Simeprevir added to peginterferon and ribavirin lessens time with fatigue, depressive symptoms and functional limitations in patients with chronic hepatitis C compared with peginterferon and ribavirin: results from 1161 patients in the QUEST-1, QUEST-2 and PROMISE studies

The value of adding simeprevir (SMV) vs placebo (PBO) to peginterferon and ribavirin (PR) for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection was examined using patient-reported outcomes (PROs); further, concordance of PROs with virology endpoints and adverse events (AEs) was explored. Patients (n = 768 SMV/PR, n = 393 PBO/PR) rated fatigue (FSS), depressive symptoms (CES-D) and functional impairment (WPAI: Hepatitis C Productivity, Daily Activity and Absenteeism) at baseline and throughout treatment in three randomised, double-blind trials comparing the addition of SMV or PBO during initial 12 weeks of PR. PR was administered for 48 weeks (PBO group) and 24/48 weeks (SMV group) using a response-guided therapy (RGT) approach. Mean PRO scores (except Absenteeism) worsened from baseline to Week 4 to the same extent in both groups but reverted after Week 24 for SMV/PR and only after Week 48 for PBO/PR. Accordingly, there was a significantly lower area under the curve (baseline-Week 60, AUC60 ) and fewer weeks with clinically important worsening of scores in the SMV/PR group at any time point. Incidences of patients with fatigue and anaemia AEs were similar in both groups, but FSS scores showed that clinically important increases in fatigue lasted a mean of 6.9 weeks longer with PBO/PR (P < 0.001). PRO score subgroup analysis indicated better outcomes for patients who met the criteria for RGT or achieved sustained virological response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12); differences in mean PRO scores associated with fibrosis level were only observed with PBO/PR. Greater efficacy of SMV/PR enabled reduced treatment duration and reduced time with PR-related AEs without adding to AE severity.

Non-invasive prenatal testing for trisomies 21, 18 and 13: clinical experience from 146,958 pregnancies

OBJECTIVES

To report the clinical performance of massively parallel sequencing-based non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in detecting trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in over 140,000 clinical samples and to compare its performance in low-risk and high-risk pregnancies.

METHODS

Between 1 January 2012 and 31 August 2013, 147,314 NIPT requests to screen for fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13 using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA were received. The results were validated by karyotyping or follow-up of clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

NIPT was performed and results obtained in 146,958 samples, for which outcome data were available in 112,669 (76.7%). Repeat blood sampling was required in 3213 cases and 145 had test failure. Aneuploidy was confirmed in 720/781 cases positive for trisomy 21, 167/218 cases positive for trisomy 18 and 22/67 cases positive for trisomy 13 on NIPT. Nine false negatives were identified, including six cases of trisomy 21 and three of trisomy 18. The overall sensitivity of NIPT was 99.17%, 98.24% and 100% for trisomies 21, 18 and 13, respectively, and specificity was 99.95%, 99.95% and 99.96% for trisomies 21, 18 and 13, respectively. There was no significant difference in test performance between the 72,382 high-risk and 40,287 low-risk subjects (sensitivity, 99.21% vs. 98.97% (P = 0.82); specificity, 99.95% vs. 99.95% (P = 0.98)). The major factors contributing to false-positive and false-negative NIPT results were maternal copy number variant and fetal/placental mosaicism, but fetal fraction had no effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a stringent protocol, the good performance of NIPT shown by early validation studies can be maintained in large clinical samples. This technique can provide equally high sensitivity and specificity in screening for trisomy 21 in a low-risk, as compared to high-risk, population.

The phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-delta and gamma inhibitor, IPI-145 (Duvelisib), overcomes signals from the PI3K/AKT/S6 pathway and promotes apoptosis in CLL

The functional relevance of the B-cell receptor (BCR) and the evolution of protein kinases as therapeutic targets have recently shifted the paradigm for treatment of B-cell malignancies. Inhibition of p110δ with idelalisib has shown clinical activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The dynamic interplay of isoforms p110δ and p110γ in leukocytes support the hypothesis that dual blockade may provide a therapeutic benefit. IPI-145, an oral inhibitor of p110δ and p110γ isoforms, sensitizes BCR-stimulated and/or stromal co-cultured primary CLL cells to apoptosis (median 20%, n=57; P<0.0001) including samples with poor prognostic markers, unmutated IgVH (n=28) and prior treatment (n=15; P<0.0001). IPI-145 potently inhibits the CD40L/IL-2/IL-10 induced proliferation of CLL cells with an IC50 in sub-nanomolar range. A corresponding dose-responsive inhibition of pAKT(Ser473) is observed with an IC50 of 0.36 nM. IPI-145 diminishes the BCR-induced chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 secretion to 17% and 37%, respectively. Pre-treatment with 1 μM IPI-145 inhibits the chemotaxis toward CXCL12; reduces pseudoemperipolesis to median 50%, inferring its ability to interfere with homing capabilities of CLL cells. BCR-activated signaling proteins AKT(Ser473), BAD(Ser112), ERK(Thr202/Tyr204) and S6(Ser235/236) are mitigated by IPI-145. Importantly, for clinical development in hematological malignancies, IPI-145 is selective to CLL B cells, sparing normal B- and T-lymphocytes.

Chronic overproduction of ghrelin in the hypothalamus leads to temporal increase in food intake and body weight

Ghrelin is known to be a critical stimulator of feeding behavior mainly via actions in the hypothalamus. However, its functional contribution to the control of energy homeostasis under chronic elevated conditions is unknown. Here we show that overproduction of ghrelin via an AAV viral delivery system in the hypothalamus leads to an increase in food intake associated with increases in body weight. However, this increase in food intake is only temporary and is diminished and no longer significant after 3 weeks. Analysis of brain sections of mice 6 weeks after AAV-ghrelin virus injection demonstrates unaltered neuropeptide Y levels but strongly up-regulated pro-opiomelanocortin levels indicating that a compensatory mechanism has been activated to counter regulate the feeding stimulatory actions of ghrelin. This demonstrates that control mechanism exists that is activated under conditions of prolonged high ghrelin levels, which could potentially be utilized to control feeding and the development of obesity.

Simeprevir with peginterferon/ribavirin for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection: pooled safety analysis from Phase IIb and III studies

This pooled analysis of five Phase IIb and III studies evaluated the safety and tolerability of simeprevir, a once daily, oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor. Data were summarised for patients who received simeprevir 150 mg once daily (n = 924) or placebo (n = 540) plus pegylated interferon-α/ribavirin for 12 weeks. During the first 12 weeks of treatment, few patients discontinued simeprevir or placebo due to adverse events (AEs) (both 2.2%). Pruritus (23.8% vs 17.4%), rash (any; 22.9% vs 16.7%) and photosensitivity (3.2% vs 0.6%) [Correction added on 16 January 2015, after first online publication: In the above sentence, the values in 'Photosensitivity' were previously incorrect and have now been changed to 3.2% vs 0.6%.] were more prevalent in the simeprevir vs the placebo groups. Most AEs were grade 1/2 (72.4% for simeprevir vs 71.3% for placebo). All grade 3/4 AEs occurred in <5.0% of patients, except neutropenia (9.8% vs 7.6%). Overall incidence of neutropenia was similar (17.3% vs 15.7%). Incidence of anaemia was 13.2% for simeprevir vs 10.9% for placebo, and incidence of increased bilirubin was 8.4% vs 2.8%. Bilirubin increases were mild-to-moderate and transient without concurrent transaminase increases or association with hepatic injury. Safety and tolerability did not vary with METAVIR score, although increased bilirubin and anaemia were more frequent in simeprevir-treated patients with METAVIR F4 (increased bilirubin, 13.0% vs 3.3%; anaemia, 19.0% vs 14.8%). Serious AEs were infrequent (2.1% for simeprevir vs 3.0% for placebo). No deaths were reported during the first 12 weeks of treatment. Patient-reported fatigue and other outcomes were comparable for both groups, but were of shorter duration for simeprevir due to the use of response-guided therapy. Simeprevir is well tolerated in HCV genotype 1-infected patients.

