Early-life exposure to mycotoxin zearalenone exacerbates aberrant immune response, oxidative stress, and mortality of Caenorhabditis elegans under pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis infection

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a prevalent mycotoxin that severely impacts human and animal health. However, the possible interactions between ZEN exposure, pathogen infection, immune system, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were rarely investigated. We studied the effects of early-life ZEN (50 µM) exposure on the immune response of Caenorhabditis elegans against Bacillus thuringiensis infection and the associated mechanisms. The transcriptomic responses of C. elegans after early-life ZEN exposure were investigated using RNA sequencing and followed by verification using quantitative PCR analysis. We also investigated the immune responses of the worms through B. thuringiensis killing assays and by measuring oxidative stress. The transcriptomics result showed that early-life exposure to ZEN resulted in 44 differentially expressed genes, 7 of which were protein-coding genes with unknown functions. The Gene Ontology analysis suggested that metabolic processes and immune response were among the most significantly enriched biological processes, and the KEGG analysis suggested that lysosomes and metabolic pathways were the most significantly enriched pathways. The ZEN-exposed worms exhibited significantly reduced survival after 24-h B. thuringiensis infection, reaching near 100% mortality compared to 60% of the controls. Using qRT-PCR assay, we found that ZEN further enhanced the expression of immunity genes lys-6, spp-1, and clec-60 after B. thuringiensis infection. A concurrently enhanced ROS accumulation was also observed for ZEN-exposed worms after B. thuringiensis infection, which was 1.2-fold compared with the controls. Moreover, ZEN exposure further enhanced mRNA expression of catalases (ctl-1 and ctl-2) and increased catalase protein activity after B. thuringiensis exposure compared with their non-exposed counterparts, suggesting an elevated oxidative stress. This study suggests that early-life exposure to mycotoxin zearalenone overstimulates immune responses involving spp-17, clec-52, and clec-56, resulting in excessive ROS production, enhanced oxidative stress as indicated by aggravated ctl expression and activity, and a decline in host resistance to pathogenic infection which ultimately leads to increased mortality under B. thuringiensis infection. Our findings provide evidence that could improve our understanding on the potential interactions between mycotoxin zearalenone and pathogens.

[Efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 inhibitor in the treatment of relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma]

Objective: This retrospective, single-center study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, in the management of relapse/refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (R/R cHL) . Methods: A total of 35 patients with R/R cHL who received treatment at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College from September 2016 to December 2020 were enrolled in this study. Among them, 17 patients received PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy (PD-1 inhibitor group), while 18 patients received a combination of PD-1 inhibitor and chemotherapy (PD-1 inhibitor + chemotherapy group). Clinical data and follow-up information were retrospectively analyzed, and survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The median age of the 35 patients with R/R cHL was 29 years (range: 11-61 years), with 54.3% being male. According to the Ann Arbor staging system, 62.9% of patients presented with advanced (stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ) disease, and 48.6% had extranodal involvement. Before PD-1 inhibitor therapy, the median number of prior lines of therapy was 2 (range: 1-3). Objective responses were observed in 28 patients, including 22 complete response (CR) cases, resulting in an overall response rate (ORR) of 80.0% and a CR rate of 62.9%. Specifically, the ORR and CR rates were 64.7% and 58.8%, respectively, in the PD-1 inhibitor group and 94.4% and 66.7%, respectively, in the PD-1 inhibitor + chemotherapy group. Among the 18 patients who underwent sequential autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) [13 CR and five partial response (PR) cases], eight patients received PD-1 inhibitor therapy after auto-HSCT as consolidation therapy. All patients maintained a CR status after transplantation, and they exhibited significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) rates compared with those who did not undergo sequential auto-HSCT (4-year PFS rates: 100% vs 53.5% ; P=0.041). The incidence of immune-related adverse events was 29%, with only one patient experiencing grade≥3 adverse reactions, which indicated a favorable safety profile for the treatment approach. Conclusions: PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy demonstrates notable efficacy and sustained response in patients with R/R cHL. PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy significantly improve response rates. Additionally, for salvage therapy-sensitive patients, consolidation treatment with PD-1 inhibitors after auto-HSCT exhibits the potential for prolonging PFS.

[Efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation treatment for T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma]

Objective: To analyze the efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for treating T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) . Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated 119 adolescent and adult patients with T-ALL/LBL from January 2006 to January 2020 at Peking University Third Hospital and Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Patients were divided into chemotherapy-only, chemotherapy followed by allo-HSCT, and chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) groups according to the consolidation regimen, and the 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates of each group were compared. Results: Among 113 patients with effective follow-up, 96 (84.9%) patients achieved overall response (ORR), with 79 (69.9%) having complete response (CR) and 17 (15.0%) having partial response (PR), until July 2022. The analysis of the 96 ORR population revealed that patients without transplantation demonstrated poorer outcomes compared with the allo-HSCT group (5-year OS: 11.4% vs 55.6%, P=0.001; 5-year PFS: 8.9% vs 54.2%, P<0.001). No difference was found in 5-year OS and 5-year PFS between the allo-HSCT and auto-HSCT groups (P=0.271, P=0.197). The same results were achieved in the CR population. Allo-HSCT got better 5-year OS (37.5% vs 0) for the 17 PR cases (P=0.064). Different donor sources did not affect 5-year OS, with sibling of 61.1% vs hap-haploidentical of 63.6% vs unrelated donor of 50.0% (P>0.05). No significant difference was found in the treatment response in the early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ETP) and non-ETP populations. The ETP group demonstrated lower 5-year OS compared with the non-ETP group in the chemotherapy alone group (0 vs 12.6%, P=0.045), whereas no significant difference was found between the ETP and non-ETP groups in the allo-HSCT group (75.0% vs 62.9%, P=0.852). Multivariate analysis revealed that high serum lactate dehydrogenase level, without transplantation, and no CR after chemotherapy induction were independently associated with inferior outcomes (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Allo-HSCT could be an effective consolidation therapy for adult and adolescent patients with T-ALL/LBL. Different donor sources did not affect survival. Allo-HSCT may overcome the adverse influence of ETP-ALL/LBL on OS.

[Gray zone lymphoma: five cases report and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features, treatment, and prognosis of gray zone lymphoma (GZL) . Methods: From July 2, 2013, to February 10, 2021, the clinical and pathological features, treatment, and outcomes of five patients with GZL at the Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were studied retrospectively. Results: There were one male and 4 females, with a median age of 28 (16-51) years at diagnosis. Four patients had mediastinal (thymic) involvement, two of which had superior vena cava obstruction syndrome, and 3 patients had extra-nodal involvement. There was one case with a limited Ann Arbor stage and 4 cases with a progressive stage. Three patients had cHL-like pathomorphology with scattered Hodgkin-like cells, strongly positive for CD20, positive for CD30, and CD15 was negative; the other two patients had both cHL and DLBCL morphology, with some areas resembling Hodgkin cells and some areas resembling immunoblasts, strongly positive for CD30, and CD15 but negative CD20. Two patients were treated with cHL-like regimens for induction and achieved only partial remission; after salvage therapy with enhanced DLBCL-like regimens, all achieved complete remission (CR) . Three patients were treated with enhanced DLBCL-like immunochemotherapy regimens for induction, and two patients were effective, one of whom achieved CR. Four patients who did not achieve CR were given second or third-line salvage therapy, and all of them recovered. One patient lost parity, one died of disease progression at 35.9 months after diagnosis, and the remaining three maintained sustained remission. Conclusions: GZL is uncommon, usually affects younger patients, is mediastinal and is diagnosed using path morphology and immunophenotype. Patients with newly diagnosed GZL appear to be more sensitive to DLBCL-like immunochemotherapy regimens; relapsed or refractory patients were tended with non-cross-resistant combination chemotherapy or with new drugs.

