An interferon-stimulated transcriptionally independent isoform of ACE2 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection

Regulation of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, could be important for susceptibility to COVID-19 or its outcomes. Here, we report the discovery of a transcriptionally independent truncated isoform of ACE2, designated as deltaACE2 (dACE2). dACE2 starts from a new exon in intron 9 of ACE2, and is highly conserved in primates. dACE2, but not ACE2, is induced by interferons and viruses including SARS-CoV-2. In-vitro, dACE2, which lacks 356 N-terminal amino acids, was non-functional in binding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and as a carboxypeptidase. Endogenous dACE2 protein appears to be unstable and poorly detectable. However, using our custom generated antibodies, we detected dACE2 in nasopharyngeal normal and tumor tissues by immunohistochemistry. In-vitro, overexpression of dACE2 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection, possibly by blocking internalization of the virus. Our results suggest that dACE2 might be an antiviral mechanism that evolved in primates to defend against certain viruses that utilize the ACE2 receptor for entry.

Publication trends and hotspots in enhanced recovery after surgery: 20-year bibliometric analysis

We evaluated enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) research and used bibliometric analysis to quantitatively and qualitatively predict research hotspots through extracting relevant publications from the core collection of the Web of Science database.

A233 AGING AND ESOPHAGEAL MOTILITY: A HIGH-RESOLUTION MANOMETRY STUDY

Background

Studies have found possible physiologic changes to esophageal motility with aging that are not currently taken into account in routine high-definition esophageal manometry (HDEM) interpretation.

Aims

We aimed to quantify the relationship between these physiologic changes and aging to improve HDEM interpretation.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical records for all patients who underwent HDEM at a tertiary hospital center between January 2015 and December 2019. Inclusion criteria were patients ≥18 years with normal HDEM. Exclusion criteria were abnormal HDEM; abnormal upper digestive endoscopy or imagery. Outcomes were median integrated relaxation pressure (IRP); mean lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure; mean distal contractal integral (DCI); mean distal latency (DL); mean peristaltic break (PB) according to the v3.0 Chicago classification criteria. Data was extracted from electronic patient medical records into a database for analysis. Effect of age on outcomes was examined through univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

We identified 1917 patients with HDEM and included 790 patients with normal exams [mean age 55.8 yrs (IQR 46 – 66), 64% female]. Indications for HDEM included dysphagia (41.3%); gastroesophageal reflux disease (29.2%); chest pain (11.0%); other (13.3%). There was a statistically significant relationship between age and IRP [Coef=0.08 (95%CI 0.05 – 0.1), p<0.001, R^2=0.04] as well as DCI [Coef=10.9 (95%CI 4.1 – 17.8), p=0.002, R^2=0.01] and DL [Coef=-0.01 (95%CI -0.02 – -0.002), p=0.01, R^2=0.008]. No statistically significant relationship was found between age and LES pressure [Coef=0.03 (95%CI -0.01 – 0.08), p=0.16] or PB [Coef=0.007 (95%CI -0.002 – 0.016), p=0.14]. Multivariate analysis showed statistically significant relationships between IRP and age (p<0.001), BMI (p=0.001), NSAID use (p=0.034), and female sex (p=0.048).

Conclusions

We found that IRP, DCI, and DL are significantly correlated with the normal aging process. Modifications could therefore be considered for normal diagnostic cutoffs for both age extremes to prevent over or under-diagnosis of motility disorders.

