[Swertiamarin alleviates diabetic peripheral neuropathy in rats by suppressing NOXS/ ROS/NLRP3 signal pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the therapeutic effect of swertiamarin on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in rats and explore the molecular mechanism in light of the NOXS/ROS/NLRP3 signal pathway.

OBJECTIVE

Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into control group, DPN model group (treated with saline), swertiamarin (5 mg/kg) treatment group and NOXS inhibitor (10 mL/kg DPI) treatment group. Rat models of DPN were established in the latter 3 groups by intraperitoneal injections of STZ, and the treatments were administered on days 1, 7 and 14 after modeling. Tactile hypersensitivity of the rats was evaluated 30 min after the treatment. The expressions of NOXS, ROS, NLRP3 and inflammatory factors in the spinal cord tissue were detected using ELISA, and the protein expressions of NOXS, ROS, and NLRP3 were also detected with Western blotting.

OBJECTIVE

Compared with those in the control group, the rats in DPN group showed significant hyperalgesia (P < 0.001), increased expressions of TNF-α (P < 0.001) and IL-6 (P < 0.001), decreased expressions of TGF-β (P < 0.001), and increased expressions of NOXS/ROS/NLRP3 signal pathway (P < 0.001). Compared with those in DPN model group, the rats with swertiamarin treatment showed improved hyperalgesia (P < 0.001), decreased expressions of TNF-α (P=0.03) and IL-6 (P=0.002), increased expressions of TGF-β (P=0.04), and decreased expressions of NOXS (P < 0.001), ROS (P < 0.001) and NLRP3 (P=0.002). Treatment with swertiamarin and the NOXS inhibitor produced similar effects on the expressions of the inflammatory factors in the rat models (P>0.05).

OBJECTIVE

DPN effectively relieves hyperalgesia in rat models of DPN by restoring the balance in the expressions of the inflammatory factors by suppressing NOXs/ROS/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel eye pad loaded with amniotic extract prevents symblepharon in rabbit eyes

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to evaluate the ability of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel eye pads loaded with amniotic extract to prevent symblepharon in rabbits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-eight rabbits were divided into 3 groups. After ocular alkali burn, Group A (n=16) was treated with amniotic extract-loaded hydrogel eye pads placed in the conjunctival sac, Group B (n=16) was treated with amniotic membrane transplantation, and Group C (n=16) received no treatment. At 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks post-injury, 4 rabbits from each group were selected to evaluate for symblepharon, determine epithelial healing rate and corneal neovascularization, conduct histopathology, and to quantify the expression of TGF-β1.

RESULTS

At 1 week post-injury, the epithelial healing rate in Groups A and B was higher than Group C (p=0.002, 0.001, respectively). At 2 weeks, corneal neovascularization in Group B was less than Group C (p=0.004). At 3 and 4 weeks, no symblepharon has been found in Group A, but it was found in some eyes in Group B and C (p=0.009, 0.013). Further, the expression of TGF-β1 in Group A was lower than in Group B and C (p<0.001). H&E staining showed that the controls in Group C had more edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in the first 2 weeks, relative to Groups A and B. At 4 weeks, Masson's Trichrome staining showed that fibers were most regularly aligned in Group A and that immuno-histochemical staining found that proliferating cell nuclear antigen was highest expressed in Group C.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with GelMA hydrogel eye pads loaded with amniotic extract shortly after chemical injury prevented symblepharon in rabbits.

LINC00355 inhibits apoptosis and promotes proliferation of gastric cancer cells by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

To study the expression and biological functions of long intergenic non-protein coding ribonucleic acid 00355 (LINC00355) in gastric cancer (GC), and to explore its potential mechanism of action.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The relative expression level of LINC00355 in 48 cases of GC tissues, the corresponding paracancerous tissues, and GC cells was determined using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and the interference efficiency of small interfering (si)-LINC00355 was detected via qRT-PCR. After knock-down of LINC00355, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were performed to detect the changes in the proliferation ability of GC cells, and the changes in the GC cell cycle distribution and apoptosis rate were examined by flow cytometry. Besides, Western blotting was conducted to verify the changes in the downstream signaling pathway of LINC00355.

