OP0073 SINGLE-CELL TRANSCRIPTOMICS UNCOVERS DEFECTIVE BONE MARROW EARLY B CELL DEVELOPMENT IN A SUBSET OF LUPUS PATIENTS ASSOCIATED WITH AGGRAVATED INFLAMMATION

Background:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks own tissues and organs. B cells play a central role in SLE pathogenesis by producing autoantibodies as well as antibody-independent functions. Peripheral B cell abnormality is well known in lupus patients such as expansions of plasmablasts and atypical memory B cells, which are associated with active diseases. However, little is known about the B cell development in the bone marrow of lupus patients.

Objectives:

We conduct this survey to explore the disorder of the B cell development in the bone marrow of lupus patients.

Methods:

In this study, we have performed the scRNASeq to profile the bone marrow B cell compartment in lupus patients and healthy donors.

Results:

We identified that in a subset of lupus patients, the early B cells (proB and preB cells) were strongly decreased, which were confirmed by flow cytometry in an expanded cohort. Furthermore, bone marrow B cells from these patients showed a strong proinflammatory signature revealed by pathway analysis. Interestingly, BCR repertoire analysis showed that the IGHV-4-34 was highly enriched in these patients, indicating an enhanced B cell tolerance defect. Finally, a panel of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1a, IL-12p70, IFN-g, et al.) were strongly increased in the bone marrow plasma of these patients compared with early B normal patients and healthy donors, confirming a localized proinflammatory microenvironment.

Conclusion:

Altogether, the current study has revealed that a defective early B cell development in lupus patients is associated with a more severe B cell tolerance defect and aggravated inflammation, which may shed new light on developing novel therapies by targeting relevant pathways.

References:

[1]Min Wang, Hua Chen, Jia Qiu, et al. Antagonizing miR-7 suppresses B cell hyperresponsiveness and inhibits lupus development. J Autoimmun 2020.

[2]A M Jacobi, D M Goldenberg, F Hiepe, et al. Differential effects of epratuzumab on peripheral blood B cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus versus normal controls. Ann Rheum Dis, 2008.

Acknowledgements:

This work was funded by Special project of clinical medicine of Nantong University (Grant/Award number: 2019LQ001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant/Award number: 81671616, 81871278 and 82071838).

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

POS0002 PI16 REPRESSES FOXP3 EXPRESSION IN T REGULATORY CELLS AND EXACERBATES AUTOIMMUNE ARTHRITIS VIA INHIBITING THE K48-LINKED POLYUBIQUITIN DEGRADATION OF BMI-1

Background:

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in maintaining self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Abnormalities in the quantity or function of Treg cells are believed in RA patients, contributing to the inability to suppress autoimmunity and proinflammatory cytokines. Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) is a crucial transcription factor for the development and differentiation of Tregs. How Tregs lose Foxp3 expression under inflammatory milieu remains largely unknown. Peptidase inhibitor 16 (PI16) is a member of the CAP (Cysteine-rich secretory proteins, Antigen 5, and Pathogenesis-related 1) protein family and its function are largely poor understood. In a genome-wide expression profiling study for identifying human Foxp3 target genes revealed PI16 was expressed on the cell surface of >80% of resting human CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs. In the inflamed joint of juvenile idiopathic arthritis revealed a low number of PI16+ Tregs but high number of Th17 cells. However, little is known the function role of PI16 on Tregs or on RA development.

Objectives:

To investigate the role of peptidase inhibitor 16 (PI16) on the key T regulatory (Tregs) cells transcription factor Foxp3 expression and on the development of autoimmune arthritis.

Methods:

The expression of PI16 in blood, synovial fluid, inflamed joints were examined in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and in arthritic mice. Arthritis symptom, histological features and Foxp3 expression in PI16 transgenic (PI16Tg) arthritic mice were examined. Posttranslational mechanisms on PI16-mediated Foxp3 expression were analyzed. The specific role PI16 on Foxp3 expression was validated in conditional knockout (KO) mice.

Results:

The expression of PI16 was significantly increased in PBMC, serum, synovial tissue from RA patients or arthritic mice compared with controls. PI16Tg arthritic mice exhibited obvious inflammation, synovial hyperplasia and articular cartilage destruction in the joints compared with those in wild-type mice (WT) arthritic mice.

