Identification of the novel KIR2DL2*013 allele from a southern Chinese Han individual

The novel KIR2DL2*013 allele differs from the closest allele KIR2DL2*00302 by two non-synonymous mutations.

The important role of ADAM8 in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine in mice

This study focuses on investigating the concrete role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 8 (ADAM8) in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mice received anti-ADAM8 monoclonal antibody (mAb) of 100 μg/100 μl, 200 μg/100 μl or 300 μg/100 μl, respectively, in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or PBS intervention during the progression of HCC induced by diethylnitrosamine. The survival rate, body weight, and relative liver weight were determined in the mice. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, hematoxylin–eosin staining, the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), caspase 3 (Casp3), B cell leukemia 2 (Bcl2), B cell leukemia 2-associated X protein (Bax), protein p53 (P53), and ADAM8 were detected in the mice at the end of the 24th week. Our results showed that anti-ADAM8 mAb intervention effectively improved the survival rate, reduced the body weight loss and increased the relative liver weight in mice in a dose-dependent manner ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Anti-ADAM8 mAb intervention also significantly lowered serum AST, ALT, and AFP levels ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), slowed the progression of HCC ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), induced the expression of Casp3, Bax, and P53 ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), and inhibited the expression of VEGF-A, PCNA, and Bcl2 in the liver of mice ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner compared with the mice receiving PBS intervention. Our study suggested that ADAM8 might promote the progression of HCC by regulating the expression of these factors. Anti-ADAM8 mAb intervention might be suitable as a potential method for HCC therapy.

Evaluation of cytotoxicity of some common ophthalmic drugs

OBJECTIVE

The study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro cytotoxicity of some commonly used drugs in ophthalmology. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, 5-Fluorouracil, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate are frequently used in various indications involving eye care, and the aim was to test the safety of these in cell culture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The in vitro cytotoxicity was carried out on the NIH 3T3 cell line by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay.

RESULTS

With the exception of 5-Fluorouracil, none of the other drugs demonstrated appreciable cytotoxicity up to high concentrations of 200 µg/ml at 48 hours of drug exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate were confirmed to be non-cytotoxic while 5-Fluorouracil was highly cytotoxic especially at 48 hours at very low concentrations.

A novel KIR2DL3 allele, KIR2DL3*026, found in an individual from a southern Chinese Han population

KIR2DL3*026 differs from the closest allele KIR2DL3*00101 by a nonsynonymous mutation in exon 4.

The novel KIR2DL3*025 allele identified in an individual from a southern Chinese Han population

The novel KIR2DL3*025 allele differs from the closest allele KIR2DL3*0010101 by a non-synonymous mutation at CDS nt280 C>A in exon 4.

Pedobarography - a novel screening tool for diabetic peripheral neuropathy?

AIM

To investigate the diagnostic significance of foot plantar pressure distribution abnormalities in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 107 patients were divided into normal control (28 participants, 56 feet), non-DPN (56 patients, 112 feet), and DPN groups (23 patients, 46 feet). Foot plantar pressure was measured while patients walked at a constant speed over a flat floor using F-Scan pressure insoles. Recordings of six middle strides were averaged to evaluate the characteristics of foot plantar pressure distribution.

RESULTS

Compared with the normal group, the time of contact (TOC) was longer in non-DPN (p < 0.05) and DPN groups (p < 0.01). The foot to floor force-time integral (FTI) was increased in DPN group (p < 0.01). The forefoot plantar force ratio increased in non-DPN and DPN patients (p < 0.05). Moreover, in DPN patients, the ratio of lateral foot plantar force increased (p < 0.05). The examination of the correlations between biomechanical parameters of the foot plantar and electrophysiological parameters of the lower limbs showed foot plantar biomechanical abnormalities correlated with abnormal sensory conduction of the sural nerve and motor conduction of the common peroneal nerve. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed the area under FTI curve was 0.714 (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The plantar pressure was shifted towards the side of the forefoot in DPN patients. The foot plantar biomechanical changes were closely correlated with lower limb paresthesia and contraction abnormalities of lower-limb extensor muscles. Foot plantar pressure measurement might be used as a screening tool for early diagnosis of DPN.

