Preparation of glycyrrhizic acid-modified BSA-nanoparticles and evaluation of their hepatic cellular distribution

OBJECTIVES

Orientation to specific cells is an important topic in active targeting strategy for nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. While these administered nanoparticles will be sequestrated within the liver, their cellular distribution behaviors in the liver are not clear. The aim of this study was to fabricate glycyrrhizic acid (GL) modified BSA nanoparticles and evaluate their hepatic cellular distribution.

METHODS

GL-modified BSA (GL-BSA) was tailored according to the periodate oxidation method, then GL-BSA nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel (PTX@GL-BSA NPs) were prepared through self-assembly approach. In vitro cellular uptake was assessed by FITC-labeled BSA nanoparticles and immunofluorescent analysis was performed to track their relative distribution in the liver.

KEY FINDINGS

The fabricated PTX@GL-BSA NPs were spherical structure with the particle size of 179 nm and a negative potential (-17.3 mV). Flow cytometry (FCM) studies exhibited that the accumulation of GL-BSA nanoparticles was 5.3-fold compared with BSA nanoparticles in HepG2 cells. The Nanoparticles were preferentially accumulated in the sinusoidal endothelial cells rather than the Kupffer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides useful information to understand the distribution of hepatic targeting nanoparticles when using GL-modified BSA nanoparticles, which helps to further use for effective treatment of liver disease.

[The predictive values of platelet mitochondrial mass and quantity during the perioperative period in elderly patients on the occurrence of postoperative delirium]

Objective: To investigate the changes of platelet mitochondrial mass and quantity during perioperative period in elderly patients, and assess their predictive values on the occurrence of postoperative delirium (POD). Methods: In this prospective study, 162 elderly patients scheduled for abdominal surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled from November 2021 to January 2022 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University Medical School. Among them, 20 patients [10 males, 10 females, aged (71.4±6.8) years] developed POD within 3 days after surgery (POD group), and another 20 patients[12 males, 8 females, aged (67.7±5.3) years] who did not develope POD were selected as controls (control group) using propensity score matching method. Blood samples were collected preoperatively, at the end of surgery and on the first postoperative day. Platelets were extracted and mitochondrial mass was detected with flow cytometry. Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine mitochondrial quantity. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the value of mitochondrial mass and quantity in predicting the occurrence of POD. Results: The mean fluorescence intensities of platelet mitochondrial mass were 193±46, 236±61, 264±53 preoperatively, at the end of surgery and on the first postoperative day in the POD group, respectively. The corresponding values were 209±61, 191±67 and 201±56 in the control group. The platelet mitochondrial mass of patients in the POD group was significantly increased on the first postoperative day compared to preoperative levels (P<0.001). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the control group (P=0.410). Patients in the POD group had higher platelet mitochondrial mass than patients in the control group on the first postoperative day(P=0.002). Meanwhile, platelets from patients in the POD group showed significantly higher number of mitochondria than platelets from patients in the control group [3 (2, 4) vs 2 (1, 2), P<0.001]. According to the ROC curve of platelet on the first postoperative day, at a mitochondrial mass cut-off value of>275.35, the sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve to detect the occurrence of POD were 55%, 90% and 0.800 (95%CI: 0.666-0.934, P<0.001). At a mitochondrial quantity cut-off value of>2, the sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve to detect the occurrence of POD were 53%, 78% and 0.680 (95%CI: 0.584-0.776, P<0.001). Conclusions: Patients who developed POD show higher platelet mitochondrial mass after surgery compared to preoperative levels. The mitochondrial mass of platelets on the first postoperative day has good predictive value on the occurrence of POD.

Synergistic Amplification of Ferroptosis with Liposomal Oxidation Catalyst and Gpx4 Inhibitor for Enhanced Cancer Therapy

As a distinctly different way from apoptosis, ferroptosis can cause cell death through excessive accumulation of lipid peroxide (LPO) and show great potential for cancer therapy. However, efficient strategies for ferroptosis therapy are still facing great challenges, mainly due to insufficient endogenous H2 O2 or relatively high pH value for Fenton reaction-dependent ferroptosis, and the high redox level of tumor cells attenuates the oxidation therapy. Herein, an efficient lipid-based delivery system to load oxidation catalyst and glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) inhibitor is orchestrated, intending to amplify Fenton reaction-independent ferroptosis by bidirectional regulation of LPO accumulation. Ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), Gpx4 inhibitor sorafenib (SF), and unsaturated lipids are constructed into mPEG2K -DSPE-modified liposomes (Lip@SF&FAC). Influenced by the high level of intratumoral glutathione, FAC can be converted into Fe2+ , and subsequently the formed iron redox pair (Fe2+ /Fe3+ ) catalyzes unsaturated phospholipids of liposomes into LPO via a Fenton reaction-independent manner. Meanwhile, SF can downregulate LPO reduction by inhibiting Gpx4 activation. In vitro and in vivo antitumor experiments show that Lip@SF&FAC induces massive LPO accumulation in tumor cells and ultimately exhibits strong tumor-killing ability with negligible side effect. Consequently, this two-pronged approach provides a new ferroptosis strategy for predominant LPO accumulation and enhanced cancer therapy.

