P10.18.A Replication of previous GWAS identifies TERT and near EGFR SNVs as risk factors in EPIC glioma patients: a nested case-control study

Background

Gliomas, the most common malignant primary brain tumors in adults, typically have a poor prognosis irrespective of medical care. Previous large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 27 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) that are significantly associated with glioma. However, most of the GWAS are conducted by case-control study designs, it is therefore prone to bias when rapidly lethal cases don’t have chance to be included in the study. This study aims to replicate the previous GWAS findings using prospective study design.

Material and Methods

We conducted a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) cohort from 7 European countries. GSA-MD Infinium global screening array was used for genotyping. Some subjects were genotyped by other platforms previously. In total, 468 glioma patients and 481 controls were included. The genotypes of 27 SNVs were extracted and for ungenotyped SNVs, datasets were imputed using SHAPEIT v4.1.3 and IMPUTE5 v1.1.5 based on the Haplotype Reference Consortium (Release 1.1) reference panel. Conditional logistic regression model was used to investigate the additive effect of SNVs on the risk of glioma.

Results

21 SNVs showed a consistent direction of effect with previous studies, whereas 6 SNVs did not (ORs between 0.72-0.99 and not significant). After adjusting for multiple testing, two SNVs, rs10069690 (TERT), and rs75061358 (near EGFR) were significantly associated with glioma risk. We observed that prominent OR (2.23, 95%CI=1.49-3.33) of rs75061358 in our study compared to the result from previous GWAS, which implied rs75061358 might be not only a risk factor but also affect survival. Different risk direction was observed for rs77633900 in ETFA gene (OR=0.72, 95%CI=0.51-1.01).

Conclusion

Our findings further confirmed the genetic role on the etiology of glioma in the European population. The potential biases from the previous GWAS are required to be elucidated.

Guided waves-based damage identification in plates through an inverse Bayesian process

The use of guided waves to identify damage has become a popular method due to its robustness and fast execution, as well as the advantage of being able to inspect large areas and detect minor structural defects. When a travelling wave on a plate interacts with a defect, it generates a scattered field that will depend on the defects geometry. By analysing the scattered field, one can thus characterize the type and size of the plate damage. A Bayesian framework based on a guided waves interaction model for damage identification of infinite plate for the first time is presented here. A semi-analytical approach based on the lowest order plate theories is adopted to obtain the scattering features for damage geometries with circular symmetry, resulting in an efficient inversion procedure. Subsequently, ultrasound experiments are performed on a large aluminium plate with a circular indentation to generate wave reflection and transmission coefficients. With the aid of signal processing techniques, the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach are verified. A full finite element model is used to test the damage identification scheme. Finally, the scattering coefficients are reconstructed, reliably matching the experimental results. The framework supports digital twin technology of structural health monitoring.

Scintillation light detection in the 6-m drift-length ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid argon TPC

DUNE is a dual-site experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP) is a 6  ×  6  ×  6 m 3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) that recorded cosmic-muon data at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019-2020 as a prototype of the DUNE Far Detector. Charged particles propagating through the LArTPC produce ionization and scintillation light. The scintillation light signal in these detectors can provide the trigger for non-beam events. In addition, it adds precise timing capabilities and improves the calorimetry measurements. In ProtoDUNE-DP, scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7 m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system performance is evaluated with a particular focus on the different wavelength shifters, such as PEN and TPB, and the use of Xe-doped LAr, considering its future use in giant LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and a comparison of simulation to data is performed, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties.

Hypertriton Production in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

The study of nuclei and antinuclei production has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. The first measurement of the production of _{Λ}^{3}H in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV is presented in this Letter. Its production yield measured in the rapidity interval -1<y<0 for the 40% highest-multiplicity p-Pb collisions is dN/dy=[6.3±1.8(stat)±1.2(syst)]×10^{-7}. The measurement is compared with the expectations of statistical hadronization and coalescence models, which describe the nucleosynthesis in hadronic collisions. These two models predict very different yields of the hypertriton in charged particle multiplicity environments relevant to small collision systems such as p-Pb, and therefore the measurement of dN/dy is crucial to distinguish between them. The precision of this measurement leads to the exclusion with a significance larger than 6.9σ of some configurations of the statistical hadronization model, thus constraining the theory behind the production of loosely bound states at hadron colliders.

