Extracellular vesicles and their synthetic analogues in aging and age-associated brain diseases

Multicellular organisms rely upon diverse and complex intercellular communications networks for a myriad of physiological processes. Disruption of these processes is implicated in the onset and propagation of disease and disorder, including the mechanisms of senescence at both cellular and organismal levels. In recent years, secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as a particularly novel vector by which cell-to-cell communications are enacted. EVs actively and specifically traffic bioactive proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites between cells at local and systemic levels, modulating cellular responses in a bidirectional manner under both homeostatic and pathological conditions. EVs are being implicated not only in the generic aging process, but also as vehicles of pathology in a number of age-related diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative and disease. Thus, circulating EVs-or specific EV cargoes-are being utilised as putative biomarkers of disease. On the other hand, EVs, as targeted intercellular shuttles of multipotent bioactive payloads, have demonstrated promising therapeutic properties, which can potentially be modulated and enhanced through cellular engineering. Furthermore, there is considerable interest in employing nanomedicinal approaches to mimic the putative therapeutic properties of EVs by employing synthetic analogues for targeted drug delivery. Herein we describe what is known about the origin and nature of EVs and subsequently review their putative roles in biology and medicine (including the use of synthetic EV analogues), with a particular focus on their role in aging and age-related brain diseases.

Generation of Foxo3-targeted Mice by Injection of mRNAs Encoding Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) into Zygotes

In this study, for exploring the mechanism of forkhead box O3(Foxo3) participating in regulation of the activation of primordial oocytes, Foxo3-targeted mice were generated by injection of mRNAs encoding transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) into mouse zygotes. The TALEN sites were designed with high conservative homologous region among pig, bovine, buffalo and mouse by commercial bio-companies. The TALENs mutagenic non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair activity were determined to be 31.3% in human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK-293T) cells by dual luciferase reporter assay system. Then, we firstly injected TALEN-mRNAs into the cytoplasm of mouse zygotes by micromanipulation, and four of 48 mouse blastocysts were identified as mutation by sequencing. Subsequently, by the method of TALEN-mRNAs injected into the zygotes with pronucleus micromanipulation technique, we obtained seven Foxo3 mutants of 20 FVB/NJ backgrounds mice which were Foxo3-independent alleles with frameshift and deletion mutations. It was very interesting that all seven were heterozygous mutants (Foxo3(-/+) ), and the gene mutagenesis rates of the mice reached 35%. The five Foxo3 mutant females were all infertile in the following 6 months after birth. The histological examination results showed that there were rare primordial follicles and primary follicles in the ovary of Foxo3 mutant compared to that of wide-type female mice. Moreover, one of two mutant males was subfertile and another was fertile normally. Those results suggested that the mutant of Foxo3 severely affected the fertile ability of female and perhaps male in some degree; furthermore, an even more efficient TALENs-based gene mutation method has been established to be poised to revolutionize the study of mouse and other species genetics.

ΛΛ Correlation function in Au+Au collisions at √[S(NN)]=200 GeV

We present ΛΛ correlation measurements in heavy-ion collisions for Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV using the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. The Lednický-Lyuboshitz analytical model has been used to fit the data to obtain a source size, a scattering length and an effective range. Implications of the measurement of the ΛΛ correlation function and interaction parameters for dihyperon searches are discussed.

Mode-multiplexed transmission over conventional graded-index multimode fibers

We present experimental results for combined mode-multiplexed and wavelength multiplexed transmission over conventional graded-index multimode fibers. We use mode-selective photonic lanterns as mode couplers to precisely excite a subset of the modes of the multimode fiber and additionally to compensate for the differential group delay between the excited modes. Spatial mode filters are added to suppress undesired higher order modes. We transmit 30-Gbaud QPSK signals over 60 WDM channels, 3 spatial modes, and 2 polarizations, reaching a distance of 310 km based on a 44.3 km long span. We also report about transmission experiments over 6 spatial modes for a 17-km single-span experiment. The results indicate that multimode fibers support scalable mode-division multiplexing approaches, where modes can be added over time if desired. Also the results indicate that mode-multiplexed transmission distance over 300 km are possible in conventional multimode fibers.