Sema3C Signaling is an Alternative Activator of the Canonical WNT Pathway in Glioblastoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Wnt signaling maintains normal and cancer stem cells. The Wnt pathway is frequently dysregulated in many cancers, underscoring it as a therapeutic target. Although Wnt inhibitors appear promising in many preclinical studies, they have failed uniformly in clinical trials. Molecular mechanisms of resistance are poorly defined. Further dissection of the precise mechanisms of Wnt pathway activation in specific tumor types is needed to develop new Wnt pathway inhibitors with less toxicity. Here, we identify an alternative activator of the Wnt pathway that may mediate resistance to upstream Wnt inhibition in glioblastoma.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) were enriched in defined media. GSCs were transduced with lentiviruses to knockdown or overexpress Sema3C or Wnt pathway components. Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, and self-renewal were assessed. Expression of Sema3C and Wnt pathway components were assessed in GSCs, mouse models of GBM, and human glioblastoma by qPCR, Western blot, and/or immunostaining. Beta-catenin subcellular localization was assessed by cell fractionation and immunofluorescence. GSC-derived orthotopic models of GBM were used to assess the impact of genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of Sema3C or Wnt pathway components alone or in combination on tumor growth and animal survival.

RESULTS

The axonal guidance protein Sema3C promotes the tumorigenicity of GSCs through binding its NRP/PlxnD1 receptor complex leading to Rac1 activation. Sema3C signaling directs beta-catenin nuclear accumulation in a Rac1-dependent process, leading to transactivation of Wnt target genes. Sema3C-driven Wnt signaling occurred despite suppression of Wnt ligand secretion, suggesting that Sema3C may drive canonical Wnt signaling independent of Wnt ligand binding. In human glioblastoma, Sema3C expression and Wnt pathway activation were highly concordant. In a mouse model of glioblastoma, combined depletion of Sema3C and beta-catenin partner TCF1 extended animal survival more than single target inhibition alone.

CONCLUSION

Sema3C signaling may represent an alternative mechanism of WNT pathway activation even when WNT ligand-receptor interaction is inhibited. Since Sema3C is overexpressed in >85% glioblastoma and is used to maintain GSCs but not normal neural progenitor cells, this pathway may represent a major mechanism of Wnt pathway activation and resistance to upstream Wnt pathway inhibitors in GSCs. Our data provide a therapeutic strategy to achieve clinically significant Wnt pathway inhibition in GSCs potentially without the toxicity of currently available WNT inhibitors.

[Distribution and reference intervals of daytime intraocular pressure in the eye health screening population of Handan]

Objective: To describe the distribution and establish reference intervals (RI) of daytime intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye health screening population of Handan. Methods: This cross-sectional study included subjects who participated in eye health screening at the Physical Examination Center of Handan First Hospital from May 2021 to June 2022. A complete general and ocular examination was performed, including measurements of visual acuity and IOP (using Goldmann tonometry), slit lamp microscopy, fundus photography, and anterior and posterior segment optical coherence tomography. Subjects with factors that could cause significant changes in IOP or affect the accuracy of IOP measurement, or with an inability to measure IOP were excluded. Simple random sampling was used to select participants, who were grouped by gender and age (18 to <30, 30 to <40, 40 to <50, 50 to <60, 60 to <70, and ≥70 years). Central corneal thickness and IOP at 8 to 11 o'clock in one eye of each participant were recorded. The independent sample t test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis, and the RI of IOP values was calculated by x¯±1.96s. Results: A total of 9 310 subjects had their IOP measured, and 3 491 participants (3 491 eyes) were randomly selected from 7 886 healthy subjects. The age of the participants was (47.74±14.47) years old, ranging from 18 to 90 years old. There were 1 694 males and 1 797 females. The central corneal thickness of all participants was (525.56±49.39) μm. The daytime IOP of all participants was (15.40±2.54) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), and the RI was 10.42 to 20.39 mmHg. The IOP was (15.49±2.58) mmHg for males and (15.29±2.49) mmHg for females, and the gender difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The RI of daytime IOP values was 10.43 to 20.54 mmHg for males and 10.41 to 20.18 mmHg for females. There were significant differences in daytime IOP [(15.13±2.58), (15.33±2.53), (15.49±2.50), (15.53±2.55), (15.39±2.62), and (15.28±2.52) mmHg] among 6 age groups (P<0.05). Conclusions: The distribution of daytime IOP in different gender and age groups in the eye health screening population of Handan and the RIs derived from the distribution were roughly the same as the international normal IOP RI (10 to 21 mmHg). It is recommended to refer to the RI of daytime IOP values of different genders and ages for clinical decision.

"Cascaded Rocket" Nanosystems with Spatiotemporal Separation for Triple-Synergistic Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains an incurable disease due to the intricate pathogenesis. The neuropathological hallmarks include extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, tau phosphorylation and extensive oxidative stress in neurons, which facilitate the progression of AD. Based on the complex etiology, a spatiotemporally "cascaded rocket" delivery system (DPH/TPGAS NPs) with metal ion/enzyme responses is established in this study for triple-synergistic AD treatment. After targeting and permeating the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the histidine units in the DPH chelate excess metal ions at the extracellular microenvironment, restraining the formation of Aβ aggregates, inducing the first-stage separation. Then, the remanent system targets neuronal cells and triggers the second separation with cathepsin B for reducing the level of phosphorylated tau and oxidative stress. Accordingly, the DPH/TPGAS NPs can achieve spatiotemporal drug release, which results in enhanced synergistic therapeutic effects both in the extracellular and intracellular region of the AD brain. After treating with DPH/TPGAS NPs, the memory deficits, levels of Aβ and phosphorylated tau, inflammation and neuron damages are remarkably ameliorated in 3 × Tg-AD mice. Therefore, this "cascaded rocket" delivery system has great potential to serve as a powerful platform and provides a new horizon to the therapeutic strategy for AD and other brain diseases' treatments.

[The research progress of clinical features and pathogenesis of acute acquired concomitant esotropia]

Acute acquired concomitant esotropia (AACE) is a special type of esotropia that occurs suddenly and is accompanied by diplopia. In recent years, the number of patients with this eye disease has increased significantly. With differences in age and refractive status, children and adults have their own characteristics in terms of AACE classification, refractive status, eye position, and binocular visual function. However, the pathogenesis of AACE is still unclear. This article explores the pathogenesis and risk factors of AACE, including refractive error, convergence spasm, extraocular muscle, and visual cortex, that may be involved. The authors recommend that AACE, which is not related to intracranial and systemic diseases, should be classified according to the dominant mechanism of the disease.

