Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli exhibit diverse spatiotemporal epidemiological characteristics across the globe

Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) poses a severe global public health risk. This study reveals the worldwide geographic spreading patterns and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of resistance genes in 7918 CREC isolates belonging to 497 sequence types (ST) and originating from 75 countries. In the last decade, there has been a transition in the prevailing STs from highly virulent ST131 and ST38 to higher antibiotic-resistant ST410 and ST167. The rise of multi-drug resistant strains of CREC carrying plasmids with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) resistance genes could be attributed to three important instances of host-switching events. The spread of CREC was associated with the changing trends in blaNDM-5, blaKPC-2, and blaOXA-48, as well as the plasmids IncFI, IncFII, and IncI. There were intercontinental geographic transfers of major CREC strains. Various crucial transmission hubs and patterns have been identified for ST131 in the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and China, ST167 in India, France, Egypt, and the United States, and ST410 in Thailand, Israel, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. This work is valuable in managing CREC infections and preventing CREC occurrence and transmission inside healthcare settings and among diverse hosts.

Inflammasome activity is controlled by ZBTB16-dependent SUMOylation of ASC

Inflammasome activity is important for the immune response and is instrumental in numerous clinical conditions. Here we identify a mechanism that modulates the central Caspase-1 and NLR (Nod-like receptor) adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD). We show that the function of ASC in assembling the inflammasome is controlled by its modification with SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) and identify that the nuclear ZBTB16 (zinc-finger and BTB domain-containing protein 16) promotes this SUMOylation. The physiological significance of this activity is demonstrated through the reduction of acute inflammatory pathogenesis caused by a constitutive hyperactive inflammasome by ablating ZBTB16 in a mouse model of Muckle-Wells syndrome. Together our findings identify an further mechanism by which ZBTB16-dependent control of ASC SUMOylation assembles the inflammasome to promote this pro-inflammatory response.

A comparative study of pilomatricoma and epidermoid cyst with ultrasound

AIM

To explore and compare the ultrasonic (US) features of pilomatricoma (PM) and epidermoid cyst (EC) in the differential diagnosis and improve the accuracy of US diagnosis of PM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three hundred and nine patients who underwent US examination before surgery with a histopathological diagnosis of PM or EC after surgery were analysed retrospectively. The patients were categorised into the training and validation sets according to the inspection times. Univariate analysis was undertaken on the US and clinical features of PM and statistically significant variables (p<0.05) were included in the multivariate logistic regression model to establish a diagnostic model.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated that the multivariate logistic regression model for PM was statistically significant (p<0.001). The risk factors included posterior echo attenuation and hypoechoic halos (odds ratio [OR] = 9.277, 10.254) and the protective factors included age, diameter thickness, and posterior echo enhancement (OR=0.936, 0.302, 0.156). The performance of the diagnostic model was tested using the training set (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.974, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.955-0.994) and the validation set (AUC = 0.967, 95% CI = 0.926-1.000), which demonstrated good discriminant ability.

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnostic accuracy for PM was higher than that for EC when the nodule is characterised by posterior echo attenuation, hypoechoic halos, smaller thickness, and younger age. The US diagnostic model developed may be used to guide the diagnosis of PM.

[Analysis on the status quo of the awareness rate of core knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment and its influencing factors among residents in Liaoning Province in 2021]

Objective: To analyze the status quo of the knowledge and related factors of cancer prevention and treatment among residents in Liaoning Province in 2021. Methods: From August to November 2021, through network sampling method, 17 474 permanent residents aged 15-69 years in Liaoning Province were surveyed. The WeChat public account was used to collect information such as demographic characteristics and core knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment. The Chi-square test was used to compare the difference of the level of the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge among different groups. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors. Results: Among the 17 474 subjects, 43.1% (7 528) were male and 58.7% (10 262) were urban residents. The overall awareness rate was 72.3%, and the awareness rate of cancer cognition, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, cancer management and rehabilitation were 71.4%, 67.6%, 72.7%, 83.4% and 63.5%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the residents who were man (OR: 0.850, 95%CI: 0.781-0.925), in rural areas (OR: 0.753, 95%CI: 0.694-0.817), 55-59 years old (OR: 0.851, 95%CI: 0.751-0.963), quitters (OR: 0.721, 95%CI: 0.640-0.813) and smoker (OR: 0.724, 95%CI: 0.654-0.801) had lower awareness rates, while the residents who were 35-54 years old (OR: 1.312, 95%CI: 1.202-1.432), with an educational level of junior high school/senior high school/college degree or above (OR: 1.834-5.130, 95%CI: 1.575-6.047), technical personnel (OR: 1.592, 95%CI: 1.367-1.854), civil servant/institution staff (OR: 1.282, 95%CI: 1.094-1.503), enterprise/business/service staff (OR: 1.218, 95%CI: 1.071-1.385), retired (OR: 1.324, 95%CI: 1.114-1.573) and with family history of cancer (OR: 1.369, 95%CI: 1.266-1.481) had higher awareness rates. Conclusion: The level of the awareness of core knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment among residents in Liaoning Province has met the requirements of the Healthy China Action. Region, gender, education level, age, family history of cancer and smoking are relevant factors.

