Generation of tau dephosphorylation-targeting chimeras for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies

Abnormal hyperphosphorylation and accumulation of tau protein play a pivotal role in neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many other tauopathies. Selective elimination of hyperphosphorylated tau is promising for the therapy of these diseases. We have conceptualized a strategy, named dephosphorylation-targeting chimeras (DEPTACs), for specifically hijacking phosphatases to tau to debilitate its hyperphosphorylation. Here, we conducted the step-by-step optimization of each constituent motif to generate DEPTACs with reasonable effectiveness in facilitating the dephosphorylation and subsequent clearance of pathological tau. Specifically, for one of the selected chimeras, D16, we demonstrated its significant efficiency in rescuing the neurodegeneration caused by neurotoxic K18-tau seeds in vitro. Moreover, intravenous administration of D16 also alleviated tau pathologies in the brain and improved memory deficits in AD mice. These results suggested DEPTACs as targeted modulators of tau phosphorylation, which hold therapeutic potential for AD and other tauopathies.

Pork carcass composition, meat and belly qualities as influenced by feed efficiency selection in replacement boars from Large White sire and dam lines

This study evaluated carcass attributes, meat and belly qualities in finisher boars (n = 79) selected for feed efficiency (low, intermediate and high) based on estimated breeding value for feed conversion ratio within a Large White dam and sire genetic lines. The sire line had lower trimmed fat proportions and higher lean than the dam line (P < 0.01). Genetic lines expressed slight colour changes and drip losses (P < 0.05), with no differences in pH, marbling and cooking traits (P > 0.05). High-efficient animals presented the highest lean yield (P < 0.01), the lowest trimmed fat proportion (P < 0.01) and no effect on meat and belly quality attributes (P > 0.05) compared with other efficient groups. Interaction between efficiency group and genetic line was only detected for belly weight and thickness (P < 0.01). High-efficient animals offer a greater leanness level, with minimal impact on meat and belly quality traits.

Effect of contact precautions on preventing meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission in intensive care units: a review and modelling study of field trials

BACKGROUND

Contact precautions (CPs) have been widely implemented in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs), as the standard approach for managing meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, the effectiveness of CPs in preventing MRSA transmission remains a subject of debate.

AIM

To assess the effectiveness of CPs in reducing MRSA transmission within ICUs.

METHODS

A comprehensive analysis was conducted using data from 16 sets of parameters collected from 13 field studies investigating the effectiveness of CPs in ICUs, and an epidemiologic model was developed to simulate the dynamics of MRSA incidence in the hospital setting.

FINDINGS

The analysis demonstrated a mean reduction of 20.52% (95% confidence interval -30.52 to 71.60%) in the MRSA transmission rate associated with the implementation of CPs. Furthermore, reducing the time-delay of screening tests and increasing the percentage of patients identified with MRSA through screening at admission were found to contribute to the effectiveness of CPs.

CONCLUSION

Proper implementation of CPs, with a particular emphasis on early identification of MRSA-colonized/infected patients, demonstrated a strong association with reduced MRSA transmission within the hospital setting. However, further research is necessary to investigate the effectiveness and safety of decolonization and other interventions used in conjunction with CPs to mitigate the risk of infection among colonized patients.

A novel transgenic mouse line with hippocampus-dominant and inducible expression of truncated human tau

BACKGROUND

Intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau is a defining hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, mouse models imitating AD-exclusive neuronal tau pathologies are lacking.

METHODS

We generated a new tet-on transgenic mouse model expressing truncated human tau N1-368 (termed hTau368), a tau fragment increased in the brains of AD patients and aged mouse brains. Doxycycline (dox) was administered in drinking water to induce hTau368 expression. Immunostaining and Western blotting were performed to measure the tau level. RNA sequencing was performed to evaluate gene expression, and several behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate mouse cognitive functions, emotion and locomotion.

RESULTS

Dox treatment for 1-2 months at a young age induced overt and reversible human tau accumulation in the brains of hTau368 transgenic mice, predominantly in the hippocampus. Meanwhile, the transgenic mice exhibited AD-like high level of tau phosphorylation, glial activation, loss of mature neurons, impaired hippocampal neurogenesis, synaptic degeneration and cognitive deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

This study developed a well-characterized and easy-to-use tool for the investigations and drug development for AD and other tauopathies.

Targeting a vulnerable septum-hippocampus cholinergic circuit in a critical time window ameliorates tau-impaired memory consolidation

BACKGROUND

Abnormal tau accumulation and cholinergic degeneration are hallmark pathologies in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the sensitivity of cholinergic neurons to AD-like tau accumulation and strategies to ameliorate tau-disrupted spatial memory in terms of neural circuits still remain elusive.

METHODS

To investigate the effect and mechanism of the cholinergic circuit in Alzheimer's disease-related hippocampal memory, overexpression of human wild-type Tau (hTau) in medial septum (MS)-hippocampus (HP) cholinergic was achieved by specifically injecting pAAV-EF1α-DIO-hTau-eGFP virus into the MS of ChAT-Cre mice. Immunostaining, behavioral analysis and optogenetic activation experiments were used to detect the effect of hTau accumulation on cholinergic neurons and the MS-CA1 cholinergic circuit. Patch-clamp recordings and in vivo local field potential recordings were used to analyze the influence of hTau on the electrical signals of cholinergic neurons and the activity of cholinergic neural circuit networks. Optogenetic activation combined with cholinergic receptor blocker was used to detect the role of cholinergic receptors in spatial memory.

