[Comparison of antibiotics and saline irrigation with tube drainage in the treatment of postoperative abdominal and pelvic infectious effusion]

Objective: To compare the efficiency of saline irrigation, antibiotics irrigation and high-concentration antibiotics perfusion with tube drainage in the treatment of infectious effusion. Methods: Clinical and sonographic features of abdominal and pelvic infectious effusion of 64 patients with malignant tumor collected from September 2013 to September 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The changes of effusion size and temperature, catheterization time were evaluated in saline irrigation group and antibiotics irrigation group. The catheterization time was compared between antibiotics irrigation group and high-concentration antibiotics perfusion group. Results: The effective rates of the saline irrigation group and the antibiotics irrigation group were 68.6% and 86.8%, respectively, and the times of catheterization were 11.9±8.4 days and 7.8±4.8 days, respectively, with significantly statistical difference (both P<0.05). However, the effective rates of the antibiotics irrigation group and the high concentration antibiotic perfusion group were 86.8% and 100.0%, respectively (P=0.067), while the times of catheterization were 7.8±4.8 days and 3.6±3.1 days, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusion: The antibiotic irrigation with tube drainage, especially the high concentration perfusion is more effective than saline in the treatment of abdominal and pelvic infection effusion.

[Long-term observation of morphological changes of the inner retinal after internal limiting membrane peeling in macular hole surgery]

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of morphological changes of inner retinal layer after internal limiting membrane peeling in macular hole surgery. Methods: Retrospective case study. Patients with idiopathic macular hole from 2015 to 2018 underwent vitrectomy+internal limiting membrane peeling (inverting)+ gas tamponade in China-Japan Friendship Hospital were investigated. A total of 19 eyes (17 patients) were enrolled, including 4 males (4 eyes) and 13 females (15 eyes). The average age was 62.74±5.25 years. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to obtain the topographic maps of retinal thickness, the thickness of retinal ganglion cell complex and probability maps, and the Angio/en-face maps of macular retina. The characteristics of the morphological changes of the inner retinal were comprehensively analyzed. Results: Among 19 eyes, 9 eyes had internal limiting membrane peeling, 8 eyes had lotus-like internal limiting membrane inverting, and 2 eyes had the uper180 degrees internal limiting membrane inverting. The minimum diameter of macular hole was (543.06+220.17) μm and the maximum diameter was (947.18+319.12) μm. The follow-up time was (21.05+9.66) months, and the visual acuity was 0.45+0.35 at the last follow-up. In the 19 eyes, all the macular holes were closed postoperatively and dissociated optic nerve fiber layer appearance (DONFL) and concentric macular dark spots (CMDS) all showed, as well as mGCC thinning. The changes of CMDS and mGCC in 2 eyes in the uper180 degrees internal limiting membrane inverting group were mainly seen in the upper retina and in the remaining 17 eyes were seen diffused around the macula, which roughly corresponded to the extent of internal limiting membrane peeling. Two eyes showed clear decrease of retinal capillary density on Angio/map. Conclusions: Long-term morphological changes of the inner retinal after internal limiting membrane peeling in macular hole surgery are obvious. In addition to the appearance changes like DONFL and CMDS, the macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) is also involved. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55:747-756).

P1801Multiple members with an isolated atrial septal defect phenomenon presented in a family with Holt-Oram syndrome

Background

Holt-Oram syndrome (HOS), characterized by upper limb malformations, congenital heart diseases (CHD) and/or cardiac conduction abnormalities, is an autosomal dominant disease. Almost all the HOS patients suffer from cardiac and limb abnormalities at the same time. Among them, atrial septal defect (ASD) is the most common cardiac anomaly. The unusual phenotype in a pedigree including multiple members with isolated ASD and a few with isolated limb deformity attracted attention.

Aim

To detect mutant genes of ASD in this pedigree and make a definitive diagnosis. To investigate the mutant type of the gene and illustrate the possible mechanism of heterogeneous phenotype.

Methods

Echocardiography, electrocardiography and physical examination were given to a four-generation Chinese HOS family. Of all 11 patients in this pedigree, eight patients had isolated ASD and one patient had isolated finger deformity. In addition, two patients suffered from both diseases (Figure. 1). Whole Exome Sequencing was performed on the proband and his relatives including three with ASD only, one with finger deformity only and one normal person. Sanger sequencing was performed on biological relatives in this pedigree to valid rare variants. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions were identified using the GATK program. Pathogenicity was predicted in software like SIFT, Ployphen-2, MutationTaster and CADD_phred.

