Autoantigenic Peptide and Immunomodulator Codelivery System for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment by Reestablishing Immune Tolerance

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal activation of CD4+ T cells and an imbalance of T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Tolerogenic therapy via administration of self-antigens is a promising strategy for RA treatment, but delivery of autoantigens alone may exacerbate disease conditions. Current studies indicated that codelivery of autoantigens with immunomodulators can lead to a more tolerogenic immune response. Here, we constructed an autoantigen type II collagen peptide (CII250-270)- and immunomodulator leflunomide (LEF)-coloaded phosphatidylserine liposome vaccine (CII250-270-LEF-PSL) for RA treatment via induction of tolerant dendritic cells (tolDC) for further activation of Treg cells. The in vivo results showed that CII250-270-LEF-PSL can effectively induce tolDC, regulate the balance of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg, and reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-17A) and IgG antibodies to inhibit synovial inflammation and bone erosion. Furthermore, our study also suggested that LEF regulated Th1 cell differentiation by inhibiting the activation of the JAK1/STAT1 signaling pathway, further alleviating RA. Overall, this work proved that the combination of autoantigenic peptides and immunomodulators was a promising modality for RA treatment by reestablishing antigen-specific immune tolerance, which also inspired additional insights into the development of combination therapies for the tolerability of RA.

The potential application of complement inhibitors-loaded nanosystem for autoimmune diseases via regulation immune balance

The complement is an important arm of the innate immune system, once activated, the complement system rapidly generates large quantities of protein fragments that are potent mediators of inflammation. Recent studies have shown that over-activated complement is the main proinflammatory system of autoimmune diseases (ADs). In addition, activated complements interact with autoantibodies, immune cells exacerbate inflammation, further worsening ADs. With the increasing threat of ADs to human health, complement-based immunotherapy has attracted wide attention. Nevertheless, efficient and targeted delivery of complement inhibitors remains a significant challenge owing to their inherent poor targeting, degradability, and low bioavailability. Nanosystems offer innovative solutions to surmount these obstacles and amplify the potency of complement inhibitors. This prime aim to present the current knowledge of complement in ADs, analyse the function of complement in the pathogenesis and treatment of ADs, we underscore the current situation of nanosystems assisting complement inhibitors in the treatment of ADs. Considering technological, physiological, and clinical validation challenges, we critically appraise the challenges for successfully translating the findings of preclinical studies of these nanosystem assisted-complement inhibitors into the clinic, and future perspectives were also summarised. (The graphical abstract is by BioRender.).

Colon-targeted piperine-glycyrrhizic acid nanocrystals for ulcerative colitis synergetic therapy via macrophage polarization

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by immune dysregulation. Oral administration of nanoformulations containing immunomodulators is a desirable approach to treating UC. However, low drug-loading (<10%, typically), premature drug release, and systemic absorption of these nanoformulations continue to be significant challenges restricting clinical applications. Herein, we developed colon-targeted piperine-glycyrrhizic acid nanocrystals (ES100-PIP/GA NCs) to treat UC through the regulation of macrophages. The ES100-PIP/GA NCs exhibited ultra-high drug loading and colon-specific drug release. In vitro studies demonstrated that the ES100-PIP/GA NCs could effectively be internalized by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 and Caco-2 cells. More importantly, the ES100-PIP/GA NCs could downregulate pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-17A), upregulate anti-inflammatory factors (TGF-β1), and repair the intestinal mucosal barrier. In a murine model of acute colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), ES100-PIP/GA NCs could protect PIP and GA from gastric acid destruction, reach the colon, and significantly inhibit colitis. Surprisingly, ES100-PIP/GA NCs enhance M2 macrophages by increasing the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and inhibit M1 macrophages by reducing hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Overall, this study shows that ES100-PIP/GA NCs have synergistic immunotherapy capabilities with macrophage regulation, which offers a promising blueprint for the oral delivery of multicomponent drugs in UC therapy.