Identification of calcium and integrin-binding protein 1 as a reprogrammed glucose metabolism mediator to restrict immune cell infiltration in the stromal compartment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

An increasing body of evidence has suggested that reprogrammed metabolism plays a critical role in the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by affecting the tumor and stromal cellular components in the tumor microenvironment (TME). By analyzing the KRAS pathway and metabolic pathways, we found that calcium and integrin-binding protein 1 (CIB1) corresponded with upregulation of glucose metabolism pathways and was associated with poor prognosis in patients with PDAC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Elevated CIB1 expression combined with upregulated glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation (Oxphos), hypoxia pathway activation, and cell cycle promoted PDAC tumor growth and increased tumor cellular com-ponents. Furthermore, we confirmed the mRNA overexpression of CIB1 and co-expression of CIB1 and KRAS mutation in cell lines from the Expression Atlas. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry staining from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) showed that high expression of CIB1 in tumor cells was associated with an increased tumor compartment and reduced stromal cellular abundance. Furthermore, using multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC), we verified that low stromal abundance was correlated with low infiltration of CD8⁺ PD-1^- T cells which led to suppressed anti-tumor immunity. Overall, our findings identify CIB1 as a metabolic pathway-mediated factor for the restriction of immune cell infiltration in the stromal compartment of PDAC and highlight the potential value of CIB1 as a prognostic biomarker involved in metabolic reprogramming and immune modulation.

A Psychosocial Adjustment Measure for Persons With Upper Limb Amputation

BACKGROUND

Measurement of psychosocial adjustment after upper limb amputation (ULA) could be helpful in identifying persons who may benefit from interventions, such as psychotherapy and/or support groups. However, available measures of psychosocial adjustment after limb loss are currently designed for prosthetic users only.

OBJECTIVE

To create a measure of psychosocial adjustment for persons with ULA that could be completed by individuals regardless of whether a prosthesis is use.

METHODOLOGY

We modified items from an existing Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Survey (TAPES) measure and generated new items pertinent to persons who did not use a prosthesis. Item content was refined through cognitive interviewing and pilot testing. A telephone survey of 727 persons with major ULA (63.6% male, mean age of 54.4) was conducted after pilot-testing. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), Rasch analyses were used to evaluate response categories, item fit and differential item functioning (DIF). Item-person maps, score distributions, and person and item reliability were examined. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a 50-person subsample.

FINDINGS

EFA and CFA indicated a two-factor solution. Rasch analyses resulted in a 7-item Adjustment to Limitation subscale (CFI=0.96, TLI=0.95, RMSEA=0.128) and a 9-item Work and Independence subscale (CFI=0.935, TLI=0.913, RMSEA=0.193). Cronbach alpha and ICC were 0.82 and 0.63 for the Adjustment to Limitation subscale and 0.90 and 0.80 for the Work and Independence subscale, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study developed the Psychosocial Adjustment to Amputation measure, which contains two subscales: 1) Adjustment to Limitation and 2) Work and Independence. The measure has sound structural validity, good person and item reliability, and moderate to good test-retest reliability.

The circular RNA circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion via interactions with the RNA-binding protein PCBP2

As the most common malignancy, lung cancer is characterised by high rates of occurrence and mortality. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to act as important regulators in cancer, their role in lung cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, circ_GRHPR expression was found to be significantly upregulated in the serum of five patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared to that in healthy controls. It is expressed at high levels in NSCLC cell lines, as revealed by qRT-PCR analysis. Functionally, we demonstrated that circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo by cell proliferation, transwell, cell cycle, and tumour-forming assays. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays showed that circ_GRHPR interacts with the RNA-binding protein poly(rC)-binding protein 2 (PCBP2) and regulates its subcellular localisation by forming the circ_GRHPR/PCBP2 complex, localizing PCBP2 mainly in the cytoplasm and reducing the proportion found in the nucleus. Furthermore, we demonstrated that four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 3 (FHL3) is a tumour-stimulating factor in NSCLC that interacts with and is influenced by PCBP2. Circ_GRHPR increased FHL3 expression in the nucleus of NSCLC cells by decreasing PCBP2 expression therein and promoting the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells. Therefore, our study identified that circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC proliferation and invasion, providing a possible explanation for its mechanism of action.

Overexpression of PLXDC2 in Stromal Cell-Associated M2 Macrophages Is Related to EMT and the Progression of Gastric Cancer

The tumor microenvironment (TME) comprises distinct cell types, including stromal types such as fibroblast cells and macrophage cells, which have recently become a critical factor in tumor development and progression. Here, we identified the TME-related gene, plexin domain containing 2 (PLXDC2), in a high-stromal-score population. And we revealed that this gene was related to poor survival and advanced (tumor-node-metastasis) stage in gastric cancer (GC) patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. An integrated gene profile and functional analysis of the proportions of tumor-infiltrating immune cells revealed that the expression of the M2 macrophages cell marker CD163 was positively correlated with PLXDC2 expression. In addition, the M2 macrophages gene signature and high PLXDC2 expression were associated with the inflammatory signaling pathway and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related gene signature. Single-cell study of GC identified PLXDC2 was enriched specifically in fibroblasts and monocytes/macrophages populations, which supported its important role in the stroma. Furthermore, according to a tissue microarray immunohistochemistry analysis, the expression of PLXDC2 elevated in human GC stromal specimens compared to tumor tissue specimens. Moreover, PLXDC2 overexpression in the stromal compartment was associated with CD163-positive regulatory M2 macrophages, and its functions were related to the pathogenesis of GC. Multiplexed immunohistochemistry verified PLXDC2's correlation with EMT markers. Our data suggested that PLXDC2 was expressed in stromal cells and that its crosstalk with tumor-associated macrophages could contribute to cancer biology by inducing the EMT process.