Funding Agencies

None

[Analysis of the diagnotic results and complications of pneumoconiosis patients with different insurance types]

Objective: By comparing the diagnotic results and complications of pneumoconiosis patients with work-related injury insurance and non-work-related injury insurance, to provide reference for improving the medical insurance of pneumoconiosis patients. Methods: In May 2019, the diagnotic results and complications of 3204 patients with pneumoconiosis who were hospitalized in the second department of Hunan Prevention and Treatment Institute for Occupational Diseases from January 2017 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among the 3204 patients, 896 cases (28.0%) were in stage I, 790 cases (24.6%) were in stage II, and 1518 cases (47.4%) were in stage III. 1490 cases (46.5%) of pneumoconiosis patients have complications, mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (42.3%, 1354/3204) and lung infection (23.6%, 755/3204) . 584 cases (18.2%) were covered by work-related injury insurance, and the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis patients was mainly in the stage I (61.0%, 356/584) . 2620 cases (81.8%) were covered by non-work-related injury insurance, and the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis patients was mainly in the stage III (56.0%, 1466/2620) . The complication rate of non-work-related injury insurance patients (50.1%, 1312/2620) was higher than that of work-related injury insurance patients (30.5%, 178/584) (χ(2)=73.72, P<0.01) . Conclusion: The inpatients with pneumoconiosis in Hunan Province are still mainly covered by non-work-related injury insurance, and the diagnotic period and complication rate are significantly higher than those of work-related injury insurance patients. Therefore, pneumoconiosis patients should be provided with medical security, early diagnosis and early intervention, to prevent and delay the occurrence of complications.

Search for Axionlike Particles Produced in e^{+}e^{-} Collisions at Belle II

We present a search for the direct production of a light pseudoscalar a decaying into two photons with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. We search for the process e^{+}e^{-}→γa, a→γγ in the mass range 0.2<m_{a}<9.7  GeV/c^{2} using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of (445±3)  pb^{-1}. Light pseudoscalars interacting predominantly with standard model gauge bosons (so-called axionlike particles or ALPs) are frequently postulated in extensions of the standard model. We find no evidence for ALPs and set 95% confidence level upper limits on the coupling strength g_{aγγ} of ALPs to photons at the level of 10^{-3}  GeV^{-1}. The limits are the most restrictive to date for 0.2<m_{a}<1  GeV/c^{2}.

Interferons and viruses induce a novel primate-specific isoform dACE2 and not the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, utilizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for entry into target cells. ACE2 has been proposed as an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG). Thus, interferon-induced variability in ACE2 expression levels could be important for susceptibility to COVID-19 or its outcomes. Here, we report the discovery of a novel, primate-specific isoform of ACE2, which we designate as deltaACE2 (dACE2). We demonstrate that dACE2, but not ACE2, is an ISG. In vitro, dACE2, which lacks 356 N-terminal amino acids, was non-functional in binding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and as a carboxypeptidase. Our results reconcile current knowledge on ACE2 expression and suggest that the ISG-type induction of dACE2 in IFN-high conditions created by treatments, inflammatory tumor microenvironment, or viral co-infections is unlikely to affect the cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 and promote infection.

Search for an Invisibly Decaying Z^{'} Boson at Belle II in e^{+}e^{-}→μ^{+}μ^{-}(e^{±}μ^{∓}) Plus Missing Energy Final States

Theories beyond the standard model often predict the existence of an additional neutral boson, the Z^{'}. Using data collected by the Belle II experiment during 2018 at the SuperKEKB collider, we perform the first searches for the invisible decay of a Z^{'} in the process e^{+}e^{-}→μ^{+}μ^{-}Z^{'} and of a lepton-flavor-violating Z^{'} in e^{+}e^{-}→e^{±}μ^{∓}Z^{'}. We do not find any excess of events and set 90% credibility level upper limits on the cross sections of these processes. We translate the former, in the framework of an L_{μ}-L_{τ} theory, into upper limits on the Z^{'} coupling constant at the level of 5×10^{-2}-1 for M_{Z^{'}}≤6  GeV/c^{2}.

Long noncoding RNA LINC01510 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer and predicts favorable prognosis

OBJECTIVE

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as important regulators in governing fundamental biological processes, as well as in tumorigenesis. LncRNA LINC01510 (LINC01510) was recently shown to be involved in colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its role in CRC remains unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate LINC01510 expression and its relevance to the prognosis of CRC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LINC01510 expression was detected in CRC tissues and cell lines by using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The correction between LINC01510 expression and clinical characteristics was evaluated with x2-test. Survival curves and log-rank test were used to analyze patients' survival. A Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to evaluate the association of LINC01510 expression with overall survival and disease-free survival, respectively.