Successful treatment of renal light chain (AL) amyloidosis with bortezomib and dexamethasone (VD)

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy and tolerability of bortezomib with dexamethasone for patients with renal light chain (AL) amyloidosis.

METHODS

Twelve newly diagnosed patients with renal AL amyloidosis were treated with a combination of bortezomib (1.3mg/m(2)/d iv, d1, 4, 8, 11) and dexamethasone (20mg/d iv drip, d1-4).

RESULTS

Median follow-up time was 22.5 months (range, 2.1-53.6). Ten patients were evaluable. Five out of 10 (50%) patients achieved complete hematologic responses (CHR), and totally 8/10 (80%) achieved hematologic responses (HR). Median time to hematologic response was 1 month. All patients who received HR had no hematologic progression during follow-up period. Five patients (50%) had kidney responses and the other 5 patients (50%) were stable. Median time to kidney response was 3 months. No patients presented renal progression during follow-up. One patient achieved PR after 4 cycles of VD and then received autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Two out of 10 evaluable patients without hematologic response had died with median overall survival of 8.2 months. Eight of them who had HR were alive with median follow-up time of 28.5 months. Infection (6/12) and fatigue (5/12) were the most frequent side effects. Three patients developed herpes zoster and had to discontinue therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

VD produces rapid, deep and durable hematological responses and renal responses in the majority of patients with newly diagnosed renal AL. It is well tolerated. This treatment may be a good option as first-line treatment for renal AL amyloidosis patients.

First Report of Pestalotiopsis vismiae Causing Trunk Disease of Chinese Hickory (Carya cathayensis) in China

Chinese hickory is an important forest crop in Anhui and Zhejiang provinces of China. In a survey conducted from 2010 to 2013, serious trunk disease was revealed on C. cathayensis in Ningguo city, Anhui Province. In 2013, nearly 20% of hickory orchards and 5% of hickory trees were affected in this region. Symptoms observed from May to November included dark brown bark lesions and bark cracking on trunks. Bark cracks increased in size over time (mostly more than 80 cm long), extending into the phloem and leading to extensive areas of bark loss with discoloration of the underlying xylem. In most cases, infected plants died within 2 to 4 years. Infected samples collected from 16 orchards in Nanji town and 8 orchards in Hule town were surface sterilized with 1.5% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25°C in the dark for 1 week. Eleven similar isolates were obtained from diseased trunks. Colonies reached 7.5 cm diameter after 7 days on PDA at 25°C. Fungal colonies were white with sparse aerial mycelium. Acervuli containing black, slimy spore masses on the surface were present after 12 days at 25°C. Conidia were fusiform to clavate with five cells, 17.5 to 22.5 × 5.2 to 6.4 μm. Apical and basal cells were colorless, while the middle cells were heterochrome; the upper two middle cells were darker than the lower one (3). There were two or three hyaline filamentous appendages (mostly two), 14.5 to 20.6 μm long, attached to each apical cell, and one hyaline appendage (3.5 to 6.6 μm long) attached to each basal cell. Cultural and morphological characteristics of these isolates matched the genus description for Pestalotiopsis (2). The universal rDNA-ITS primer pair ITS4/ITS5 was used to amplify a DNA fragment of approximately 633 bp. The amplified PCR products were sequenced and compared through BLASTn analysis. Sequences of all isolates were identical and 99% similar to Pestalotiopsis vismiae (GenBank Accession Nos. FJ481027.1 and AB251916.1) and P. hansenii. The sequence of isolate RCEF6350 was deposited in GenBank (KM015217). Morphological features best match P. vismiae and with the supporting molecular data, the pathogen was identified as P. vismiae. To confirm pathogenicity, conidial suspensions (10⁶ conidia ml^-1) of each of two isolates were inoculated in three holes (0.5 cm in diameter) drilled to the cambium of each of 12 trees (15 years old). Distilled water was the control. Holes were wrapped with wet absorbent cotton and Parafilm. After 30 days, 62.5% of the inoculated trees developed symptoms similar to natural infections of P. vismiae, whereas control trees remained symptomless. P. vismiae with identical morphology was re-isolated from the lesions to complete Koch's postulates. Therefore, P. vismiae was identified as the causal agent for trunk disease of C. cathayensis in China. P. vismiae was previously reported as a pathogen of Myrica rubra (1); to our knowledge, this is the first report of P. vismiae as a pathogen on Chinese hickory in China. References: (1) F. Y. Chen et al. Plant Dis. 96:588, 2012. (2) Q. X. Ge et al. Flora Fungorum Sinicorum. Vol. 38, Pestalotiopsis. Science Press, Beijing, 2009. (3) J. X. Zhang. Master's thesis, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 2003.