CXCL8 Associated Dendritic Cell Activation Marker Expression and Recruitment as Indicators of Favorable Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer

Accumulating evidence suggests that tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) serve as promising therapeutic targets. CXCL8 (IL-8) may also be a potential therapeutic target in cancer. CXCL8 is a potent chemotactic factor for neutrophils, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and monocytes, which are considered immunosuppressive components in cancer-bearing hosts. Here, we identified the TME-related gene CXCL8 in a high-ImmuneScore population that contributed to better survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. An integrated gene profile and functional analysis of TIC proportions revealed that the dendritic cell (DC) activation markers CD80, CD83, and CD86 were positively correlated with CXCL8 expression, suggesting that CXCL8 may be functional as antitumor immune response status in the TME. The gene signature was further validated in independent GSE14333 and GSE38832 cohorts from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). To test the differential contributions of immune and tumor components to progression, three CRC cell lines, CT26, MC38 and HCT116, were used. In vitro results suggested no significant growth or survival changes following treatment with an inhibitor of the CXCL8 receptor (CXCR1/2) such as reparixin or danirixin. In vivo treatment with danirixin (antagonists of CXCR2) promoted tumor progression in animal models established with CT26 cells. CXCR2 antagonism may function via an immune component, with CXCR2 antagonist treatment in mice resulting in reduced activated DCs and correlating with decreased Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) or Granzyme B expressed CD8⁺ T cells. Furthermore, CXCL8 induced DC migration in transwell migration assays. Taken together, our data suggested that targeting the CXCL8-CXCR2 axis might impede DC activation or recruitment, and this axis could be considered a favorable factor rather than a target for critical antitumor effects on CRC.

Association of laboratory parameters and genetic polymorphisms with ischemic stroke in Chinese Han population

Numerous genetic polymorphisms and clinical laboratory parameters are associated with ischemic stroke (IS). However, the results of such studies have frequently been inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between clinical laboratory parameters with genetic polymorphisms that influence the risk of IS in a Chinese Han population. Clinical laboratory parameters were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Genotype and allele frequencies of the polymorphisms angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) D/I, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and β-fibrinogen (β-Fg) A/G, 455/148T/C were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR. Furthermore, the gene polymorphisms plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1-4G/5G and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε2,3,4 were characterized by allele-specific PCR. The associations of genotype and allele frequencies of the six risk genes in different groups with clinical laboratory parameters were analyzed by chi-square tests. The distribution maps of the polymorphisms of the six genes and clinical laboratory parameters were compared between a control group of 336 healthy individuals and 762 patients with IS. Certain laboratory parameters were associated with ACE I/D, β-Fg-455 A/G and PAI-1 4G/5G. The D allele of ACE I/D was associated with high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Furthermore, high levels of fasting blood glucose, triglyceride and LDL-C were risk factors for IS. There were significant differences in the genotype frequencies of ACE I/D, β-Fg-455 A/G and β-Fg-148 T/C between the IS and the control group. In conclusion, clinical laboratory parameters were associated with the risk of polymorphisms of IS-related genes. The present results support the determination of a range of control values of clinical laboratory parameters for common genotypes in patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia as a strategy for the early prevention of IS.

Zinc Finger Protein CTCF Regulates Extracellular Matrix (ECM)-Related Gene Expression Associated With the Wnt Signaling Pathway in Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC), a leading cause of cancer-related death, is a heterogeneous disease. We aim to describe clinically relevant molecular classifications of GC that incorporate heterogeneity and provide useful clinical information. We combined different gene expression datasets and filtered a 7-gene signature related to the extracellular matrix (ECM), which also exhibited significant prognostic value in GC patients. Interestingly, putative CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) regulatory elements were identified within the promoters of these ECM-related genes and were confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq). CTCF binding sites also overlapped with histone activation markers, indicating direct regulation. In addition, CTCF was also correlated with the Wnt signaling pathway. A comparison of human GC cell lines with high or low expression of ECM-related genes revealed different levels of tumor aggressiveness, suggesting the cancer development-promoting functions of ECM-related genes. Furthermore, CTCF regulated COL1A1 and COLA31 expression in vitro. Silencing CTCF or COL1A1/COL1A3 markedly inhibited cell growth and migration in the metastatic GC cell line BGC823. Collectively, this ECM-related 7-gene signature provides a novel insight for survival prediction among GC patients. The zinc finger protein CTCF regulates ECM-related genes, thereby promoting GC cell growth and migration.

