Role and diagnostic value of gene variants in assessing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Meta-analyses have revealed many positive associations between gene variants and susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, some of those positive results may be false positives. Therefore, we investigated the genetic polymorphisms associated with COPD risk and determined their diagnostic value. We extracted the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval for each polymorphism from published meta-analyses concerning gene variants and COPD susceptibility in October 2014, subsequently we calculated false-positive report probabilities (FPRPs) for statistically significant associations (P value < 0.05). We determined the diagnostic value of the true positive polymorphisms of COPD using the Meta-DiSc software. Twenty-five gene polymorphisms were significantly associated with COPD risk. The FPRP test results were as follows: 1) when the prior probability was 0.001 and the OR was 1.5, ADAM33 rs612709, CHRNA3/5 rs1051730, CHRNA3/5 rs8034191, CHRNA3/5 rs16969968, and TGFB1 rs1800470 were truly associated with COPD risk (FPRP < 0.2); 2) when the prior probability was 0.000001 and the OR was 1.5, all the variants except TGFB1 rs1800470 remained noteworthy; and 3) when the probability was 0.000001 and the OR was 1.2, ADAM33 rs612709 and CHRNA3/5 rs1051730 remained true positives. Unfortunately, the results of the diagnostic accuracy meta-analyses suggested that none of the variants had high value for COPD diagnosis.

Comparative studies on radioluminescent and thermoluminescent spectra of LiF:Mg,Cu,P and LiF:Mg,Cu,Si

The influence of various annealing treatments on radioluminescent (RL) and thermoluminescent (TL) spectra of LiF:Mg,Cu,Si and LiF:Mg,Cu,P was investigated. The TL and RL emission bands for LiF:Mg,Cu,P are not the same; however, the emission band peaking at ∼383 nm is predominant in the TL and RL emission for LiF:Mg,Cu,Si. With the increase in annealing temperatures in the range of 240-300°C, for LiF:Mg,Cu,P, the intensity of TL decreases much more rapidly than that of RL. For LiF:Mg,Cu,Si, the area ratios of the two bands of RL and TL remain constant within experimental errors. It suggests that there is a significant decrease in the concentration of recombination centres in LiF:Mg,Cu,P after the annealing, in addition to the decrease in trapping centres, the recombination centres for main TL emission and RL emission in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si are the same, and the recombination centres for TL emission and RL emission in LiF:Mg,Cu,P are not the same. P is a more effective dopant than Si.

A new HLA-A allele, HLA-A*11:120, sequenced in a Chinese hematopoietic stem cell donor

HLA-A*11:120 has one nucleotide change from HLA-A*11:01:01:01 where 295 T(ACC) is changed to S(AGC).

Efficacy of 3.6% topical ALA-PDT for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 125 patients with Pillsbury III-IV severe facial acne were treated with 3 courses of ALA-PDT with an interval of 2 weeks. ALA gel (3.6%) was applied topically to acne lesions for 1.5 h. The lesions were irradiated by a LED light of 633 nm with a light intensity of 66 mW/cm² and a light dose of 126 J/cm². Patients were evaluated for efficacy and safety at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 after the initial treatment.

RESULTS

The total effective rates were 1.6%, 24.8%, 68.8%, 89.6% and 88.8% at the 2- 4- 6- 8- and 12-week after the initial treatment respectively. The clinical outcomes were the best at 4 weeks after the final treatment. The best effective rate and cure rate were 89.6% and 44% respectively. 26 patients and 16 patients showed apparent exacerbation of acne lesions before the 2nd and 3rd treatment respectively, but all of them showed good or excellent improvement after 3-course treatment. Adverse reactions were mild and transient.

CONCLUSIONS

3.6% ALA-PDT is a simple, safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.

Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the necroptosis of microglia/macrophages after spinal cord injury

Microglia/macrophages play a crucial role in inflammation after spinal cord injury (SCI). Although extensive studies have been performed on the mechanisms of microglia/macrophage activation and recruitment, how microglia/macrophages are eliminated remains unclear. In the present study, we observed a high-level expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), a key molecule in the execution of necroptosis, in microglia/macrophages after SCI in mice. In vivo PI-labeling and Necrostatin-1 treatment confirmed the necroptosis of microglia/macrophages. Interestingly, our electronic microscopic (EM) study revealed that MLKL localized not only at the membrane but also on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of necroptotic microglia/macrophages. Furthermore, receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3), another necrosome component, was also found on the ER of necroptotic microglia/macrophages. And Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), an ER stress sensor, was up-regulated in MLKL-positive microglia/macrophages after SCI, suggesting a possible link between necroptosis and ER stress. In vitro, oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) stress induced ER stress and necroptosis in microglia. Inhibiting ER stress by 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) significantly blocked the OGD-induced necroptosis of microglia. In the end, our data showed that, GRP78 and phosphorylated MLKL were co-expressed by the microglia/macrophages in the injured human spinal cord. Taken together, these results suggested that microglia/macrophages undergo an ER-stress involved necroptosis after SCI, implying that ER stress and necroptosis could be manipulated for modulating inflammation post-SCI.