Foxp3 is downregulated in splenic T cells and synovial tissue from PI16Tg arthritic mice. Naïve T cells derived from PI16Tg arthritic mice showed the decreased capacity to differentiate into Tregs. Polycomb-group (PcG) proteins complex molecule of Bmi-1 was significant increase in Tregs and joint tissue from PI16Tg arthritic mice. A direct interaction between 1-95AA domains of PI16 and 169 and 436 domains of Bmi-1 in Tregs promoter was observed. The binding of PI16 with Bmi-1 in the Foxp3 promoter inhibit the K48-linked polyubiquitin degradation of Bmi-1 at lysine site 72 and 153 region, which prompts the repressive histone modification of H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub, and inhibits the active histone modification of H3K4me3. Furthermore, conditional knockout of PI16 in Tregs retarded Foxp3 loss and blunted disease progression in experimental arthritis.

Conclusion:

PI16 represses Foxp3 expression by mediating histone modification via inhibiting K48-linked polyubiquitin degradation of Bmi-1 in Foxp3 promoter, contributing to disease progression in arthritic mice.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared.

POS0761 INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT AND MECHANISM OF ABNORMALLY ACTIVATED CD8+ T CELLS FROM BONE MARROW ON HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Background:

SLE is an autoimmune disease characterized by the abnormal function of lymphocytes. The impairment of hematopoietic function of bone marrow participates in its pathogenesis, in which T cells play an important role. However, study on bone marrow T cells in SLE patients is very limited.

Objectives:

This study aims to characterize the phenotype and molecular characteristics of abnormally activated CD8+T cells in bone marrow of SLE patients and explore the mechanism of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reduction caused by the abnormally activated CD8+T cells in bone marrow of patients with SLE.

Methods:

A total of 8 SLE patients and 5 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited in our study. Among them, 3 SLE patients and 4 donors were collected bone marrow and peripheral blood samples for Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and functional studies. BM and peripheral T cell subsets were measured by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokines and secreted immunoglobulins were detected by Luminex. Disease activity of SLE patients was measured using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). All analyses were performed using R language and Flowjo 9.

Results:

In the present study, SLE patients had increased CD8+T%αβT cells and decreased CD4+T%αβT cells in bone marrow of SLE, compared to healthy controls. A large number of CD38+HLADR+CD8+T cells existed in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of SLE patients. Those patients also showed reduced number of HSCs, and with a downward trend of the numbers of peripheral red blood cells, white blood cells, neutrophils, hemoglobin, and platelets. By scRNA-seq, the CD38+HLADR+CD8+T cells contained high levels of GZMK, GZMA, PRF1, IFNG, and TNF in the bone marrow of SLE patients. the CD38+HLADR+CD8+T cells exhibited significant relationship with HSCs, white blood cells, neutrophils, and platelets.

Conclusion:

These findings demonstrated that the abnormally activated CD8+T cells in bone marrow can reduce the number of HSCs by the expression of killer molecules, which contributes to the impairment of hematopoietic function and the development of SLE. This project focuses on the specific bone marrow T cell subset in SLE. The completement of this project provides information for exploring the mechanism of hematopoiesis involvement.

References:

[1]Anderson E, Shah B, Davidson A, Furie R. Lessons learned from bone marrow failure in systemic lupus erythematosus: Case reports and review of the literature. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2018;48(1):90-104.

[2]Sun LY, Zhou KX, Feng XB, Zhang HY, Ding XQ, Jin O, Lu LW, Lau CS, Hou YY, Fan LM. Abnormal surface markers expression on bone marrow CD34+cells and correlation with disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Rheumatol. 2007;26(12):2073-2079.

Acknowledgements:

We want to thank Lu Meng, Teng Li, Wei Zhou, and Jiaxin Guo for their assistance with this study.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Luteolin promotes macrophage-mediated phagocytosis by inhibiting CD47 pyroglutamation

•

Interception of CD47-SIRPα signaling is an elusive yet intriguing goal for anti-tumor immunotherapy since unbiased CD47 blockade by its antibody cannot avoid erythrocyte destruction.