Rab25 acts as an oncogene and participates in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis via PKM2 in gastric adenocarcinoma

Background

Rab25, a hub node of protein-protein interaction networks, has become one of the most popular tumor-associated proteins. Pyruvate kinase (PK) is the main rate-limiting enzyme in the glycolysis pathway and plays a significant role in the regulation of Warburg effect. In this study, we aimed to characterize the expression and function of Rab25 in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) and verify our hypothesis experimentally that Rab25 may participate in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis via PKM2 (a subtype of PK) in GAC.

Methods

The impact of Rab25 expression on patient overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Rab25 expression was silenced or increased respectively by lentivirus-mediated transfection. To assess the role of Rab25 in cell viability in vitro, cell proliferation and migration experiments were performed. Levels of pyruvate and lactic acid were detected by kits. Immunofluorescence analysis and Co-Immunoprecipitation were performed to explore the interaction between Rab25 and PKM2 protein.

Results

High Rab25 expression was associated with reduced patient overall survival. Silencing Rab25 inhibits GAC cells proliferation and overexpressing Rab25 promotes cell proliferation and migration in gastric cells in vitro. The study revealed that Rab25 participates in the positive regulation of aerobic glycolysis in GAC cells. Rab25 protein and PKM2 protein co-located on the cell membrane and could bind to each other in GAC cells. Rab25 is a positive regulator of PKM2 and Rab25 up-regulation promotes phosphorylation of PKM2.

Conclusions

In human GAC, Rab25 predicts poor prognosis and regulates aerobic glycolysis via phosphorylating PKM2-Y105.

Label-free proteomic analysis of serum exosomes from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac heterogeneous rhythm disorder. It represents a major cause of mortality and morbidity, mainly related to embolic events and heart failure. Mechanisms of AF are complex and remain incompletely understood. Recent evidence suggests exosomes are membrane-coated objects released by many cell-types. Their presence in body fluids and the variable surface composition and content render them attractive as a mechanism for potential biomarkers. However, the content of serum exosomes of AF patients has not been fully delineated.

Methods

In this work, the serum exosomes from AF patients and healthy donors were used to compare changes in the exosome protein content. Exosomes were isolated from serum of AF patients and healthy donors and their purity was confirmed by Western blotting assays and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Label-free LC–MS/MS quantitative proteomic analysis was applied to analyze protein content of serum exosomes.

Results

A total of 440 exosomal protein groups were identified, differentially expressed proteins were filtrated with fold change ≥ 2.0 (AF/controls protein abundance ratio ≥ 2 or ≤ 0.5) and p value less than 0.05 (p < 0.05), significantly changed in abundance group contains 39 elevated proteins and 18 reduced proteins, while consistent presence/absence expression profile group contains 40 elevated proteins and 75 reduced proteins. Bioinformatic analysis of differential exosomal proteins confirmed the significant enrichment of components involved in the anticoagulation, complement system and protein folding. Parallel-Reaction Monitoring Relative Quantitative Analysis (PRM) further suggested that AF related to complement system and protein folding.

Conclusions

These results revealed the composition and potential function of AF serum exosomes, thus providing a new perspective on the complement system and protein folding to AF.

Redefining Tumor-Associated Macrophage Subpopulations and Functions in the Tumor Microenvironment

The immunosuppressive status of the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains poorly defined due to a lack of understanding regarding the function of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which are abundant in the TME. TAMs are crucial drivers of tumor progression, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Intra- and inter-tumoral spatial heterogeneities are potential keys to understanding the relationships between subpopulations of TAMs and their functions. Antitumor M1-like and pro-tumor M2-like TAMs coexist within tumors, and the opposing effects of these M1/M2 subpopulations on tumors directly impact current strategies to improve antitumor immune responses. Recent studies have found significant differences among monocytes or macrophages from distinct tumors, and other investigations have explored the existence of diverse TAM subsets at the molecular level. In this review, we discuss emerging evidence highlighting the redefinition of TAM subpopulations and functions in the TME and the possibility of separating macrophage subsets with distinct functions into antitumor M1-like and pro-tumor M2-like TAMs during the development of tumors. Such redefinition may relate to the differential cellular origin and monocyte and macrophage plasticity or heterogeneity of TAMs, which all potentially impact macrophage biomarkers and our understanding of how the phenotypes of TAMs are dictated by their ontogeny, activation status, and localization. Therefore, the detailed landscape of TAMs must be deciphered with the integration of new technologies, such as multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC), mass cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF), single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, and systems biology approaches, for analyses of the TME.

The LIM protein Ajuba recruits DBC1 and CBP/p300 to acetylate ERα and enhances ERα target gene expression in breast cancer cells

Estrogen/ERα signaling is critical for breast cancer progression and therapeutic treatments. Thus, identifying new regulators of this pathway will help to develop new therapeutics to overcome chemotherapy resistance of the breast cancer cells. Here, we report Ajuba directly interacts with ERα to potentiate ERα target gene expression, and biologically Ajuba promotes breast cancer cell growth and contributes to tamoxifen resistance of these cells. Ajuba constitutively binds the DBD and AF2 regions of ERα, and these interactions can be markedly enhanced by estrogen treatment. Mechanistically, Ajuba recruits DBC1 and CBP/p300 and forms a ternary complex to co-activate ERα transcriptional activity and concomitantly enhances ERα acetylation. Moreover, components of this complex can be found at endogenous promoters containing functional ERα responsive elements. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Ajuba functions as a novel co-activator of ERα and that Ajuba/DBC1/CBP/p300 ternary complex may be a new target for developing therapeutics to treat breast cancer.

