A chemically inert bismuth interlayer enhances long-term stability of inverted perovskite solar cells

Long-term stability remains a key issue impeding the commercialization of halide perovskite solar cells (HPVKSCs). The diffusion of molecules and ions causes irreversible degradation to photovoltaic device performance. Here, we demonstrate a facile strategy for producing highly stable HPVKSCs by using a thin but compact semimetal Bismuth interlayer. The Bismuth film acts as a robust permeation barrier that both insulates the perovskite from intrusion by undesirable external moisture and protects the metal electrode from iodine corrosion. The Bismuth-interlayer-based devices exhibit greatly improved stability when subjected to humidity, thermal and light stresses. The unencapsulated device retains 88% of its initial efficiency in ambient air in the dark for over 6000 h; the devices maintain 95% and 97% of their initial efficiencies after 85 °C thermal aging and light soaking in nitrogen atmosphere for 500 h, respectively. These sound stability parameters are among the best for planar structured HPVKSCs reported to date.

Long term stability is a major barrier for the commercialization of halide perovskite solar cells. Here Wu et al. demonstrate that a chemically inert and structural impermeability bismuth electrode interlayer greatly increases the stability of unencapsulated perovskite solar cells under harsh conditions.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase is involved in Mycoplasma bovis colonization as a fibronectin-binding adhesin

Mycoplasma bovis is a common pathogenic microorganism of cattle and represents an important hazard on the cattle industry. Adherence to host cells is a significant component of mycoplasma-pathogenesis research. Fibronectin (Fn), an extracellular matrix protein, is a common host cell factor that can interact with the adhesions of pathogens. The aims of this study were to investigate the Fn-binding properties of M. bovis fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) and evaluate its role as a cell adhesion factor during mycoplasma colonization. The fba (MBOV_RS00435) gene of M. bovis was cloned and expressed, with the resulting recombinant protein used to prepare rabbit polyclonal antibodies. The purified recombinant FBA (rFBA) was shown to have fructose bisphosphate aldolase activity. Western blot indicated that FBA was an antigenically conserved protein in several M. bovis strains. Western blot combined with immunofluorescent assay (IFA) revealed that FBA was dual-localized to both cytoplasm and membrane in M. bovis. IFA showed that rFBA was able to adhere to embryonic bovine lung (EBL) cells. Meanwhile, an adhesion inhibition assay demonstrated that anti-rFBA antibodies could significantly block the adhesion of M. bovis to EBL cells. Moreover, a dose-dependent binding of rFBA to Fn was found by dot blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Together these results provided evidence that FBA is a surface-localized and antigenic protein of M. bovis, suggesting that it may function as a virulence determinant through interacting with host Fn.

Study on the evolution and transformation of Cl during Co-incineration of a mixture of rectification residue and raw meal of a cement kiln

The co-processing of hazardous waste in cement kiln can eliminate a large number of hazardous wastes, but the excessive existence of chlorine will affect normal operation of cement kiln. In this study, the partition of Cl in flue gas, fly ash and residual solid under different experiment conditions was obtained by using tubular furnace to incinerate mixtures of rectification residue and raw meal. The chlorine content in flue gas was determined using ion chromatography and the chlorine content in fly ash and residual solid was measured by high temperature combustion hydrolyzing-ion chromatography. The results showed that chlorine mainly existed in flue gas and residual solid, and only less than 3.5% of chlorine existed in fly ash. The incineration temperature had a significant effect on the distribution of chlorine in each part. The higher the incinerating temperature, the greater the proportion of chlorine in flue gas and fly ash. While temperatures were higher than 1300 °C, the proportion of chlorine in all parts remained basically unchanged, roughly 18:14:1. With the increase of the retention time, the proportion of chlorine in the residual solid decreased gradually, and the proportion of chlorine in the flue gas increased gradually. The distribution ratio of chlorine in each part remained unchanged after about 30 min. In addition, the chlorine content of the sample and the air flow rate had a relatively slight effect on the partition of chlorine. Based on these experimental results, some suggestions on the co-processing of hazardous waste in cement kiln were put forward.