RESULTS

In the present study, we found that cholinergic neurons with an asymmetric discharge characteristic in the MS-hippocampal CA1 pathway are vulnerable to tau accumulation. In addition to an inhibitory effect on neuronal excitability, theta synchronization between the MS and CA1 subsets was significantly disrupted during memory consolidation after overexpressing hTau in the MS. Photoactivating MS-CA1 cholinergic inputs within a critical 3 h time window during memory consolidation efficiently improved tau-induced spatial memory deficits in a theta rhythm-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study not only reveals the vulnerability of a novel MS-CA1 cholinergic circuit to AD-like tau accumulation but also provides a rhythm- and time window-dependent strategy to target the MS-CA1 cholinergic circuit, thereby rescuing tau-induced spatial cognitive functions.

Poststress social isolation exerts anxiolytic effects by activating the ventral dentate gyrus

After aversive stress, people either choose to return to their previously familiar social environment or tend to adopt temporary social withdrawal to buffer negative emotions. However, which behavior intervention is more appropriate and when remain elusive. Here, we unexpectedly found that stressed mice experiencing social isolation exhibited less anxiety than those experiencing social contact. Within the first 24 h after returning to their previous social environment, mice experienced acute restraint stress (ARS) displayed low social interest but simultaneously received excessive social disturbance from their cage mates, indicating a critical time window for social isolation to balance the conflict. To screen brain regions that were differentially activated between the poststress social isolation and poststress social contact groups, we performed ΔFosB immunostaining and found that ΔFosB + signals were remarkably increased in the vDG of poststress social isolation group compared with poststress social contact group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the other anxiety- and social-related brain regions, such as prelimbic cortex, infralimbic cortex, nucleus accumbens, etc. These data indicate that vDG is closely related to the differential phenotypes between the poststress social isolation and poststress social contact groups. Electrophysiological recording, further, revealed a higher activity of vDG in the poststress social isolation group than the poststress social contact group. Chemogenetically inhibiting vDG excitatory neurons within the first 24 h after ARS completely abolished the anxiolytic effects of poststress social isolation, while stimulating vDG excitatory neurons remarkably reduced anxiety-like behaviors in the poststress social contact group. Together, these data suggest that the activity of vDG excitatory neurons is essential and sufficient to govern the anxiolytic effect of poststress social isolation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to uncover a beneficial role of temporal social isolation in acute stress-induced anxiety. In addition to the critical 24-h time window, activation of vDG is crucial for ameliorating anxiety through poststress social isolation.

Olfactory Threshold Test as a Quick Screening Tool for Cognitive Impairment: Analysis of Two Independent Cohorts

BACKGROUND

Olfactory dysfunction appears prior to cognitive decline, and thus it has been suggested to be an early predictor of Alzheimer's disease. However, it is currently not known whether and how olfactory threshold test could serve as a quick screening tool for cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE

To define olfactory threshold test for screening cognitive impairment in two independent cohorts.

METHODS

The participants are comprised of two cohorts in China, 1,139 inpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, Discovery cohort) and 1,236 community-dwelling elderly (Validation cohort). Olfactory and cognitive functions were evaluated by Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center test and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), respectively. Regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were carried out to determine the relation and discriminative performance of the olfactory threshold score (OTS) regarding identification of cognition impairment.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed that olfactory deficit (reducing OTS) was correlated with cognitive impairment (reducing MMSE score) in two cohorts. ROC analysis revealed that the OTS could distinguish cognitive impairment from cognitively normal individuals, with mean area under the curve values of 0.71 (0.67, 0.74) and 0.63 (0.60, 0.66), respectively, but it failed to discriminate dementia from mild cognitive impairment. The cut-off point of 3 showed the highest validity for the screening, with the diagnostic accuracy of 73.3% and 69.5%.

CONCLUSION

Reducing OTS is associated with cognitive impairment in T2DM patients and the community-dwelling elderly. Therefore, olfactory threshold test may be used as a readily accessible screening tool for cognitive impairment.

[Intestinal microbe Prevotella in pulmonary tuberculosis research]

Tuberculosis is a major global infectious disease that seriously endangers human health. Studies have shown that there will be an imbalance of intestinal microecology after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. And vise versa the imbalance of intestinal flora will also increase the susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Prevotella is a newly discovered intestinal microorganism closely related to inflammatory diseases, and its abundance changes significantly in patients with tuberculosis. Therefore, this paper reviews the correlation between intestinal microorganism Prevotella and pulmonary tuberculosis, in order to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

The relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D level and sweat function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D(25-(OH)₂D₃) level and sweat function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 1021 patients with T2DM who underwent 25-(OH)₂D₃ level detections and sweat function tests was carried out. These individuals were divided into deficient groups (n = 154 cases), insufficient groups (n = 593 cases) and sufficient groups (n = 274 cases). Spearman correlation analysis and multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis were implemented to determine the association of 25-(OH)2D3 level and sweat function.

RESULTS

The total presence of sweating dysfunction was 38.59%. Patients with a lower level of serum 25-(OH)₂D₃ had more severe sweat secretion impairment (P < 0.05). As the decrease of serum 25-(OH)₂D₃ level, the presence of sweating dysfunction increased (P < 0.05). 25-(OH)₂D₃ level was positively correlated with sweat function parameters, age and duration of T2DM were negatively correlated with sweat function parameter (P < 0.05). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis explored a significant association between serum 25-(OH)₂D₃ level with sweat function (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum 25-(OH)₂D₃ level was positively correlated with sweat function in patients with T2DM.

Periphery Biomarkers for Objective Diagnosis of Cognitive Decline in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an independent risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and populations with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have high incidence to suffer from AD. Therefore, discerning who may be more vulnerable to MCI, among the increasing T2DM populations, is important for early intervention and eventually decreasing the prevalence rate of AD. This study was to explore whether the change of plasma β-amyloid (Aβ) could be a biomarker to distinguish MCI (T2DM-MCI) from non-MCI (T2DM-nMCI) in T2DM patients.

