Metagenomic Study on Chinese Homemade Paocai: The Effects of Raw Materials and Fermentation Periods on the Microbial Ecology and Volatile Components

“Chinese paocai” is typically made by fermenting red radish or cabbage with aged brine (6–8 w/w). This study aimed to reveal the effects of paocai raw materials on fermentation microorganisms by metagenomics sequencing technology, and on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy, using red radish or cabbage fermented for six rounds with aged brine. The results showed that in the same fermentation period, the microbial diversity in cabbage was higher than that in red radish. Secundilactobacillus paracollinoides and Furfurilactobacillus siliginis were the characteristic bacteria in red radish paocai, whereas 15 species of characteristic microbes were found in cabbage. Thirteen kinds of VOCs were different between the two raw materials and the correlation between the microorganisms and VOCs showed that cabbage paocai had stronger correlations than radish paocai for the most significant relationship between 4-isopropylbenzyl alcohol, α-cadinol, terpinolene and isobutyl phenylacetate. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for understanding the microbiota and their relation to the characteristic flavors of the fermented paocai.

[Study on the protective effect of cooling the surface of frozen water on renal function in robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephrect]

Objective: To compare the effects of ice water kidney cooling and traditional non-cooling surgery on postoperative renal function in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and explore its clinical value in protecting renal function. Methods: A retrospective analysis is conducted on the base of the clinical data of patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in Second Affiliated Hospital of Navy Military Medical University from January to November 2019. A total of 89 cases, of which 21 cases were treated with ice water to cool the kidney surface and block the renal artery during the operation (cooling group); 68 cases only clamp the renal artery (control group). Compare the difference of the operation time, R.E.N.A.L. score, intraoperative blood loss, renal artery block of time,postoperative intestinal recovery time, cut edge positive rate, preoperative and postoperative blood electrolyte levels, the change of blood creatinine and GFR before operation and the first and third months after the operation and other indicators between two groups. Results: All the 89 patients completed the operation normally, and no conversion to open surgery or to general endoscopic surgery. The two groups of patients had statistically significant differences in tumor diameter [7.0(5.5, 8.0) vs 3.8(3.0, 5.0) cm, P<0.001], R.E.N.A.L. score [8.0(6.5, 8.0) vs 6.0(5.0, 8.0), P=0.003], Chloride (Cl^-) in the blood [(103.29±2.81) vs (104.74±2.58) mmol/L, P=0.030], (P<0.05) in the preoperative data. There were significant differences in renal artery occlusion time [20.0(18.5, 27.5) vs 19.0(15.0, 21.0) min, P=0.023] and operation time [168.0(130.0, 182.5) vs 130.0(110.0, 177.5) min, P=0.007] between the two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the blood creatinine after one or 3 month as well as for the glomerular filtration rate (all P>0.05). After follow-up for 3-24 months, no tumor recurrence or distant metastasis occurred in both groups, and no related complications caused by ice-free Water Cooling Technique in the cooling group. Conclusions: It is safe and effective to apply kidney surface cooling technique with ice water in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for complex kidney tumor. It can significantly reduce the renal parenchyma warm ischemia injury of renal parenchyma. And it's conducive to the recovery of patients with postoperative renal function, which can maximize the protection of renal function of patients.

Determination of Free Valproic Acid Concentration in 569 Clinical Samples by LC-MS/MS After Hollow Fiber Centrifugal Ultrafiltration Treatment

OBJECTIVE

To perform therapeutic drug monitoring of total and free plasma valproic acid (VPA) concentrations in clinical samples and to analyze the related factors.

METHODS

The total VPA concentration in plasma was determined by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with precolumn derivatization with α-bromoacetophenone, and the free VPA concentration was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after the plasma was treated by hollow fiber centrifugal ultrafiltration. Regression analysis was performed to examine the associations between free plasma VPA, total plasma VPA, and the plasma protein binding rate. The impact of individual situations, outpatient or inpatient factors, and drug combinations on VPA concentrations were examined.

