HPV Circulating Cell-Free DNA Kinetics in Cervical Cancer Patients Undergoing Definitive Chemoradiation

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a significant cause of cervical cancer and viral DNA can be detected in the blood of patients with cervical cancer (cfHPV-DNA). We hypothesized that detecting HPV cfDNA before, during and after chemoradiation (CRT) could provide insights into disease extent, clinical staging, and treatment response.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Forty-seven patients with cervical cancer were enrolled on this study between 2017 and 2022, either as part of a standard-of-care (SOC) treatment banking protocol (33 patients) or as part of a clinical trial combining a therapeutic HPV vaccine (PDS0101; Immunocerv, 14 patients). Longitudinal plasma samples were collected from each patient as baseline, during week 1, 3 or 5 of CRT. cfHPV-DNA was quantified using droplet digital PCR targeting the HPV E6/E7 oncogenes of 13 high-risk types based on analysis of cervical tumor genotype (AmpFire). Clinical covariates, including FIGO stage, primary tumor size, and treatment response were studied using appropriate statistical tests.

RESULTS

All 47 patients had detectable HPV cfDNA during CRT with 38 out of 47 having HPV type 16 detected. The median cfDNA at baseline was 24.5 copies/mL, with a range of 0 to 157,638 copies/mL. Of the 35 patients with at least three measurements, 20 (57%) had peak cfDNA counts at week 3, and 30 out of 35 showed a decline in cfDNA counts at week 5 compared to week 3. The proportion of patients who cleared cfDNA (<16 copies/mL) increased with each week of CRT, reaching 75% at week 5. Baseline cfDNA counts were associated with para-aortic nodal involvement (p<0.0001) but not with FIGO stage or gross tumor volume. A greater proportion of patients treated with therapeutic HPV-directed vaccine had clearance of cfDNA counts as compared to those treated with SOC (at week 3, 38% vs 5%, P = 0.02 and week 5, 79% vs 22%, P = 0.0054) CONCLUSION: HPV cfDNA levels change dynamically throughout definitive CRT and peak during the first 3 weeks for the majority of patients. Treatment with a therapeutic HPV vaccine was associated with a more rapid decline in cfHPV DNA. Further analysis of cfDNA kinetics could provide valuable information on the relationship between cfDNA levels, treatment response, and clinical outcomes.

Financial Improvements from Short Course Adjuvant Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy (VCB) in Early Endometrial Cancer Compared to Standard of Care, "SAVE" Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Early-stage endometrial cancer is often managed with hysterectomy followed by adjuvant VCB. Financial toxicity from cancer treatment is a strong driver of adherence. The SAVE trial is a multicenter, prospective randomized trial of standard of care (SoC) VCB doses delivered in 3-5 fractions per physician discretion compared to a 2-fraction course. We report on secondary cost endpoints, quantifying the financial impacts of shorter treatment courses on institutions and participating patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Technical (TechCs), professional (PCs), and total charges (TotCs) were collected prospectively and are reported as raw and Medicare-adjusted charges per patient. Geographic variations were standardized with CMS Geographic Practice Cost Indices (GPCI), and inflation was adjusted using the Consumer Price Index (CPI): Medical Care. Distance to treatment center was calculated from the patient's zip code to the corresponding treatment center. Cost of commutes was estimated through round-trip travel distance multiplied by average gas MPG for new vehicles by treatment year and state. Median income for each patient's zip code was estimated using 5-year Household income in 2021 inflation-adjusted dollars from the US Census. Mann-Whitney U, T- and Chi-square tests were used to compare characteristics between the two groups.

RESULTS

One hundred eight patients were analyzed. SoC VCB was delivered in 3, 4 and 5 fractions for 27/54 (50%), 11/54 (20%), and 16/54 (30%), respectively. Median total distance traveled per patient for SoC vs. experimental arms was 213 vs 137 miles (p = .12), and median cost of commute for patients was 36.3 vs 18.0 USD (p = .11). Compared to 2-fraction treatment, 5-fraction treatment resulted in longer travel distances (median 462 vs. 137 miles, p < 0.01) and increased travel costs (median 59.3 v. 18.0 USD, p = < 0.01). Median income by zip code for SoC v. experimental arms was 79,704 vs. 79,671 USD (p = 1.0). For SoC v. experimental arms, 11 (20%) vs 7 (13%) of patients had zip codes with median income in the lowest or second lowest quintiles (p = 0.5). Adjusted raw PCs per patient did not differ between SoC vs. experimental arms (9,159$ vs. 7,532$, p = 0.19). TechCs were significantly higher on the SoC arm (35,734$ vs. 24,696$ p = < 0.01), as were TotCs (44,892$ vs. 32,228$, p < 0.01;). Medicare-adjusted PCs, TechCs, and TotCs were higher for the SoC arm (Table 1).

CONCLUSION

Two-fraction VCB resulted in fewer treatments per patient, reduced cost of travel compared to longer courses, and an adjusted reduction in healthcare expenditures compared to standard of care. Ongoing work will include assessment of patient-reported financial toxicities.

Short Course Adjuvant Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy (VCB) in Early Endometrial Cancer: Primary Endpoint Results of the SAVE Randomized Clinical Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Prospective trials in early stage endometrial cancer demonstrate increased locoregional control with adjuvant radiotherapy for patients with high risk features. VCB is widely utilized, yet there is substantial practice variation and limited randomized data examining optimal dose/fractionation. We aimed to study the safety and efficacy of short course VCB compared to commonly used regimens.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We conducted a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial examining short course adjuvant VCB (11 Gy x 2 fractions at the surface) compared with other standard regimens (7 Gy x 3 fractions at 0.5 cm depth, 6 Gy x 5 fractions at the surface, or 5-5.5 Gy x 4 fractions at 0.5 cm depth). Eligible patients underwent hysterectomy and had pathologically confirmed endometrioid adenocarcinoma, serous, clear cell, or carcinosarcoma. Patients with stage I and II cancers were included, with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) required for stage IAG1. The primary outcome was Global Health Status measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 with a pre-specified non-inferiority margin of 15 points. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported outcomes, toxicities as assessed by CTCAEv5, and patterns of recurrence. Data were collected at each brachytherapy fraction and at 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.