Methods: Eight hundred fifty-two T2DM patients collected from five medical centers were assigned randomly to training and validation cohorts. Plasma Aβ, platelet glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes, and olfactory and cognitive functions were measured by ELISA, dot blot, RT-PCR, Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test based on the diluted butanol, and Minimum Mental State Examination (MMSE) test, respectively, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied.

Results: Elevation of plasma Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 is an independent risk factor of MCI in T2DM patients. Although using Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 alone only reached an AUC of 0.631 for MCI diagnosis, addition of the elevated Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 to our previous model (i.e., activated platelet GSK-3β, ApoE ε4 genotype, olfactory decline, and aging) significantly increased the discriminating efficiency of T2DM-MCI from T2DM-nMCI, with an AUC of 0.846 (95% CI: 0.794–0.897) to 0.869 (95% CI: 0.822–0.916) in the training cohort and an AUC of 0.848 (95% CI: 0.815–0.882) to 0.867 (95% CI: 0.835–0.899) in the validation cohort, respectively.

Conclusion: A combination of the elevated plasma Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 with activated platelet GSK-3β, ApoE ε4 genotype, olfactory decline, and aging could efficiently diagnose MCI in T2DM patients. Further longitudinal studies may consummate the model for early prediction of AD.

Associations between gut microbiota and thyroidal function status in Chinese patients with Graves' disease

OBJECTIVE

The imbalance of gut microbiota has been linked to manifold endocrine diseases, but the association with Graves' disease (GD) is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between human gut microbiota and clinical characteristics and thyroidal functional status of GD.

METHODS

14 healthy volunteers (CG) and 15 patients with primary GD (HG) were recruited as subjects. 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing was performed on IlluminaMiSeq platform to analyze the characteristics of gut microbiota in patients with GD. Among them, the thyroid function of 13 patients basically recovered after treatment with anti-thyroid drugs (oral administration of Methimazole for 3-5 months). The fecal samples of patients after treatment (TG) were sequenced again, to further explore and investigate the potential relationship between dysbacteriosis and GD.

RESULTS

In terms of alpha diversity index, the observed OTUs, Simpson and Shannon indices of gut microbiota in patients with GD were significantly lower than those in healthy volunteers (P < 0.05).The difference of bacteria species was mainly reflected in the genus level, in which the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Veillonella and Streptococcus increased significantly in GD. After the improvement of thyroid function, a significant reduction at the genus level were Blautia, Corynebacter, Ruminococcus and Streptococcus, while Phascolarctobacterium increased significantly (P < 0.05). According to Spearman correlation analysis, the correlation between the level of thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus was positive, while Synergistetes and Phascolarctobacterium showed a negative correlation with TRAb. Besides, there were highly significant negative correlation between Synergistetes and clinical variables of TRAb, TPOAb and TGAb (P < 0.05, R <  - 0.6).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that functional status and TRAb level in GD were associated with composition and biological function in the gut microbiota, with Synergistetes and Phascolarctobacterium protecting the thyroid probably, while Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus may be novel biomarkers of GD.

Medial septum tau accumulation induces spatial memory deficit via disrupting medial septum-hippocampus cholinergic pathway

Tau accumulation and cholinergic impairment are characteristic pathologies in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the causal role of tau accumulation in cholinergic lesion is elusive. Here, we observed an aberrant tau accumulation in the medial septum (MS) of 3xTg and 5xFAD mice, especially in their cholinergic neurons. Overexpressing hTau in mouse MS (MShTau ) for 6 months but not 3 months induced spatial memory impairment without changing object recognition and anxiety-like behavior, indicating a specific and time-dependent effect of MS-hTau accumulation on spatial cognitive functions. With increasing hTau accumulation, the MShTau mice showed a time-dependent cholinergic neuron loss with reduced cholinergic projections to the hippocampus. Intraperitoneal administration of donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, for 1 month ameliorated the MS-hTau-induced spatial memory deficits with preservation of MS-hippocampal cholinergic pathway and removal of tau load; and the beneficial effects of donepezil was more prominent at low dose. Proteomics revealed that MS-hTau accumulation deregulated multiple signaling pathways with numerous differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Among them, the vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 37D (VP37D), an autophagy-related protein, was significantly reduced in MShTau mice; the reduction of VP37D was restored by donepezil, and the effect was more significant at low dose than high dose. These novel evidences reveal a causal role of tau accumulation in linking MS cholinergic lesion to hippocampus-dependent spatial cognitive damages as seen in the AD patients, and the new tau-removal and autophagy-promoting effects of donepezil may extend its application beyond simple symptom amelioration to potential disease modification.

Targeted Reducing of Tauopathy Alleviates Epileptic Seizures and Spatial Memory Impairment in an Optogenetically Inducible Mouse Model of Epilepsy

Intracellular deposition of hyperphosphorylated tau has been reported in the brain of epilepsy patients, but its contribution to epileptic seizures and the association with spatial cognitive functions remain unclear. Here, we found that repeated optogenetic stimulation of the excitatory neurons in ventral hippocampal CA1 subset could induce a controllable epileptic seizure in mice. Simultaneously, the mice showed spatial learning and memory deficits with a prominently elevated total tau and phospho-tau levels in the brain. Importantly, selective facilitating tau degradation by using a novel designed proteolysis-targeting chimera named C4 could effectively ameliorate the epileptic seizures with remarkable restoration of neuronal firing activities and improvement of spatial learning and memory functions. These results confirm that abnormal tau accumulation plays a pivotal role in the epileptic seizures and the epilepsy-associated spatial memory impairments, which provides new molecular target for the therapeutics.

