[Effect of optical zone diameter on corneal biomechanical properties after small incision lenticule extraction]

Objective: To investigate the effect of optical zone diameter on corneal biomechanical properties after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Methods: In this prospective case-control study, 62 eyes of 42 patients with myopia and myopic astigmatism that had undergone SMILE procedure were divided into 2 groups according to the optical zone (OZ) diameter: group A, 31 eyes of 19 patients, OZ= 6.5 mm; group B, 31eyes of 23 patients, OZ=6.0 mm. These patients were examined for corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) preoperatively and at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively; at the same time, the central corneal thickness-corrected indices of DifCH and DifCRF were calculated. Pearson correlation was applied to analyze the correlation between CH and CRF and central corneal thickness. Independent-samples t test was utilized to compare CH and CRF between the two groups. Repeated ANOVA was used to compare the difference of corneal biomechanical properties at different follow-up timepoints. Results: The preoperative mean CRF and CH values were (10.13±1.19) mmHg and (9.65±1.12) mmHg in group A and (10.34±0.89) mmHg and (10.04± 1.05) mmHg in group B, respectively, and no significant differences were found in CRF and CH between the two groups (CRF: t=-0.807, P=0.423. CH: t=-1.405, P=0.165). The mean CRF values in group A at postoperative 1 week and 3 months were (6.62 ± 1.09) mmHg and (6.83 ± 1.07) mmHg, respectively, which were significantly lower than the relevant mean CRF values in group B (t=-2.703, P=0.009. t=-3.733, P= 0.001). Meanwhile, the mean CH values at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively in group A were (7.31±1.06) mmHg, (7.37±0.96) mmHg and (7.82±0.97) mmHg, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in group B (t=-2.415, P=0.019. t=-2.113, P=0.039. t=-2.67, P=0.01). Moreover, the DifCRF and DifCH values in group A were significantly lower than those in group B at 3 months postoperatively (t=-3.409, P=0.001. t=-2.064, P=0.044). The CRF and CH values in both groups showed a significant reduction at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively (P<0.05). Conclusions: The size of optical zone has some effects on corneal biomechanical properties after SMILE. The smaller optical zone diameter has a relatively smaller effect. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53:182-187).

Multiple Pesticides Detoxification Function of Maize (Zea mays) GST34

ZmGST34 is a maize Tau class GST gene and was found to be differently expressed between two maize cultivars differing in tolerance to herbicide metolachlor. To explore the possible role of ZmGST34 in maize development, the expression pattern and substrate specificity of ZmGST34 were characterized by quantitative RT-PCR and heterologous expression system, respectively. The results indicated that the expression level of ZmGST34 was increased ∼2-5-fold per day during the second-leaf stage of maize seedling. Chloroacetanilide herbicides or phytohormone treatments had no influence on the expression level of ZmGST34, suggesting that ZmGST34 is a constitutively expressed gene in maize seedling. Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and in Arabidopsis thaliana proved that ZmGST34 can metabolize most chloroacetanilide herbicides and increase tolerance to these herbicides in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. The constitutive expression pattern and broad substrate activity of ZmGST34 suggested that this gene may play an important role in maize development in addition to the detoxification of pesticides.

Abstract P1-07-01: A pan-cancer perspective of functional proteomics provides novel information content for uncommon breast cancer subtypes

Cancer cell lines (CCLs) serve as models to study the functional consequences of the genomic lesions in patients and as screening platforms for prediction of drug response. While genomic and transcriptomic data have proven to be useful predictors, the ability of these omics platforms to predict protein level and function is limited. Furthermore, since proteins are the targets of the majority of the targeted therapies, protein levels and importantly protein function would be expected to provide more powerful predictions than DNA or RNA data. While large scale genomic and transcriptomic data linked to drug sensitivity are available for over a thousand CCLs, proteomic data is available for only a small subset of lines. Here we performed proteomic profiling of 736 cell lines using reverse-phase protein arrays (RPPAs) with approximately 300 antibodies providing an unbiased sparse representation of the majority of signaling pathways.

The functional proteomic analysis revealed 10 protein-based clusters across all cell lines. Similar to human tumors, the breast cell lines fell into three major clusters representing basal-like, luminal/Her2-amplified and claudin-low breast cancer subtypes. The basal-like and claudin-low clusters contained all of the representative breast cancer cell lines as well as a much larger number of other CCLs. For example, the 6 claudin-low breast cancers analyzed reside in an EMT cluster, in which only 8/126 are breast cell lines. However, the complete cluster including multiple non-breast cancer cell lines recapitulated mRNA and protein features of claudin-low breast tumors, including a high EMT signature and low level of hormone receptor pathway activity. We thus explored whether we could gain power for linking the limited number of basal and claudin-low breast cancer cell lines to therapeutic sensitivity by assessing patterns of drug sensitivity in each cluster for both the breast and non-breast cancer cell lines in the cluster. We explored drug sensitivity of 481 therapeutic compounds from the Cancer Therapeutic Response Portal (CTRP v2) and demonstrated that the non- breast cancer and breast cancer cell lines in each cluster provided similar patterns of drug sensitivity. For example, Claudin-low/EMT cell lines of both breast cancer and non-breast cancer origin showed decreased sensitivity to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors compared to luminal breast cancers (p&lt;0.05 for 4 mTOR inhibitors) and drugs targeting EGFR family compared to basal cell lines (p&lt;0.05 for 7 EGFR/ERBB2 inhibitors). Thus it is possible to gain information by characterizing cell lines with similar patterns of protein expression and provide important information related to drug sensitivity of uncommon breast cancer lineages. The functional proteomic analysis provides a wealth of information that complements the genomic and transciptomic studies of cancer cell lines, and demonstrates the opportunity to leverage cell line 'pan-cancer' proteomic patterns to improve characterization of specific breast cancer subtypes. To facilitate broad access to these data, we developed a user-friendly data portal, the MD Anderson Cell Lines Project (MCLP), that provides both data analysis and download (http://ibl.mdanderson.org/mclp/).