•

We previously reported that isoQC, a Golgi-resident enzyme lacking in mature erythrocyte, disrupts the binding of CD47 to SIRPα by downregulating pGlu-CD47 and its interaction with SIRPα (Cell research 2019. 29:502–505).

•

In this study, we explored the possibility of utilizing isoQC inhibition to address the challenge of CD47 antibody treatment induced anemia.

•

We discovered a new lead compound of isoQC inhibitor, Luteolin, and revealed that posttranslational modification may work as an immunotherapeutic target by abolishing immune checkpoint signaling.

‘Don't eat me’ signal of CD47 is activated via its interaction with SIRPα protein on myeloid cells, especially phagocytic cells, and prevents malignant cells from anti-tumor immunity in which pyroglutamate modification of CD47 by glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase-like protein (isoQC) takes an important part evidenced by our previous report that isoQC is an essential regulator for CD47-SIRPα axis with a strong inhibition on macrophage-mediated phagoctyosis. Therefore, we screened for potential isoQC inhibitors by fluorescence-activated cell sorting assay and identified luteolin as a potent compound that blocked the pyroglutamation of CD47 by isoQC. We further demonstrated that luteolin directly bound to isoQC using pull-down assay and isothermal calorimetric (ITC) assay. In consistency, we showed that luteolin markedly abrogated the cell-surface interaction between CD47 and SIRPα in multiple myeloma H929 cells and consequently promoted the macrophage-mediated phagocytosis. Collectively, our study discovered a promising lead compound targeting isoQC, luteolin, which functions distinctly from current CD47 antibody-based drugs and therefore may potentially overcome the clinical side effects associated with CD47 antibody treatment-induced anemia.

Heralded Nondestructive Quantum Entangling Gate with Single-Photon Sources

Heralded entangling quantum gates are an essential element for the implementation of large-scale optical quantum computation. Yet, the experimental demonstration of genuine heralded entangling gates with free-flying output photons in linear optical system, was hindered by the intrinsically probabilistic source and double-pair emission in parametric down-conversion. Here, by using an on-demand single-photon source based on a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in a micropillar cavity, we demonstrate a heralded controlled-NOT (CNOT) operation between two single photons for the first time. To characterize the performance of the CNOT gate, we estimate its average quantum gate fidelity of (87.8±1.2)%. As an application, we generated event-ready Bell states with a fidelity of (83.4±2.4)%. Our results are an important step towards the development of photon-photon quantum logic gates.

Inhibition of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate-Induced Th17 Cells Ameliorates Alcohol-Associated Steatohepatitis in Mice

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Chronic alcohol consumption is accompanied by intestinal inflammation. However, little is known about how alterations to the intestinal immune system and sphingolipids contribute to the pathogenesis of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

APPROACH AND RESULTS

We used wild-type mice, retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt)-deficient mice, sphingosine kinase-deficient mice, and local gut anti-inflammatory, 5-aminosalicyclic acid-treated mice in a chronic-binge ethanol feeding model. Targeted lipidomics assessed the sphingolipids in gut and liver samples. Gut immune cell populations, the amounts of sphingolipids, and the level of liver injury were examined. Alcohol intake induces a pro-inflammatory shift in immune cell populations in the gut, including an increase in Th17 cells. Using RORγt-deficient mice, we found that Th17 cells are required for alcohol-associated gut inflammation and the development of ALD. Treatment with 5-aminosalicyclic acid decreases alcohol-induced liver injury and reverses gut inflammation by the suppression of CD4⁺ /RORγt⁺ /interleukin-17A⁺ cells. Increased Th17 cells were due to up-regulation of sphingosine kinase 1 activity and RORγt activation. We found that S1P/S1PR1 signaling is required for the development of Th17 cell-mediated ALD. Importantly, in vivo intervention blocking of S1P/S1PR1 signaling markedly attenuated alcohol-induced liver inflammation, steatosis, and damage.

CONCLUSIONS

Gut inflammation is a functional alteration of immune cells in ALD. Reducing gut Th17 cells leads to reduced liver damage. S1P signaling was crucial in the pathogenesis of ALD in a Th17 cell-dependent manner. Furthermore, our findings suggest that compounds that reduce gut inflammation locally may represent a unique targeted approach in the treatment of ALD.