Expression profile of long noncoding RNAs in cartilage from knee osteoarthritis patients

OBJECTIVES

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as a novel class of regulatory molecules involved in various biological processes, but their role in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to reveal lncRNAs expression profile in human osteoarthritic cartilage and explore the potential functions of lncRNAs in OA.

METHODS

The expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in OA cartilage were obtained using microarray and verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analyses including lncRNA classification and subgroup analysis, gene ontology (GO) analysis, pathway analysis, network analysis and target prediction were performed.

RESULTS

There were 3007 upregulated lncRNAs and 1707 downregulated lncRNAs in OA cartilage compared with normal samples (Fold change ≥ 2.0). In addition, 2136 mRNAs were upregulated and 2,241 mRNAs were downregulated in OA cartilage (Fold change ≥ 2.0). The qRT-PCR results of six dysregulated lncRNAs were consistent with the microarray data. 106 lncRNAs and 291 mRNAs composed the coding-non-coding gene co-expression network (CNC network). In the 600 top differentially expressed lncRNAs, 48 lncRNAs were predicted to have more than five cis-regulated target genes and up to 530 lncRNAs might regulate their trans target genes through collaboration with transcriptional factor (TF) SP1. The positive correlation between lncRNA uc.343 and predicted target homeobox gene C8 (HOXC8) expression in SW1353 cells treating with interleukin-1 beta confirmed the target prediction to some extent.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the expression pattern of lncRNAs in OA cartilage and predicted the potential function and targets, which indicated that lncRNAs may be new biomarkers for diagnosis or novel therapeutic targets of OA.

Platelet-activating factor receptor-mediated PI3K/AKT activation contributes to the malignant development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and occurs at a relatively high frequency in China, yet the mechanisms underlying its devastating outcome remain unclear. Here we report that platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR), a type of G-protein-coupled receptor, was upregulated in ESCC tumors and cell lines, compared with controls; PAFR levels were positively correlated with ESCC clinical stages and survival time. Overexpression of PAFR promoted the malignant development of ESCC in vitro and in vivo, whereas depletion of PAFR suppressed these effects. Interestingly, PAFR was observed to activate PI3K/AKT (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT) through the upregulation of FAK kinase activity. AKT-triggered nuclear factor-κB transcriptionally activated PAFR expression. This mutual positive regulation between PAFR and AKT was required for the aggressiveness of ESCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, treating mice bearing ESCC tumors with cholesterol-conjugated PAFR small interfering RNA effectively inhibited tumor progression and the expression of AKT-mediated oncogenic proteins. Taken together, we made the first demonstration that dysregulation of PAFR and the positive regulatory loop between PAFR and pAKT contribute to malignant progression of ESCC.

Early response of mouse joint tissue to noninvasive knee injury suggests treatment targets

OBJECTIVE

Joint trauma can lead to a spectrum of acute lesions, including cartilage degradation, ligament or meniscus tears, and synovitis, all potentially associated with osteoarthritis (OA). This study was undertaken to generate and validate a murine model of knee joint trauma following noninvasive controlled injurious compression in vivo.

METHODS

The right knees of 8-week-old mice were placed in a hyperflexed position and subjected to compressive joint loading at 1 of 3 peak forces (3N, 6N, or 9N) for 60 cycles in a single loading period and harvested on days 5, 9, and 14 after loading (n = 3-5 for each time point and for each loading). The left knees were not loaded and were used as the contralateral control. Histologic, immunohistochemical, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses were performed to evaluate acute pathologic features in chondrocyte viability, cartilage matrix metabolism, synovial reaction, and serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) levels.

RESULTS

Acute joint pathology was associated with increased injurious loads. All loading regimens induced chondrocyte apoptosis, cartilage matrix degradation, disruption of cartilage collagen fibril arrangement, and increased levels of serum COMP. We also observed that 6N loading induced mild synovitis by day 5, whereas at 9N, with tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament, severe posttraumatic synovitis and ectopic cartilage formation were observed.

CONCLUSION

We have established a murine model of knee joint trauma with different degrees of overloading in vivo. Our results suggest that immediate therapies particularly targeted to apoptosis and synovial cell proliferation could affect the acute posttraumatic reaction to potentially limit chronic consequences and OA.