RESULTS

Here, we found that the levels of LINC01510 in CRC tissues were significantly higher than those in matched tumor-adjacent tissues. Moreover, high LINC01510 expression was observed to be closely correlated with histology/differentiation (p = 0.001), depth of invasion (p = 0.004) and TNM stage (p = 0.003). From the Kaplan-Meier survival curves, it was observed that patients with high expression of LINC01510 had shorter overall survival (p = 0.004) and disease-free survival (p = 0.000) as compared with the LINC01510-low group. In the multivariate analysis, high LINC01510 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (p = 0.001) and disease-free survival (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that low LINC01510 expression was associated with the progression of CRC and could serve as a potential independent prognostic biomarker for patients with CRC.

Molecular profiling of radical prostatectomy tissue from patients with no sign of progression identifies ERG as the strongest independent predictor of recurrence

BACKGROUND

As a major cause of morbidity and mortality among men, prostate cancer is a heterogenous disease, with a vast heterogeneity in the biology of the disease and in clinical outcome. While it often runs an indolent course, local progression or metastasis may eventually develop, even among patients considered "low risk" at diagnosis. Therefore, biomarkers that can discriminate aggressive from indolent disease at an early stage would greatly benefit patients. We hypothesized that tissue specimens from early stage prostate cancers may harbor predictive signatures for disease progression.

METHODS

We used a cohort of radical prostatectomy patients with longitudinal follow-up, who had tumors with low grade and stage that revealed no signs of future disease progression at surgery. During the follow-up period, some patients either remained indolent (non-BCR) or progressed to biochemical recurrence (BCR). Total RNA was extracted from tumor, and adjacent normal epithelium of formalin-fixed-paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens. Differential gene expression in tumors, and in tumor versus normal tissues between BCR and non-BCR patients were analyzed by NanoString using a customized CodeSet of 151 probes.

RESULTS

After controlling for false discovery rates, we identified a panel of eight genes (ERG, GGT1, HDAC1, KLK2, MYO6, PLA2G7, BICD1 and CACNAID) that distinguished BCR from non-BCR patients. We found a clear association of ERG expression with non-BCR, which was further corroborated by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry assays.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results identified ERG as the strongest predictor for BCR and showed that potential prognostic prostate cancer biomarkers can be identified from FFPE tumor specimens.

Grey matter changes in patients with vestibular migraine

AIM

To identify structural changes in the brain regions of patients with vestibular migraine (VM) so as to better understand its pathophysiology.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The differences in grey matter (GM) in patients with VM, patients with migraine without aura (MWoA), and healthy controls (HC) were investigated. Using a GE Signa 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, 3D structural images were acquired from 18 VM, 21 MWoA, and 21 age-, gender-, and education level-matched HC using a T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence. The volumetric abnormalities of GM were estimated by voxel-based morphometry. Analysis of variance and Bonferroni multiple comparisons were applied.

RESULTS

Compared with HC, patients with VM had significantly increased GM volume of the right medial superior frontal gyrus (p=0.008) and the right angular gyrus (p=0.009). Compared to patients with MWoA, patients with VM also had significantly increased volume of the right medial superior frontal gyrus (p=0.001), the right angular gyrus (p=0.008), and the left middle frontal gyrus (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The GM volume of some brain regions of patients with VM is significantly larger than the other two groups. The increased GM volume in these brain regions in patients with VM may be related to self-adaptation of the nervous system, leading to an abnormal brain sensitization. Some of the brain regions with increased GM volume identified in this study were involved in assessment, integration, and expectations of pain and were strongly related to mood and anxiety.