[Status of HVPG clinical application in China in 2021]

Objective: The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China. Methods: This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems. Results: According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%). Conclusion: Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

[Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 particapates in ozone-induced lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the roles of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in ozone-induced pulmonary inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.

METHODS

Sixteen wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice and 16 ACE2 knock-out (KO) mice were exposed to either filtered air or ozone (0.8 ppm) for 3 h per day for 5 consecutive days. Masson's staining and HE staining were used to observe lung pathologies. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected and the total cell count was determined. The total proteins and cytokines in BALF were determined by BCA and ELISA method. The transcription levels of airway remodeling-related indicators in the lung tissues were detected using real-time quantitative PCR. The airway resistance of the mice was measured using a small animal ventilator with methacholine stimulation.

RESULTS

Following ozoneexposure ACE2 KO mice had significantly higher lung pathological scores than WT mice (P < 0.05). Masson staining results showed that compared with ozone-exposed WT mice, ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice presented with significantly larger area of collagen deposition in the bronchi [(19.62±3.16)% vs (6.49±1.34)%, P < 0.05] and alveoli [(21.63±3.78)% vs (4.44±0.99)%, P < 0.05]. The total cell count and total protein contents in the BALF were both higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in WT mice, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The concentrations of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, CXCL1/KC and MCP-1 in the BALF were all higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in ozone-exposed WT mice, but only the difference in IL-1β was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The transcription levels of MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP 4, COL1A1, and TGF-β in the lung tissues were all significantly higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice (P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in airway resistance between ozone-exposed ACE KO mice and WT mice after challenge with 0, 10, 25, or 100 mg/mL of methacholine.

CONCLUSION

ACE2 participates in ozone-induced lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.

Search for an Excess of Electron Neutrino Interactions in MicroBooNE Using Multiple Final-State Topologies

We present a measurement of ν_{e} interactions from the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber to address the nature of the excess of low energy interactions observed by the MiniBooNE Collaboration. Three independent ν_{e} searches are performed across multiple single electron final states, including an exclusive search for two-body scattering events with a single proton, a semi-inclusive search for pionless events, and a fully inclusive search for events containing all hadronic final states. With differing signal topologies, statistics, backgrounds, reconstruction algorithms, and analysis approaches, the results are found to be either consistent with or modestly lower than the nominal ν_{e} rate expectations from the Booster Neutrino Beam and no excess of ν_{e} events is observed.

Polyelectrolyte aerogels with regeneration capacity for efficient removal of particulate matters

HYPOTHESIS

With the rapid development of economy and global industrialization, the problem of air pollution has become a worldwide topic. The efficient filtration of airborne particulate matters (PMs) is critical for human health and environmental sustainability.

EXPERIMENTS

Herein, self-supporting bio-based polyelectrolyte aerogels were prepared and acted as the advanced filters for efficient removal of PMs. The natural choline cation (Ch⁺) or the organic cation, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (Bmim⁺), are introduced into alginate (Alg^-) to form the polyelectrolytes of ChAlg or BmimAlg due to the electrostatic interaction. By the directional freeze-drying in liquid N₂, hierarchically porous aerogels with mechanical robustness, flexibility and thermo-stability were prepared. This specific structure may permit the polluted air to pass adequately through the aerogel channels, which are conducive to intercept various PMs with different diameters.

FINDINGS

As an example, the removal efficiency of ChAlg aerogels for PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and PM_0.3 are respectively up to (99.24 ± 0.03)%, (99.22 ± 0.02)%, and (93.41 ± 0.22)% within 15 h durability test. One outstanding character lies in ensuring high removal efficiency, while achieving a good balance with the low pressure drop (10 Pa), which is driven by synergistic effect of passive trapping and electrostatic capture. Moreover, the polyelectrolyte aerogels exhibit excellent antimicrobial activity and regenerated capacity. These properties endow the aerogels of polyelectrolyte ChAlg or BmimAlg with remarkable potential as new advanced filters for masks and other personal protective equipment.