Quantitative assessment of the relationship between radiant heat exposure and protective performance of multilayer thermal protective clothing during dry and wet conditions

The beneficial effect of clothing on a person is important to the criteria for people exposure to radiant heat flux from fires. The thermal protective performance of multilayer thermal protective clothing exposed to low heat fluxes during dry and wet conditions was studied using two designed bench-scale test apparatus. The protective clothing with four fabric layers (outer shell, moisture barrier, thermal linear and inner layer) was exposed to six levels of thermal radiation (1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10kW/m(2)). Two kinds of the moisture barrier (PTFE and GoreTex) with different vapor permeability were compared. The outside and inside surface temperatures of each fabric layer were measured. The fitting analysis was used to quantitatively assess the relationship between the temperature of each layer during thermal exposure and the level of external heat flux. It is indicated that there is a linear correlation between the temperature of each layer and the radiant level. Therefore, a predicted equation is developed to calculate the thermal insulation of the multilayer clothing from the external heat flux. It can also provide some useful information on the beneficial effects of clothing for the exposure criteria of radiant heat flux from fire.

Protocol for Seizure Prophylaxis following Intracerebral Hemorrhage Study (SPICH): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Short-Term Sodium Valproate Prophylaxis in Patients with Acute Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Rationale

Seizures after intracerebral hemorrhage are a common complication and may adversely affect neurological outcome. However, studies are inadequate on the utility of prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy in patients with hemorrhagic stroke, and the results remains controversial.

Aims

This study aims to determine if short-duration sodium valproate prevents seizure onset or improves the survival and neurological outcome in adults after acute spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage.

Design

In this randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 258 patients meeting the inclusion criteria will be enrolled in the Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital. In addition to standard care, patients will be randomly assigned to receive seven-day prophylaxis of sodium valproate 500 mg daily (alternatively 400 mg daily by intravenous infusion in 250 ml 0·9% normal saline) or matching placebo. Patients will be followed up at seven-days, 3, 6, and 12 months.

Study outcomes

The primary outcomes are early (≤7 days) and late onset seizures (>7 days). Secondary outcomes include midline shift, enlargement of hematoma, death (all cause), adverse effects, and functional outcome assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale and modified Rankin Scale.

Discussion

Given the lack of evidence for seizure prophylaxis in patients with acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage, randomized controlled trials are desperately needed. The results from our study are believed to directly influence future prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy of intracerebral hemorrhage.

EMP2 regulates angiogenesis in endometrial cancer cells through induction of VEGF

Understanding tumor-induced angiogenesis is a challenging problem with important consequences for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In this study, we define a novel function for epithelial membrane protein-2 (EMP2) in the control of angiogenesis. EMP2 functions as an oncogene in endometrial cancer, and its expression has been linked to decreased survival. Using endometrial cancer xenografts, modulation of EMP2 expression resulted in profound changes to the tumor microvasculature. Under hypoxic conditions, upregulation of EMP2 promoted vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) expression through a HIF-1α-dependent pathway and resulted in successful capillary-like tube formation. In contrast, reduction of EMP2 correlated with reduced HIF-1α and VEGF expression with the net consequence of poorly vascularized tumors in vivo. We have previously shown that targeting of EMP2 using diabodies in endometrial cancer resulted in a reduction of tumor load, and since then we have constructed a fully human EMP2 IgG1. Treatment of endometrial cancer cells with EMP2-IgG1 reduced tumor load with a significant improvement in survival. These results support the role of EMP2 in the control of the tumor microenvironment and confirm the cytotoxic effects observed by EMP2 treatment in vivo.

NMR search for the spin nematic state in a LaFeAsO single crystal

We report a (75)As single crystal NMR investigation of LaFeAsO, the parent phase of a pnictide high T(c) superconductor. We demonstrate that spin dynamics develop a strong twofold anisotropy within each orthorhombic domain below the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural phase transition at T(TO) ≈ 156 K. This intermediate state with a dynamical breaking of the rotational symmetry freezes progressively into a spin density wave below T(SDW) ≈ 142 K. Our findings are consistent with the presence of a spin nematic state below T(TO) with an incipient magnetic order.