Results

An exon site mutation (c.100dupG:p.Ala34fs) of TBX5 was detected in all the patients of this pedigree. This mutation site is located in front of T-box and most probably leads to haploinsufficiency of TBX5 protein. In addition, only 42 variants (1 splicing single nucleotide variants (SNV), 15 insertions/deletions, 24 nonsynonymous SNVs, 1 stopgain SNVs and 1 unknown) were found in 29 genes, which are related to cardiac disease.

Figure 1

Conclusions

Our study revealed a mutation (c.100dupG:p.Ala34fs) of TBX5 and further demonstrated the possibility of HOS-related TBX5 mutation in patients with congenital ASD only. This study clarified the diagnosis of this pedigree, provided genetic counseling and promoted the prevention and treatment of HOS. Further research is needed on mechanisms that may lead to phenotypic variation between and within families, such as random monoallelic expression.

Acknowledgement/Funding

None

Nurse and midwife researcher collaboration in eastern sub-Saharan Africa: a social network analysis

AIM

To investigate the collaborative networks among expert clinical nurse and midwifery researchers in eastern and southern Africa.

METHODS

Thirty-eight clinical nurse and midwifery researchers completed an online survey to analyse collaboration between respondents. Data were analysed using social network analysis, generating a network map and associated measurements.

RESULTS

Regional collaboration was poor. Those links that did exist centred on geographic proximity and participation in regional and international organizations.

CONCLUSION

These results help us to understand better ways to strengthen and support nursing and midwifery clinical research in eastern and southern Africa.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

Clinical nursing and midwifery research capacity building efforts should focus on supporting collaboration networks among individuals and institutions in the region.

Comparison of dysregulated long noncoding RNAs in lung adenocarcinoma and spinal metastasis: A genome-wide analysis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play crucial roles in cancer metastasis, yet the lncRNAs landscape of lung adenocarcinoma has not been completely characterized. The aim of this study was to assess the expression profile and potential function of lncRNA in lung adenocarcinoma and in spinal metastasis (SM). A genome-wide microarray analysis was conducted on lung adenocarcinoma and SM tissue from ten Chinese patients. A total of 3,345 differentially expressed lncRNAs were detected. Of those, 761 lncRNAs were upregulated and 2,584 were downregulated (fold-change >2.0, p<0.05). These differentially expressed lncRNAs were not evenly distributed among the chromosomes of human genome. Volcano plots of these differentially expressed lncRNAs revealed large variability in lncRNAs expression among 12 patients, indicating that certain lncRNAs may play a positive role in SM of lung adenocarcinoma. Gene Ontology enrichment and pathway analysis identified several remarkably dysregulated biological pathways that affect cell adhesion and the interaction of cytokines and cytokine receptors. Co-expression network analysis showed that 9,458 lncRNAs had verified cis- and trans- target genes. All 2,317 cis targeted genes were confirmed to be differentially expressed and influenced by dysregulated lncRNAs in SM of lung adenocarcinoma. Top ten markedly dysregulated lncRNAs and mRNAs were verified from the co-expression network. In conclusion, this study was a genome-wide survey of dysregulated lncRNAs and corresponding mRNAs that comprise co-regulation networks for SM and lung adenocarcinoma tissues. These dysregulated lncRNAs and mRNA networks could be used as therapeutic gene targets to prevent SM of lung adenocarcinoma and to predictively evaluate treatment efficacy.

MiR-223-3p inhibits proliferation and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting SHOX2

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the role of microRNA-233-3p (miR-233-3p) in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression of miR-233-3p in OSCC tissues and cell lines was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The target of miR-233-3p was detected and evaluated by L-test and Western blot assays, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of miR-233-3p on cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis were discussed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), scratch-wound and flow cytometry test.

RESULTS

MiR-233-3p was lowly expressed in OSCC tissues and cells. Short stature homeobox 2 (SHOX2) was predicted and verified as the downstream target gene of miR-233-3p. Inhibiting the expression of SHOX2 could significantly reduce the malignant behaviors of OSCC cells. The proliferation, migration and anti-apoptotic abilities of miR-233-3p overexpressed cells were obviously limited. However, the recovery of SHOX2 counteracted the beneficial effect of miR-233-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-223-3p acted as a tumor suppressor gene in OSCC by targeting SHOX2. Our findings revealed that miR-223-3p/SHOX2 axis could be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

[Three patients with large area burns complicated by acute acalculous cholecystitis]

From April 2017 to April 2018, three male patients aged 46-71 years with large area burns were treated in our hospital. Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) symptoms of the patients began to appear 15-81 days after injury. AAC was diagnosed 24-81 days after injury. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy was performed 26-82 days after injury. The symptoms subsided in 2 patients, and cholecystectomy was performed in 1 patient with gallbladder perforation 94 days after injury. The patients were cured and discharged 41-118 days after injury. No recurrence of cholecystitis occurred during 8-9 months of follow-up after discharge.