An advanced aqueous method of recovering pumpkin seed kernel oils and de-oiled meal: Optimization and comparison with other methods

The optimal process conditions of the advanced aqueous method for recovering oil and de-oiled meal from pumpkin seed kernels were: baking the kernels at 110 °C for 1 min, grinding them to pass through a sieve of 150 μm pore size, adding 1.60 ml brine to 10.00 g ground kernels, stirring for 30 min at 30 °C, centrifuging at 4000 r/min for 30 min and cold-pressing the residue from centrifugation. This method recovered > 94% oil. Its oil recovery rate was comparable to that of solvent extraction and higher than that of enzyme-assisted aqueous method or hot-pressing. It recovered edible oil with higher quality and level of coenzyme Q10, tocopherols, carotenoids, total phytosterols and squalene as compared to solvent extraction or hot-pressing and requirements of China’s national standard. It is superior to enzyme-assisted aqueous method or hot-pressing for recovering de-oiled meal which is suitable for making texturized protein.

Size matters: Functional differences of progenitor cell-derived small extracellular vesicle subpopulations in cardiac repair

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): ERC EVICARE, Van Herk Foundation

Introduction

The use of cardiac progenitor cell (CPC)-derived small Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) has shown great potential to stimulate cardiac repair post myocardial infarction. sEVs are released by cells and play a role in intercellular communication through transfer of their bioactive content, like RNAs and proteins. Increasing evidence indicates that sEVs present a heterogeneous mixture of vesicle populations, depicting different functional aspects, which hampers clinical translation. Studying sEV heterogeneity could provide new insights into contributing therapeutic mechanisms underlying sEV-mediated cardiac repair.

Methods

CPC-derived sEVs were purified by flow through chromatography followed by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (A4F) for fractionation of different sEV-subfractions. Based on the differential expression of common sEV markers, different subpopulations were determined. sEV subpopulations were further characterized using western blot, nanoparticle tracking analysis, bicinchoninic acid protein assay, transmission electron microscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). Functional differences were studied using different cellular assays to determine AKT phosphorylation, wound healing, angiogenesis and proteasome activity.

Results

SEC or A4F were used to separate distinct subpopulations of CPC-derived sEVs with a different appearance, size and function. MS analysis confirmed the differences in proteomic expression levels of classical sEV markers, as well as annexins, rab proteins, integrins, histones and proteasomal proteins. Furthermore, differences in cellular components linked to their cellular origin were found. Exposure of recipient endothelial cells to sEV subpopulations demonstrated clear functional differences. Additionally, differences in proteolytic activity of the sEV subpopulations were identified.

Conclusions

SEC and AF4 allow for isolation and in-depth study of the functional heterogeneity of sEVs. In our study, we observed the presence of different subpopulations based on size, with a different composition and biological function. Increased knowledge of sEV heterogeneity will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of sEVs and will improve translation to the clinic and potentially an off-the-shelf approach to stimulate cardiac repair.

Walking-related knee contact forces and associations with knee pain across people with mild, moderate and severe radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate knee contact forces (KCFs), and their relationships with knee pain, across grades of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) severity.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional exploratory analysis of 164 participants with medial knee OA. Radiographic severity was classified as mild (grade 2), moderate (grade 3) or severe (grade 4) using the Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) scale. Walking knee pain was assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale. External knee adduction moment (external KAM) and internal muscle forces were used to calculate medial, lateral and total KCFs using a musculoskeletal computational model. Force-time series across stance phase of gait were compared across KL grades using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Associations between KCFs and pain across KL grades were assessed using linear models.

RESULTS

Medial KCFs during early and middle stance were higher in participants with KL3 and KL4 compared to those with KL2. In contrast, lateral KCFs were higher in those with KL2 compared to KL3 and KL4 in middle to late stance. The external loading component (i.e., KAM) of the medial KCF during middle to late stance was also greater in participants with KL3 and KL4 compared to those with KL2, whereas the internal (i.e., muscle) component was greater in those with KL3 and KL4 compared to KL3 during early stance. There were no associations between medial KCF and knee pain in any KL grade.

CONCLUSIONS

Medial and lateral KCFs differ between mild, moderate and severe radiographic knee OA but are not associated with knee pain severity for any radiographic OA grade.

[P4HA2 promotes occurrence and progression of liver cancer by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of proline 4-hydroxylase Ⅱ (P4HA2) in the occurrence and progression of liver cancer.

