The HMGB1 is increased in CSF of patients with an Anti-NMDAR encephalitis

BACKGROUND

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-17A may play important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), a small but highly conserved ubiquitous protein, is recognized to be a potent innate inflammatory mediator that can activate the nuclear factor light chain enhancer of activated B cells and release cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-17A when released extracellularly. However, whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HMGB1 levels are altered in anti-NMDAR encephalitis is still unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the CSF concentrations of HMGB1 and IL-6 and IL-17A in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients. We also sought to assess whether HMGB1 influences the clinical outcomes in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients.

METHODS

Thirty-three patients with anti-NMDAR antibodies and 38 controls were recruited. CSF HMGB1 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The main clinical outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). The data were extracted using microarray analysis software.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Our results showed significant increases in CSF HMGB1, IL-6, and IL-17A (P < .05) in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients. But between 3 months' mRS scores in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients and CSF data, there was no correlation. Our study suggests that HMGB1 CSF levels are increased in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and reflect the underlying neuroinflammatory process.

Duck "beak atrophy and dwarfism syndrome" disease complex: Interplay of novel goose parvovirus-related virus and duck circovirus?

As a newly emerged infectious disease, duck "beak atrophy and dwarfism syndrome (BADS)" disease has caused huge economic losses to waterfowl industry in China since 2015. Novel goose parvovirus-related virus (NGPV) is believed the main pathogen of BADS disease; however, BADS is rarely reproduced by infecting ducks with NGPV alone. As avian circovirus infection causes clinical symptoms similar to BADS, duck circovirus (DuCV) is suspected the minor pathogen of BADS disease. In this study, an investigation was carried out to determine the coinfection of NGPV and DuCV in duck embryos and in ducks with BADS disease. According to our study, the coinfection of emerging NGPV and DuCV was prevalent in East China (Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui province) and could be vertical transmitted, indicating their cooperative roles in duck BADS disease.

Effects of non-carious cervical lesion size, occlusal loading and restoration on biomechanical behaviour of premolar teeth

BACKGROUND

Information on fracture biomechanics has implications in materials research and clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of non-carious cervical lesion (NCCL) size, restorative status and direction of occlusal loading on the biomechanical behaviour of mandibular premolars, using finite element analysis (FEA), strain gauge tests and fracture resistance tests.

METHODS

Ten buccal cusps were loaded on the outer and inner slopes to calculate the strain generated cervically. Data were collected for healthy teeth at baseline and progressively at three lesion depths (0.5 mm, 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm), followed by restoration with resin composite. The magnitude and distribution of von Mises stress and maximum principal stress were simulated at all stages using FEA, and fracture strength was also determined (n = 7 per group).

RESULTS

There were significant effects of the lesion size and loading directions on stress, strain and fracture resistance (p < 0.05). Fracture resistance values decreased with increase in lesion size, but returned to baseline with restorations.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined assessment of computer-based and experimental techniques provide an holistic approach to characterize the biomechanical behaviour of teeth with both unrestored and restored NCCLs.

Changes in DNA Methylation of Glucocorticoid-Induced Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor and Its Ligand in Liver Transplantation

Liver transplantation (LT) is the criterion standard of care in patients with end-stage liver disease and those with tumors of hepatic origin in the setting of liver dysfunction. Chronic immune rejection of the liver transplant can lead to bad prognosis for patients. Glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) play a key role in dominant immunologic self-tolerance maintained by CD25+/CD4+ regulatory T cells. Here, we investigated the DNA methylation variations of GITR and GITR ligand (GITRL) using pyrosequencing by analyzing blood DNA samples of patients after LT. Our results showed that the methylation level of certain CpGs, such as CpG_13, in GITRL was significantly reduced after LT. Furthermore, we found that the GITRL methylation statuses of cohorts with no chronic immune rejection were significantly lower compared with cohorts with chronic immune rejection after LT treatment. However, the methylation statuses of GITR were less varied. Using linear regression analysis, we further found that factors such as upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, splenectomy, and creatinine might affect DNA methylation patterns in chronic immune rejection cohorts. These findings provide novel insights into the pivotal role of GITRL as a potential molecular biomarker for the triage of liver transplantation.

Pulsatile crizotinib treatment for brain metastasis in a patient with non-small-cell lung cancer

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a distinct subtype with patients showing peculiar clinicopathological features and dramatic responses to the ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib. Patients with this cancer variant have a dismal prognosis and limited treatment options when it has progressed to intracranial metastasis because of inadequate drug penetration into the central nervous system (CNS). Factors associated with response to TKI therapy have been reported to include pharmacokinetic and biodynamic resistance phenomena.

CASE DESCRIPTION

In our NSCLC patient with multiple intracranial metastases, we administered high-dose pulsatile crizotinib therapy (1000 mg/d) on a one-day-on/one-day-off basis. A significant central nervous system (CNS) response was achieved, and time to neurological progression was prolonged to 6 months.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

High-dose pulsatile therapy may be an effective dosing strategy for crizotinib in NSCLC showing progression to metastasis in the brain.

