Abiotic Methane Production Driven by Ubiquitous Non-Fenton-Type Reactive Oxygen Species

Abiotic CH4 production driven by Fenton-type reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been confirmed to be an indispensable component of the atmospheric CH4 budget. While the chemical reactions independent of Fenton chemistry to ROS are ubiquitous in nature, it remains unknown whether the produced ROS can drive abiotic CH4 production. Here, we first demonstrated the abiotic CH4 production at the soil-water interface under illumination. Leveraging this finding, polymeric carbon nitrides (CNx) as a typical analogue of natural geobattery material and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a natural methyl donor were used to unravel the underlying mechanisms. We revealed that the ROS, photocatalytically produced by CNx, can oxidize DMSO into CH4 with a high selectivity of 91.5 %. Such an abiotic CH4 production process was further expanded to various non-Fenton-type reaction systems, such as electrocatalysis, pyrocatalysis and sonocatalysis. This work provides insights into the geochemical cycle of abiotic CH4, and offers a new route to CH4 production via integrated energy development.

Cribiform and intraductal carcinoma in hereditary prostate cancer: clinical and pathological analysis of 20 cases

Cribiform and intraductal carcinoma are patterns of aggressive prostate carcinoma. This study investigated the clinical and pathological features of hereditary prostate cancer. Twenty cases of hereditary prostate cancer from 11 family lines treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between 2016-2022 were included to summarize the clinical and pathological features by analyzing clinical information including follow up the survival of the patients and pathological features. Of the 20 hereditary prostate cancer cases, 19 were radical prostate specimens and 1 was a biopsy specimen. The mean age at diagnosis of the patients was 67.55 years and the mean PSA was 15.44 ng/ml, of which 10 cases had PSA ≥ 10 ng/ml and 5 cases had PSA ≥ 20 ng/ml. Of the 19 radical prostate specimens, Gleason cribriform pattern (Gleason grade 4) of PCa is observed in 15 cases (78.95%), and intraductal carcinoma, usually a rare form, is seen in 9 cases (47.3%). Two cases demonstrated pelvic lymph node metastasis, and 7 cases (35%) belonged to high-risk or very high-risk PCa. One case (5.26%) showed partial deletion of expression of RB1, and 13 cases (68.42%) showed deletion of expression of PTEN. Follow-up was 4-90 months, 2 cases had biochemical recurrence and 1 case died from prostate cancer. The mean age at diagnosis of this group of patients with hereditary prostate cancer was 67.55 years, the mean preoperative PSA was 15.44 ng/ml, and their histomorphology was characterized by a high percentage of intraductal carcinoma and cribriform pattern of the prostate.

Cerebral glucose hypometabolism and hypoperfusion of cingulate gyrus: an imaging biomarker of autoimmune encephalitis with psychiatric symptoms

BACKGROUND

About 60% of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) patients present psychiatric symptoms, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study examined the role of the cingulate cortex in such patients to identify predictive poor psychiatric factors.

METHODS

In this study, 49 AE patients and 39 healthy controls were enrolled. AE patients were further divided into two groups based on the presence/absence of psychiatric symptoms. The ratio of the standardized uptake value (SUVR) and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in different regions of the cingulate cortex were calculated through positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) and arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, and the results were compared among the three groups. In addition, we followed-up on the psychiatric outcomes and identified the risk factors for poor psychiatric prognosis, focusing on the cingulate cortex.

RESULTS

More than half of the AE patients (27/49) exhibited psychiatric symptoms. Agitation and thought blocking were typical psychiatric phenotypes, except for anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) encephalitis, which mainly presented with catatonia and a depressed mood. AE patients with psychiatric symptoms experienced reduced metabolism and perfusion of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), midcingulate cortex (MCC), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The SUVR of ACC can be used as an independent risk factor of poor psychiatric outcomes, which had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.865.

CONCLUSION

Impaired cingulate cortex function in AE may be the potential mechanism of psychiatric symptoms. Hypometabolism of ACC is an independent prognostic factor predicting an unfavorable psychiatric prognosis in AE.

Microbial biofilms for self-powered noncontact sensing

Noncontact sensing technology plays a vital role in the intelligent human-machine interface, as the essential medium for exchanging information between human and electronic devices. To date, several inorganic materials-based noncontact sensing techniques have been used to accurately detect touch, electrical property, and physical motion. However, limited available materials, dependence on additional power supplies, and poor power production performance, have seriously obstructed the practical applications of noncontact sensing technology. Here, we developed simple self-powered noncontact sensors (SNSs) assembled using a typical G. sulfurreducens biofilm as the core component. In noncontact mode, the sensor demonstrated excellent self-powered sensing performance with maximum voltage output of 10 V and a current of 60 nA, a maximum sensing range of 40 cm which is the farthest reported to date. Depending on its excellent sensing characteristic, the SNSs was used to monitor human breathing in this work. Furthermore, an array of united SNSs was able to localize external electric fields and effectively extend the sensing area by increasing the number of devices. Compared to traditional inorganic materials, microbial biofilms have the advantages of wide existence, self-proliferation, low cost, environmental friendliness, and ultra-fast self-healing property (seconds level). The proposed biofilm SNSs in our work provides new insights for noncontact power generation of biomaterials and self-driven sensing.

Reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation predicted the efficacy of camrelizumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation (RCCEP), a special adverse event (AE) only observed in patients treated with camrelizumab, was reported to be correlated with the efficacy of camrelizumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. This study to analyze the possible correlation between the occurrence of RCCEP and efficacy of camrelizumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and RCCEP occurrence of camrelizumab in 58 patients with R/M HNSCC in the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital affiliated to Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine between January 2019 and June 2022. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the correlation between the occurrence of RCCEP and the survival of enrolled patients, and COX multifactor analysis was adopted to evaluate associated factors that affected the efficacy of camrelizumab immunotherapy.

