[Study on epidemic trend of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Zhejiang province, 2005-2020]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Zhejiang province from 2005 to 2020, and provide scientific information for the precise prevention and control of HFRS. Methods: Data on HFRS cases in Zhejiang province during 2005-2020 were collected from the China National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting Information System (NNDS) for a descriptive analysis, and software ArcGIS 10.2 was used for global autocorrelation and local autocorrelation analyses. Spatiotemporal clusters were scanned with SaTScan 9.4.4 and visualized with ArcGIS 10.2. Results: A total of 7 724 HFRS cases were reported in Zhejiang province from 2005 to 2020, including 25 deaths. There were two incidence peaks each year, in late spring and early summer (May-June) and in winter (November-January). The top three areas with high cumulative cases were Ningbo (1 875, 24.27%), Taizhou (1 642, 21.25%), and Shaoxing (1 123, 14.54%). Among the reported cases, with a male to female ratio of 2.73∶1(5 656∶2 068). The majority of HFRS cases were middle-aged and elderly people, with cases aged 41-70 years accounting for 60.95%. Most HFRS cases were farmers, accounting for 69.89% (5 398/7 724). The spatial distribution of HFRS in most years was correlated. SaTScan was used for retrospective spatiotemporal scanning and three clusters were detected: the first type clusters were in 21 counties in eastern Zhejiang province and central Zhejiang province, among which 4 were in Ningbo, Shaoxing and Jinhua, 8 were in Taizhou, and 1 was in Lishui (RR=13.69, LLR=5 522.60, P<0.001); the second type clusters were in Longquan and Qingyuan counties (RR=31.20, LLR=1 232.46, P<0.001); the third types of clusters were in Changxing and Anji counties of Huzhou in northern Zhejiang province (RR=3.42, LLR=23.93, P<0.001). Conclusions: HFRS mainly occurred in middle-aged,elderly and male farmers in Zhejiang province. The incidence was high in late spring, early summer and winter in eastern Zhejiang province. Precise prevention and control measures are needed for populations at high risk before the epidemic season.

Pancreatic Carcinosarcoma with a Rare Presentation

Introduction/Objective

Carcino-sarcoma of the pancreas is a rare tumor and very limited clinical and pathologic data have been reported in the literature. As per World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the digestive system, the carcinosarcoma of the pancreas is classified together with sarcomatoid carcinoma and anaplastic giant cell carcinomas in undifferentiated carcinoma of pancreas. Carcinosarcoma is a rare entity with very poor prognosis.

Methods/Case Report

Here we report a rare case of pancreatic carcinosarcoma in a 68 year old male patient who underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy for unilocular cystic mass in the head of the pancreas. The mass grossly replaces the whole head of the pancreas. Histologically, the lesion showed a high-grade spindle cell component and adjacent moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. On immunohistochemical examination, the carcinomatous component was positive for epithelial markers, and the sarcomatous component was positive for DOG1 and had a focal cytoplasmic staining for S-100. The diagnosis of pancreatic carcinosarcoma was rendered. Treatment options are same as of pancreatic carcinoma. Surgical resection is the best option available for patients. Systemic chemotherapy is indicated for patients with distant metastasis or patients with other contraindications. Despite surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, recurrence rates are high, and prognosis is poor. However, there are no relevant standard chemotherapies available. Based on the limited number of reported cases, the prognosis of carcinosarcoma of the pancreas appears to be poor. But some cases with long term survival have been reported. There are very few primary pancreatic neoplasms with carcinomatous and sarcomatous components reported in the current literature.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

NA

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of familiarity with histopathology of this rare entity, and to order proper immunohistochemical and molecular work-up when there is a suspicious abnormal spindle cell component.

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 regulated by miR-27a-3p attenuates tumor proliferation in breast cancer

Purpose

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive molecule which participates in many physical and pathological processes. Although LPA receptor 6 (LPAR6), the last identified LPA receptor, has been reported to have diverse effects in multiple cancers, including breast cancer, its effects and functioning mechanisms are not fully known.

