Loss of p300 accelerates MDS-associated leukemogenesis

The role that changes in DNA methylation and histone modifications have in human malignancies is poorly understood. p300 and CREB-binding protein (CBP), two distinct but highly homologous lysine acetyltransferases, are mutated in several cancers, suggesting their role as tumor suppressors. In the current study, we found that deletion of p300, but not CBP, markedly accelerated the leukemogenesis ofNup98-HoxD13 (NHD13) transgenic mice, an animal model that phenotypically copies human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). p300 deletion restored the ability of NHD13 expressing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to self-renew in vitro, and to expand in vivo, with an increase in stem cell symmetric self-renewal divisions and a decrease in apoptosis. Furthermore, loss of p300, but not CBP, promoted cytokine signaling, including enhanced activation of the MAPK and JAK/STAT pathways in the HSPC compartment. Altogether, our data indicate that p300 has a pivotal role in blocking the transformation of MDS to acute myeloid leukemia, a role distinct from that of CBP.

Tacrolimus Monotherapy after Intravenous Methylprednisolone in Adults with Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome

Glucocorticoid treatment is the first choice therapy for adults with minimal change nephrotic syndrome; however, this therapy associates with many adverse effects. Tacrolimus may be an alternative to conventional glucocorticoid therapy. To investigate this possibility, we conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform: ChiCTR-TRC-11001454) in eight renal units across China. We randomized enrolled patients with adult-onset minimal change nephrotic syndrome (n=119) to receive glucocorticoid therapy or tacrolimus after intravenous methylprednisolone (0.8 mg/kg per day) for 10 days. Patients received a conventional glucocorticoid regimen or tacrolimus monotherapy, starting with 0.05 mg/kg per day (target trough whole-blood level of 4-8 ng/ml) for 16-20 weeks and subsequently tapering over approximately 18 weeks. Remission occurred in 51 of 53 (96.2%; all complete remission) glucocorticoid-treated patients and 55 of 56 (98.3%; 52 complete and three partial remission) tacrolimus-treated patients (P=0.61 for remission; P=0.68 for complete remission). The groups had similar mean time to remission (P=0.55). Relapse occurred in 49.0% and 45.5% of the glucocorticoid- and tacrolimus-treated patients, respectively (P=0.71), with similar time to relapse (P=0.86). Seven (13.7%) glucocorticoid-treated and four (7.3%) tacrolimus-treated patients suffered frequent relapse (P=0.28); five glucocorticoid-treated and two tacrolimus-treated patients became drug dependent (P=0.26). Adverse events occurred more frequently in the glucocorticoid group (128 versus 81 in the tacrolimus group). Seven adverse events in the glucocorticoid group and two adverse events in the tacrolimus group were serious. Consequently, tacrolimus monotherapy after short-term intravenous methylprednisolone is noninferior to conventional glucocorticoid treatment for adult-onset minimal change nephrotic syndrome in this cohort.

Independent Association between Hyperuricemia and Histopathological Parameters in Chinese Patients with Henöch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the role of hyperuricemia in the development of histopathological changes in HSPN.

METHODS

Clinical and laboratory data pertaining to 139 adult HSPN patients with and without elevated serum uric acid levels were retrospectively evaluated. There was a 14.4% prevalence of hyperuricemia in patients with HSPN.

RESULTS

Patients with hyperuricemia had higher levels of cystatin C and urine β2-microglobulin and lower levels of HDL-C in comparison to that in patients with normal serum uric acid levels (p < 0.05). Patients with hyperuricemia had higher scores of interstitial inflammation, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, glomerulosclerosis as compared to those normouricemic patients (p < 0.05). Serum uric acid was found to be correlated independently with the presence of interstitial inflammation, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, and glomerulosclerosis by multivariate analysis (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

High serum uric acid may be independently correlated with the development of tubulointerstitial lesions as well as glomerulosclerosis in HSPN.