First Report of a Leaf Spot on Hazel Leaves Caused by Phyllosticta coryli in Liaoning Province of China

Hazel (Corylus heterophylla Fischl) is an important nut tree grown in China, especially in Liaoning Province, and is rich in nutritional and medicinal values. In August 2011, leaf spotting was observed on hybrid hazel (Dawei) leaves in Paotai Town, Wafangdian County of Liaoning Province. By August 2012, the disease had spread to Zhangdang Town, Fushun County. Symptoms initially appeared on both sides of leaves as pinpoint brown spots, which enlarged and developed into regular, dark brown lesions, 3 to 9 mm in diameter. The lesions were lighter in color in the center compared to the margin. To identify the pathogen, leaf pieces (3 to 5 mm) taken from the margins, including both symptomatic and healthy portions of leaf tissue, were surface-disinfected first in 75% ethanol for 5 s, next in 0.1% aqueous mercuric chloride for 50 s, and then rinsed with sterilized water three times. Leaf pieces were incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25°C for 14 days in darkness. Single spore isolates were obtained from individual conidia. For studies of microscopic morphology, isolates were grown on synthetic nutrient agar (SNA) in slide cultures. Colonies grew up to 45 to 48 mm in diameter on PDA after 14 days. Pycnidia appeared on the colonies after 12 days. Conidiophores were short. Pycnidia were dark brown, subglobose, and 150 to 205 μm in diameter. Conidia were unicellular, colorless, ovoid to oval, and from 2.4 to 4.5 × 1.6 to 2.4 μm. On the basis of these morphological characteristics, the isolates were tentatively identified as Phyllosticta coryli Westend (2). The rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4 and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. KC196068). The 490-bp amplicons had 100% identity to an undescribed Phyllosticta species isolated from Cornus macrophylla in Gansu, Tianshui, China (AB470897). On the basis of morphological characteristics and nucleotide homology, the isolate was tentatively identified as P. coryli. Koch's postulates were fulfilled in the growth chamber on hazelnut leaves inoculated with P. coryli conidial suspensions (10⁷ conidia ml^-1). Eight inoculated 1-year-old seedlings (Dawei) were incubated under moist conditions for 8 to 10 days at 25°C. All leaf spots that developed on inoculated leaves were similar in appearance to those observed on diseased hazel leaves in the field. P. coryli was recovered from lesions and its identity was confirmed by morphological characteristics. P. coryli was first reported as a pathogen of hazel leaves in Bull of Belgium (2). In China, P. coryli was first reported on Corylus heterophylla Fisch. in Jilin Province (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. coryli causing leaf spot on hybrid hazel in Liaoning Province of China. The outbreak and spread of this disease may decrease the yield of hazelnut in northern regions of China. More studies are needed on control strategies, including the possible resistance of hazel cultivars to P. coryli. References: (1) Y. Li et al. J. Shenyang Agric. Univ. 25:153, 1994. (2) P. A. Saccardo. Sylloge Fungorum Vol. III, page 31, 1884.

Three dimensionality and orbital characters of the Fermi surface in (Tl,Rb)(y)Fe(2-x)Se2

We report a comprehensive angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of the tridimensional electronic bands in the recently discovered Fe selenide superconductor ((Tl,Rb)(y)Fe(2-x)Se2 (T(c)=32  K). We determined the orbital characters and the k(z) dependence of the low energy electronic structure by tuning the polarization and the energy of the incident photons. We observed a small 3D electron Fermi surface pocket near the Brillouin zone center and a 2D like electron Fermi surface pocket near the zone boundary. The photon energy dependence, the polarization analysis and the local-density approximation calculations suggest a significant contribution from the Se 4p(z) and Fe 3d(xy) orbitals to the small electron pocket. We argue that the emergence of Se 4p(z) states might be the cause of the different magnetic properties between Fe chalcogenides and Fe pnictides.