Methods

Multiple public databases were used to investigate the mRNA expression of LPAR6, its prognostic value, and potential mechanisms in breast cancer. Western blotting was performed to validate the differential expression of LPAR6 in breast cancer tissues and their adjacent tissues. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were used to explore the effects of LPAR6 on breast cancer. Additionally, TargetScan and miRWalk were used to identify potential upstream regulating miRNAs and validated the relationship between miR-27a-3p and LPAR6 via real-time polymerase chain reaction and an in vitro rescue assay.

Results

LPAR6 was significantly downregulated in breast cancer at transcriptional and translational levels. Decreased LPAR6 expression in breast cancer is significantly correlated with poor overall survival, disease-free survival, and distal metastasis-free survival, particularly for hormone receptor-positive patients, regardless of lymph node metastatic status. In vitro gain and loss-of-function assays indicated that LPAR6 attenuated breast cancer cell proliferation. The analyses of TCGA and METABRIC datasets revealed that LPAR6 may regulate the cell cycle signal pathway. Furthermore, the expression of LPAR6 could be positively regulated by miR-27a-3p. The knockdown of miR-27a-3p increased cell proliferation, and ectopic expression of LPAR6 could partly rescue this phenotype.

Conclusion

LPAR6 acts as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer and is positively regulated by miR-27a-3p.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12094-021-02704-8.

JS01.4.A The neurocognitive function changes with awake craniotomy for low-grade glioma in the left hemispheric eloquent regions

BACKGROUND

Cognitive deficit was frequently observed in glioma patients, especially for those on the eloquent area. Considering the increased life expectancy, brain mapping during awake craniotomy was preferentially applied to exacerbate neurocognitive deficits. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the neurocognitive changes during the perioperative period of resection of low-grade glioma (LGG) in the left side eloquent area with awake craniotomy in a major neurosurgical center in China for 5 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients with left-sided glioma in eloquent areas, who received awake craniotomy during 2016–2020. Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, BN-20, and EORTC-QLQ-C30 questionnaire were applied for neurological cognitive assessment. We performed a correlation analysis between changes in cognitive performance and tumor characteristics, including tumor location, pathological grade. Treatment-related factors were also analyzed, such as the extent of resection (EOR), preoperative and postoperative Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS), postoperative treatment strategy (chemo- and radiotherapy), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

68 patients were included in our current study. For the language domain, memory domain, and executive functions, 7.4% (5/68) patients presented mild postoperative cognitive performance deterioration compared to preoperative. Tumor location was the only factor that greatly influenced the postoperative cognitive performance, while other features (EOR, KPS, pathological grades) and treatment strategy were found no effect on cognitive change. The extent of tumor resection ranged from 81% to 100%.

CONCLUSION

Our study underlines the importance of the application of brain mapping during awake craniotomy, which helps to maximize extent of tumor resection while preserving cognitive function in individuals with LGG in eloquent regions.

A Novel Wax Based Piezo Actuator for Autonomous Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (Piezo-DALK)

This paper reports the design and evaluation of a novel piezo based actuator for needle drive in autonomous Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (piezo-DALK). The actuator weighs less than 8g and is 20mm × 20mm × 10.5mm in size, making it ideal for eye-mounted applications. Mean open loop positional deviation was 1.17 ± 3.15um, and system repeatability and accuracy were 17.16um and 18.33um, respectively. Stall force was found to vary linearly with the cooling cycle and the actuator achieved a maximum drive force of 3.98N. When simulating the DALK procedure in synthetic corneal tissue, the piezo-DALK achieved a penetration depth of 643.56um which was equivalent to 92.1% of the total corneal thickness. This correlated closely with our desired depth of 90% ± 5% and took 2.5 hours to achieve. This work represents the first eye mountable actuator capable of "Big Bubble" needle drive for autonomous DALK procedures.

Genome-wide association study followed by trans-ancestry meta-analysis identify 17 new risk loci for schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Over 200 schizophrenia risk loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, the majority of risk loci were identified in populations of European ancestry (EUR), potentially missing important biological insights. It is important to perform 5 GWASs in non-European populations.