Neutral Ceramidase Mediates Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis by Regulating Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Gut IgA+ B Cells

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with obesity and an increased risk for liver cirrhosis and cancer. Neutral ceramidase (NcDase), which is highly expressed in the intestinal brush border of the small intestine, plays a critical role in digesting dietary sphingolipids (ceramide) to regulate the balance of sphingosine and free fatty acids. It remains unresolved whether obesity-associated alteration of NcDase contributes to the manifestation of NASH. Here, we revealed that NcDase deficiency in murine models of NASH prevents hepatic inflammation and fibrosis but not steatosis.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

NcDase^-/- mice display reduced stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) 1 expression with a compositional decrease of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) under the different dietary conditions. We further found that NcDase is a functional regulator of intestinal B cells and influences the abundance and quality of the secretory IgA response toward commensal bacteria. Analysis of composition of the gut microbiota found that Clostridiales colonization was increased in NcDase^-/- mice. The colonization of germ-free mice with gut microbiota from NcDase^-/- mice resulted in a greater decrease in the expression of SCD1 and the level of MUFAs in the liver relative to gut microbiota from wild-type littermates, which are associated with the alternation of IgA-bound bacteria, including increase of Ruminococcaceae and reduction of Desulfovibrio. Mechanistically, NcDase is a crucial link that controls the expression of SCD1 and MUFA-mediated activation of the Wnt/β-catenin. Very importantly, our experiments further demonstrated that Wnt3a stimulation can enhance the activity of NcDase in hepatocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, the NcDase-SCD1-Wnt feedback loop promotes the diet-induced steatohepatitis and fibrosis through the regulation of intestinal IgA⁺ immune cells.

Senescent thyroid tumor cells promote their migration by inducing the polarization of M2-like macrophages

PURPOSE

An in-depth understanding of the mechanism of thyroid cancer progression will help identify patients with thyroid cancer with a high risk of recurrence and metastasis. Although studies have pointed out that the senescence of thyroid tumor cells may stimulate TAMs and cause a series of changes. However, the role of TAMs in aging thyroid cancer cells is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the function of TAMs in aging thyroid cancer cells.

METHODS

We conducted in vitro model studies based on the K1 cell line to induce tumor cell senescence and study its effect on the differentiation of macrophages, flow cytometry was used to confirm polarization of macrophages, transwell assay was used to confirm changes of invasion and migration of tumor cells.

RESULT

Our data indicate that aging thyroid tumor cell lines trigger the polarization of M2-like macrophages, accompanied by increased expression of CCL17, CCL18, IL-18, and TGFβ1. This event is caused by the activation of the NFκB pathway upregulation of CXCL2 and CXCL3 is related. Further studies have shown that differentiated M2-like macrophages promote tumor cell migration (but have no effect on cell proliferation).

CONCLUSION

Our study indicating that the interaction between tumor and TAMs also occurs in the advanced stages of thyroid tumors and will lead to faster tumors progress.

Predictive value of the prognostic nutritional index for the severity of coronavirus disease 2019

Objectives

Malnutrition plays a critical role in the onset and progress of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of the present study was to explore the association of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) score with the severity of COVID-19 and its predictive value of the severe form of COVID-19.

Methods

Clinical data were collected from 122 patients infected with COVID-19 and hospitalized at the Sixth People's Hospital of Wenzhou, China, a specialized infectious hospital affiliated with the Wenzhou Central Hospital. PNI score was calculated as serum albumin (g/L) + 5 × total lymphocyte count (/nL).

Results

The study population consisted of 105 patients (86.1%) with a common form and 17 patients (13.9%) with a severe form of COVID-19. PNI score significantly decreased from patients with common to severe forms of COVID-19 (P = .029) regardless of sex, age range, and body mass index (BMI). After adjustment for sex, age, indexes of liver and renal function, C-reactive protein, and current smoking status, PNI scores remained independently and inversely associated with the severity of COVID-19 (odd ratio: 0.797; P = .030). A receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that PNI scores had a similar accuracy to predict severe forms of COVID-19 compared with its combination with sex, age, and BMI (P = .402). PNI < 49 was defined as the cutoff value to predict the severe form of COVID-19.