Red blood cell phenotype fidelity following glycerol cryopreservation optimized for research purposes

Intact red blood cells (RBCs) are required for phenotypic analyses. In order to allow separation (time and location) between subject encounter and sample analysis, we developed a research-specific RBC cryopreservation protocol and assessed its impact on data fidelity for key biochemical and physiological assays. RBCs drawn from healthy volunteers were aliquotted for immediate analysis or following glycerol-based cryopreservation, thawing, and deglycerolization. RBC phenotype was assessed by (1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and standard morphometric RBC indices, (2) osmotic fragility, (3) deformability, (4) endothelial adhesion, (5) oxygen (O2) affinity, (6) ability to regulate hypoxic vasodilation, (7) nitric oxide (NO) content, (8) metabolomic phenotyping (at steady state, tracing with [1,2,3-13C3]glucose ± oxidative challenge with superoxide thermal source; SOTS-1), as well as in vivo quantification (following human to mouse RBC xenotransfusion) of (9) blood oxygenation content mapping and flow dynamics (velocity and adhesion). Our revised glycerolization protocol (40% v/v final) resulted in >98.5% RBC recovery following freezing (-80°C) and thawing (37°C), with no difference compared to the standard reported method (40% w/v final). Full deglycerolization (>99.9% glycerol removal) of 40% v/v final samples resulted in total cumulative lysis of ~8%, compared to ~12-15% with the standard method. The post cryopreservation/deglycerolization RBC phenotype was indistinguishable from that for fresh RBCs with regard to physical RBC parameters (morphology, volume, and density), osmotic fragility, deformability, endothelial adhesivity, O2 affinity, vasoregulation, metabolomics, and flow dynamics. These results indicate that RBC cryopreservation/deglycerolization in 40% v/v glycerol final does not significantly impact RBC phenotype (compared to fresh cells).

Comprehensive genomic variation profiling of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer identifies potential targets for cervical cancer early warning

Background

To better understand the pathogenesis of cervical cancer (CC), we systematically analysed the genomic variation and human papillomavirus (HPV) integration profiles of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and CC.

Methods

We performed whole-genome sequencing or whole-exome sequencing of 102 tumour-normal pairs and human papillomavirus probe capture sequencing of 45 CCs, 44 CIN samples and 25 normal cervical samples, and constructed strict integrated workflow of genomic analysis.

Results

Mutational analysis identified eight significantly mutated genes in CC including four genes (FAT1, MLL3, MLL2 and FADD), which have not previously been reported in CC. Targetable alterations were identified in 55.9% of patients. In addition, HPV integration breakpoints occurred in 97.8% of the CC samples, 70.5% of the CIN samples and 42.8% of the normal cervical samples with HPV infection. Integrations of high-risk HPV strains in CCs, including HPV16, 18, 33 and 58, also occurred in the CIN samples. Moreover, gene mutations were detected in 52% of the CIN specimens, and 54.8% of these mutations occurred in genes that also mutated in CCs.

Conclusion

Our results lay the foundation for a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms and finding new diagnostic and therapeutic targets of CC.

FGF10 Protects Against Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Regulating Autophagy and Inflammatory Signaling

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI), which is associated with high mortality and poor outcomes. Autophagy plays important roles in the homeostasis of renal tubular cells (RTCs) and is implicated in the pathogenesis of AKI, although its role in the process is complex and controversial. Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10), a multifunctional FGF family member, was reported to exert protective effect against cerebral ischemia injury and myocardial damage. Whether FGF10 has similar beneficial effect, and if so whether autophagy is associated with the potential protective activity against AKI has not been investigated. Herein, we report that FGF10 treatment improved renal function and histological integrity in a rat model of renal I/R injury. We observed that FGF10 efficiently reduced I/R-induced elevation in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine as well as apoptosis induction of RTCs. Interestingly, autophagy activation following I/R was suppressed by FGF10 treatment based on the immunohistochemistry staining and immunoblot analyses of LC3, Beclin-1 and SQSTM1/p62. Moreover, combined treatment of FGF10 with Rapamycin partially reversed the renoprotective effect of FGF10 suggesting the involvement of mTOR pathway in the process. Interestingly, FGF10 also inhibited the release of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the extracellular domain and regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Together, these results indicate that FGF10 could alleviate kidney I/R injury by suppressing excessive autophagy and inhibiting inflammatory response and may therefore have the potential to be used for the prevention and perhaps treatment of I/R-associated AKI.

