SF1670 inhibits apoptosis and inflammation via the PTEN/Akt pathway and thus protects intervertebral disc degeneration

OBJECTIVE

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is associated with the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Previous studies have shown that PTEN plays crucial roles in cell survival and apoptosis. The effect of PTEN inhibitors on cell survival following IVDD has been rarely examined. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of SF1670, as a specific PTEN inhibitor, on an in vitro NP cells degenerated model.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We collected human disc samples from IVDD patients and detected PTEN expression in them with different degenerated degrees. NP cells were isolated from the samples and exposed to IL-1β with or without SF1670. Then, cells viability was determined by CCK-8 assay. We also measured the levels of collagen II, p16, p53, PTEN, Akt, aggrecan, caspase 3/9, Bax, Bcl-2, and several inflammatory factors in NP cells.

RESULTS

We found that the expression of PTEN markedly increased in severely degenerated disc tissues. The data showed that IL-1β upregulated the expressions of p16, p53, PTEN, caspase 3/9, and Bax, but decreased the expressions of collagen II, Akt, aggrecan, and Bcl-2. Surprisingly, the treatment with SF1670 could significantly reverse the regulatory effects of IL-1β. Moreover, relative levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and MMP3/9/13 were significantly suppressed by SF1670 stimuli compared with IL-1β group.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these results demonstrated that SF1670 prevented NP degradation via suppressing apoptosis and inflammation through inhibition of PTEN and activation of Akt. SF1670 may become a novel target for the therapy of IVDD in the future.

Low-dose CT of paediatric paranasal sinus using an ultra-low tube voltage (70 kVp) combined with the flash technique

AIM

To evaluate the radiation dose and diagnostic image quality of low-dose computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinus in children, with acquisition at an ultra-low tube voltage (70 kVp) combined with the Flash technique.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty paediatric patients underwent CT of the paranasal sinus and were divided into two groups according to different protocols (group A: 80 kVp protocol with conventional spiral mode [n=40] and group B: 70 kVp protocol with Flash scan mode [n=40]). For each examination, the CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), and effective dose (ED) were estimated. The image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and overall subjective diagnostic image quality were also evaluated.

RESULTS

For radiation dose, the CTDIvol (mGy), DLP (mGy·cm), and ED (mSv) values of the 70 kVp protocol were significantly lower than those of the 80 kVp protocol (CTDIvol: 1.57±0.009 versus 0.39±0.004 mGy, p<0.001; DLP: 19.88±2.01 versus 6.31±0.52 mGy·cm, p<0.001; ED: 0.079±0.016 versus 0.024±0.005 mSv, p<0.001). Compared with those of the 80-kVp protocol, the image noise increased by 40.7% (p=0.113), the SNR_soft-tissue decreased by 48.9%, and the SNR_bone increased by 10.1% with the 70-kVp protocol (p=0.176 and 0.227, respectively). There was no significant difference in the overall subjective image quality grades between these two groups (p=0.15).

CONCLUSION

When imaging the paranasal sinus in children, an ultra-low tube voltage (70 kVp) combined with the Flash CT technique can reduce the radiation dose significantly while maintaining diagnostic image quality with clinically acceptable image noise.

[The value of ultrasonic elastography in the differential diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma]

Objective: To explore the role of the scoring and strain ratio methods of ultrasonic elastography in the differential diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Twenty-five patients (25 eyes) with choroidal melanoma treated in the Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University from July to October 2016 were included in this study. There were 13 males and 12 females, with an average age of (48±12) years old. Twenty-five patients (25 eyes) with choroidal hemangioma treated in the same period were selected for differential diagnosis, including 12 males and 13 females, with an average age of (37±13) years. The lesions were examined by ultrasound elastography and scored, and the strain ratio of the tumor to the orbital tissue was measured. Two independent sample t test was used to compare the difference in the elasticity score and strain ratio between choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma. The sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated to analyze the value of the two methods in the differential diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma. Results: The elastography score of choroidal melanoma was (3.48±0.77) points, including 2 points in 3 cases, 3 points in 8 cases, 4 points in 13 cases, and 5 points in 1 case. The elastography score of hemangioma was (2.28±0.46) points, including 2 points in 18 cases and 3 points in 7 cases. The difference in the elasticity score between patients with the two kinds of tumors was statistically significant (t=6.694, P<0.01). The strain ratio was 42.97±15.83 and 12.21±9.24 in the patients with choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (t=8.392, P<0.01). Using 3 points as the diagnostic critical point of the elastography score, the sensitivity was 88.0%, the specificity was 72.0%, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.80 (95% cofidence interval: 0.663 to 0.900, P<0.01). Using 21.67 as the diagnostic critical point of the strain ratio, the sensitivity was 92.0%, the specificity was 92.0%, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.92 (95% cofidence interval: 0.808 to 0.978, P<0.01). Conclusions: Ultrasound elastography plays a role in the differential diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and choroidal hemangioma. The differential diagnostic value of the strain ratio method is higher than the scoring method. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 676-680).