Oocyte extract improves epigenetic reprogramming of yak fibroblast cells and cloned embryo development

The objective was to investigate the effects of bovine oocyte extract (BOE) on epigenetic reprogramming of yak fibroblast cells, based on their cell cycle status, histone acetylation, DNA methylation, gene expression, and cloned blastocyst formation. Permeabilization of yak fibroblasts after treatment with 10 or 50 μL of BOE (treated-S and treated-L groups, respectively) for 24 hours increased (P < 0.05) the cell population at the G(0)/G(1) phase (85.2 ± 2.3% and 89.6 ± 1.5%, respectively) compared with controls (75.4 ± 1.1%). Acetylation at lysine 9 of histone H3 was also higher (26.1 ± 1.4 and 33.5 ± 2.1) than in the control group (15.3 ± 1.6; P < 0.05). Moreover, BOE reduced methylation of the promoter regions of Oct-4 and Nanog (76.4% and 72.2%; and 35.6% and 30.0%, respectively) compared with the control group (92.1% and 47.8%; P < 0.05). In addition, the relative expression levels of HDAC-1, HADC-2, Dnmt-1, and Dnmt-3a were downregulated (P < 0.05) after yak fibroblasts were treated with BOE. Furthermore, when yak fibroblasts were used for interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer after BOE treatment, 8-cell and blastocyst formation rates significantly exceeded those of the control. In conclusion, BOE induced epigenetic reprogramming of yak fibroblasts, making them suitable donors for yak interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer.

The mitigation effects of exogenous melatonin on salinity-induced stress in Malus hupehensis

As an indoleamine molecule, melatonin mediates many physiological processes in plants. We investigated its role in regulating growth, ion homeostasis, and the response to oxidative stress in Malus hupehensis Rehd. under high-salinity conditions. Stressed plants had reduced growth and a marked decline in their net photosynthetic rates and chlorophyll contents. However, pretreatment with 0.1μm melatonin significantly alleviated this growth inhibition and enabled plants to maintain an improved photosynthetic capacity. The addition of melatonin also lessened the amount of oxidative damage brought on by salinity, perhaps by directly scavenging H(2) O(2) or enhancing the activities of antioxidative enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and peroxidase. We also investigated whether melatonin might control the expression of ion-channel genes under salinity. Here, MdNHX1 and MdAKT1 were greatly up-regulated in the leaves, which possibly contributed to the maintenance of ion homeostasis and, thus, improved salinity resistance in plants exposed to exogenous melatonin.

A prototype 64-electrode stimulator in 65 nm CMOS process towards a high density epi-retinal prosthesis

This paper presents a highly flexible 64-electrode stimulator using 65 nm CMOS process fabricated as a stage towards a 1024-electrode epi-retinal prosthesis, which aims to restore partial vision in patients suffering from eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degradation (AMD). The stimulator drives 64 electrodes with many flexible features, which are necessary before making a complete 1024-electrode implant chip. Each electrode driver can provide a bi-phasic stimulus current with fully programmable parameters such as amplitude, pulse duration, inter-phase gap, and stimulation rate. The electrode driver operates in an alternately pull-push manner with only one current source working at a time, which helps reduce headroom voltage while controlling charge balance at the active electrode. The stimulator varies both stimulus current amplitude and stimulation rate to represent phosphene brightness. The stimulus current amplitude starts from the tissue depolarization threshold with 64 different levels. The selection of active and return electrodes is arbitrary, any electrodes and any number of them can be selected at any time. The power consumption of the stimulator is 400 μW excluding the stimulus power. Measurement results verify correct operation. The stimulator is easily scaled up to drive 1024 electrodes.

Glucose metabolism among residents in Shanghai: natural outcome of a 5-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is usually preceded by a condition known as pre-diabetes. However, few studies evaluate the rate of each status of impaired glucose regulation progressed to T2DM and its related metabolic disorders impacting the development.

AIM

To investigate the natural outcome of glucose metabolism among Shanghai adult residents during a 5-yr period, and estimate the metabolic characteristics related with the conversion of glucose tolerance.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey with multiple- stage and random sampling was conducted among 1869 adult residents from Shanghai Pudong New District in 2002. In 2007, 1042 non-diabetic subjects were successfully followed up. All the participants completed a questionnaire and underwent anthropometric measurements and a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test.