Association between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Frailty in American Elder People: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVES

Our study aims to explore the association between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and frailty in participants with different body mass indexes (BMIs).

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Data were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

PARTICIPANTS

We analyzed data from 2,329 participants.

MEASUREMENTS

Dietary data were obtained using 24-h dietary recall method. Frail status was assessed by modified Fried frailty phenotype. The association between the grams, energy, and energy proportion of UPFs and the risk of pre-frailty/frailty was estimated using logistic regression analysis, and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Participants were categorized into underweight-normal weight (BMI <25 kg/m2), overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) groups. The multiplicative interaction between BMIs and UPFs on pre-frailty/frailty was assessed using the logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

We analyzed data from 2,329 participants, and 2,267 (97.77%) of whom consumed UPFs. There were 1,063 participants in pre-frailty or frailty group and 1,266 participants in non-frailty group. In underweight-normal weight participants, every 100 kcal increase in energy of UPFs intake was associated with increased 0.08 times of pre-frailty or frailty risk (OR: 1.08, 95%CI: 1.00-1.16, P = 0.045), and every 10% increase in energy proportion of UPFs intake was correlated with a 0.02-fold increase in pre-frailty or frailty risk (OR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00-1.03, P = 0.018). Similar results were found in overweight participants, with OR of 1.06 (95%CI: 1.01-1.10) and 1.01 (95%CI: 1.00-1.02) for energy and energy proportion, respectively (both P < 0.05). This association was not found in obesity participants.

CONCLUSION

The energy and energy proportion of UPFs intake was positively associated with the frailty risk in underweight-normal weight and overweight people, indicating that population with BMI less than 30 kg/m2 should pay more attention to reasonable diet and balanced source of energy intake.

Toward Clinically Applicable 3-Dimensional Tooth Segmentation via Deep Learning

Digital dentistry plays a pivotal role in dental health care. A critical step in many digital dental systems is to accurately delineate individual teeth and the gingiva in the 3-dimension intraoral scanned mesh data. However, previous state-of-the-art methods are either time-consuming or error prone, hence hindering their clinical applicability. This article presents an accurate, efficient, and fully automated deep learning model trained on a data set of 4,000 intraoral scanned data annotated by experienced human experts. On a holdout data set of 200 scans, our model achieves a per-face accuracy, average-area accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 96.94%, 98.26%, and 0.9991, respectively, significantly outperforming the state-of-the-art baselines. In addition, our model takes only about 24 s to generate segmentation outputs, as opposed to >5 min by the baseline and 15 min by human experts. A clinical performance test of 500 patients with malocclusion and/or abnormal teeth shows that 96.9% of the segmentations are satisfactory for clinical applications, 2.9% automatically trigger alarms for human improvement, and only 0.2% of them need rework. Our research demonstrates the potential for deep learning to improve the efficacy and efficiency of dental treatment and digital dentistry.

Osthole-Loaded Nanoemulsion Enhances Brain Target in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease via Intranasal Administration

Osthole (OST) is a natural coumarin compound that exerts multiple pharmacologic effects. However, the poor water solubility and the low oral absorption of OST limit its clinical application for the treatment of neurologic diseases. A suitable preparation needs to be tailored to evade these unfavourable properties of OST. In this study, an OST nanoemulsion (OST-NE) was fabricated according to the pseudoternary phase diagram method, which was generally used to optimize the prescription in light of the solubility of OST in surfactants and cosurfactants. The final composition of OST-NE was 3.6% of ethyl oleate as oil phase, 11.4% of the surfactant (polyethylene glycol ester of 15-hydroxystearic acid: polyoxyethylene 35 castor oil = 1 : 1), 3% of polyethylene glycol 400 as cosurfactant, and 82% of the aqueous phase. The pharmacokinetic study of OST-NE showed that the brain-targeting coefficient of OST was larger by the nasal route than that by the intravenous route. Moreover, OST-NE inhibited cell death, decreased the apoptosis-related proteins (Bax and caspase-3), and enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione) in L-glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y cells. OST-NE improved the spatial memory ability, increased the acetylcholine content in the cerebral cortex, and decreased the activity of acetylcholinesterase in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease model mice. In conclusion, this study indicates that the bioavailability of OST was improved by using the OST-NE via the nasal route. A low dose of OST-NE maintained the neuroprotective effects of OST, such as inhibiting apoptosis and oxidative stress and regulating the cholinergic system. Therefore, OST-NE can be used as a possible alternative to improve its bioavailability in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Small-molecule inhibitors of breast cancer-related targets: Potential therapeutic agents for breast cancer

Despite dramatic advances in cancer research and therapy, breast cancer remains a tricky health problem and represents a top biomedical research priority. Nowadays, breast cancer is still the leading cause of malignancy-related deaths in women, and incidence and mortality rates of it are expected to increase significantly the next years. Currently more and more researchers are interested in the study of breast cancer by its arising in young women. The common treatment options of breast cancer are chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Most of them require chemical agents, such as PARP inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and HER2 inhibitors. Recent studies suggest that some targets or pathways, including BRD4, PLK1, PD-L1, HDAC, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, are tightly related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer. This article reviews the interplay between these targets and breast cancer and summarizes the progress of current research on small molecule inhibitors of these anti-breast cancer targets. The review aims to provide structural and theoretical basis for designing novel anti-breast cancer agents.