Interruption of the long non-coding RNA HOTAIR signaling axis ameliorates chemotherapy-induced cachexia in bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the first line of treatment for bladder cancer. However, cisplatin induces muscle wasting associated with NF-κB and cancer cachexia. HOTAIR, an oncogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), promotes cancer progression in different cancers. Crosstalk between HOTAIR and NF-κB is documented. Prothymosin α (ProT) plays important roles in cancer progression and inflammation. However, the potential link between HOTAIR, ProT, and cisplatin-induced cancer cachexia remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the contribution of HOTAIR in cisplatin-induced cancer cachexia and dissected the potential signaling cascade involving the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), ProT, NF-κB, and HOTAIR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Expression of ProT and HOTAIR transcripts and their correlations in tumor tissues of bladder cancer patients and bladder cancer cell lines were determined by RT-qPCR. Next, levels of phospho-EGFR, EGFR, phospho-NF-κB, and NF-κB were examined by immunoblot analysis in human bladder cancer cells treated with cisplatin. Expression of HOTAIR in cisplatin-treated cells was also assessed by RT-qPCR. Pharmacological inhibitors and overexpression and knockdown approaches were exploited to decipher the signaling pathway. The murine C2C12 myoblasts were used as an in vitro muscle atrophy model. The syngeneic murine MBT-2 bladder tumor was used to investigate the role of mouse Hotair in cisplatin-induced cancer cachexia.

RESULTS

Expression of ProT and HOTAIR was higher in bladder tumors than in normal adjacent tissues. There were positive correlations between ProT and HOTAIR expression in clinical bladder tumors and bladder cancer cell lines. Cisplatin treatment increased EGFR and NF-κB activation and upregulated ProT and HOTAIR expression in bladder cancer cells. ProT overexpression increased, whereas ProT knockdown decreased, HOTAIR expression. Notably, cisplatin-induced HOTAIR upregulation was abrogated by EGFR inhibitors or ProT knockdown. ProT-induced HOTAIR overexpression was diminished by NF-κB inhibitors. HOTAIR overexpression enhanced, whereas its knockdown reduced, cell proliferation, cachexia-associated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, and muscle atrophy. Cachexia-associated symptoms were ameliorated in mice bearing Hotair-knockdown bladder tumors undergoing cisplatin treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate for the first time a critical role for HOTAIR and identify the involvement of the EGFR-ProT-NF-κB-HOTAIR signaling axis in cisplatin-induced cachexia in bladder cancer and likely other cancers. Our findings also provide therapeutic targets for this disease.

[Altered dynamics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence chewers]

Objective: To investigate the dynamic characteristics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers and its relationship with clinical indexes. Method: This study was conducted in Hainan General Hospital from April to December 2019 and the data of 53 BQD chewers (37 males and 16 females, aged 20 to 58(38±11) years) and 37 healthy controls (HC) (24 males and 13 females, aged 23-57(42±12) years) were collected. All these subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The dynamic characteristics of resting fMRI indexes, including dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) of these subjects were calculated using the sliding time window method, parameters such as age and dynamic local consistency were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between dynamic indexes, betel quid dependence score (BQDS) and disease duration in BQD group. Results: BQD chewers showed decreased dynamic ALFF in the left orbital prefrontal cortex (0.138±0.041 vs 0.171±0.070), the right temporal pole superior temporal gyrus (0.277±0.070 vs 0.319±0.086) and the right inferior parietal lobule (0.223±0.052 vs 0.259±0.088) than HC (all P<0.05). For regional homogeneity, BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo in the right inferior temporal gyrus (0.055±0.008 vs 0.061±0.009), the orbital prefrontal cortex (0.058±0.005 vs 0.063±0.008), the right inferior frontal gyrus (0.081±0.006 vs 0.087±0.011), the right superior occipital gyrus (0.056±0.007 vs 0.062±0.008), the left precentral gyrus (0.068±0.008 vs 0.074±0.008), and the left superior frontal gyrus (0.058±0.008 vs 0.064±0.009) than HC (all P<0.05). BQD chewers showed an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus (0.095±0.009 vs 0.089±0.008) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in DC between the two groups (all P>0.05). The relationships between three dynamic ALFF and BQDS (r=-0.104, -0.015, -0.119), seven dynamic ReHo and BQDS (r=-0.099, -0.141, -0.055, -0.078, -0.027, -0.111, -0.090), three dynamic ALFF and disease duration (r=-0.122, -0.095, -0.171), and seven dynamic ReHo and disease duration (r=0.242, -0.252, 0.035, 0.056, 0.047, 0.081, 0.169) were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusions: BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo and/or ALFF in multiple brain regions dominated by prefrontal cortex, and an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus.

[Clinical phenotype analysis of 6 cases of TTC21B gene related nephronophthisis]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of 6 children with TTC21B-related nephronophthisis to provide reference for early clinical diagnosis. Methods: The general condition, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and other clinical data of 6 children from 4 families diagnosed with nephronophthisis by genetic testing in Shanghai Children's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: A total of 6 children (3 males and 3 females) developed proteinuria and progressive renal dysfunction in early infancy. The onset age of proteinuria was 18 (6, 25) months. The age at the onset of renal impairment was 22 (10, 36) months. All 6 children progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) within 10 (4, 65) months of onset. Five children had hypertension, 3 children with abnormal liver function, 2 children with visceral translocation and 1 child with growth retardation. The genetic results suggested that all children carried variations TTC21B gene p.C518R. Conclusions: Children with TTC21B gene p.C518R nephronophthisis had proteinuria and progressed to ESRD at the early stage of life. These nephronophthisis patients commonly presented with liver and renal dysfunction.

[Drug-resistant gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum isolated from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea in 2018 and 2019]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance protein 1 (PfMDR1), chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) and Kelch 13 (PfK13) genes in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, so as to provide insights into the development of the malaria control strategy in local areas.

METHODS

A total of 85 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with Plasmodium falciparum infections in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea in 2018 and 2019, and genomic DNA was extracted. The PfMDR1, PfCRT and PfK13 genes were amplified using a nested PCR assay. The amplification products were sequenced, and the gene sequences were aligned.

RESULTS

There were no mutations associated with artemisinin resistance in PfK13 gene in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, while drug-resistant mutations were detected in PfMDR1 and PfCRT genes, and the proportions of PfMDR1_N86Y, PfMDR1_Y184F and PfCRT_K76T mutations were 35.29% (30/85), 72.94% (62/85) and 24.71% (21/85), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There are mutations in PfMDR1, PfCRT and PfK13 genes in P. falciparum isolates from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.

[Clinical analysis of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combined with rituximab in the first-line treatment of 43 cases of chronic lymphoblastic leukemia]

目的

探讨FCR方案（氟达拉滨+环磷酰胺+利妥昔单抗）一线治疗慢性淋巴细胞白血病（CLL）的疗效。

方法

回顾性分析2004年5月至2017年12月一线应用FCR方案治疗的43例CLL患者的临床资料。

结果

①43例CLL患者中，男31例，女12例，接受FCR方案治疗时中位年龄58（36～72）岁；8例患者伴B症状，外周血中位淋巴细胞计数26（3～550）×10⁹/L，IGHV基因未突变62.1％（18/29），P53基因缺失14.0％（6/43），RB1基因缺失18.6％（8/43），12号染色体三体占25.6％（11/33），ATM基因缺失16.7％（7/42）。全部患者FCR方案中位疗程数为4（2～6）个。②全部43例患者的总体反应率（ORR）为88.4％（38/43），完全缓解（CR）20例（46.5％），部分缓解（PR）18例（41.9％），疾病稳定（SD）4例（9.3％），疾病进展（PD）1例（2.3％）；7例（16.3％）患者获得微小残留病（MRD）阴性。③中位随访51（6～167）个月，中位无进展生存（PFS）时间为67（29～105）个月，中位总生存（OS）时间未达到，5年PFS率为（62.1±8.6）％，10年PFS率为（31.0±14.3）％，5年OS率为（70.5±8.3）％，10年OS率为（51.3±13.8）％。疗程数<4为影响OS的不良预后因素，P53基因缺失、疗程数<4为影响PFS的不良预后因素（P<0.001），且在多因素分析中仍具有预后意义［P53基因缺失：HR＝7.65（95％CI 1.74～33.60），P＝0.007；疗程数<4：HR＝3.75（95％CI 1.19～11.80），P＝0.025］。④18例（41.9％）患者于化疗后发生2～3级感染，19例（44.2％）发生3～4级血液学不良反应，1例（2.3％）患者发生肿瘤溶解综合征，所有不良反应经对症处理均恢复。