[A study on the association between the infant anemia and the utilization of maternal and child health services in ethnic minorities gathering in poverty-stricken rural areas of two provinces in Western China]

In this study, 1 065 infants and young children aged 24 months below in ethnic minorities gathering in poor rural areas in poor rural areas of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province and Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province were investigated for their anemia status from October to November 2014, and the association between anemia and the utilization of maternal and child health services was analyzed. The prevalence of anemia in this area was 52.68%(561/1 065). After the adjustment of socio-demographic characteristics of mothers and infants, compared with infants aged 2-5 months, Han ethnic group, and infants whose mother was not anemic, the OR(95%CI) values of infant anemia for infants aged 6-12 months, 13-8 months, 19-24 months, ethnic minorities group, and infants whose mother was anemic were 11.65 (7.09-19.14), 9.91 (5.99-16.38), 5.87 (3.39-10.16), 1.55 (1.10-2.18) and 1.52 (1.14-2.04), respectively; Compared with infants whose child examination times not up to standard, and who were not only non-hospital delivered but also received inadequate number of inoculation, the OR (95%CI) values of infant anemia for infants whose child examination times up to standard, and who were not only hospital delivered but also received adequate number of inoculation were 0.60 (0.38-0.94) and 0.71 (0.52-0.98), respectively. The infants anemia is associated with the utilization of maternal and child health services.

Citizen science to enhance evaluation of local wastewater treatment - a case study from Oslo

The paper discusses how citizen science within an ecosystem services (ESS) framework may enhance evaluation of de-centralized water solutions. In a demonstration case in Oslo, citizens were engaged in long-term monitoring and evaluation of two solutions for treatment of combined sewer overflows. The citizens participated in the design of the study, systematic observations, and final evaluation, via interviews and workshops. A wealth of real-time information was collected, supplementing simulation data and water sampling results. The concept of ESS drew attention to benefits that tend to be ignored in standard evaluations. It is, however, most elaborate for ecological services, and less developed for social aspects. Involving the citizens complemented the framework in these areas, while providing new insights into the contextual interactions influencing ESS and benefits of local treatment. Both solutions, a cross-flow lamella settler and a high-rate filtration system, were quite efficient in removing suspended solids, with a strong impact on visual appearance. A range of wider benefits were identified. These were difficult to monetize, but the citizens' evaluation provided an alternative measure. The study highlights the benefits of citizen science in local water management and suggests the need for more research on beneficiaries in ESS evaluation.

Mid-infrared laser heterodyne radiometer (LHR) based on a 3.53 μm room-temperature interband cascade laser

The performance of an interband cascade laser based laser heterodyne radiometer (LHR) is demonstrated in ground-based solar occultation mode. High-resolution (0.0033 cm^-1) transmission spectra near 3.53 μm were obtained for simultaneous atmospheric observations of H₂O and CH₄. Combined with the preprocessed measurement data (acquired at Hefei, China, on June 21th 2016), an optimal estimation method based retrieval algorithm is developed for data retrieval and error analysis. By considering the corrected atmospheric parameters, vertical profiles of H₂O and CH₄ are retrieved. Finally, the measured total column abundance and XCH4 were calculated to be 1.87 ± 0.02 ppm and 1.88 ± 0.02 ppm, respectively. The interband cascade laser-based laser heterodyne radiometer that is demonstrated in this manuscript has high potential for use in the development of compact, robust, and unattended LHR for spacecraft, airborne or ground-based atmospheric sensing.

High rate filtration for local treatment of combined sewer overflow

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) pollute receiving waters and have a negative impact on ecosystem services. In urban areas rehabilitation of the sewer system to avoid CSOs is associated with high investment costs. Furthermore, not all CSOs can be closed due to the need for hydraulic reliability of the system. Local treatment of CSO with high rate filtration offers an alternative to rehabilitation of the sewer system that is flexible with respect to design and has lower investment cost than separating sewage and storm water runoff. Results from DESSIN, a 4-year EU demonstration project, are presented. The results showed on average 50% removal of particulate matter during CSO events, with higher removal (80%) in the initial first flush period. Other constituents, for example heavy metals, were removed through their association with particles. Potential impacts on ecosystem services in the catchment and the sustainability of the solution were assessed.