Coordination of primary metabolism and virulence factors expression mediates the virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus towards cultured shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

AIMS

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus has emerged as a severe bacterial disease of cultured shrimp. To identify the key virulence factors, two AHPND-causing V. parahaemolyticus (Vp_AHPND ) strains (123 and 137) and two non-Vp_AHPND strains (HZ56 and ATCC 17082) were selected.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Challenge tests showed that the four strains exhibited different virulence towards shrimp with cumulative mortalities at 48 h postinfection (hpi) ranging from 10 to 92%. The expression of pirAB^VP in strain 123 and 137 was not significantly different. Genomic analysis revealed that the two Vp_AHPND strains contain a plasmid with the PirAB^VP toxins (pirAB^VP ) flanked by the insertion sequence (ISVal1) that has been identified in various locations of chromosomes in Vp_AHPND strains. The two Vp_AHPND strains possessed almost identical virulence factors, while ISVal1 disrupted three genes related to flagellar motility in strain 137. Phenotype assay showed that strain 123 possessed the highest growth rate and swimming motility, followed by strain 137, suggesting that the disruption of essential genes mediated by ISVal1 significantly affected the virulence level. Transcriptome analysis of two Vp_AHPND strains (123 and 137) further suggested that virulence genes related to the capsule, flagella and primary metabolism were highly expressed in strain 123.

CONCLUSIONS

Here for the first time, it is demonstrated that the virulence of Vp_AHPND is not only determined by the expression of pirAB^VP , but also is mediated by ISVal1 which affects the genes involved in flagellar motility and primary metabolism.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The genomic and transcriptomic analysis of Vp_AHPND strains provides valuable information on the virulence factors affecting the pathogenicity of Vp_AHPND.

Near-Infrared Light Irradiation Induced Mild Hyperthermia Enhances Glutathione Depletion and DNA Interstrand Cross-Link Formation for Efficient Chemotherapy

DNA alkylating agents generally kill tumor cells by covalently binding with DNA to form interstrand or intrastrand cross-links. However, in the case of cisplatin, only a few DNA adducts (<1%) are highly toxic irreparable interstrand cross-links. Furthermore, cisplatin is rapidly detoxified by high levels of intracellular thiols such as glutathione (GSH). Since the discovery of its mechanism of action, people have been looking for ways to directly and efficiently remove intracellular GSH and increase interstrand cross-links to improve drug efficacy and overcome resistance, but there has been little breakthrough. Herein, we hypothesized that the anticancer efficiency of cisplatin can be enhanced through iodo-thiol click chemistry mediated GSH depletion and increased formation of DNA interstrand cross-links via mild hyperthermia triggered by near-infrared (NIR) light. This was achieved by preparing an amphiphilic polymer with platinum(IV) (Pt(IV)) prodrugs and pendant iodine atoms (iodides). The polymer was further used to encapsulate IR780 and assembled into Pt-I-IR780 nanoparticles. Induction of mild hyperthermia (43 °C) at the tumor site by NIR light irradiation had three effects: (1) it accelerated the GSH-mediated reduction of Pt(IV) in the polymer main chain to platinum(II) (Pt(II)); (2) it boosted the iodo-thiol substitution click reaction between GSH and iodide, thereby attenuating the GSH-mediated detoxification of cisplatin; (3) it increased the proportion of highly toxic and irreparable Pt-DNA interstrand cross-links. Therefore, we find that mild hyperthermia induced via NIR irradiation can enhance the killing of cancer cells and reduce the tumor burden, thus delivering efficient chemotherapy.

Long non-coding RNA DSCAM-AS1 indicates a poor prognosis and modulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ovarian cancer via upregulating SOX4

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Long non-coding RNA DSCAM-AS1 indicates a poor prognosis and modulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ovarian cancer via upregulating SOX4, by Y. Li, J. Hao, Y.-M. Jiang, Y. Liu, S.-H. Zhang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (10): 4143-4148-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201905_17916-PMID: 31173284" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17916.

Long non-coding RNA DSCAM-AS1 indicates a poor prognosis and modulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ovarian cancer via upregulating SOX4

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in tumor progression. Ovarian cancer is a common type of fatal gynecological cancer worldwide. This study aims to investigate how lncRNADSCAM-AS1 functions in the progression of ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

DSCAM-AS1 expression of both ovarian cancer cells and 56 paired of tissue samples was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the function of DSCAM-AS1 was identified via transwell assay, wound healing assay, colony formation assay and proliferation assay in vitro. The underlying mechanism was explored through qRT-PCR and Western blot assay.

RESULTS

DSCAM-AS1 expression was remarkably upregulated in tumor tissues compared with that in the adjacent normal tissues. Besides, ovarian cancer proliferation, migration and invasion were promoted after overexpression of DSCAM-AS1 in vitro. Moreover, after overexpression of DSCAM-AS1, SOX4 was upregulated at mRNA and protein level in vitro. Furthermore, the expression of SOX4 in tumor tissues was positively correlated with the expression of DSCAM-AS1.

CONCLUSIONS

The above results suggested that DSCAM-AS1 can promote cell migration, invasion and proliferation in ovarian cancer by upregulating SOX4, which may offer a new therapeutic intervention for patients with ovarian cancer.

Neutrophils, as "Trojan horses", participate in the delivery of therapeutical PLGA nanoparticles into a tumor based on the chemotactic effect

Inspired by the fact that leukocytes have innate phagocytic functions and oriented migration capabilities in response to chemoattractants, we have unveiled that endogenous neutrophils as “Trojan horses”, participate in the delivery of nanoparticles in an “in vivo self-armed assembly” manner. Neutrophils were the main population to preferentially sequester the intravenous administrated nanoparticles with an average size of 260 nm. The pre-implantation of CXCL1-laden hydrogels could trigger and induce a targeted signal to attract an influx of neutrophils carrying the therapeutic goods to the desired position. In mouse models of melanoma, the combinatorial regimen of using the PLGA nanoparticles with the CXCL1 hydrogels exhibited superior tumor inhibition capability. This work leveraged the natural phagocytosis of neutrophile and the chemotactic effect of chemokines for targeted delivery. We believe this strategy will improve the therapeutic efficiency of nanoparticle-based delivery systems, especially when the chemokines are implanted at sites of surgical tumor removal, during cancer treatment at the clinic.

Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Loaded with Eugenol for Regulating the Central Nervous System

Fragrances are extensively applied in food, daily chemicals, tobacco and medicine industries. However, too strong volatility of fragrances results in a fast release rate, thereby reducing the usage time of aromatherapy products. Although loading fragrances into nanomaterials is capable of slowing their rates of release, the encapsulation efficiency of traditional nanomaterials is very low, and the nanomaterials themselves are not stable. Herein, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (hMSNs) were designed for encapsulation of eugenol and the nano-fragrance was named EG@hMSNs. The structure of hMSNs was stable and the encapsulation rate of eugenol reached 46.5%. Besides, EG@hMSNs could significantly slow the release rate of eugenol. Subsequently, the EG@hMSNs were testified that they had positive roles in stress relief by open field tests. The molecular mechanisms of these positive effects on the central nervous system were then explored. Furthermore, the preparation method of hMSCs was simple, and the preparation cost was low. Therefore, EG@hMSNs are expected to be industrially produced and have a great application prospect.

Cationic Nano-Fragrance with Sustained Release Property for Neuroregulation

Silk is a kind of textile with Chinese characteristics and widely used in clothing, decoration, military and medical fields. Recently, fragrances have been applied to silk to relieve anxiety and stress. However, the problems of too strong aroma and short scent lasting time seriously restrict the development of aromatic silk. Herein, Cationic nanoparticles encapsulating with linalool were prepared to prolong the scent lasting time. The fragrance-loaded nanoparticles are tightly attached to the silk by electrostatic interaction between cationic nanoparticles and anionic silk. Besides, the cationic nanoparticles could slow the release rate of linalool, thus extending the fragrance retention time. Subsequently, fragrant silk has been proven to have an effect of relieving stress. Therefore, this fragrance-loaded cationic nanoparticles-added silk has potential application value.

Nano-Fragrance with pH-Sensitive Release Property for Improvement of Central Nervous System

Fragrance has the function of nerve regulation and is widely used in aromatic therapy. However, the rapid release of fragrance can cause discomfort in the body and have side effects. Besides, fragrance is still released when not in use, which can reduce the service life of fragrance products and limit their application. Herein, cationic nanoparticles loaded with linalool were prepared and then adhered on the silk. The fragrance-encapsulated nanoparticles have pH-sensitive release property. Linalool was promoted to release in acidic condition and was suppressed to release in alkaline condition. In addition, the nano-fragrance with controlled release properties had regulatory effects on the central nervous system. It had the effect of relieving stress according to the open field tests. Besides, it increased the expression levels of dopamine, acetylcholine and GABA according to results of liquid chromatographmass spectrometer. Therefore, these cationic nano-fragrance with pH-sensitive release property have the potential for aromatherapy.

Detection of hepatitis E virus genotypes 3 and 4 in donkeys in northern China

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of acute self-limiting hepatitis in humans in developing countries. Hepatitis E virus RNA was first detected in donkeys in Spain, but little is known about the possible presence of HEV in donkeys in China.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence of HEV in donkeys in northern China.

STUDY DESIGN

Investigation of the prevalence of HEV in donkeys using serological, molecular and phylogenetic approaches.

METHODS

A total of 401 donkey serum specimens were tested for serological and molecular detection of HEV via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The amplified products were cloned in pMD18-T vector and sequenced. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis of partial HEV ORF2 genes were compared with the corresponding sequences of the obtained HEV representative strains.

RESULTS

Serological results showed that 49 donkeys (12.22%, 95% CI: 9.18-15.83%) were positive for anti-HEV-specific antibodies, and 17 donkeys (4.24%, 95% CI: 2.49-6.70%) were positive for HEV viral RNA. On the basis of sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, all isolated HEV strains belonged to genotype 3 (HEV-3) or HEV-4, sharing more than 76.2-96.3% identities with 67 other HEV representative strains of HEV-1 to HEV-8.

MAIN LIMITATIONS

Further studies about the prevalence of HEV in organs or faecal samples from donkeys are needed to evaluate the possible role of HEV reservoir and to determine the risk factors associated with the transmission of this zoonotic virus in donkeys in China.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report documenting the molecular analysis of donkey HEV strains worldwide and the serological evidence of HEV infection in donkeys in northern China. The results suggest that young donkeys are more susceptible to HEV infection compared with older donkeys. Further investigation is required to determine whether donkeys should be considered reservoirs for zoonotic HEV. The Summary is available in Chinese - see Supporting information.

Quantum computation with universal error mitigation on a superconducting quantum processor

Medium-scale quantum devices that integrate about hundreds of physical qubits are likely to be developed in the near future. However, these devices will lack the resources for realizing quantum fault tolerance. Therefore, the main challenge of exploring the advantage of quantum computation is to minimize the impact of device and control imperfections without complete logical encoding. Quantum error mitigation is a solution satisfying the requirement. Here, we demonstrate an error mitigation protocol based on gate set tomography and quasi-probability decomposition. One- and two-qubit circuits are tested on a superconducting device, and computation errors are successfully suppressed. Because this protocol is universal for digital quantum computers and algorithms computing expected values, our results suggest that error mitigation can be an essential component of near-future quantum computation.