RESULTS

Of the 569 clinical samples, 268 were inpatients and 301 were outpatients, and the total VPA concentration in 138 cases (24.2%) was lower than the effective treatment concentration range; the total and free VPA concentrations in outpatient samples were 11.0% and 26.1% higher than those of inpatients, respectively. There was no linear relationship between the free and total VPA concentrations. The relationship equation between the plasma protein binding rate and free VPA concentrations was as follows: Y = 0.0255X2 - 1.1357X + 97.429 (r = 0.8011). The total and free VPA concentrations were significantly decreased after the coadministration of phenobarbital (83.7% and 64.3% of the control group, P < 0.05) or carbapenem antibiotics (32.0% and 32.7% of the control group, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The total VPA concentrations in patients with epilepsy at our hospital was lower than the effective treatment concentration range, which was inadequate for epilepsy control; the total VPA concentrations of outpatients were higher than those of inpatients; as phenobarbital affects VPA metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring is recommended. Carbapenem antibiotic coadministration with VPA should be avoided because carbapenem antibiotics can lead to the failure of VPA antiepileptic treatment.

Consensus Sliding-Mode Fault-Tolerant Control for Second-Order Multi-Agent Systems

This study investigates the consensus problem of second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with actuator faults via a sliding mode control approach. The consensus error dynamic is given based on the relative states of the neighbors. Then, a sliding mode surface based on consensus errors is proposed, and the asymptotic stability of the sliding mode is proved using the Lyapunov theory. Furthermore, a sliding-mode fault-tolerant consensus protocol is proposed to compensate for actuator faults. According to the sliding mode control theory, the proposed sliding-mode fault-tolerant controller ensures that the consensus of the MASs can be reached in a finite time. Finally, a simulation example of a second-order multi-robot system is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Study on spore release of Polytrichum commune Hedw. var. commune by synergetic effects of sub-hygroscopic movement and wind

The effect of humidity change on spore release of the Nematodontae Polytrichaceae has never been tested experimentally. Similarly, the impact of humidity alterations on structure of the peristome have never been studied. Polytrichum commune Hedw. var. commune from Guizhou Province, China, was selected as the research object to examine effects of simulated wind in the laboratory. By controlling humidity and wind, the mechanism of spore dispersal was revealed. When humidity increased, the size of the peristome and epiphragm enlarged significantly (the peristome has no obvious spatial displacement, unlike the hygroscopic movement of Arthrodontae mosses. Thus, we named it 'sub-hygroscopic movement'), then recovered to normal size when humidity decreased. When humidity was controlled and wind applied, the scattering of spores gradually decreased as the capsule dried out and finally reached a very low level; when the capsule was wetted or rewetted, the amount of spores released rose and returned to the initial state. Through comparison of moist and dry capsules, only enhanced humidity of the sporophytes led to increases in spore release. The results show that the dispersal of spores was significantly improved in windy conditions and the sub-hygroscopic movement of the capsule peristome, which ensure the continuity and effectiveness of P. commune reproduction.

Composition, structure and flavor mechanism of numbing substances in Chinese prickly ash in the genus Zanthoxylum: A review

Chinese prickly ash is known for producing a typical pungent sensation in Sichuan Cuisine. Accumulating evidence suggest a series of health benefits and pharmacological effects associated with prickly ash. Therefore, a systematic analysis of the composition, structural properties, detection, and flavor mechanism of numbing substances is highly necessitated to address their future application. Sanshool-based unsaturated amides are the primary cause of tingling. The numbing substances have poor stability and are prone to oxidation and decomposition reactions due to their highly unsaturated conjugated diene structures. Pungent sensations evoked by different sanshools are distinct, which is attributed to different mechanisms of interaction with membrane ion channels (TRPV1, TRPA1, and KCNK). In this paper, the composition, structural properties (such as isomerization, oxidation), detection, and flavor mechanism of numbing substances of prickly ash were summarized. The prospective application and future research direction of numbing substances in the prickly ash industry were also proposed.

[The analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging manifestation of hippocampus based on voxel and spherical harmonic surface morphometry in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy]

Objective: To compare the hippocampal volume and local surface morphology changes in patients with mesial temporal lobe (mTLE) using the voxel-based morphometry and spherical harmonic methods respectively. Methods: A total of 66 patients (31 males and 35 females, age range from 17 to 48 (28±8) years) with mTLE and 80 age-and gender-matched controls (38 males and 42 females, age range from 19 to 46 (27±7) years) were retrospectively collected from July 2009 to February 2019 at Jinling hospital.. High resolution structural MRI of the whole brain, three-dimensional T₁-weighted data(3DT1) were acquired from each subject. The changes of hippocampal volume and surface morphology were evaluated between mTLE groups and controls for observing the hippocampal atrophy pattern by using voxel-based morphometry and spherical harmonic shape descriptions point distribution model respectively. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted for observing the relationship between the morphological changes of hippocampus and disease duration. Results: Compared with the controls, hippocampal volume on the affected side in patients with mTLE was significantly reduced (Z-score:-1.55±0.57 vs 0.38±0.58, P<0.001) and negatively correlated with disease duration (r=-0.297, P=0.016). Furthermore, surface morphology analysis subtly showed that the atrophy of the affected hippocampus in patients with mTLE mainly located in the head, mesial lateral part and posterior tail of the hippocampus. Their displacement values were negatively correlated with disease duration (r=-0.336, P=0.006) and positively associated with the hippocampal grey matter volume (r=0.336, P=0.006). Conclusions: Voxel-based morphometry analysis reveals a global reduction in hippocampal volume, while the morphological measurement method based on surface shape can describe the local morphological changes of hippocampal atrophy.

Spatiotemporal variation and source analysis of air pollutants in the Harbin-Changchun (HC) region of China during 2014-2020

This study analyzed the characteristics of air pollution and specific pollution periods within the Harbin-Changchun (HC) metropolitan area during 2014-2020. Regarding annual, seasonal, and monthly variations of the six pollutants, the change trend in 11 cities of HC showed strong consistency in spatial distribution. The western cities (Songyuan, Daqing, and Siping) were vulnerable to dust storms from Inner Mongolia. The concentrations of all air pollutants, except O₃-8h, showed downward fluctuation trends from 2014 to 2018 and remained stable from 2018 to 2020 in terms of annual variations. The inter-annual trend of significant reductions in SO₂ and SO₂/PM_2.5 during the heating period indicated that strict emission reduction measures posed by the government were highly successful. The ratio of PM_2.5/SO₂ was used to identify open biomass burning (OBB), which showed a double peak (October-November (Oct-Nov), March-April (Mar-Apr)). The burning prohibition shifted the OBB from Oct-Nov to Mar-Apr.

[Clinical and prognosis analysis of children with kidney retransplantation]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and prognosis of children with kidney retransplantation. Methods: Clinical data of 11 children who underwent kidney retransplantation from January 2011 to December 2020 in Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University were retrospectilely analyzed. The clinical data including demographic parameters, primary diagnosis, characteristics in the follow-up of renal allograft were analyzed. Results: Totally 11 cases received secondary renal transplantation (male 6, female 5). They were initially diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at the age of 11.9 (7.4, 13.3) years. The median duration of dialysis was 22.1 (3.5, 36.5) months. In the first transplantation, recipient age was 13.9 (11.1, 15.2) years. Ten cases received donation from cardiac death donor (DCD) (9 cases received donors aged less than one year, 5 of them received whole kidney transplantation and one case received donor aged one to three years) and 1 case with living-related donor. Ten graft failures occurred within 1 month after renal transplantation and the other one occurred at the fifth month after transplantation. The causes included vascular factors (9 cases), rejection (1 case) and primary non-function (1 case). In the second transplantation, recipient age was 14.7 (11.7, 16.2) years. All the 11 children received dialysis (7 with PD and 4 with HD) and successfully completed the second transplantation. The median time between the two transplants was 210 (16, 1 041) days. Donors were all DCD donors from 3 years of age or older. The mean follow-up duration was (42±15) months. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was (85±34)ml/(min·1.73 m²) when the last investigation after kidney retransplantation with the kidney and patient all survived. Conclusions: Kidney retransplantation may have better prognosis in children. Dialysis transition during waiting period and DCD donor from 3 years of age or older can effectively ensure the success of kidney retransplantation.