Irradiation-Dependent Helium Gas Bubble Superlattice in Tungsten

The implantation of noble gas atoms into metals at high gas concentrations can lead to the self-organization of nanobubbles into superlattices with symmetry similar to the metal host matrix. Here, we examine the influence of implantation parameters on the formation and structure of helium gas bubble superlattices within a tungsten host matrix to uncover mechanistic insight into the formation process. The determination of the size and symmetry of the gas bubbles was performed using a combination of small angle x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The former was demonstrated to be particularly useful in determining size and structure of the gas bubble superlattice as a function of irradiation conditions. Prior to the formation of a superlattice, we observe a persistent substructure characterized by inter-bubble spacings similar to those observable when the gas bubble superlattice has formed with very large ordering parameters. As the implantation fluence increases, the inter-bubble ordering parameter decreases, indicating improved ordering, until a superlattice is formed. Multiple implantation-specific differences were observed, including a temperature-dependent superlattice parameter that increases with increasing temperature and a flux-dependent superlattice parameter that decreases with increasing flux. The trends quantified here are in excellent agreement with our recent theoretical predictions for gas bubble superlattice formation and highlight that superlattice formation is strongly dependent on the diffusion of vacancy and implanted He atoms.

Abstract P5-07-15: Adipose-derived peptides from breast cancer patients promote the malignancy of breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Adipose stromal/stem cells (ADSCs) could regulate malignancy behaviors of breast cancer, which was due to adipose-derived cytokines in part, such as leptin and resistin. Recently, peptides have been demonstrated to be potential targets for cancer therapy. It's valuable to analyze the characters of adipose-secreted peptides systematically. In this study, we isolated primary adipocytes from adipose tissue adjacent to breast tumor and breast benign lesions respectively, and then co-cultured breast cancer cells MCF-7 with tumor adjacent adipocytes (TAAs)/breast benign adipocytes (BBAs) separately. Compared to BBAs, TAAs could promote proliferation and migration ability of MCF-7. Then we extracted and purified peptides from supernatant of TAAs and BBAs using ultrafiltration, and the effects of TAAs-derived peptides compound on breast cancer cells appeared accordance with the adipose cells. 100 peptides, which were derived from 90 protein precursors, were found to be differentially secreted between TAAs and BBAs by LC-MS/MS (p &lt; 0.05). Gene Ontology (GO) and Pathway analyses appeared that these altered peptides were mainly contributed to cell adhesion, and regulation of Ras-protein signal transduction. These results showed that these differentially secreted peptides could regulate breast cancer cell malignancy, which indicated that they could be potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic bio-marker for breast cancer.

Citation Format: Fu Z, Li W, Wu H, Huang X, Li J, Sun C, Tang J, Yin Y. Adipose-derived peptides from breast cancer patients promote the malignancy of breast cancer MCF-7 cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-15.

Abstract P3-10-29: tRNA-derived fragments as novel predictive biomarkers for trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer

Background: Resistance to trastuzumab remains a common challenge to HER-2 positive breast cancer. Up until now, the underlying mechanism of trastuzumab resistance is still unclear. tRNA-derived small non-coding RNAs, a new class of small non-coding RNA (sncRNAs), have been observed to play an important role in cancer progression. However, the relationship between tRNA-derived fragments and trastuzumab resistance is still unknown.

Methods:We detected the levels of tRNA-derived fragments expression in normal breast epithelial cell lines, trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant breast cancer cell linesusing high-throughput sequencing.qRT-PCR was conducted to validate the differentially expressed fragments in serums from trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant patients. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the power of specific tRNA-derived fragments.Progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed using Cox-regression.

Results:Our sequence results showed that tRNA-derived fragments were differentially expressed in the HBL-100, SKBR3, and JIMT-1 cell lines. tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN were found significantly upregulated in trastuzumab-resistant patients compared to sensitive individuals, and the ROC analysis showed that tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN were correlated with trastuzumab resistance. In a multivariate analysis, higher levels of tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN expression were associated with significantly shorter PFS in patients with metastatic HER-2 positive breast cancer.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN play important roles in trastuzumab resistance. Patients with high levels of tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN expression benefitted less from trastuzumab-based therapy than those that express lower-levels of these molecules. tRF-30-JZOYJE22RR33 and tRF-27-ZDXPHO53KSN may be potential biomarkers and intervention targets in the clinical treatment of trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer.

