positives were detected. Logistic regression analysis showed that the mobile populations with original occupations of aquaculture and husbandry were more likely to be sero-positive. The mobile populations had an overall low awareness rate of schistosomiasis prevention and control knowledge, and a higher rate was seen in sero-positive than in sero-negatives.

CONCLUSIONS

The mobile populations with original occupations of aquaculture and husbandry were the key for the surveillance of source of S. japonicum infections. The health education should be intensified to improve the awareness of schistosomiasis prevention and control knowledge among mobile populations.

Antifouling Lipid Membranes over Protein A for Orientation-Controlled Immunosensing in Undiluted Serum and Plasma

An important advance in biosensor research is the extension and application of laboratory-developed methodologies toward clinical diagnostics, though the propensity toward nonspecific binding of materials in clinically relevant matrices, such as human blood serum and plasma, frequently leads to compromised assays. Several surface chemistries have been developed to minimize nonspecific interactions of proteins and other biological components found within blood and serum samples, though these often exhibit substantially variable outcomes. Herein we report a surface chemistry consisting of a charged-matched supported lipid membrane that has been tailored to form over a gold surface functionalized with protein A. Fine tuning of the interfacial charge of this membrane, along with rational selection of a backfilling self-assembled monolayer, allows for high surface coverage with retention of orientation-controlled capture antibody attachment. We demonstrate using surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) that this highly charged lipid membrane is antifouling, allowing for complete removal of nonspecific human serum and plasma components using only a mild buffer rinse, which we attribute to unique steric interactions with the underlying surface. Furthermore, this surface chemistry is successfully applied for specific detection of IgG and cholera toxin in undiluted human biofluids with negligible sacrifice of SPR signal compared to buffered analysis. This novel lipid membrane interface over protein A may open new avenues for direct biosensing of disease markers within clinical samples.

The impact of SLE on health-related quality of life assessed with SF-36: a systemic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessed with SF-36 and explore factors associated with HRQoL in SLE patients.

METHODS

A random-effect meta-analysis was performed to calculate extracted data. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to distinguish sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

A total of 36 articles were finally included in this meta-analysis, including 6510 patients. The pooled mean scores of SF-36 physical component summary and mental component summary were 46.10 (95% confidence interval (CI): 43.09-49.10) and 50.37 (95% CI: 47.78-52.87), respectively. Spearman's correlation analysis found that mean age, proportion of female participants, and publication decades were negatively associated with some of the SF-36 domains. Sample size and SLEDAI were positively associated with some of the SF-36 domains. Patients with SLE have lower HRQoL in comparison to the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

SLE has a significant impact on HRQoL, which proves that the necessity of improving HRQoL in SLE patients cannot be ignored. Measuring HRQoL should be considered as an indispensable part of the overall evaluation of health conditions of SLE patients.

Knockdown ATG4C inhibits gliomas progression and promotes temozolomide chemosensitivity by suppressing autophagic flux

BACKGROUND

Gliomas are the most common primary tumors in central nervous system. Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, the prognosis of glioma remains gloomy. Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process that degrades proteins and damaged organelles, which is implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Autophagy related 4C cysteine peptidase (ATG4C) is an autophagy regulator responsible for cleaving of pro-LC3 and delipidation of LC3 II. This study was designed to investigate the role of ATG4C in glioma progression and temozolomide (TMZ) chemosensitivity.

METHODS

The association between ATG4C mRNA expression and prognosis of gliomas patients was analyzed using the TCGA datasets. The role of ATG4C in proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, and TMZ chemosensitivity were investigated by silencing ATG4C in vivo. Ectopic xenograft nude mice model was established to investigate the effects of ATG4C on glioma growth in vivo.

RESULTS

The median overall survival (OS) time of patients with higher ATG4C expression was significantly reduced (HR: 1.48, p = 9.91 × 10^- 7). ATG4C mRNA expression was evidently increased with the rising of glioma grade (p = 2.97 × 10^- 8). Knockdown ATG4C suppressed glioma cells proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. ATG4C depletion suppressed autophagy and triggered apoptosis through ROS accumulation. Depletion of ATG4C suppressed TMZ-activated autophagy and promoted sensitivity of glioma cells to TMZ. Additionally, ATG4C knockdown suppressed the growth of glioma remarkably in nude mice.