RESULTS

The incidence of diabetes was higher in isolated impaired glucose tolerance (i- IGT), isolated impaired fasting glucose (i-IFG), and combined fasting and post-prandial hyperglycemia (IFG/IGT) group when compared to that in normal glucose tolerance group, as relative ratios with 95% confidence intervals of 9.2 (5.5- 15.2), 7.5 (3.6-15.7), and 13.2 (5.8-30.2), respectively. Subjects who had 2 or more metabolic disorders had a 2-3-fold higher incidence than those with less than 1 metabolic disorder (all p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

People with pre-diabetes are at increased risk of diabetes, suggesting the need for frequent screening in theloe people with several metabolic disorders.

Adenomyosis completely encapsulated by muscle-like cavity in the mesorectum: a case report

A case of adenomyosis, completely encapsulated and located in the mesentery between the sigmoid colon and rectum, was admitted our hospital. We have reported the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the present case.

Horizontal gene transfer in herpesviruses identified by using support vector machine

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the probable origin of new genes. Identification of HGT-introduced genes would be helpful to the understanding of the genome evolution and the function prediction of new genes. In this study, a method using support vector machine (SVM) was used to distinguish horizontally transferred genes and non-horizontally transferred genes of mammalian herpesviruses based on the atypical composition identification, with accuracy higher than 95% within a reasonable length of time by using just a common PC. This identified 302 putative horizontally transferred genes, 171 genes being identified for the first time. Although most putative transferred genes are of unknown function, many genes have been discovered or predicted to encode glycoproteins or membrane proteins.

African ancestry, early life exposures, and respiratory morbidity in early childhood

BACKGROUND

Racial disparities persist in early childhood wheezing and cannot be completely explained by known risk factors.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the associations of genetic ancestry and self-identified race with early childhood recurrent wheezing, accounting for socio-economic status (SES) and early life exposures.

METHODS

We studied 1034 children in an urban, multi-racial, prospective birth cohort. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of genetic ancestry as opposed to self-identified race with recurrent wheezing (>3 episodes). Sequential models accounted for demographic, socio-economic factors and early life risk factors. Genetic ancestry, estimated using 150 ancestry informative markers, was expressed in deciles.

RESULTS

Approximately 6.1% of subjects (mean age 3.1 years) experienced recurrent wheezing. After accounting for SES and demographic factors, African ancestry (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.31) was significantly associated with recurrent wheezing. By self-reported race, hispanic subjects had a borderline decrease in risk of wheeze compared with African Americans (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.19-1.00), whereas white subjects (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.14-1.57) did not have. After further adjustment for known confounders and early life exposures, both African (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.34) and European ancestry (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74-0.94) retained a significant association with recurrent wheezing, as compared with self-identified race (OR(whites) : 0.31, 95% CI: 0.09-1.14; OR(hispanic) : 0.47, 95% CI: 0.20-1.08). There were no significant interactions between ancestry and early life factors on recurrent wheezing.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In contrast to self-identified race, African ancestry remained a significant, independent predictor of early childhood wheezing after accounting for early life and other known risk factors associated with lung function changes and asthma. Genetic ancestry may be a powerful way to evaluate wheezing disparities and a proxy for differentially distributed genetic and early life risk factors associated with childhood recurrent wheezing.

The relationship between high density lipoprotein subclass profile and apolipoprotein concentrations