Diagnostic value of fecal B cell activating factor in patients with abdominal discomfort

Fecal calprotectin has successfully been widely recommended as a sensitive biomarker of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Recently, we have identified an excellent new fecal biomarker, B cell activating factor (BAFF), as being as effective as fecal calprotectin for diagnosing intestinal inflammation. In this study, a total of 230 patients with abdominal discomfort were prospectively enrolled and fecal samples were collected within 24 h before the endoscopic examinations. We show that fecal BAFF levels were significantly higher in patients with ulcerative colitis (median = 1549 pg/g, P < 0·0001), Crohn's disease (median = 735 pg/g, P < 0·0001), gastric cancer (median = 267 pg/g, P < 0·0001) and colorectal cancer (median = 533 pg/g, P < 0·0001) than those in healthy groups (median = 61 pg/g), while the values of which in patients with gastric polyps, colorectal polyps, esophagitis/gastritis/duodenitis and peptic ulcer were in the range of healthy individuals (P > 0·05). An optimal cut-off value at 219·5 pg/g of fecal BAFF produced sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values of 85, 91, 84 and 92%, respectively, for IBD or carcinoma. Our results therefore indicate a potential role for fecal BAFF as a sensitive screening parameter for IBD and gastrointestinal carcinoma, as well a useful tool to select patients with abdominal discomfort for further endoscopic examinations.

Shear-strain-mediated magnetoelectric effects revealed by imaging

Large changes in the magnetization of ferromagnetic films can be electrically driven by non-180° ferroelectric domain switching in underlying substrates, but the shear components of the strains that mediate these magnetoelectric effects have not been considered so far. Here we reveal the presence of these shear strains in a polycrystalline film of Ni on a 0.68Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.32PbTiO₃ substrate in the pseudo-cubic (011)_pc orientation. Although vibrating sample magnetometry records giant magnetoelectric effects that are consistent with the hitherto expected 90° rotations of a global magnetic easy axis, high-resolution vector maps of magnetization (constructed from photoemission electron microscopy data, with contrast from X-ray magnetic circular dichroism) reveal that the local magnetization typically rotates through smaller angles of 62-84°. This shortfall with respect to 90° is a consequence of the shear strain associated with ferroelectric domain switching. The non-orthogonality represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the development and miniaturization of magnetoelectric devices.

Predictive values of FAP and HGF for tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in colorectal cancer

This study aims to explore the correlation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expressions with the angiogenesis and metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). The immunohistochemical SABC method was used to detect HGF and FAP expressions in 127 CRC tissues, 51 colorectal polyp tissues and 28 normal tissues. HGF and FAP expressions in liver metastasis were detected using western blot to analyze the correlation of their expressions with lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis. Micro-vessel density (MVD) and clinic-pathologic information of CRC patients were recorded and analyzed. In CRC group, HGF and FAP expressions were greatly higher than those in normal group and colorectal polyps group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the positive rates of HGF and FAP expressions in lymph node metastasis were evidently higher than those in non-lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). In liver metastasis group, HGF and FAP expressions were obviously higher than non-liver metastasis group (P < 0.05). CRC group had much more MVD in comparison with normal group and colorectal polyps group (P < 0.05).When compared with negative group, MVD was significantly higher than that in CRC tissue with positive HGF and FAP (P < 0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that HGF and FAP were in positive correlation with MVD (r = 0.542, P < 0.001; r = 0.753, P < 0.001). These results indicate that FAP and HGF play an important role in CRC angiogenesis, and their expression levels are valuable to predict CRC liver metastasis and lymph node metastasis.

Quasinormal mode solvers for resonators with dispersive materials

Optical resonators are widely used in modern photonics. Their spectral response and temporal dynamics are fundamentally driven by their natural resonances, the so-called quasinormal modes (QNMs), with complex frequencies. For optical resonators made of dispersive materials, the QNM computation requires solving a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. This raises a difficulty that is only scarcely documented in the literature. We review our recent efforts for implementing efficient and accurate QNM solvers for computing and normalizing the QNMs of micro- and nanoresonators made of highly dispersive materials. We benchmark several methods for three geometries, a two-dimensional plasmonic crystal, a two-dimensional metal grating, and a three-dimensional nanopatch antenna on a metal substrate, with the perspective to elaborate standards for the computation of resonance modes.