0075 Neural Correlates of Cognitive Fatigue in Parkinson Disease

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of people world-wide. Fatigue is a prevalent and debilitating non-motor symptom in PD. However, the neural correlates underlying cognitive fatigue are poorly understood. Our previous studies suggested that continuous performance of a simple but mentally demanding psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) induced cognitive fatigue, operationalized as subjective exhaustion and time-on-task performance decline. Here we used arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion fMRI to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in PD patients during cognitive fatigue induced by continuous performance of 20-min PVT.

Methods

Twenty-one PD patients completed a 20-min PVT during the ASL scan and two additional 4-min resting-state ASL scans before and after PVT. Reaction times (RTs) and regional CBF changes throughout the PVT as well as during pre- and post-task resting baselines were measured. Cognitive fatigue was analyzed by dividing the entire PVT performance into five quintiles in addition to the immediate measurement of self-rated fatigue before and after PVT.

Results

PD patients demonstrated significantly increased self-reported fatigue ratings after the task (p &lt; 0.05) and progressively slower RTs across quintiles (p &lt; 0.05). Perfusion data showed that the PVT activates the right middle frontal cortex, right inferior parietal lobe, right insula, bilateral occipital cortex, and right cerebellum (FDR corrected). Moreover, the bilateral middle frontal gyri were less active during the post-task rest compared to the pre-task rest.

Conclusion

These results demonstrated that cognitive fatigue has an ongoing effect on brain activity after a period of continuous mental effort and supported the critical role of prefrontal cortex in mediating cognitive fatigue in PD. The findings also suggest the utility of continuous PVT as an appropriate paradigm to induce and examine cognitive fatigue in PD.

Support

Supported in part by Parkinson’s Foundation Translational Research Grant and NIH grants R01-MH107571, R21-AG051981, and P30-NS045839.

0294 Baseline Response Speed Predicts Locus Coeruleus Integrity Change After Sleep Deprivation

Introduction

Locus coeruleus (LC) is the major source of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, which plays a key role in maintaining arousal and alertness. Sleep loss significantly impairs arousal and alertness. However, it is unknown whether sleep loss disrupts LC integrity, which can be measured non-invasively by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). In the current study, we used DTI to examine the effects of one night of acute total sleep deprivation (TSD) on fractional anisotropy (FA), an index reflecting fiber density, axonal diameter and myelination.

Methods

We analyzed DTI and psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) data from N=54 health adults (23 females, age range 21–50 years) from a well controlled in-laboratory sleep deprivation study. Participants were randomized to either a TSD condition (n=40) without sleep on night 2, or a control condition (n=14) with no sleep loss. Standard DTI scans were conducted on the morning of day 2 and day 3 between 0700h-1000h. The PVT reciprocal response time (RRT) was used to measure individual’s response speed at baseline without sleep loss. LC regions-of-interest (ROI) were defined by standard templates from Keren et al. (2009). Imaging data were analyzed using FSL toolbox.

Results

For the whole TSD group, no differences were found in the LC FA values before and after sleep deprivation (p &gt; .2). However, when dividing the TSD group to a slow group and a fast group based on their baseline PVT response speed, significantly increased LC FA were found in the slow group (p = .007) but not in the fast group (p &gt; .4). The PVT RRT negatively correlated with LC FA value changes after TSD (r = -.44, p = .004). No correlations were found between the PVT RRT and LC FA changes in the control group.

Conclusion

Our results showed that baseline vigilance response speed correlated with LC integrity change after sleep deprivation, with slower response exhibiting greater changes in LC integrity. These findings support the key role of LC-NE system in the regulation of alertness and arousal.

Support

Supported in part by NIH grants R01-HL102119, R01-MH107571, R21-AG051981. CTRC UL1RR024134, and P30-NS045839.

0060 Morning Locus Coeruleus Activation During the PVT Predicts Later-Day Sleepiness

Introduction

The locus coeruleus (LC) plays a key role in the regulation of arousal and autonomic function. Homeostatic sleep pressure refers to the drive for sleep that increases as a saturating exponential when we stay awake and decreases exponentially when we sleep. The current study used arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the relationship between homeostatic sleep pressure (sleepiness) and LC activity during the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT).

Methods

We analyzed sleepiness and ASL imaging data from N=70 health adults (40 males, age range 21–50 years) who participated in a controlled in-laboratory sleep study. All participants were scanned at rest and during the PVT on the morning between 0700h-1000h after 9 hour time-in-bed (TIB) baseline sleep. LC regions-of-interest (ROI) were defined by standard templates from Keren et al. (2009). Sleepiness was assessed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) every two hours from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm.

Results

Sleepiness scores gradually increased over wakefulness time and reached its peak in the evening at about 10:20pm. PVT-induced CBF changes did not correlate with sleepiness scores on the morning (p &gt; 0.05), but showed significant negative correlations with sleepiness scores on later day when sleep pressure became higher, especially during the night-time (r = -0.41, p &lt; 0.001). Specifically, LC CBF showed significant increases during the PVT scan as compared to the resting scan (p = 0.04) in individuals with less nigh-time sleepiness (KSS &lt; 4), but no differences (p &gt; 0.1) in individuals with greater nigh-time sleepiness (KSS ≥ 5). After controlling for age, gender, and total sleep time, PVT-induced regional CBF difference in the LC still negatively predicted sleepiness (β = -0.325, p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Our findings showed that individuals with greater LC CBF increases during the PVT were less sleepy during the night, supporting the key role of LC activity in promoting wakefulness and maintaining sleep homeostasis. PVT-induced LC activation may provide a non-invasive bio-marker of homeostatic sleep pressure in healthy adults.