A Microfluidic Approach for Cryoprotectant Screening: Preliminary Validation with Human Red Blood Cells

BACKGROUND

The application of microfluidics has overcome a series of long-term existing bottlenecks in the field of cryobiology. However, there is still no investigation regarding the on-chip rapid screening of cryoprotectant concentration optimization for the integration of the entire freeze, thaw and cell counting process.

OBJECTIVE

To establish an on-chip approach for rapid cryoprotectant screening and concentration optimization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rapid freezing of red blood cells with glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide was used to validate the proposed on-chip method.

RESULTS

The optimal cryoprotectant and its concentration can be determined with the described method, without the need of additional samplings and assays. The optimal concentration for glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide used in the validation experiments was 10% (w/v).

CONCLUSION

The microfluidic approach can be used for rapid cryoprotectant screening and concentration optimization.

Genotyping of Mycobacterium leprae for understanding the distribution and transmission of leprosy in endemic provinces of China

OBJECTIVES

Understanding the nature of Mycobacterium leprae transmission is vital to implement better control strategies for leprosy elimination. The present study expands the knowledge of county-level strain diversity, distribution, and transmission patterns of leprosy in endemic provinces of China.

METHODS

We genetically characterized 290 clinical isolates of M. leprae from four endemic provinces using variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Attained genetic profiles and cluster consequences were contrasted with geographical and migration features of leprosy at county levels.

RESULTS

Considering the allelic variability of 17 VNTR loci by the discriminatory index, (GTA)9, (AT)17, (AT)15, (TA)18, (TTC)21, and (TA)10 are reported to be more highly polymorphic than other loci. The VNTR profile generated the low-density clustering pattern in the counties of Sichuan and Yunnan, whereas clusters have been observed from the isolates from Huayuan (N = 6), Yongding (N = 3), Zixing (N = 3), Chenxi (N = 2) and Zhongfang (N = 2) counties of Hunan, and Zhijin (N = 3), Anlong (N = 2), Zhenning (N = 2), and Xixiu (N = 2) counties of Guizhou. In some clusters, people's social relations have been observed between villages. From the 290 clinical isolates, the most predominantly reported SNP was 3K (278, 95.8%), followed by SNP 1D (10, 3.4%), which are typically observed to be predominant in China. We also detected the novel SNP 3J (2, 0.8%), which has not yet been reported in China.

CONCLUSION

The clustering pattern of M. leprae indicates the transmission of leprosy still persists at county levels, suggesting that there is a need to implement better approaches for tracing the close contacts of leprosy patients.

SAT0250 CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND THE DISEASE ACTIVITY OF BEHCET’S DISEASE IN CHINA: A STUDY BASED ON SMART SYSTEM OF DISEASE MANAGEMENT (SSDM)

Background:

Behcet´s disease (BD) is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organ systems with recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers and skin lesions. Behcet´s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) and Electronic Medical Record-based Activity Index (EMRAI) are commonly used internationally to evaluate the disease activity of BD.

Objectives:

This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, the level of disease activity, and the incidence of anxiety and depression for Chinese BD patients. Patients can perform self-management of disease with SSDM.

Methods:

SSDM is a series of doctor-patient interactive applications for self-management of patients with chronic diseases. Patients can perform self-assessment with SSDM and upload the data to their authorized doctors. The SSDM patients’ application system integrates the BDCAF and EMRAI into one scoring system. Patients could obtain scores of BDCAF and EMRAI by responding to one questionnaire through SSDM.

Results:

From Apr 2017 to Jan 2020, 719 BD patients from 166 hospitals used SSDM, with a mean age of 38.97±12.71 (14~81) years old, and median disease duration of 20.8 months. 719 patients performed BDCAF and EMRAI self-assessment 1321 times, 252 patients repeat assessments for 855 times. The mean score of BDCAF and EMRAI are 3.57±2.17 and 3.44±1.90, respectively. The matching degree of the two score was 0.8747.

The most common clinical characteristics were oral ulcers (83.73%), ocular symptoms (62.03%), joint pain (50.07%). The comparative study between males and females revealed significant difference in the aspects of epididymitis (10.94% vs 0, p<0.001), genital ulcer (35.09% vs 44.93%, p=0.01), headache (24.15% vs 33.92%, p=0.01) and superficial thrombophlebitis (24.15% vs 33.92%, p=0.01). Table 1.

Table 1.

Clinical Characteristics of different systems in Chinese BD patients.

Presence of clinical characteristicsTotalMalesFemalesP valueOral ulcer83.73% (602)86.42% (229)82.16% (373)0.14Genital ulcer41.31% (297)35.09% (93)44.93% (204)0.01*Epididymitis4.03% (29)10.94% (29)0 (0)<0.001**Erythema29.49% (212)29.43% (78)29.52% (134)0.98Skin lesions26.84% (193)28.68% (76)25.77% (117)0.4Superficial thrombophlebitis30.32% (218)24.15% (64)33.92% (154)0.01*Headache30.32% (218)24.15% (64)33.92% (154)0.01*Joint pain50.07% (360)51.32% (136)49.34% (224)0.61Arthritis14.60% (105)14.72% (39)14.54% (66)0.95Gastrointestinal involvement24.90% (179)27.92% (74)23.13% (105)0.15Ocular symptoms62.03% (446)62.64% (166)61.67% (180)0.79Nervous involvement23.78% (171)25.66% (68)22.69% (103)0.37Vascular involvement15.72% (113)18.11% (48)14.32% (65)0.18

*P values are for the comparison between the males and females.