Citation Format: Zhao W, Li J, Lu Y, Akbani R, Liang H, Mills GB. A pan-cancer perspective of functional proteomics provides novel information content for uncommon breast cancer subtypes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-07-01.

Abstract P6-13-01: Proteomic response in breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with and without bevacizumab: Reverse phase protein array (RPPA) results from NeoAva - A randomized phase II study

BACKGROUND: Patients with HER2 negative primary tumors of ≥25 mm were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 x FEC100 + 12 weeks of taxane-based therapy) and randomized (1:1) to receive bevacizumab or not. Mammography, ultrasound and MR imaging were used for response evaluation, in addition to the final pathology assessment after surgery.

HYPOTHESIS: RPPA proteomic analyses support identification of molecular mechanisms associated with clinical response to bevacizumab treatment.

METHODS: Tumor responses were evaluable in 132 patients; of which 66 received bevacizumab. Ratio of the tumor size at final pathology assessment, and at inclusion was calculated to obtain a continuous scale of response reflecting the percentage of tumor shrinkage in response to therapy. Tumor material was obtained at screening, 12 weeks into treatment and at surgical removal of tumors at 25 weeks. Lysates from each sample was analyzed on reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA) for expression levels of 210 proteins of which 54 were phospho-specific.

RESULTS: Several proteins were found for which expression prior to treatment reflected a better response on tumor shrinkage in the combination treatment arm (chemotherapy+bevacizumab). The proteomic response from week 0 to 12 in both treatment arms had an overall similar profile regarding up- and down-regulated proteins; however, the combination treatment (FEC100 + bevacizumab) induced a more pronounced effect on regulation of each protein. This might reflect the capability of bevacizumab therapy to potentiate the effects of the anthracyclin based chemotherapy from week 0 to 12. Conversely, from week 12-25 (taxane-based therapy + bevacizumab) this effect was lost or even reversed, except for certain phosphoproteins where potentiation imposed by bevacizumab was sustained throughout the whole treatment period. We are in the process of analyzing the impact of phosphorylation and thus protein activation states on treatment response. Furthermore, tumors with low hormone receptor pathway score demonstrated a better response in the combination treatment (chemotherapy+bevacizumab). Additionally, in these good responders the hormone signaling pathway was significantly upregulated during treatment. Further investigations are conducted to determine if this was due to selective ablation of hormone receptor negative tumor cells, or a re-programming of the molecular phenotype of cells present prior to treatment. The above mentioned results have potentially important clinical relevance and will be further investigated with respect to subtypes and the biological pathways affected by antiangiogenic therapy.

Citation Format: Haugen MH, Lindgjærde OC, Krohn M, Zhao W, Lindholm EM, Silwal-Pandit L, Borgen E, Garred Ø, Fangberget A, Holmen MM, Schlichting E, Skjerven H, Lundgren S, Wist E, Naume B, Mælandsmo GM, Lu Y, Børresen-Dale A-L, Mills GB, Engebråten O. Proteomic response in breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with and without bevacizumab: Reverse phase protein array (RPPA) results from NeoAva - A randomized phase II study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-13-01.

Dual-functional lipid-like nanoparticles for delivery of mRNA and MRI contrast agents

Multi-functional nanomaterials possess unique properties, facilitating both therapeutic and diagnostic applications among others. Herein, we developed dual-functional lipid-like nanoparticles for simultaneous delivery of mRNA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents in order to express functional proteins and provide real-time visualization. TT3-Gd18 LLNs were identified as a lead formulation, which was able to encapsulate 91% of mRNA and 74% of Gd. This formulation showed a comparable or a slightly higher delivery efficiency of mRNA compared to the initial TT3 LLNs. Moreover, a strong MRI signal was observed in the cell pellets treated with TT3-Gd18 LLNs. More importantly, TT3-Gd18 LLNs demonstrated an efficient delivery of mRNA and Gd contrast agents in vivo.

A long noncoding RNA UCA1 promotes proliferation and predicts poor prognosis in glioma

BACKGROUND

Acting as a proto-oncogene, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) urothelial carcinoembryonic antigen 1 (UCA1) plays a key role in the occurrence and development of several human tumors. However, the expression and biological functions of UCA1 in glioma are less known. This study discussed the expression of UCA1 in glioma and its effect on the proliferation and cell cycle of glioma cells.