Citation Format: Sun C, Li W, Wu H, Huang X, Li J, Fu Z, Tang J, Yin Y. tRNA-derived fragments as novel predictive biomarkers for trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-10-29.

Abstract P5-03-12: Signature-guided biomarker discovery and therapy for trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer

Background/Objective:

Breast carcinomas with HER2 receptor amplification and overexpression account for approximately 20% of all breast cancers, which also confer more aggressive phenotypes and are associated with poor prognosis. Up to 23% of patients with early-stage HER2-positivie (HER2+) breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab experience disease recurrence within 10 years, highlighting the importance of identifying which HER2+ patients respond to this treatment and those that do not. Efforts to identify biomarkers predictive of response in the initial breast tumor biopsy to trastuzumab have been complicated by the clinical and biological heterogeneity of HER2+ tumors. Therefore, we aim to develop a trastuzumab-resistant (TRR) signature which could faithfully predict patients' response to this treatment using transcriptome profiles in engineered cell line models. We further investigated the possible mechanisms mediating TRR by bioinformatics and biochemical approaches in order to reveal promising new therapeutic targets TRR HER2+ patients.

Methods:

Publically available transcriptome profile (GSE15043) of genetically engineered isogenic models of TRR cell lineages in mammary HER2+ BT474 cells (initially trastuzumab sensitive, TRS) are used to generate the TRR signature using Bioconductor in R. Performance of this gene signature was tested on independent in vitro and in vivo transcriptome datasets using Receiving Operation Curve (ROC). Signature scores were determined by calculating the correlations between medium centered gene expression levels within the signature and gene expression levels for that gene within a given sample, following quantile normalization. Three pairs of TRR vs. TRS cell lines were used for accessing their profiles of proliferation, migration, genomic stability and signature scores. Genes of interest in the signature were further perturbed in TRR cells for drug sensitivity assay.

Results and Conclusion:

TRR cell lines have significant more malignant phenotypes in comparison to TRS cell lines, indicated by their shorter doubling time, faster migration and more innate double strain breaks. 43 differentially regulated genes between BT474R (engineered TRR cell line) and BT474 are identified and the area under the curve (AUC) of ROCs are 0.75, 0.88, and 0.84 for microarray data of CCLE, RNA sequencing data of CCLE and patient dataset GSE62327, respectively. In addition, TRR signature is significantly enriched in non-responding cell lines, TRR patients and patients relapsed within 3 years after treatment. TRR cell lines – BT474-C5, T47D and HCC1954 exhibit significant higher TRR signature scores in comparison to TRS cell lines by the 43-gene PCR array. Interestingly, overexpression of one of gene candidates, S100A8, which is also a key cytokine in regulating antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC), conferred trastuzumab resistance in TRR cell lines. This finding could assist in clinicians' diagnosis and selection of treatments for HER2+ breast cancer with a more accurate risk evaluation and offering promising alternatives such as immunotherapy.

Citation Format: Yin J, Sand A, Sun C, Piacsek M, Beres A, Tjoe JA. Signature-guided biomarker discovery and therapy for trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-03-12.

Genome-wide association study identifies variants in the CAPN9 gene associated with umbilical hernia in pigs

Pig umbilical hernia (UH) affects pig welfare and brings considerable economic loss to the pig industry. To date, the molecular mechanisms underlying pig UH are still poorly understood. To identify potential loci for susceptibility to this disease, we performed a genome-wide association study in an Erhualian × Shaziling F₂ intercross population. A total of 45 animals were genotyped using Illumina Porcine SNP60 BeadChips. We observed a SNP (rs80993347) located in the calpain-9 (CAPN9) gene on Sus scrofa chromosome 14 that was significantly associated with UH (P = 1.97 × 10^-10 ). Then, we identified a synonymous mutation rs321865883 (g.20164T>C) in exon 10 of the CAPN9 gene that distinguished two affected individuals (CC) from their normal full-sibs (TC). Finally, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was explored to investigate the mRNA expression profile of the CAPN9 gene in 12 tissues in Yorkshire pigs at different developmental stages (3, 90 and 180 days). CAPN9 showed high expression levels in the gastrointestinal tract at these three growth stages. The results of this study indicate that the CAPN9 gene might be implicated in UH. Further studies are required to establish a role of CAPN9 in pig UH.