Infertility in a man with oligoasthenozoospermia associated with mosaic chromosome 22q11 deletion

BACKGROUND

A 30-year-old oligoasthenozoospermia man was found to have unbalance mosaic translocation between chromosome 22 and four other chromosomes (5, 6, 13, and 15) during the investigations for a couple with infertility for 3 years, which is a rare event in human pathology.

METHODS

Classical cytogenetics analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and chromosome microarray analyses (CMA) were performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes; copy number variation sequencing (CNV-Seq) analysis was performed on sperm DNA.

RESULTS

Classical cytogenetics analysis showed the presence of six cell lines on peripheral blood lymphocytes: 45, XY, der (13) t(13;22),-22[10]/46, XY, t(13;22)[6]/45, XY, der(15)t(15;22),-22[4]/46, XY, t(13;22)[1]/45, XY, der(5)t(5;22),-22[1]/45, XY, der(6)t(6;22)[1]. FISH and CMA performed on peripheral blood cells showed the presence of a 6.9 Mb mosaic 22q11 deletion (approximately 50% of cells); it is unexpected that the phenotypes of this man were merely oligoasthenozoospermia, mild bradycardia, and mild tricuspid regurgitation. CNV-Seq analysis performed on sperm DNA revealed the rate of 22q11 deletion cells was obviously lower compared with peripheral blood cells. And the frequency of gametes exhibiting a normal or balance chromosomal equipment was above 80% in sperm samples.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first case of a de novo gonosomal mosaic of chromosome 22q11 deletion just associated with male infertility.

In vitro and in vivo superior radiosensitizing effect of berbamine for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Berbamine (BBM), one of the bis-benzylisoquinoline products isolated from Berberis amurensis, has been demonstrated for its anticancer effect against leukemia, breast cancer, liver cancer, etc. There are some studies focusing on the chemosensitization effect of BBM. However, there is no report about whether BBM could enhance the anticancer effect of radiation, which made us to explore the possible radiosensitization effect of BBM.

Materials and methods

Here, in vitro cytotoxicity of BBM was evaluated on two kinds of head and neck squamous cancer cell lines. Clonogenic assay was performed to study the radiosensitization effect of BBM. Western blot was utilized to elucidate the possible mechanism underlying the radiosensitization effect.

Results

BBM effectively inhibited the growth of two kinds of cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Radiation plus BBM led to significantly more reduction of the colony-forming ability of cancer cells when compared with radiation alone. BBM plus radiation led to the most reduction of STAT3 phosphorylation, followed by the significant decrease of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. In vivo study demonstrated that the combinational administration of BBM and radiation generated the most significant tumor-delaying effect among all of the treatment regimens.

Conclusion

We reported, in the current study, the potential role of BBM in not only treating cancer by itself but also offering a promising way to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy by inhibiting the activation of STAT3 and subsequently inducing the apoptosis of cancer.

Relapsed subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma evaluated by FDG PET/CT: A clinical case report

RATIONALE

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a rare primary cutaneous T cell lymphomas expressing α/β T cell receptors that preferentially involves subcutis, and few reports have investigated the diagnosis of suspicious relapsed SPTCL using F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT).

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 15-year-old woman complaining of a growing painless subcutaneous mass on perinaeum recurred 2 months ago, suggestive of suspicious relapsed SPTCL, underwent FDG PET/CT for diagnosis and treatment follow-up.

DIAGNOSIS

Based on the feature of FDG PET/CT images which revealed multiple increased FDG-avid subcutaneous adipose tissue lesions on the left upper arm, the left chest and perinaeum, involvement of bilateral inguinal lymph nodes, and the effective chemotherapy, she was diagnosed with relapsed SPTCL.

INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES

Fortunately, the patient's skin lesions subsided gradually after 3 cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP) regimen. Besides, complete remission was observed on interim-FDG PET/CT after 3 cycles of CHOP treatment.

LESSONS

FDG PET/CT can clarify the diagnosis in suspicious relapsed SPTCL, avoiding performing skin biopsy again.