METHOD

LncRNA UCA1 expressions in 64 glioma samples (Grade I-II in 22 cases and Grade III-IV in 42 cases, according to WHO criteria) and 10 normal brain samples were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. On this basis, the correlations of UCA1 to clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of glioma were assessed. Then, using qPCR, the lncRNA UCA1 expressions in glioma cell lines and astrocytes were detected. UCA1-overexpressing glioma cell lines U87 and U251 were further detected after siRNA transfection of these two cell lines, and the impact on cell proliferation and cell cycle was assessed with CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8) assay and flow cytometry method (FCM), respectively. The expression of cyclin D1, a cell cycle-related protein, was detected using Western Blot.

RESULT

LncRNA UCA1 expression in the glioma samples was obviously higher as compared with the normal brain samples (P < 0.001), and the expression was correlated significantly with grading of the tumors (P < 0.05). However, lncRNA UCA1 expression was not correlated with age, gender, tumor size and KPS score (P > 0.05). After interference of UCA1 expression by siRNA transfection, the proliferation of both U251 and SHG-44 cells was inhibited (P < 0.05), with more cells arrested in G0/G1 (P < 0.05). Moreover, cyclin D1 expression was also downregulated considerably.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA UCA1 can promote the proliferation and cell cycle progression of glioma cells by upregulating cyclin D1 transcription. So UCA1 may serve as an independent prognostic indicator and a novel therapeutic target for glioma.

Self-assembled Co3O4 hexagonal plates by solvent engineering and their dramatically enhanced electrochemical performance

In this study, a facile two-phase solvothermal method was used to synthesize Co₃O₄ nanocubes with high crystallinity and narrow size distribution (∼49 nm) for use in lithium-ion batteries. Here, oleylamine (OAm) was chosen as the solvent, surfactant, and reducing agent. After washing with the appropriate organic solvent, the Co₃O₄ nanocubes self-assembled into hexagonal plates with a diameter and thickness of approximately 2.5 μm and 550 nm, respectively. Moreover, with the assistance of dipole-dipole and van der Waals interactions, the Co₃O₄ nanocubes stacked along the [111] direction with their exposed facets attached, leading to their final exposed cross-sectional facet being (111). A possible assembling mechanism is proposed and explained in detail. Furthermore, the self-assembled (111) faceted Co₃O₄ plates exhibited superior electrochemical capacity and stability to those original (001) faceted Co₃O₄ nanocubes for Li⁺ ion storage. Therefore, the solvent engineered self-assembly into secondary structures has proven to be a potential strategy for energy applications.

Activation of chrysocolla flotation by organic chelating agents

Activation of chrysocolla by organic Cu-chelating agents was studied using a series of test and analysis methods, revealing that the performance of these agents was related to their chemical activity and chrysocolla dissolution properties.

Dietary Diversity and Cognitive Function among Elderly People: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVES

To explore associations of dietary diversity with cognitive function among Chinese elderly.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011-2012, data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models.

SETTING

community-based setting in the 23 provinces in China.

SUBJECTS

8,571 elderly participants, including 2984 younger elderly aged 65-79 and 5587 oldest old aged 80+ participated in this study.

MEASUREMENT

Intake frequencies of food groups was collected and dietary diversity (DD) was assessed based on the mean of DD score. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and cognitive impairment was defined using education-based cutoffs. Information about socio-demographics, lifestyles, resilience and health status was also collected.

RESULTS

Poor dietary diversity was significantly associated with cognitive function, with β (95% CI) of -0.11(-0.14, -0.08) for -log (31-MMSE score) and odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.29 (1.14, 1.47) for cognitive impairment. Interaction effect of age with DD was observed on cognitive impairment (P interaction=0.018), but not on -log (31-MMSE score) (P interaction=0.08). Further separate analysis showed that poor DD was significantly associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment in the oldest old (p<0.01), with odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.34 (1.17, 1.54), while not in the younger elderly (p>0.05), with OR (95% CI) being 1.09 (0.80, 1.47) in the fully adjusted model. Similar results were obtained when DD was categorized into four groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor dietary diversity was associated with worse global cognitive function among Chinese elderly, and particularly for the oldest old. This finding would be very meaningful for prevention of cognitive impairment.

A liver microphysiological system of tumor cell dormancy and inflammatory responsiveness is affected by scaffold properties

Distant metastasis is the major cause of breast cancer-related mortality, commonly emerging clinically after 5 or more years of seeming 'cure' of the primary tumor, indicating a quiescent dormancy. The lack of relevant accessible model systems for metastasis that recreate this latent stage has hindered our understanding of the molecular basis and the development of therapies against these lethal outgrowths. We previously reported on the development of an all-human 3D ex vivo hepatic microphysiological system that reproduces several features of liver physiology and enables spontaneous dormancy in a subpopulation of breast cancer cells. However, we observed that the dormant cells were localized primarily within the 3D tissue, while the proliferative cells were in contact with the polystyrene scaffold. As matrix stiffness is known to drive inflammatory and malignant behaviors, we explored the occurrence of spontaneous tumor dormancy and inflammatory phenotype. The microphysiological system was retrofitted with PEGDa-SynKRGD hydrogel scaffolding, which is softer and differs in the interface with the tissue. The microphysiological system incorporated donor-matched primary human hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells (NPCs), with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Hepatic tissue in hydrogel scaffolds secreted lower levels of pro-inflammatory analytes, and was more responsive to inflammatory stimuli. The proportion of tumor cells entering dormancy was markedly increased in the hydrogel-supported tissue compared to polystyrene. Interestingly, an unexpected differential response of dormant cells to varying chemotherapeutic doses was identified, which if reflective of patient pathophysiology, has important implications for patient dosing regimens. These findings highlight the metastatic microphysiological system fitted with hydrogel scaffolds as a critical tool in the assessment and development of therapeutic strategies to target dormant metastatic breast cancer.