结论

FCR方案一线治疗CLL的治疗反应及远期生存较理想，不良反应可接受。

Prenatal Bisphenol a Exposure, DNA Methylation, and Low Birth Weight: A Pilot Study in Taiwan

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase the risk of abnormal birth outcomes, and DNA methylation might mediate these adverse effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal BPA exposure on maternal and fetal DNA methylation levels and explore whether epigenetic changes are related to the associations between BPA and low birth weight. We collected urine and blood samples originating from 162 mother-infant pairs in a Taiwanese cohort study. We measured DNA methylation using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation 450 BeadChip in 34 maternal blood samples with high and low BPA levels based on the 75th percentile level (9.5 μg/g creatinine). Eighty-seven CpGs with the most differentially methylated probes possibly interacting with BPA exposure or birth weight were selected using two multiple regression models. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) was utilized to narrow down 18 candidate CpGs related to disease categories, including developmental disorders, skeletal and muscular disorders, skeletal and muscular system development, metabolic diseases, and lipid metabolism. We then validated these genes by pyrosequencing, and 8 CpGs met the primer design score requirements in 82 cord blood samples. The associations among low birth weight, BPA exposure, and DNA methylation were analyzed. Exposure to BPA was associated with low birth weight. Analysis of the epigenome-wide findings did not show significant associations between BPA and DNA methylation in cord blood of the 8 CpGs. However, the adjusted odds ratio for the dehydrogenase/reductase member 9 (DHRS9) gene, at the 2nd CG site, in the hypermethylated group was significantly associated with low birth weight. These results support a role of BPA, and possibly DHRS9 methylation, in fetal growth. However, additional studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.

[A nested case-control study on relationship of traditional and combined lipid metabolism indexes with incidence of diabetes]

Objective: To explore the relationship between lipid indicators and the incidence of diabetes, and to compare the diabetes prediction and identification power of traditional lipid combined lipid indicators, in order to explore the best alternative indicators for identifying and predicting diabetes. Methods: Based on the Jinchang cohort, a nested case-control study was conducted in 1 025 new cases of diabetes after excluding patients with malignant tumor and related endocrine, circulatory system disease, then an age (±2 years), gender matched 1∶1 control group of 1 025 cases was set to analyze the relationship between the incidence of diabetes and lipid parameters. Results: Among the traditional lipid parameters, the fourth quartile of TG, TC, and LDL-C indicated higher risks of developing diabetes, which was 14.00 times (95%CI: 9.73-20.15), 2.15 times (95%CI: 1.65-2.79) and 1.66 times (95%CI: 1.29-2.14) than that of the first quartile, respectively. The risk of developing diabetes indicated by the fourth quartile of HDL-C was 0.21 times than that indicated by the first quartile (95%CI: 0.15-0.28). In the combined lipid parameters, the fourth quartile of TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C and non-HDL-C indicated higher risks of developing diabetes, which was 14.86 times (95%CI: 10.35-21.34), 8.12 times (95%CI: 5.94-11.01), 5.85 times (95%CI:4.34-7.88) and 5.20 times (95%CI: 3.85-7.03) than that indicated by the first quartile, respectively. The areas under the ROC curve of TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C and non-HDL-C were 0.76 (95%CI: 0.74-0.78), 0.59 (95%CI: 0.57-0.61), 0.67 (95%CI: 0.65-0.69), 0.57 (95%CI: 0.55-0.59), 0.77 (95%CI: 0.75-0.78), 0.73 (95%CI: 0.71-0.75), 0.69 (95%CI: 0.67-0.71) and 0.66 (95%CI: 0.64-0.68), respectively. The optimal diabetes predicting point cuts of TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C and non-HDL-C were 1.40, 4.70, 1.28, 3.25, 1.17, 3.43, 2.46, and 3.58 mmol/L, respectively. Conclusions: Lipid metabolic disorder is a risk factor for diabetes. TG and TG/HDL-C are the good lipid metabolism indicators for the prediction of diabetic.

[Relationship of body mass index and blood pressure with diabetes: a nested case-control study]

Objective: To explore the relationship of body mass index and blood pressure with the incidence of diabetes in Jinchang cohort. Methods: We designed a nested case-control study, a total of 29 572 workers who had no history of diabetes in baseline survey in Jinchang cohort were selected as the study cohort from June 2011 to December 2013. After 2 year follow-up, 1 021 workers with first diagnosed diabetes were selected as the case group, after 1∶1 matching according to the same gender and age ±2 years among those without diabetes, circulatory system, or endocrine system diseases during the same follow-up period, 1 021 controls was selected and 2 042 subjects were finally included. We used multivariate conditional logistic regression model, additive interaction model and multiplicative interaction model to explore the relationship of body mass index and blood pressure with the incidence of diabetes. Results: After adjusting for factors such as occupation, alcohol use, family history of diabetes, hyperuricemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low-HDL cholesterolemia and high-LDL cholesterolemia, multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of diabetes increased with body mass index and blood pressure. Hypertension and overweight/obesity had a multiplicative interaction on the incidence of diabetes. The risks of diabetes in men and women with hypertension and overweight/obese were 2.04 times (95%CI: 1.54-2.69) and 3.88 times (95%CI: 2.55-5.91) higher than those in men and women with normal body weight and blood pressure, respectively. In the combination of BMI and blood pressure, obese individuals with SBP≥160 mmHg were 4.57 times (95%CI: 2.50-8.34) more likely to have diabetes than those with normal BMI and SBP, obese individuals with DBP≥90 mmHg were 3.40 times (95%CI: 2.19-5.28) more likely to have diabetes than those with normal BMI and DBP. Conclusions: Overweight/obesity and hypertension can increase the risk of diabetes. Health education about body weight and blood pressure controls should be strengthened to reduce the risk of diabetes.

[Central nervous system toxicity caused by bortezomib: five case reports and a review of literature]

目的

探讨硼替佐米中枢神经系统（CNS）毒性的临床特点、诊断和治疗。

方法

报道5例由硼替佐米引起的CNS毒性患者并结合现有文献探讨其临床特点。

结果

5例患者中有4例在应用硼替佐米后出现了中枢性发热，主要表现为持续性高热、周身无汗、未能找到感染病灶、对退热药不敏感，停用硼替佐米后症状好转。4例患者中有3例伴随顽固性低钠血症，1例明确诊断为抗利尿不当综合征（SIAD），可能是硼替佐米同时影响了下丘脑体温调节中枢和抗利尿激素神经分泌细胞所致。1例患者诊断为可逆性后部脑病综合征（PRES），表现为应用硼替佐米后出现意识障碍，头CT示双侧半卵圆中心白质密度减低，停用硼替佐米后患者症状消失且未再复发。此外，我们还发现血小板计数可能与硼替佐米CNS毒性的严重程度相关。

结论

硼替佐米的CNS毒性非常罕见，表现为3种形式：SIAD、PRES和中枢性发热，及时识别和治疗对于预防不可逆的神经并发症非常重要。

[Prospective cohort study of relationship of triglyceride, fasting blood-glucose and triglyceride glucose product index with risk of hypertension]

Objective: To investigate the relationship of triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose (FPG) and triglyceride glucose product index (TyG) with the incidence of hypertension, and provide basic data for the prevention and treatment of hypertension in the population. Methods: A total of 23 581 individuals who met the research criteria in Jinchang cohort were selected as the research subjects, the Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the relationship of TG, FPG, and TyG with the risk of hypertension. A stratified analysis was conducted by sex. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the normal TG group, the HR(95%CI) of the elevated TG margin group and the elevated group were 1.16 (1.01-1.34) and 1.49 (1.30-1.70), respectively in the total population. Among men, they were 1.13 (1.01-1.27) and 1.17 (1.06-1.30), and among women, they were 1.05 (0.88-1.26) and 1.06 (0.88-1.28). Compared with the normal FPG group, the HR (95%CI) of the FPG-impaired group were 1.29 (1.13-1.48) in the total population, 1.26 (1.08-1.48) in men and 1.59 (1.14-2.21) in women. Taking the lowest quartile array as a reference, the HR (95%CI) of the highest quartile array of TyG was 1.73 (1.45-2.07) in the total population, 1.32 (1.14-1.53) in men and 1.87 (1.37-2.54) in women. TG, FPG had a nonlinear dose-response relationship with the risk of hypertension, while TyG had a linear correlation with the risk of hypertension. Conclusions: Higher TG, FPG, and TyG levels are independent risk factors for the incidence of hypertension. People with higher TG, FPG and TyG are at high risk for hypertension, to which close attention should be paid in the prevention and treatment of hypertension.