RESULTS

One hundred eight patients were enrolled, 54 in each study arm. Data completion was 94%, 91%, and 77% at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively. 70% of patients had endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 18% serous carcinoma, and 12% other histologies. 23% were FIGO grade 1, 33% grade 2, and 43% grade 3 or high risk histologies. The majority of patients were stage I (56% IA, 38% IB). 22% of patients had LVI. The QLQ-C30 Global Health Status for the experimental arm was within the predefined boundary and thus 2 fractions were non-inferior to standard of care at one month (p = 0.000005) and 12 months (p = 0.0005). Using EORTC EN24 for patient reported vaginal/sexual, urologic, and gastrointestinal symptoms, the change in mean patient reported symptom score from baseline to 1 month and baseline to 12 months were not significantly different between arms. Using CTCAEv5, 51 patients experienced short-term AEs related to study treatment, 20 in the experimental arm and 31 in the control arm (p = 0.053). All study treatment-related AEs were grade 1-2, except for two grade 3-4 AEs, both on the control arm. At median follow-up of 19 months, the isolated vaginal control rate in each arm was 100%. There was no significant difference in the total number of recurrences between study arms, with 3 distant and 3 distant/pelvic/vaginal recurrences in the experimental arm, and 2 distant, 2 pelvic, and 1 pelvic/vaginal recurrence in the control arm.

CONCLUSION

Short course VCB is safe with acceptable acute toxicity and non-inferior patient reported outcomes. Short course VCB improves patient convenience and may improve access to care for rural or underserved populations while providing similar local control.

Predictors of Poor Treatment Experience in Cervical Cancer Patients Receiving Definitive Chemoradiation and Brachytherapy Boost: A Prospective Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Cervical cancer patients experience high overall symptom burden. Here, we analyzed patient reported outcomes (PROs) to identify disease, treatment, or patient-related characteristics that can predict poor treatment experience.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiation (CRT) at a single institution enrolled on a prospective trial evaluating PROs between 2021-2023 were included. Patients received PRO questionnaires at baseline (BL) and 2-7 days after final brachytherapy implant (post-BT). Data was collected using the EORTC-QLQ-C30, which is a validated metric scored on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 2 = a little, 3 = quite a bit, 4 = very much). Poor treatment experience was defined as low physical function [score >2], significant overall symptom burden [> population mean], or substantial nausea/vomiting (N/V), diarrhea, pain, or fatigue [score >2] after BT. Potential predictors included age, menopause status, stage, radiation field size, BT modality (PDR vs HDR), marital status, high baseline financial toxicity [score >2], depression [score >2], worse social function [score >2] and poor emotional function [score >2]. Logistic regression modeling was performed and p<0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

A total of 36 patients completed BL and post-BT PRO metrics. Median age was 42 (range, 18-85), 22% (n = 8) of patients had localized disease, 75% (n = 27) had regional disease, and 3% (n = 1) had distant disease. Low BL social function was associated with high symptom burden after BT (HR 12.5, 95% CI 2.3-68.2, p = 0.004), significant N/V (HR 19.0, 95% CI 1.9-191.0, p = 0.012), high rates of fatigue (HR 9.29, 95% CI 1.6-54.8, p = 0.014), and overall poor physical function after treatment (HR 5.67, 95% CI 1.1-30.1, p = 0.042). High BL financial toxicity was predictive of elevated symptom burden after BT (HR 12.0, 95% CI 2.2-66.0, p = 0.004) and substantial fatigue (HR 7.33, 95% CI 1.5-36.7, p = 0.015). Significant depression at BL was also associated with high rates of N/V (HR 9.78, 95% CI 1.4-66.9, p = 0.02). Patient age, menopausal status, disease stage, radiation field size, BT modality, and marital status were not significantly predictive for symptom burden or physical function after treatment.

CONCLUSION

Patients with poor baseline social function, high financial toxicity, and depression are at risk for increased symptom burden. Screening for these factors may provide an opportunity to intervene early and improve patient treatment experience.

Radiation Oncology Practice Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of institutional policies routine SARS-CoV-2 testing before treatment starts with mandatory quarantine periods for COVID-positive patients during the first year of the COVID19 pandemic across radiation oncology sections at our tertiary cancer center.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Electronic medical databases were queried to identify all patients treated with curative intent at a large urban cancer center and regional satellites a year prior to the pandemic (02/11/19-12/30/19; pre-pandemic) and the first year of the pandemic (03/11/20-12/30/20; post-pandemic). New treatment starts were filtered for those undergoing treatment under a single ICD-10 diagnosis and the first treatment in each time period for each patient. Chi-square tests were used for categorical variables, and the t-test was used for continuous variables to correlate differences in demographic and clinical factors before and during the pandemic.

RESULTS

The total number of new treatment starts were similar between the pre-pandemic (2,218 patients) and post-pandemic (2,130 patients) periods, but there was a 26% decrease in treatments in April 2020 compared to April 2019 and a 40% increase in treatments in November 2020 compared to November 2019. Post-pandemic patients had higher minimum Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (mean 46.0 vs 42.6, P = 0.0013) and were younger (62.8 yo vs 64.3 yo, P = 0.0001). The proportion of patients being treated from the same state as our institution was higher in the post-pandemic period compared to pre-pandemic (77.8% vs 72.43%, P = 0.0259). Distribution of treatments across department disease-site sections were significantly different (P<0.0001), with the proportion of patients treated by the Breast service having increased by 22% whereas the metropolitan area regional satellites experienced a 18% reduction. There were no statistically significant differences amongst pre- and post-pandemic patients with respect to race, marital status, or smoking status. Post-pandemic patients had less total radiation-related clinical visits (mean 24.8 vs 28.6, P<0.0001), lower administered dose (4329 cGy vs 4533 cGy, P<0.0001), and lower radiation fraction count (17 vs 19, P<0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the duration between CT simulation and treatment start, but post-pandemic patients had shorter duration of elapsed days during treatment (27 days vs 29 days, P = 0.0001). A disease-site-specific analysis demonstrated that these differences were most pronounced in patients treated for breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

In the first year of the COVID19 pandemic, our institution saw a dynamic change in the number of new radiation treatments. Additional analyses across individual disease-specific services may reveal insight into dose, fractionation, and technique, which may account for the observed differences.

[Untargeted metabolomics study of dexamethasone-induced congenital cleft palate in New Zealand rabbits]

Objective: To investigate the metabolic disorders in placental tissues of dexamethasone induced cleft palate mode. Methods: Twelve pregnant rabbits were randomly divided into dexamethasone group (experimental group, 8) and saline control group (4), and a certain amount of dexamethasone and saline were administered intramuscularly to the experimental and control groups respectively from embryonic days (ED) 13 to 16, and placental tissue samples were collected on day 21 of gestation. The corresponding profiles of the embryonic placental tissue samples were obtained by liquid chromatography-triple tandem quadrupole(LC-MS), and the metabolites of the embryonic placental tissues were characterized by principal component analysis among the dexamethasone-treated group with cleft palate (D-CP group), the dexamethasone-treated group without cleft palate (D-NCP group) and the control group. Results: There were significant metabolic differences among the D-CP group, D-NCP group and control group, with a total of 133 differential metabolites (VIP>1, P<0.05) involving in important metabolic pathways including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism, and galactose metabolism. The four metabolites, vitamin B6, galactose, lysine and urea, differed among the three groups (P<0.05). There were significant differences in vitamin B6 (0.960±0.249, 0.856±0.368, 1.319±0.322), galactose (0.888±0.171, 1.033±0.182, 1.127±0.127), lysine (1.551±0.924, 1.789±1.435, 0.541±0.424) and urea (0.743±0.142, 1.137±0.301, 1.171±0.457, respectively) levels among control group, D-NCP group and D-CP group (F=5.90, P=0.008; F=5.59, P=0.009; F=4.26, P=0.025; F=5.29, P=0.012). Conclusions: The results indicated that dexamethasone induced cleft palate may be highly correlated with metabolic disorders including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism and galactose metabolism.