Mice with sclerostin gene deletion are resistant to the severe sublesional bone loss induced by spinal cord injury

Bone loss after spinal cord injury (SCI) is rapid, severe, and refractory to interventions studied to date. Mice with sclerostin gene deletion are resistant to the severe sublesional bone loss induced by SCI, further indicating pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin may represent a promising novel approach to this challenging medical problem.

INTRODUCTION

The bone loss secondary to spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with several unique pathological features, including the permanent immobilization, neurological dysfunction, and systemic hormonal alternations. It remains unclear how these complex pathophysiological changes are linked to molecular alterations that influence bone metabolism in SCI. Sclerostin is a key negative regulator of bone formation and bone mass. We hypothesized that sclerostin could function as a major mediator of bone loss following SCI.

METHODS

To test this hypothesis, 10-week-old female sclerostin knockout (SOST KO) and wild type (WT) mice underwent complete spinal cord transection or laminectomy (Sham).

RESULTS

At 8 weeks after SCI, substantial loss of bone mineral density was observed at the distal femur and proximal tibia in WT mice but not in SOST KO mice. By μCT, trabecular bone volume of the distal femur was markedly decreased by 64 % in WT mice after SCI. In striking contrast, there was no significant reduction of bone volume in SOST KO/SCI mice compared with SOST KO/sham. Histomorphometric analysis of trabecular bone revealed that the significant reduction in bone formation rate following SCI was observed in WT mice but not in SOST KO mice. Moreover, SCI did not alter osteoblastogenesis of marrow stromal cells in SOST KO mice.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that SOST KO mice were protected from the major sublesional bone loss that invariably follows SCI. The evidence indicates that sclerostin is an important mediator of the marked sublesional bone loss after SCI, and that pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin may represent a promising novel approach to this challenging clinical problem.

Hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes reduced in lower esophageal sphincter of patients with achalasia

The etiology of achalasia remains largely unknown. Considerable evidence reveals that the lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction is due to the lack of inhibitory neurotransmitter, secondary to esophageal neuronal inflammation or loss. Recent studies suggest hydrogen sulfide may act as an inhibitory transmitter in gastrointestinal tract, but study about hydrogen sulfide in human esophagus still lack. The aim of the study was to investigate if hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes could be detected in human esophagus and if the synthesis of the endogenous hydrogen sulfide could be affected in achalasia patients. Tissue samples in cardia, lower esophageal sphincter, 2 cm and 4 cm above lower esophageal sphincter were obtained from achalasia patients undergoing peroral endoscopic myotomy. Control tissues in lower esophageal sphincter were obtained from esophageal carcinoma patients. Expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase in lower esophageal sphincter of achalasia patients and control were detected by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase were compared among different parts of esophagus in achalasia patients. Compared with control, the expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase in lower esophageal sphincter of achalasia patients was significantly reduced (χ² = 11.429, P = 0.010). The expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase were lower in lower esophageal sphincter than that in 2 cm and 4 cm above lower esophageal sphincter, respectively (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the expression of hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes, cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase, can be detected in human esophagus and is reduced in patients with achalasia, which implicates the involvement of the two hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes in the pathophysiology of achalasia.

Over-expression of multiple cytochrome P450 genes in fenvalerate-resistant field strains of Helicoverpa armigera from north of China

Pyrethroid resistance was one of the main reasons for control failure of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in China. The promotion of Bt crops decreased the application of chemical insecticides in controlling H.armigera. However, the cotton bollworm still kept high levels of resistance to fenvalerate. In this study, the resistance levels of 8 field-collected strains of H. armigera from north of China to 4 insecticides, as well as the expression levels of related P450 genes were investigated. The results of bioassay indicated that the resistance levels to fenvalerate in the field strains varied from 5.4- to 114.7-fold, while the resistance levels to lambda-cyhalothrin, phoxim and methomyl were low, which were ranged from 1.5- to 5.2-, 0.2- to 1.6-, and 2.9- to 8.3- fold, respectively, compared to a susceptible strain. Synergistic experiment showed that PBO was the most effective synergist in increasing the sensitivity of H. armigera to fenvalerate, suggesting that P450 enzymes were involved in the pyrethroid resistance in the field strains. The results of quantitative RT-PCR indicated that eight P450 genes (CYP332A1, CYP4L11, CYP4L5, CYP4M6, CYP4M7, CYP6B7, CYP9A12, CYP9A14) were all significantly overexpressed in Hejian1 and Xiajin1 strains of H. armigera collected in 2013, and CYP4L5 was significantly overexpressed in all the 6 field strains collected in 2014. CYP332A1, CYP6B7 and CYP9A12 had very high overexpression levels in all the field strains, indicating their important roles in fenvalerate resistance. The results suggested that multiple P450 genes were involved in the high-level fenvalerate-resistance in different field strains of H. armigera collected from north of China.