Observation of D0 meson nuclear modifications in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 200 GeV

We report the first measurement of charmed-hadron (D(0)) production via the hadronic decay channel (D(0) → K(-) + π(+)) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 200 GeV with the STAR experiment. The charm production cross section per nucleon-nucleon collision at midrapidity scales with the number of binary collisions, N(bin), from p+p to central Au+Au collisions. The D(0) meson yields in central Au + Au collisions are strongly suppressed compared to those in p+p scaled by N(bin), for transverse momenta p(T) > 3 GeV/c, demonstrating significant energy loss of charm quarks in the hot and dense medium. An enhancement at intermediate p(T) is also observed. Model calculations including strong charm-medium interactions and coalescence hadronization describe our measurements.

A phase I dose escalation trial of tremelimumab (CP-675,206) in combination with gemcitabine in chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Tremelimumab (CP-675,206) is a fully human monoclonal antibody binding to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) on T cells that stimulates the immune system by blocking the CTLA4-negative regulatory signal. Combination with standard chemotherapy may strengthen antitumor therapy. This is a phase Ib, multisite, open-label, nonrandomized dose escalation trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of tremelimumab combined with gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycles) was administrated with escalating doses of i.v. tremelimumab (6, 10, or 15 mg/kg) on day 1 of each 84-day cycle for a maximum of 4 cycles. The first 18 patients had an initial 4-week gemcitabine-only lead-in period. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) related to tremelimumab were evaluated during the first 6 weeks after the first dose of tremelimumab.

RESULTS

From June 2008 to August 2011, 34 patients were enrolled and received at least one dose of tremelimumab. No DLTs related to tremelimumab were observed at any dose, even when the maximum dose established for tremelimumab (15 mg/kg) was used. Most frequent grade 3/4 toxicities were asthenia (11.8%) and nausea (8.8%). Only one patient had a serious drug-related event (diarrhea with dehydration). The median overall survival was 7.4 months (95% confidence interval 5.8-9.4 months). At the end of treatment, two patients achieved partial response. Both patients received tremelimumab 15-mg/kg group (n = 2/19, 10.5%).

CONCLUSION

Tremelimumab plus gemcitabine demonstrated a safety and tolerability profile, warranting further study in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

CLINICALTRIALSGOV ID

NCT00556023.

Beam energy dependence of moments of the net-charge multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions at RHIC

We report the first measurements of the moments--mean (M), variance (σ(2)), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ)--of the net-charge multiplicity distributions at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at seven energies, ranging from sqrt[sNN]=7.7 to 200 GeV, as a part of the Beam Energy Scan program at RHIC. The moments are related to the thermodynamic susceptibilities of net charge, and are sensitive to the location of the QCD critical point. We compare the products of the moments, σ(2)/M, Sσ, and κσ(2), with the expectations from Poisson and negative binomial distributions (NBDs). The Sσ values deviate from the Poisson baseline and are close to the NBD baseline, while the κσ(2) values tend to lie between the two. Within the present uncertainties, our data do not show nonmonotonic behavior as a function of collision energy. These measurements provide a valuable tool to extract the freeze-out parameters in heavy-ion collisions by comparing with theoretical models.