METHODS

GEPIA and Human Protein Atlas database were used to predict the expression of P4HA2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and K-M plotter online database was used to analyze the relationship between P4HA2 expression and the prognosis of HCC. We also examined the expressions of P4HA2 in HCC cells and normal hepatocytes using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. With lentivirus-mediated RNA interference, P4HA2 expression was knocked down in hepatoma SNU-449 and Hep-3B cells, and the changes in cell proliferation, migration and invasion were assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation test, scratch test and Transwell assay. The changes in the expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway-related proteins were detected using Western blotting.

RESULTS

Online database analysis showed that the expression of P4HA2 was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in normal liver tissues (P < 0.05). The expression levels of P4HA2 mRNA and protein were also significantly higher in HCC cell lines than in normal hepatocytes (P < 0.01). Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference of P4HA2 significantly lowered the expression levels of P4HA2 mRNA and protein in the hepatoma cells (P < 0.05) and caused obvious inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and invasion. P4HA2 knockdown significantly increased the expression of E-cadherin protein, lowered the expressions of N-cadherin and Snail, and obviously decreased the expressions of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT and mTOR (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

P4HA2 enhances the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of hepatoma cells by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to promote the occurrence and progression of liver cancer.

Polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=5.02 TeV

The polarization of the Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam (z) direction, P_{z}, has been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The main contribution to P_{z} comes from elliptic flow-induced vorticity and can be characterized by the second Fourier sine coefficient P_{z,s2}=⟨P_{z}sin(2φ-2Ψ_{2})⟩, where φ is the hyperon azimuthal emission angle and Ψ_{2} is the elliptic flow plane angle. We report the measurement of P_{z,s2} for different collision centralities and in the 30%-50% centrality interval as a function of the hyperon transverse momentum and rapidity. The P_{z,s2} is positive similarly as measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au-Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV, with somewhat smaller amplitude in the semicentral collisions. This is the first experimental evidence of a nonzero hyperon P_{z} in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The comparison of the measured P_{z,s2} with the hydrodynamic model calculations shows sensitivity to the competing contributions from thermal and the recently found shear-induced vorticity, as well as to whether the polarization is acquired at the quark-gluon plasma or the hadronic phase.

[Clinical features of Chinese patients with Takotsubo syndrome]

Objective: To analyze the characteristics, diagnosis and treatment status of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) of Chinese patients. Methods: Complete literature review was performed to summarize Chinese TTS cases between 2007 and 2018. Results: A total of 131 literatures were included including 160 TTS patients (age (58.3±14.7) years). There were 137 female patients (85.6%) in this cohort, the age was (59.6±14.0) years. There were 124 cases (77.5%) of stress-evoking factors, of which 83 cases (66.9%) were self-stress factors. There were 97 cases (60.6%) complained of chest pain and 15 cases (9.4%) with syncope. Forty-eight cases (30.0%) presented with cardiogenic shock. CK-MB and cTnT/I increased in 109 cases (80.1%). There were 124 cases (77.5%) presented with ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, which were common in lead V₂-V₅. Echocardiography results were available in 128 cases (80.0%), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<50%) was reported in 78 cases (73.6%). Coronary angiography was performed in 133 patients (83.1%), of which 126 patients (94.7%) had normal coronary arteries or single non-significant stenosis. One hundred and thirty-eight patients (87.3%) were apical type. The misdiagnosis rate on admission was 96.9% (155/160), of which 141 cases (88.1%) were misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction. Nitroglycerin was used in 36 patients (30.3%). Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin Ⅱ receptor antagonist were used in 38 patients (31.9%). β blockers were used in 46 patients (38.7 %). Dopamine was used in 22 cases (18.5%) and norepinephrine was used in 12 cases (10.1%). Intra-aortic balloon counter pulsation was used in 5 cases (3.1%). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 9 cases (5.6%). Cardiac function recovery time was 7 (6, 15) days. The average InterTAK diagnosis score was (51.5±18.1) points, and value was>70 points in 2 cases (1.3%). There were 92 patients in the high-risk group, and there were 3 recurrent TTS cases. Five patients died. Conclusions: TTS incidence tends to be young and dominates in female in China. The misdiagnosis rate is extremely high on admission. Most patients are treated with medication.