Prospective chromosome analysis of 3429 amniocentesis samples in China using copy number variation sequencing

BACKGROUND

Next-generation sequencing is emerging as a viable alternative to chromosome microarray analysis for the diagnosis of chromosome disease syndromes. One next-generation sequencing methodology, copy number variation sequencing, has been shown to deliver high reliability, accuracy, and reproducibility for detection of fetal copy number variations in prenatal samples. However, its clinical utility as a first-tier diagnostic method has yet to be demonstrated in a large cohort of pregnant women referred for fetal chromosome testing.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate copy number variation sequencing as a first-tier diagnostic method for detection of fetal chromosome anomalies in a general population of pregnant women with high-risk prenatal indications.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a prospective analysis of 3429 pregnant women referred for amniocentesis and fetal chromosome testing for different risk indications, including advanced maternal age, high-risk maternal serum screening, and positivity for an ultrasound soft marker. Amniocentesis was performed by standard procedures. Amniocyte DNA was analyzed by copy number variation sequencing with a chromosome resolution of 0.1 Mb. Fetal chromosome anomalies including whole chromosome aneuploidy and segmental imbalances were independently confirmed by gold standard cytogenetic and molecular methods and their pathogenicity determined following guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics for sequence variants.

RESULTS

Clear interpretable copy number variation sequencing results were obtained for all 3429 amniocentesis samples. Copy number variation sequencing identified 3293 samples (96%) with a normal molecular karyotype and 136 samples (4%) with an altered molecular karyotype. A total of 146 fetal chromosome anomalies were detected, comprising 46 whole chromosome aneuploidies (pathogenic), 29 submicroscopic microdeletions/microduplications with known or suspected associations with chromosome disease syndromes (pathogenic), 22 other microdeletions/microduplications (likely pathogenic), and 49 variants of uncertain significance. Overall, the cumulative frequency of pathogenic/likely pathogenic and variants of uncertain significance chromosome anomalies in the patient cohort was 2.83% and 1.43%, respectively. In the 3 high-risk advanced maternal age, high-risk maternal serum screening, and ultrasound soft marker groups, the most common whole chromosome aneuploidy detected was trisomy 21, followed by sex chromosome aneuploidies, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13. Across all clinical indications, there was a similar incidence of submicroscopic copy number variations, with approximately equal proportions of pathogenic/likely pathogenic and variants of uncertain significance copy number variations. If karyotyping had been used as an alternate cytogenetics detection method, copy number variation sequencing would have returned a 1% higher yield of pathogenic or likely pathogenic copy number variations.

CONCLUSION

In a large prospective clinical study, copy number variation sequencing delivered high reliability and accuracy for identifying clinically significant fetal anomalies in prenatal samples. Based on key performance criteria, copy number variation sequencing appears to be a well-suited methodology for first-tier diagnosis of pregnant women in the general population at risk of having a suspected fetal chromosome abnormality.

Expression of V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation is associated with the advanced stage and presence of lymph node metastasis in ovarian cancer

V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) is a novel negative immune checkpoint that belongs to the B7 family. VISTA is primarily expressed on hematopoietic cells and inhibits T cell proliferation and cytokine production. The blockade of VISTA has demonstrated promising results in certain murine tumor models. In the present study, an immunohistochemical analysis of VISTA expression on tumor cells, intratumoral immune cells and vascular endothelial cells was performed in a cohort of 65 patients with ovarian cancer (OC). The associations between VISTA expression and different clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated using Fisher's exact test, and the analysis of overall survival in different groups was performed by the construction of Kaplan-Meier curves. The results indicated that high expression of VISTA on tumor cells or ICs was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage and the presence of lymph node metastasis (LNM). However, the percentage of cases with high expression of VISTA on tumor cells (24.6%) was decreased compared with those with high expression on ICs (44.6%). There was no association between VISTA expression and the 5-year overall survival rate, and advanced-stage disease was the only independent predictor of poor prognosis based on multivariate Cox regression analysis. In general, VISTA expression increased with advanced disease stage and LNM, indicating that VISTA expression is involved in the progression of OC. More importantly, these data implicate VISTA as a candidate immunotherapeutic target in OC.