Conclusion:

Chinese BD patients can effectively perform BDCAF and EMRAI self-assessment with SSDM. The results of the assessment conducted by the two scoring systems are similar. The clinical characteristics of Chinese BD were different depending on gender.

Acknowledgments: :

Smart system of disease management (SSDM) was developed by Shanghai Gothic Internet Technology Co., Ltd.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

AB0172 PGC-1Α REGULATES AUTOPHAGY TO PROMOTE FIBROBLAST ACTIVATION AND TISSUE FIBROSIS

Background:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is the best studied member of the family of coactivators. PGC-1α was initially identified through its interaction with PPARγ in brown adipose tissue. Recent evidence further indicates that PGC-1α may also modulate the transcription of autophagy-related genes, which has recently been shown to be required for fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation under fibrotic conditions. However, the role of PGC-1α in the pathogenesis of SSc has not been investigated.

Objectives:

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the coactivator PGC-1α on autophagy and to evaluate its role in the pathologic activation of fibroblasts in SSc.

Methods:

Expression of PGC-1α was analyzed by RT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence. Modulation of autophagy was analyzed by reporter studies by expression of autophagy related genes. The effects of PGC-1α knockdown on collagen production and myofibroblast differentiation were analyzed in cultured human fibroblasts and in two mouse models with fibroblast-specific knockout of PGC-1α.

Results:

PGC-1α overexpression was detected by immunohistochemistry in skin sections of SSc patients and in experimental fibrotic murine skin, particularly in fibroblasts. Knockdown of PGC-1α inhibited the stimulatory effects of TGFβ on fibroblast activation with impaired induction of collagen as compared to control fibroblasts. Fibroblasts specific knockout of PGC-1α ameliorates experimental fibrosis in bleomycin-induced and adTBR-induced murine dermal fibrosis with decreased dermal thickness, hydroxyproline and myofibroblast counts compared to wild-type fibrotic mice. Incubation of dermal fibroblasts with TGFβ activated autophagy in control fibroblasts with increased expression of the autophagy-related genes ATG7 and BECLIN-1, enhanced conversion of LC3 I to LC3 II and decreased ratios of ILC3 I EGFP to LC3 II RFP in LC3 reporter assays. The expression levels of ATG7, BECLIN-1 and ILC3 II of TGFβ-stimulated PGC-1α knockout fibroblasts decreased compare to TGFβ stimulated wild-type fibroblasts. The ratio of ILC3 I EGFP to LC3 II RFP of TGFβ-stimulated PGC-1α knockout fibroblasts in reporter assays were comparable to unstimulated fibroblasts.

Conclusion:

PGC-1α is upregulated in SSc and promotes autophagy to foster TGFβ-induced fibroblast activation. Targeting of PGC-1α prevents aberrant autophagy, inhibits fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis.

References:

[1]Finck BN, Kelly DP. PGC-1 coactivators: inducible regulators of energy metabolism in health and disease. The Journal of clinical investigation. 2006 Mar; 116(3):615-622

[2]Lindholm D, Eriksson O, Makela J, Belluardo N, Korhonen L. PGC-1alpha: a master gene that is hard to master. Cellular and molecular life sciences: CMLS. 2012 Aug; 69(15):2465-2468.

[3]Li SY, Susztak K. The Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma Coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) in Kidney Disease. Semin Nephrol. 2018 Mar; 38(2):121-126.

[4]Vainshtein A, Tryon LD, Pauly M, Hood DA. Role of PGC-1alpha during acute exercise-induced autophagy and mitophagy in skeletal muscle. American journal of physiology Cell physiology. 2015 May 1; 308(9):C710-719.

[5]Zehender A LN, Stefanica A, Chen CW, Soare A, Wohlfahrt T, Rauber S, Bergmann C, Ramming A, Distler O, Schett G, Distler J. TGFβ Promotes Fibrosis By MYST1-Dependent Epigenetic Regulation of Autophagy [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol 2017; 69 (suppl 10).

Disclosure of Interests:

Yun Zhang: None declared, Katja Dreißigacker: None declared, Diana Distler: None declared, Andrea-Hermina Györfi: None declared, Christina Bergmann: None declared, xiang zhou: None declared, Lichong Shen: None declared, Ingo Ludolph: None declared, Raymund Horch: None declared, Andreas Ramming Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Novartis, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Gilead, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Janssen, Georg Schett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche and UCB, Jörg Distler Grant/research support from: Boehringer Ingelheim, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Paid instructor for: Boehringer Ingelheim, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim