Mutations in the gene encoding cystatin B in progressive myoclonus epilepsy (EPM1)

Progressive myoclonus epilepsy of the Unverricht-Lundborg type (EPM1) is an autosomal recessive inherited form of epilepsy, previously linked to human chromosome 21q22.3. The gene encoding cystatin B was shown to be localized to this region, and levels of messenger RNA encoded by this gene were found to be decreased in cells from affected individuals. Two mutations, a 3' splice site mutation and a stop codon mutation, were identified in the gene encoding cystatin B in EPM1 patients but were not present in unaffected individuals. These results provide evidence that mutations in the gene encoding cystatin B are responsible for the primary defect in patients with EPM1.

Quenching-Resistant Multiresonance TADF Emitter Realizes 40% External Quantum Efficiency in Narrowband Electroluminescence at High Doping Level

Multiresonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters manifest great potential for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to their high exciton-utilization efficiency and narrowband emission. Nonetheless, their tendency toward self-quenching caused by strong interchromophore interactions would induce doping sensitivity and deteriorate the device performances, and effective strategy to construct quenching-resistant emitters without sacrifycing color purity is still to be developed. By segregating the planar MR-TADF skeleton using two bulky carbazolyl units, herein a highly emissive molecule with enhanced quenching resistance is reported. The steric effect largely removes the formation of detrimental excimers/aggregates, and boosts the performance of the corresponding devices with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE_max ) up to 40.0% and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 25 nm, representative of the only example of single OLED that can concurrently achieve narrow bandwidth and high EL efficiency surpassing 40% to date. Even at doping ratio of 30 wt%, the EQE_max is retained to be 33.3% with nearly unchanged emission spectrum. This work provides a viable approach to realize doping-insensitive MR-TADF devices with extreme EL efficiency and color purity for high-end OLED displays.

Aluminum-Doped Cesium Lead Bromide Perovskite Nanocrystals with Stable Blue Photoluminescence Used for Display Backlight

Bright and stable blue emitters with narrow full-width at half-maxima are particularly desirable for applications in television displays and related technologies. Here, this study shows that doping aluminum (Al3+) ion into CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) using AlBr3 can afford lead-halide perovskites NCs with stable blue photoluminescence. First, theoretical and experimental analyses reveal that the extended band gap and quantum confinement effect of elongated shape give rise to the desirable blueshifted emission. Second, the aluminum ion incorporation path is rationalized qualitatively by invoking fundamental considerations about binding relations in AlBr3 and its dimer. Finally, the absence of anion-exchange effect is corroborated when green CsPbBr3 and blue Al:CsPbBr3 NCs are mixed. Combinations of the above two NCs with red-emitting CdSe@ZnS NCs result in UV-pumped white light-emitting diodes (LED) with an National Television System Committee (NTSC) value of 116% and ITU-R Recommendation B.T. 2020 (Rec. 2020) of 87%. The color coordinates of the white LED are optimized at (0.32, 0.34) in CIE 1931. The results suggest that low-cost, earth-abundant, solution-processable Al-doped perovskite NCs can be promising candidate materials for blue down-conversion layer in backlit displays.

Unstable minisatellite expansion causing recessively inherited myoclonus epilepsy, EPM1

Progressive myoclonus epilepsy of Unverricht-Lundborg type (EPM1; MIM 254800) is an autosomal recessive disorder that occurs with a low frequency in many populations but is more common in Finland and the Mediterranean region. It is characterized by stimulus-sensitive myoclonus and tonic-clonic seizures with onset at age 6-15 years, typical electroencephalographic abnormalities and a variable rate of progression between and within families. Following the initial mapping of the EPM1 gene to chromosome 21 (ref. 6) and the refinement of the critical region to a small interval, positional cloning identified the gene encoding cystatin B (CST6), a cysteine protease inhibitor, as the gene underlying EPM1 (ref. 10). Levels of messenger RNA encoded by CST6 were dramatically decreased in patients. A 3' splice site and a stop codon mutation were identified in three families, leaving most mutations uncharacterized. In this study, we report a novel type of disease-causing mutation, an unstable 15- to 18-mer minisatellite repeat expansion in the putative promoter region of the CST6 gene. The mutation accounts for the majority of EPM1 patients worldwide. Haplotype data are compatible with a single ancestral founder mutation. The length of the repeat array differs between chromosomes and families, but changes in repeat number seem to be comparatively rare events.

An approach to three-dimensional structures of biomolecules by using single-molecule diffraction images

We describe an approach to the high-resolution three-dimensional structural determination of macromolecules that utilizes ultrashort, intense x-ray pulses to record diffraction data in combination with direct phase retrieval by the oversampling technique. It is shown that a simulated molecular diffraction pattern at 2.5-A resolution accumulated from multiple copies of single rubisco biomolecules, each generated by a femtosecond-level x-ray free electron laser pulse, can be successfully phased and transformed into an accurate electron density map comparable to that obtained by more conventional methods. The phase problem is solved by using an iterative algorithm with a random phase set as an initial input. The convergence speed of the algorithm is reasonably fast, typically around a few hundred iterations. This approach and phasing method do not require any ab initio information about the molecule, do not require an extended ordered lattice array, and can tolerate high noise and some missing intensity data at the center of the diffraction pattern. With the prospects of the x-ray free electron lasers, this approach could provide a major new opportunity for the high-resolution three-dimensional structure determination of single biomolecules.

Localization of a gene for progressive myoclonus epilepsy to chromosome 21q22

Progressive myoclonus epilepsy of Univerricht-Lundborg type is a clinically defined entity among the progressive myoclonus epilepsies. It is an autosomal recessive disorder. The underlying biochemical defect is unknown. We used linkage analysis to localize the gene in 12 families with the aid of polymorphic DNA markers. Close linkage was detected with three markers on distal chromosome 21. The loci BCEI and D21S154 gave the highest positive logarithm-of-odds (lod) scores of 5.49 and 4.25, respectively, at zero recombination. The third locus, D21S112, gave a lod score of 6.91 at a recombination fraction of 0.034. There was no evidence of heterogeneity. Multipoint lod scores calculated against a fixed map of the three marker loci gave a maximum four-point lod score of 10.08 at a location of the disease gene at 6.0 centimorgans distal to locus BCEI and 0.8 centimorgan proximal to locus D21S154. As markers BCEI and D21S154 have previously been localized to 21q22.3 by physical methods, our findings place the EMP1 gene locus (for progressive myoclonus epilepsy of the Unverricht-Lundborg type) in chromosome 21 band q22.3. This finding provides an opportunity to test several other epilepsy phenotypes, particularly the so-called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, for linkage to the same locus. It also is a starting point toward isolating and characterizing the gene and its protein product.

Multi-Length-Scale Morphologies Driven by Mixed Additives in Porphyrin-Based Organic Photovoltaics

A new category of deep-absorbing small molecules is developed. Optimized devices driven by mixed additives show a remarkable short-circuit current of ≈20 mA cm(-2) and a highest power conversion efficiency of 9.06%. A multi-length-scale morphology is formed, which is fully characterized by resonant soft X-ray scattering, high-angle annular dark film image transmission electron microscopy, etc.

Ossifying fibromas of the jaw bone: 20 cases

The purpose of this article is to report 20 cases of ossifying fibroma involving the jaw bone and to review the literature of this lesion. All the cases had adequate radiographs and clinical information. Varying shapes of the lesion including cystic lesion and mixed density lesion are presented, including two massive expansile lesions, which measured more than 10 cm.

Increased expression of nucleophosmin/B23 in hepatocellular carcinoma and correlation with clinicopathological parameters

Nucleophosmin (NPM, B23, numatrin, NO38) is an abundant nucleolar phosphoprotein involved in multiple cellular functions. Previous evidence indicates that high-level expression of NPM causes uncontrolled cell growth and suggests that NPM may have oncogenic potential. In this study, we examined NPM expression in 103 paired cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 12 cases of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia, 17 cases of liver tissue adjacent to a hepatic haemangioma, and series of array tissues from normal human organs and malignancies using a monoclonal antibody against NPM and reverse transcription-PCR techniques, Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and immunocytofluorescence. Our data indicated that NPM expression was significantly higher in HCC than in the non-malignant hepatocytes (P<0.001). Nucleophosmin was weakly expressed in hepatocytes from a 5-month-old embryo and in stationary hepatocytes of healthy adults. Moreover, enhanced expression of NPM in HCC correlated with the level of PCNA (R(2)=0.5639) and with the clinical prognostic parameters such as serum alpha fetal protein level, tumour pathological grading, and liver cirrhosis (P<0.05). Our results suggest that NPM may play an important role in the progression of tumorigenesis and that NPM may serve as a potential marker for HCC.

Effects of heteroatom substitution in spiro-bifluorene hole transport materials

Three new spirofluorene-based hole transport materials, Spiro-S, Spiro-N, and Spiro-E, are synthesized by replacing the para-methoxy substituent in 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (Spiro-MeOTAD) with methylsulfanyl, N,N-dimethylamino and ethyl groups. Their properties as hole transport materials in perovskite solar cells are investigated. The impact of replacing the para-methoxy substituent on bulk properties, such as the photophysical properties, HOMO/LUMO energy level, hole extraction properties and morphologies of perovskite thin films are investigated. Their optoelectronic and charge-transport properties and performance in perovskite solar cells are compared with the current benchmarked and structurally-related hole transport material (HTM) Spiro-MeOTAD. Surprisingly, the methylsulfanyl substituted spirofluorene shows the highest power conversion efficiency of 15.92% among the investigated spirofluorenes, which is an over 38% increase in PCE compared with that of Spiro-MeOTAD under similar device fabrication conditions.

Extending the π-Skeleton of Multi-Resonance TADF Materials towards High-Efficiency Narrowband Deep-Blue Emission

Multi-resonance TADF (MR-TADF) emitters are promising for high-resolution OLEDs, but the concurrent optimization of excited-state dynamics and color purity remains a tough challenge. Herein, three deep-blue MR-TADF compounds (BN1-BN3) featuring gradually enlarged ring-fused structures and increased rigidity are accessed by lithium-free borylation in high yields from the same precursor, with all the emitters possessing CIE_y coordinates below 0.08. Structure-property investigations demonstrate a strategic improvement of the oscillator strength (f_osc ) and acceleration of the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process by extending the π-skeleton, where BN3 realizes a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 37.6 % and reduced roll-off, thus showing the best efficiency reported for deep-blue TADF OLEDs. The internal regulation of the efficiency and color purity of these compounds validate the general effectiveness to achieve advanced deep-blue narrowband emitters with higher-order boron/nitrogen-based MR motifs.

High-Performance Narrowband Pure-Red OLEDs with External Quantum Efficiencies up to 36.1% and Ultralow Efficiency Roll-Off

High-color-purity blue and green organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been resolved thanks to the development of B/N-based polycyclic multiple resonance (MR) emitters. However, due to the derivatization limit of B/N polycyclic structures, the design of red MR emitters remains challenging. Herein, a series of novel red MR emitters is reported by para-positioning N-π-N, O-π-O, B-π-B pairs onto a benzene ring to construct an MR central core. These emitters can be facilely and modularly synthesized, allowing for easy fine-tuning of emission spectra by peripheral groups. Moreover, these red MR emitters display excellent photophysical properties such as near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), fast radiative decay rate (k_r ) up to 7.4 × 10⁷ s^-1 , and most importantly, narrowband emission with full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 32 nm. Incorporating these MR emitters, pure red OLEDs sensitized by phosphor realize state-of-the-art device performances with external quantum efficiency (EQE) exceeding 36%, ultralow efficiency roll-off (EQE remains as high as 25.1% at the brightness of 50 000 cd m^-2 ), ultrahigh brightness over 130 000 cd m^-2 , together with good device lifetime.

Studies of digital microscopic holography with applications to microstructure testing

We propose an in-line digital microscopic holography system for testing of microstructures. With the incorporation of a long-distance microscope with digital holography, the system is capable of imaging test microstructures with high resolution at sufficient working distances to permit good illumination of samples. The system, which was developed in an in-line configuration, achieves high imaging capacity and exhibits properties that are favorable for micromeasurement. We demonstrate the performance of the system with experiments to determine the displacement of a silicon microcantilever and with investigations of the microscopic resolution capability.