Unconventional anisotropic s-wave superconducting gaps of the LiFeAs iron-pnictide superconductor

We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on Fe-based superconductor LiFeAs (T(c)=18 K). We reveal multiple nodeless superconducting (SC) gaps with 2Δ/k(B)T(c) ratios varying from 2.8 to 6.4, depending on the Fermi surface (FS). We also succeeded in directly observing a gap anisotropy along the FS with magnitude up to ~30%. The anisotropy is fourfold symmetric with an antiphase between the hole and electron FSs, suggesting complex anisotropic interactions for the SC pairing. The observed momentum dependence of the SC gap offers an excellent opportunity to investigate the underlying pairing mechanism.

Increased lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 expression in the placentas of women with intrahepatic cholestasis during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a reversible cholestatic liver disease of undefined etiology and pathogenesis. It is likely associated with dyslipidemia. However, the explanation for the role of dyslipidemia is not clear. We hypothesized that an increased oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) may play a crucial role in the development of the disease. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the plasma oxLDL level and LOX-1 expression in placentas from women with ICP.

METHODOLOGY

The plasma oxLDL level and LOX-1 expression were detected in 94 intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy patients (ICP group) and 94 healthy pregnant women (control group). The placental LOX-lexpression was detected by Western blotting; the plasma oxLDL was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

The placental LOX-1 expression in the ICP group was higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05), whereas the plasma oxLDL did not differ significantly between the patients with ICP and healthy pregnant women.

CONCLUSIONS

LOX-1 may play a crucial role in the pathophysiological processes of ICP caused by over-apoptosis of trophocytes. Moreover, LOX-1 could be a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Identification of a novel HLA-C*01 variant allele, C*01:46

A novel HLA-C*01 variant allele differs from the closest allele C*01:02:01 by single nucleotide change at coding sequence nt 316 C>T (codon 82 CGC>TGC) in exon 2, which causes an amino acid change Arg82Cys.

77Se NMR study of the pairing symmetry and the spin dynamics in K(y)Fe(2-x)Se2

We present a 77Se NMR study of the newly discovered iron selenide superconductor K(y)Fe(2-x)Se2, in which T(c) = 32  K. Below T(c), the Knight shift 77K drops sharply with temperature, providing strong evidence for singlet pairing. Above T(c), Korringa-type relaxation indicates Fermi-liquid behavior. Our experimental results set strict constraints on the nature of possible theories for the mechanism of high-T(c) superconductivity in this iron selenide system.

Genomic expression profiles of blood and placenta reveal significant immune-related pathways and categories in Chinese women with gestational diabetes mellitus

AIMS

We used microarray as well as quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR) validation to define the genes and/or pathways that are involved in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in patients of Chinese ethnicity.

METHODS

We used the Illumina microarray platform to obtain comprehensive gene expression profiles of blood and placenta taken from GDM-positive and GDM-negative women.

RESULTS

We found 5197 genes in blood and 243 genes in placenta, which had significantly altered expression profiles attributable to GDM. Genes previously known to have altered expressions as a result of GDM (such as TNF, IL1B, LEP, IFNG and HLA-G) were also validated. In addition, we identified a number of previously unreported genes: VAV3, PTPN6, CD48 and IL15, which had expression patterns that were significantly different from our GDM and control samples, as determined by both microarray and Q-RT-PCR assays. Two significant pathways were identified as GDM-associated pathways through integrated functional annotation. These pathways were: 'Natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity' in blood and 'Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction' in placenta. Furthermore, despite differences between blood and placenta in terms of the quantity of gene expression, we nonetheless observed similar functional distributions in both tissues in terms of immune-related genes.

CONCLUSIONS

These newly identified key genes and pathways may provide valuable information about the pathogenesis of GDM and can be used to improve early diagnosis, prevention, medication design and clinical treatment.

A novel HLA-C*01 variant allele, HLA-C*01:38

The novel HLA-C*01:38 variant allele differs from the closest allele C*01:02:01 by a single nucleotide change at coding sequence (CDS) nt 430 G>A (codon 120 GGC>AGC) in exon 3, which causes an amino acid change Gly120Ser.

Characterization of the novel HLA-Cw*0624 allele identified by sequence-based typing

A novel HLA-Cw*0624 variant allele differs from the closest allele Cw*06020101 by single nucleotide change at genomic nt 923 T>C (CDS nt 547 T>C, codon 159 TAC>CAC) in exon 3, which results in an amino acid change Tyr159His.