[Changes of eye care use among rural adults under the reform of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme: the Handan Eye Study]

Objective: To assess the utilization of eye care services in the rural area of Handan, China under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, and to analyze the factors associated with the uptake of these services. Methods: In a cohort population-based study, subjects who joined both the baseline (2006-2007) and follow-up (2012-2013) were included. Information of demographic characteristics, participation in the New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance and use of eye care services, comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, blood pressure and fasting was collected. The protocol got approved by the ethics committee of Beijing Tongren Hospital, and each subject signed the informed consent. Results: Of 5 193 eligible participants, 549 [10.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.8%-11.4%] had used eye care services, and the prevalence had no significant difference from baseline surveys (P=0.20). The municipal hospitals undertook 50.1% of eye care services. "No need" (4 422, 95.2%) was the most common reason cited for not using an eye care service; 2 875 (65.0%) of these participants had at least one type of eye diseases, 3 505 (79.3%) had at least one type of ocular complaints. In the multiple binary logistics regression model, participants who were elder [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.319; 95%CI, 1.177-1.478], were female (adjusted OR, 1.466; 95%CI, 1.085-1.981), had a diabetes history (adjusted OR, 1.930; 95%CI, 1.381-2.696), had a low income (adjusted OR, 0.826; 95%CI, 0.688-0.922), had ocular complaints (adjusted OR, 3.556; 95%CI, 2.484-5.091), had refractive errors (adjusted OR, 1.256; 95%CI, 1.007-1.567), had visual impairment (adjusted OR, 4.398; 95%CI, 2.667-7.253) or had cataract (adjusted OR, 1.278; 95%CI, 1.013-1.612) were more likely to take an eye care service. Conclusions: Under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, the prevalence of New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance was increased significantly, but the rate of eye care use in the rural area was still low. Further efforts towards higher quality medical service in county hospitals and village clinics as well as better education about eye disease among the rural population may raise the eye care use in rural areas. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2018, 54:570-579).

Multiple parametric nanoscale measurements with high sensitivity based on through-focus scanning optical microscopy

High-throughput through-focus scanning optical microscopy (TSOM) involves defocusing along the optical axis and capturing a series of defocus images and is useful in optical nanoscale measurement. However, TSOM is usually affected by its optical and mechanical noises. In this study, the issue of sensitivity and application in three-dimensional (3D) multiple parameter measurement of TSOM is investigated. First, a TSOM system with objective scanning and its relative simulation algorithm are proposed. Second, based upon the system and algorithm, an experiment on an isolated Au line is performed and the corresponding matching library is established. Comparing the experimental TSOM image and simulated TSOM images of the library, 3D multiple parameter results of the Au line are extracted. Third, the precision of the system is analysed through a fidelity test particular for through-focus images. According to this study, the system is robust to the optical and mechanical noises and hence could be useful in 3D multiple parametric measurement and high-volume nanomanufacturing.

Abstract P5-12-07: Expression of adipocyte fatty acid binding protein promotes obesity-associated mammary tumor growth

Background: The underlying mechanisms that drive obesity-related breast cancer remain unclear. Adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is linked to obesity and breast cancer, while transforming growth factor (TGF)β appears to play a pleiotropic role in breast cancer, suppressing its development but promoting its progression. Whether the proteins work together to drive breast cancer progression is not known. We evaluated the expression of these two markers in matched serum from healthy women and women with breast cancer.

Hypothesis: A-FABP and TGFβ drive breast cancer development and progression.

Methods: Serum was collected under an institutional review board approved protocol. A-FABP was measured in serum collected from 275 women (92 with breast cancer and 183 without) and TGFβ from 245 matched women (92 with breast cancer and 153 without). A-FABP levels were measured using a human A-FABP4 ELISA kit while TGFβ was measured using human TGFβ ELISA kit. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine if a difference in marker expression existed between women with and without breast cancer, as well as in women with early vs. more advanced breast cancer. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the relationship between A-FABP and BMI, as well as between TGFβ and BMI, controlling for age, menopause status and a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Results:A-FABP expression was higher in obese than lean postmenopausal women, both those with breast cancer (mean : 44.9 vs. 25.1 ng/mL, p=0.002) and without breast cancer (39.4 vs. 26.9 ng/mL, p=0.003). A-FABP expression was also higher in premenopausal obese vs. lean women with cancer (28.9 vs. 12.7 ng/mL, p=0.027), but not in premenopausal healthy women. A-FABP expression was higher in postmenopausal obese vs. lean women with early stage (0-2A) breast cancer (45.6 vs. 21.9 ng/mL, p=0.013) and was inversely associated with HER-2 expression, though being of borderline significance (p=0.060). This was most notable among triple negative vs. ER/PR negative HER2 positive breast cancers. Considering both early and advanced breast cancer, TGFβ expression trended higher in post- than in pre-menopausal obese women with breast cancer (138.9 vs. 68.7 pg/mL, p=0.061), however among premenopausal women with advanced (Stages 2B-3C) disease, TGFβ expression was 5 fold higher in lean than obese individuals (251.7 vs. 48.2 pg/mL, p=0.029) but trended higher in obese vs lean postmenopausal women. TGFβ and A-FABP were found to be significantly associated (ρ=0.14, p=0.024).

Impact: Both A-FABP and TGFβ expression are associated with postmenopausal breast cancer among obese women, and their expression in matched samples is significantly associated.. TGFβ is associated with premenopausal advanced breast cancer in premenopausal women. TGFβ is known to induce epithelial mesenchymal transition and may play a role in pregnancy associated breast cancer. Further studies are needed to determine if A-FABP and TGFβ work together in postmenopausal breast cancer.

Citation Format: Sauter E, Hao J, Yan X, Kong M, Li B. Expression of adipocyte fatty acid binding protein promotes obesity-associated mammary tumor growth [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-12-07.