Construction of Aptamer-Based Molecular Beacons with Varied Blocked Structures and Targeted Detection of Thrombin

A kind of blocked aptamer-functionalized molecular beacon (MB) was designed as fluorescence sensors to detect thrombins by binding-induced "turn on" structural transformation. Three MBs named MB(8 + 8), MB(15 + 8), and MB(15 + 6) consisted of two single-stranded oligonucleotides. One long single-stranded oligonucleotide (abbreviated as SS) contained a thrombin aptamer sequence and was modified with a fluorescence group and quenching group on each end side. Another short single-stranded oligonucleotide (written as cDNA) was partially complementary to the long SS. It was interesting to find that the complementary sequence length of cDNA greatly influenced the structure of the MBs. The construction of MB experiments proved that MB(8 + 8) and MB(15 + 8) could form the quenching MBs but MB(15 + 6) could not. MB(8 + 8) was composed of a SS strand paired with a complementary cDNA(8 + 8), which was called one-to-one combination, while MB(15 + 8) was two-to-two combination and MB(15 + 6) was one-to-two combination. When the ratio of SS and cDNA (15 + 8) was 1:1, the quenching efficiency reached maximum. But with the molar ratio of SS and cDNA(8 + 8) increasing, the quenching efficiency increased continuously. Under the optimal conditions that we studied, the detection limit of thrombin by MB(8 + 8) and MB(15 + 8) was 0.19 and 1.2 nM, respectively. In addition, the assay proved to be selective, and the average recovery of thrombin detected by MB(8 + 8) and MB(15 + 8) in diluted serum was 95.4 and 94.5%, respectively.

Neuronal-driven glioma growth requires Gαi1 and Gαi3

Neuroligin-3 (NLGN3) is necessary and sufficient to promote glioma cell growth. The recruitment of Gαi1/3 to the ligand-activated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) is essential for mediating oncogenic signaling.

Methods: Various genetic strategies were utilized to examine the requirement of Gαi1/3 in NLGN3-driven glioma cell growth.

Results: NLGN3-induced Akt-mTORC1 and Erk activation was inhibited by decreasing Gαi1/3 expression. In contrast ectopic Gαi1/3 overexpression enhanced NLGN3-induced signaling. In glioma cells, NLGN3-induced cell growth, proliferation and migration were attenuated by Gαi1/3 depletion with shRNA, but facilitated with Gαi1/3 overexpression. Significantly, Gαi1/3 silencing inhibited orthotopic growth of patient-derived glioma xenografts in mouse brain, whereas forced Gαi1/3-overexpression in primary glioma xenografts significantly enhanced growth. The growth of brain-metastatic human lung cancer cells in mouse brain was largely inhibited with Gαi1/3 silencing. It was however expedited with ectopic Gαi1/3 overexpression. In human glioma Gαi3 upregulation was detected, correlating with poor prognosis.

Conclusion: Gαi1/3 mediation of NLGN3-induced signaling is essential for neuronal-driven glioma growth.

[Impact of enhanced recovery after surgery strategy on early postoperative quality of recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic malignancy]