Conclusions

Poorer nutritional status predisposed patients infected with COVID-19 to its severe form. Independently associated with the severity of COVID-19, PNI score could serve as a simple, fast, and effective predictor among patients with different sex, age, and BMI.

Isoliquiritigenin attenuates diabetic cardiomyopathy via inhibition of hyperglycemia-induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress

BACKGROUND

Inflammation and oxidative stress play essential roles in the occurrence and progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a natural chalcone, exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE

In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of ISL on DCM using high glucose (HG)-challenged cultured cardiomyocytes and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Embryonic rat heart-derived H9c2 cells challenged with a high concentration of glucose were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of ISL. STZ-induced diabetic mice were used to study the effects of ISL in DCM in vivo. Furthermore, cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, and apoptosis were explored both in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

ISL effectively inhibited HG-induced hypertrophy, fibrosis, and apoptosis probably by alleviating the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in H9c2 cells. Results from in vivo experiments showed that ISL exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant stress activities that were characterized by the attenuation of cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and apoptosis, which resulted in the maintenance of cardiac function. The protective effects of ISL against inflammation and oxidative stress were mediated by the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and induction of nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our results provided compelling evidence that ISL, by virtue of neutralizing excessive inflammatory response and oxidative stress, could be a promising agent in the treatment of DCM. Targeting the MAPKs and Nrf2 signaling pathway might be an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of DCM.

Plant protein diet-induced hypoimmunity by affecting the spiral valve intestinal microbiota and bile acid enterohepatic circulation in Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii)

An 8-week growth trial was conducted to study enterohepatic recirculation of bile acid metabolism and the intestinal microbiota of Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) fed with three diets, including 540 g/kg, 270 g/kg or 0 g/kg fishmeal, which was correspondingly replaced by a plant protein blend (named P0, P50 and P100, respectively). The diets were designed to be isonitrogenous, isoenergetic and essential nutrients balanced. With rising levels of dietary plant protein, disruption of the spiral valve intestinal microbiota and more morbidity with liver disease were observed in the P100 group, although there were no haematological abnormalities observed. An obvious bile acids enterohepatic circulation disorder was found with phenotypes of increased liver bile acids compensatory synthesis, and reduced expression of bile acid receptors (FXR and TGR5), which induced BA accumulative toxicity. Accompanied by increased oxidative stress, it further induced hepatic lesions and hypoimmunity, which were non-negligible reasons for the high mortality and low utilization ability of plant protein by Amur sturgeon.

Cellular coupling determines scale-invariant behavior of neurons in suprachiasmatic nucleus

The main clock in mammals, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of hypothalamus, not only regulates the daily rhythms in physiological and behavioral activities, but also plays a key role as one of the control nodes in the brain regulating behavioral activity. As such, it induces scale-invariance in the temporal patterns of behavioral activity and of multi-unit neural activity of the SCN network. In particular, the scale-invariant patterns maintain across multiple time scales from 3 minutes to 10 hours, characterized by a scaling exponent around 1. Thus far, no study found the origin of the scale-invariance of the SCN network. Using the method of correlation-dependent balance estimation of diffusion entropy (cBEDE), we found that scale-invariance also exists in the individual neurons of the SCN, and the scale invariance properties are significantly increased when the neurons are coupled in a network of neurons. Improved scale invariance in the single neurons is, therefore, imposed by the emergent network properties of the SCN network. Our findings show that the scale-invariance of the SCN can already be found at the level of the individual neurons and that the application of a scale invariance measure, such as cBEDE, can help in determining the network status of the SCN.

Contribution of single-gene defects to congenital cardiac left-sided lesions in the prenatal setting

OBJECTIVES

To explore the contribution of single-gene defects to the genetic cause of cardiac left-sided lesions (LSLs), and to evaluate the incremental diagnostic yield of whole-exome sequencing (WES) for single-gene defects in fetuses with LSLs without aneuploidy or a pathogenic copy-number variant (pCNV).

METHODS

Between 10 April 2015 and 30 October 2018, we recruited 80 pregnant women diagnosed with a LSL who had termination of pregnancy and genetic testing. Eligible LSLs were aortic valve atresia or stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, mitral atresia or stenosis and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). CNV sequencing (CNV-seq) and WES were performed sequentially on specimens from these fetuses and their parents. CNV-seq was used to identify aneuploidies and pCNVs, while WES was used to identify diagnostic genetic variants in cases without aneuploidy or pCNV.