Impact of Treatment Modality on Quality of Life Among Uterine Cancer Survivors

AIMS

Our understanding of the impact of adjuvant therapy on longitudinal quality of life (QoL) following surgery for patients with uterine cancer is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare QoL in patients who have undergone surgery with or without radiation therapy for uterine cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional cohort study that examined women treated for uterine cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2006 to 2017. Participants included those who underwent hysterectomy/bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy alone, with brachytherapy or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). A non-cancer cohort of women who underwent a hysterectomy/bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy for benign indications was also identified (non-CA). To compare QoL we used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Endometrial survey (FACT-En), a validated survey used to assess QoL. The survey has five subscales: physical, social, emotional, functional and an endometrial cancer-specific subscale. Cohorts were compared using ANOVA tests.

RESULTS

In total, 309 women responded to the questionnaire (hysterectomy/bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy 64, brachytherapy 77, EBRT 96, non-CA 72). The median time from surgery to survey completion was 6.7 years. The mean total FACT-En score for the entire cohort was 144 [standard deviation 22]. Overall QoL was different between cohorts, with the EBRT cohort reporting the lowest QoL (mean 139.4 [21.6]) and the brachytherapy cohort the highest (150.6 [18.2], P = 0.006). Among patients who had undergone cancer treatment, the EBRT cohort reported the worst endometrial-specific QoL (53.5 [8.6]), while again the brachytherapy group reported the highest score (57.5 [6.1], P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

QoL differences in women who have undergone different treatments for uterine cancer may persist years after treatment. In women with endometrial cancer who require adjuvant therapy, brachytherapy does not appear to have any long-term detriments on QoL.

[The study of mitochondrial disorder pedigree associated with FASTKD2 variants and uniparental disomy]

Objective: To analyse the genetic cause of a proband with mitochondrial disease caused by FASTKD2 gene variation and uniparental disomy. Methods: Detailed medical history of a child suspected "mitochondrial disease" were inquired in Peking University First Hospital on November 23, 2017. c.810_820dup homozygous variation in FASTKD2 gene was found by high-throughput sequencing, and her mother had heterozygous variation, but her father didn't have such variation, which didn't conform to the genetic law of variation. Further clinical examinations and molecular genetic tests were carried out. The venous blood of the child and her parents was drawn, and genomic DNA was extracted. Sanger sequencing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis, chromosome microarray analysis and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) genetic relationship analysis were performed on the proband and the parents to determine the variation. Results: The clinical manifestations, physical examination and laboratory examination of the child supported the diagnosis of mitochondrial disease. c.810_820dup(p.Ser274Phefs*8) homozygous variant in FASTKD2 gene was identified. Sanger sequencing indicated that the mother was a heterozygote of the variant, while the father had no such variation, which did not conform to the genetic law. PCR testing and Sanger sequencing review to eliminate sampling errors, PCR amplification and sequencing errors. Non-biological father was excluded by STR analysis. Three large segmental LOH of FASTKD2 gene were found by chromosome microarray analysis, then the LOH relative analysis verified the child was a mixed maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 2. The child was diagnosed as mitochondrial disease caused by oxidative phosphorylation coupling defect of type 44. Conclusions: In this study, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease which does not conform to the genetic law was found, and it was confirmed that this mitochondrial disease family had both pathogenic variation and uniparental disomy phenomenon. It was diagnosed as mitochondrial disease caused by type 44 oxidative phosphorylation coupling defect.

[Occurrence of live-born twins with birth weight-discordance and its relationship to the adverse birth outcomes]

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of live-born twins with birth weight-discordance and its relationship to adverse birth outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 4 011 pairs of live-born twins in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2011 to December 2020. Based on the birth-weight discordance (∆BW, ∆BW=(birth-weight_big-birth-weight_small)/birth-weight_big×100%)), twins were divided into 4 groups, including ∆BW≤15%,>15%-20%,>20%-25%, and>25%. The differences in maternal and neonatal outcomes among 4 groups were explored. Then the correlation between ∆BW and neonatal adverse outcomes were explored. Results: The ΔBW was 9 (4, 16)% and males were accounted for 53.8% (4 315 cases) of 4 011 pairs of twins. The gestational age was (35.3±2.7) weeks at birth. There were 2 908 pairs (72.5%) of twins with ΔBW≤15%, 481 pairs (12.0%) with ΔBW>15%-20%, 281 pairs (7.0%) with ΔBW 20%-≤25%, and 341 twin pairs (8.5%) with ΔBW>25%. With ∆BW of 20% as the diagnostic cutoff, the incidence of birth weight discordance was 15.5% (622/4 011). The proportion of natural births in the ∆BW≤15% group was higher than that in the ∆BW>15%-20% group (10.5% (288/2 740) vs. 6.3% (29/463), P<0.008 3). The ∆BW>25% group had a significantly higher prevalence of maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy than that of the other 3 groups (25.5% (87/341) vs. 16.7% (47/281) vs.17.3% (83/480) vs. 13.8% (400/2 899), all P<0.008 3). Univariate analysis found that the ΔBW>25% group had a lower gestational age and a higher rate of preterm birth than the other groups. The rate of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) or very low birth weight (VLBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and transferring to the department of neonatology in the smaller twins were significantly different among the 4 groups (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that higher degree of birth weight discordance was all positively associated with the rate of ELBW, SGA, and transferring to the department of neonatology in smaller twin, even after adjusting maternal age and gestational hypertension, year of birth, mode of delivery, gender, and gestational age (all P<0.05). Moreover, the Mantel-Haenszel test also indicated that there were significantly low to moderate correlations between ΔBW and the unfavorable outcomes (r=0.22, 0.53, 0.21, all P<0.001, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve found that adverse birth outcomes would be well predicted by birth weight-discordant when the diagnostic cut-off of ΔBW was 12%-17%, with an acceptable sensitivity (0.53-0.78) and a high specificity (0.72-0.79). Conclusions: Birth weight discordant is not uncommon in live-born twins, and is associated with adverse outcomes including ELBW, SGA, and transferring to the department of neonatology in the small twins. Besides, the risk is linearly related to the increase of ΔBW. In the future, more researches are needed to explore the underline mechanism and long-term impact of birth weight discordance, to guide the prevention and management.