Design and Development of Lidocaine Microemulsions for Transdermal Delivery

Topical administration is a preferable choice for local anesthetic delivery. Microemulsions have shown great effectiveness for transdermal transport of lidocaine. However, fabrication of microemulsions containing highly concentrated lidocaine (10%) to provide an extended local anesthetic effect is still a challenge. This study investigated the feasibility of using microemulsions for transdermal delivery of a high dosage of lidocaine (10%). At first, eutectic mixtures by kneading lidocaine with thymol were tailored to form a lipophilic solution, then the mixtures were readily incorporated into the oil phase of microemulsions after addition of proper surfactants and cosurfactants. The physicochemical properties, the skin permeation, local anesthetic efficacy, and the irritation experiment of the developed microemulsions were evaluated. The optimum composition was as follows: 12% of ethyl oleate as oil phase, 28% of the mixed surfactant, and cosurfactant (polyoxyl 15 hydroxystearate and ethanol) and 60% of the aqueous phase. The average particle size was about 13 nm. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies revealed almost homogeneous spherical globules without aggregation. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results highlighted the drugs homogeneously dispersed in the microemulsions. In vitro skin permeation and in vivo anesthesia effect evaluation indicated that microemulsions can enhance and extend the anesthetic effect of lidocaine. The irritable results indicated that the microemulsions had the better biocompatibility and the negligible influence on the dermal. Therefore, incorporating the eutectic mixtures into microemulsions could be proposed as an attractive choice and a promising transdermal delivery strategy for the future topical anesthetic therapy.

[Efficacy and prognostic analysis of 98 cases of relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with second-line regimens]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and prognostic factors of second-line regimens for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 98 patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL who were treated with salvage regimens in Rui Jin Hospital from July 2004 to June 2016. Overall response rate (ORR) was evaluated after all treatment finished. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate by Cox proportional hazards models. Results: There were 60 males and 38 females with a median age of 55.5 (15-77) years. 48 (49.0%) patients responded to chemotherapy, and 32 (32.7%) patients achieved complete remission (CR). Factors affecting ORR were progression disease or refractory/relapse status less than 12 months after diagnosis (χ(2)=5.878, P=0.015) , IPI intermediate-high/high risk (χ(2)=5.930, P=0.015) and NCCN-IPI intermediate-high/high risk (χ(2)=4.961, P=0.026). No significance difference was observed in ORR between germinal-center B-cell type (GCB) and non-GCB (χ(2)=0.660, P=0.417). One-year and 2-year OS rates were 51.0% and 31.5%, with median OS at 13.17 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated NCCN-IPI intermediate-high/high risk[HR=2.176 (95%CI 1.338-3.538) , P=0.002] and response to chemotherapy [HR=0.273 (95%CI 0.165-0.452) , P<0.001] were independent prognostic factors for survival. Conclusion: NCCN-IPI is a valid predictor of outcome for patients with relapse/refractory DLBCL. Response to chemotherapy is an independent prognostic factor for better survival.

Temporary suppression the sequestrated function of host macrophages for better nanoparticles tumor delivery

Orchestration of nanoparticles to achieve targeting has become the mainstream for efficient delivery of antitumor drugs. However, the low delivery efficiency becomes the biggest barrier for clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines, as most of them are sequestrated in the liver where more macrophages located in are responsible for capture of systemic administrated nanoparticles. In this study, we found that the depletion of the liver macrophages could lead to a superior improvement in the nanoparticles delivery. Firstly, we developed clodronate-containing liposomes (clodrolip) to transiently suppress the phagocytic function of macrophages, the residual macrophages in liver only accounted for less than 1% when the mice were treated with clodrolip in advance. In addition, the pharmacokinetics results of treatment with paclitaxel-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PTX-PLGA) nanoparticles disclosed that the AUC of PTX in the macrophages depletion group increased 2.11-fold. These results meant that the removal of macrophages would decrease the nanoparticles accumulation in the liver and better the biodistribution and bioavailability of nanoparticles delivery systems. Moreover, treatment of mice with melanoma by the combination of clodrolip and PTX-PLGA nanoparticles resulted in an elevated anti-tumor efficacy, the tumor inhibition ratio was nearly reached to 80%. Furthermore, these combinatorial regimens have demonstrated negligible toxicity in incidence of adverse effects. In conclusion, the encouraging results from this study inspire the generation of a rational strategy to focus on microenvironmental priming for modulation of innate immunity and to improve delivery efficiency of nanoparticles.

Genetic contribution of suppressor of cytokine signalling polymorphisms to the susceptibility to infection after traumatic injury

Suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are crucial negative regulators in many signalling pathways and are implicated in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to uncover possible associations of common polymorphisms within SOCS genes with infectious outcomes after traumatic injury. A total of 1087 trauma patients (Chongqing cohort 806 and Yunnan cohort 281) were recruited and followed-up for the development of infectious outcomes, such as sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Twelve selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were screened by pyrosequencing to determine their genotypes and associations with infectious complications. Among the 12 selected SNPs, only the cytokine-inducible Src homology (SH2) domain protein (CISH) promoter rs414171 polymorphism was found consistently to be associated statistically with the incidence of sepsis and MOD score in the two cohorts, despite analysing the SNPs independently or in combination. Further, patients with a T allele had significantly lower CISH expression and lower production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, but higher production of interleukin (IL)-10. Luciferase assay confirmed that the A→T variant in the rs414171 polymorphism inhibited the transcriptional activities of the CISH gene significantly. The CISH rs414171 polymorphism is associated significantly with susceptibility to sepsis and MODS in traumatic patients, which might prove to be a novel biomarker for indicating risk of infectious outcomes in critically injured patients.