RESULTS

A significant correlation between the incidence of RCCEP and a higher objective response rate was observed in this study (p=0.008). The occurrence of RCCEP was associated with better median overall survival (17.0 months vs. 8.7 months, p<0.0001, HR=5.944, 95% CI:2.097-16.84) and better median progression-free survival (15.1 months vs. 4.0 months, p<0.0001, HR=4.329,95% CI:1.683-11.13). In COX multifactor analysis, RCCEP occurrence was also an independent prognostic factor affecting OS and PFS in patients with R/M HNSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of RCCEP can show a better prognosis, it could be used as a clinical biomarker to predict the efficacy of camrelizumab treatment.

CCDC50, an essential driver involved in tumorigenesis, is a potential severity marker of diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of blood cancer. Among the subtypes, the activated B-cell (ABC) subtype is typically more aggressive and associated with worse outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we performed microarray analysis to identify potential ABC-DLBCL-associated genes. We employed Kaplan-Meier methods and cox univariate analysis to explore the prognostic value of the identified candidate gene Coiled-coil domain containing 50 (CCDC50). Additionally, we used DLBCL cell lines and mouse models to explore the functions and mechanisms of CCDC50. Finally, we isolated CCDC50-bearing exosomes from clinical patients to study the correlation between these exosomes and disease severity. Our results demonstrated that CCDC50 not only showed significantly positive correlations with ABC subtype, tumor stage and number of extranodal sites, but also suggested poor outcomes in DLBCL patients. We further found that CCDC50 promoted ABC-DLBCL proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CCDC50 inhibited ubiquitination-mediated c-Myc degradation by stimulating the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β pathway. Moreover, CCDC50 expression was positively correlated with c-Myc at protein levels in DLBCL patients. Additionally, in two clinical cohorts, the plasma CCDC50-positive exosomes differentiated DLBCL subtypes robustly (AUC > 0.80) and predicted disease severity effectively (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that CCDC50 likely drives disease progression in ABC-DLBCL patients, and the CCDC50-bearing exosome holds great potential as a non-invasive biomarker for subtype diagnosis and prognosis prediction of DLBCL patients.

Mechanism and Influence of Dispersants on the Action of Polymer Flocculants Used in Slurry Separation

The application of polymer flocculants plays a pivotal role in the slurry separation process of shields, and the dispersant used for treating cutter mud cakes can significantly impact the effectiveness of polymer flocculants, potentially leading to reduced efficiency in slurry separation. Experiments were conducted to select appropriate flocculants and investigate the influence of dispersants on flocculant effectiveness, aiming to assess the effect of flocculants and explore the relationships and mechanisms governing their influence. Changes in the patterns of slurry flocculation were revealed in terms of flocculation-driven precipitation and vacuum-filtration effects. The purpose of this article is to provide a reference for the field application of polymer flocculants in the shield field. The conclusions are as follows. Inorganic flocculants containing 0.5% polyaluminum chloride (PAC) exhibit the most effective flocculation, demonstrating strong charge neutralization action. Organic flocculants containing 0.1% cationic polyacrylamides (CPAM) exhibit the most effective flocculation, demonstrating strong bridging and net capture effects. The dispersant sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) can significantly weaken the charge-neutralizing action of flocculants and slightly enhance bridging and net capture effects. SHMP can impede the flocculation of slurry with PAC. For CPAM, SHMP can enhance the flocculation of slurry at a low mass fraction (0.1% and 0.3%), while SHMP can significantly hinder flocculation at a high mass fraction (0.5% and 1%). A low mass fraction of SHMP reduced slurry viscosity to 246.3 mPa.s and enhanced vacuum filtration, while a high mass fraction of SHMP increased slurry viscosity to 667.2 mPa.s and hindered vacuum filtration. In conclusion, while dispersants reduce the effectiveness of inorganic flocculants at any mass fraction, a small number of dispersants enhances the performance of organic flocculants; thus, the organic flocculant CPAM is recommended for slurry separation.

Development and Validation of a Deep Learning-Based Auto-Delineation of Target Volume and Organs at Risk in Pancreatic Cancer Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The delineation of the clinical target volume (CTV), gross target volume (GTV) and organs at risk (OARs) is a crucial and laborious in pancreatic cancer radiotherapy. In this work, we propose and evaluate a three-dimensional (3D) novel convolutional neural network (CNN) for automatic and accurate CTV, GTV and OARs in pancreatic cancer.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 120 computed tomography (CT) scans patients with pancreatic cancer were collected. A novel 3D CNN network, called ResUNet3D, was developed to achieve auto-delineation. 96 patients chosen randomly were used for training, 12 patients for validation, and 12 patients for testing. Meanwhile, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and 95th percentile Hausdorff distance (HD95%) were used to assess the performance.

RESULTS

The DSC values for the test data were 80.9±8.6%, 77.5±5.6%, 94.5±1.3%, 66.2±13.4%, 73.6±7.6%, 79.0±8.7%, 94.1±1.9%, 94.6±1.4%, 87.3±5.8% for CTV, GTV, liver, duodenum, spinal cord, bowel, kidney left, kidney right, stomach. The corresponding HD95% values were 10.7±6.9mm, 7.8±5.7mm, 11.6±5.6mm, 18.6±5.6mm, 2.7±0.7mm, 17.7±8.6mm, 3.9±1.4mm, 3.7±1.9mm, 13.4±5.7mm, respectively. The average delineation time for one patient's CT images was within 5 seconds.

CONCLUSION

The experimental results demonstrate that the CTV, GTV and OARs delineated for pancreatic cancer by ResUNet3D achieved a close agreement with the ground truth. ResUNet3D could significantly reduce the radiation oncologists' contouring time.

Exploration of AI-Assisted On-Board Perfusion Imaging Technique on Patients Undergoing Thoraxradiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Pulmonary function of lung cancer patients can significantly change along the radiation therapy (RT) course. Scholars have synthesized lung function maps from computed tomography (CT) images. Still, there is lack of study exploring the feasibility of generating lung perfusion information from cone-beam CT (CBCT). Our study aims to fill up this gap in the body of literatures.

MATERIALS/METHODS

One-hundred-and-six pairs of planning CT and CBCT images of thoracic cancer patients from XX hospital were collected retrospectively. All CT images were registered to CBCT with a deformable algorithm, and referred as deformed planning CT (dCT). A 2D convolutional neural network (CNN) model built with cycle generative adversarial network (cycle-GAN) was trained to correct CBCT image artifacts and HU value discrepancies. The corrected CBCT was named enhanced CBCT (eCBCT) in this study. All CBCT, eCBCT and dCT images were then input to a pre-trained CT-to-perfusion deep learning (DL) model to synthesize perfusion images (PI), namely PICBCT, PIeCBCT and PIdCT respectively. For model training, 80 image pairs were assigned to the training set while others to the testing set. dCT and PIdCT were respectively regarded as the ground truth in two consecutive models. One extra validation case acquired with SPECT perfusion scan was collected for model performance test. Quantitative evaluation was done between the ground truth and the synthesized images. Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and mean absolute error (MAE) were computed to assess efficacy of CBCT enhancement. Correlation (R) and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) were used to evaluate voxel-wise and function-wise concurrence in CBCT-derived perfusion mapping.

RESULTS

In CBCT enhancement, [eCBCT-dCT] pairs demonstrated higher agreement than [CBCT-dCT] pairs. Quantitatively, PSNR and MAE were improved from 21.10±1.60 to 24.08±1.76, and 68.99±13.51 to 47.06±11.31 (p<0.01), respectively. For perfusion translation, higher correlation was demonstrated in both voxel-wise and function-wise evaluation within [PIeCBCT-PIdCT] than [PICBCT-PIdCT]. R correlation increased from 0.84±0.09 to 0.89±0.06 (p<0.01), whereas DSC in high-functional regions increased from 0.77±0.06 to 0.82±0.05 (p<0.01). In the validation case, strong correlation was observed between SPECT perfusion scan and PIeCBCT, with R increasing from 0.57 to 0.65 when compared to PICBCT.

CONCLUSION

We proposed a novel DL framework that synthesized perfusion images from fractionally acquired CBCT. Our framework met the clinical needs in providing real-time lung perfusion maps. It can be used to track the continuously changing pulmonary function status throughout the RT course using routinely scanned CBCT, without additional imaging modalities. The framework can facilitate functionally guided adaptive radiation therapy by providing immediate pulmonary function information.

Microbial biofilm-based hydrovoltaic technology

Hydrovoltaic electricity generation (HEG) utilizes the latent environmental heat stored in water, and subsequently harvests the electrical energy. However, sustainable HEG has remained extremely challenging due either to complex fabrication and high cost, or to restricted environmental compatibility and renewability. Electroactive microorganisms are environmentally abundant and viable in performing directional electron transport to produce currents. These distinctive features have inspired microbial HEG systems that can convert environmental energy into hygroelectricity upon water circulation from raindrops, waves, and water moisture, and has recently succeeded as proof of concept for becoming a cutting-edge biotechnology. In this review, recent advances in microbial biofilm-based hydrovoltaic technology are highlighted to better understand a promising method of electricity generation from environmental energy with the aim of practical applications.

Clinical features and brain MRI volumetric changes in anti-mGluR5 encephalitis

BACKGROUND

Anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) encephalitis is a rare and under-recognized autoimmune encephalitis. This study is conducted to characterize its clinical and neuroimaging features.

METHODS

Twenty-nine patients with anti-mGluR5 encephalitis (15 new cases identified in this study and 14 previously reported cases) were included in this study and their clinical features were characterized. Brain MRI volumetric analysis using FreeSurfer software was performed in 9 new patients and compared with 25 healthy controls at both early (≤6 months of onset) and chronic (>1 year of onset) disease stages.

RESULTS

The common clinical manifestations of anti-mGluR5 encephalitis included cognitive deficits (n = 21, 72.4%), behavioral and mood disturbances (n = 20, 69%), seizures (n = 16, 55.2%), and sleep disorder (n = 13, 44.8%). Tumors were observed in 7 patients. Brain MRI T2/FLAIR signal hyperintensities were observed predominantly in mesiotemporal and subcortical regions in 75.9% patients. MRI volumetric analysis demonstrated significant amygdala enlargement in both early and chronic disease stages compared to healthy controls (P < 0.001). Twenty-six patients had complete or partial recovery, one remained stable, one died and one was lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrated that cognitive impairment, behavioral disturbance, seizures, and sleep disorder are the prominent clinical manifestations of anti-mGluR5 encephalitis. Most patients showed a good prognosis with full recovery, even in the paraneoplastic disease variants. The amygdala enlargement in the early and chronic disease stages is a distinct MRI feature, which exploratively offer a valuable perspective for the study of the disease processes.

Solar-driven methanogenesis with ultrahigh selectivity by turning down H2 production at biotic-abiotic interface

Integration of methanogens with semiconductors is an effective approach to sustainable solar-driven methanogenesis. However, the H₂ production rate by semiconductors largely exceeds that of methanogen metabolism, resulting in abundant H₂ as side product. Here, we report that binary metallic active sites (namely, NiCu alloys) are incorporated into the interface between CdS semiconductors and Methanosarcina barkeri. The self-assembled Methanosarcina barkeri-NiCu@CdS exhibits nearly 100% CH₄ selectivity with a quantum yield of 12.41 ± 0.16% under light illumination, which not only exceeds the reported biotic-abiotic hybrid systems but also is superior to most photocatalytic systems. Further investigation reveal that the Ni-Cu-Cu hollow sites in NiCu alloys can directly supply hydrogen atoms and electrons through photocatalysis to the Methanosarcina barkeri for methanogenesis via both extracellular and intracellular hydrogen cycles, effectively turning down the H₂ production. This work provides important insights into the biotic-abiotic hybrid interface, and offers an avenue for engineering the methanogenesis process.

All-Biobased Hydrovoltaic-Photovoltaic Electricity Generators for All-Weather Energy Harvesting

Hygroelectricity generators (HEGs) utilize the latent heat stored in environmental moisture for electricity generation, but nevertheless are showing relatively low power densities due to their weak energy harvesting capacities. Inspired by epiphytes that absorb ambient moisture and concurrently capture sunlight for dynamic photosynthesis, we propose herein a scenario of all-biobased hydrovoltaic-photovoltaic electricity generators (HPEGs) that integrate photosystem II (PSII) with Geobacter sulfurreducens (G.s) for simultaneous energy harvesting from both moisture and sunlight. This proof of concept illustrates that the all-biobased HPEG generates steady hygroelectricity induced by moisture absorption and meanwhile creates a photovoltaic electric field which further strengthens electricity generation under sunlight. Under environmental conditions, the synergic hydrovoltaic-photovoltaic effect in HPEGs has resulted in a continuous output power with a high density of 1.24 W/m², surpassing all HEGs reported hitherto. This work thus provides a feasible strategy for boosting electricity generation via simultaneous energy harvesting from ambient moisture and sunlight.

Sustained Biotic-Abiotic Hybrids Methanogenesis Enabled Using Metal-Free Black Phosphorus/Carbon Nitride

Biotic-abiotic hybrid systems (BAHs) constructed by integrating biological methanogens with photocatalysts offer novel approaches for the effective solar-driven conversion of CO2 to CH4, providing significant inspiration for achieving carbon neutrality and alleviating the energy crisis. As metal photocatalysts would cause photocorrosion that damages microbial cells and lead to system imbalance. Therefore, exploring suitable metal-free photocatalysts is of particular importance in the search for more efficient and sustainable BAHs to improve the actual operability and applicability. Herein, black phosphorus/carbon nitride (BPCNx) as an alternative metal-free heterostructure was combined with Methanosarcina barkeri (M. barkeri) to construct M. barkeri-BPCNx hybrid systems, and their cyclic methanogenesis performance was investigated. Our results demonstrated that BPCNx promotes the separation of photogenerated charges and enhances the quantum yield, providing a sustained energy source for the cyclically driven M. barkeri reduction of CO2 to CH4 under visible light. Our system achieved a total CH4 yield of 1087.45 ± 29.14 μmol gcat–1 after three cycles, 1.96 times higher than that of M. barkeri-Ni@CdS. M. barkeri-BPCNx overcame the defects of the metal photocatalyst and kept cell permeability, achieving cyclic stability and effectively maintaining the activity of M. barkeri. These results highlight the viable role of BPCNx as a metal-free photocatalysts in the construction of BAHs for the sustained and efficient methanation of CO2, which is conducive to the development of an environmentally-friendly, low-cost, and efficient strategy for the conversion of CO2 to CH4.

Dual block HER2 assessment increased HER2 immunohistochemistry positive rate in resected specimens of gastric cancer: a prospective multicenter clinical trial from China

Background

Former single center studies indicated that HER2 assessment with two primary tumor blocks (dual block HER2 assessment) could be an efficient and practical approach to overcome the adverse impact of heterogeneity and acquire a HER2 positive rate in gastric cancer (GC). This multicenter prospective clinical trial (NCT 02843412) was launched to verify its value and generality.

Methods

A total of 3806 participants with primary GCs have been enrolled from 8 hospitals in China. Two primary tumor blocks were selected and recorded as block 1 and block 2 after histological evaluation. An HER2 (4B5) rabbit monoclonal antibody was used for the immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis.

Results

In total patients, HER2 IHC positive (3+) rate with dual block assessment (9.4%) was higher than that with single block assessment (block 1: 7.8%, block 2: 7.8%) (P < 0.001). Compared with single-block assessment, dual-block assessment increased the positive rate by approximate 20%. Similarly, HER2 equivocal (2+) rate was increased in dual block assessment (25.8%), which was higher than that in single block assessment (block 1: 20.3%, block 2: 20.9%) (P < 0.001). Conversely, dual block assessment demonstrated a lower HER2 negative (0/1+) rate (64.8%) than single block assessment (block1: 71.9%, block 2: 71.3%) (P < 0.001). These findings were also confirmed in individual hospitals.

Conclusions

Dual block HER2 assessment effectively increased HER2 IHC positive rate in resected specimens of GC. We recommended dual block HER2 assessment be promoted in routine clinical practice in GC.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT 02843412. Registered 1 July 2016 - Retrospectively registered.

KIF23 is a potential biomarker of diffuse large B cell lymphoma: Analysis based on bioinformatics and immunohistochemistry

Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of blood cancer. The genetic and clinical heterogeneity of DLBCL poses a major barrier to diagnosis and treatment. Hence, we aim to identify potential biomarkers for DLBCL.Differentially expressed genes were screened between DLBCL and the corresponding normal tissues. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene oncology analyses were performed to obtain an insight into these differentially expressed genes. PPI network was constructed to identify hub genes. survival analysis was applied to evaluate the prognostic value of those hub genes. DNA methylation analysis was implemented to explore the epigenetic dysregulation of genes in DLBCL.In this study, Kinesin family member 23 (KIF23) showed higher expression in DLBCL and was identified as a risk factor in DLBCL. The immunohistochemistry experiment further confirmed this finding. Subsequently, the univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that KIF23 might be an independent adverse factor in DLBCL. Upregulation of KIF23 might be a risk factor for the overall survival of patients who received an R-CHOP regimen, in late-stage, whatever with or without extranodal sites. Higher expression of KIF23 also significantly reduced 3, 5, 10-year overall survival. Furthermore, functional enrichment analyses (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene oncology, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) showed that KIF23 was mainly involved in cell cycle, nuclear division, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, TGF-beta, and Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in DLBCL. Finally, results of DNA methylation analysis indicated that hypomethylation in KIF23's promoter region might be the result of its higher expression in DLBCL.The findings of this study suggested that KIF23 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of DLBCL. However, further studies were needed to validate these findings.

Development and implementation of a simple and rapid extraction-free saliva SARS-CoV-2 RT-LAMP workflow for workplace surveillance

Effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic requires widespread and frequent testing of the population for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Saliva has emerged as an attractive alternative to nasopharyngeal samples for surveillance testing as it does not require specialized personnel or materials for its collection and can be easily provided by the patient. We have developed a simple, fast, and sensitive saliva-based testing workflow that requires minimal sample treatment and equipment. After sample inactivation, RNA is quickly released and stabilized in an optimized buffer, followed by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) and detection of positive samples using a colorimetric and/or fluorescent readout. The workflow was optimized using 1,670 negative samples collected from 172 different individuals over the course of 6 months. Each sample was spiked with 50 copies/μL of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus to monitor the efficiency of viral detection. Using pre-defined clinical samples, the test was determined to be 100% specific and 97% sensitive, with a limit of detection of 39 copies/mL. The method was successfully implemented in a CLIA laboratory setting for workplace surveillance and reporting. From April 2021-February 2022, more than 30,000 self-collected samples from 755 individuals were tested and 85 employees tested positive mainly during December and January, consistent with high infection rates in Massachusetts and nationwide.

Comparison of the clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer in US and Chinese populations

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignant tumor found among men in the United States. Incidence rates of PCa have recently grown in Asian countries, partially due to the comprehensive implementation of early detection systems. Interestingly, a prospective cohort study showed that adopting a westernized dietary pattern was associated with a higher risk of being diagnosed with PCa among Korean and Japanese men. However, a comparison of current clinicopathological features of PCa between American and Chinese men is lacking. In this study, we report the current clinicopathological features of PCa in Chinese men and compare them to those of patients in the USA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Case cohorts included, in total, 871 PCa cases with prostatectomy sequentially treated since 2017, including 299 cases from USA and 572 cases from two different academic hospitals in China. The parameters, including patient's age, preoperative Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, Grade Group, stage and tumor focality, were collected, analyzed and compared using two sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Pearson's Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Significant differences were demonstrated in the mean age of patients, preoperative PSA levels, extra-prostatic extension, Gleason scores, and Grade Groups (p < 0.05). PCa patients in the Chinese group were older than patients in the USA group (67.81 vs. 63.53, p < 0.01). The preoperative PSA levels in the Chinese group were higher than those in the USA group (11.69 v.s 6.30, p < 0.01). A higher percentage of high Grade Groups (Groups 4 and 5) was observed in the Chinese group (25.7%) compared to the USA cohort (17.11%), while Grade Group 2 was more common in the USA group than in the Chinese group (51.68% vs. 32.52%, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

All these data suggest that the clinicopathologic features of PCa are different between the USA and Chinese populations, which may be influenced by treatment strategies (including surgical case selection criteria).

Water evaporation-induced electricity with Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms

Water evaporation-induced electricity generators (WEGs) have recently attracted extensive research attention as an emerging renewable energy-harvesting technology that harvests electricity directly from water evaporation. However, the low power output, limited available material, complicated fabrication process, and extremely high cost have restricted wide applications of this technology. Here, a facile and efficient WEG prototype based on Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilm was demonstrated. The device can generate continuous electric power with a maximum output power density of ~685.12 μW/cm², which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of previously reported analogous devices. The superior performance of the device is attributed to the intrinsic properties of the G. sulfurreducens biofilm, including its hydrophilicity, porous structure, conductivity, etc. This study not only presents the unprecedented evaporating potential effect of G. sulfurreducens biofilms but also paves the way for developing hydrovoltaic technology with biomaterials.

Identification of novel biomarkers differentially expressed between African-American and Caucasian-American prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality rate vary among racial and ethnic groups with the highest occurrence in African American (AA) men who have mortality rates twice that of Caucasians (CA). In this study, we focused on differential expression of proteins in AA prostate cancer compared to CA using Protein Pathway Array Analysis (PPAA), in order to identify protein biomarkers associated with PCa racial disparity. Fresh frozen prostate samples (n=90) obtained from radical prostatectomy specimens with PCa, including 25 AA tumor, 21 AA benign, 23 CA tumor, 21 CA benign samples were analyzed. A total of 286 proteins and phosphoproteins were assessed using PPAA. By PPAA analysis, 33 proteins were found to be significantly differentially expressed in tumor tissue (n=48, including both CA and AA) in comparison to benign tissue (n=42). We further compared protein expression levels between AA and CA tumor groups and found that 3 proteins were differentially expressed (P<0.05 and q<5%). Aurora was found to be significantly increased in AA tumors, while Cyclin D1 and HNF-3a proteins were downregulated in AA tumors. Predicted risk score was significantly different between AA and CA ethnic groups using logistic regression analysis. In conclusion, we identified Aurora, Cyclin D1 and HNF-3a proteins as being differentially expressed between AA and CA in PCa tissue. Our study suggests that these proteins might be involved in different pathways that lead to aggressive PCa behavior in AA patients, potentially serving as biomarkers for the PCa racial disparity.

Self-replicating Biophotoelectrochemistry System for Sustainable CO Methanation

Efficient conversion of CO-rich gas to methane (CH₄) provides an effective energy solution by taking advantage of existing natural gas infrastructures. However, traditional chemical and biological conversions face different challenges. Herein, an innovative biophotoelectrochemistry (BPEC) system using Methanosarcina barkeri-CdS as a biohybrid catalyst was successfully employed for CO methanation. Compared with CO₂-fed BPEC, BPEC-CO significantly extended the CH₄ producing time by 1.7-fold and exhibited a higher CH₄ yield by 9.5-fold under light irradiation. This superior conversion of CO resulted from the fact that CO could serve as an effective quencher of reactive species along with the photoelectron production. In addition, CO was used as a carbon source either directly or indirectly via the produced CO₂ for M. barkeri. Such a process improved the redox activities of membrane-bound proteins for BPEC methanogenesis. These results were consistent with the transcriptomic analyses, in which the genes for the putative CO oxidation and CO₂ reduction pathways in M. barkeri were highly expressed, while the gene expression for reactive oxygen species detoxification remained relatively stable under light irradiation. This study has provided the first proof-of-concept evidence for sustainable CO methanation under a mild condition in the self-replicating BPEC system.

MicroRNA-29a-3p regulates chemosensitivity in hypopharyngeal carcinoma via targeting Cdc42

INTRODUCTION

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is one kind of high malignant tumour followed by poor prognosis in head and neck carcinomas. This study aimed to detect miR-29a-3p and Cdc42 in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression of miR-29a-3p and Cdc42 mRNA were detected, and the correlation between miR-29a-3p/Cdc42 and clinical stages was investigated.

RESULTS

The relative expression of miR-29a-3p in stage II, III and IV hypopharyngeal carcinoma tissues was significantly lower than that of stage I (P< 0.05). The relative expression of Cdc42 mRNA in stage I, III and IV tissues was significantly higher than that of stage I (P< 0.05). The expression of miR-29a-3p in hypopharyngeal carcinoma with lymph node metastasis was significantly lower than that without lymph node metastasis (P = 0.045).

CONCLUSION

MiR-29a-3p and Cdc42 mRNA could be potential diagnostic biomarkers of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

The prognosis of late-onset anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis in China

OBJECTIVES

Early-onset anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) differs from late-onset anti-NMDARE regarding clinical characteristics. Until recently, research focusing on prognosis of elder adults has been scarce and showed inconsistent results. This study aims to evaluate the prognosis of late-onset anti-NMDARE in China.

MATERIALS & METHODS

One hundred and twelve adults diagnosed as anti-NMDARE in four hospitals in China were reviewed retrospectively. Outcome data were assessed using modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score in short term (3 months after discharge) and long term (≥12 months after discharge). The relapse rate was also computed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate whether there are substantial differences in functional outcomes and recurrence rate across two groups.

RESULTS

Of the 112 patients with anti-NMDARE, 81 (72.3%) were early-onset disease and 31 (27.7%) were late-onset disease. Of these, all had short-term follow-up and 70 completed long-term follow-up. Late-onset anti-NMDARE group showed better short-term (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.09-6.71) and long-term prognoses (OR 10.25, 95% CI 1.90-55.15). Recurrence rates were statistically different between the groups (OR 4.25, 95% CI 1.22-14.75).

CONCLUSION

The prognosis for anti-NMDARE in China was poorer for older adults relative to younger adults. The relapse rates were higher in late-onset group compared to early-onset group.

Intrinsic Brain Activity in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy With and Without Depression: Insights From EEG Microstates

Background: Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In the recent years, studies have focused on the common pathogenesis of TLE and depression. However, few of the studies focused on the dynamic characteristics of TLE with depression. We tested the hypotheses that there exist abnormalities in microstates in patients with TLE with depression.

Methods: Participants were classified into patients with TLE with depression (PDS) (n = 19) and patients with TLE without depression (nPDS) (n = 19) based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V). Microstate analysis was applied based on 256-channel electroencephalography (EEG) to detect the dynamic changes in whole brain. The coverage (proportion of time spent in each state), frequency of occurrence, and duration (average time of each state) were calculated.

Results: Patients with PDS showed a shorter mean microstate duration with higher mean occurrence per second compared to patients with nPDS. There was no difference between the two groups in the coverage of microstate A–D.

Conclusion: This is the first study to present the temporal fluctuations of EEG topography in comorbid depression in TLE using EEG microstate analysis. The temporal characteristics of the four canonical EEG microstates were significantly altered in patients with TLE suffer from comorbid depression.

Insertion Specificity of the hATx-6 Transposase of Hydra magnipapillata

Transposable elements (TE) are mobile genetic elements, present in all domains of life. They commonly encode a single transposase enzyme, that performs the excision and reintegration reactions, and these enzymes have been used in mutagenesis and creation of next-generation sequencing libraries. All transposases have some bias in the DNA sequence they bind to when reintegrating the TE DNA. We sought to identify a transposase that showed minimal sequence bias and could be produced recombinantly, using information from the literature and a novel bioinformatic analysis, resulting in the selection of the hATx-6 transposase from Hydra vulgaris (aka Hydra magnipapillata) for further study. This transposase was tested and shown to be active both in vitro and in vivo, and we were able to demonstrate very low sequence bias in its integration preference. This transposase could be an excellent candidate for use in biotechnology, such as the creation of next-generation sequencing libraries.

High-frequency oscillations detected by electroencephalography as biomarkers to evaluate treatment outcome, mirror pathological severity and predict susceptibility to epilepsy

High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the electroencephalography (EEG) have been extensively investigated as a potential biomarker of epileptogenic zones. The understanding of the role of HFOs in epilepsy has been advanced considerably over the past decade, and the use of scalp EEG facilitates recordings of HFOs. HFOs were initially applied in large scale in epilepsy surgery and are now being utilized in other applications. In this review, we summarize applications of HFOs in 3 subtopics: (1) HFOs as biomarkers to evaluate epilepsy treatment outcome; (2) HFOs as biomarkers to measure seizure propensity; (3) HFOs as biomarkers to reflect the pathological severity of epilepsy. Nevertheless, knowledge regarding the above clinical applications of HFOs remains limited at present. Further validation through prospective studies is required for its reliable application in the clinical management of individual epileptic patients.

Identification of Epileptogenic and Non-epileptogenic High-Frequency Oscillations Using a Multi-Feature Convolutional Neural Network Model

Accurately identifying epileptogenic zone (EZ) using high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) is a challenge that must be mastered to transfer HFOs into clinical use. We analyzed the ability of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to distinguish EZ and non-EZ HFOs. Nineteen medically intractable epilepsy patients with good surgical outcomes 2 years after surgery were studied. Five-minute interictal intracranial electroencephalogram epochs of slow-wave sleep were selected randomly. Then 5 s segments of ripples (80–200 Hz) and fast ripples (FRs, 200–500 Hz) were detected automatically. The EZs and non-EZs were identified using the surgery resection range. We innovatively converted all epochs into four types of images using two scales: original waveforms, filtered waveforms, wavelet spectrum images, and smoothed pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution (SPWVD) spectrum images. Two scales were fixed and fitted scales. We then used a CNN model to classify the HFOs into EZ and non-EZ categories. As a result, 7,000 epochs of ripples and 2,000 epochs of FRs were randomly selected from the EZ and non-EZ data for analysis. Our CNN model can distinguish EZ and non-EZ HFOs successfully. Except for original ripple waveforms, the results from CNN models that are trained using fixed-scale images are significantly better than those from models trained using fitted-scale images (p < 0.05). Of the four fixed-scale transformations, the CNN based on the adjusted SPWVD (ASPWVD) produced the best accuracies (80.89 ± 1.43% and 77.85 ± 1.61% for ripples and FRs, respectively, p < 0.05). The CNN using ASPWVD transformation images is an effective deep learning method that can be used to classify EZ and non-EZ HFOs.

Biophotoelectrochemistry for renewable energy and environmental applications

Biophotoelectrochemistry (BPEC) is an interdisciplinary research field and combines bioelectrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry through the utilization of the catalytic abilities of biomachineries and light harvesters to accomplish the production of energy or chemicals driven by solar energy. The BPEC process may act as a new approach for sustainable green chemistry and waste minimization. This review provides the state-of-the-art introduction of BPEC basics and systems, with a focus on light harvesters and biocatalysts, configurations, photoelectron transfer mechanisms, and the potential applications in energy and environment. Several examples of BPEC applications are discussed including H2 production, CO2 reduction, chemical synthesis, pollution control, and biogeochemical cycle of elements. The challenges about BPEC systems are identified and potential solutions are proposed. The review aims to encourage further research of BPEC toward development of practical BPEC systems for energy and environmental applications.

Expression of 5-methylcytosine regulators is highly associated with the clinical phenotypes of prostate cancer and DNMTs expression predicts biochemical recurrence

In patients with prostate cancer (PCa), there is a high rate of overdiagnosis and frequent overtreatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more accurate prediction of biochemical recurrence (BCR). DNA methylation regulation patterns play crucial roles in tumorigenicity, progression, and treatment efficacy in PCa. However, the global relationship between epigenetic alterations, changes in mRNA levels, and pathologic phenotypes of PCa remain largely undefined. Here, we conducted a systematic analysis to identify global coexpression and comethylation modules in PCa. We identified coregulated methylation and expression modules and the relationships between epigenetic modifications, tumor progression, and the corresponding immune microenvironment in PCa. Our results show that DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are strongly associated with pathologic phenotypes and immune infiltration patterns in PCa. We built a two-factor predictive model using the expression features of DNMT3B and DNMT1. The model was used to predict the BCR status of patients with PCa and achieved area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of 0.70 and 0.88 in the training and independent testing datasets, respectively.

Dysfunctional Brain Dynamics of Parkinson's Disease and the Effect of Acute Deep Brain Stimulation

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) can effectively alleviate PD symptoms. Although previous studies have detected network features of PD and DBS, few studies have considered their dynamic characteristics.

Objective: We tested two hypotheses. (1) Reduced brain dynamics, as evidenced by slowed microstate dynamic change, is a characteristic of PD and is related to the movement disorders of patients with PD. (2) Therapeutic acute DBS can partially reverse slow brain dynamics in PD to healthy levels.

Methods: We used electroencephalography (EEG) microstate analysis based on high density (256-channel) EEG to detect the effects of PD and DBS on brain dynamic changes on a sub-second timescale. We compared 21 healthy controls (HCs) with 20 patients with PD who were in either DBS-OFF or DBS-ON states. Assessment of movement disorder using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III was correlated with microstate parameters.

Results: Compared with HCs, patients with PD displayed a longer mean microstate duration with reduced occurrence per second, which were significantly associated with movement disorders. In patients with PD, some parameters of microstate analysis were restored toward healthy levels after DBS.

Conclusions: Resting-state EEG microstate analysis is an important tool for investigating brain dynamic changes in PD and DBS. PD can slow down brain dynamic change, and therapeutic acute DBS can partially reverse this change toward a healthy level.

A facile and fast strategy for cathodic electroactive-biofilm assembly via magnetic nanoparticle bioconjugation

Microbial electrosynthesis is a promising electricity-driven technology for converting carbon dioxide into value-added compounds, but the formation of cathodic electroactive-biofilms (CEBs) is challenging. Herein, we have demonstrated an innovative strategy for CEBs assembly via magnetic nanoparticle bioconjugation, which lies in the synergistic interactions among a bonder (Streptavidin, SA), conductive nanomaterials (Fe₃O₄), and a methanogen (M. barkeri). The results showed that the bioconjugated M. barkeri-SA-Fe₃O₄ biohybrids significantly enhanced both methane yield (33.2-fold) and faradaic efficiency (5.6-fold), compared with that of bare M. barkeri. Such an enhancement was attributed to the improved viability of CEBs with a higher biomass density. Particularly, more live cells were presented in the inner biofilms and promoted the long-distance electron exchange between the live outer-layer biofilm and the cathode electrode. Meanwhile, the higher redox activity of CEBs with the M. barkeri-SA-Fe₃O₄ biohybrids resulted in an improved transient charge storage capability, which was beneficial for the biological CO₂-to-CH₄ conversion via acting as an additional electron donor. This work has provided a new approach to accelerate the formation of CEBs and subsequent electron transfer, which holds a great potential for accomplishing electrosynthesis and CO₂ fixation.

A useful epitope tag derived from maltose binding protein

Maltose binding protein (MBP) is used in recombinant protein expression as an affinity and solubility tag. The monoclonal antibody B48 binds MBP tightly and has no cross-reactivity to other proteins in an Escherichia coli lysate. This high level of specificity suggested that MBP contains an epitope that could prove useful as a purification and visualization tag for proteins expressed in E. coli. To discover the MBP epitope, a co-crystal structure was determined for MBP bound to its antibody and four amino acids of MBP were identified as critical for the binding interaction. Fusions of various fragments of MBP to the glutathione S-transferase protein were engineered in order to identify the smallest fragment still recognized by the α-MBP antibody. Stabilization of the epitope via mutational engineering resulted in a minimized 14 amino-acid tag.

A Validated Nomogram That Predicts Prognosis of Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Multicenter Study in China

The aim of this retrospective study was to derive and validate a reliable nomogram for predicting prognosis of autoimmune encephalitis (AE). A multi-center retrospective study was conducted in four hospitals in China, using a random split-sample method to allocate 173 patients into either a training (n = 126) or validation (n = 47) dataset. Demographic, radiographic and therapeutic presentation, combined with clinical features were collected. A modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge was the principal outcome variable. A backward-stepwise approach based on the Akaike information criterion was used to test predictors and construct the final, parsimonious model. Multivariable analysis was conducted using logistic regression to develop a prognosis model and validate a nomogram using an independent dataset. The performance of the model was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves and a Hosmer-Lemeshow test. The final nomogram model considered age, viral prodrome, consciousness impairment, memory dysfunction and autonomic dysfunction as predictors. Model validations displayed a good level of discrimination in the validation set: area under the Receiver operator characteristic curve = 0.72 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.56–0.88), Hosmer–Lemeshow analysis suggesting good calibration (chi-square: 10.33; p = 0.41). The proposed nomogram demonstrated considerable potential for clinical utility in prediction of prognosis in autoimmune encephalitis.