Fusion of human bone hemopoietic stem cell with esophageal carcinoma cells didn't generate esophageal cancer stem cell

Prior studies showed that cell fusion between bone marrow-derived cell (BMDC) and somatic cell might be the origin of cancer stem cell. Our previous study suggested that cell fusion of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) with esophageal cancer cell did not generate cancer stem cells. But up to now, the origin of cancer stem cell is still ambiguous. In this study, we carried out the cell fusion experiment between hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and human esophageal cancer cells, and found that cell fusion slowed the growth speed of esophageal cancer cells and decreased the clone formation ability and tumorigenicity in NOD/SCID mice. In addition, cell fusion did not increase the ratio of side population (SP) cells and the resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Collectively, our data indicated that cell fusion between HSCs and esophageal cancer cells has a therapeutic effect rather than generate cells with characteristics of esophageal cancer stem cells.

Further studies on the role of dopants in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si thermoluminescent material

The 3-D thermoluminescence spectra and glow curves of LiF:Mg,Cu,Si, LiF:Mg,Cu, LiF:Mg,Si and LiF:Cu,Si with low concentrations of Mg and Cu were measured and were compared with those with high concentrations to investigate further the role of dopants in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si material. The shape of glow curves of the four samples is similar; however, LiF:Cu,Si sample had no Mg dopant. It is concluded that the TL emission to be from self-trapped excitons in LiF, and this emission could be enhanced and altered by Mg, Cu and Si dopants in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si; all three dopants are necessary to obtain the bright TL emission and may be involved in the luminescence process; Mg seems to be the most essential dopant and Cu is involved in the trapping although the role of Mg dominates; both Cu and Si play a role in the main emission process and Cu also plays a role in reducing the emission around 610 nm.

Studies on energy response of newly developed LiF:Mg,Cu,P TL chips with additional PbO doping

One of the most important characteristics of thermoluminescent detectors, if they are intended to be used in a wide range of energies, is their energy response. A comparison of the energy characteristics of the newly developed LiF:Mg,Cu,P chips with additional PbO doping (GR-200E) against GR-200A LiF:Mg,Cu,P was attempted to improve further the accuracy of personal dosimetry. Hp(10) energy response of GR-200E is quite different from that of GR-200A. For GR-200E, the anomalous energy response can be eliminated and the over-response to low-energy photons should be filtered properly. The GR-200E under the copper filter provided results within 4 % with respect to the conventional quantity value over the energy range from 65 to 1250 keV. The ratio of the Hp(10) response of the Cu-covered filters for GR-200A to that of those covered with plastic for GR-200E is a very good tool for identifying the radiation quality in the range studied. The accuracy in the dose evaluated from TLD measurements can be greatly increased.

Efficacy and safety of echinocandins versus triazoles for the prophylaxis and treatment of fungal infections: a meta-analysis of RCTs

Echinocandins and triazoles were proven to be effective antifungal drugs against invasive fungal infections (IFI), which may cause significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety between echinocandins and triazoles for the prophylaxis and treatment of fungal infections. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to July 2014. The quality of trials was assessed with the Jadad scoring system. The primary outcomes of interest were treatment success, microbiological success, breakthrough infection, drug-related adverse events (AEs), withdrawals due to AEs, and all-cause mortality. Ten RCTs, involving 2,837 patients, were included, as follows: caspofungin versus fluconazole (n = 1), caspofungin versus itraconazole (n = 1), anidulafungin versus fluconazole (n = 1), micafungin versus fluconazole (n = 4), micafungin versus voriconazole (n = 2), and micafungin versus itraconazole (n = 1). Echinocandins and triazoles showed similar effects in terms of favorable treatment success rate [relative risk (RR) = 1.02, 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.97–1.08], microbiological success rate (RR = 0.98, 95 % CI, 0.90–1.15), breakthrough infection (RR = 1.09; 95 % CI, 0.59–2.01), drug-related AEs (RR = 0.94; 95 % CI, 0.71–1.15), and all-cause mortality (RR = 0.85; 95 % CI, 0.66–1.10) in the prophylaxis and treatment of fungal infections. Additionally, echinocandins were more effective than triazoles for prophylaxis in patients undergoing hematologic malignancies or those who received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT; RR = 1.08; 95 % CI, 1.02–1.15). Echinocandins significantly decreased the AE-related withdrawals rate compared with triazoles (RR = 0.47; 95 % CI, 0.33–0.67). This meta-analysis revealed that echinocandins are as effective and safe as triazoles for the prophylaxis and treatment of patients with fungal infections.