RESULTS

Among 48 cases of GC tissues, there were 42 (87.5%) cases of LINC00355 expression up-regulation, and 6 (12.5%) cases of LINC00355 expression down-regulation. The qRT-PCR results revealed that the expression of LINC00355 was raised in 4 kinds of GC cells. After interference with LINC00355 expression, the MTT assay results indicated that the cell proliferation ability was inhibited, consistent with the EdU assay results. After LINC00355 was knocked down in GC cells, GC cells in experiment group had a higher apoptosis rate than those in si-NC group and arrested in the gap 0 (G0)/G1 phase. Moreover, it was found through Western blotting that the expressions of the molecular markers in the downstream wingless-INT (Wnt)/β-catenin signaling pathway were downregulated after interference with the expression of LINC00355.

CONCLUSIONS

LINC0035 exhibits an up-regulated expression in GC and regulates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis.

Increasing coenzyme Q10 yield from Rhodopseudomonas palustris by expressing rate-limiting enzymes and blocking carotenoid and hopanoid pathways

Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀ ), a strong antioxidant, is used extensively in food, cosmetic and medicine industries. A natural producer, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, was engineered to overproduce CoQ₁₀ . For increasing the CoQ₁₀ content, crtB gene was deleted to block the carotenoid pathway. crtB gene deletion led to 33% improvement of CoQ₁₀ content over the wild type strain. However, it was found that the yield of hopanoids was also increased by competing for the precursors from carotenoid pathway with CoQ₁₀ pathway. To further increase the CoQ₁₀ content, hopanoid pathway was blocked by deleting shc gene, resulting in R. palustris [Δshc, ΔcrtB] to produce 4·7 mg g^-1 DCW CoQ₁₀ , which was 1·2 times higher than the CoQ₁₀ content in the wild type strain. The common strategy of co-expression of rate-limiting enzymes (DXS, DPS and UbiA) was combined with the pathway blocking method resulted in 8·2 mg g^-1 DCW of CoQ₁₀ , which was 2·9 times higher than that of wild type strain. The results suggested a synergistic effect among different metabolic engineering strategies. This study demonstrates the potential of R. palustris for CoQ₁₀ production and provides viable strategies to increase CoQ₁₀ titer.

MiR-769-5p functions as an oncogene by down-regulating RYBP expression in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to detect the relative expression level of micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-769-5p in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and cells, and to investigate the clinical significance, biological function, and mechanism of miR-769-5p in GC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The relative expression level in 62 cases of GC tissues and paracancerous tissues was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation between miR-769-5p expression and clinicopathological characteristics of GC patients was analyzed by Chi-square test. Besides, the relative expression level of miR-769-5p in GC cells and the interference efficiency of si-miR-769-5p were detected by qRT-PCR, and the biological function of miR-769-5p was studied by in vitro experiments [Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU)]. Next, the effect of miR-769-5p on the tumorigenicity of GC cells in vivo was investigated by nude mouse tumorigenicity assay. Moreover, the downstream target genes of miR-769-5p were predicted by bioinformatics. Finally, qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to screen the downstream target genes.

RESULTS

In the 62 cases of GC tissues, the expression of miR-769-5p was upregulated in 48 cases. MiR-769-5p was divided into high-expression group and low-expression group. Chi-square analysis showed that the high expression of miR-769-5p was positively correlated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (p=0.005), lymph node metastasis (p=0.010), and infiltration depth (p=0.011) in patients with GC. The results of qRT-PCR indicated that the expression of miR-769-5p was upregulated in GC cells. In vitro experiments (MTT, flow cytometry, EdU) results showed that after interfering in the expression of miR-769-5p, the proliferation ability of GC cells was decreased, and apoptosis was increased. Furthermore, the results of in vivo experiments manifested that the tumorigenic ability of GC cells declined after interference in the expression of miR-769-5p. Finally, the results of qRT-PCR and Western blotting revealed that the expression of RING1 and YY1-binding protein (RYBP) was regulated by miR-769-5p.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of miR-769-5p is upregulated in GC and positively correlated with TNM stage in GC patients. By regulating the expression of RYBP, the proliferation of GC cells was promoted, and the apoptosis was inhibited.

Removing leakage-induced correlated errors in superconducting quantum error correction

Quantum computing can become scalable through error correction, but logical error rates only decrease with system size when physical errors are sufficiently uncorrelated. During computation, unused high energy levels of the qubits can become excited, creating leakage states that are long-lived and mobile. Particularly for superconducting transmon qubits, this leakage opens a path to errors that are correlated in space and time. Here, we report a reset protocol that returns a qubit to the ground state from all relevant higher level states. We test its performance with the bit-flip stabilizer code, a simplified version of the surface code for quantum error correction. We investigate the accumulation and dynamics of leakage during error correction. Using this protocol, we find lower rates of logical errors and an improved scaling and stability of error suppression with increasing qubit number. This demonstration provides a key step on the path towards scalable quantum computing.