High frequency of beta-catenin mutations in hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is an embryonic neoplasm representing the most frequent malignant liver tumour in childhood. Its tumourigenesis at the molecular level is still poorly understood, and candidate genes are yet to be identified. According to recent reports describing beta-catenin mutations (BCM) at hot-spot regions involving exon 3 in several types of malignancies including HB, we investigated BCM in 16 HBs classified into different histological types. One tumour had been previously confirmed to harbour adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutations that exhibit a similar oncogenic effect to that of BCM. Mutations in both exon 3 and its flanking region of the beta-catenin gene were investigated and determined. Twelve tumours (75%) revealed pathogenic BCM, including 5 with missense mutations at codons 32, 34, or 37 and 7 with interstitial deletions that partially or totally affected exon 3. All 7 deletions were in-frame deletions without frameshift. A single nucleotide change at codon 31 regarded as non-pathogenic polymorphism was detected in the tumour possessing APC mutations. Therefore, a total of 13 tumours (81%) were compromised by an enhanced beta-catenin-mediated transcription pathway. Mutations were observed in every histological type of HB. The very high frequency without correlation to histological type indicates that BCM are crucial events in the tumourigenesis of HB.

Predicting the hearing outcome in sudden sensorineural hearing loss via machine learning models

OBJECTIVE

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a multifactorial disorder with high heterogeneity, thus the outcomes vary widely. This study aimed to develop predictive models based on four machine learning methods for SSHL, identifying the best performer for clinical application.

DESIGN

Single-centre retrospective study.

SETTING

Chinese People's liberation army (PLA) hospital, Beijing, China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1220 in-patient SSHL patients were enrolled between June 2008 and December 2015.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

An advanced deep learning technique, deep belief network (DBN), together with the conventional logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) were developed to predict the dichotomised hearing outcome of SSHL by inputting six feature collections derived from 149 potential predictors. Accuracy, precision, recall, F-score and the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC-AUC) were exploited to compare the prediction performance of different models.

RESULTS

Overall the best predictive ability was provided by the DBN model when tested in the raw data set with 149 variables, achieving an accuracy of 77.58% and AUC of 0.84. Nevertheless, DBN yielded inferior performance after feature pruning. In contrast, the LR, SVM and MLP models demonstrated opposite trend as the greatest individual prediction powers were obtained when included merely three variables, with the ROC-AUC ranging from 0.79 to 0.81, and then decreased with the increasing size of input features combinations.

CONCLUSIONS

With the input of enough features, DBN can be a robust prediction tool for SSHL. But LR is more practical for early prediction in routine clinical application using three readily available variables, that is time elapse between symptom onset and study entry, initial hearing level and audiogram.

Fine mapping of qhir1 influencing in vivo haploid induction in maize

Production of haploids by the in vivo haploid induction method has now become routine for generating new inbred lines in maize. In previous studies, a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) (qhir1) located in bin 1.04 was detected, explaining up to 66 % of the genotypic variance for haploid induction rate (HIR). Our objectives were to (1) fine-map qhir1 and (2) identify closely linked markers useful for marker-assisted breeding of new inducers. For this purpose, we screened a mapping population of 14,375 F2 plants produced from a cross between haploid inducer UH400 and non-inducer line 1680 to identify recombinants. Based on sequence information from the B73 reference genome, markers polymorphic between the two parents were developed to conduct fine mapping with these recombinants. A progeny test mapping strategy was applied to accurately determine the HIR of the 14 recombinants identified. Furthermore, F3 progeny of recombinant F2 plants were genotyped and in parallel evaluated for HIR. We corroborated earlier studies in that qhir1 has both a significantly positive effect on HIR but also a strong selective disadvantage, as indicated by significant segregation distortion. Altogether, we were able to narrow down the qhir1 locus to a 243 kb region flanked by markers X291 and X263.

Protein tyrosine kinase 6 protects cells from anoikis by directly phosphorylating focal adhesion kinase and activating AKT

Protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in epithelial cancers. Disruption of Ptk6 decreases AOM-induced colon tumorigenesis in mice by preventing STAT3 activation. Relocalization of PTK6 in prostate cancers contributes to increased growth. Although not expressed in normal breast or ovary, PTK6 promotes anchorage-independent survival of breast and ovarian tumor cells. We identified several potential PTK6 substrates in the human SW620 colon cancer cell line using mass spectrometry, including FAK (focal adhesion kinase). We show that FAK is a direct substrate of PTK6 in vitro and in vivo. Expression of membrane targeted active PTK6 (Palm-PTK6-YF) induces constitutive activation of FAK and cell morphology changes, which are independent of SRC family kinases in Src−/−, Yes−/−, Fyn−/− (SYF) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Palm-PTK6-YF expressing SYF cells are transformed and overcome contact inhibition, form colonies in transformation assays, proliferate in suspension, and form tumors in a xenograft model. Expression of FAK and Palm-PTK6-YF in Fak−/− MEFs synergistically activates AKT and protects cells against anoikis. However, expression of Palm-PTK6-YF in Akt1/2−/− MEFs fails to protect cells from anoikis, indicating AKT is critical in PTK6 and FAK mediated survival signaling. In a conditional Pten knockout murine prostate cancer model, we identify prostate epithelial cells with enhanced activation of endogenous PTK6 and FAK at the plasma membrane. Knockdown of PTK6 in the PC3 human prostate cancer cell line disrupts FAK and AKT activation and promotes anoikis, which can be rescued by exogenous expression of FAK. Our data reveal important roles for a PTK6-FAK-AKT signaling axis in promoting anchorage-independent cell survival.

Charge Transfer Excited State Promoted Multiple Resonance Delayed Fluorescence Emitter for High-Performance Narrowband Electroluminescence

Multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters are promising candidates for narrowband organic light-emitting diodes, but their electroluminescent performance is typically hindered by the slow reverse intersystem crossing rate (k_RISC). Herein, we present an effective strategy to introduce a multichannel reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) pathway with large spin-orbit coupling by orthogonally linking an electron-donating unit to the MR framework. Through delicate manipulation of the excited-state energy levels, an additional intersegmental charge transfer triplet state could be "silently" induced without perturbing the MR character of the lowest excited singlet state. The proof-of-concept emitter CzBN3 not only affords 23-fold increase of k_RISC compared with its prototypical MR skeleton but also realizes close-to-unity photoluminescence quantum yield, large radiative rate constant, and very narrow emission spectrum. These merits enable high maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE_max) of up to 37.1% and alleviated efficiency roll-off in the sensitizer-free device (EQE₁₀₀₀ = 30.4%), and a further boost of efficiency (EQE_max/1000 = 42.3/34.1%) is realized in the hyperfluorescent device. The state-of-the-art electroluminescent performance validates the superiority of our molecular design strategy.

Diet and vitamin nutrition of the high esophageal cancer risk population in Linxian, China

In order to examine the nutritional status of the population of Linxian (in Henan, China) known to be at high risk for esophageal cancer (EC), we analyzed blood samples and conducted 3-day dietary surveys on 3 groups of normal adults, age 40-50, from Henan province. Two groups were from Linxian, where the EC mortality rate is about 138/100,000 (Group C, consisting of volunteers with a family history of EC, and Group NC, consisting of those who did not have a family history of EC). The third group, Group F, was from Fanxian, where the EC mortality rate is about 24/100,000. The average plasma retinol level was found to be about 0.27 micrograms/ml in all 3 groups; about 13%-20% of the individuals had a level less than 0.2 micrograms/ml. The average plasma carotene level of all 3 groups appeared to be adequate, ranging from 0.5-1.0 micrograms/ml. About 23% of the subjects in both Groups C and NC had low (less than 2 micrograms/ml) plasma ascorbate levels; in Group F, 16% had low ascorbate levels. Less than 12% of the individuals in each of the 3 groups had erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficients less than 1.2, indicating a widely occurring riboflavin deficiency. Consumption of alcoholic beverages was not found to be a contributing factor to EC. The results of the present study reveal a deficiency of vitamins in the study populations, but do not indicate that the average nutritional status of the volunteers in Group C was worse than that of Groups NC and F with regard to vitamin A, ascorbate, and riboflavin.

Simultaneous determination of oxalic, fumaric, maleic and succinic acids in tartaric and malic acids for pharmaceutical use by ion-suppression reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

A reliable method for the simultaneous determination of oxalic, fumaric, maleic, and succinic acids in tartaric and malic acids for pharmaceutical use by reversed-phase ion-suppression high performance liquid chromatography is presented. HPLC was achieved on a Nova-Pak C18 column by isocratic elution using water adjusted to pH 2.10-2.15 with perchloric acid, and detection was by UV adsorption at a wavelength of 210 nm. This method was found to be superior to previous liquid chromatography as well as other classical assay, and to be an attractive choice for the analysis of these compounds.