Activation-induced necroptosis contributes to B-cell lymphopenia in active systemic lupus erythematosus

B-cell abnormality including excessive activation and lymphopenia is a central feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although activation threshold, auto-reaction and death of B cells can be affected by intrinsical and/or external signaling, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Herein, we demonstrate that co-activation of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) and B-cell receptor (BCR) pathways is a core event for the survival/dead states of B cells in SLE. We found that the mortalities of CD19(+)CD27(-) and CD19(+)IgM(+) B-cell subsets were increased in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLE patients. The gene microarray analysis of CD19(+) B cells from active SLE patients showed that the differentially expressed genes were closely correlated to TLR7, BCR, apoptosis, necroptosis and immune pathways. We also found that co-activation of TLR7 and BCR could trigger normal B cells to take on SLE-like B-cell characters including the elevated viability, activation and proliferation in the first 3 days and necroptosis in the later days. Moreover, the necroptotic B cells exhibited mitochondrial dysfunction and hypoxia, along with the elevated expression of necroptosis-related genes, consistent with that in both SLE B-cell microarray and real-time PCR verification. Expectedly, pretreatment with the receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibitor Necrostatin-1, and not the apoptosis inhibitor zVAD, suppressed B-cell death. Importantly, B cells from additional SLE patients also significantly displayed high expression levels of necroptosis-related genes compared with those from healthy donors. These data indicate that co-activation of TLR7 and BCR pathways can promote B cells to hyperactivation and ultimately necroptosis. Our finding provides a new explanation on B-cell lymphopenia in active SLE patients. These data suggest that extrinsic factors may increase the intrinsical abnormality of B cells in SLE patients.

A formyl peptide receptor agonist suppresses inflammation and bone damage in arthritis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is an endogenous anti-inflammatory protein and agonist of the formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2). However, the potential for therapeutic FPR ligands to modify immune-mediated disease has been little explored. We investigated the effects of a synthetic FPR agonist on joint disease in the K/BxN model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS).

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Arthritis was induced by injection of K/BxN serum at day 0 and 2 in wild-type (WT) or AnxA1(-/-) mice and clinical and histopathological manifestations measured 8-11 days later. WT mice were given the FPR agonist compound 43 (Cpd43) (6 or 30 mg·kg(-1) i.p.) for 4 days. Effects of AnxA1 and Cpd43 on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis were assessed in RAW 264.7 cells and human RA FLS and macrophages.

KEY RESULTS

Treatment with Cpd43 before or after the onset of arthritis reduced clinical disease severity and attenuated synovial TNF-α and osteoclast-associated gene expression. Deletion of AnxA1 in mice exacerbated arthritis severity in the K/BxN model. In vitro, Cpd43 suppressed osteoclastogenesis and NFAT activity elicited by RANKL, and inhibited IL-6 secretion by mouse macrophages. In human RA joint-derived FLS and monocyte-derived macrophages, Cpd43 treatment inhibited IL-6 release, while blocking FPR2 or silencing AnxA1 increased this release.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The FPR agonist Cpd43 reduced osteoclastogenesis and inflammation in a mouse model of RA and exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in relevant human cells. These data suggest that FPR ligands may represent novel therapeutic agents capable of ameliorating inflammation and bone damage in RA.