Immunotherapeutic treatment of lung cancer and bone metastasis with a mPLA/mRNA tumor vaccine

Malignant expansion and rapid metastasis are the main limiting factors to successful treatment of lung cancer. Messenger RNA (mRNA) tumor vaccines are a promising immunotherapeutic treatment for lung cancer as well as other metastatic cancers. Herein, we developed a mPLA/mRNA tumor vaccine (mLPR) to escort mRNA into the cytoplasm and improve immune response with the help of TLR4 agonist mPLA. After nasal administration, the mLPR vaccine stimulated the maturation of dendritic cells, reprogramed M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages, as well cross-activated innate and adaptive immune responses. The mLPR vaccine inhibited the development of lung cancer and reduced bone metastasis by means of immune cell activation, IFN-γ/IL-12 cytokine secretion, and natural killer cell-mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The mPLA/mRNA tumor vaccine will provide ideas and application prospects for the use of mRNA tumor vaccine in the treatment of lung cancer. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Lung cancer and bone metastasis seriously affect patient survival, and traditional treatment methods are inefficient and have many side effects. We have constructed an mRNA vaccine that simultaneously activates the innate immune and adaptive responses of the body, in order to achieve better immunotherapeutic effects. To sum up, we confirmed through vaccine design and in vitro and in vivo immunological studies that the mLPR vaccine stimulated the maturation of dendritic cells, reprogrammed M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages, as well cross activated in vivo and adaptive immune responses.

Carbonic anhydrase IX-targeted nanovesicles potentiated ferroptosis by remodeling the intracellular environment for synergetic cancer therapy

Ferroptosis is one critical kind of regulated cell death for tumor suppression, yet it still presents challenges of low efficiency due to the intracellular alkaline pH and aberrant redox status. Herein, we reported a carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX)-targeted nanovesicle (PAHC NV) to potentiate ferroptosis by remodeling the intracellular environment. CA IX inhibitor 4-(2-aminoethyl) benzene sulfonamide (AEBS) was anchored onto nanovesicles loaded with hemoglobin (Hb) and chlorin e6 (Ce6). Upon reaching tumor regions, PAHC could be internalized by cancer cells specifically by means of CA IX targeting and intervention. Afterwards, the binding of AEBS could elicit intracellular acidification and alter redox homeostasis to boost the lipid peroxidation (LPO) level, thus aggravating the ferroptosis process. Meanwhile, Hb served as an iron reservoir that could efficiently evoke ferroptosis and release O₂ to ameliorate tumor hypoxia. With the help of self-supplied O₂, Ce6 produced a plethora of ¹O₂ for enhanced photodynamic therapy, which in turn favored LPO accumulation to synergize ferroptosis. This study presents a promising paradigm for designing nanomedicines to heighten ferroptosis-based synergetic therapeutics through remodeling the intracellular environment.

pH-responsive bufadienolides nanocrystals decorated by chitosan quaternary ammonium salt for treating colon cancer

Due to its poor prognosis and propensity for metastasizing, colon cancer, a frequent cancer of the gastrointestinal system, has a high morbidity and mortality rate. However, the harsh physiological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract can cause the anti-cancer medicine bufadienolides (BU) to lose some of its structure, impairing its ability to fight cancer. In this study, pH-responsive bufadienolides nanocrystals decorated by chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (HE BU NCs) were successfully constructed by a solvent evaporation method to improve the bioavailability, release characteristics and intestinal transport ability of BU. In vitro, studies have shown that HE BU NCs could improve BU internalization, significantly induce apoptosis, decrease mitochondrial membrane potential, and increase ROS levels in tumour cells. In vivo, experiments showed that HE BU NCs effectively targeted intestinal sites, increased their retention time, and exerted antitumor activity through Caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio pathways. In conclusion, pH-responsive bufadienolides nanocrystals decorated by chitosan quaternary ammonium salt could protect bufadienolides from the destruction of an acidic environment, achieve synergistic release in the intestinal site, improve oral bioavailability, and ultimately exert anti-colon cancer effects, which is a promising strategy for the treatment of colon cancer.

Zinc-doped Prussian blue nanoparticles for mutp53-carrying tumor ion interference and photothermal therapy

Quite a great proportion of known tumor cells carry mutation in TP53 gene, expressing mutant p53 proteins (mutp53) missing not only original genome protective activities but also acquiring gain-of-functions that favor tumor progression and impede treatment of cancers. Zinc ions were reported as agents cytocidal to mutp53-carrying cells by recovering p53 normal functions and abrogating mutp53. Meanwhile in a hyperthermia scenario, the function of wild type p53 is required to ablate tumors upon heat treatment hence the effects might be hindered in a mutp53 background. We herein synthesized zinc-doped Prussian blue (ZP) nanoparticles (NPs) to combine Zn²⁺ based and photothermal therapeutic effects. An efficient release of Zn²⁺ in a glutathione-enriched tumor intracellular microenvironment and a prominent photothermal conversion manifested ZP NPs as zinc ion carriers and photothermal agents. Apoptotic death and autophagic mutp53 elimination were found to be induced by ZP NPs in R280K mutp53-containing MDA-MB-231 cells and hyperthermia was rendered to ameliorate the treatment in vitro through further mutp53 elimination and increased cell death. The combinatorial therapeutic effect was also confirmed in vivo in a mouse model. This study might expand zinc delivery carriers and shed a light on potential interplay of hyperthermia and mutp53 degradation in cancer treatment.