[Progress of cohort studies in countries from Asia and Europe]

Objective: To share related knowledge and experiences with countries along the line, literature regarding current cohort studies was summarized. Distribution, establishment and development of cohort studies among large prospective general population were analyzed in 17 countries of Western Asia and the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Methods: Literature review was conducted to collect basic information on cohort studies, with descriptive study used to analyze the characteristics of these cohort studies. Results: There were 562 cohort studies with sample size as more than 1 000 stated in Western Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, including 468 (83.27%) carried out in the nation itself and 94 (16.73%) with international multicentered collaboration. According to the nature of cohort studies, 347 (61.74%) were etiologically based. As for the contents involved, 310 (55.16%) of them targeted on chronic/non-communicable diseases, 125 (22.24%) concentrated on maternal and child health. Among those on chronic/non-communicable diseases, 51 (16.45%) were on cancers and 83 (26.77%) on cardiovascular disease studies. There appeared 10 large prospective cohort studies targeting on general population, mainly ongoing in Iran and European countries, with a duration of 8-29 years, including 4 of them with sample size as more than 50 000. In terms of the contents, epidemiological investigation, physical examination and biological samples collection took the major parts. Few papers were published in 9 out of the 10 cohort studies at the early stage of those projects but the number of papers increased annually and stabilized to certain extent. Conclusions: The regional distribution of cohort studies carried out in countries from the Western Asia and Central and Eastern European areas appeared unbalanced. Contents of these designs would mainly involve etiological studies, with focus on non-communicable diseases as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, mental and psychological diseases, and maternal and infant health etc.. However, only few large prospective cohort studies would base on general population.

[The prognostic significance of POD24 in 106 cases with splenic marginal lymphoma with bone marrow invasion]

目的

探讨24个月内疾病进展（POD24）对伴骨髓侵犯的脾边缘区淋巴瘤（SMZL）患者总生存的影响，比较POD24与非POD24患者的临床特征。

方法

回顾性分析2002年1月至2017年1月中国医学科学院血液病医院收治的有治疗指征且经过正规治疗的伴骨髓侵犯的SMZL患者，选取随访时间足以对POD24进行判断的患者（排除因非进展因素发生死亡的患者），进行预后评估及临床特征比较。

结果

共入组患者106例，中位年龄57（25～79）岁。①临床特征：全部患者均有骨髓侵犯和脾肿大，其中巨脾59.4％（63/106），肝大14.8％（15/101）；复杂核型22.7％（18/79），13q缺失5.1％（4/78），11q缺失1.3％（1/72），17p缺失2.5％（2/80），12号染色体三体（CEP12）7.5％（4/53）。②生存分析：单因素分析提示POD24、HGB<100 g/L以及CEP12为与总生存相关的不良预后因素；多因素分析提示仅POD24有独立预后意义［HR＝20.116（95％CI 2.226～181.820），P＝0.008］。③亚组分析：POD24患者较非POD24患者起病时纵隔淋巴结肿大的发生率（63.6％对18.9％，P＝0.005）及复杂核型发生率（50.0％对17.9％，P＝0.024）明显增高；腹腔淋巴结肿大、贫血、血小板减少、白蛋白下降以及乳酸脱氢酶增高的发生率在POD24患者中更高，与非POD24患者相比差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。

结论

POD24为影响伴骨髓侵犯的SMZL患者总生存的独立预后不良因素，起病时伴纵隔淋巴结肿大及复杂核型的患者发生POD24比例更高。

[Clinical and bacteriological analysis of lymphoid tissue neoplasms patients with bacteria bloodstream infections]

Objective: To investigate the clinical status of lymphoid tissue neoplasms patients with bacteria bloodstream infections, bacteriology and drug susceptibility results, and provide the basis for rational clinical anti-infection option. Methods: A retrospectively analysis of clinical data and bacterial susceptibility test results of patients with bacteria bloodstream infections from September 2010 to December 2014 was conducted. Results: A total of 134 cases including 107 patients with bloodstream infections were enrolled. 84 cases were male, 50 cases were female, the median age was 31 (12-71) years old. 112 cases were agranulocytosis, and 106 cases were severe agranulocytosis (ANC<0.1×10(9)/L) . 27 cases underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, 100 cases received chemotherapy[33 cases with VD (I) CP±L (vincristine+daunorubicin/idarubicin + cyclophosphamide + prednison±asparaginasum) induction chemotherapy, 41 cases with intensive chemotherapy of Hyper-CVAD/MA or MA (mitoxantrone+cytarabine) , 26 cases with other chemotherapy regimens], and 7 cases were infected without chemotherapy. 10 patients discharged from hospital owing to treatment abandoning, 120 cases were cured through anti-infective therapy, 2 patients died of bacteria bloodstream infections, 1 patient died of sudden cardiac, and 1 patient died of GVHD after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A total of 144 strains were isolated, including 108 strains (75.0%) of Gram-negative bacteria and 36 strains (25.0%) of Gram-positive cocci. The susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to the carbapenems was 98.00%, and the adjustment treatment rate of carbapenems was 3.0%. The susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to the other antibiotics was 60.30%, and the adjustment treatment rate was 90.5%. The susceptibility of Grampositive cocci to the carbapenems was 49.3%, and to glycopeptides and linezolid was 100.0%. Comparing all patients'empirical use of antimicrobial agents with the drugs susceptibility results of blood cultures, 80.1% of the patients'initial drug selection was sensitive. Conclusion: The lymphoid neoplasms patients experienced bacteria bloodstream infections most often after receiving the chemotherapy regimens of treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The majority type of bacteria was Gram-negative bacteria. Drug susceptibility test showed that susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to the carbapenems was the highest, and the treatment adjustment rate was obviously lower. The susceptibility of Gram-positive cocci to glycopeptides and linezolid was high, and which could be applied to the patients with Gram-positive cocci sepsis on basis of susceptibility results in general.

[Changes of intestinal mucosal barrier in mice with chronic ulcerative colitis]

Objective: To study the damage and mechanism of intestinal mucosal barrier function in mice with ulcerative colitis induced by Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS). Methods: Mice models of chronic ulcerative colitis induced by DSS were established. The mice were completely randomized into normal control group and DSS group, 25 mice in each group. The body weight and colon length of the mice were monitored. The pathological examination of colon tissue was confirmed the success of the model and assessed the integrity of the colonic mucosal barrier; Evan's Blue's intestinal permeability analysis assessed the function of colon mucosal barrier; immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of intestinal mucosal barrier integrity-related proteins. Results: Compared with the normal control group, the DSS group had lower body weight [(25.6±0.7)g vs (23.5±0.7)g, t=2.14, P<0.05], and the colon length was shorter [(7.3±0.4)cm vs (5.6±0.2)cm, t=3.975, P<0.001]; colonic pathological results showed that the intestinal mucosa became thinner and part of the intestinal mucosa was defective; Evan's Blue instilled into the intestinal lumen was more abundant into the intestinal mucosa, and the optical density at 620 nm (OD(620))/colon tissue weight (g) was higher [(0.11±0.01) vs (0.15±0.01), t=4.174, P<0.05]; immunofluorescence and Western blot results showed lower expression of ZO-1, Claudin-1, and F-actin in colonic mucosa. Conclusion: The structure and function of intestinal mucosal barrier in DSS-induced chronic ulcerative colitis mice is impaired.

[Retrospective analysis of cuffed-tunneled catheters in pediatric patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis]

Objective: To summarize the characteristics of cuffed-tunneled catheters insertion and investigate the values of cuffed-tunneled catheters in pediatric patients. Methods: Between March 2015 and July 2017, all the pediatric patients who received maintenance hemodialysis at least 3 consecutive months in our center were included. Sixteen cuffed-tunneled hemodialysis catheters were inserted in patients for long-term hemodialysis access. The clinical manifestations and complications were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Fifteen pediatric patients with end stage ranal disease (ESRD) were included in this study and they received 16 cuffed-tunneled catheters for long-term vascular access, including 10 males and 5 females; median age at start of catheter insertion was 11.5 (4.2-14.5) years. Body weight was (27.8±8.0)kg (16.0-39.4 kg) . The size and the length of the catheters were based on the height of patients as follows: 28 cm for (115.6±10.6) cm (102.0-130.0 cm) ,36 cm for (148.6±9.9)cm (140.0-167.0 cm) . Cuffed-tunneled catheters outcome: 10 cuffed-tunneled catheters were still functional at the end of the study; 5 catheters were removed after successful kidney transplantation. Catheter failure occurred in 1 out of 16 cuffed-tunneled catheters due to catheter-related infections. The median catheter survival time was 11.9 months (range 3.5-21.3 months). Complications of cuffed-tunneled catheters: Catheter placements operation was successful in 15 cases using ultrasound guidance. No serious complications were observed in any patients receiving catheter inserting operation. The overall rate of catheter-related infections and thrombosis/malposition was 6.3% and 18.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Ultrasound guidance is suggested in pediatric patients during the catheters insertion. The size and the length of the catheters should be based on the height of patients. Cuffed-tunneled hemodialysis catheters could be effectively used for maintenance of hemodialysis vascular access for pediatric patients with ESRD.

The aquatic animals' transcriptome resource for comparative functional analysis

Background

Aquatic animals have great economic and ecological importance. Among them, non-model organisms have been studied regarding eco-toxicity, stress biology, and environmental adaptation. Due to recent advances in next-generation sequencing techniques, large amounts of RNA-seq data for aquatic animals are publicly available. However, currently there is no comprehensive resource exist for the analysis, unification, and integration of these datasets. This study utilizes computational approaches to build a new resource of transcriptomic maps for aquatic animals. This aquatic animal transcriptome map database dbATM provides de novo assembly of transcriptome, gene annotation and comparative analysis of more than twenty aquatic organisms without draft genome.

Results

To improve the assembly quality, three computational tools (Trinity, Oases and SOAPdenovo-Trans) were employed to enhance individual transcriptome assembly, and CAP3 and CD-HIT-EST software were then used to merge these three assembled transcriptomes. In addition, functional annotation analysis provides valuable clues to gene characteristics, including full-length transcript coding regions, conserved domains, gene ontology and KEGG pathways. Furthermore, all aquatic animal genes are essential for comparative genomics tasks such as constructing homologous gene groups and blast databases and phylogenetic analysis.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we establish a resource for non model organism aquatic animals, which is great economic and ecological importance and provide transcriptomic information including functional annotation and comparative transcriptome analysis. The database is now publically accessible through the URL http://dbATM.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4463-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

[Long-term follow-up of multiple myeloma after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a single center results]

目的

评价诱导治疗联合自体周血造血干细胞移植（ASCT）治疗、移植后巩固维持治疗的整体方案治疗多发性骨髓瘤（MM）患者的有效性和长期随访结果。

方法

回顾性分析2005年1月1日至2016年2月1日接受整体方案治疗的144例MM患者资料，总结其长期随访结果，分析移植前疗效、移植后缓解深度，以及早期移植、晚期移植、不同预后分期系统等因素对患者生存的影响。

结果

144例患者中获得部分缓解（PR）以上治疗反应率为89.4%[完全缓解（CR）率64.1%]。中位随访47（6~121）个月，患者中位总体生存（OS）和无进展生存（PFS）时间分别为120.9和56.9个月；早期和晚期移植组患者的中位OS分别为120.9和50.1个月，中位PFS时间分别为60.2和16.7个月（P值均<0.001）。127例可进行修订的国际分期系统（R-ISS）分期患者中，Ⅰ期（43例）、Ⅱ期（64例）、Ⅲ期（20例）患者的中位OS时间分别为120.9、88.4、35.6个月，组间差异有统计学意义（P=0.000）。对早期和晚期移植组患者进行亚组生存分析，R-ISS Ⅲ期患者中位OS时间差异有统计学意义（35.6个月对15.8个月，P=0.031）；两组患者各期中位PFS时间差异均有统计学意义（Ⅰ期：72.1个月对18.9个月；Ⅱ期：53.4个月对16.7个月；Ⅲ期：28.5对5.9个月，P值分别为0.000、0.012、0.001）。多因素分析结果显示R-ISS Ⅲ期是影响患者OS的危险因素（HR=8.486，95%CI 2.549~28.255，P=0.003），移植后未获得CR是影响患者PFS的危险因素（HR=2.412，95%CI 1.364~4.266，P=0.002）。

结论

以新药为基础的化疗联合ASCT的整体治疗方案对适合移植的MM患者是有效的，可进一步提高缓解率和缓解深度，延长患者的PFS和OS时间。早期较晚期移植可明显延长患者的OS和PFS时间。R-ISS分期和移植前疗效是影响患者生存的预后因素。

TET2 binds the androgen receptor and loss is associated with prostate cancer

Genetic alterations associated with prostate cancer (PCa) may be identified by sequencing metastatic tumour genomes to identify molecular markers at this lethal stage of disease. Previously, we characterized somatic alterations in metastatic tumours in the methylcytosine dioxygenase ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2), which is altered in 5-15% of myeloid, kidney, colon and PCas. Genome-wide association studies previously identified non-coding risk variants associated with PCa and melanoma. We perform fine-mapping of PCa risk across TET2 using genotypes from the PEGASUS case-control cohort and identify six new risk variants in introns 1 and 2. Oligonucleotides containing two risk variants are bound by the transcription factor octamer-binding protein 1 (Oct1/POU2F1) and TET2 and Oct1 expression are positively correlated in prostate tumours. TET2 is expressed in normal prostate tissue and reduced in a subset of tumours from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Small interfering RNA-mediated TET2 knockdown (KD) increases LNCaP cell proliferation, migration and wound healing, verifying loss drives a cancer phenotype. Endogenous TET2 bound the androgen receptor (AR) and AR-coactivator proteins in LNCaP cell extracts, and TET2 KD increases prostate-specific antigen (KLK3/PSA) expression. Published data reveal TET2 binding sites and hydroxymethylcytosine proximal to KLK3. A gene co-expression network identified using TCGA prostate tumour RNA-sequencing identifies co-regulated cancer genes associated with 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) and succinate metabolism, including TET2, lysine demethylase (KDM) KDM6A, BRCA1-associated BAP1, and citric acid cycle enzymes IDH1/2, SDHA/B, and FH. The co-expression signature is conserved across 31 TCGA cancers suggesting a putative role for TET2 as an energy sensor (of 2-OG) that modifies aspects of androgen-AR signalling. Decreased TET2 mRNA expression in TCGA PCa tumours is strongly associated with reduced patient survival, indicating reduced expression in tumours may be an informative biomarker of disease progression and perhaps metastatic disease.