CONCLUSION

ATG4C is a potential prognostic predictor for glioma patient. Targeting ATG4C may provide promising therapy strategies for gliomas treatment.

Identification of SEC61G as a Novel Prognostic Marker for Predicting Survival and Response to Therapies in Patients with Glioblastoma

BACKGROUND The survival and therapeutic outcome vary greatly among glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Treatment resistance, including resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy, is a great obstacle for these therapies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the predictive value of SEC61G on survival and therapeutic response in GBM patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Survival analyses were performed to assess the correlation between SEC61G expression and survival of GBM patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) datasets. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was introduced to determine prognostic factors with independent impact power. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) were conducted to illustrate possible biological functions of SEC61G. RESULTS High expression of SEC61G was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in all GBM patients. High expression of SEC61G was also associated with poor outcome in those who received TMZ treatment or radiotherapy in TCGA GBM cohort. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression demonstrated that SEC61G was an independent prognostic factor affecting the prognosis and therapeutic outcome. The combination of age, SEC61G expression, and MGMT promoter methylation in survival analysis could provide better outcome assessment. Finally, a strong correlation between SEC61G expression and Notch pathway was observed in GSEA and GSVA, which suggested a possible mechanism that SEC61G affected survival and TMZ resistance. CONCLUSIONS SEC61G expression may be a potential prognostic marker of poor survival, and a predictor of poor outcome to TMZ treatment and radiotherapy in GBM patients.

Direct quantification of cancerous exosomes via surface plasmon resonance with dual gold nanoparticle-assisted signal amplification

Sensitive detection of cancerous exosomes is critical to early diseases diagnosis and prognosis. Herein, a sensitive aptasensor was demonstrated for exosomes detection by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with dual gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-assisted signal amplification. Dual nanoparticle amplification was achieved by controlled hybridization attachment of AuNPs resulting from electronic coupling between the Au film and AuNPs, as well as coupling effects in plasmonic nanostructures. By blocking the Au film surface with 11-Mercapto-1 -undecanol (MCU), nonspecific adsorption of AuNPs onto the SPR chip surface was suppressed and regeneration of the SPR sensor was realized. This method was highly sensitive and we have achieved the limit of detection (LOD) down to 5 × 10³ exosomes/mL, which showed a 10⁴-fold improvement in LOD compared to commercial ELISA. Moreover, the SPR sensor had the capability to differentiate the exosomes secreted by MCF-7 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A normal breast cells. Furthermore, the SPR sensor could effectively detect the exosomes in 30% fetal bovine serum. The work provides a sensitive and efficient quantification approach to detect cancerous exosomes and offers an avenue toward future diagnosis and comprehensive studies of exosomes.

Abstract P4-07-11: Investigating the activity of ESR1 allosteric compounds in ER+ breast cancer

Breast cancer (BCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Approximately 80% of breast cancer is estrogen receptor positive (ER+) with 74% demonstrating high expression of estrogen receptor alpha (). Thus, current endocrine therapies such as selective estrogen receptor degraders (i.e.- Fulvestrant) or selective estrogen receptor modulators (i.e-Tamoxifen) are involved modulation of ER signaling. However, most patients develop resistance to these drugs, and disease progression is common resulting in metastatic disease. Therefore, targeting alternative sites on the surface of has been proposed as an effective therapy to directly block its activity. In the present study, we investigated putative AF2 compounds that can bind to AF2 allosteric sites and inhibit complex formation and transcription of targetgenes. In the present study, we characterized a series of allosteric compounds using breast cancer cellular assays. MCF7 parental cells were treated with a series of putative allosteric compounds in a seven day CTG cell proliferation assay, and the compound ERX-11 was found to exhibit anti-proliferative activity. Genomic RNA was isolated after overnight treatment with ERX-11 to investigate compounds treatment on the expression of key ER pathway transcription factors via real time PCR. The degradation effect on nuclear ER and cytoplasmic ER after treatment with ERX-11 were assessed via western blots. We successfully characterized a series of putative allosteric compounds with ERX-11 being the only compound that exhibited anti-proliferative activity in both MCF7 parental and LSZ resistant cells. ERX-11 inhibited the activation of ER transcription gene and degradation of nuclear ER. These findings show promising effects of ERX-11 to block the AF2 sites on the binding domain of ERα with potential therapeutics for ER+ breast cancer.