Support

Supported in part by NIH grants R01-HL102119, R01-MH107571, R21-AG051981. CTRC UL1RR024134, and P30-NS045839.

Posterior basolateral amygdala to ventral hippocampal CA1 drives approach behaviour to exert an anxiolytic effect

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) are cellularly and functionally diverse along their anterior-posterior and superficial-deep axes. Here, we find that anterior BLA (aBLA) and posterior BLA (pBLA) innervate deep-layer calbindin1-negative (Calb1-) and superficial-layer calbindin1-positive neurons (Calb1+) in vCA1, respectively. Photostimulation of pBLA-vCA1 inputs has an anxiolytic effect in mice, promoting approach behaviours during conflict exploratory tasks. By contrast, stimulating aBLA-vCA1 inputs induces anxiety-like behaviour resulting in fewer approaches. During conflict stages of the elevated plus maze task vCA1Calb1+ neurons are preferentially activated at the open-to-closed arm transition, and photostimulation of vCA1Calb1+ neurons at decision-making zones promotes approach with fewer retreats. In the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, which shows anxiety-like behaviour, photostimulating the pBLA-vCA1Calb1+ circuit ameliorates the anxiety in a Calb1-dependent manner. These findings suggest the pBLA-vCA1Calb1+ circuit from heterogeneous BLA-vCA1 connections drives approach behaviour to reduce anxiety-like behaviour.

Nanoscale extracellular vesicle-derived DNA is superior to circulating cell-free DNA for mutation detection in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer

Background

The comparison between relatively intact nanoscale extracellular vesicle-derived DNA (nEV-DNA) and fragmented circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in mutation detection among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been carried out yet, and thus deserves investigation.

Patients and methods

Both nEV-DNA and cfDNA was obtained from 377 NSCLC patients with known EGFR mutation status and 69 controls. The respective EGFRE19del/T790M/L858R mutation status was interrogated with amplification-refractory-mutation-system-based PCR assays (ARMS-PCR).

Results

Neither nEV-DNA nor cfDNA levels show a strong correlation with tumor volumes. There is no correlation between cfDNA and nEV-DNA levels either. The detection sensitivity of nEV-DNA and cfDNA using ARMS-PCR in early-stage NSCLC was 25.7% and 14.2%, respectively, with 96.6% and 91.7% specificity, respectively. In late-stage NSCLC, both nEV-DNA and cfDNA show ∼80% sensitivity and over 95% specificity.

Conclusions

nEV-DNA is superior to cfDNA for mutation detection in early-stage NSCLC using ARMS-PCR. However, the advantages vanish in late-stage NSCLC.

Real-time parallel 3D multiple particle tracking with single molecule centrifugal force microscopy

Real-time tracking of multiple particles is key for quantitative analysis of dynamic biophysical processes and materials science via time-lapse microscopy image data, especially for single molecule biophysical techniques, such as magnetic tweezers and centrifugal force microscopy. However, real-time multiple particle tracking with high resolution is limited by the current imaging processes or tracking algorithms. Here, we demonstrate 1 nm resolution in three dimensions in real-time with a graphics-processing unit (GPU) based on a compute unified device architecture (CUDA) parallel computing framework instead of only a central processing unit (CPU). We also explore the trade-offs between processing speed and size of the utilized regions of interest and a maximum speedup of 137 is achieved with the GPU compared with the CPU. Moreover, we utilize this method with our recently self-built centrifugal force microscope (CFM) in experiments that track multiple DNA-tethered particles. Our approach paves the way for high-throughput single molecule techniques with high resolution and efficiency. LAY DESCRIPTION: Particles are widely used as probes in life sciences through their motions. In single molecule techniques such as optical tweezers and magnetic tweezers, microbeads are used to study intermolecular or intramolecular interactions via beads tracking. Also tracking multiple beads' motions could study cell-cell or cell-ECM interactions in traction force microscopy. Therefore, particle tracking is of key important during these researches. However, parallel 3D multiple particle tracking in real-time with high resolution is a challenge either due to the algorithm or the program. Here, we combine the performance of CPU and CUDA-based GPU to make a hybrid implementation for particle tracking. In this way, a speedup of 137 is obtained compared the program before only with CPU without loss of accuracy. Moreover, we improve and build a new centrifugal force microscope for multiple single molecule force spectroscopy research in parallel. Then we employed our program into centrifugal force microscope for DNA stretching study. Our results not only demonstrate the application of this program in single molecule techniques, also indicate the capability of multiple single molecule study with centrifugal force microscopy.

Cohort Profile: The Chongqing Cancer Cohort Study (CCCS) of the Urban Population in Southwest China

Purpose: Urbanization is causing an increasingly negative effect on public health in China. This study was established to examine the associations between socio-economic and environmental exposures and the potential impact of gene-environment interactions and cancer risk of urban population in Chongqing, China. Participants: The cohort was established in Beibei District of Chongqing in southwest China. Between March 2016 and December 2016, we enrolled 57,332 adults who were 40-69 years of age, and collected baseline data on demographic information, socio-economic status, lifestyle, family and personal disease histories through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Regular follow-up including face-to-face interviews will take place every 5 years. Findings to date: Ninety-nine percent (56658/57332) of the participants completed the baseline assessment. The eligible participants had a mean age of 54.8 years, and 51.42% were females. Nearly three-fifths of participants having a normal BMI (18.5 to 23.9 kg/m2) and one-third being overweight (24.0 to 27.9 kg/m2). Among males, 29.58% were smokers and 21.08% were alcohol users. Among females, 1.49% were smokers and 1.66% were alcohol users. Among all participants, 7.03% of males and 9.08% of females reported their family history of cancer. Future plans: The relationships of modifiable risk factors with the cancer risk will be analyzed. Meanwhile, participants will be closely tracked to minimize loss to follow-up. We plan to construct a risk prediction model on cancer and verify the prediction model by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The successful completion of this cohort study will allow for better targeting of cancer screening to those at highest risk in urban population of China and provide clinicians and policymakers with a practical predication rule.