Characterization of a novel HLA-Cw*07 variant allele, Cw*075602

The novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-Cw*075602 variant allele differs from the closest allele Cw*07020101 by a single nucleotide change at genomic DNA nt 473 G > C (CDS nt 343 G > C , codon 91 GGG > CGG ) in exon 2, which results in an amino acid change Gly91Arg.

Characterization of the genomic full-length sequence of HLA-Cw*010201, Cw*0706, and Cw*0801 in Chinese individuals

Genomic full-length sequence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-Cw*0706, differing from its closet allele Cw*070 101 by six nucleotide exchanges, was detected in two Chinese individuals.

Histone deacetylase 1 and 2 differentially regulate apoptosis by opposing effects on extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic regulators that are important for the control of various pathophysiological events. We found that HDAC inhibitors completely abolished transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced apoptosis in AML-12 and primary mouse hepatocytes. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of HDAC1 or downregulation of HDAC1 by RNAi both suppressed TGF-β1-induced apoptosis. In addition, overexpression of HDAC1 enhanced TGF-β1-induced apoptosis, and the rescue of HDAC1 expression in HDAC1 RNAi cells restored the apoptotic response of cells to TGF-β1. These data indicate that HDAC1 functions as a proapoptotic factor in TGF-β1-induced apoptosis. In contrast, downregulation of HDAC2 by RNAi increased spontaneous apoptosis and markedly enhanced TGF-β1-induced apoptosis, suggesting that HDAC2 has a reciprocal role in controlling cell survival. Furthermore, inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) by MEK1 inhibitor PD98059 or expression of a kinase-dead mutant of MEK1 restored the apoptotic response to TGF-β1 in HDAC1 RNAi cells. Strikingly, HDAC2 RNAi caused an inhibition of ERK1/2, and the spontaneous apoptosis can be abolished by reactivation of ERK1/2. Taken together, our data demonstrate that HDAC1 and 2 reciprocally affect cell viability by differential regulation of ERK1/2; these observations provide insight into the roles and potential mechanisms of HDAC1 and 2 in apoptosis.

Cloning and sequencing analysis of a novel HLA-Cw*08 variant allele, Cw*0827

The novel HLA-Cw*0827 variant allele differs from the closest allele Cw*0802 by five nucleotide changes.

Identification of a novel HLA-Cw*070206 allele

The novel HLA-Cw*070206 allele differs from the closest allele Cw*07020101 by single nucleotide change at genomic DNA nt 877 C>T (codon 143 ACC > ACT) in exon 3.

A novel allele, HLA-A*110203, was identified in a Chinese individual

This allele is characterized by a nucleotide substitution (C>T) in exon 4 at position nt 672, codon 200 (ACC>ACT), no coding change.

A novel HLA-B*37 allele, B*370105, was identified in a Chinese Han individual

We report here the sequence of a novel human leukocyte antigen B*37 allele, B*370105, which is identical to B*370101 except for a single nucleotide substitution in exon 3 at nucleotide 558 where C>A, codon 162 GGC>GGA, no coding change.

Identification of a novel HLA-Cw*08 variant allele, Cw*0824

A novel HLA-C allele, Cw*0824, which was identified from an individual of the Han Chinese, differs from Cw*080101 at codon 222 (GAG > AAG ) in exon 4, which results in an amino acid change Glu222Lys.

A novel HLA-Cw*01 variant allele, HLA-Cw*0130

The novel HLA-Cw*0130 variant allele differs from the closest allele Cw*010201 by single nucleotide change at genomic nt 959 T>C (CDS nt 583 T>C, codon 171 TAC>CAC) in exon 3, which causes an amino acid change Tyr171His.

A novel HLA-Cw*08 allele, Cw*0822, identified by genomic full-length cloning and sequencing

A novel HLA-Cw*08 allele, Cw*0822, differing from the closest related allele Cw*080101 by one nucleotide exchange at nt2557 (G>A) in exon 6, was identified by genomic full-length cloning and sequencing from a male Chinese donor.