Active follow-up versus passive linkage with cancer registries for case ascertainment in a cohort

BACKGROUND

Ascertaining incident cancers is a critical component of cancer-focused epidemiologic cohorts and of cancer prevention trials. Potential methods: for cancer case ascertainment include active follow-up and passive linkage with state cancer registries. Here we compare the two approaches in a large cancer screening trial.

METHODS

The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial enrolled 154,955 subjects at ten U.S. centers and followed them for all-cancer incidence. Cancers were ascertained by an active follow-up process involving annual questionnaires, retrieval of records and medical record abstracting to ascertain and confirm cancers. For a subset of centers, linkage with state cancer registries was also performed. We assessed the agreement of the two methods in ascertaining incident cancers from 1993 to 2009 in 80,083 subjects from six PLCO centers where cancers were ascertained both by active follow-up and through linkages with 14 state registries.

RESULTS

The ratio (times 100) of confirmed cases ascertained by registry linkage compared to active follow-up was 96.4 (95% CI: 95.1-98.2). Of cancers ascertained by either method, 86.6% and 83.5% were identified by active follow-up and by registry linkage, respectively. Of cancers missed by active follow-up, 30% were after subjects were lost to follow-up and 16% were reported but could not be confirmed. Of cancers missed by the registries, 27% were not sent to the state registry of the subject's current address at the time of linkage.

CONCLUSION

Linkage with state registries identified a similar number of cancers as active follow-up and can be a cost-effective method to ascertain incident cancers in a large cohort.

Transcriptome sequencing based annotation and homologous evidence based scaffolding of Anguilla japonica draft genome

Background

Anguilla japonica (Japanese eel) is currently one of the most important research subjects in eastern Asia aquaculture. Enigmatic life cycle of the organism makes study of artificial reproduction extremely limited. Henceforth genomic and transcriptomic resources of eels are urgently needed to help solving the problems surrounding this organism across multiple fields. We hereby provide a reconstructed transcriptome from deep sequencing of juvenile (glass eels) whole body samples. The provided expressed sequence tags were used to annotate the currently available draft genome sequence. Homologous information derived from the annotation result was applied to improve the group of scaffolds into available linkage groups.

Results

With the transcriptome sequence data combined with publicly available expressed sequence tags evidences, 18,121 genes were structurally and functionally annotated on the draft genome. Among them, 3,921 genes were located in the 19 linkage groups. 137 scaffolds covering 13 million bases were grouped into the linkage groups in additional to the original partial linkage groups, increasing the linkage group coverage from 13 to 14 %.

Conclusions

This annotation provide information of the coding regions of the genes supported by transcriptome based evidence. The derived homologous evidences pave the way for phylogenetic analysis of important genetic traits and the improvement of the genome assembly.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2306-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator resulting from endometrial carcinogenesis enhances tumor invasion and correlates with poor outcome of endometrial carcinoma patients

The purpose of this study was to identify the dysregulated genes involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EEC), and their possible mechanisms. Endometrial specimens including normal endometrial tissues, atypical endometrial hyperplasia, and EEC were analyzed. The expression profiles were compared using GeneChip Array. The gene expression levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR in the training and testing sets to correlate the clinico-pathological parameters of EEC. Immunoblotting, in vitro cell migration and invasion assays were performed in human endometrial cancer cell lines and their transfectants. In microarray analysis, seven dysregulated genes were identified. Only the levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) were higher in EEC with deep myometrial invasion, positive lympho-vascular space invasion, lymph node metastasis, and advanced stages. After multivariate analysis, uPA was the only independent poor prognostic factor for disease-free survival in the EEC patients (hazard ratio: 4.65, p = 0.03). uPA may enhance the migratory and invasive capabilities of endometrial tumor cells by the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt and p38 molecules. uPA is a dysregulated gene involved in the tumorigenesis, bio-pathological features and outcomes of EEC. uPA may be a potential molecule and target for the detection and treatment of EEC.

MethHC: a database of DNA methylation and gene expression in human cancer

We present MethHC (http://MethHC.mbc.nctu.edu.tw), a database comprising a systematic integration of a large collection of DNA methylation data and mRNA/microRNA expression profiles in human cancer. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulator of gene transcription, and genes with high levels of DNA methylation in their promoter regions are transcriptionally silent. Increasing numbers of DNA methylation and mRNA/microRNA expression profiles are being published in different public repositories. These data can help researchers to identify epigenetic patterns that are important for carcinogenesis. MethHC integrates data such as DNA methylation, mRNA expression, DNA methylation of microRNA gene and microRNA expression to identify correlations between DNA methylation and mRNA/microRNA expression from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas), which includes 18 human cancers in more than 6000 samples, 6548 microarrays and 12 567 RNA sequencing data.

Downregulation of TIM-3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (TIM) family is associated with autoimmune diseases, but its expression level in the immune cells of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the expression of TIM-3 mRNA is associated with pathogenesis of SLE. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT-PCR) was used to determine TIM-1, TIM-3, and TIM-4 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 132 patients with SLE and 62 healthy controls. The PBMC surface protein expression of TIMs in PBMCs from 20 SLE patients and 15 healthy controls was assayed by flow cytometry. Only TIM-3 mRNA expression decreased significantly in SLE patients compared with healthy controls (P<0.001). No significant differences in TIM family protein expression were observed in leukocytes from SLE patients and healthy controls (P>0.05). SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN) had a significantly lower expression of TIM-3 mRNA than those without LN (P=0.001). There was no significant difference in the expression of TIM-3 mRNA within different classes of LN (P>0.05). Correlation of TIM-3 mRNA expression with serum IgA was highly significant (r=0.425, P=0.004), but was weakly correlated with total serum protein (r_s=0.283, P=0.049) and serum albumin (r_s=0.297, P=0.047). TIM-3 mRNA expression was weakly correlated with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI; r_s=-0.272, P=0.032). Our results suggest that below-normal expression of TIM-3 mRNA in PBMC may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

Longitudinal changes in objectively measured sedentary behaviour and their relationship with adiposity in children and adolescents: systematic review and evidence appraisal

This review aimed to determine longitudinal changes in objectively measured overall sedentary behaviour, and to examine their associations with adiposity in children and adolescents. A search for longitudinal studies was performed using several electronic databases. Of 161 potentially eligible papers, 10 for change in sedentary behaviour and 3 for longitudinal associations with change in adiposity were included. Weighted mean increase in daily sedentary behaviour per year was 5.7% for boys and 5.8% for girls. Only one paper included preschool children, and it showed a decrease in sedentary behaviour. Nine studies were from Western countries. Null associations were reported between sedentary behaviour and adiposity in two studies, the other found that increases in sedentary behaviour were associated with increases in adiposity, but only in those with body mass index above the 50th percentile. There was consistent evidence that sedentary behaviour increases with age in school-age children and adolescents, by approximately 30 min extra daily sedentary behaviour per year. There was little evidence on the influence of changes in sedentary behaviour on changes in adiposity. There is a need for more longitudinal research, for more evidence from outside the Western world, and for more studies that examine 'dose-response' associations between changes in sedentary behaviour and changes in adiposity.

A systematic review of microRNA expression profiling studies in human gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of global cancer mortality. Most GC patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease and show extremely poor prognosis. All of the GC research has a common interest to search for the specific and sensitive biomarkers for early diagnosis of GC. Number of microRNAs play important role in GC. We carried out a systematic review of published miRNA profiling studies that compared the miRNA expression profiles between GC tissues and paired noncancerous gastric tissue. A vote-counting strategy was followed with the collection of information like total number of studies reporting differential expression of miRNA, total number of tissue samples used in the studies, direction of differential expression and fold change. A total of 352 differentially expressed microRNAs were reported in the 14 microRNA expression profiling studies that compared GC tissues with normal tissues with 120 microRNAs reported at least in two studies. In the group of consistently reported microRNAs, miR-21 was reported upregulated in 10 studies followed by miR-25, miR-92, and miR-223 upregulated in eight studies. MiR-375 and miR-148a were found downregulated in six and five studies, respectively, followed by miR-638 in four studies. MiR-107 and miR-103 were reported in nine and eight studies, respectively, but their expression were inconsistent. From this study, the most consistently reported upregulated microRNA was found to be miR-21. This systematic review study of human GC microRNA expression profiling studies would provide information on microRNAs with potential role as the biomarkers in gastric cancer.