Nitrate-induced and in situ electrochemical activation synthesis of oxygen deficiencies-rich nickel/nickel (oxy)hydroxide hybrid films for enhanced electrocatalytic water splitting

Hydrogen produced by electrochemical water splitting offers a hopeful and renewable solution for addressing the global energy crisis; however, development of highly efficient non-noble-metal electrocatalysts remains a big challenge. Herein, we report a facile strategy to fabricate oxygen deficiencies-rich nickel/nickel (oxy)hydroxide hybrid films as efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting by in situ oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activation. Under OER conditions, the originally deposited Ni films from the ethaline-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) undergo a structural rearrangement with a phase transformation in the oxidation state from Ni(ii) to Ni(iii) at the surface. The change is coupled with an increase in oxygen deficiencies and a pronounced defective precursor is induced by the addition of nitrate ions, providing structural disordering and boosting the intrinsic activity of the catalyst, which strongly enhances the water splitting performance.

p.R180C mutation of glycosyltransferase B leads to B subgroup, an in vitro and in silico study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Dysfunctional glycosyltransferase A or B may lead to incomplete glycosylation of H antigen and atypical ABO blood group with weak A or B phenotypes, posing challenges for blood typing for transfusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Serological studies and ABO gene analysis were performed. Flow cytometry was performed on HeLa cells transfected glycosyltransferase B expressing plasmids. Agglutination of transfected cells and total glycosyltransferase B transfer capacity were examined. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to explore possible dynamic conformational changes around the binding pocket.

RESULTS

We identified a mutation c.538C>T (p. R180C) of B allele in a Chinese donor and his father with ABw phenotype. In vitro expression study showed that mutation p.R180C, although not affecting expression of glycosyltransferase B, impaired H to B antigen conversion. The in silico analyses found that the residue Arg180 on the internal loop next to the entry of the binding pocket may have its long side chain salt-bridged with the highly flexible C-terminal carboxyl and contribute to the catalysis of H to B antigen conversion.

CONCLUSION

The p.R180C mutation impairs the conversion from H to B antigen and leads to weak B phenotype. Dynamic interaction between Arg180 and C-terminal of glycosyltransferase B may stabilize its binding with UDP-galactose and facilitate H/B antigen conversion.

Routes of transmission of influenza A H1N1, SARS CoV, and norovirus in air cabin: Comparative analyses

Identifying the exact transmission route(s) of infectious diseases in indoor environments is a crucial step in developing effective intervention strategies. In this study, we proposed a comparative analysis approach and built a model to simulate outbreaks of 3 different in-flight infections in a similar cabin environment, that is, influenza A H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV), and norovirus. The simulation results seemed to suggest that the close contact route was probably the most significant route (contributes 70%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 67%-72%) in the in-flight transmission of influenza A H1N1 transmission; as a result, passengers within 2 rows of the index case had a significantly higher infection risk than others in the outbreak (relative risk [RR]: 13.4, 95% CI: 1.5-121.2, P = .019). For SARS CoV, the airborne, close contact, and fomite routes contributed 21% (95% CI: 19%-23%), 29% (95% CI: 27%-31%), and 50% (95% CI: 48%-53%), respectively. For norovirus, the simulation results suggested that the fomite route played the dominant role (contributes 85%, 95% CI: 83%-87%) in most cases; as a result, passengers in aisle seats had a significantly higher infection risk than others (RR: 9.5, 95% CI: 1.2-77.4, P = .022). This work highlighted a method for using observed outbreak data to analyze the roles of different infection transmission routes.

Uncertainty in the response of terrestrial carbon sink to environmental drivers undermines carbon-climate feedback predictions

Terrestrial ecosystems play a vital role in regulating the accumulation of carbon (C) in the atmosphere. Understanding the factors controlling land C uptake is critical for reducing uncertainties in projections of future climate. The relative importance of changing climate, rising atmospheric CO2, and other factors, however, remains unclear despite decades of research. Here, we use an ensemble of land models to show that models disagree on the primary driver of cumulative C uptake for 85% of vegetated land area. Disagreement is largest in model sensitivity to rising atmospheric CO2 which shows almost twice the variability in cumulative land uptake since 1901 (1 s.d. of 212.8 PgC vs. 138.5 PgC, respectively). We find that variability in CO2 and temperature sensitivity is attributable, in part, to their compensatory effects on C uptake, whereby comparable estimates of C uptake can arise by invoking different sensitivities to key environmental conditions. Conversely, divergent estimates of C uptake can occur despite being based on the same environmental sensitivities. Together, these findings imply an important limitation to the predictability of C cycling and climate under unprecedented environmental conditions. We suggest that the carbon modeling community prioritize a probabilistic multi-model approach to generate more robust C cycle projections.

Immunotolerant indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase is increased in condyloma acuminata

BACKGROUND

The tryptophan-depleting enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is critical for the regulation of immunotolerance and plays an important role in immune-associated skin diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the level of IDO in condyloma acuminata (CA) and its role in this condition.

METHODS

IDO expression was assessed in the skin and peripheral blood of healthy controls and patients with CA. To assess the role of skin IDO in immunity, the ability of isolated epidermal cells to metabolize tryptophan and the influence on polyclonal T-cell mitogen (PHA)-stimulated T-cell proliferation were explored.