Objective: To investigate the impact of perioperative anesthesia management with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) strategy on postoperative recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic malignancy. Methods: Ninety patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic malignancies from April 2018 to April 2019,aged 18-65 years,with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ, were recruited and randomly divided into two groups (n=45) using a random number table:ERAS group (group E) and control group (group C). Patients in group E received general anesthesia combined with transverses abdominis plane block and a series of interventions to optimize anesthetic and perioperative management, while patients in group C were treated with routine anesthesia management. Quality of Recovery-40 questionnaire (QoR-40) was administered to assess the early postoperative quality of recovery on 1 day before surgery, and at 24 and 48h after surgery. C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after the operation were evaluated. The incidence of nausea, vomiting and shivering, the time of first exhaust, ambulation, resumption of normal diet, postoperative hospital stay and complications were recorded. Results: The scores of QoR-40 [M(Q₁, Q₃)] in Group E were 175(171, 179) and 185(183, 189) at 24 h and 48 h after operation, which were higher than those in group C [162(160, 167) and 180(179, 183)] (both P<0.01). The levels of CRP in both group E and group C increased at 24 h and 72 h after operation. Moreover, the extent of increasing level of CRP in group C was much higher than that in group E [(39.8±18.0) mg/L vs (13.4±6.3) mg/L, (16.6±8.6) mg/L vs (6.7±2.5) mg/L] at 24 h and 48 h after operation (both P<0.01). Compared with group C, the numerical rating scale (NRS) for nausea decreased significantly in group E [0(0, 2) vs 3 (0, 5), P<0.01]. Meanwhile, the incidence of vomiting and shivering in group E was lower than that in group C [8.9% (4/45) vs 26.7% (12/45); 11.1% (5/45) vs 31.1% (14/45); both P<0.05]. The time of first exhaust, ambulation and resumption of normal diet in group E was (14±6) h, 6(6, 13) h and 1(1, 2) d, respectively, which was markedly shorter than that in group C [(25±10) h, 21(19, 27) h and 3(2, 3) d] (all P<0.01). Overall, the postoperative length of hospital stay reduced significantly for patients who followed the ERAS protocol [7(5, 11) d vs 10(7, 14) d, P<0.01]. The incidence of postoperative complications was 17.8% (8/45) and 37.8% (17/45) in group E and group C, respectively, with a significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusion: Implementation of ERAS anesthesia management in gynecologic oncology patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery alleviates perioperative discomfort, decreases surgical stress response, and improves the early postoperative quality of recovery.

Extracting neuronal activity signals from microscopy recordings of contractile tissue using B-spline Explicit Active Surfaces (BEAS) cell tracking

Ca2+ imaging is a widely used microscopy technique to simultaneously study cellular activity in multiple cells. The desired information consists of cell-specific time series of pixel intensity values, in which the fluorescence intensity represents cellular activity. For static scenes, cellular signal extraction is straightforward, however multiple analysis challenges are present in recordings of contractile tissues, like those of the enteric nervous system (ENS). This layer of critical neurons, embedded within the muscle layers of the gut wall, shows optical overlap between neighboring neurons, intensity changes due to cell activity, and constant movement. These challenges reduce the applicability of classical segmentation techniques and traditional stack alignment and regions-of-interest (ROIs) selection workflows. Therefore, a signal extraction method capable of dealing with moving cells and is insensitive to large intensity changes in consecutive frames is needed. Here we propose a b-spline active contour method to delineate and track neuronal cell bodies based on local and global energy terms. We develop both a single as well as a double-contour approach. The latter takes advantage of the appearance of GCaMP expressing cells, and tracks the nucleus' boundaries together with the cytoplasmic contour, providing a stable delineation of neighboring, overlapping cells despite movement and intensity changes. The tracked contours can also serve as landmarks to relocate additional and manually-selected ROIs. This improves the total yield of efficacious cell tracking and allows signal extraction from other cell compartments like neuronal processes. Compared to manual delineation and other segmentation methods, the proposed method can track cells during large tissue deformations and high-intensity changes such as during neuronal firing events, while preserving the shape of the extracted Ca2+ signal. The analysis package represents a significant improvement to available Ca2+ imaging analysis workflows for ENS recordings and other systems where movement challenges traditional Ca2+ signal extraction workflows.