Different associations between blood pressure indices and carotid artery damages in a community-based population of China

Different blood pressure (BP) indices had varying associations with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaques in clinical practice. However, insufficient evidence has focused on this issue, especially in Chinese population. Herein we examined associations of different BP indices with cIMT and plaques cross-sectionally in a community-based atherosclerosis cohort. We qualitatively measured cIMT and plaques, and also measured central systolic blood pressure and brachial systolic blood pressure (baSBP), from which pulse pressure (PP), and second PP (PP2) were calculated. Logistic multivariate regression was used to assess the associations with BP indices and carotid artery hypertrophy (increased cIMT) and the extent of atherosclerosis (presence of plaques). Each BP index was significantly and independently associated with increased cIMT and plaques except the association of baSBP with plaques. When every two BP indices were put into one model, brachial pressure indices were associated with increased cIMT independently of central pressures, whereas the association between central pressure indices and plaque presence were stronger than those of brachial pressures. In addition, SBP indices were associated with increased cIMT independently of PP indices, whereas PP indices were more strongly related to plaques. In conclusion, central and PP indices might be associated with plaques; however, brachial and SBP indices might be associated with increased cIMT. Nevertheless, whether these BP indices predict increased cIMT and plaque progression warrants further longitudinal and laboratory studies.

Note: Application of a novel 2(3HUS+S) parallel manipulator for simulation of hip joint motion

In the paper, a novel 2(3HUS+S) parallel manipulator, which has two moving platforms, is proposed. The parallel manipulator is adopted to simulate hip joint motion and can conduct an experiment for two hip joints simultaneously. Motion experiments are conducted in the paper, and the recommended hip joint motion curves from ISO14242 and actual hip joint motions during jogging and walking are selected as the simulated motions. The experimental results indicate that the 2(3HUS+S) parallel manipulator can realize the simulation of many kinds of hip joint motions without changing the structure size.

Graphene-clad microfibre saturable absorber for ultrafast fibre lasers

Graphene, whose absorbance is approximately independent of wavelength, allows broadband light–matter interactions with ultrafast responses. The interband optical absorption of graphene can be saturated readily under strong excitation, thereby enabling scientists to exploit the photonic properties of graphene to realize ultrafast lasers. The evanescent field interaction scheme of the propagating light with graphene covered on a D-shaped fibre or microfibre has been employed extensively because of the nonblocking configuration. Obviously, most of the fibre surface is unused in these techniques. Here, we exploit a graphene-clad microfibre (GCM) saturable absorber in a mode-locked fibre laser for the generation of ultrafast pulses. The proposed all-surface technique can guarantee a higher efficiency of light–graphene interactions than the aforementioned techniques. Our GCM-based saturable absorber can generate ultrafast optical pulses within 1.5 μm. This saturable absorber is compatible with current fibre lasers and has many merits such as low saturation intensities, ultrafast recovery times, and wide wavelength ranges. The proposed saturable absorber will pave the way for graphene-based wideband photonics.

The accuracy of the anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody in the diagnosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy: a comparison of different cutoff values as measured by the ELISA method

AIM

Recent studies have revealed that anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibodies (aPLA2R-ABs) may play a role in the diagnosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). We will investigate the application of an aPLA2R-AB with different cutoff values for diagnosing IMN.

METHODS

From August 2014 to December 2014, patients with proteinuria greater than 1 g/day were screened at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Patients were divided into the IMN and non-IMN groups based on the results of renal biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of aPLA2R-AB for diagnosing IMN were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 229 patients (113 males, average age of 45.3 ± 15.8 years) were enrolled in this study, and 118 patients were diagnosed with IMN. The sensitivity/specificity of aPLA2R-AB in the diagnosis of IMN was 65.3/97.3 %, 60.2/97.3 %, and 45.8/97.3 % for the different cutoff values (14, 20, and 40 RU/ml). The area of the ROC curve was 0.87.

CONCLUSION

Anti-PLA2R-AB with a cutoff value of 14 RU/ml based on the ELISA method plays an important role in the diagnosis of IMN.