Citation Format: Uwimana A, Tiong Yip CL, Das R, Cheng Q, Meredith E, Gaither AL. Investigating the activity of ESR1 allosteric compounds in ER+ breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-07-11.

[Research and application of three-dimensional printed template in endodontics]

With the progress of technology, three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has become more and more widely used in stomatology. 3D printed template has played an irreplaceable role in oral implantation; at the same time, 3D printed template, which has been successfully applied to the calcified root canal negotiation, endodontic treatment of dental invaginatus, apical surgery and autotransplantation, has also provided a new concept and treatment mode for the diagnosis and therapy of endodontic diseases. This review, summarized the research and application of 3D printed template from the perspective of the treatment of endodontic deseases.

Advances in Optical Sensing and Bioanalysis Enabled by 3D Printing

The recent explosion of 3D printing applications in scientific literature has expanded the speed and effectiveness of analytical technological development. 3D printing allows for manufacture that is simply designed in software and printed in-house with nearly no constraints on geometry, and analytical methodologies can thus be prototyped and optimized with little difficulty. The versatility of methods and materials available allows the analytical chemist or biologist to fine-tune both the structural and functional portions of their apparatus. This flexibility has more recently been extended to optical-based bioanalysis, with higher resolution techniques and new printing materials opening the door for a wider variety of optical components, plasmonic surfaces, optical interfaces, and biomimetic systems that can be made in the laboratory. There have been discussions and reviews of various aspects of 3D printing technologies in analytical chemistry; this Review highlights recent literature and trends in their applications to optical sensing and bioanalysis.

[Efficacy and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir combined with ribavirin in Asian adult patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection and compensated cirrhosis]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) 25/150/100 mg once daily and dasabuvir (DSV) 250 mg twice daily combined with ribavirin in adult patients of Mainland China with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection and compensated cirrhosis. Methods: An open-label, multicenter, phase 3 clinical trial study was conducted in mainland China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Adult patients with compensated cirrhosis (Metavir score =F4) who were newly diagnosed and treated for hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir combined with ribavirin for 12 weeks were included. Assessed SVR rate of patients obtained at 12 and 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Efficacy and safety were evaluated in patients who received at least one time study drugs. Results: A total of 63 patients from mainland China were enrolled, 62 of whom (98.4%) had a baseline Child-Pugh score of 5 points. The overall rate of SVR12 and SVR24 in patients was 100% (95% CI: 94.3% to 100.0%). Most of the adverse events that occurred were mild. The incidence of common (≥10%) adverse events and laboratory abnormalities included elevated total bilirubin (36.5%), weakness (19.0%), elevated unconjugated bilirubin (19.0%) and conjugated bilirubin (17.5%), and anemia (14.3%). Three cases (4.8%) of patients experienced Grade ≥ 3 adverse events that were considered by the investigators to be unrelated to the study drug. None patients had adverse events leading to premature drug withdrawal. Conclusion: Mainland Chinese patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection and compensated cirrhosis who were treated with OBV/PTV/r plus DSV combined with RBV for 12 weeks achieved 100 % SVR at 12 and 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Tolerability and safety were good, and majority of adverse events were mild.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Bacterial Protein Toxins on Patterned Microarray via Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging with Signal Amplification by Conjugate Nanoparticle Clusters