Identification of UBE2C as hub gene in driving prostate cancer by integrated bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to identify novel genes in promoting primary prostate cancer (PCa) progression and to explore its role in the prognosis of prostate cancer.

METHODS

Four microarray datasets containing primary prostate cancer samples and benign prostate samples were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), then differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by R software (version 3.6.2). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed to identify the function of DEGs. Using STRING and Cytoscape (version 3.7.1), we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and identified the hub gene of prostate cancer. Clinical data on GSE70770 and TCGA was collected to show the role of hub gene in prostate cancer progression. The correlations between hub gene and clinical parameters were also indicated by cox regression analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to highlight the function of Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme complex (UBE2C) in prostate cancer.

RESULTS

243 upregulated genes and 298 downregulated genes that changed in at least two microarrays have been identified. GO and KEGG analysis indicated significant changes in the oxidation-reduction process, angiogenesis, TGF-beta signaling pathway. UBE2C, PDZ-binding kinase (PBK), cyclin B1 (CCNB1), Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3), topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A), Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and MKI67 were identified as the candidate hub genes, which were all correlated with prostate cancer patient' disease-free survival in TCGA. In fact, only UBE2C was highly expressed in prostate cancer when compared with benign prostate tissue in TCGA and the expression of UBE2C was also in parallel with the Gleason score of prostate cancer. Cox regression analysis has indicated UBE2C could function as the independent prognostic factor of prostate cancer. GSEA showed UBE2C had played an important role in the pathway of prostate cancer, such as NOTCH signaling pathway, WNT-β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

UBE2C was pivotal for the progression of prostate cancer and the level of UBE2C was important to predict the prognosis of patients.

The Transcriptomic Landscape of Prostate Cancer Development and Progression: An Integrative Analysis

Next-generation sequencing of primary tumors is now standard for transcriptomic studies, but microarray-based data still constitute the majority of available information on other clinically valuable samples, including archive material. Using prostate cancer (PC) as a model, we developed a robust analytical framework to integrate data across different technical platforms and disease subtypes to connect distinct disease stages and reveal potentially relevant genes not identifiable from single studies alone. We reconstructed the molecular profile of PC to yield the first comprehensive insight into its development, by tracking changes in mRNA levels from normal prostate to high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and metastatic disease. A total of nine previously unreported stage-specific candidate genes with prognostic significance were also found. Here, we integrate gene expression data from disparate sample types, disease stages and technical platforms into one coherent whole, to give a global view of the expression changes associated with the development and progression of PC from normal tissue through to metastatic disease. Summary and individual data are available online at the Prostate Integrative Expression Database (PIXdb), a user-friendly interface designed for clinicians and laboratory researchers to facilitate translational research.

The Association Between Age and Prognosis in Patients Under 45 Years of Age With Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis

This study aims to evaluate the association between age and prognosis in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) under the age of 45 years. A retrospective study was conducted in patients younger than 45 years diagnosed as anti-NMDARE in four hospitals in China. Age at admission was divided into four categories: <15, 15–24, 25–34, 35–45 years. Neurological prognosis was evaluated using modified Rankin Scale. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of prognosis in anti-NMDARE across the categories of age were as follows: in males, 1.00 (reference), 4.76 (0.39–58.76), 13.50 (0.79–230.40), and 8.81 (0.36–218.39) (P for trend = 0.171); in females, 1.00 (reference), 7.27 (0.36–146.19), 20.08 (1.09–370.39), and 54.41 (1.60–1,849.10) (P for trend = 0.01). We concluded that the increasing age was associated with a poorer prognosis of anti-NMDARE in females but not males.

Improved production of Humira antibody in the genetically engineered Escherichia coli SHuffle, by co-expression of human PDI-GPx7 fusions

Abstract

Microbial production of antibodies offers the promise of cheap, fast, and efficient production of antibodies at an industrial scale. Limiting this capacity in prokaryotes is the absence of the post-translational machinery, present in dedicated antibody producing eukaryotic cell lines, such as B cells. There has been few and limited success in producing full-length, correctly folded, and assembled IgG in the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cell lines. One such success was achieved by utilizing the genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain SHuffle with an oxidative cytoplasm. Due to the genetic disruption of reductive pathways, SHuffle cells are under constant oxidative stress, including increased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The oxidizing capacity of H₂O₂ was linked to improved disulfide bond formation, by expressing a fusion of two endoplasmic reticulum-resident proteins, the thiol peroxidase GPx7 and the protein disulfide isomerase, PDI. In concert, these proteins mediate disulfide transfer from H₂O₂ to target proteins via PDI-Gpx7 fusions. The potential of this new strain was tested with Humira, a blockbuster antibody usually produced in eukaryotic cells. Expression results demonstrate that the new engineered SHuffle strain (SHuffle2) could produce Humira IgG four-fold better than the parental strain, both in shake-flask and in high-density fermentation. These preliminary studies guide the field in genetically engineering eukaryotic redox pathways in prokaryotes for the production of complex macromolecules.

Key points

• A eukaryotic redox pathway was engineered into the E. coli strain SHuffle in order to improve the yield of the blockbuster antibody Humira.

• The best peroxidase-PDI fusion was selected using bioinformatics and in vivo studies.

• Improved yields of Humira were demonstrated at shake-flask and high-density fermenters.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00253-020-10920-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Enhancing colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification speed and sensitivity with guanidine chloride

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a versatile technique for detection of target DNA and RNA, enabling rapid molecular diagnostic assays with minimal equipment. The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has presented an urgent need for new and better diagnostic methods, with colorimetric LAMP utilized in numerous studies for SARS-CoV-2 detection. However, the sensitivity of colorimetric LAMP in early reports has been below that of the standard RT-qPCR tests, and we sought to improve performance. Here we report the use of guanidine hydrochloride and combined primer sets to increase speed and sensitivity in colorimetric LAMP, bringing this simple method up to the standards of sophisticated techniques and enabling accurate, high-throughput diagnostics.