Research on Antioxidant Performance of Diglucosyl gallic Acid and Its Application in Emulsion Cosmetics

The present study investigates the in vitro tyrosinase inhibition activity, antioxidant capacity of diglucosyl gallic acid as well as its clinical efficacy as a cosmetic ingredient. The results show that diglucosyl gallic acid has a stronger ability to inhibit the activity of tyrosinase compared with VC, and its IC50 value is 2.68 mg/mL. Their potential antioxidant activities are further evaluated by the DPPH (α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl) method and the ABTS [2,2´-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate)] radical cation (ABTS·⁺ ) method, in which the gallic acid demonstrates a better performance than the traditional antioxidant vitamin C (VC), while the diglucosyl gallic acid shows poorer performance. As to the reducing ability, VC has the best performance, much better than gallic acid and diglucosyl gallic acid. Furthermore, through clinical experiments, it is shown the application of the diglucosyl gallic acid as a cosmetic ingredient can considerably improve the brightness of the skin and meanwhile reduce the area of ultraviolet spots, melanin and erythema over time.

[Analysis of risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus in elderly multipara women in the next pregnancy]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in elderly multipara women in the next pregnancy. Methods: A total of 219 elderly multipara women with 2 consecutive delivery records in Tianjin Binhai New Area Tanggu Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from January 2018 to May 2019 were included. Among them, 141 had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 78 of them had GDM. The clinical data of the previous and current pregnancy were collected to analyze the risk factors of GDM in elderly multipara women. Results: The average ages of 219 elderly women in previous pregnancy and this pregnancy were (31.9±2.2) and (36.7±1.5) years old, and the prevalence of GDM was 35.62% (78 cases). Compared to NGT group, GDM patients had higher fasting blood glucose(previous (5.51±1.43) vs (4.63±0.62) mmol/L; current (5.26±0.63) vs (4.59±0.30) mmol/L, 1 h blood glucose(previous (11.74±2.36) vs (9.50±1.82) mmol/L; current (11.03±2.03) vs (9.51±1.14) mmol/L) in 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in both previous and current pregnancy. The rates of cesarean section, in both previous and current pregnancy were higher in GDM group (previous 34.6% vs 4.3%; current 52.6% vs 22.0%). Furthermore, prenatal weight and body mass index (BMI) of the previous pregnancy, pre-pregnancy weight and BMI, and prenatal BMI of this pregnancy were also higher in GDM group, and the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Logistic multivariate regression analysis indicated cesarean section history (OR=10.80, 95%CI: (4.09-28.54)), GDM history of previous pregnancy (OR=10.64, 95%CI: (4.02-28.20)), 75 g OGTT fasting blood glucose≥ 4.86 mmol/L (OR=2.70, 95%CI: (1.27-5.70)), 1 h blood glucose after glucose administration ≥ 8.45 mmol/L (OR=1.78, 95%CI: (1.37-2.31)) were risk factors for GDM in elderly multipara women of this pregnancy. Conclusion: The risk of GDM in elderly multipara women with a history of cesarean section and GDM increases significantly. Results of OGTT in previous pregnancy also has predictive value.

[Distributions and associations between duration of sleep, daytime naps and insomnia symptoms among Chinese adults]

Objective: To investigate the distribution of sleep duration, daytime naps habits, and insomnia-related symptoms among participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study, and to examine the associations between the sleep-associated factors. Methods: A self-designed computer-based questionnaire was adopted to collect social-demographic information and lifestyle-related factors of the participants. A total of 452 829 Chinese adults aged 30-79 years, without self-reported histories of coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases or cancer, were included in this study. General linear regression and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the distributions on duration of sleep, daytime naps habits, and insomnia-related symptoms in different populations, after adjusted for gender, age, and residential regions. Gender-specific logistic regression model was adopted to examine the associations between the above mentioned sleep-related factors. Results: The average sleep duration of the participants was 7.41 hours per day, with 20.3% of them having daytime naps all year round, but 40.1% only had daytime naps in summer, and 39.6% had no habits of daytime naps. 11.0%, 10.0%, and 2.1% of the participants reported having had symptoms as difficulty in falling asleep, waking up too early or with daytime dysfunction, respectively. There were significant differences on the distributions in sleep-related factors between participants with different gender, age, residential areas, education levels,household income, and marital status (P<0.05). Results from the logistic regression showed that longer sleep duration was associated with lower risks of insomnia-related symptoms trend (P<0.001). Factor as without habits of daytime naps seemed to be associated with higher risks of insomnia-related symptoms (P<0.05). Participants with longer sleep duration were more likely to have the habit of taking daytime naps (P<0.05). Conclusions: The distributions of sleep duration, habits on daytime naps and insomnia-related symptoms varied according to the differences on social-demographic factors. There were associations existed between the sleeping-related factors, which would influence the promotion on optimal sleep duration and better quality of sleep.

[Present situation and analysis of murine allergic rhinitis model]

There have been 20 years of history in the study of allergic rhinitis(AR) using a mice model. At present, the AR mice model still exists some problems in the selection of mice strains, allergens and adjuvant types, molding cycle, allergen dose, model judgment, and so on, which affects the authenticity and comparability of the research results. By gradually solving the problems existing in the mice AR model, it is of great significance to realize the standardization of AR model, and the depth of the AR research.

[Effect of specific immunotherapy on the psychological health level and quality of life in patients with allergic rhinitis]

Objective: To study the effect of specific immunotherapy on the psychological health level and quality of life in patients with allergic rhinitis(AR).Method:Selected 97 cases diagnosed as moderate to severe persistent AR patients, were treated with specific immunotherapy for one year. All patients received the evaluation with symptom check list 90(SCL-90) and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire(RQLQ) before specific immunotherapy, six, and 12 months after specific immunotherapy.Result:The total scores, scores of somatization, obsessive, anxiety, depression and phobia in SCL-90 of AR patients after 12 months treatment were significantly lower than that before treatment（P < 0.05）. Total score of quality of life and subitem score in RQLQ of AR patients after 12 months treatment were obviously lower than that before treatment (P < 0.05）.Conclusion:Specific immunotherapy can effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms and improve psychological health level and quality of life of AR patients.

Taxonomic Study of the Genus Apalacris Walker (Orthoptera: Catantopidae)

The research history of the genus Apalacris is reviewed; a key to all known species of the genus is given, and one new species, Apalacris eminifronta n. sp., and one new combination, Apalacris maculifemura (Lin & Zheng), are described. The new species is very closely related to Apalacris antennata Liang, but differs in the following characters: (1) tegmen longer, reaching apex of hind femur; (2) basal part of inner side of hind femur orange red; (3) frontal ridge more protruded, obviously depressed under median ocellus in lateral view; and (4) epiphallus bridge prominent, ancora shorter than anterior projection.