Role of Surfactants Based on Fatty Acids in the Wetting Behavior of Solid-Oil-Aqueous Solution Systems

Surfactants based on fatty acids have attracted extensive attention thanks to their eco-friendly and pH-responsive features. Here, we studied two fatty acid-based surfactants that were paired with the same organic counterion but distinguished by their aliphatic chain lengths (monoethanolamine-oleic acid (MEA-OA) and monoethanolamine-lauric acid (MEA-LA)). Both surfactants exhibited the ability to lower the oil-water interfacial tension but lost their interfacial activity in a low-pH environment. We experimentally investigated their influence on the receding and spreading of oil droplets on solid surfaces. It was found that the interfacial tension reduction could decrease the static contact angle of the aqueous phase and hindered displacement dynamics during the oil droplet receding. Meanwhile, the interfacial activity was more likely to suppress the initiation of the oil droplet spreading due to the more stable thin-film forming prior to the spreading process. Nevertheless, the experimental results also exhibited that MEA-OA was more effective than MEA-LA in suppressing the receding dynamics and the spreading initiation even when they were characterized by similar interfacial tension values. Such an interesting observation could be attributed to the more considerable Marangoni flow in the solution of MEA-OA whose molecules have longer aliphatic chains. The insight from this study is expected to improve the knowledge on the molecular design for more efficient applications of fatty acid-based surfactants.

Integrating Population Variants and Protein Structural Analysis to Improve Clinical Genetic Diagnosis and Treatment in Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by renal inability to concentrate urine. We utilized a multicenter strategy to investigate the genotype and phenotype in a cohort of Chinese children clinically diagnosed with NDI from 2014 to 2019. Ten boys from nine families were identified with mutations in AVPR2 or AQP2 along with dehydration, polyuria-polydipsia, and severe hypernatremia. Genetic screening confirmed the diagnosis of seven additional relatives with partial or subclinical NDI. Protein structural analysis revealed a notable clustering of diagnostic mutations in the transmembrane region of AVPR2 and an enrichment of diagnostic mutations in the C-terminal region of AQP2. The pathogenic variants are significantly more likely to be located inside the domain compared with population variants. Through the structural analysis and in silico prediction, the eight mutations identified in this study were presumed to be disease-causing. The most common treatments were thiazide diuretics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Emergency treatment for hypernatremia dehydration in neonates should not use isotonic saline as a rehydration fluid. Genetic analysis presumably confirmed the diagnosis of NDI in each patient in our study. We outlined methods for the early identification of NDI through phenotype and genotype, and outlined optimized treatment strategies.

[Laparoscopic circular stapled gastrointestinal anastomosis using novel device of sealed cap access after total laparoscopic gastrectomy]

Intracorporeal classic gastrointestinal anastomosis using circular stapler in totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLG) for gastric cancer requires intracorporeal anvil placement and suitable access for introduction of the circular stapler to the abdominal cavity without gas leak. The novel techniques for anvil placement have been updated, but there is no progress for proper access for circular stapler. In the study, intracorporeal circular-stapled gastrointestinal anastomosis were successfully accomplished using a novel device of sealed cap access with a central hole (WLB-60/70-60/100, Wuhan Widerep Medical Instrument Co.,Ltd, China) customized to the incision protection retractor for the simple and accessible introduction of the circular stapler and anvil under the optimal maintenance of pneumoperitoneum pressure in TLG. In these 3 cases, there was no gas leakage and the pneumoperitoneum was well maintained when performing the gastrointestinal anastomosis, and there was no transition to laparotomy or other anastomosis techniques. The result suggests that the sealed cap access could be a novel choice for introduction of the circular stapler to the abdominal cavity in order to obtain laparoscopic circular-stapled gastroin-testinal anastomosis in TLG.

CYP2C9*3/*3 Gene Expression Affects the Total and Free Concentrations of Valproic Acid in Pediatric Patients with Epilepsy

Purpose

To perform therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of total and free plasma valproic acid (VPA) concentrations in pediatric patients with epilepsy and to analyze related factors.

Patients and Methods

Pediatric epileptic patients treated in 2015-2019 in our hospital were assessed. Total and free plasma VPA concentrations were obtained by UPLC and LC-MS/MS, respectively. Regression analysis was performed to examine the associations of free plasma VPA with total plasma VPA and plasma protein binding rate. The impacts of individual situation, CYP2C9 genotype, and drug combination on VPA concentration were examined.