RESULTS

Of 80 pregnancies included in the study, 27 (33.8%) had a genetic diagnosis. CNV-seq analysis identified six (7.5%) fetuses with aneuploidy and eight (10.0%) with pCNVs. WES analysis of the remaining 66 cases revealed diagnostic genetic variants in 13 (19.7%) cases, indicating that the diagnostic yield of WES for the entire cohort was 16.3% (13/80). KMT2D was the most frequently mutated gene (7/66 (10.6%)) in fetuses with LSL without aneuploidy or pCNVs, followed by NOTCH1 (4/66 (6.1%)). HLHS was the most prevalent cardiac phenotype (4/7) in cases with a KMT2D mutation in this cohort. An additional six (9.1%) cases were found to have potentially deleterious variants in candidate genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Single-gene defects contribute substantially to the genetic etiology of fetal LSLs. KMT2D mutations accounted for approximately 10% of LSLs in our fetal cohort. WES has the potential to provide genetic diagnoses in fetuses with LSLs without aneuploidy or pCNVs. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The importance of proper and prompt treatment of ocular syphilis: a lesson from permanent vision loss in 52 eyes

BACKGROUND

Ocular involvement can occur at any stage of syphilis. Prompt diagnosis and proper treatment of ocular syphilis are vital to avoid long-term consequences.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the risk factors for ocular syphilis and clinical features of blindness caused by syphilis.

METHODS

We report risk factors for ocular syphilis amongst patients seen at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital between October 2009 and October 2017. We identify patients with ocular syphilis resulting in blindness and report the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and treatment outcomes of these patients.

RESULTS

A total of 8310 new cases of syphilis were seen, of which 213 patients had ocular disease and 50 patients had blindness due to syphilis. Increasing age and higher RPR titres were associated with ocular involvement but there was no association with HIV status. Blindness in syphilis was restricted predominantly to patients with optic nerve involvement and not patients with isolated uveitis. Fifty patients (and a total of 67 eyes) met the WHO definition of blindness prior to treatment for syphilis. At the end of follow-up, vision had improved in 24 of 67 eyes (35.8%) after treatment. Successful treatment of uveitis was associated with the best improvement in visual acuity, whilst patient with underlying optic atrophy prior to treatment had the worst visual outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Ocular involvement is an important manifestation of syphilis which may result in blindness. Our data demonstrate outcomes for ocular syphilis are poor if detected late; early recognition and diagnosis is therefore vital to avoid permanent visual loss.

THU0044 SINGLE CELL ANALYSIS OF BONE MARROW AND PERIPHERAL ALTERED B CELL DIFFERENTIATION IN PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE SLE AND THE MECHANISM OF ABNORMAL EARLY B CELL DEVELOPMENT

Background:

B cell differentiation and dysfunction play a key role in the pathogenesis of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Bone marrow (BM) is the development organ of B cells, and also the home and residence place of plasma cells and memory B cells. However, there is a lack of studies on B cells in BM with lupus.

Objectives:

To map the development of BM and peripheral B cells and investigate the mechanism of abnormal early B cell development in SLE.

Methods:

A total of 11 SLE patients and 5 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited.BM and peripheral B cell subsets were measured by flow cytometry. sorting-purified B cell subsets were subject toSingle-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and functional studies. Plasma cytokines and secreted immunoglobulins were detected by Luminex or ELISA. Disease activity of SLE patients was measured using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI).

Results:

In the present study, we find out that the percentage of monocytes in MNC (p=0.070) and plasma cells(p=0.001)in CD19+ were significantly decreased in BM of SLE, compared to healthy controls. While, SLE patients had increased T%MNC(p=0.008) and B%CD19+(p=0.002) in BM that controls. In detail, the B cell subsets of bone marrow in patients with active lupus (SLEDAI≥8 score) were seriously disordered, showing the increasing T%MNC(p=0.049), propre-B%CD19+ (p=0.006)and immature B cell%CD19+ (p=0.010) than healthy donors. propre-B%CD19+ exhibited good relationship with SLEDAI. By integrating single B cell expression profiling and repertoire analysis, we map the development of B cells in BM and peripheral and pathogenic characteristics of early B cells, especially propre-B.