Two New Species of the Genus Criotettix Bolivar (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), with a Key to the Species of the Genus from China

Two new species of the tetrigid genus Criotettix Bolivar from China, namely Criotettix interruptaoides Deng & Zheng n. sp. and Criotettix shiwanshanensis Deng & Zheng n. sp. are described. An updated key to all known species of the genus from China is given.

Description of a New Species of the Genus Macromotettixoides Zheng (Orthoptera: Tetrigoidea: Metrodorinae) from China

A new species, Macromotettixoides lativertex Deng et al n. sp. is described with detailed illustrations of external morphology. Comparison between the species M. lativertex n. sp. and allied species is compiled into a table for identification. The distribution and an updated identification key to all known species of the genus is given.

A Review of the Genus Pielomastax Chang (Orthoptera: Eumastacoidea) from China with Description of a New Species

The review of the genus Pielomastax is given. The genus consists of 14 species distributed in China. Pielomastax cladopygidium n. sp. is described from Shaanxi Province. An annotated list of species and key to species of Pielomastax is provided.

Correlation of optical components with ocular refraction among teen-agers in Taipei

From 2 senior-high and 2 vocational schools in Taipei, 3251 children with age 16-19 were randomly selected to study the relationship between ocular refraction and its main optical components, corneal curvature and axial length. While the corneal curvature was found to play only a minor role in the determination of ocular refraction, the measurements of axial length parallelled the degree of myopia (r = 0.74). A two-years' longitudinal study of additional 411 children from one junior-high school (age 13 through 15) further pointed to the importance of axial length in the production and progression of myopia.

Phospholipase C isozymes: structural and functional similarities

Phospholipase C (PLC) is shown to comprise at least nine isoforms. These isoforms can be separated into three structurally related classes. Within a class the isozymes have similar enzymological properties. In the case of the PLC gamma class, both isoforms may be regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. For PLC gamma 1 we show that the tyrosine phosphorylation sites are contained within the SH2/SH3 region or 'modulatory domain'. The overexpression of PLC gamma 1 in Rat-2 cells results in increased phosphatidylinositol breakdown in response to PDGF treatment, demonstrating that PLC gamma 1 mediates this response. We note that thrombin activates PLC gamma 1 in addition to other PLC isoforms.

Mutations in the ATP2C1 gene in Chinese patients with Hailey-Hailey disease

Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD; MIM 16960) is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary disorder characterized by recurrent eruption of vesicles and bullae, predominantly involving the body folds. It is caused by heterozygous mutations in the ATP2C1 gene, encoding the human secretory pathway Ca2+/Mn2+-ATPase protein 1 (hSPCA1). When we studied Chinese patients with HHD, we found two different heterozygous mutations, Q506X and G353V, the former previously reported in a Hungarian patient, and the latter being a novel mutation. In a 38-year-old patient from a four-generation pedigree with a 3-year history of severe recurrent blisters, we identified a C-->T transition at nucleotide 1696, c(1696C-->T), in exon 17 of ATP2C1, resulting in a nonsenes mutation, Gln506X, which resulted in a premature termination codon. In the second patient, who represented a occurrence of sporadic Hailey-Hailey disease, a G-->T transversion of nucleotide, c(G1238T), in exon 13 of ATP2C1 was detected, which resulted in a Gly353-->Val amino acid substitution (G353V). Our molecular findings further demonstrate that the mutational events in the human ATP2C1 gene encoding the hSPCA1 pump play an important role in the pathogenesis of HHD.

Epidemiologic study of the prevalence and severity of myopia among schoolchildren in Taiwan in 2000

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A nationwide survey was performed in 2000 to determine the prevalence and severity of myopia among schoolchildren in Taiwan and to compare these findings with the results of the last survey performed in 1995.

METHODS

We first divided the whole island into regions according to developmental grade scores and then sampled with the probability proportional to the size of the population within each stratum. A total of 10,889 students were enrolled, including 5,664 boys and 5,225 girls, with ages ranging from 7 to 18 years. The refractive status and corneal radius of each student were measured with an autorefractometer under cycloplegia and checked with retinoscopy. Axial length was measured using biometric ultrasound.

RESULTS

The myopia rate increased from 20% at 7 years, to 61% at 12 years, and 81% at 15 years. A myopic rate of 84% was found for schoolchildren aged 16 years through 18 years. The mean refractive index reached myopic status at the age of 8, and increased to -4.12 D in girls and -3.15 D in boys at the age of 18 years. The prevalence of high myopia (> -6.0 D) at the age of 18 years was 24% in girls and 18% in boys. The increase in axial length corresponded with the progression of myopia. The anterior chamber depth was slightly deeper from 7 years to 13 years and then remained stable. The lens thickness decreased from 7 years to 11 years. After age 15, further thickening of the lens was correlated with both age and severity of myopia. However, the corneal curvature was not related to age or severity of myopia. Girls had a higher prevalence and more severe degree of myopia than boys. Children in urban areas had a higher prevalence and more severe degree of myopia than children in rural areas.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence and severity of myopia in schoolchildren in Taiwan in 2000 increased compared to 1995, with the most severe increases occurring in younger age groups. Thus, preventing schoolchildren developing myopia at a young age may slow down the increase in severity of myopia in Taiwan.

The N-terminal signal sequence and the last 98 amino acids are not essential for the secretion of Bacillus sp. TS-23 alpha-amylase in Escherichia coli

A truncated Bacillus sp. TS-23 alpha-amylase gene lacking 96 and 294 bp at its 5' and 3' end respectively was prepared by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into Escherichia coli expression vector, pQE-30, under the control of T5 promoter. SDS-PAGE and activity staining analyses showed that the His6-tagged amylase had a molecular mass of approximately 54 kDa. Isopropyl-beta-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction of E. coli M15 cells bearing the recombinant plasmid resulted in the extracellular production of active amylase. Western blot analysis also revealed that the truncated amylase was present in the periplasmic space and culture medium.

The cornea in young myopic adults

AIMS

To further understand the effect of refractive error on the corneal dimensions and function.

METHODS

Corneal curvature, corneal thickness, and axial length measurements were performed, as well as specular microscopy and fluorophotometry, on patients with various refractive statuses. 216 subjects, mean age 22.2 (SD 4.2) years, were examined. Patients with previous contact lens wear history, external eye diseases, as well as previous ocular surgeries, were excluded.