Change in serum TSH levels within the reference range was associated with variation of future blood pressure: a 5-year follow-up study

Controversy exists on the relationship between serum thyrotropin (TSH) and blood pressure, and only a few prospective studies are available up to now. The study aimed to investigate the association between serum TSH within the reference range and blood pressure through a 5-year follow-up study. A total of 623 subjects with normal TSH were followed up for 5 years, including the measurement of demographic data, blood pressure, height, weight and serum TSH. Finally, 531 subjects were included in this prospective study. Body mass index (BMI), prevalence of hypertension, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were all higher at follow-up than at baseline. Adjusted for age, gender, smoking status, BMI and homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at baseline, multiple linear regression analyses found no relationship between serum TSH at baseline and levels of blood pressure at follow-up, but the changes in serum TSH levels during follow-up was positively associated with the changes in systolic blood pressure (B=2.134, P<0.05), which became more significant in women but not significant in men. The change of systolic blood pressure in group of TSH increase >0.5 mIU l^-1 was significantly higher than in group of TSH decrease >0.5 mIU l^-1 within reference, after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, BMI and HOMA-IR at baseline. This result became more significant in women, but no statistical significance was observed in men. Co-variation with serum TSH levels and blood pressure was observed during 5-year follow-up among people with normal TSH.

A replication study of 49 Type 2 diabetes risk variants in a Punjabi Pakistani population

AIM

The burden of Type 2 diabetes is alarmingly high in South Asia, a region that has many genetically diverse ethnic populations. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted largely in European populations have identified a number of loci predisposing to Type 2 diabetes risk, however, the relevance of such genetic loci in many South Asian sub-ethnicities remains elusive. The aim of this study was to replicate 49 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously identified through GWAS in Punjabis living in Pakistan.

METHODS

We examined the association of 49 SNPs in 853 Type 2 diabetes cases and 1945 controls using additive logistic regression models after adjusting for age and gender.

RESULTS

Of the 49 SNPs investigated, eight showed a nominal association (P < 0.05) that also remained significant after controlling for the false discovery rate. The most significant association was found for rs7903146 at the TCF7L2 locus. For a per unit increase in the risk score comprising of all the 49 SNPs, the odds ratio in association with Type 2 diabetes risk was 1.16 (95% CI 1.13-1.19, P < 2.0E-16).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that some Type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci are shared between Europeans and Punjabis living in Pakistan.

[Septic arthritis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective analysis of 6 cases]

Base on the clinical characteristics of septic arthritis in a group of systemic lupus erythematosus patients, this study has found out that high systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index, leucopenia, high cumulative dose of glucocorticoid, methylprednisolone intravenous pulse therapy and joint cavity puncture were closely correlated with septic arthritis. Once septic arthritis is suspected, culture specimens should be collected and appropriate antibiotics are suggested immediately. Also, surgical drainage is a very useful approach.

Gut microbes in correlation with mood: case study in a closed experimental human life support system

BACKGROUND

Gut microbial community, which may influence our mood, can be shaped by modulating the gut ecosystem through dietary strategies. Understanding the gut-brain correlationship in healthy people is important for maintenance of mental health and prevention of mental illnesses.

METHODS

A case study on the correlation between gut microbial alternation and mood swing of healthy adults was conducted in a closed human life support system during a 105-day experiment. Gut microbial community structures were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing every 2 weeks. A profile of mood states questionnaire was used to record the mood swings. Correlation between gut microbes and mood were identified with partial least squares discrimination analysis.

KEY RESULTS

Microbial community structures in the three healthy adults were strongly correlated with mood states. Bacterial genera Roseburia, Phascolarctobacterium, Lachnospira, and Prevotella had potential positive correlation with positive mood, while genera Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Anaerostipes were correlated with negative mood. Among which, Faecalibacterium spp. had the highest abundance, and showed a significant negative correlation with mood.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Our results indicated that the composition of microbial community could play a role in emotional change in mentally physically healthy adults.

[Application of benchmark dose on renal injury in people chronically exposed to lead]

Objective: To screen sensitive indicators of renal injury in lead workers using benchmark dose method. Methods: Of the 486 subjects,116 did not occupationally contact to lead as a control. The blood lead was considered as exposure biomarker, while Uβ₂-MG and UNAG as effect biomarkers for renal injury. The BMD and BMDL of blood lead were estimated at the 10% benchmark response using BMDS Version 2.6. Results: There was statistical rise in blood lead between the lead group and control group (P<0.05) ; and the blood lead level was divided into four groups by quarterback spacing method, among which UNAG was statistically different (P<0.05) . There was an increased prevalence of abnormal rates of Uβ₂-MG and UNAG with increasing blood lead concentration (P<0.05) , after trend chi-square test. BMD and BMDL of UNAG and Uβ₂-MG were 602.784/431.838 μg/L and 130.398/100.981 μg/L caculated by Log-Probit model, respectively. Conclusions: Occupational lead exposure may cause kidney damage, and UNAG could be as a more sensitive marker for monitoring early renal injury than Uβ₂-MG.