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) is a novel tumor marker in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

TEA domain transcription factor (TEAD) has an oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, whether a membrane protein can serve not only as a tumor marker that reflects TEAD function but also as a therapeutic target that stimulates tumorigenesis in HCC remains unknown.

METHODS

Tissue NRP1 was measured using immunohistochemistry. Cell viability, colony formation and caspase3/7 activity were assessed using MTT, soft agar and caspase 3/7 Glo assays, respectively. Serum NRP1 was examined using ELISA and Western blotting.

RESULTS

NRP1 expression was up-regulated by TEAD. We also identified a conserved TEAD-binding motif in the NRP1 promoters, which was essential for the TEAD-NRP1 interaction. NRP1 was upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, and knockdown of NRP1 inhibited the transformative phenotypes of HCC cells. Notably, the concentrations of serum NRP1 in the HCC patients were much higher than those of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer and lung cancer patients. Moreover, serum NRP1 was significantly associated with AFP, γ-GT, Alb, bile acid, ALT, AST, ALP and pre-Alb. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for serum NRP1 was 0.971, presenting better diagnostic performance compared to AFP.

CONCLUSIONS

NRP1 is a novel tumor marker in HCC.

[Analysis on the trend of innovation and development in the field of ophthalmology]

Objective: To systematically analyze the innovation and development trend in the field of ophthalmology. Methods: The latest ophthalmology funding program from the National Eye Institute and National Natural Science Foundation of China, and funding project for 2012 to 2016 from the National Institutes of Health, National Natural Science Foundation of China and National key research and development plan of China was collected. Using the comparative analysis method, the major ophthalmology funding areas at home and abroad were analyzed. Papers published in 2012 to 2016 in the field of ophthalmology were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection, among which ESI highly cited papers and hot papers were particularly selected. Using bibliometric methods, the time trend of the number of papers and the citation frequency were analyzed. Using the co-occurrence cluster analysis method, the continued focuses and emerging concerns of ophthalmology papers was analyzed. Results: The funding plan of the National Eye Institute mainly covers nine major diseases in ophthalmology. NSFC focuses on retinal damage and repair mechanisms. The National Key Research and Development Program of China focuses on research on high-end ophthalmic implants. NIH continues to focus on the molecular mechanisms of blinding eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, corneal disease and cataracts, basic research in genetics, and advanced diagnostic techniques such as imaging. Latest areas of interest involve gene editing techniques and the application of stem cell technology in ophthalmology. In China, research and application of stem cells in ophthalmic diseases, intraocular sustained-release drug carrier, and precision medicine research in ophthalmology are emerging areas of funding. In 2012 to 2016, research topics of 168 papers collected by ESI focused on macular degeneration, retinal diseases, glaucoma and other eye diseases. How to quickly promote new drugs and new technological achievements to the clinical application is a problem in the field of ophthalmology. How to change the ophthalmology clinic model, so as to provide patients with convenient and quality service, has become a research topic that needs to be given attention to. Conclusions: Based on the multidimensional analysis of innovation and development in the field of ophthalmology, cross application and integration of ophthalmology and high - tech fields such as advanced imaging technology, stem cell technology, gene editing technology, molecular targeting, and artificial intelligence will provide a strong basis for the enhancement of China's ophthalmology research innovation and international competitiveness. Research efforts for ophthalmic transformation should be strengthened, in order to realize the clinical application of the achievements as soon as possible. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2018, 54: 452-463).

Overexpression of the transcription factor ATF3 with a regulatory molecular signature associates with the pathogenic development of colorectal cancer

The identification of novel biomarkers of cancer is important for improved diagnosis and prognosis. With an abundant amount of resources in the publicly available database, such as the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, an integrative strategy is used to systematically characterize the aberrant patterns of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on RNA-Seq, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq), tissue microarray (TMA), gene profiling and molecular signatures. The expression of the transcription factor ATF3 was elevated in human CRC specimens in a TMA by immunochemistry analysis compared to the adjacent normal tissues. In addition, ATF3 overexpression associated with a regulatory molecular signature, and its functions are related to the pathogenic development of CRC. Furthermore, putative ATF3 regulatory elements were identified within the promoters of ATF3 target genes and were confirmed by ChIP-Seq. Critically, in higher ATF3 expression cell lines (HCT116 and RKO) with CRISPR/Cas9 mediated ATF3 knock out, we are able to show that ATF3 target genes such as CEACAM1, DUSP14, HDC, HLF and ULBP2, are required for invasion and proliferation, and they are robustly linked with poor prognosis in CRC. Our findings have important implications for CRC tumorigenesis and may be exploited for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

PD-L1 expression is a prognostic factor in subgroups of gastric cancer patients stratified according to their levels of CD8 and FOXP3 immune markers