RESULTS

The corneas were flatter in eyes with longer axial length (r = -0.22, p = 0.003). Eyes with more myopic spherical equivalent had longer axial length (r = -0.90, p <0.001) as well as less corneal endothelial density (r = 0.20, p = 0.037). Corneal endothelial density decreased in eyes with longer axial length (r = 0.24, p = 0.019); however, it correlated neither with corneal thickness (r = -0.06, p = 0.59) nor with corneal curvature (r = -0.07, p = 0.52). The corneas had a mean corneal thickness of 533 (SD 29) microm and were thinner in more myopic eyes (r = 0.16, p = 0.021). The corneas tended to be thinner in eyes with longer axial length. However, the correlation did not reach statistical significance (r = -0.11, p = 0.14). Besides, there was no significant correlation between the corneal thickness and the corneal curvature (r = -0.13, p = 0.093) and the endothelial permeability (r = 0.042, p = 0.69). The corneas with higher endothelial density had larger corneal transfer coefficient (r = 0.26, p = 0.024) and higher permeability to fluorescein molecules (r = 0.28, p = 0.014). Nevertheless, the corneal endothelial permeability did not correlate significantly with either the axial length (r = -0.18, p = 0.11) or the degree of myopia (r = 0.12, p = 0.26).

CONCLUSION

Changes in the anterior segments as the eyeball elongates in myopia progression included flatter corneal curvature, decreased corneal thickness, as well as decreased endothelial density. These factors should be considered in refractive surgery.

Enhanced proliferation and increased IFN-gamma production in T cells by signal transduced through TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL, also called Apo2L), a novel member of TNF superfamily, induces apoptosis in transformed cell lines of diverse origin. TRAIL is expressed in most of the cells, and the expression is up-regulated in activated T cells. Four receptors for TRAIL have been identified, and there is complex interplay between TRAIL and TRAIL receptors in vivo. The actual biological function of TRAIL/TRAIL receptor is still not clear. Growing evidence has demonstrated that members of TNF superfamily transduce signals after engagement with their receptors. Cross-linking of TRAIL by plate-bound rTRAIL receptor, death receptor 4-Fc fusion protein enhanced T cell proliferation and increased IFN-gamma production in conjunction with immobilized suboptimal anti-CD3 stimulation in mouse splenocytes. The increase of T cell proliferation by death receptor 4-Fc was dose dependent, and this effect could be blocked by soluble rTRAIL proteins, indicating the occurrence of reverse signaling through TRAIL on T cell. The enhanced secretion of IFN-gamma mediated via TRAIL could be blocked by SB203580, a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-specific inhibitor. Thus, in addition to its role in inducing apoptosis by binding to the death receptors, TRAIL itself can enhance T cell proliferation after TCR engagement and signal the augmentation of IFN-gamma secretion via a p38-dependent pathway. This provides another example of reverse signaling by a member of TNF superfamily. In conclusion, our data suggest that TRAIL can itself transduce a reverse signal, and this may shed light on the biological function of TRAIL.

Solution structure of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 death domain

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 death domain (TNFR-1 DD) is the intracellular functional domain responsible for the receptor signaling activities. The solution structure of the R347K mutant of TNFR-1 DD was solved by NMR spectroscopy. A total of 20 structures were calculated by means of hybrid distance geometry-simulated annealing using a total of 1167 distance constraints and 117 torsion angle constraints. The atomic rms distribution about the mean coordinate positions for the 20 structures for residues composing the secondary structure region is 0.40 A for the backbone atoms and 1.09 A for all atoms. The structure consists of six antiparallel alpha-helices arranged in a similar fashion to the other members of the death domain superfamily. The secondary structure and three-dimensional structure of R347K TNFR1-DD are very similar to the secondary structure and deduced topology of the R347A TNFR1-DD mutant. Mutagenesis studies identified critical residues located in alpha2 and part of alpha3 and alpha4 that are crucial for self-interaction and interaction with TRADD. Structural superposition with previously solved proteins in the death domain superfamily reveals that the major differences between the structures reside in alpha2, alpha3, and alpha4. Interestingly, these regions correspond to the binding sites of TNFR1-DD, providing a structural basis for the specificity of death domain interactions and its subsequent signaling event.

An intervention trial on efficacy of atropine and multi-focal glasses in controlling myopic progression

PURPOSE

This randomized clinical trial assessed the treatment effects of atropine and/or multi-focal lenses in decreasing the progression rate of myopia in children.

METHODS

Two hundred and twenty-seven schoolchildren with myopia, aged from 6 to 13 years, who were stratified based on gender, age and the initial amount of myopia were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: 0.5% atropine with multi-focal glasses, multi-focal glasses, and single vision spectacles. Each subject was followed for at least eighteen months. These results report on the 188 patients available for the follow-up.

RESULTS

The mean progression of myopia in atropine with multi-focal glasses group (0.41 D) was significantly less than the multi-focal (1.19 D) and single vision group (1.40 D) (p < 0.0001). But no significant difference was noted between the last two groups (p = 0.44). The progression of myopia was significantly correlated with the increases of axial length (r = 0.65, p = 0.0001), but not with the changes of corneal power (r=-0.09), anterior chamber depth (r = -0.023), lens thickness (r = -0.08), or intra-ocular pressure (r = -0.008).

CONCLUSION

The 0.5% atropine with multi-focal lenses can slow down the progression rate of myopia. However, multi-focal lenses alone showed no difference in effect compared to control.

Identification of essential cysteine residues in 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Corynebacterium glutamicum

To ascertain the functional role of cysteine residue in 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase from Corynebacterium glutamicum, site-directed mutagenesis was performed to change each of the three residues to serine. Plasmids were constructed for high-level overproduction and one-step purification of histidine-tagged DAHP synthase. Analysis of the purified wild-type and mutant enzymes by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed an apparent protein band with a molecular mass of approximately 45 kDa. Cys145Ser mutant retained about 16% of the enzyme activity, while DAHP synthase activity was abolished in Cys67Ser mutant. Kinetic analysis of Cys145Ser mutant with PEP as a substrate revealed a marked increase in Km with significant change in kcat, resulting in a 13.6-fold decrease in kcat/KmPEP. Cys334 was found to be nonessential for catalytic activity, although it is highly conserved in DAHP synthases. From these studies, Cys67 appears important for synthase activity, while Cys145 plays a crucial role in the catalytic efficiency through affecting the mode of substrate binding.

Effects of contact lenses on corneal endothelium - a morphological and functional study

PURPOSE

To study the corneal endothelial morphological changes and endothelial barrier function in contact lens wearers.

METHODS

Specular microscopy and anterior segment fluorophotometry were performed on 116 controls (group 1) and 76 daily wear soft contact lens wearers. Group 2 patients (n = 34) had been wearing contact lenses for less than 5 years and group 3 (n = 42) for more than 5 years. The relationship of corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, hexagonal cell percentage, coefficient of variation in cell area, corneal autofluorescence and corneal endothelial permeability to the contact lens wear duration was studied.