Comparison of Rejection-Specific Genes in Peripheral Blood and Allograft Biopsy From Kidney Transplant

BACKGROUND

Although improved understanding and assessment of organ rejection significantly contribute to long-term allograft survival after kidney transplantation, reliable and predictive biomarkers that enable diagnoses of rejection state are lacking. Patient rejection of a kidney graft displays a specific blood and biopsy transcriptional pattern, raising the question of whether transcript biomarkers in blood could reflect events within the allograft.

METHODS

Differential expression genes were screened on large-scale transcriptomic data from blood and allograft biopsies, which included recipients undergoing rejection and recipients with stable renal function.

RESULTS

We found that the number of rejection-related genes in biopsy samples was much greater than in blood. We observed only one overlapping gene, HIST1H4A, consistently expressed in biopsy samples and blood. Functional association of the identified genes in biopsies implicated a strong involvement of inflammatory-immune pathways. Rejection-related genes in the mammalian target of rapamycin-signaling pathway were down-regulated, and genes related to allograft rejection and graft-versus-host disease were up-regulated in allograft biopsy samples. We also recognized the core signaling elements (PIK3R2 and EGFR) in inflammatory-immune pathways based on biopsy samples.

CONCLUSIONS

We have expanded our understanding of rejection-specific gene expression pattern in allograft biopsy and peripheral blood, and provided a candidate set of overlapping genes for screening of rejection in kidney transplant recipients.

Use of integrative epigenetic and mRNA expression analyses to identify significantly changed genes and functional pathways in osteoarthritic cartilage

Aim

Osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of genes and are likely to regulate the OA transcriptome. We performed integrative genomic analyses to define methylation-gene expression relationships in osteoarthritic cartilage.

Patients and Methods

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of articular cartilage from five patients with OA of the knee and five healthy controls was conducted using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, California). Other independent genome-wide mRNA expression profiles of articular cartilage from three patients with OA and three healthy controls were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Integrative pathway enrichment analysis of DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiles was performed using integrated analysis of cross-platform microarray and pathway software. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID).

Results

We identified 1265 differentially methylated genes, of which 145 are associated with significant changes in gene expression, such as DLX5, NCOR2 and AXIN2 (all p-values of both DNA methylation and mRNA expression < 0.05). Pathway enrichment analysis identified 26 OA-associated pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway (p = 6.25 × 10-4), phosphatidylinositol (PI) signalling system (p = 4.38 × 10-3), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signalling pathway (p = 8.63 × 10-3 pantothenate and coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis (p = 0.017), ErbB signalling pathway (p = 0.024), inositol phosphate (IP) metabolism (p = 0.025), and calcium signalling pathway (p = 0.032).

Conclusion

We identified a group of genes and biological pathwayswhich were significantly different in both DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiles between patients with OA and controls. These results may provide new clues for clarifying the mechanisms involved in the development of OA.

Cite this article: A. He, Y. Ning, Y. Wen, Y. Cai, K. Xu, Y. Cai, J. Han, L. Liu, Y. Du, X. Liang, P. Li, Q. Fan, J. Hao, X. Wang, X. Guo, T. Ma, F. Zhang. Use of integrative epigenetic and mRNA expression analyses to identify significantly changed genes and functional pathways in osteoarthritic cartilage. Bone Joint Res 2018;7:343–350. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.75.BJR-2017-0284.R1.

A method for tracing exogenous DNA uptake in live spermatozoa and embryos

Sperm-mediated gene transfer(SMGT) is a simple method for producing transgenic animals. Due to the lack of repeatability in spermatozoa binding and internalization of exogenous DNA, the efficiency of SMGT is still low. Considering this point, the present work aims to develop a method for evaluating the spermatozoa capacity of binding exogenous DNA after co-incubation with DNA. The main approach is using a Cy5-labelled DNA to trace the exogenous DNA and assess the ability of spermatozoa to take up exogenous DNA. Using this technique, we found that the percentage of spermatozoa that are binding and uptaking DNA is higher at concentration of 10 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL than 5 μg/mL, 1 μg/mL and 0 μg/mL after incubation with Cy5-DNA for 30min at 37oC. After fertilization, the DNA fluorescence signal was also detected in zygotes in groups where spermatozoa were incubated with 10 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL of Cy5-DNA. These results showed a simple and convenient method to trace the exogenous DNA in spermatozoa and zygote when compared to conventional methods of labeling DNA during fertilization, resulting in a real-time observation of the exogenous DNA in spermatozoa and zygote.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of articular cartilage reveals significant epigenetic alterations in Kashin-Beck disease and osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To determine genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of knee cartilage from patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and osteoarthritis (OA).

METHOD

Knee cartilage was collected from 14 grade III KBD patients, 5 primary OA patients and 13 healthy subjects. The genome-wide methylation profiles of 5 KBD cartilage, 5 OA cartilage and 5 normal cartilage were determined by Illumina HumanMethylation450 array. Illumina Methylation Analyzer package was employed for identifying differentially methylated CpG sites. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis of differentially methylated genes (DMG) were conducted using GeneRIF database, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Mass spectrometry (MS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were conducted to validate the functional relevance of identified KBD associated gene.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 1212 differentially methylated CpG sites in KBD vs Normal, annotated to 264 hypermethylated and 368 hypomethylated genes. Comparing the DNA methylation profiles of KBD vs Normal and OA vs Normal detected overlap of 367 differentially methylated CpG sites (annotated to 182 genes) as well as 845 KBD-specific differentially methylated CpG sites (annotated to 471 unique genes). MS and IHC confirmed the hypermethylation status and decreased protein expression of HAPLN1 gene in KBD cartilage.

CONCLUSION

Our data implicate epigenetic dysregulation of a host of genes in KBD and OA. Furthermore, we observed common causal epigenetic changes shared by KBD and OA.