Current studies aiming at identifying single immune markers with prognostic value have limitations in the context of complex antitumor immunity and cancer immune evasion. Here, we show how the integration of several immune markers influences the predictions of prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) patients. We analyzed Tissue Microarray (TMA) by multiplex immunohistochemistry and measured the expression of immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1 together with antitumor CD8 T cells and immune suppressive FOXP3 Treg cells in a cohort of GC patients. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of these markers was used to define correlations between CD8 T, FOXP3 Treg and PD-L1 cell densities. We found that FOXP3 and PD-L1 densities were elevated while CD8 T cells were decreased in tumor tissues compared to their adjacent normal tissues. However, patient stratification based on each one of these markers individually did not show significant prognostic value on patient survival. Conversely, combination of the ratios of CD8/FOXP3 and CD8/PD-L1 enabled the identification of patient subgroups with different survival outcomes. As such, high densities of PD-L1 in patients with high CD8/FOXP3 and low CD8/PD-L1 ratios correlated with increased survival. Collectively, this work demonstrates the need for the integration of several immune markers to obtain more meaningful survival prognosis and patient stratification. In addition, our work provides insights into the complex tumor immune evasion and immune regulation by the tumor-infiltrating effector and suppressor cells, informing on the best use of immunotherapy options for treating patients.

Understanding immune phenotypes in human gastric disease tissues by multiplexed immunohistochemistry

Background

Understanding immune phenotypes and human gastric disease in situ requires an approach that leverages multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC) with multispectral imaging to facilitate precise image analyses.

Methods

We developed a novel 4-color mIHC assay based on tyramide signal amplification that allowed us to reliably interrogate immunologic checkpoints, including programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), cytotoxic T cells (CD8⁺T) and regulatory T cells (Foxp3), in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of various human gastric diseases. By observing cell phenotypes within the disease tissue microenvironment, we were able to determine specific co-localized staining combinations and various measures of cell density.

Results

We found that PD-L1 was expressed in gastric ulcer and in tumor cells (TCs), as well as in tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), but not in normal gastric mucosa or other gastric intraepithelial neoplastic tissues. Furthermore, we found no significant reduction in CD8⁺T cells, whereas the ratio of CD8⁺T:Foxp3 cells and CD8⁺T:PD-L1 cells was suppressed in tumor tissues and elevated in adjacent normal tissues. An unsupervised hierarchical analysis also identified correlations between CD8⁺T and Foxp3⁺ tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) densities and average PD-L1 levels. Three main groups were identified based on the results of CD8⁺T:PD-L1 ratios in gastric tumor tissues. Furthermore, integrating CD8⁺T:Foxp3 ratios, which increased the complexity for immune phenotype status, revealed 6–7 clusters that enabled the separation of gastric cancer patients at the same clinical stage into different risk-group subsets.

Conclusions

Characterizing immune phenotypes in human gastric disease tissues via multiplexed immunohistochemistry may help guide PD-L1 clinical therapy. Observing unique disease tissue microenvironments can improve our understanding of immune phenotypes and cell interactions within these microenvironments, providing the ability to predict safe responses to immunotherapies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-017-1311-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Porphyromonas gingivalis B cell Antigen Epitope Vaccine, pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL, Promoted RagB-Specific Antibody Production and Tfh Cells Expansion

The outer membrane protein RagB is one of the major virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). To prevent periodontitis and associated systemic diseases induced by P. gingivalis, we built B cell antigen epitope vaccine characterized by pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL to induce a protective immune responses. The B cell antigen epitope and scrambled peptide of ragB were predicted, cloned into pIRES and constructed pIRES-ragB', pIRES-scrambled epitopes and pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL was transfected into COS-7 cells. Subsequently, the 6-week-old female BALB/c mice were challenged by P. gingivalis following three time immunization by pIRES, pIRES-ragB', pIRES-scrambled epitopes and pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. The levels of RagB-specific antibody in the serum and Tfh cells in the spleen were measured by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. And higher levels of RagB-specific IgG were produced in the immunized mice with pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. Additionally, the number of Tfh cells was also expanded and lesions were diminished in pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL mice comparing with control groups. Our results clearly demonstrated that P. gingivalis B cell antigen epitope vaccine, pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL, could induce protective immune responses. Furthermore, our data also indicated that pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL was a potential therapeutic vaccine against P. gingivalis.

New insights into FAK phosphorylation based on a FAT domain-defective mutation

Mounting evidence suggests that the FAK N-terminal (FERM) domain controls FAK phosphorylation and function; however, little is known regarding the role of the C terminal (FAT) domain in FAK regulation. We identified a patient-derived FAK mutant, in which a 27-amino acid segment was deleted from the C-terminal FAT domain (named FAK-Del33). When FAK-Del33 was overexpressed in specific tumor cell lines, Y397 phosphorylation increased compared with that observed in cells expressing FAK-WT. Here, we attempt to unveil the mechanism of this increased phosphorylation. Using cell biology experiments, we show that FAK-Del33 is incapable of co-localizing with paxillin, and has constitutively high Y397 phosphorylation. With a kinase-dead mutation, it showed phosphorylation of FAK-Del33 has enhanced through auto-phosphorylation. It was also demonstrated that phosphorylation of FAK-Del33 is not Src dependent or enhanced intermolecular interactions, and that the hyperphosphorylation can be lowered using increasing amounts of transfected FERM domain. This result suggests that Del33 mutation disrupting of FAT's structural integrity and paxillin binding capacity leads to incapable of targeting Focal adhesions, but has gained the capacity for auto-phosphorylation in cis.