Results

Of the 251 patients, 81 had lower total concentrations than effective therapeutic levels; 86 and 31 patients had infections and central nervous system dysplasia, respectively. VPA's daily doses and free drug concentrations were significantly lower in the CYP2C9 *3/*3 genotype group versus the CYP2C9 *1/*3 and CYP2C9 *1/*1 groups (P<0.05). Free and total VPA concentrations were linked by Y = 0.0004 X² + 0.042 X + 0.3035 (r=0.6981); VPA plasma protein binding rate and free VPA concentration were related by Y = 0.0003 X² - 0.0127 X + 0.9777 (r=0.8136). Both total and free VPA concentrations were significantly decreased in patients simultaneously administered phenobarbital, meropenem and biapenem (P<0.05), with therapeutic failure after meropenem/biapenem co-administration.

Conclusion

Free VPA amounts have nonlinear relationships with total VPA amounts and plasma protein binding rate in epileptic children. Additionally, CYP2C9 *3/*3 expression affects VPA metabolism. Since phenobarbital affects VPA metabolism, TDM is recommended. Meanwhile, carbapenem-co-administration with VPA should be prohibited.

Topological Rainbow Concentrator Based on Synthetic Dimension

Synthetic dimension provides a new platform for realizing topological photonic devices. Here, we propose a method to realize a rainbow concentrator of topological photonic states based on the synthetic dimension concept. The synthetic dimension is constructed using a translational degree of freedom of the nanostructures inside the unit cell of a two-dimensional photonic crystal. The translational deformation induces a nontrivial topology in the synthetic dimension, which gives rise to robust interface states at different frequencies. The topological rainbow can trap states with different frequencies, controlled by tuning the spatial modulation of interface state group velocities. The operation frequency as well as the bandwidth of the topological rainbow can be easily tuned by controlling the band gap of the photonic crystal. The topological principle can be applied to photonic crystals of any symmetry and arbitrary material composition, as long as a complete band gap exists. This Letter provides a new and general scheme for the realization of a topological rainbow concentrator and will be useful for the development of topological photonic devices.

The histone acetyltransferase HBO1 functions as a novel oncogenic gene in osteosarcoma

HBO1 (KAT7 or MYST2) is a histone acetyltransferase that acetylates H3 and H4 histones.

Methods: HBO1 expression was tested in human OS tissues and cells. Genetic strategies, including shRNA, CRISPR/Cas9 and overexpression constructs, were applied to exogenously alter HBO1 expression in OS cells. The HBO1 inhibitor WM-3835 was utilized to block HBO1 activation.

Results:HBO1 mRNA and protein expression is significantly elevated in OS tissues and cells. In established (MG63/U2OS lines) and primary human OS cells, shRNA-mediated HBO1 silencing and CRISPR/Cas9-induced HBO1 knockout were able to potently inhibit cell viability, growth, proliferation, as well as cell migration and invasion. Significant increase of apoptosis was detected in HBO1-silenced/knockout OS cells. Conversely, ectopic HBO1 overexpression promoted OS cell proliferation and migration. We identified ZNF384 (zinc finger protein 384) as a potential transcription factor of HBO1. Increased binding between ZNF384 and HBO1 promoter was detected in OS cell and tissues, whereas ZNF384 silencing via shRNA downregulated HBO1 and produced significant anti-OS cell activity. In vivo, intratumoral injection of HBO1 shRNA lentivirus silenced HBO1 and inhibited OS xenograft growth in mice. Furthermore, growth of HBO1-knockout OS xenografts was significantly slower than the control xenografts. WM-3835, a novel and high-specific small molecule HBO1 inhibitor, was able to potently suppressed OS cell proliferation and migration, and led to apoptosis activation. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of WM-3835 potently inhibited OS xenograft growth in SCID mice.

Conclusion: HBO1 overexpression promotes OS cell growth in vitro and in vivo.