METHODS

To identify novel schizophrenia risk loci, we conducted a GWAS in Han Chinese population (3493 cases and 4709 controls). We then performed a large-scale meta-analysis (a total of 143,438 subjects) through combining our results with previous GWASs conducted in EAS and EUR. In addition, we also carried out comprehensive post-GWAS analysis, including heritability partitioning, enrichment of schizophrenia associations in tissues and cell types, trancscriptome-wide association study (TWAS), expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and differential expression analysis.

RESULTS

We identified two new schizophrenia risk loci, including associations in SHISA9 (rs7192086, P = 4.92 × 10^-08) and PES1 (rs57016637, P = 2.33 × 10^-11) in Han Chinese population. A fixed-effect meta-analysis (a total of 143,438 subjects) with summary statistics from EAS and EUR identifies 15 novel genome-wide significant risk loci. Heritability partitioning with linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) reveals a significant enrichment of schizophrenia heritability in conserved genomic regions, promoters, and enhancers. Tissue and cell-type enrichment analyses show that schizophrenia associations are significantly enriched in human brain tissues and several types of neurons, including cerebellum neurons, telencephalon inhibitory, and excitatory neurons. Polygenic risk score profiling reveals that GWAS summary statistics from trans-ancestry meta-analysis (EAS + EUR) improves prediction performance in predicting the case/control status of our sample. Finally, transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) identifies risk genes whose cis-regulated expression change may have a role in schizophrenia.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identifies 17 novel schizophrenia risk loci and highlights the importance and necessity of conducting genetic study in different populations. These findings not only provide new insights into genetic etiology of schizophrenia, but also facilitate to delineate the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and develop new therapeutic targets.

[Differential diagnosis and prevention of diabetic macular edema after cataract surgery in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy]

Cataract surgery can increase the risk of diabetic macular edema (DME) and Irvine-Gass syndrome postoperatively in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) patients. An accurate distinction between DME and Irvine-Gass syndrome in NPDR patients after cataract surgery is significantly important for the selection of subsequent treatment plans and guarantee of long-term vision quality. This article elaborates the differential diagnosis and prevention of DME, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the timely prevention, accurate diagnosis and standardized treatment of DME in NPDR patients after cataract surgery. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 546-551).

Comparative immunogenicity of outer membrane protein K and whole-cell antigens of Vibrio parahaemolyticus for diagnosis

The immunogenicity of soluble outer membrane protein K (OmpK)- small ubiquitin-like modifier, OmpK inclusion bodies, formalin, and heat-killed Vibrio parahaemolyticus cells were prepared and studied in a mouse model. The results of whole-cell ELISA and Western blot (WB) revealed that the serum against soluble OmpK and OmpK inclusion bodies reacted only with homologous V. parahaemolyticus. Furthermore, recombinant OmpK proteins were not recognized by the serum against whole-cell V. parahaemolyticus antigens. Unexpectedly, the serum against formalin and heat-killed V. parahaemolyticus reacted broadly with homologous (an immunization strain) and heterologous (non-immunization strains) V. parahaemolyticus and Vibrio species. The WB results revealed that the serum against the two V. parahaemolyticus whole-cell antigens primarily reacted with proteins that were approximately 100, 70, 36, 28, and 22 kDa in the cell lysates from different Vibrio strains, rather than the recombinant OmpK. The 70 and 28 kDa proteins exhibited specificity to Vibrio species, while the 22 kDa protein was more specific to V. parahaemolyticus. This study showed the limitation of recombinant OmpK to prepare diagnostic antibodies and revealed several specific Omps of Vibrio sp. and V. parahaemolyticus that were promising in diagnosis and vaccine development.