Fatty acid synthase inhibition engages a novel caspase-2 regulatory mechanism to induce ovarian cancer cell death

Blockade of fatty acid synthase (FASN), a key enzyme involved in de novo lipogenesis, results in robust death of ovarian cancer cells. However, known FASN inhibitors have proven to be poor therapeutic agents due to their ability to induce cachexia. Therefore, we sought to identify additional targets in the pathway linking FASN inhibition and cell death whose modulation might kill ovarian cancer cells without the attendant side effects. Here, we show that the initiator caspase-2 is required for robust death of ovarian cancer cells induced by FASN inhibitors. REDD1 (also known as Rtp801 or DDIT4), a known mTOR inhibitor previously implicated in the response to FASN inhibition, is a novel caspase-2 regulator in this pathway. REDD1 induction is compromised in ovarian cancer cells that do not respond to FASN inhibition. Inhibition of FASN induced an ATF4-dependent transcriptional induction of REDD1; downregulation of REDD1 prevented orlistat-induced activation of caspase-2, as monitored by its cleavage, proteolytic activity, and dimerization. Abrogation of REDD1-mediated suppression of mTOR by TSC2 RNAi protected FASN inhibitor-sensitive ovarian cancer cells (OVCA 420 cells) from orlistat-induced death. Conversely, suppression of mTOR with the chemical inhibitors PP242 or rapamycin sensitized DOV13, an ovarian cancer cell line incapable of inducing REDD1, to orlistat-induced cell death through caspase-2. These findings indicate that REDD1 positively controls caspase-2-dependent cell death of ovarian cancer cells by inhibiting mTOR, placing mTOR as a novel upstream regulator of caspase-2 and supporting the possibility of manipulating mTOR to enhance caspase-2 activation in ovarian cancer.

Measurement of longitudinal spin asymmetries for weak boson production in polarized proton-proton collisions at RHIC

We report measurements of single- and double-spin asymmetries for W^{±} and Z/γ^{*} boson production in longitudinally polarized p+p collisions at sqrt[s]=510  GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The asymmetries for W^{±} were measured as a function of the decay lepton pseudorapidity, which provides a theoretically clean probe of the proton's polarized quark distributions at the scale of the W mass. The results are compared to theoretical predictions, constrained by polarized deep inelastic scattering measurements, and show a preference for a sizable, positive up antiquark polarization in the range 0.05<x<0.2.

Beam-energy dependence of charge separation along the magnetic field in Au+Au collisions at RHIC

Local parity-odd domains are theorized to form inside a quark-gluon plasma which has been produced in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. The local parity-odd domains manifest themselves as charge separation along the magnetic field axis via the chiral magnetic effect. The experimental observation of charge separation has previously been reported for heavy-ion collisions at the top RHIC energies. In this Letter, we present the results of the beam-energy dependence of the charge correlations in Au+Au collisions at midrapidity for center-of-mass energies of 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and 62.4 GeV from the STAR experiment. After background subtraction, the signal gradually reduces with decreased beam energy and tends to vanish by 7.7 GeV. This implies the dominance of hadronic interactions over partonic ones at lower collision energies.

Dielectron mass spectra from Au+Au collisions at √[s(NN)]=200 GeV

We report the STAR measurements of dielectron (e(+)e(-)) production at midrapidity (|y(ee)|<1) in Au+Au collisions at √[s(NN)]=200  GeV. The measurements are evaluated in different invariant mass regions with a focus on 0.30-0.76 (ρ-like), 0.76-0.80 (ω-like), and 0.98-1.05 (ϕ-like)   GeV/c(2). The spectrum in the ω-like and ϕ-like regions can be well described by the hadronic cocktail simulation. In the ρ-like region, however, the vacuum ρ spectral function cannot describe the shape of the dielectron excess. In this range, an enhancement of 1.77±0.11(stat)±0.24(syst)±0.33(cocktail) is determined with respect to the hadronic cocktail simulation that excludes the ρ meson. The excess yield in the ρ-like region increases with the number of collision participants faster than the ω and ϕ yields. Theoretical models with broadened ρ contributions through interactions with constituents in the hot QCD medium provide a consistent description of the dilepton mass spectra for the measurement presented here and the earlier data at the Super Proton Synchrotron energies.