Molecular cloning of the SMAD4 gene and its mRNA expression analysis in ovarian follicles of the Yangzhou goose (Anser cygnoides)

Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) is an important protein in animal reproduction. It plays pivotal roles in cellular pathways, including apoptosis. The expression profile of the SMAD4 gene in goose ovarian follicles has not been reported. In this study, the SMAD4 coding sequence was cloned from the Yangzhou goose. A phylogenetic analysis was performed and mRNA expression was examined in various tissues using quantitative real-time PCR. An alternative splice form of SMAD4, SMAD4-b having 1656 bp, was identified. SMAD4-a mRNA was widely expressed in various healthy tissues, whereas SMAD4-b was very weakly expressed. SMAD4 mRNA in the ovary and oviduct was significantly higher than that in the pituitary and hypothalamus. SMAD4 mRNA expression analysis in hierarchical follicles showed that the level of SMAD4 mRNA was higher in large white follicles and post-ovulatory follicles than in the other follicles. The results indicate that SMAD4 might be involved in the recruitment of hierarchical follicles.

Cell morphologic changes and PCNA expression within craniofacial sutures during monkey Class III treatment

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate and compare the cellular morphologic changes and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression within craniofacial sutures in growing Rhesus monkeys treated with a Class III functional appliance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six Rhesus monkeys in the mixed dentition stage were divided into three groups: a 45-day experimental group, a 90-day experimental group, and a control group. Monkeys in the experimental groups were fitted with a Class III magnetic twin-block appliance. Cellular changes in six craniofacial sutures-the zygomaticomaxillary, zygomaticotemporal, transverse palatine, pterygopalatine, zygomaticofrontal, and frontomaxillary sutures were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated by means of histomorphologic analysis, TEM, and immunohistochemical test of PCNA.

RESULTS

Obvious and altered bone remodeling combined with bone deposition and resorption was present in craniofacial sutures in the experimental groups. Increased activity of enlarged fibroblasts with abundant organelles was revealed. PCNA expression increased in the 45-day group compared with the control group, followed by the 90-day group. The highest percentage of PCNA-positive cells was found in the pterygopalatine suture in the 45-day group and the zygomaticomaxillary suture in the 90-day group.

CONCLUSIONS

The pterygopalatine and zygomaticomaxillary sutures are more active among the craniofacial sutures in the craniofacial complex remodeling during Class III treatment. The magnetic twin-block appliance effectively promoted suture remodeling by enhancing the activity and proliferation of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and fibroblasts, especially in the early phase.

[Time related receiver operation characteristic curves and its application in clinical trials and diagnostic analysis]

By using R language to deal with practical problems, we introduce two methods of obtaining time related receiver operation characteristic [ROC(t)] curves from survival data: 1) nearest-neighbor estimator of bivariate distribution (NNE) estimation: to obtain cumulative/dynamic ROC(C/D) (t) curves; 2) Cox estimation: to obtain incident/dynamic ROC(I/D) (t) curves. The areas under the ROC(t) curves (AUC) obtained from the two methods fluctuate over time. The one obtained through NNE has bigger fluctuation than that obtained through Cox, while the mean of AUC of the two methods are similar. Time related ROC (t) can be effectively used to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of the marker in clinical trials, and help to select the best diagnostic time of the marker. According to the different scientific interests, researchers should select relevant methods for more accurate evaluation.

Somatic, positive and negative domains of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies

BACKGROUND

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is moderately heritable, however genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for MDD, as well as for related continuous outcomes, have not shown consistent results. Attempts to elucidate the genetic basis of MDD may be hindered by heterogeneity in diagnosis. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale provides a widely used tool for measuring depressive symptoms clustered in four different domains which can be combined together into a total score but also can be analysed as separate symptom domains.

METHOD

We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS of the CES-D symptom clusters. We recruited 12 cohorts with the 20- or 10-item CES-D scale (32 528 persons).

RESULTS

One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs713224, located near the brain-expressed melatonin receptor (MTNR1A) gene, was associated with the somatic complaints domain of depression symptoms, with borderline genome-wide significance (p discovery = 3.82 × 10-8). The SNP was analysed in an additional five cohorts comprising the replication sample (6813 persons). However, the association was not consistent among the replication sample (p discovery+replication = 1.10 × 10-6) with evidence of heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the effort to harmonize the phenotypes across cohorts and participants, our study is still underpowered to detect consistent association for depression, even by means of symptom classification. On the contrary, the SNP-based heritability and co-heritability estimation results suggest that a very minor part of the variation could be captured by GWAS, explaining the reason of sparse findings.

Longitudinal evaluation of functional connectivity variation in the monkey sensorimotor network induced by spinal cord injury

AIM

Given the unclear pattern of cerebral function reorganization induced by spinal cord injury (SCI), this study aimed to longitudinally evaluate the changes in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in the sensorimotor network after SCI and explore their relationship with gait performance.

METHODS

Four adult female rhesus monkeys were examined using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging during their healthy stage and after hemitransected SCI (4, 8 and 12 weeks after SCI), and the gait characteristics of their hindlimbs were recorded (except 4 weeks after SCI). Twenty sensorimotor-related cortical areas were adopted in the FC analysis to evaluate the functional network reorganization. Correlation analyses were then used to explore the relationship between functional network variations and gait characteristic changes.