Third-party tolerogenic dendritic cells reduce allo-reactivity in vitro and ameliorate the severity of acute graft-versus-host disease in allo-bone marrow transplantation

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs) potently induce and maintain tolerance based on their distinct characteristics compared with conventional DCs. Recent reports show that donor or host tDCs promote allograft survival in mice. In this study, the efficacy of third-party tDCs in the prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was evaluated. In vitro, tDCs derived from the bone marrow (BM) of D1 mice were induced by GM-CSF, IL-10 and TGF-β1. The phenotypes, expression of cytokines and suppression of tDCs were analysed. In vivo, the effects of adoptive transfer of third-party-tDCs were evaluated in an MHC-mismatched aGVHD mouse model. Survival, body weight, GVHD scoring, histopathological specimens and serum cytokines were analysed in tDC-treated mice and untreated controls. Tolerogenic DCs had low expression of MHC and co-stimulatory molecules, expressed high levels of 'immunosuppressive' cytokines and suppressed allo-CD4(+) T cell proliferation. In the B6→D2 mouse model, all aGVHD mice died within 18 days. Fortunately, third-party tDCs transferred at low doses (10(4)) effectively prolonged survival after allo-BMT. Furthermore, in the mice treated with 10(4) tDCs, serum levels of IL-10/TGF-β were significantly higher and the percentage of Foxp3(+) cells continually increased compared with the mice treated with other doses of tDCs. Third-party tDCs play a crucial role in reducing the severity of aGVHD by modulating the secretion of various cytokines and expanding Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, which suggests the possibility of using third-party tDCs for therapeutic applications. Furthermore, special attention should be paid to the optimal range of tDCs for preventing allograft rejection.

Comparative Modeling of Drug Target Proteins☆

In this perspective, we begin by describing the comparative protein structure modeling technique and the accuracy of the corresponding models. We then discuss the significant role that comparative prediction plays in drug discovery. We focus on virtual ligand screening against comparative models and illustrate the state-of-the-art by a number of specific examples.

Genetic analysis of the TBX2 gene promoter in indirect inguinal hernia

PURPOSE

Inguinal hernia is a common disease, majority of which are indirect inguinal hernia (IIH). A positive family history indicates that genetic factors play important roles in the IIH development. To date, genetic causes for IIH remain unknown. T-box transcription factor 2 (TBX2) is a major regulator in the morphogenesis and organogenesis. The human TBX2 gene is widely expressed in fetal and adult tissues, including muscle and connective tissues. Therefore, we speculated that altered TBX2 gene expression may be involved in the IIH formation.

METHODS

IIH patients (n = 129) and ethnic-matched healthy subjects (n = 198) were recruited for this study. The human TBX2 gene promoters were generated with PCR and directly sequenced to identify DNA sequence variants (DSVs). Furthermore, biological functions of the DSVs were examined with reporter gene constructs in cultured cells.

RESULTS

Total six DSVs within the TBX2 gene promoter were identified. A heterozygous DSV (g.59476307G>C) was identified in an IIH patient, but in none of controls, which significantly decreased the TBX2 gene promoter activities. Another heterozygous DSV (g.59476704G>C) was only found in one control, which did not affect TBX2 gene promoter activities. Four DSVs, g.59476316C>A (rs73991913), g.59476415T>C (rs1476781), g.59476510G>C (rs4455026) and g.59476892C>T (rs2286524), all of which were single nucleotide polymorphisms, were found in both IIH patients and controls with similar frequencies.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggested that the DSV within the TBX2 gene promoter was implicated in the IIH development as a rare cause.

On the roles of dopants in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si thermoluminescent material

The 3D thermoluminescent spectra and glow curves of LiF:Mg,Cu,Si with various Mg, Cu and Si concentrations were measured. The shapes of the glow curves in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si, LiF:Mg,Cu and LiF:Mg,Si are similar and the glow curves have peaks at approximately the same temperatures, but with significantly different intensities. Neither the temperature of the glow peak nor the wavelength of the emission maximum changes with variation of dopants concentrations when Cu is more than 0.01 mol % in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si. The spectrum structure in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si, LiF:Mg,Cu and LiF:Mg,Si is similar in the 300-550 nm range. Some weak emissions around 610 nm are shown in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si with a Cu concentration of 0.01 mol % and in LiF:Mg,Si. It is concluded that Mg dopant mainly plays a role in the formation of trapping centres, both Cu and Si play a role in the main emission process and Cu also plays a role in reducing the emission around 610 nm.

Bioinformatics analyses combined microarray identify the desregulated microRNAs in lung cancer

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis. Deregulated miRNAs are found in blood cells of cancer patients recently.

AIM

This study aims to screen the differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) which could discriminate lung cancers from non-cancerous lung tissues as well as molecular signatures that differ in tumor histology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

miRNA expression profiles of GSE17681 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. Three test methods were used to identify DE-miRNAs between lung cancer tissue and healthy controls. Target genes of DE-miRNAs were retrieved from three databases and mapped to KEGG to investigate their roles in lung cancer. Further, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed used STRING and Cytoscape.