A dosimetric analysis of volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy with jaw width restriction vs 7 field intensity-modulated radiotherapy for definitive treatment of cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

Radiation therapy treatment planning was performed to compare the dosimetric difference between volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy (RapidArc™ v. 10; Varian® Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) and 7-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (7f-IMRT) in the definitive treatment of cervical cancer.

METHODS

13 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled in this study. Planning target volume (PTV) 50 and PTV60 were prescribed at a dose of 50 and 60 Gy in 28 fractions, respectively. The dose to the PTV60 was delivered as a simultaneous integrated boost to the pelvic lymph nodes. Owing to the mechanical limitation of the multileaf collimator in which the maximum displacement was limited to 15 cm, two types of RapidArc with different jaw width restrictions (15 and 20-23 cm) were investigated to evaluate their dosimetric differences. The RapidArc plan type with dosimetric superiority was then compared against the 7f-IMRT on the target coverage, sparing of the organs at risk (OARs), monitor units, treatment time and delivery accuracy to determine whether RapidArc is beneficial for the treatment of cervical cancer.

RESULTS

The 15-cm jaw width restriction had better performance compared with the restrictions that were longer than 15 cm in the sparing of the OARs. The 15-cm RapidArc spared the OARs, that is, the bladder, rectum, small intestine, femoral heads and bones, and improved treatment efficiency compared with 7f-IMRT. Both techniques delivered a high quality-assurance passing rate (>90%) according to the Γ3mm,3% criterion.

CONCLUSION

RapidArc with a 15-cm jaw width restriction spares the OARs and improves treatment efficiency in cervical cancer compared with 7f-IMRT.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

This study describes the dosimetric superiority of RapidArc with a 15-cm jaw width restriction and explores the feasibility of using RapidArc for the definitive treatment of cervical cancer.

LincRNA-ROR induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and contributes to breast cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis

LncRNAs have critical roles in various biological processes ranging from embryonic development to human diseases, including cancer progression, although their detailed mechanistic functions remain illusive. The lncRNA linc-ROR has been shown to contribute to the maintenance of induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells. In this study, we discovered that linc-ROR was upregulated in breast tumor samples, and ectopic overexpression of linc-ROR in immortalized human mammary epithelial cells induced an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Moreover, we showed that linc-ROR enhanced breast cancer cell migration and invasion, which was accompanied by generation of stem cell properties. Contrarily, silencing of linc-ROR repressed breast tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, our data revealed that linc-ROR was associated with miRNPs and functioned as a competing endogenous RNA to mi-205. Specifically, linc-ROR prevented the degradation of mir-205 target genes, including the EMT inducer ZEB2. Thus our results indicate that linc-ROR functions as an important regulator of EMT and can promote breast cancer progression and metastasis through regulation of miRNAs. Potentially, the findings of this study implicate the relevance of linc-ROR as a possible therapeutic target for aggressive and metastatic breast cancers.

Beam-energy dependence of the directed flow of protons, antiprotons, and pions in Au+Au collisions

Rapidity-odd directed flow (v1) measurements for charged pions, protons, and antiprotons near midrapidity (y=0) are reported in sNN=7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions as recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. At intermediate impact parameters, the proton and net-proton slope parameter dv1/dy|y=0 shows a minimum between 11.5 and 19.6 GeV. In addition, the net-proton dv1/dy|y=0 changes sign twice between 7.7 and 39 GeV. The proton and net-proton results qualitatively resemble predictions of a hydrodynamic model with a first-order phase transition from hadronic matter to deconfined matter, and differ from hadronic transport calculations.