RESULTS

IDO median fluorescence intensities in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with CA were similar to those from healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry showed that IDO⁺ cells were rare in normal skin and the control skin of patients with CA, but were greatly accumulated in wart tissue. Most fluorescence signals of IDO⁺ cells did not overlap with those of CD1a⁺ Langerhans cells. Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA probe in situ hybridization showed a large number of IDO⁺ cells in the HPV^- site. Keratinocytes in the skin of healthy controls and the circumcised skin of patients with CA could minimally transform tryptophan into kynurenine, but IDO-competent epidermal cells from warts could transform tryptophan. In addition, these IDO-competent epidermal cells could inhibit PHA-stimulated T-cell proliferation. The addition of an IDO inhibitor, 1-methyl-d-tryptophan, restored the inhibited T-cell proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormally localized high IDO expression might be involved in the formation of a local immunotolerant microenvironment.

Early detection of human glioma sphere xenografts in mouse brain using diffusion MRI at 14.1 T

Glioma models have provided important insights into human brain cancers. Among the investigative tools, MRI has allowed their characterization and diagnosis. In this study, we investigated whether diffusion MRI might be a useful technique for early detection and characterization of slow-growing and diffuse infiltrative gliomas, such as the proposed new models, LN-2669GS and LN-2540GS glioma sphere xenografts. Tumours grown in these models are not visible in conventional T₂ -weighted or contrast-enhanced T₁ -weighted MRI at 14.1 T. Diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging protocols were optimized for contrast by exploring long diffusion times sensitive for probing the microstructural alterations induced in the normal brain by the slow infiltration of glioma sphere cells. Compared with T₂ -weighted images, tumours were properly identified in their early stage of growth using diffusion MRI, and confirmed by localized proton MR spectroscopy as well as immunohistochemistry. The first evidence of tumour presence was revealed for both glioma sphere xenograft models three months after tumour implantation, while no necrosis, oedema or haemorrhage were detected either by MRI or by histology. Moreover, different values of diffusion indices, such as mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy, were obtained in tumours grown from LN-2669GS and LN-2540GS glioma sphere lines. These observations highlighted diverse tumour microstructures for both xenograft models, which were reflected in histology. This study demonstrates the ability of diffusion MRI techniques to identify and investigate early stages of slow-growing, invasive tumours in the mouse brain, thus providing a potential imaging biomarker for early detection of tumours in humans.

Mutation-based selection and analysis of Komagataeibacter hansenii HDM1-3 for improvement in bacterial cellulose production

AIMS

A low yield of bacterial cellulose (BC) always results from an excessive accumulation of organic acids. Screening and the selection of bacterial mutants with a low accumulation of organic acids is an efficient approach for improving BC production.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In combination with the proton suicide method (medium containing NaBr-NaBrO₃ ), diethyl sulphate chemical mutagenesis coupled with ⁶⁰ Co-γ irradiation treatment were performed for the screening and selection of desired mutant lines with a high yield of BC. Two high-yield strains, Br-3 and Co-5, as well as a low-yield strain, Br-12, were obtained. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was applied to explore the differences between the mutant lines and the wild type. For the Br-12 line, three specific fragments were verified, corresponding to TonB-dependent transport (TBDT), exopolysaccharides output protein (PePr) and an unknown gene. For Co-5, two specific fragments were matched, acsD and UDP-galactose-4-epimerase. In addition, metabolic analysis for the mutant lines indicated that BC production may be limited by excessive accumulation of organic acids in the fermentation. The limitation would be resolved by the cross-talk of genes involved in BC biosynthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced organic acid by-products from glucose in bypasses were found to be responsible for the high-yield BC synthesis in Komagataeibacter hansenii mutant strains.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The metabolic process was varied by mutagenesis-induced gene disruption of the metabolic products. A new idea was provided for the targeted screening and characterization of mutants in the future.

Transient scrotal hyperthermia affects human sperm DNA integrity, sperm apoptosis, and sperm protein expression

This prospective randomized clinical study is aimed to evidence the reproductive impairment of frequent scrotal heat exposure. A total of 20 normozoospermic subjects were randomly divided into two groups to undergo testicular warming in a 43 °C water bath 10 times, for 30 min each time; the subjects in group 1 underwent testicular warming for 10 consecutive days and those in group 2 once every 3 days. Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptosis, and seminal plasma-soluble Fas (sFas) were analyzed before treatment and every 2 weeks after, for a total of 10 times. In group 1, some critical proteins involved in heat stress, hypoxia, structure, and function of sperm mitochondria and flagella were evaluated before hyperthermia and 2, 6, 10, and 16 weeks after hyperthermia. Both groups showed a reversible increase in the proportion of spermatozoa with a disrupted MMP (both p < 0.05 when the minimums were compared with baseline levels, the same below), sperm apoptosis (both p < 0.01) and high DNA stainability (both p < 0.05). The sFas concentration in both groups showed no obvious changes except one: the value at week 2 was significantly increased over baseline in group 1 (p = 0.036). The level of Bcl-2 decreased significantly at weeks 6 and 10 (p = 0.017 and 0.05, respectively) and recovered to baseline at week 16. Proteins involved in heat stress and mitochondria functions were up-regulated, whereas in flagella structure and function was down-regulated (all p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that transient and frequent scrotal hyperthermia severely and reversibly damaged spermatogenesis, consecutive heat exposure had more serious effects than intermittent exposure, whereas intermittent exposure led to a later recovery of sperm damage.