The HDL fraction in human plasma is heterogeneous in terms of size, shape, composition, and surface charge. The HDL subclasses contents were quantified by 2-dimensional non-denaturing gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and image analysis. This research review systematically analyzed the relationship between the contents of HDL subclasses and the concentrations and ratios of the 5 major plasma apolipoproteins (apo). As the concentration of apoA-I increases, the contents of all HDL subclasses increase significantly. The most significant association was observed between large-sized HDL2b contents and apoA-I. ApoA-II played a dual function in the contents of HDL subclasses, and both small-sized HDL3b and HDL3a and large-sized HDL2b tended to increase with apoA-II concentration. An increase in the concentrations of apoC-II, C-III, and B-100 resulted in higher levels of small-sized HDL particles and lower levels of large-sized HDL particles. Plasma apoB- 100, apoC-II, and apoC-III appear to play a coordinated role in assembly of HDL particles and the determination of their contents. Higher concentrations of apoA-I could inhibit the reduction in content of large-sized HDL2b effected by apoB-100, C-II, and C-III. The preβ1-HDL contents increased significantly and those of HDL2b declined progressively with an increased apoB-100/apoA-I or a decreased apoC-III/apoC-II ratio. In summary, each apo has distinct but interrelated roles in HDL particle generation and metabolism. ApoA-I and apoC-II concentrations are independent determinants of HDL subtypes in circulation and apoA-I levels might be a more powerful factor to influence HDL subclasses distribution. Moreover, apoB- 100/apoA-I ratio could reliably and sensitively reflect the HDL subclass profile.

A Novel Technique For Rtp Annealing Of Compound Semiconductors

We introduce for the first time a novel rapid thermal processing (RTP) unit called ZapperTM, which has recently been developed by MHI Inc. and the University of Florida for high temperature thermal processing of semiconductors. This ZapperTM unit is capable of reaching much higher temperatures (>1500 °C) than conventional tungsten-halogen lamp RTP equipment and achieving high ramp-up and ramp-down rates. We have conducted implant activation annealing studies of Si+-implanted GaN thin films (with and without an AIN encapsulation layer) using the ZapperTM unit at temperatures up to 1500 °C. The electrical property measurements of such annealed samples have led to the conclusion that high annealing temperatures and AIN encapsulation are needed for the optimum activation efficiency of Si+ implants in GaN. It has clearly been demonstrated that the ZapperTM unit has tremendous potential for RTP annealing of semiconductor materials, especially for wide bandgap compound semiconductors that require very high processing temperatures.

Isolation of adenosine, iso-sinensetin and dimethylguanosine with antioxidant and HIV-1 protease inhibiting activities from fruiting bodies of Cordyceps militaris

According to previous studies, a close relationship between oxidative stress and AIDS suggests that antioxidants might play an important role in the treatment of AIDS. Cordyceps militaris was selected from nine edible mushrooms by assay of inhibition of erythrocyte hemolysis. Macroporous adsorption resin and HPLC were used to purify three micromolecular compounds named L3a, L3b and L3c. L3a was identified to be adenosine with the molecular formula C(10)H(13)N(5)O(4); L3b was 6,7,2',4',5'-pentamethoxyflavone with the molecular formula C(20)H(20)O(7), and L3c was dimethylguanosine with the molecular formula C(12)H(17)N(5)O(5). The compound 6,7,2',4',5'-pentamethoxyflavone was first isolated from C. militaris. The assay of inhibition of HIV-1 protease (HIV-1 PR) was based on the fact that the expression of this enzyme can inhibit the growth of E. coli. This is a new screening system for HIV-1 PR inhibitors. Both L3a and L3b showed high inhibition to HIV-1 PR. These compounds could be new anti-HIV-1 PR drugs.

A polysaccharopeptide complex and a condensed tannin with antioxidant activity from dried rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers

In this study, the fraction (P) from an aqueous extract of dried rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers was obtained by ethanol precipitation. P was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose. The components retained on DEAE-cellulose were eluted with a linear gradient of 0–2 m NaCl solution. Two fractions, eluted at concentrations of 0.5 m NaCl and 1 m NaCl, respectively, were obtained. These two components were designated as P1 and P2, respectively. P1 was further purified using gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. P1 yielded two peaks, and the two components were designated as P1-a and P1-b, respectively. P1-a was a polysaccharide-peptide complex, and P1-b exhibited chemical properties of a condensed tannin as revealed by FTIR and NMR assay of carbohydrate and protein contents and HPLC-ESI-MS. The molecular masses of P1-a and P1-b were 150kDa and 8kDa, respectively. Both P1-a and P1-b possessed antioxidant activity, with the activity of P1-b higher than that of P1-a. This study demonstrated that different components from rose flowers exhibited antioxidant activity.