The Kickstart Walk Assist System for improving balance and walking function in stroke survivors: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Compared with traditional physical therapy for stroke patients, lower extremity exoskeletons can provide patients with greater endurance and more repeatable and controllable training, which can reduce the therapeutic burden of the therapist. However, most exoskeletons are expensive, heavy or require active power to be operated. Therefore, a lighter, easy to wear, easy to operate, low-cost technology for stroke rehabilitation would be a welcome opportunity for stroke survivors, caregivers and clinicians. One such device is the Kickstart Walk Assist system and the purpose of this study was to determine feasibility of using this unpowered exoskeleton device in a sample of stroke survivors.

METHODS

Thirty stroke survivors were enrolled in the study and experienced walking with the Kickstart exoskeleton device that provided spring-loaded assistance during gait. After 5 days of wearing the exoskeleton, participants were evaluated in the two states of wearing and not wearing the exoskeleton. Outcome measures included: (a) spatio-temporal gait measures, (b) balance measures and (c) exoskeleton-use feedback questionnaire.

RESULTS

In comparison to not wearing the device, when participants wore the Kickstart walking system, weight bearing asymmetry was reduced. The time spent on the 10-m walk test was also reduced, but there was no difference in the timed-up-and-go test (TUGT). Gait analysis data showed reduction in step time and double support time. Stroke survivors were positive about the Kickstart walking system's ability to improve their balance, speed and gait. In addition, their confidence level and willingness to use the device was also positive.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show the feasibility of using the Kickstart walking system for improving walking performance in stroke survivors. Our future goal is to perform a longer duration study with more comprehensive pre- and post-testing in a larger sample of stroke survivors. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000032665. Registered 5 May 2020-Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=53288.

35 Characterization of the promoter region of ZNFO, an oocyte-specific gene in cattle

Maternal factors are essential aspects of oocyte competence, which orchestrate early embryonic development. ZNFO is a Krüppel-associated box domain (KRAB) containing zinc finger transcription factor, which is exclusively expressed in bovine oocyte. Previous studies have demonstrated that ZNFO is essential for early embryonic development. However, the mechanisms regulating ZNFO transcription remain elusive. The objective of present study is to elucidate regulatory mechanisms of ZNFO transcription invitro, and specifically to identify putative core promoter and transcription factor(s) regulating ZNFO expression. 5′ Random amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was performed using RNA isolated from 100 germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes to identify the transcription start site (TSS) of ZNFO. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ZNFO transcription, a 1.7-kb fragment of the 5′ regulatory region was obtained and cloned into pGL4.14 promoterless vector. The luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the promoter activity of the regulatory region. To further identify the core promoter region of the putative ZNFO promoter, a series of 5′ deletions in the ZNFO promoter followed by luciferase reporter assay was performed. The luciferase results indicated that the core promoter region of ZNFO was located within a region 57 to 31bp upstream of the transcription start site. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that a putative USF1/USF2 binding site (GGTCTCGTGACC) is located within the core promoter region. USF1 is a basic helix–loop–helix leucine zipper transcription factor, which regulates the expression of various maternal genes, which are essential for oocyte maturation and early embryonic development in cattle. To confirm that USF1 regulated ZNFO expression, bovine USF1 open reading frame (ORF) was cloned into pcDNA3.1A-HA vector, generating a USF1 overexpression construct. Overexpression of USF1 by transfecting USF1 plasmid enhanced ZNFO promoter activity within HEK293 cells, confirming that ZNFO expression is regulated by USF1. From these results, we conclude that USF1 activates the ZNFO promoter by binding to its target site, GGTCTCGTGACC.