Sensitive detection and monitoring of biological interactions in a high throughput, multiplexed array format has numerous advantages. We report here a method to enhance detection sensitivity in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy and SPR imaging via the effect of accumulation of conjugated nanoparticles of varying sizes. Bacterial cholera toxin (CT) was chosen for the demonstration of enhanced immunoassay by SPR. After immobilization of CT on a gold surface, specific recognition is achieved by biotinylated anti-CT. The signal is amplified by the attachment of biotinylated 20 nm AuNP via streptavidin bridge, followed by attachment of 5 nm streptavidin-functionalized Fe₃O₄NP to the AuNP-biotin surface. The continuous surface binding of two differently sized conjugated nanoparticles effectively increases their packing density on surface and significantly improves SPR detection sensitivity, allowing quantitative measurement of CT at very low concentration. The dense packing of conjugated nanoparticles on the surface was confirmed by atomic force microscopy characterization. SPR imaging of the immunoassay for high-throughput analysis utilized an Au-well microarray that attenuated the background resonance interference on the resulting images. A calibration curve of conjugated nanoparticle binding signal amplification for CT detection based on surface coverage has been obtained that shows a correlation in a range from 6.31 × 10^-16 to 2.51 × 10^-13 mol/cm² with the limit of detection of 5.01 × 10^-16 mol/cm². The absolute quantity of detection limit using SPR imaging was 0.25 fmol. The versatile nanoparticles and biotin-streptavidin interaction used here should allow adaptation of this enhancement method to many other systems that include DNA, RNA, peptides, and carbohydrates, opening new avenues for ultrasensitive analysis of biomolecules.

[Application of MDCT and post-processing in children with tracheal foreign body]

Objective:To explore the clinical value of MDCT and post-processing in children with suspected foreign body in trachea.Method:Two hundred patients with suspected tracheal foreign body were treated with 64-slice spiral CT (MDCT) and simulated endoscopic imaging,then compared with seen in bronchoscopy; Compare the results of MDCT and post-processing with the coincidence of intraoperative findings.Result:One hundred and eighty-four cases of positive children were examined by MDCT postprocessing technique and bronchoscopy,179 cases were obstructed by exogenous foreign body,5 cases were phlegm thrombosis (endogenous foreign body) obstruction; 16 cases of children with no foreign body diagnosed by MDCT post-processing technique were also examined by bronchoscopy. The results showed that there was a foreign body in 1 case,and the foreign body was located in the pharyngeal cleft (watermelon spermoderm),and the remaining 15 cases had no foreign body. MDCT and post-treatment techniques for children with tracheal foreign body diagnosis of 99.4% sensitivity,specificity of 75%.There was no significant difference in the detection rate of foreign body between the two techniques of MDCT and post-processing technique and bronchoscopy (P>0.05). Examed by MDCT and postprocessing,we can understand the specific location and size of foreign body,nature,shape preoperatively.Conclusion:Although MDCT and post-processing techniques can not be used to treat tracheal foreign bodies,but the diagnostic rate of bronchial foreign bodies is comparable to that of bronchoscopy. We could apply MDCT examination and post processing before the bronchoscopy,for foreign body inhalation history is not clear,or suspected airway foreign body. We can improve the level of diagnosis and treatment through guiding the operation of bronchoscopy focus.

Cup-on-cup technique to manage severe protrusio acetabular defects

Previous studies have demonstrated that revision of total hip arthroplasty consumes considerably more resources than the primary procedure. Worse, patients who need revision procedures are more likely to have radiographic evidence of acetabular and femoral bone loss than those undergone primary total hip arthroplasty. Many techniques have been introduced to manage different conditions of acetabular deficiencies. We describe a rare case of a 67-year-old man with severe acetabular bone loss, which was caused by a long-term loose acetabular component and was successfully managed by cup-on-cup technique. We also discuss the similarities and differences between cup-on-cup and cup-in-cup techniques in the management of protrusio acetabular defects, with a case-based approach.