Interactive effects of vitamins A and K3 on laying performance, egg quality, tibia attributes and antioxidative status of aged Roman Pink laying hens

Extending laying cycle is a tendency in hen breeding, but egg quality declines as laying hens age. The present study was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of vitamins A and K₃ on laying performance, egg and tibia quality, and antioxidative status of aged Roman Pink laying hens. In a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, 1 080 87-week-old laying hens were allocated to nine groups with eight replicates in each group. Deficient, adequate and excess vitamins A (0, 7 000 and 14 000 IU/kg) and K₃ (0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg) were supplemented into a basal diet with 1 320 IU/kg of vitamin A and 0.5 mg/kg of vitamin K₃. After 2 weeks of adaption to basal diet, hens were fed corresponding diets for 8 weeks. Vitamins A and K₃ did not significantly affect the laying performance. However, they showed interactive effects on yolk ratio at week 93 as well as tibia weight and diameter (P < 0.05), and hens fed deficient vitamins A and K₃ had the highest yolk ratio and tibia weight, but the lowest tibia diameter. Compared with deficient addition, adequate or excess vitamins A and K₃ increased yolk color at weeks 93 and 97 (P < 0.05). Compared with hens fed deficient or excess vitamins, hens fed adequate vitamins A and K₃ had higher eggshell strength at week 93 or 97 (P < 0.05). Increasing vitamin A elevated plasma total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and decreased hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.05). Excess vitamin K₃ increased hepatic T-SOD activity (P < 0.05). Vitamins A and K₃ exhibited interaction on the activities of antioxidative enzymes in eggshell gland (P < 0.05), and adequate or excess vitamins A and K₃ increased the activities of GSH-Px, T-SOD and catalase (CAT). Adequate and excess vitamin A up-regulated the mRNA expression of GSH-Px1, GSH-Px3 and SOD1 in eggshell gland (P < 0.05). Vitamins A and K₃ showed interactive effects on CAT mRNA expression in eggshell gland (P < 0.05) and hens fed adequate vitamins A and K₃ had the highest CAT mRNA levels. In conclusion, dietary addition of vitamins A and K₃ improved the eggshell quality and yolk color as well as antioxidative status in eggshell gland of aged laying hens. Adequate vitamins A and K₃ showed beneficial effects and excess levels did not exhibit superior effects.

MiR-138-5p predicts negative prognosis and exhibits suppressive activities in hepatocellular carcinoma HCC by targeting FOXC1

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence verified that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the development of several cancers.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The levels of miR-138-5p and forkhead box c1 (FOXC1) were examined using quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, migration, and Transwell invasion assays were conducted to examine the impact of miR-138-5p on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The protein expression of FOXC1 was detected using Western blotting assay. The tumor growth of HCC cell in vivo was analyzed using transplanted tumor model. The expressions of FOXC1 and Ki67 in vivo were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay.

RESULTS

We testified that miR-138-5p was down-expressed in HCC and the low level of miR-138-5p was related to the poor clinical outcome of patient with HCC. Moreover, miR-138-5p repressed the growth and metastatic phenotypes of HCC cells. Consistent with the results in vitro investigations, we revealed that miR-138-5p served as a suppressive miRNA in the growth of HCC cell in vivo. By using the luciferase assay and immunoblotting, we validated that FOXC1 was a potential downstream gene of miR-138-5p. Finally, our results showed that re-expression of FOXC1 rescued the growth and metastatic-related traits of HCC cell inhibited by miR-138-5p.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, our observations imply that miR-138-5p restrains the aggressive phenotypes of HCC cell via modulating FOXC1.

The expressions of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and their effects on the biological functions of lung cancer A549 cells

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expressions of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and their effects on the biological functions of lung cancer A549 cells.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Samples of lung cancer tissue (55 cases) and pericarcinomatous tissue (55 cases) were collected in thoracic surgery in our hospital from May 2017 to November 2018. The expression levels of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues were detected by RT-PCR. Lung cancer cells A549 were transfected. Before transfection, the cells were divided into a negative control group (NC group, transfected with miRNA NC), a group transfected with miR-151a-5p inhibitor and a group transfected with miR-23b inhibitor. MTS Cell Proliferation Colorimetric Assay Kit (CCK8) was used to detect cell proliferation and draw the growth curve. Transwell chamber was used to detect the invasion ability in vitro, and BD flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in each group.