Identification of copy number variations among fetuses with ultrasound soft markers using next-generation sequencing

A prospective analysis investigating the associations between pathogenic copy number variations (pCNVs) and ultrasound soft markers (USMs) in fetuses and evaluating the clinical value of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) in such pregnancy studies was carried out. 3,398 unrelated Chinese women with singleton pregnancies and undergone amniocentesis at 18–36 weeks of gestation for fetal CNV-seq were included. According to the prenatal fetal ultrasound screening results, the samples were divided into 3 groups: normal ultrasound (n = 2616), solitary USM (n = 663), and two or more USMs (n = 119). CNV-seq was performed successfully using all samples. The prevalence of pCNVs in fetuses with normal ultrasound and USMs was 3.03% (79/2616) and 2.94% (23/782), respectively. The risk of segmental aneuploidies was significantly higher in the two or more USMs group (5/119, 4.20%) than in the normal ultrasound (27/2616, 1.04%) or solitary USM (9/663, 1.36%) groups (p = 0.002 and p = 0.031, respectively). Assuming that the resolution of karyotyping is ~5 Mb, a cytogenetic analysis would miss 33 of 102 (32.35%) pCNVs in these samples. Our results suggest an association between pCNVs and fetal USMs; multiple USMs indicate an increased risk of fetal segmental aneuploidies. In prenatal diagnostic testing, CNV-Seq identified additional, clinically significant cytogenetic information.

Identification of Potential MicroRNA Biomarkers by Meta-analysis

Meta-analysis statistically assesses the results (e.g., effect sizes) across independent studies that are conducted in accordance with similar protocols and objectives. Current genomic meta-analysis studies do not perform extensive re-analysis on raw data because full data access would not be commonplace, although the best practice of open research for sharing well-formed data have been actively advocated. This chapter describes a simple and easy-to-follow method for conducting meta-analysis of multiple studies without using raw data. Examples for meta-analysis of microRNAs (miRNAs) are provided to illustrate the method. MiRNAs are potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and epigenetic monitoring of diseases. A number of miRNAs have been identified to be differentially expressed, i.e., overexpressed or underexpressed, under diseased states but only a small fraction would be highly effective biomarkers or therapeutic targets of diseases. The meta-analysis method as described in this chapter aims to identify the miRNAs that are consistently found dysregulated across independent studies as biomarkers.

Building Molecular Interaction Networks from Microarray Data for Drug Target Screening

Potential drug targets for the disease treatment can be identified from microarray studies on differential gene expression of patients and healthy participants. Here, we describe a method to use the information of differentially expressed (DE) genes obtained from microarray studies to build molecular interaction networks for identification of pivotal molecules as potential drug targets. The quality control and normalization of the microarray data are conducted with R packages simpleaffy and affy, respectively. The DE genes with adjusted P values less than 0.05 and log fold changes larger than 1 or less than -1 are identified by limma package to construct a molecular interaction network with InnateDB. The genes with significant connectivity are identified by the Cytoscape app jActiveModules. The interactions among the genes within a module are tested by psych package to determine their associations. The gene pairs with significant association and known protein structures according to the Protein Data Bank are selected as potential drug targets. As an example for drug target screening, we demonstrate how to identify potential drug targets from a molecular interaction network constructed with the DE genes of significant connectivity, using a microarray dataset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Neural Correlates of Implicit Cognitive Bias Toward Internet-Related Cues in Internet Addiction: An ERP Study

Internet addiction is a sort of non-psychoactive substance dependence. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is used to measure implicit cognition. Event-related potential (ERP) is one of the most widely used methods in cognitive neuroscience research to investigate the physiological correlates of cognitive activity associated with processing information. Further investigating the ERP characteristics of implicit cognitive bias in Internet addiction would be helpful in understanding the nature of Internet addiction. This study investigated the ERP characteristics of implicit cognitive bias in Internet addiction. The participants included 60 Internet-addicted individuals (IAG) and 60 normal controls (NCG). All participants were measured with ERPs using the IAT. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the Internet-related IAT effect for reaction times between IAG and NCG, and there were stronger positive implicit associations toward Internet related cues in IAG than NCG. Using P1, N2, P3, and N4 as dependent variables, a mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the mean latencies and mean amplitudes revealed a significant interaction between the groups (IAG vs. NCG) and stimulus condition (compatible trials vs. incompatible trials) for the N2 and P3 amplitudes; the simple effects analysis showed that the N2 and P3 amplitudes were larger under the IAG-compatible trial conditions than under the IAG-incompatible trial conditions. In the IAG group, the positive implicit associations with Internet-related cues elicited larger N2 and P3 amplitudes at the occipital lobe sites. These results indicated that Internet addictive individuals show stronger positive implicit associations toward Internet-related cues, and the positive implicit associations toward Internet-related cues elicited ERP changes at occipital lobe sites.