Serum starvation induces DRAM expression in liver cancer cells via histone modifications within its promoter locus

DRAM is a lysosomal membrane protein and is critical for p53-mediated autophagy and apoptosis. DRAM has a potential tumor-suppressive function and is downregulated in many human cancers. However, the regulation of DRAM expression is poorly described so far. Here, we demonstrated that serum deprivation strongly induces DRAM expression in liver cancer cells and a core DNA sequence in the DRAM promoter is essential for its responsiveness to serum deprivation. We further observed that euchromatin markers for active transcriptions represented by diacetyl-H3, tetra-acetyl-H4 and the trimethyl-H3K4 at the core promoter region of DRAM gene are apparently increased in a time-dependent manner upon serum deprivation, and concomitantly the dimethyl-H3K9, a herterochromatin marker associated with silenced genes, was time-dependently decreased. Moreover, the chromatin remodeling factor Brg-1 is enriched at the core promoter region of the DRAM gene and is required for serum deprivation induced DRAM expression. These observations lay the ground for further investigation of the DRAM gene expression.

[The association between genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 and the susceptibility of chronic rhinosinusitis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the promoter polymorphism of IL6 (-174G > C, -572G > C and -597G > A) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

METHOD

The case-control study consisted of 123 patients with CRS and 239 controls from a Chinese Han population from Shanghai. The genotypes of the subjects were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and gene sequencing. Besides, the concentrations of the totle immunoglobulin E (TIgE) and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) in the blood were also determined.

RESULT

The -174G > C and -597G > A polymorphisms were not detected in this study population. Significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies of -572C/G were observed between CRS patients and control groups. In CRS patients, the CC, CG, GG genotype frequencies were 69.1%, 29.3%, 1.6%, C, G allele frequencies were 83.7%, 16.3%. In control group, the genotype frequencies were 55.2%, 42.3%, 2.5%, the allele frequencies were 76.4%, 23.6%, respectively. The -572CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of developing CRS (P < 0.05, OR = 1.932, 95% CI, 1.205-3.097). There was no significant differences in the concentrations of the TIgE and ECP among each genotype.

CONCLUSION

IL-6 gene -572G > C polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to CRS. CC genotype could be an independent risk factor.

Chemical reactivity of brome mosaic virus capsid protein

Viral particles are biological machines that have evolved to package, protect, and deliver the viral genome into the host via regulated conformational changes of virions. We have developed a procedure to modify lysine residues with S-methylthioacetimidate across the pH range from 5.5 to 8.5. Lysine residues that are not completely modified are involved in tertiary or quaternary structural interactions, and their extent of modification can be quantified as a function of pH. This procedure was applied to the pH-dependent structural transitions of brome mosaic virus (BMV). As the reaction pH increases from 5.5 to 8.5, the average number of modified lysine residues in the BMV capsid protein increases from 6 to 12, correlating well with the known pH-dependent swelling behavior of BMV virions. The extent of reaction of each of the capsid protein's lysine residues has been quantified at eight pH values using coupled liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Each lysine can be assigned to one of three structural classes identified by inspection of the BMV virion crystal structure. Several lysine residues display reactivity that indicates their involvement in dynamic interactions that are not obvious in the crystal structure. The influence of several capsid protein mutants on the pH-dependent structural transition of BMV has also been investigated. Mutant H75Q exhibits an altered swelling transition accompanying solution pH increases. The H75Q capsids show increased reactivity at lysine residues 64 and 130, residues distal from the dimer interface occupied by H75, across the entire pH range.

SP1 plays a pivotal role for basal activity of TIGAR promoter in liver cancer cell lines

TIGAR expression resulted in down-regulation of glycolysis, reduction of intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, and protection from apoptosis. Despite biological importance, its promoter has not yet been characterized. In this study, we characterized that transcription factor SP1 plays a pivotal role for basal activity of TIGAR promoter. By 5'RACE, the transcription start site was identified locating at 134 bp upstream of the translation initiation site. Different portions of 5'-flanking and 5'-untranslated regions were fused to a luciferase reporter gene to create reporter plasmids, and constructs were transiently transfected into HepG2, Bel-7402, and Smmc-7721 cell lines for luciferase analysis. A minimal region -56/-4 bearing a SP1-binding site was characterized and plays a vital role. Data from electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that SP1 can interact with the SP1-binding site within TIGAR promoter in vitro and in vivo. Conclusively, SPl is indispensable for basal activity of TIGAR promoter.

Polymorphisms of human vascular endothelial growth factor gene are associated with acute cerebral infarction in the Chinese population

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role in the development of cerebral infarction as a major mediator of angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the VEGF gene polymorphisms were associated with the risks of acute cerebral infarction.