RESULTS

The expression levels of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in pericarcinomatous tissues (p<0.001). After 48 h to 72 h, the cell growth of both the miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and the miR-23b inhibitor group was significantly lower than that of the NC group (p<0.001). The numbers of invasion of miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and miR-23b inhibitor group were significantly lower than that of NC group (p<0.00). The apoptosis rates of miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and miR-23b inhibitor group were significantly higher than that of NC group (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both miR-151a-5p and miR-23b are highly expressed in lung cancer, and the inhibition of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b can restrain the proliferation, invasion and migration of lung cancer A549 cells, thereby promoting the apoptosis of lung cancer A549 cells.

Genome wide association study identifies four loci for early onset schizophrenia

Early onset schizophrenia (EOS, defined as first onset of schizophrenia before age 18) is a rare form of schizophrenia (SCZ). Though genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified multiple risk variants for SCZ, most of the cases included in these GWASs were not stratified according to their first age at onset. To date, the genetic architecture of EOS remains largely unknown. To identify the risk variants and to uncover the genetic basis of EOS, we conducted a two-stage GWAS of EOS in populations of Han Chinese ancestry in this study. We first performed a GWAS using 1,256 EOS cases and 2,661 healthy controls (referred as discovery stage). The genetic variants with a P < 1.0 × 10^-04 in discovery stage were replicated in an independent sample (903 EOS cases and 3,900 controls). We identified four genome-wide significant risk loci for EOS in the combined samples (2,159 EOS cases and 6,561 controls), including 1p36.22 (rs1801133, P_meta = 4.03 × 10^-15), 1p31.1 (rs1281571, P_meta = 4.14 × 10^-08), 3p21.31 (rs7626288, P_meta = 1.57 × 10^-09), and 9q33.3 (rs592927, P_meta = 4.01 × 10^-11). Polygenic risk scoring (PRS) analysis revealed substantial genetic overlap between EOS and SCZ. These discoveries shed light on the genetic basis of EOS. Further functional characterization of the identified risk variants and genes will help provide potential targets for therapeutics and diagnostics.

Inclusive Finance, Environmental Regulation, and Public Health in China: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic

The slow-down of the Chinese economy and the depression in the global economy during the COVID-19 show that governments should provide stimulus packages. These policies should be inclusive in terms of financial gains. Using the panel data of 30 regions in China from 2006 to 2016, this paper uses the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimator to analyze the impact of inclusive finance on public health. The results show that inclusive finance has a significant positive effect on public health. The performance of the eastern region is significantly better than that of the central and western regions. When we consider the combined effect of environmental regulation, the improvement effect of inclusive finance on public health is still significant, and the coefficient increases in the eastern region. Similarly, there is also a significant improvement effect in the central and western regions. Our findings reveal that environmental regulation promotes the beneficial effect of inclusive finance. Therefore, it is important to improve the inclusive financial development mechanism and enhance environmental regulation intensity for solving public health issues. Lessons related to the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.

[Effect of RNA interference targeting neuropilin-2 gene on proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cell line HCT-8]

Objective: To investigate the effects of down-regulation of expression of neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) by RNA interference (RNAi) technique on proliferation and apoptosis of HCT-8 colon cancer cells. Methods: NRP2-siRNA and negative control (NControl)-siRNA were transferred into HCT-8 colon cancer cells by liposomes (lip2000) as transfection group and negative control group, and phosphate buffered solution (PBS) was added as blank control group. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were used to detect the transfection effect. The proliferation of cells in the three groups was examined by cell counting kit (CCK) assay, colony-forming unit assay and Ki-67 protein staining assay, respectively. Moreover, the apoptosis of cells in the three groups was determined by acridine orange/propranidine iodide (AO/PI) staining method. Results: The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that the relative expression of NRP-2 mRNA and the content of NRP-2 protein in the transfer group decreased (0.46±0.05 vs 0.99±0.05 and 1.00±0.06; 1.04±0.06 vs 1.73±0.09 and 1.65±0.11) (all P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 demonstrated that the optical density of transfection group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group and the blank control group(24 h: 0.53±0.04 vs 0.82±0.07 and 0.87±0.07; 48 h: 0.54±0.05 vs 1.00±0.09 and 1.17±0.05; 72 h: 0.75±0.05 vs 1.31±0.13 and 1.50±0.03; 96 h:1.05±0.04 vs 1.46±0.09 and 1.86±0.06) (all P<0.05). The results of colony-forming unit assay indicated that the proliferation ability of the cells in the transfer group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups (134.67±8.74 vs 245.33±19.14 and 300.33±14.01, P<0.05). The results of Ki-67 protein staining assay showed that compared with the negative control group and blank control group, the expression of Ki-67 protein was significantly decreased in the transfection group (5.93±0.22 vs 8.36±0.09 and 8.70±0.21, P<0.05). The results of AO/PI assay revealed that the ratio of apoptotic cells to living cells in the transfer group was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (0.43±0.07 vs 0.14±0.04 and 0.11±0.04, P<0.05). Conclusion: The proliferation ability of HCT-8 colon cancer cells decreases, and the apoptosis ability increases by decreasing the expression of NRP-2.