RESULTS

Compared with that during the healthy stage, the FC strength during post-SCI period was significantly increased in multiple areas of the motor control network, including the primary sensorimotor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA) and putamen (Pu). However, the FC strength was remarkably reduced in the thalamus and parieto-occipital association cortex of the sensory network 8 weeks after SCI. Most FC intensities gradually approached the normal level 12 weeks after the SCI. Correlation analyses revealed that the enhanced FC strength between Pu and SMA in the left hemisphere, which regulates motor functions of the right side, was negatively correlated with the gait height of the right hindlimb.

CONCLUSION

The cerebral functional network presents an adjust-recover pattern after SCI, which may help us further understand the cerebral function reorganization after SCI.

Comparison of the heart failure risk stratification performance of the CKD-EPI equation and the MDRD equation for estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with Type 2 diabetes

AIMS

To investigate the risk prediction and the risk stratification performances of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRCKD - EPI vs. eGFRMDRD ) on heart failure in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

The study cohort included 12 258 White and 16 886 African American low-income patients with Type 2 diabetes who were 30-90 years old at baseline. Heart failure risk according to different eGFRCKD - EPI and eGFRMDRD categories was prospectively assessed.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 6.5 years, 5043 incident heart failure cases were identified. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of heart failure associated with the eGFRCKD - EPI categories [≥ 90 (reference group), 75-89, 60-74, 30-59 and < 30 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ] were 1.00, 1.11, 1.31, 1.75 and 2.93 (Ptrend < 0.001) for African American patients, and 1.00, 1.11, 1.08, 1.59 and 2.92 (Ptrend < 0.001) for White patients, respectively. The model with eGFRCKD - EPI and the other risk factors had significantly higher Harrell's C than the model with eGFRMDRD and other risk factors. Patients reclassified downward from eGFRMDRD 60-74 to eGFRCKD - EPI 30-59 and from eGFRMDRD 30-59 to eGFRCKD - EPI < 30 ml/min/1.73 m(2) showed higher heart failure risk than those who were not reclassified.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired kidney function (i.e. GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ), and even mildly decreased GFR (60-74 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ) estimated by both equations is associated with an increased risk of heart failure. Compared with GFR estimated using the MDRD equation, GFR estimated using the CKD-EPI equation added more predictive power to the model with the other risk factors. Also, eGFRCKD - EPI provided more accurate heart failure risk stratification than eGFRMDRD .

Time-frequency energy density precipitation method for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals

The time-of-flight of the Lamb wave provides an important basis for defect evaluation in metal plates and is the input signal for Lamb wave tomographic imaging. However, the time-of-flight can be difficult to acquire because of the Lamb wave dispersion characteristics. This work proposes a time-frequency energy density precipitation method to accurately extract the time-of-flight of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals in metal plates. In the proposed method, a discrete short-time Fourier transform is performed on the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals to obtain the corresponding discrete time-frequency energy density distribution. The energy density values at the center frequency for all discrete time points are then calculated by linear interpolation. Next, the time-domain energy density curve focused on that center frequency is precipitated by least squares fitting of the calculated energy density values. Finally, the peak times of the energy density curve obtained relative to the initial pulse signal are extracted as the time-of-flight for the narrowband Lamb wave detection signals. An experimental platform is established for time-of-flight extraction of narrowband Lamb wave detection signals, and sensitivity analysis of the proposed time-frequency energy density precipitation method is performed in terms of propagation distance, dispersion characteristics, center frequency, and plate thickness. For comparison, the widely used Hilbert-Huang transform method is also implemented for time-of-flight extraction. The results show that the time-frequency energy density precipitation method can accurately extract the time-of-flight with relative error of <1% and thus can act as a universal time-of-flight extraction method for narrowband Lamb wave detection signals.

[Determination of thiodiglycolic acid in urine by ion chromatography with solidphase extraction]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a SPE-IC method to determine the thiodiglycolic acid in the urine of workers who were exposed to vinyl chloride monomer.

METHODS

The samples were prepared by the process of being centrifuged and purified by C18 SPE column before separated by AS19 anion exchange column and detected by conductivity detector. The thiodiglycolic acid were characterized by the retention time and quantified by peak area and external standard method.

RESULTS

The range of linearity was 0.05~50.00 μg/ml, and the correlation coefficient was 0.999 9. The method detection limit was 0.1 μg/ml and the method quantitative limit was 0.3 μg/ml. The within-run precision was 1.26%~5.03% and the betweenrun precision was 0.50%~8.78%. The spiked recoveries were 80.10%~104.20%. Samples could bestored at-20 ℃ for at least 2 weeks. The determination of thiodiglycolic acid could not be interfered by chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid and other endogenous ionic compounds.

CONCLUSION

This method is feasible for determination of thiodiglycolic acid in the urine of workers who were exposed to vinyl chloride monomer.

[Influence of sevoflurane concentration and stimulation voltage on motor evoked potentials in intraspinal tumor surgery]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of increasing end-tidal concentrations of sevoflurane and increasing stimulation voltage on motor evoked potentials, so as to provide evidence in making anesthesia plan for intraspinal tumor surgery.