Targeted next generation sequencing in Chinese colorectal cancer patients guided anti-EGFR treatment and facilitated precision cancer medicine

OBJECTIVE

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with both RAS and BRAF wild-type tumors determined by non-next generation sequencing (NGS) testing may still not respond due to the presence of additional mutated genes such as PIK3CA or PTEN. In this study, a broad, hybrid capture-based NGS assay was used to identify RAS, BRAF and additional targetable genetic alterations from Chinese CRC tissues.

METHODS

Fifty-seven cases of CRC were enrolled, and all the patients signed the informed consent. In total, 7708 exons of 508 tumor-related genes and 78 introns of 19 frequently rearranged genes were assessed for base substitutions, INDELs, copy number alterations, and gene fusions.

RESULTS

The study found that 50.9% (29/57) of the tumors harbored KRAS mutations, 3.5% (2/57) harbored NRAS mutations and 3.5% (2/57) harbored BRAF mutations. More specifically, 89.7% (26/29) of RAS mutations were located in codon 12. Except for RAS and RAF, anti-EGFR therapy response genetic mutations in PTEN (n=2) and PIK3CA (n=1) were found in 4.7% (3/64) of the samples. Actionable alterations were found in HER2 (n = 7), CCND2 (n = 2), NF1 (n = 1), and BRCA1 (n = 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results illustrated that 82.5% (47/57) of the samples harbored at least one actionable genetic alteration identified by NGS. HER2 amplifications or mutations, which were identified in 12.3% of the tissues, defined a unique molecular subtype of CRC. The study suggests that high-throughput NGS testing in CRC tissues is a comprehensive and efficient genomic profiling assay to guide personalized therapy.

Discovery of targetable genetic alterations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer using a next-generation sequencing-based circulating tumor DNA assay

Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays have provided a new method of identifying tumor-driving genes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), especially in those whose cancer tissues are unavailable or in those that have acquired treatment resistance. Here, we describe a total of 119 patients with advanced EGFR-TKI-naive NSCLC and 15 EGFR-TKI-resistant patients to identify somatic SNVs, small indels, CNVs and gene fusions in 508 tumor-related genes. Somatic ctDNA mutations were detected in 82.8% (111/134) of patients in the total cohort. Of the 119 patients with advanced NSCLC, 27.7% (33/119) were suitable for treatment with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline-approved targeted drugs. Actionable genetic alterations included 25 EGFR mutations, 5 BRAF mutations, and 1 MET mutation, as well as 1 EML4-ALK gene fusion and 1 KIF5B-RET gene fusion. In 19.3% (23/119) of the patients, we also identified genomic alterations with that could be targeted by agents that are in clinical trials, such as mTOR inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Additionally, the EGFR T790M mutation was found in 46.7% (7/15) of the patients with EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC, suggesting that the NGS-based ctDNA assay might be an optional method to monitor EGFR-TKI resistance and to discover mechanisms of drug resistance.

Credit contingent interest rate swap pricing

Credit value adjustment (CVA) is an adjustment to an existing trading price based on the counterparty-risk premium. Currently, CVA is computed with an implicit assumption that the replacement contract is default-free after the original counterparty defaults, with the assumption that those trades will not re-assigned. In the actual counterparty default settlement, it is the norm that trades will be re-assigned, especially on the buy side. Since the counterparty of the replacement contract could also default within the lifetime of an existing contract, ignoring the possibility of counterparty defaults of replacement contracts will either under or over estimate the cost of the risk. An important practical question is, therefore, how to estimate under/over pricing of CVA under current practice.