84 Characterization of agouti-signalling protein expression within the bovine ovary and early embryo

Factors present in the oocyte and surrounding follicular cells aid in the attainment of oocyte competence. Agouti-signalling protein (ASIP) is a known regulator of melanocyte function through binding to melanocortin receptors including MC1R and MC4R. Additionally, ASIP has been classified as an adipokine due to a link with insulin resistance and obesity in humans. In mice, expression is limited to hair follicles where ASIP regulates hair pigmentation. In cattle, however, ASIP mRNA has been detected in a variety of tissues, including adipose, skin, heart, testis, and the ovary. Despite ovarian expression, the role of ASIP in reproduction remains undetermined. Bovine ASIP is a secreted protein consisting of 133 amino acids. The aim of this experiment was to provide a detailed description of the ASIP expression profile within the bovine ovary and during early embryonic development. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was conducted to analyse ASIP, MC1R, and MC4R mRNA expression. Samples examined included fetal ovaries from gestational day 90 to 250, adult ovary, fetal testis, adult testis, and 12 somatic tissues including adrenal, cerebral cortex, gut, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, pituitary, stomach, and thymus. Amplification of ribosomal protein L19 (RPL19) served as a positive control for all samples. Expression of ASIP was detected in the fetal testis, 9 somatic tissues, and the fetal and adult ovary. In the fetal ovary, ASIP was detected as early as 90 days of gestation and continued throughout gestation. Expression of the ASIP receptors, MC1R and MC4R, were detected exclusively in the fetal ovary. To further characterise ASIP expression, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was utilised to examine samples including germinal vesicle and MII oocytes (pool of 10 oocytes), invitro-produced embryos ranging from the 2-cell to blastocyst stages (pool of 10 embryos), and cumulus and granulosa cells collected from a pool from 5 cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) and follicles, respectively. Theca cells from a single follicle were analysed. Samples with cycle threshold values below 35 were considered to express the gene of interest. Of the follicular cells examined, ASIP expression was present in theca, granulosa, and cumulus cells. ASIP expression was detected in both GV and MII oocytes. Early embryonic expression of ASIP was detected in the 2-cell embryo and continued to the blastocyst stage of development. In conclusion, ASIP is present in the bovine adult and fetal ovary, follicular cells including cumulus, granulosa, and theca cells, GV and MII oocytes, and invitro-produced embryos from the 2-cell to blastocyst stages. Future research will focus on identifying the function of ovarian and early embryonic ASIP in cattle.

135 Differential gene expression of bovine long noncoding RNAs in single oocytes aspirated from small and large follicles

In mammals, maternal mRNAs accumulate in the oocyte and play important roles during early embryogenesis in embryonic genome activation. Proper development is dependent upon regulation of these maternal transcripts while simultaneously activating the embryonic genome. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate various cellular processes, including modulation of gene expression and epigenetic status. Recently, lncRNAs have been functionally characterised as key regulators of embryonic genome activation in humans and mice. Our laboratory identified 1535 lncRNAs in bovine oocytes using RNA-sequencing. The objective of this study was to verify our RNA-seq data and if present, characterise the expression of six highly abundant lncRNAs (2160.1, 5379.1, 18208.1, 23721, 25823.1, and 34876.2) in single oocytes aspirated from varying size follicles at different developmental stages. Single oocytes were aspirated from small (&lt;4mm) and presumably oestrogen active (6–18mm) follicles and were denuded at the germinal vesicle (GV) or MII stage. MII stage was determined by cumulus expansion and the extrusion of the first polar body. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis, using RPL-19 as a housekeeping gene analysed using the standard curve method, revealed detectable expression for each lncRNA in single oocytes from small (SF) and presumably oestrogen active (EA) follicles at both stages. Average expression of each lncRNA from SF was used as a calibrator in normalization. Effect of follicle size and maturity stage and their interaction on the lncRNA expression were examined using a two-factorial ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test. In five lncRNAs (2160.1, 5379.1, 18208.1, 25823.1, and 34876.2), maturity stage was significant (P&lt;0.05). Moreover, we found significant interaction of stage and size in expression of lncRNA 25823.1 (P&lt;0.05). SF oocytes at the GV stage had the highest relative expression of lncRNA 25823.1. Specific differences were detected between SF MII and SF GV oocytes, indicating higher expression in the earlier developmental stage (P&lt;0.05). The SF oocytes at MII had a 0.63-fold decrease in relative expression with respect to the SF oocytes at GV. In addition, we found a tendency for significant interaction between maturity stage and follicle size in the expression of lncRNA 5379.1 (P&lt;0.1). LncRNA 5379.1 exhibited the same expression pattern as lncRNA 25823.1 with SF oocytes at MII having a 0.75-fold decrease in relative expression relative to SF oocytes at GV. In summary, both lncRNA 25823.1 and 5379.1 had higher expression in oocytes aspirated from small follicles during the earlier developmental stage. The literature indicates that follicle size can be an indicator of oocyte quality and that RNAs accumulated or degraded during maturation are crucial to achieve developmental competence. Therefore, lncRNAs 25823.1 and 5379.1 shows promise to be linked with oocyte quality.