METHODS

In the study, 48 patients scheduled to undergo intraspinal tumor surgery [American Society of Anesthesiology,(ASA) I-II, 18-65 years old] were enrolled. After general anesthesia induction, the patients were assigned to receive sevoflurane anesthesia of increasing end-tidal concentration in the sequence of 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% respectively, under a background of propofol and remifentanil. All the observations were done before the important steps of surgery. Remifentanil infusion rate was 0.2 μg /(kg×min), while the propofol infusion rate was adjusted to maintain the bispectral index values within the range of 30-50. At each concentration, 4 stimulation voltages of 300 V, 400 V, 500 V and 600 V were employed to elicit motor evoked potentials (MEPs). The amplitude and latency of each MEP were compared. The success ratio was also recorded.

RESULTS

The concentration of sevoflurane and the stimulation voltage had impacts on the amplitude and latency of MEPs. Under each stimulation voltage, the MEPs amplitude decreased following increasing end-tidal sevoflurane concentrations, and significant differences were found in comparing 1.5% sevoflurane (left 20.50 μV, 70.71 μV, 135.97 μV, 190.00 μV , right 14.29 μV, 50.71 μV, 73.10 μV, 77.50 μV) with 0.0% sevoflurane (left 143.00 μV, 388.10 μV, 484.53 μV, 500.00 μV, right 176.00 μV, 407.60 μV, 384.35 μV, 451.00 μV) and 0.5% sevoflurane (left 100.00 μV, 362.57 μV, 444.05 μV, 435.00 μV, right 115.00 μV, 207.15 μV, 258.34 μV, 358.50 μV), left χ(2)= 27.46,P<0.01, right χ(2)= 60.49,P<0.01; left χ(2)= 20.73,P<0.01, right χ(2)= 55.05,P<0.01;left χ(2)= 34.25,P<0.01,right χ(2)=33.58,P<0.01;left χ(2)= 28.61,P<0.01 ,right χ(2)= 49.04,P<0.01; while there were no statistical differences in the latency changes (P=0.26). Under each end-tidal sevoflurane concentration, the MEPs amplitude increased following increasing stimulation voltages, and significant differences were found in comparing 300 V (left 143.00 μV, 100.00 μV, 61.50 μV, 20.50 μV , right 176.00 μV, 115.00 μV, 41.07 μV, 14.29 μV) with 400 V (left 388.10 μV, 362.57 μV, 198.81 μV, 70.71 μV, right 407.60 μV, 207.15 μV, 89.00 μV, 50.71 μV) and 500 V (left 484.53 μ V, 444.05 μV, 216.24 μV, 135.97 μV, right 384.35 μV, 258.34 μV, 187.50 μV, 73.10 μV) and 600 V (left 500.00 μV, 435.00 μV, 344.00 μV, 190.00 μV, right 451.00 μV, 385.50 μV, 156.00 μV, 77.50 μV), left χ(2)= 45.55,P<0.01, right χ(2)= 25.73,P<0.01; left χ(2)= 46.67,P<0.01, right χ(2)= 55.30,P<0.01;left χ(2)= 47.36,P<0.01,right χ(2)= 47.82,P<0.01; left χ(2)= 38.67,P<0.01, right χ(2)= 45.87,P<0.01; while the latencies were decreased, and significant differences were found in comparing 300 V with 400 V and 500 V and 600V(left F=7.50,P=0.01 , right F=13.33,P<0.01), but the differences had little clinical significance. The success ratio decreased by increasing end-tidal sevoflurane concentration, and significant differences were found in comparing 1.5% sevoflurane (left 43.8%,70.8%, 77.1%,81.3%, right 37.5%,60.4%,75.0%,66.7%) with 0.0% sevoflurane (left 79.2%,87.5%,95.8%,93.8%, right 75.0%,95.8%,95.8%, 95.8%) and 0.5% sevoflurane (left 72.9%,89.6%,95.8%,95.8%, right 66.7%,89.6%,95.8%, 97.9%); the success ratio increased by increasing stimulation voltage, and significant differences were found in comparing 300 V(left 79.2%,72.9%,62.5%,43.8%, right 75.0%,66.7%,60.4%, 37.5%)with 400 V(left 87.5% ,89.6%,77.1%,70.8% , right 95.8%,89.6%,79.2%,60.4%)and 500 V(left 95.8%,95.8%,91.7%,77.1%, right 95.8%,95.8%,81.3%,75.0%)and 600 V (left 93.8%, 95.8%,89.6%,81.3%, right 95.8%,97.9%,89.6%,66.7%), but there were no statistical differences in the success ratio of MEPs between the group with stimulation voltage of 600 V , end tidal sevoflurane concentration of 1.5% and the group with stimulation voltage of 300 V, end tidal sevoflurane concentration of 0.0% (P=0.22).

CONCLUSION

Sevoflurane inhibited MEPs in a dose-dependent manner. It can decrease the amplitudes and prolong the latencies. But increasing stimulation voltage will facilitate MEPs monitoring and increase the success ratio. Sevoflurane can be used in larger parts of MEPs monitoring surgery by increasing the stimulation voltage.