Under explored epigenetic modulators: role in glioma chemotherapy

Patients with somatic mutations of epigenetic regulators are characterized by aberrant chromatin modification patterns. Recent mechanistic studies pairing chemical tool compounds and deep-sequencing technology have greatly broadened our understanding of epigenetic regulation in glioma progression and underpinned alternative treatment of epigenetic inhibitors. However, the effect of most inhibitors is condition-dependent, and the overall results of clinical trials still have not been applied to patients. There is an intense need to develop more potent and specific compounds as well as identify the population who may achieve clinical benefits. Besides, combination therapy with conventional therapeutics is another alternative strategy. In this review, we summarize well-characterized chemical probes in glioma research and clinical translation. We also discuss the target population and combination of therapy regimens of various agents. In a holistic sense, we try to provide guidance for selecting targeted chemical probes and pave the way for personalized rational therapy.

Integrative Analysis of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Identify a Three-Gene Signature for Predicting Prognosis in Lower-Grade Gliomas

BACKGROUND/AIMS

In the current study, we performed an integrated analysis of genome-wide methylation and gene expression data to find novel prognostic genes for lower-grade gliomas (LGGs).

METHODS

First, TCGA methylation data were used to identify prognostic genes associated with promoter methylation. Second, candidate genes that were stably regulated by promoter methylation were explored. Third, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to generate a prognostic signature, and the signature genes were used to construct a survival risk score system.

RESULTS

Three genes (EMP3, GSX2 and EMILIN3) were selected as signature genes. These three signature genes were used to construct a survival risk score system. The high-risk group exhibited significantly worse overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) as compared to the low-risk group in the TCGA dataset. The association of the three-gene prognostic signature with patient' survival was then validated using the CGGA dataset. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier plots showed that the three-gene prognostic signature risk remarkably stratified grade II and grade III patients in terms of both OS and RFS in the TCGA cohort. There was also a significant difference between the low- and high-risk groups in IDH wild-type glioma patients, indicating that the three-gene signature may be able to help in predicting prognosis for patients with IDH wild-type gliomas.

CONCLUSION

We identified and validated a three-gene (EMP3, GSX2 and EMILIN3) prognostic signature in LGGs by integrating multidimensional genomic data from the TCGA and CGGA datasets, which may help in fine-tuning the current histology-based tumors classification system and providing better stratification for future clinical trials.

Minimally Invasive Surgery is Superior to Conventional Craniotomy in Patients with Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Outcomes of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus conventional craniotomy (CC) for patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) have not been compared previously. We reviewed the current evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of MIS compared with CC in patients with SICH.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing MIS and CC in patients with computed tomography-confirmed SICH published between January 2000 and April 2018 in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register based on PRISMA inclusion and exclusion criteria. Binary outcomes comparisons between MIS and CC were described using odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 9 prospective controlled studies (non-RCTs), involving a total of 2466 patients, met our inclusion criteria. There was a statistically significant difference in mortality rate between MIS and CC (OR, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-0.97). MIS was associated with a lower rate of rebleeding (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.28-0.64) and a higher rate of good recovery compared with CC (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.34-3.83).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with SICH may benefit more from MIS than CC. Our study could help clinicians optimize treatment strategies in SICH.

[Influence of humidex on incidence of bacillary dysentery in Hefei: a time-series study]

Objective: To investigate the effect of humidex combined with mean temperature and relative humidity on the incidence of bacillary dysentery in Hefei. Methods: Daily counts of bacillary dysentery cases and weather data in Hefei were collected from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. Then, the humidex was calculated from temperature and relative humidity. A Poisson generalized linear regression combined with distributed lag non-linear model was applied to analyze the relationship between humidex and the incidence of bacillary dysentery, after adjusting for long-term and seasonal trends, day of week and other weather confounders. Stratified analyses by gender, age and address were also conducted. Results: The risk of bacillary dysentery increased with the rise of humidex. The adverse effect of high humidex (90 percentile of humidex) appeared in 2-days lag and it was the largest at 4-days lag (RR=1.063, 95%CI: 1.037-1.090). Subgroup analyses indicated that all groups were affected by high humidex at lag 2-5 days. Conclusion: High humidex could significantly increase the risk of bacillary dysentery, and the lagged effects were observed.