In this paper, we considered the pricing of credit contingent interest rate swap (CCIRS) or credit contingent default swap (CCDS), which is considered the CVA hedge for interest rate swaps (IRS). We derived partial differential Eqs. (PDEs) satisfied by the approximated CVA with the assumption that the replacement contracts do not default. For comparison purposes, we also derived the PDEs for the cost of CVA by relaxing the assumption of default-free replacement contracts with a finite number of counterparty defaults. It shows that the no-default and two default cases can be derived within the same analytical solution framework, similar to the Funding Valuation Adjustment (FVA) problem where continuous funding is a reasonable assumption. The finite number of default case is non-trivial. The PDE for the two default case is derived in this paper.

We calibrate our model based on market data and carry out extensive computations for the purpose of comparing these three CVAs. Our basic finding is that the values of the two CVAs are close for top rated counterparties. On the other hand, for counterparties with lower credit ratings, the difference among the two CVAs can be significant.

Inhibition of IL-8-mediated endothelial adhesion, VSMCs proliferation and migration by siRNA-TMEM98 suggests TMEM98's emerging role in atherosclerosis

Transmembrane protein 98 (TMEM98), known as a novel gene related to lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, differentiation of T helper 1 cells and normal eye development, has no defined role reported in terms of atherosclerosis (AS). To investigate the potential involvement of TMEM98 during AS processes, its obvious secretion and expression has been initially characterized in hyperlipidemia patients' serum and AS mice's serum respectively. We then explored the possible role of TMEM98 in the pathogenesis of AS in vitro. IL-8, a pro-atherogenesis cytokine, was used to induce the expression of TMEM98 in both endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Collectively, TMEM98 expression significantly increased in ECs and VSMCs, both induced by IL-8. Additionally, the adhesion ability of monocytes to ECs as well as the proliferation and migration of VSMCs were all decreased after siRNA-TMEM98 treatment. Furthermore, siRNA-TMEM98 dramatically inhibited the expression of ICAM-1 in ECs and the expression of p-AKT, p-GSK3β and Cyclin D1 from VSMCs, and AKT agonist partially restored the proliferation and migration of VSMC after siRNA-TMEM98 treatment. Taken together, siRNA-TMEM98 inhibits IL-8 mediated EC adhesion by down-regulating the expression of ICAM-1. Additionally, it also hinders the proliferation and migration of VSMCs through suppressing the AKT/GSK3β/Cyclin D1 signaling pathway. Our study provides sufficient evidence to support that TMEM98 could be a novel gene associated with AS for the first time.

Antagonists of the system L neutral amino acid transporter (LAT) promote endothelial adhesivity of human red blood cells

The system L neutral amino acid transporter (LAT; LAT1, LAT2, LAT3, or LAT4) has multiple functions in human biology, including the cellular import of S-nitrosothiols (SNOs), biologically active derivatives of nitric oxide (NO). SNO formation by haemoglobin within red blood cells (RBC) has been studied, but the conduit whereby a SNO leaves the RBC remains unidentified. Here we hypothesised that SNO export by RBCs may also depend on LAT activity, and investigated the role of RBC LAT in modulating SNO-sensitive RBC-endothelial cell (EC) adhesion. We used multiple pharmacologic inhibitors of LAT in vitro and in vivo to test the role of LAT in SNO export from RBCs and in thereby modulating RBC-EC adhesion. Inhibition of human RBC LAT by type-1-specific or nonspecific LAT antagonists increased RBC-endothelial adhesivity in vitro, and LAT inhibitors tended to increase post-transfusion RBC sequestration in the lung and decreased oxygenation in vivo. A LAT1-specific inhibitor attenuated SNO export from RBCs, and we demonstrated LAT1 in RBC membranes and LAT1 mRNA in reticulocytes. The proadhesive effects of inhibiting LAT1 could be overcome by supplemental L-CSNO (S-nitroso-L-cysteine), but not D-CSNO or L-Cys, and suggest a basal anti-adhesive role for stereospecific intercellular SNO transport. This study reveals for the first time a novel role of LAT1 in the export of SNOs from RBCs to prevent their adhesion to ECs. The findings have implications for the mechanisms of intercellular SNO signalling, and for thrombosis, sickle cell disease, and post-storage RBC transfusion, when RBC adhesivity is increased.