Update on the Use of Anti-VEGF Drugs in the Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the many significant consequences of premature birth and remains one of the leading causes of visual impairment in infants. Originally, cryotherapy was used to prevent the complications of vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. Subsequently, laser photocoagulation, which is at least as effective and possibly safer than cryoretinopexy, was adopted as the primary treatment for type 1 ROP (stage 2 or 3 disease in zone II with plus disease or any stage disease in zone I with plus disease or stage 3 disease in zone I without plus disease). Laser therapy has been proven effective, and has a degree of permanence that is yet to be matched by alternative treatments, but can be associated with significant ocular side effects such as myopia. Treatment of type 1 ROP with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents seems to have fewer ocular side effects than laser ablation of the retina, particularly if used to treat type 1 ROP in zone I. However, ROP recurrence is a real threat after anti-VEGF therapy and long-term systemic side effects of this therapy remain under evaluation. This review focuses on the ophthalmic and systemic benefits and risks of anti-VEGF therapies for ROP as compared to retinal photocoagulation. Anti-VEGF therapies have dramatically altered the management of ROP and have also been shown to be beneficial with regard to the visual prognosis of patients with ROP, but patients so treated require frequent short- and long-term follow-up to detect and manage potential complications associated with this form of treatment. Such information also will allow clinicians to characterize the efficacy, side effect profile, and utility of intravitreal anti-VEGF agents for this condition. Prospective studies are needed to identify the optimum anti-VEGF drug and dose. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2020;57(6):351-362.].

Identification of novel monoclonal antibodies targeting the outer membrane protein C and lipopolysaccharides for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection

AIMS

To identify and evaluate the application of two novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2G12 against outer membrane protein (Omp) C and mAb 12B1 targeting the O chain of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECO157).

METHODS AND RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of these two antibodies were evaluated with eight ECO157 strains and 68 untargeted strains. mAb 2G12 and 12B1 had no detectable binding with any of the non-O157 strains at 6·0 log₁₀ CFU per ml, while its high specificity and affinity remained with all ECO157 strains. When a higher level (8·0 log₁₀ CFU per ml) was tested, 2G12 and 12B1 did not react with 82·35 and 97·06% of the non-O157 strains respectively. Based on the pair of two antibodies, the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected 100% (8/8) of ECO157 strains and none of the non-ECO157 strains. The detection limit of ECO157 strains in pure culture were 4·2 ± 0·2 log₁₀ CFU per ml. When the developed test was applied to artificially inoculated beef samples, the detection limit was 6·0 log₁₀ CFU per gram without enrichment and 1·0 log₁₀ CFU per gram after 12 h of enrichment.

CONCLUSIONS

The two novel antibodies identified in this study served as great candidates for the recovery, and detection of ECO157 from different environmental and food samples.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

ECO157-specific detection was improved by a combination of the novel OmpC mAb and LPS mAb with defined target antigen and good specificity.