RESULTS

The average corneal thickness of contact lens wearers did not differ significantly from controls (0.533 +/- 0.031, 0.538 +/- 0.044, 0.532 +/- 0.031 mm for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively; p = 0.89). However, there was a significant tendency toward corneal thinning with a longer history of contact lens wear (r = -0.31, p = 0.002 in groups 2 and 3). The percentage of hexagonal cells decreased with both increasing hours of contact lens wear per day (r = -0.36, p < 0.001) and the duration of contact lens wear in years (r = -0.33, p < 0.001), but there was no significant change in endothelial cell density in contact lens wearers. The coefficient of variation in cell size correlated more closely with increased hours of contact lens wear per day (r = 0.35, p = 0.002) than with the duration of contact lens wear in years (r = 0.12; p = 0.31). In the functional study, corneal autofluorescence increased in contact lens wearers (5.13 +/- 0.71 ng/ml in group 1, 6.45 +/- 2.03 ng/ml in group 2 and 7.21 +/- 1.51 ng/ml in group 3, respectively, p < 0.001) and the mean endothelial permeability decreased in contact lens wearers (3.89 +/- 0.95 x10(-4)/cm in group 1, 2.71 +/- 0.73 x 10(-4)/cm in group 2 and 2.95 +/- 0.91 x 10(-4)/cm in group 3, respectively, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Daily wear soft contact lenses caused morphological changes in the corneal endothelium. With an increasing span of contact lens wear, there was a significantly increased variation in cell size, a decreased hexagonal cell percentage, an evident intercellular dark area and rosette formation. The corneal autofluorescence increased and the overall endothelial permeability decreased as a consequence of contact lens wear. Contact lens wear also caused corneal thinning, and the cornea became thinner with increasing duration of contact lens wear.

Effects of dopamine antagonists in human eye accommodation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dopamine antagonists in accommodation of the human eye. The dopamine antagonist drugs used in this experiment include 0.5% metoclopramide and 0.25% droperidol. Eighteen healthy subjects were enrolled; they were randomly assigned, in double-masked fashion, to receive topical administration of a single drop of either 0.5% metoclopramide or 0.25% droperidol in one eye, with the fellow eye receiving isotonic saline as control. The accommodative abilities of both eyes were measured before instillation, and also at 3 and 6 hr after instillation of drugs, respectively. We studied the latency of reaction, the rate of accommodation, the average accommodative power, the rate of recovering and the total recovering time as the five parameters for evaluating the accommodative ability of each eye. The results showed that there were significant changes in two parameters: the rate of accommodation and rate of recovering, whereas there were no significant changes in the other three parameters: latency of accommodation, average power of accommodation and total recovering time. In conclusion, the dopamine antagonists may have some effects on the rate of accommodation but not the degree of accommodation. Further studies with higher concentrations of these dopamine antagonists on dose-response relationships are needed before exact drug efficacy can be drawn.

Exposure assessment of indoor allergens, endotoxin, and airborne fungi for homes in southern Taiwan

This study was undertaken to examine the seasonal variations of domestic Der p 1, Der p 2, and endotoxin on mattress and airborne fungal concentrations in homes of asthmatic and nonasthmatic children in southern Taiwan, where temperature and relative humidity are usually high throughout the year. A group of asthmatic children (10-12 years old) were selected randomly based on a citywide questionnaire survey. The nonasthmatic children were chosen to be in the comparison group by matching in age, gender, and proximity of residence. Environmental sampling of domestic microbes was conducted once a month for a year. Twelve calendar months were grouped into spring, summer, fall, and winter according to weather data (mainly average temperature and humidity) from the Central Weather Bureau. Dust samples from a child's mattress and airborne samples from a child's bedroom were collected and analyzed for allergens of Der p 1 and Der p 2, endotoxin, and fungi respectively. Results show that about 65% of children's mattresses in our region have Der p 1 levels greater than 2 microg/g. It is also apparent that most airborne fungal concentrations found in homes of either asthmatic or nonasthmatic children are higher than the recommended levels of concern. The predominant genera are Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and yeast. In addition, seasonal effects seem to be a critical factor for the concentrations and distributions of domestic endotoxin in these study homes. The implication of long-term exposure to these high levels of environmental microbes and how their effects vary with seasons remain to be further characterized.

Serine 187 is a crucial residue for allosteric regulation of Corynebacterium glutamicum 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase

Corynebacterium glutamicum 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase is sensitive to feedback inhibition by tyrosine. One feedback-insensitive mutant was obtained by in vitro chemical mutagenesis and the mutation was identified as a C-->G mutation at nucleotide 560 causing a Ser(187) to Cys(187) substitution. Replacing Ser(187) with cysteine, tyrosine or phenylalanine by site-directed mutagenesis not only reduced the enzymatic activity but also relieved its feedback inhibition by tyrosine, while Ser(187)Ala exhibited a comparable activity to that of wild-type enzyme and sensitized to allosteric regulation. The His(6)-tagged enzymes were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity by immobilized nickel-ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic analysis showed that tyrosine is a competitive inhibitor of phosphoenol pyruvate, one of the precursors for DAHP biosynthesis.

Mutational analysis and NMR studies of the death domain of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-1

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR-1) death domain (DD) is the intracellular functional domain responsible for the receptor signaling activities. To understand the transduction mechanism of TNFR-1 signaling we performed structural and functional analysis of the TNFR-DD. The secondary structure of the TNFR-DD shows that it consists of six anti-parallel alpha-helices. The determination of the topological fold and an extensive mutagenesis analysis revealed that there are two opposite faces that are involved in self-association and interaction with the TRADD death domain. Interestingly, the same critical residues in TNFR-DD are involved in both interactions. There is a good correlation between the binding activities of the mutant proteins and their cytotoxic activities. These results provide important insight into the molecular interactions mediating TNFR-DD self-association and subsequent recruitment of TRADD in the signaling activity of TNFR-1.

Evaluation of optic disc changes in severe myopia

PURPOSE

To evaluate the changes in the optic nerve head in highly myopic subjects by means of confocal laser scanning opthalmoscope.

METHODS

Using laser scanning and a three-dimensional image analysis system, we studied 114 young (21.4 +/- 1.4 years), highly myopic subjects with refractive errors greater than -8.0 D and a control group of 29 subjects (18.9 +/- 1.2 years) with myopia of -3.0 D or less. Measurements included cycloplegic refraction, corneal curvature, biometric axial length, and morphometric values of the optic disc obtained with a laser scanning disc analyzer.

RESULTS

The optic disc area in highly myopic eyes was similar to that in mildly myopic eyes. However, regression analysis revealed that the optic disc area increased with axial length in subjects with severe myopia. The cup/disc ratio, the disc depth, the neuroretinal rim area, and the tilting of the disc were not significantly different between the severe and mild myopia groups.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may be useful in further investigations of myopic progression and of the mechanisms responsible for the development of myopic complications.