RESULTS

A total of 17 DE-miRNAs were identified. Among them, hsa-miR-339-5p draw specific attention. Pathway analysis revealed that target genes of RASSF1 and KRAS play roles as oncogene or tumor suppressor gene in the progression of lung cancer. Besides, Target genes of RASSF1 and ERBB4 formed a module in the PPI network. Functional analysis suggested biological process of response to hypoxia was significantly enriched.

CONCLUSIONS

hsa-miR-339-5p play important role in the regulation of lung cancer and it may be potential to be used as biomarker to predict lung cancer progression.

Acinetobacter baumannii isolates associated with community-acquired pneumonia in West China

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important cause of community-acquired infection. To characterize the microbiological and genotypic features of community-associated Acinetobacter baumannii, 32 isolates associated with community-acquired pneumonia were collected. These isolates were diverse in resistance patterns and had multiple clonal origins. bla(OXA-23) was the main acquired oxacillinases-encoding gene detected.

Polymorphisms in the SLC11A1 gene and tuberculosis risk: a meta-analysis update

BACKGROUND

Polymorphisms in SLC11A1 gene have been extensively studied for an association with tuberculosis (TB); however, results from replication studies have been inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

To comprehensively evaluate the genetic risk of polymorphisms (D543N, 3'UTR TGTG ins/del, INT4, [GT]n) in the SLC11A1 gene for TB.

METHODS

A meta-analysis was carried out to analyse the association between SLC11A1 polymorphisms and TB risk.

RESULTS

A total of 82 case-control studies in 35 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that these four polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of TB (D543N OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.11-1.55; 3'UTR TGTG ins/del OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.25-1.68; INT4 OR 1.27, 95%CI 1.09-1.49; [GT]n OR 1.35, 95%CI 1.14-1.61). In further stratified analyses by ethnicity and TB forms, significant increased risks were found in subgroups of Asians and in pulmonary TB (PTB) for all four polymorphisms, while an increased risk of extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) was found for D543N polymorphism.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests that polymorphisms in the SLC11A1 gene contribute to TB (both PTB and EPTB), particularly in Asians.

CD28 superagonist antibody treatment attenuated obliterative bronchiolitis in rat allo-orthotopic tracheal transplantation by preferentially expanding Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells

Obliterative airway disease (OAD) due to chronic alloantigen rejection remains a major challenge for long-term graft survival in lung transplantation. It is known that superagonistic CD28-specific monoclonal antibody JJ316 (supCD28 MAb) has the ability to induce regulatory T cells (Tregs) efficiently. Here we used a rat orthotopic tracheal transplantation model to investigate the effects of supCD28 MAb on expanding Tregs in vivo and its application in suppression of acute and chronic airway allograft rejection. SupCD28 MAb administration revealed a significant increase in the CD4+CD25+ T cells, CD4+FoxP3+ T cells, and CD4+CD25+ FoxP3+ T cells population among CD4+ T cells in spleen, peripheral blood, as well as cervical lymph nodes. The allografts from animals treated with supCD28 MAb showed significantly less airway obliteration and rejection of the respiratory epithelium compared with allografts of the mouse immunoglobulin G-treated group on the 5th day and the 60th day after transplantation. Overall, our data demonstrated that an intraperitoneally administrated low dose of supCD28 MAb was sufficient to induce Treg cell expansion in vivo and was effective in protecting the airway graft from early rejection and chronic OAD development. These findings provide the basis for new therapies to prevent OAD and perhaps rejection of allografts in other human transplantations.

MTSS1, a novel target of DNA methyltransferase 3B, functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma

DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) mediates gene silencing via epigenetic mechanisms during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. We aimed to identify novel targets of DNMT3B and their potential regulatory mechanisms in HCC. Metastasis suppressor 1 (MTSS1) was one of the DNMT3B targets and selected for further study. DNMT3B overexpression was detected in 81.25% of clinical HCC specimens and was negatively associated with MTSS1 in HCC cells and clinical samples. The underlying mechanism by which DNMT3B silences MTSS1 was studied using a combination of methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bisulfite genome sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR and luciferase reporter assays. We found that the MTSS1 promoter region was sparsely methylated, and the methylation inhibitors failed to abolish DNMT3B-mediated MTSS1 silencing. DNMT3B protein bound directly to the 5'-flanking region (-865/-645) of the MTSS1 gene to inhibit its transcription. The functional role of MTSS1 was investigated using in vitro and in vivo tumorigenicity assays. As a result, MTSS1 exerted tumor suppressor effects and arrested cells in the G2/M phase, but not the G1/S phase of the cell cycle when it was depleted or overexpressed in HCC cells. Taken together, MTSS1, a novel target of DNMT3B, is repressed by DNMT3B via a DNA methylation-independent mechanism. MTSS1 was further characterized as a novel tumor suppressor gene in HCC. These findings highlight how DNMT3B regulates MTSS1, and such data may be useful for the development of new treatment options for HCC.