Can diffusion tensor imaging noninvasively detect IDH1 gene mutations in astrogliomas? A retrospective study of 112 cases

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

IDH1 mutational status probably plays an important role in the predictive response for patients with astroglioma. This study explores whether DTI metrics are able to noninvasively detect IDH1 status in astrogliomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The DTI data of 112 patients with pathologically proven astroglioma (including 25, 12, and 10 cases with IDH1 mutation and 11, 11, and 43 cases without mutation in grades II, III, and IV, respectively) were retrospectively reviewed. The maximal fractional anisotropy, minimal ADC, ratio of maximal fractional anisotropy, and ratio of minimal ADC in the tumor body were measured. In the same World Health Organization grading, the imaging parameters of patients with and without IDH1 R132H mutation were compared by means of optimal metrics for detecting mutations. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed.

RESULTS

The maximal fractional anisotropy and ratio of maximal fractional anisotropy values had statistical significance between patients with IDH1 R132H mutation and those without mutation in astrogliomas of grades II and III. The areas under the curve for maximal fractional anisotropy and ratio of maximal fractional anisotropy were both 0.92 in grade II and 0.80 and 0.82 in grade III. The minimal ADC value and ratio of minimal ADC value also demonstrated statistical significance between patients with mutation and those without mutation in all astroglioma grades. The areas under the curve for minimal ADC were 0.94 (II), 0.76 (III), and 0.66 (IV), and the areas under the curve for ratio of minimal ADC were 0.93 (II), 0.83 (III), and 0.70 (IV).

CONCLUSIONS

Fractional anisotropy and ADC from DTI can noninvasively detect IDH1 R132H mutation in astrogliomas.

Inhibitory effects of curcumin on gastric cancer cells: a proteomic study of molecular targets

Curcumin, a natural anticancer agent, has been shown to inhibit cell growth in a number of tumor cell lines and animal models. We examined the inhibition of curcumin on cell viability and its induction of apoptosis using different gastric cancer cell lines (BGC-823, MKN-45 and SCG-7901). 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT) assay showed that curcumin inhibited cell growth in a dose- (1, 5, 10 and 30 μM) and time- (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) dependent manner; analysis of Annexin V binding showed that curcumin induced apoptosis at the dose of 10 and 30 μM when the cells were treated for 24 and 48 h. As cancers are caused by dysregulation of various proteins, we investigated target proteins associated with curcumin by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer. BGC-823 cells were treated with 30 μM curcumin for 24 h and total protein was extracted for the 2-DE. In the first dimension of the 2-DE, protein samples (800 μg) were applied to immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips (24 cm, pH 3-10, NL) and the isoelectric focusing (IEF) was performed using a step-wise voltage ramp; the second dimension was performed using 12.5% SDS-PAGE gel at 1 W constant power per gel. In total, 75 proteins showed significant changes over 1.5-fold in curcumin-treated cells compared to control cells (Student's t-test, p<0.05). Among them, 33 proteins were upregulated and 42 proteins downregulated by curcumin as determined by spot densitometry. 52 proteins with significant mascot scores were identified and implicated in cancer development and progression. Their biological function included cell proliferation, cycle and apoptosis (20%), metabolism (16%), nucleic acid processing (15%), cytoskeleton organization and movement (11%), signal transduction (11%), protein folding, proteolysis and translation (20%), and immune response (2%). Furthermore, protein-protein interacting analysis demonstrated the interaction networks affected by curcumin in gastric cancer cells. These data provide some clues for explaining the anticancer mechanisms of curcumin and explore more potent molecular targets of the drug expected to be helpful for the development of new drugs.

WITHDRAWN: MyD88 is required for the recruitment of eosinophils and neutrophils but dispensable for host protective immune responses during Fasciola hepatica infection

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miRTar: an integrated system for identifying miRNA-target interactions in human

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that are ~22-nt-long sequences capable of suppressing protein synthesis. Previous research has suggested that miRNAs regulate 30% or more of the human protein-coding genes. The aim of this work is to consider various analyzing scenarios in the identification of miRNA-target interactions, as well as to provide an integrated system that will aid in facilitating investigation on the influence of miRNA targets by alternative splicing and the biological function of miRNAs in biological pathways.

Results

This work presents an integrated system, miRTar, which adopts various analyzing scenarios to identify putative miRNA target sites of the gene transcripts and elucidates the biological functions of miRNAs toward their targets in biological pathways. The system has three major features. First, the prediction system is able to consider various analyzing scenarios (1 miRNA:1 gene, 1:N, N:1, N:M, all miRNAs:N genes, and N miRNAs: genes involved in a pathway) to easily identify the regulatory relationships between interesting miRNAs and their targets, in 3'UTR, 5'UTR and coding regions. Second, miRTar can analyze and highlight a group of miRNA-regulated genes that participate in particular KEGG pathways to elucidate the biological roles of miRNAs in biological pathways. Third, miRTar can provide further information for elucidating the miRNA regulation, i.e., miRNA-target interactions, affected by alternative splicing.

Conclusions

In this work, we developed an integrated resource, miRTar, to enable biologists to easily identify the biological functions and regulatory relationships between a group of known/putative miRNAs and protein coding genes. miRTar is now available at http://miRTar.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/.

Topiramate in prevention of cluster headache in the Taiwanese

Topiramate could potentially effective as prophylaxis for cluster headache, but the experience remains limited in Asians. We performed an open-label clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of topiramate in the tolerable dosage to prevent cluster headache. We studied patients who fulfilled the criteria of episodic or chronic cluster headaches (International Classification of Headache Disorders second edition) prospectively. Headache severity was assessed using a verbal rating scale (excruciating, severe, moderate, mild, and no headache). Treatment was started with a topiramate dose of 50 mg twice daily and was increased by 50-100 mg a day every 3 to 7 days as tolerated to a maximal daily dosage of 400 mg. Of the 12 patients with episodic cluster headache, nine patients had remission of headache at a mean daily dosage of 273 mg (range 100-400 mg), and the patient with chronic cluster headache had remission at a daily dosage of 400 mg. The adverse effects included: paresthesia (84%), slow speech (54%), and dizziness (46%), but were tolerated by most patients. Two patients discontinued topiramate due to adverse events and one due to lack of efficacy. This open-label study suggests that topiramate is effective in the treatment of cluster headache in Taiwanese patients.

The detection of "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" in cattle and buffalo in China

"Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" is a hemoplasma species found in cattle and has been recently reported in Switzerland and Japan. In this study, "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" was shown to occur in cattle and buffalo in tropical China by PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene from blood samples. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence, a specific PCR assay was developed. Occurrence of "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" in cattle and buffalo in Guangxi, China, was determined by examining 25 buffalo blood samples, 12 yellow cattle blood samples and 42 dairy cow blood samples. The results showed that 32% (8/25) of buffalo, 41.7% (5/12) of yellow cattle, and 14.3% (6/42) of dairy cows were positive for "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos", respectively. Direct sequencing of representative PCR products confirmed that the amplified partial 16S rDNA sequence represented "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos". This is the first report of "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" in buffalo, yellow cattle, and dairy cows in China.

Isolation and structure of pro-methionine-enkephalin: Potential enkephalin precursor from porcine hypothalamus

A hexapeptide that we have named pro-methionine-enkephalin has been isolated from acid extracts of porcine hypothalami and found to have the amino acid sequence H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met(O)-Arg-OH. This peptide is not a fragment of either porcine beta-lipotropin or beta-endorphin, which suggests that it could be a precursor of [Met]enkephalin in the brain by a pathway differing from the one usually postulated. The existence of still larger precursors of [Met]enkephalin, perhaps related to the recently reported alpha-neo-endorphin, is strongly implied by these studies. Synthetic H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-Arg-OH exhibited low, but significant, opiate activity in vitro.