Solution structure of N-TRADD and characterization of the interaction of N-TRADD and C-TRAF2, a key step in the TNFR1 signaling pathway

TRADD is a multifunctional signaling adaptor protein that is recruited to TNFR1 upon ligand binding. The C-terminal of TRADD comprises the "death domain" that is responsible for association of TNFR1 and other death domain-containing proteins such as FADD and RIP. The N-terminal domain (N-TRADD) promotes the recruitment of TRAF2 to TNFR1 by binding to the C-terminal of TRAF2, leading to the activation of JNK/AP1 and NF-kappa B. The solution structure of N-TRADD was determined, revealing a novel protein fold. A combination of NMR, BIAcore, and mutagenesis experiments was used to help identify the site of interaction of N-TRADD with C-TRAF2, providing a framework for future attempts to selectively inhibit the TNF signaling pathways.

LRDD, a novel leucine rich repeat and death domain containing protein

Death domains (DD) and leucine rich repeats (LRR) are two different types of protein interaction motifs. Death domains are found predominantly in proteins involved in signaling and are involved in homo- and heteromultimerization. Leucine rich repeats are found in proteins with diverse cellular functions, like cell adhesion and cellular signaling, and mediate reversible protein-protein interactions. In this paper we report the cloning of a new human gene called LRDD (leucine repeat death domain containing protein). LRDD encodes a protein of 83 kDa with six LRRs at the N-terminus and a DD at the C-terminus. LRDD appears to be processed into two fragments of about 33 and 55 kDa, containing LRRs and DD respectively. Interestingly, LRDD is shown to interact with two other death domain containing proteins, FADD and MADD, presumably through death domain interactions. LRDD may represent a new type of adapter protein that could be involved in signaling or other cellular functions.

Substitution of the critical methionine residues in trigonopsis variabilis D-amino acid oxidase with leucine enhances its resistance to hydrogen peroxide

Each of the six oxidative-sensitive methionine residues in Trigonopsis variabilis D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) was changed to leucine by site-directed mutagenesis. The wild-type and mutant enzymes with an apparent molecular mass of about 39.3 kDa were expressed in Escherichia coli. The specific activity of four mutant DAAOs (Met(104)Leu, Met(226)Leu, Met(245)Leu, and Met(339)Leu) was decreased by more than 96%, while Met(156)Leu and Met(209)Leu showed about 23% and 96% higher activity, respectively, than the wild-type enzyme. The kinetic parameters of the two more active enzymes were determined and a 2.2-fold increase in K(m) was observed for Met(209)Leu. Comparison of Met(156)Leu and wild-type DAAO revealed a 95% increase in k(cat)/K(m). Met(156)Leu, Met(209)Leu, and Met(226)Leu were resistant to inactivation by 50 mM H(2)O(2). The other three mutant DAAOs were also slightly more resistant than the wild-type enzyme to chemical oxidation. These observations indicate that the oxidative stability in T. variabilis DAAO can be improved by substitution of methionine residues with leucine.

Spontaneous emission from photonic crystals: full vectorial calculations

Quantum electrodynamics of atom spontaneous emission from a three-dimensional photonic crystal is studied in a full vectorial framework. The electromagnetic fields are quantized via solving the eigenproblem of photonic crystals with use of a plane-wave expansion method. It is found that the photon density of states and local density of states (LDOS) with a full band gap vary slowly near the edge of band gap, in significant contrast to the singular character predicted by the previous isotropic model. Therefore, the spontaneous emission can be solved by conventional Weisskopf-Wigner approximate theory, which yields a pure exponentially decaying behavior with a rate proportional to the LDOS.

Efficient utilization of starch by a recombinant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae producing glucoamylase and isoamylase

Two plasmids, designated pRTI and pTI, were constructed to allow the integration of a bacterial isoamylase gene (iso) into Saccharomyces cerevisiae G23-8 chromosome. The integrative plasmid pRTI comprises the iso gene from Pseudomonas amyloderamosa, a portion of S. cerevisiae ribosomal DNA (rDNA), S. cerevisiae trp1 gene deficient in promoter and the bacterial vector pSP72. The structure of plasmid pTI is similar to that of pRTI, except that it lacks an rDNA segment. The Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase and P. amyloderamosa isoamylase genes were expressed in the recombinant strain of S. cerevisiae under the control of the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase gene (adh1) promoter. Southern-blot analysis showed that these plasmids were integrated into the yeast chromosome in tandem repeat and dispersion copies. The recombinant strains could assimilate starch more efficiently than the recipient strain with a conversion rate of greater than 95%.

PCR detection and characterization of type-2 porcine circovirus

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for detecting porcine circovirus (PCV). The assay readily detected type-2 PCV (PCV-2) and type-1 PCV (PCV-1). The PCR primers were designed based on DNA sequences conserved in all reported PCV genomes. Type 1 PCV and type 2 PCV both produced 438 bp amplification products, which were easily identified and differentiated from one another by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Porcine circovirus was detected in 55% (931/1693) of randomly tested pigs with various clinical signs and lesions, most of which were difficult to differentiate from those associated with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The PCR products from all positive clinical samples were identified by RFLP to be only PCV-2; DNA tested by PCR was extracted directly from one or more of lung, mesenteric or mediastinal lymph nodes, and tonsil. Type 2 PCV was also detected in 6% (2/34) of DNA extracted directly from semen of randomly chosen healthy boars. Positive PCR reactions from 554 diseased pigs were characterized by RFLP and categorized into 5 different profiles (A-E), of which 82.8% were PCV-2A (456/554), 3.0% were PCV-2B (17/554), 9.9% were PCV-2C (55/554), 1.1% were PCV-2D (6/554), and 3.2% were PCV-2E (18/554). The complete genomic nucleotide sequences of PCV-2A, B, C, D, and E were determined and found to have at least 95% homology compared with one another and with all other PCV-2 found in the GenBank database. All PCV-2 had less than 76% homology with PCV-1. This PCR assay will hopefully be useful to veterinary diagnostic laboratories for routine testing and surveillance of infection with PCV-2. The RFLP profiling system might be useful for preliminary characterization and identification of PCV isolates and might also benefit studies on the molecular epidemiology of PCV.

Engagement of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 1 leads to ATF-2- and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent TNF-alpha gene expression

Engagement of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) receptors by the TNF-alpha ligand results in the rapid induction of TNF-alpha gene expression. The study presented here shows that autoregulation of TNF-alpha gene transcription by selective signaling through tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) requires p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity and the binding of the transcription factors ATF-2 and Jun to the TNF-alpha cAMP-response element (CRE) promoter element. Consistent with these findings, TNFR1 engagement results in increased p38 MAP kinase activity and p38-dependent phosphorylation of ATF-2. Furthermore, overexpression of MADD (MAP kinase-activating death domain protein), an adapter protein that binds to the death domain of TNFR1 and activates MAP kinase cascades, results in CRE-dependent induction of TNF-alpha gene expression. Thus, the TNF-alpha CRE site is the target of TNFR1 stimulation and mediates the autoregulation of TNF-alpha gene transcription.