Case Report: Acute Bulbar Palsy Plus Syndrome: A Guillain-Barré Syndrome Variant More Prone to Be a Subtype Than Overlap of Distinct Subtypes

Objective: Acute bulbar palsy plus (ABPp) syndrome is a rare regional variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) characterized by acute bulbar palsy combined with other cranial symptoms or ataxia without limb and neck weakness. We aim to investigate characteristics of ABPp syndrome and analyze its nosological position within the GBS spectrum.

Methods: A patient with ABPp syndrome was reported, and previous case reports of patients who met the criteria for ABPp syndrome from the literature were reviewed.

Results: A total of 28 patients were included in our study. Median age was 32 years. Most of the patients (78.6%) were from Asia, and 75.0% had preceding infection. The main accompanying symptoms were ophthalmoplegia (85.7%), facial palsy (60.7%), and ataxia (50.0%). There existed asymmetric weakness in the form of unilateral facial palsy (32.1%) and ptosis (3.6%). Approximately half of the patients had albuminocytological dissociation. All the tested patients were seropositive for antiganglioside antibodies, of which the two most common were immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-GT1a (77.3%) and anti-GQ1b (59.1%) antibodies. Over one-third of the patients who underwent electrophysiological assessment showed subclinical neuropathy beyond cranial nerves. The outcome was generally favorable as 89.3% of patients made full recovery within 5 months.

Conclusion: The hitherto largest case series of ABPp syndrome advances our understanding of this disease. Serologically, the presence of IgG anti-GT1a and anti-GQ1b antibodies predicts and contributes to the disease. Phenotypically, ABPp syndrome is more prone to be a separate subtype of GBS than overlap of distinct subtypes and has the potential to complement current diagnostic framework of GBS.

Genetic Structure Analysis of Y Chromosome STR and SNP in Population of Changshu

Abstract

Objective To provide a theoretical basis for building a Y chromosome database in specific regions by analyzing the pedigree specific core haplogroup and region specific genetic structure in Changshu. Methods One thousand seven hundred and two samples from unrelated Han male individuals in Changshu were collected. Then 27 Y-STR were genotyped through YfilerTM Plus PCR Amplification Kit, Y-SNP haplogroup of each sample was speculated using Y-Predictor software and some samples were verified by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction （ARMS-PCR）. Results A total of 1 556 haplotypes were found on the 27 Y-STR genetic markers of the 1 702 samples. The haplotype diversity （HD） value was 0.999 827. DYS385 （0.933） had the highest gene diversity （GD） value while DYS438 （0.409） had the lowest. By the Y-Predictor software, all samples were confirmed to be from 162 sub-haplogroups of C, D, N, O, Q and R. Samples were randomly selected to verify the prediction results by the software and the prediction accuracy of Y-Predictor software was as high as 95.74%. Conclusion This study found that 27 Y-STR genetic markers have relatively high polymorphisms in the Changshu population, and have good forensic individual identification and paternity testing ability.

Prediction of chronic kidney disease progression used by calcineurin inhibitor concentration and estimated glomerular filtration rate early after liver transplantation

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common late complication in liver-transplanted patients who have received long-term therapy with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). Aims: To analyze kidney disease progression after liver transplantation.

Methods

We analysed the clinical data of adult single-organ liver transplant recipients performed at our centre between October 2003 and September 2009. The patients with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than 60 ml/min/1.73 m² before surgery were included in the study.

Results

69 patients with complete follow-up data were analysed. We found that eGFR at 1 or 2 years after liver transplantation correlated well with eGFR at 5 years. In addition, our results showed that patients whose eGFR declined below 60 at 2 years after liver transplantation would develop an irreversible renal injury in the following years. At 2 years, 12 patients had an eGFR less than 60, which were maintained in 11 patients at 5 years (Sensitivity = 11/12, 91.67%; Specificity = 57/58, 98.28%, Youden's index = 89.95%). The annual rate of eGFR reduction of the tacrolimus group was greater than that of the tacrolimus sparing group based on the value-time variation curve in our study. Moreover, the tacrolimus concentration influenced the CKD progression at 1 and 2 years with an under the ROC curve of 0.73 and 0.78 when Youden's index was at its maximum and the tacrolimus concentrations were 8.55 and 5.96 ng/ml, respectively.

Conclusion

We confirmed that eGFR at 2 years after liver transplantation is useful for observing a meaningful change in eGFR and renal damage. Obtaining the appropriate serum concentration of an early decrease of the dose of CNIs and transforming non-nephrotoxic immunosuppressants would help improve renal function to prevent CKD progression and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).