Specific PCR-based assays for the identification of Fasciola species: their development, evaluation and potential usefulness in prevalence surveys

Among the helminths infecting ruminants in China are three taxa belonging to the genus Fasciola: F. hepatica, F. gigantica and the so-called 'intermediate form' that appears to lie between these two species. Based on the sequences of the second internal-transcribed spacers (ITS-2) within the parasites' nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), a pair of primers (DSJf/DSJ3) specific for F. hepatica and a pair (DSJf/DSJ4) specific for F. gigantica were designed and used to develop PCR-based assays. These assays allowed the identification and differentiation of F. hepatica, F. gigantica and the 'intermediate' Fasciola, with no amplicons produced from heterologous DNA samples. The results of sequencing confirmed the species-specific identity of the amplified products. The assays showed good sensitivity, giving positive results with as little as 0.11 ng of F. hepatica DNA and 0.35 ng of F. gigantica DNA. This meant that the DNA from a single Fasciola egg or a single infected snail was sufficient for identification of the Fasciola taxon. The developed PCR assays could provide useful tools for the detection, identification and epidemiological investigation of Fasciola infection in humans, other mammals and snails.

Sequence analysis of the first internal transcribed spacer of rDNA supports the existence of the intermediate Fasciola between F. hepatica and F. gigantica in mainland China

In the present study, a polymerase chain reaction-linked single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) approach combined with DNA sequencing was used to characterise samples of Fasciola spp. from different host species and geographical locations in mainland China. The first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was amplified by PCR from individual Fasciola and analysed by SSCP. SSCP analyses displayed three different banding profiles that allowed the identification of all Fasciola samples examined into three groups: Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica and the "intermediate" Fasciola. Then, the ITS-1 rDNA was sequenced from representative Fasciola samples, and analysis of the complete ITS-1 sequences supported the identification of all Fasciola samples by SSCP approach. The length of the ITS-1 sequences was 422 bp for all Fasciola samples sequenced. Although there was no variation in length or composition of the ITS-1 sequences among multiple specimens within each of the taxa, F. hepatica and F. gigantica differed by 1.2% in their ITS-1 sequences, whereas the "intermediate" Fasciola was unique, in which two different ITS-1 sequences exist in the rDNA array within a single Fasciola worm. One of the sequences is identical to that of F. hepatica, and the other is identical to that of F. gigantica. This study demonstrated that PCR-SSCP analysis of the ITS-1 rDNA followed by selective sequencing provides a reliable approach for the accurate identification of Fasciola spp., and also supports the existence of the "intermediate" Fasciola between F. hepatica and F. gigantica in mainland China.

Laccase production by Monotospora sp., an endophytic fungus in Cynodon dactylon

The effects of the carbon and nitrogen sources, initial pH and incubation temperature on laccase production by the endophytic fungus Monotospora sp. were evaluated. The optimal temperature and initial pH for laccase production by Monotospora sp. in submerged culture were found to be 30 degrees C and 8.5, respectively. Maltose (2 g l(-1)) and ammonium tartrate (10 g l(-1)) were the most suitable carbon and nitrogen source for laccase production. Under optimal culture medium, the maximum laccase activity was determined to be 13.55 U ml(-1), which was approximately four times higher than that in basal medium. This is the first report on laccase production by an endophytic fungus.

Application of monitored natural attenuation to remediate a petroleum-hydrocarbon spill site

Contamination of groundwater by petroleum-hydrocarbons is a serious environmental problem. The Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) approach is a passive remediation to degrade and dissipate groundwater contaminants in situ. In this study, a full-scale natural bioremediation investigation was conducted at a gasoline spill site. Results show that concentrations of major contaminants (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) dropped to below detection limit before they reached the downgradient monitor well located 280 m from the spill location. The results also reveal that natural biodegradation was the major cause of the observed contaminant reduction. The calculated natural first-order attenuation rates for BTEX and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (1,2,4-TMB) ranged from 0.051 (benzene) to 0.189 1/day (1,2,4-TMB). Evidence for the occurrence of natural attenuation includes the following: (1) depletion of dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and sulfate; (2) production of dissolved ferrous iron, sulfide, and CO2; (3) decreased BTEX concentrations and BTEX as carbon to TOC ratio along the transport path; (4) increased alkalinity and microbial populations; (5) limited spreading of the BTEX plume; and (6) preferential removal of certain BTEX components along the transport path. Additionally, the biodegradation capacity (44.73 mg/L) for BTEX and 1,2,4-TMB was much higher than other detected contaminants within the plume. Hence, natural attenuation can effectively contain the plume, and biodegradation processes played an important role in contaminant removal.

Ultra-short metformin pretreatment for clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of ultra-short (12 days) metformin pretreatment in clomiphene-citrate (CC) resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHOD

Eighty women with CC-resistant PCOS were randomly allocated to metformin pretreatment or usual treatment. Forty women received 1500 mg metformin daily for 12 days, followed by clomiphene 150 mg daily for 5 days along with metformin. Forty women (control group) received the same dose of clomiphene but no metformin pretreatment.

RESULTS

In the metformin group, 17 (42.5%) women ovulated, and 6 (15%) conceived. In the control group, 5 (12.5%) women ovulated but none conceived. Compared with the control group, the metformin group had significantly higher ovulation (P = 0.03) and pregnancy rates (P = 0.026).

CONCLUSION

Twelve days of metformin pretreatment improves ovulation and pregnancy rates in women with CC-resistant PCOS.

Humoral and cellular immune responses to Fasciola gigantica experimental infection in buffaloes

Humoral and cellular immune responses to Fasciola gigantica experimental infection in buffaloes were studied. The results showed that 33.4+/-9.1% of the infection dose was recovered as adult flukes from infected animals at necropsy. Significant differences of weight gain between infected and non-infected buffaloes was observed at 4 MPI (months post-infection). Anti F. gigantica excretory-secretory products (FgESP)-IgG levels increased significantly from 3 WPI (weeks post-infection) and displayed a peak at 13 WPI. Western blot indicated that in FgESP six major bands of 11.5, 19.0, 23.4, 29.8, 47.5 and 53.2kDa were recognized by F. gigantica-infected buffaloes sera after 0 WPI. Eosinophil numbers increased significantly from 3 WPI in F. gigantica-infected buffaloes and displayed a peak at 8 WPI. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation induced by FgESP increased from 2 WPI with a peak at 5 WPI. IFNgamma secretion by FgESP-stimulated PBMC appeared early from 1 WPI with three peaks at 2, 5 and 8 WPI, respectively. IL-10 production was observed from 2 WPI with two peaks at 4 and 9 WPI, respectively. Our results suggested that buffaloes were highly susceptible to F. gigantica infection, and this susceptibility could be associated with the late and weak cellular immune response in the early phase of infection and the Th0-like response throughout the infection.

Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica: comparison of cellular response to experimental infection in sheep

Cellular responses to Fasciola gigantica and to Fasciola hepatica infection in sheep were compared. Eosinophil numbers increased more quickly and strongly in F. gigantica-infected sheep than in F. hepatica-infected sheep. In both groups, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation in response to the parasitic excretory-secretory products (ESP) showed similar kinetics. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by ESP-stimulated PBMC was early and showed similar kinetics in both groups. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) production by FhESP-stimulated PBMC was very high throughout infection even at 0 weeks post-infection (WPI) in F. hepatica-infected sheep, while in F. gigantica-infected sheep, IL-10 production by FgESP-stimulated PBMC increased between 1 and 4 WPI. IL-10 production in F. gigantica-infected sheep was significantly lower than in F. hepatica-infected sheep during infection. The lower susceptibility to F. gigantica infection in sheep could be explained by the more intense cellular response induced by the parasite and the weaker capacity of F. gigantica to evade the immune response.