Effectiveness of home blood pressure telemonitoring: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies

To summarise evidence about the effectiveness of home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) and identify the key components of intervention. We comprehensively searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies. The authors were contacted for additional information. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. 46 randomised controlled trials including a total of 13 875 cases were identified. Compared with usual care, HBPT improved office systolic blood pressure (BP) and diastolic BP by 3.99 mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.06-2.93; P<0.001) and 1.99 mm Hg (95% CI: -2.60 to -1.39; P<0.001), respectively. A larger proportion of patients achieved BP normalisation in the intervention group (relative risk (RR): 1.16; 95% CI: 1.08-1.25; P<0.001). For HBPT plus additional support (including counselling, education, behavioural management, medication management with decision, adherence contracts and so on) versus HBPT alone (or plus less intense additional support), the mean changes in systolic and diastolic BP were 2.44 mm Hg (95% Cl, 4.88 to 0.00 mm Hg; P=0.05) and 1.12 mm Hg (95% CI, -2.34 to 0.1 mm Hg; P=0.07), respectively. For those surrogate outcomes, low-strength evidence failed to show difference. In subgroup analysis, high strength evidence supported a lower BP with HBPT that lasted for 6 or 12 months and was accompanied with counselling support from study personnel. HBPT can improve BP control in the hypertensive patients. It may be more efficacious when a proactive additional support is provided during the intervention process.

Immunotolerant indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase is increased in condyloma acuminata

BACKGROUND

The tryptophan-depleting enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is critical for the regulation of immunotolerance and plays an important role in immune-associated skin diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the level of IDO in condyloma acuminata (CA) and its role in this condition.

METHODS

IDO expression was assessed in the skin and peripheral blood of healthy controls and patients with CA. To assess the role of skin IDO in immunity, the ability of isolated epidermal cells to metabolize tryptophan and the influence on polyclonal T-cell mitogen (PHA)-stimulated T-cell proliferation were explored.

RESULTS

IDO median fluorescence intensities in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with CA were similar to those from healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry showed that IDO⁺ cells were rare in normal skin and the control skin of patients with CA, but were greatly accumulated in wart tissue. Most fluorescence signals of IDO⁺ cells did not overlap with those of CD1a⁺ Langerhans cells. Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA probe in situ hybridization showed a large number of IDO⁺ cells in the HPV^- site. Keratinocytes in the skin of healthy controls and the circumcised skin of patients with CA could minimally transform tryptophan into kynurenine, but IDO-competent epidermal cells from warts could transform tryptophan. In addition, these IDO-competent epidermal cells could inhibit PHA-stimulated T-cell proliferation. The addition of an IDO inhibitor, 1-methyl-d-tryptophan, restored the inhibited T-cell proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormally localized high IDO expression might be involved in the formation of a local immunotolerant microenvironment.

Non-neutralizing epitopes induce robust hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific antibody-dependent CD56+ natural killer cell responses in chronic HCV-infected patients

Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (NK-ADCC) is of considerable interest in viral infection. However, little is known about NK-ADCC responses in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In this study, impaired non-specific antibody-dependent CD56⁺ NK cell responses were observed in chronic HCV infection, as shown by decreased degranulation (extracellular CD107a expression) and interferon (IFN)-γ production in response to antibody-bound P815 cells. A peptide pool composed of epitopes recognized by anti-HCV-E1/E2 antibodies could induce pronounced HCV-specific antibody-dependent NK cell responses in sera from approximately half the chronic HCV carriers. Additionally, HCV-specific epitopes with the capacity to induce robust NK-ADCC activity were identified. Five linear NK-ADCC epitopes (aa211-aa217, aa384-aa391, aa464-aa475, aa544-aa551 and aa648-aa659 of the HCV envelope) were identified and do not overlap with putative linear neutralizing epitopes. This study revealed the dysfunctional characteristics of antibody-dependent CD56⁺ NK cell responses in chronic HCV carriers. The key non-neutralizing NK-ADCC epitopes identified in this study may act as new targets for immunological intervention.

Potassium channel gene associations with joint processing speed and white matter impairments in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia show decreased processing speed on neuropsychological testing and decreased white matter integrity as measured by diffusion tensor imaging, two traits shown to be both heritable and genetically associated indicating that there may be genes that influence both traits as well as schizophrenia disease risk. The potassium channel gene family is a reasonable candidate to harbor such a gene given the prominent role potassium channels play in the central nervous system in signal transduction, particularly in myelinated axons. We genotyped members of the large potassium channel gene family focusing on putatively functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a population of 363 controls, 194 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and 28 patients with affective disorders with psychotic features who completed imaging and neuropsychological testing. We then performed three association analyses using three phenotypes - processing speed, whole-brain white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis. We extracted SNPs showing an association at a nominal P value of <0.05 with all three phenotypes in the expected direction: decreased processing speed, decreased FA and increased risk of SSD. A single SNP, rs8234, in the 3' untranslated region of voltage-gated potassium channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1) was identified. Rs8234 has been shown to affect KCNQ1 expression levels, and KCNQ1 levels have been shown to affect neuronal action potentials. This exploratory analysis provides preliminary data suggesting that KCNQ1 may contribute to the shared risk for diminished processing speed, diminished white mater integrity and increased risk of schizophrenia.

A high-resolution passive droplet-phase sample sorter using multi-stage droplet transfer

A fully passive volume-dependent droplet sorter using repeated and multiple on-rail transfer of microdroplets in a cascade channel is presented in this research.

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 promotes cancer cell migration independent of its metabolic activity

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) is a glycolytic enzyme that coordinates glycolysis and biosynthesis to promote cancer growth via its metabolic activity. Here, we report the discovery of a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cancer metastasis. A proteomic study identified α-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) as a PGAM1-associated protein. PGAM1 modulated actin filaments assembly, cell motility and cancer cell migration via directly interacting with ACTA2, which was independent of its metabolic activity. The enzymatically inactive H186R mutant retained its association with ACTA2, whereas 201-210 amino acids deleted PGAM1 mutant lost the interaction with ACTA2 regardless of intact metabolic activity. Importantly, PGAM1 knockdown decreased metastatic potential of breast cancer cells in vivo and PGAM1 and ACTA2 were jointly associated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Together, this study provided the first evidence revealing a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cell migration, and gained new insights into the role of PGAM1 in cancer progression.