Fano q-reversal in topological insulator Bi2Se3

We studied the magneto-optical response of a canonical topological insulator Bi2Se3 with the goal of addressing a controversial issue of electron-phonon coupling. Magnetic-field induced modifications of reflectance are very pronounced in the infrared part of the spectrum, indicating strong electron-phonon coupling. This coupling causes an asymmetric line-shape of the 60 cm(-1) phonon mode, and is analyzed within the Fano formalism. The analysis reveals that the Fano asymmetry parameter (q) changes sign when the cyclotron resonance is degenerate with the phonon mode. To the best of our knowledge this is the first example of magnetic field driven q-reversal.

Serum carcinogenic antigen (CA)-125 and CA 19-9 combining pain score in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis in infertile women

OBJECTIVE

To define the utility of serum carcinogenic antigen (CA)-125 and CA 19-9 combining pain score in the prediction of pelvic endometriosis in infertile women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Serum CA-125 and CA 19-9 were measured using immunoradiologic methods during the follicular phase preceding laparoscopy for infertility. Values obtained were correlated with the occurrence and severity of endometriosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to assess the utility of serum CA-125, CA 19-9, and pain score in preoperative preparation. Cut-off value of CA-125 and CA 19-9 was defined.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 294 infertile women receiving laparoscopy between July 2010 and September 2011. Ninety-four patients were diagnosed with endometriosis and 200 patients without. Preoperative serum CA-125 and CA 19-9 levels were significantly different between the two groups. ROC curve analyses of serum CA-125 and CA 19-9 set a cut-off value of 18.25 IU/ml and 13.15 IU/ml, producing a sensitivity of 64.8% and 84.8%, a specificity of 81.9% and 51.6%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 63.6% and 46.1%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 81.0% and 87.4%, respectively. Combined-analyses of CA-125 and CA 19-9 produced a sensitivity of 72.4%, a specificity of 81.9%, a PPV of 62.3%, and a NPV of 81.8%. Combined-analyses of serum CA-125, CA 19-9 and pain score produced a sensitivity of 71.0% and a specificity of 74.0%.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative CA-125 and CA 19-9 levels combining pain score can be useful for the prediction of pelvic endometrinsis and may he included in the evaluation of unexulained infertile women.

Effects of potassium diformate on the gastric function of weaning piglets

Potassium diformate (KDF), as an acidifier, has been shown to improve growth performance in pigs, but it is not yet known whether KDF regulates gastric function. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary KDF on gastric function in weaning piglets. One hundred and eighty Landrace × Large White piglets (bodyweight = 5.80 ± 0.15 kg) were weaned at 28 days old and randomly allocated into two groups, with six pens in each group and 15 piglets in each pen. Piglets in the control group were fed the basal diet, whereas the KDF-treated group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 10 g/kg KDF. After 35 days of feeding, the KDF treatment improved the bodyweight (P = 0.034) and reduced the relative weight of stomach (P = 0.050), decreased the hydrochloric acid concentration (P = 0.016) in the gastric digesta and the pepsin activity in the gastric oxyntic mucosa (P = 0.001) and increased the lactic acid concentration (P = 0.001) in the gastric digesta. Furthermore, KDF treatment increased the level of somatostatin (SS) (P = 0.009), but did not change the concentration of gastrin (P = 0.497) and the activity of H+-K+-ATPase (P = 0.575) in the gastric oxyntic mucosa. However, KDF treatment downregulated the expression of SS mRNA in the gastric oxyntic mucosa (P = 0.031) and upregulated the mRNA expression of gastrin (P < 0.001) and H+-K+-ATPase (P < 0.001) in the gastric oxyntic mucosa. These results suggest that the effects of KDF on weaning piglets may be related to the regulation of gastric function gene expression.

Human CD45RA(-) FoxP3(hi) Memory-Type Regulatory T Cells Show Distinct TCR Repertoires With Conventional T Cells and Play an Important Role in Controlling Early Immune Activation

Adoptive immunotherapy with regulatory T cells (Treg) is a new option to promote immune tolerance following solid organ transplantation (SOT). However, Treg from elderly patients awaiting transplantation are dominated by the CD45RA(-) CD62L(+) central memory type Treg subset (TregCM), and the yield of well-characterized and stable naïve Treg (TregN) is low. It is, therefore, important to determine whether these TregCM are derived from the thymus and express high stability, suppressive capacity and a broad antigen repertoire like TregN. In this study, we showed that TregCM use a different T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire from conventional T cells (Tconv), using next-generation sequencing of all 24 Vβ families, with an average depth of 534 677 sequences. This showed almost no contamination with induced Treg. Furthermore, TregCM showed enhanced suppressive activity on Tconv at early checkpoints of immune activation controlling activation markers expression and cytokine secretion, but comparable inhibition of proliferation. Following in vitro expansion under mTOR inhibition, TregCM expanded equally as well as TregN without losing their function. Despite relatively limited TCR repertoire, TregCM also showed specific alloresponse, although slightly reduced compared to TregN. These results support the therapeutic usefulness of manufacturing Treg products from CD45RA(-) CD62L(+) Treg-enriched starting material to be applied for adoptive Treg therapy.

Nano-level position resolution for particle tracking in digital in-line holographic microscopy

Three-dimensional particle tracking in biological systems is a quickly growing field, many techniques have been developed providing tracking characters. Digital in-line holographic microscopy is a valuable technique for particle tracking. However, the speckle noise, out-of-focus signals and twin image influenced the particle tracking. Here an adaptive noise reduction method based on bidimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition is introduced into digital in-line holographic microscopy. It can eliminate the speckle noise and background of the hologram adaptively. Combined with the three-dimensional deconvolution approach in the reconstruction, the particle feature would be identified effectively. Tracking the fixed beads on the cover-glass with piezoelectric stage through multiple holographic images demonstrate the tracking resolution, which approaches 2 nm in axial direction and 1 nm in transverse direction. This would facilitate the development and use in the biological area such as living cells and single-molecule approaches.