A multiplexed immunoaggregation biomarker assay using a two-stage micro resistive pulse sensor

We present an immunoaggregation assay chip for multiplexed biomarkers detection. This chip is based on immunoaggregation of antibody functionalized microparticles (Ab-MPs) to quantify concentrations of multiple biomarkers simultaneously. A mixture of multiple types of Ab-MPs probes with different sizes and magnetic properties, which were functionalized by different antibodies, was used for the multiplexed assay. The interactions between biomarkers and their specific Ab-MPs probes caused the immunoaggregation of Ab-MPs. A two-stage micro resistive pulse sensor was used to differentiate and count the Ab-MP aggregates triggered by different biomarkers via size and magnetic property for multiplexed detection. The volume fraction of each type of Ab-MP aggregates indicates the concentration of the corresponding target biomarker. In our study, we demonstrated multiplexed detection of two model biomarkers (human ferritin and mouse anti-rabbit IgG) in 10% fetal bovine serum, using anti-ferritin Ab and anti-mouse IgG Ab functionalized MPs. We found that the volume fraction of Ab-MP aggregates increased with the increased biomarker concentrations. The detection ranges from 5.2 ng/ml to 208 ng/ml and 3.1 ng/ml to 5.12 × 10(4 )ng/ml were achieved for human ferritin and mouse anti-rabbit IgG. This bioassay chip is able to quantitatively detect multiple biomarkers in a single test without fluorescence or enzymatic labeling process and hence is promising to serve as a useful tool for rapid detection of multiple biomarkers in biomedical research and clinical applications.

Phase diagram of the Nd2Fe14B–Sm2Fe14B pseudo-binary system

The phase relations in the (1−x)Nd2Fe14B–xSm2Fe14B system over the whole concentration range have been studied by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Crystal structure parameters for all studied compositions of (Nd1−xSmx)2Fe14B have been determined by full-profile Rietveld refinements. These results revealed that all intermediate alloys of (Nd1−xSmx)2Fe14B are similar to the end member of the investigated system, Nd2Fe14B, with a tetragonal structure (space groupP42/mnm). The formation of continuous solid solutions has been found in this system. The normalized lattice parameters and unit-cell volumes of (Nd1−xSmx)2Fe14B solid solutions decrease linearly with increasing Sm content. The DTA measurements show that the melting temperature of (Nd1−xSmx)2Fe14B increases linearly with increasing Sm content and no metastable phases were detected. Based on the DTA data and XRD results, a tentative phase diagram for the pseudo-binary system Nd2Fe14B–Sm2Fe14B has been constructed.

Correlation Between Clinicaland Pathological Characteristics of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Nephritis in Adults

INTRODUCTION

Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) mainly affects children and is less common in adults, but its associated pathological changes are severe in adults, in whom it results in a poor prognosis. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of HSPN in adults and to identify the correlations among them.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Clinical and pathological data from139 patients older than 18 years of age who had been diagnosed with HSPN and had received renal biopsy at our center from January 2012 to November 2014 were collected and were grouped according to the different conditions and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The 139 HSPN patients included 74 men and 65 women, with an average age of 39.17 ± 15.87 years. The pathological grade was IIIa in most of the patients, and moderate proteinuria was the most common clinical type. Kidney failure and 24-hour total urinary protein, serum uric acid, cystatin C, and β2-microglobulin levels were positively correlated with the pathological grade and activity (P < .05). Age, kidney failure, and uric acid were positively correlated with the pathological chronicity (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical characteristics of the adult HSPN patients were correlated with the severity of the renal pathology. It is feasible to predict renal pathological changes according to the clinical manifestations of adult HSPN patients.

Genomic survey and gene expression analysis of the VDAC gene family in rice

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), also known as a mitochondrial porin, plays an important role in the regulation of metabolic and energetic functions of mitochondria, as well as in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is of major economic importance for commercial hybrid production and a research model for the interaction be-tween nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes. Recent research has revealed that CMS is associated with programmed cell death. Here, we used the Honglian (HL)-CMS line of rice (Oryza sativa) as material to investigate the association of O. sativa VDAC (OsVDAC) expression to CMS. Eight VDACs were extracted from rice in this study. Bioinformatic analysis of the rice VDACs was conducted at the DNA, cDNA, and protein level. Expression patterns of OsVDACs were analyzed in different organs and during different stages of pollen development using sterile line YuetaiA (YTA), and its maintainer line YuetaiB (YTB). Differential expression of OsVDACs between YTA and YTB was observed, suggesting that VDACs may be involved in the formation of HL-CMS.