Transcranial MR Imaging-Guided Focused Ultrasound Interventions Using Deep Learning Synthesized CT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound is a promising novel technique to treat multiple disorders and diseases. Planning for transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound requires both a CT scan for skull density estimation and treatment-planning simulation and an MR imaging for target identification. It is desirable to simplify the clinical workflow of transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of deep learning techniques to convert MR imaging ultrashort TE images directly to synthetic CT of the skull images for use in transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment planning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The U-Net neural network was trained and tested on data obtained from 41 subjects (mean age, 66.4 ± 11.0 years; 15 women). The derived neural network model was evaluated using a k-fold cross-validation method. Derived acoustic properties were verified by comparing the whole skull-density ratio from deep learning synthesized CT of the skull with the reference CT of the skull. In addition, acoustic and temperature simulations were performed using the deep learning CT to predict the target temperature rise during transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound.

RESULTS

The derived deep learning model generates synthetic CT of the skull images that are highly comparable with the true CT of the skull images. Their intensities in Hounsfield units have a spatial correlation coefficient of 0.80 ± 0.08, a mean absolute error of 104.57 ± 21.33 HU, and a subject-wise correlation coefficient of 0.91. Furthermore, deep learning CT of the skull is reliable in the skull-density ratio estimation (r = 0.96). A simulation study showed that both the peak target temperatures and temperature distribution from deep learning CT are comparable with those of the reference CT.

CONCLUSIONS

The deep learning method can be used to simplify workflow associated with transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound.

Raman Spectroscopy to Characterize Bladder Tissue for Multidimensional Diagnostics of Cancer in Urology

Fiber optic Raman spectroscopy offers labelfree identification of cancer in the bladder under in vivo conditions. However, state-of-the-art Raman technology does not enable to scan the entire bladder wall. Our multidimensional approach within the project Uro-MDD combines panoramic 3D-image reconstruction of white light cystoscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging to define regions of interest for Raman-assisted diagnostics. First Raman results are presented from human control and cancer bladder specimens that demonstrated how to obtain specific molecular information. Such Raman images can be used in a clinical setting to determine cancer margins and the resection status. Fiber probes are under development to translate the technique to in vivo screening.

Grid refinement in the three-dimensional hybrid recursive regularized lattice Boltzmann method for compressible aerodynamics

Grid refinement techniques are of paramount importance for computational fluid dynamics approaches relying on the use of Cartesian grids. This is especially true of solvers dedicated to aerodynamics, in which the capture of thin shear layers require the use of small cells. In this paper, a three-dimensional grid refinement technique is developed within the framework of hybrid recursive regularized lattice Boltzmann method (HRR-LBM) for compressible high-speed flows, which is an efficient collide-stream-type method on a compact D3Q19 stencil. The proposed method is successfully assessed considering several test cases, namely, an isentropic vortex propagating through transition interface, shock-vortex interaction with intersection between grid refinement interface and shock corrugation, and transonic flows over three-dimensional DLR-M6 wing with seven levels of grid refinement.

Exosome-transmitted lncRNA PCGEM1 promotes invasive and metastasis in gastric cancer by maintaining the stability of SNAI1

PURPOSE

Clinically, hypoxia is associated with increased distant metastasis and poor survival in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we set out from the cellular interaction to further explain the molecular mechanism of invasion in GC cells under hypoxic conditions.

METHODS

Gastric cancer cells were cultured under 1% O₂ (hypoxia-cultured gastric cancer cells, HGC) and 20% O₂ condition (normoxic-cultured gastric cancer cells, NGC). NGC was co-cultured with HGC-medium. Scrape and Transwell were used to evaluate invasion and migration. Exosomes from GC were extracted by ultracentrifugation. Electron microscopy images, western-blot used to analyze the size distributions and the number of exosomes.

RESULTS

HGC-medium induced NGC dissociated. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prostate cancer gene expression marker 1 (PCGEM1) was specifically expressed in HGC exosomes. HGC-derived PCGEM1-riched exosomes could promote the invasion and migration of NGC. On the mechanism, PCGEM1 maintained stability and reduced the degradation of SNAI1, which could induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of GC.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA PCGEM1 was overexpressed in GC cells. And part of the PCGEM1 can be encapsulated into exosomes. These exosomes promoted invasion and migration of other GC cells. We considered PCGEM1 might act as a "scaffold" combined with SNAI1 and prompt the invasion and migration of GC.