Conclusion:

These findings demonstrated that early B cells in BM, especially propre-B are abnormally differentiated with dysregulations. BM is an important organ targeted by SLE. This studyis not only to clarify the internal mechanism of the disorder of differentiation of B cells, but also to provide new clues for the targeted diagnosis and treatment of SLE.

References:

[1]Palanichamy, A., et al.,Neutrophil-mediated IFN activation in the bone marrow alters B cell development in human and murine systemic lupus erythematosus.J Immunol, 2014.192(3): p. 906-18.

[2]Papadaki, H.A., J.C. Marsh, and G.D. Eliopoulos,Bone marrow stem cells and stromal cells in autoimmune cytopenias.Leuk Lymphoma, 2002.43(4): p. 753-60.

[3]Karrar, S. and D.S. Cunninghame Graham,Abnormal B Cell Development in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: What the Genetics Tell Us.Arthritis Rheumatol, 2018.70(4): p. 496-507.

[4]Woods, M., Y.R. Zou, and A. Davidson,Defects in Germinal Center Selection in SLE.Front Immunol, 2015.6: p. 425.

[5]Upregulation of p16INK4A promotes cellular senescence of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells from systemic lupus erythematosus patients.Cell Signal, 2012.24(12): p. 2307-14.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Targeting shingolipids inhibits alcohol-induced liver disease

Chronic alcohol consumption is accompanied by intestinal inflammation. However, little is known about how alterations to the intestinal immune system and sphingolipids contribute to pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We used WT mice, RORγt-deficient mice and sphingosine kinase-deficient mice in a chronic-binge ethanol feeding model. Targeted lipidomics assessed the sphingolipids in gut and liver samples. Ethanol-fed and control mice were treated by SK1 inhibitor. Gut immune cell populations, the amounts of sphingolipids, and the level of liver injury were examined. We found that alcohol intake induces an increase in Th17 cells in the gut. Increased Th17 cells were due to upregulation of SK1 activity and Rorc activation. The pathogenic role of S1P/S1PR1 signaling in ALD was attributable to the migration and activation of Th17 cells. Importantly, deletion of SK1 markedly attenuated alcohol-induced liver inflammation, steatosis, and damage. In conclusion, our findings suggest that S1P signaling was crucial in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease in a Th17 cell dependent manner.

Phenomenology of complex structured light in turbulent air

The study of light propagation has been a cornerstone of progress in physics and technology. Recently, advances in control and shaping of light have created significant interest in the propagation of complex structures of light - particularly under realistic terrestrial conditions. While theoretical understanding of this research question has significantly grown over the last two decades, outdoor experiments with complex light structures are rare, and comparisons with theory have been nearly lacking. Such situations show a significant gap between theoretical models of atmospheric light behaviour and current experimental effort. Here, in an attempt to reduce this gap, we describe an interesting result of atmospheric models that are feasible for empirical observation. We analyze in detail light propagation in different spatial bases and present results of the theory that the influence of atmospheric turbulence is basis-dependent. Concretely, light propagating as eigenstate in one complete basis is more strongly influenced by atmosphere than light propagating in a different, complete basis. We obtain these results by exploiting a family of the continuously adjustable, complete basis of spatial modes-the Ince-Gauss modes. Our concrete numerical results will hopefully inspire experimental efforts and bring the theoretical and empirical study of complex light patterns in realistic scenarios closer together.

Experimental Demonstration of Hadron Beam Cooling Using Radio-Frequency Accelerated Electron Bunches

Cooling of beams of gold ions using electron bunches accelerated with radio-frequency systems was recently experimentally demonstrated in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Such an approach is new and opens the possibility of using this technique at higher energies than possible with electrostatic acceleration of electron beams. The challenges of this approach include generation of electron beams suitable for cooling, delivery of electron bunches of the required quality to the cooling sections without degradation of beam angular divergence and energy spread, achieving the required small angles between electron and ion trajectories in the cooling sections, precise velocity matching between the two beams, high-current operation of the electron accelerator, as well as several physics effects related to bunched-beam cooling. Here we report on the first demonstration of cooling hadron beams using this new approach.