Three synaptic components contributing to robust network synchronization

Robust synchronized activity is widely observed in real neural systems. However, a mechanism for robust synchronization that can be understood analytically, and has a clear physical meaning, remains elusive. This paper considers such a mechanism by formalizing three synaptic components contributing to robust synchronization in networks with heterogeneous external drive currents and conductance-based synapses. The first component arises from the assumption that the aggregate post-synaptic potential of a neuron decays more if it fires later within a spike volley. The second component results because neurons with smaller drives have reached a lower membrane potential at the time when the volley of inputs arrives than that reached by neurons with larger drives. The third component arises from the assumption that neurons firing later in the previous volley have had less time to integrate their drives than neurons firing earlier have had, again causing a lower membrane potential at the time when the volley of inputs arrives. Because of the voltage-dependent properties of synaptic currents, either of the last two components will cause smaller inhibitions for the later-firing neurons if the synapses are inhibitory. This smaller inhibition causes the later-firing neurons to fire earlier in the next cycle, thereby forcing them toward synchrony. With these three synaptic components, we discuss the relationship between the robustness of the synchrony and the parameters, search for the optimal parameter set for the robust network synchronization of a certain frequency band, and demonstrate the key role of the voltage-dependent properties of synaptic currents in robust or stable synchronization.

The I/D polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and asthma risk: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

  The insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been implicated in susceptibility to asthma, but a large number of studies have reported inconclusive results. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the I/D polymorphism of ACE gene and asthma risk by meta-analysis.

METHODS

  We searched Medline (Ovid), Pubmed, CNKI, Wanfang, and Weipu database, covering all papers until March 12, 2010. Statistical analysis was performed by using the software revman 4.2 (The Cochrane Collaboration, http://www.cochrane.org) and stata 10.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA, http://www.stata.com).

RESULTS

  A total of 1946 cases and 2152 controls in 18 case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results indicated that the DD homozygote carriers had a 59% increased risk of asthma, when compared with the homozygotes II and heterozygote DI [odds ratio (OR)=1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-2.18]. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant elevated risks were associated with DD homozygote carriers in Asians (OR=2.02 and 95% CI: 1.29-3.16 for DD vs DI+II) but not in Caucasians (OR=1.14 and 95% CI: 0.76-1.72 for DD vs DI+II). In the subgroup analysis by age, significant elevated risks were associated with DD homozygote carriers in children (OR=2.44 and 95% CI: 1.36-4.38 for DD vs II+DI) but not in adults (OR=1.54 and 95% CI: 0.94-2.51 for DD vs II+DI).

CONCLUSIONS

  This meta-analysis suggested that the I/D polymorphism of ACE gene would be a risk factor of asthma. To further evaluate gene-to-gene and gene-to-environment interactions between polymorphisms of ACE gene and asthma risk, more studies with large groups of patients are required.

Abstract P1-02-07: Real-Time Functional Imaging of Tumor Vascular Normalization by Anti-Angiogenic Agents

Background: We describe here new technology that enables non-invasive imaging of normalization of tumor blood vessels by anti-angiogenic agents in real time.

Materials and Methods: Variable-magnification in vivo-fluorescence imaging as well as fluorescence tomography were used to visualize vessel normalization.

Results: Morphological changes in the same vessel prior to and after drug treatment were imaged with high resolution in real time. Differences in vascular responses to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and to an anti-VEGF antibody were functionally imaged. Tumor vessel normalization was demonstrated by significantly reduced leakiness and subsequent improved tumor delivery of Paclitaxel-BODPY as well as by normalized morphology. The tumor vascular pool agent, AngioSense750, was retained in tumors after both anti-VEGF antibody and rapamycin treatment as visualized by noninvasive fluorescence tomography. The anti-angiogenic therapy normalized vessels, which significantly enhanced the antitumor efficacy of Paclitaxel due to increased drug penetration throughout the tumor. Discussion: The optical imaging technology described here is thus a powerful real-tool imaging tool of functional and morphological tumor vessel normalization and its therapeutic consequences.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-02-07.