METHODS

We examined the distribution of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), -1154G/A, 936C/T and -2578C/A, in the promoter and coding region of the VEGF gene in DNA samples from 147 Chinese patients with acute cerebral infarction and 131 control subjects.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in allele and genotype distributions of -1154G/A, 936C/T and -2578C/A with the risk of acute cerebral infarction when compared with controls. However, haplotype analysis from the above-mentioned three polymorphisms showed that haplotype ACC was significantly lower in patients with acute cerebral infarction (0.020) than in controls (0.054) (p = 0.034).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggested that the -1154/, 936/ and -2578/ ACC haplotype was associated with the risk of acute cerebral infarction with an OR of 0.361, and it may reduce the risk of acute cerebral infarction through the regulation of VEGF expression.

A meta-analysis of CDH1 C-160A genetic polymorphism and gastric cancer risk

We explored the role of the C-160A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CDH1 in susceptibility to gastric cancer through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fourteen studies were included, the original groups collapsed, and re-grouped in accordance with the most appropriate genetic model. Potential sources of heterogeneity were sought out via subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses, and publication biases were estimated. No significant association of C-160A was found with the overall risk of developing gastric cancer, but the apparently opposite tendency was noted between Caucasians and Asians, and a statistically significant association was found among Asians. The seemingly opposite tendency of associations was also seen between noncardia and cardia types or between sporadic diffuse and intestinal types of gastric cancer, but no statistically significant findings were noted. Genotyping techniques, sample size, quality appraisal scores, or article publication time did not constitute the source of heterogeneity across studies; and no publication biases were found in our meta-analysis.

NF-kappaB P50/P65 hetero-dimer mediates differential regulation of CD166/ALCAM expression via interaction with micoRNA-9 after serum deprivation, providing evidence for a novel negative auto-regulatory loop

CD166/ALCAM plays an important role in tumor aggression and progression as well as protecting cancer cells against apoptosis and autophagy. However, the mechanism by which pro-cell death signals control CD166 expression remains unclear. Here we show that following serum deprivation (SD), upregulation of CD166 protein is shorter than that of CD166 mRNA. Molecular analysis revealed both CD166 and miR-9-1 as two novel NF-κB target genes in hepatoma cells. In vivo activation and translocation of the NF-κB P50/P65 hetero-dimer into the nucleus following the phosphorylation and accompanied degradation of its inhibitor, IκBα, contributes to efficient transcription of both genes following SD. We show that following serum starvation, delayed up-regulation of miR-9 represses translation of CD166 protein through its target sites in the 3'-UTR of CD166 mRNA. We also propose that miR-9 promotes cell migration largely due to inhibition of CD166. Collectively, the study elucidates a novel negative auto-regulatory loop in which NF-κB mediates differential regulation of CD166 after SD.

SP1 suppresses phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced up-regulation of human regucalcin expression in liver cancer cells

There is a growing evidence that regucalcin (RGN) plays a multifunctional role in liver cancer cells. Previous reports showed that the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) caused a significant increase in RGN mRNA expression and promoter activity in rat hepatoma cells. In this study, we confirmed that human RGN is also up-regulated by PMA treatment independent of translation, and we identified the mechanism by which PMA up-regulates the expression of human RGN via driving SP1 away from a SP1 motif located within -188/-180 of the promoter in HepG2 cells. Overexpression of SP1 dramatically reduces PMA-induced up-regulation of both internal expression of mRNA and promoter activity, whereas knockdown of SP1 has the opposite effect. Therefore, the present study delineates the fundamental elements in the promoter which will be helpful in the future studies on the regulation of RGN expression in liver cancer.

[Association of IL-1beta gene -31T/C polymorphism with chronic rhinosinusitis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between polymorphism of IL-1beta gene 31T/C and chronic rhinosinusitis.

METHOD

One hundred and twenty-three patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and 239 healthy controls were collected to determine the genotypes by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.

RESULT

There was significant difference in genotype and allelic frequencies between the CRS and control group (P < 0.05). -31CC genotype was an independent risk factor with CRS (P < 0.05, OR = 1.639). There was no significant difference in TIgE and ECP among these genotypes (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

IL-1beta gene 31CC genotype may be an independent risk factor with chronic rhinosinusitis.

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) genetic polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk: A HuGE review and meta-analysis

The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of associations of the x-ray repair cross-complementing 1 gene (XRCC1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and Arg399Gln with gastric cancer risk, based on eligible studies retrieved from electronic databases for the period January 2000-December 2009. Ultimately, 12, 6, and 3 studies were found to be eligible for meta-analyses of Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His, respectively. Regrouping was adopted in accordance with the most probably appropriate genetic models. Potential sources of heterogeneity were sought out. For overall gastric cancer, the pooled odds ratios for Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His were 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90, 1.20; P = 0.572), 0.83 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.01; P = 0.059), and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.92, 1.50; P = 0.194), respectively. After stratification of the Arg399Gln SNP data by anatomic type (cardia vs. noncardia), the pooled odds ratio was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.37; P = 0.568). The authors conclude that the 3 SNPs evaluated are not associated with risk of gastric cancer. The Arg399Gln SNP is not associated with the cardia type of gastric cancer. Evidently, the heterogeneity regarding the Arg399Gln SNP across studies is not explained by ethnicity, genotyping technique, sample size, or date of publication.