pH/Thermal-Sensitive Nanoplatform Capable of On-Demand Specific Release to Potentiate Drug Delivery and Combinational Hyperthermia/Chemo/Chemodynamic Therapy

Therapeutic platforms with spatiotemporal control were recently of considerable interest. However, the site-specific regulation of chemotherapeutics release remains an enormous challenge. Herein, a versatile nanoplatform capable of tumor-specific delivery and controlled drug release, coined as PDDFe, was constructed for elevating cancer theranostics. Iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and doxorubicin (Dox) were encapsulated in pH/thermal-sensitive micelles composed of poly(ethylene)glycol-poly(β-amino esters) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine to obtain tumor-targeted dual-responsive nanoplatforms. With remarkable magnetic targeting effects, PDDFe specifically accumulated at tumor locations. After internalization by cancer cells, the acidic environment and localized heat generated by hyperthermia therapy would spur PDDFe to become loose and collapse to liberate its payload. In addition to boosting the release, the increased temperature also resulted in direct tumor damage. Meanwhile, the released Dox and IONPs, respectively, stimulated chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy to jointly destroy cancer, thus leading to a pronounced therapeutic effect. In vivo magnetic resonance/fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging experiments validated that the dual-sensitive nanoplatforms were able to accumulate at the tumor sites. Treatment with PDDFe followed by alternating magnetic field and laser irradiation could prime hyperthermia/chemo/chemodynamic therapy to effectively retard tumor growth. This work presents a nanoplatform with a site-specific controlled release characteristic, showing great promises in potentiating drug delivery and advancing combinational cancer therapy.

Copper-based theranostic nanocatalysts for synergetic photothermal-chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has aroused extensive attention as a potent therapeutic modality. However, its practical application is severely restricted by the strong acidity requirement for Fenton reaction and upregulated antioxidant defense within metastatic breast cancer. Herein, a copper-based single-site nanocatalyst functionalized with carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI) was constructed for magnetic resonance/photoacoustic imaging (MRI/PA)-guided synergetic photothermal therapy (PTT) and CDT. Once reaching tumor sites, the nanocatalyst can be recognized by tumor cell membranes-overexpressed carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX). Subsequently, the single-site Cu^II can be reduced to Cu^I by the tumor-overexpressed glutathione (GSH), which simultaneously impaired the tumor antioxidant defense system and triggered CAI release for inducing intracellular H⁺ accumulation. Further, the decreased intracellular pH can accelerate the nanocatalyst biodegradation to release more Cu^II and CAI to participate in next-cycle GSH-depletion and cytoplasm acidification, respectively, thereby continuously supplying Cu^I and H⁺ for self-cyclically amplified CDT. Upon laser irradiation, the nanocatalyst can generate local heat, which not only permits PTT but also enhances the nanocatalyst-mediated CDT. Moreover, the suppression of CA IX can hinder the tumor extracellular matrix degradation to prevent tumor metastasis. Overall, this work highlighted the great application prospect in enhancing CDT via tumor acidic/redox microenvironment remodeling, and provides an insightful paradigm for inhibiting breast cancer metastasis. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The practical application of chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is severely restricted by the strong acidity requirement for Fenton reaction and upregulated antioxidant defense within cancer. Herein, we developed a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI)-functionalized Cu-based nanocatalyst. Once reaching tumor sites, the Cu^II can be reduced to Cu^I by the tumor-overexpressed glutathione (GSH), which simultaneously impaired the tumor antioxidant system and triggered CAI release for inducing intracellular H⁺ accumulation. Further, the decreased intracellular pH can accelerate the nanocatalyst biodegradation to release more Cu^II and CAI to participate in next-cycle GSH-depletion and cytoplasm acidification, respectively, thus continuously supplying Cu^I and H⁺ for self-cyclically amplified CDT. Upon laser irradiation, the nanocatalyst not only permits PTT but also enhances the CDT.

Macrophage-Mimic Hollow Mesoporous Fe-Based Nanocatalysts for Self-Amplified Chemodynamic Therapy and Metastasis Inhibition via Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling

Fe-based nanomaterials with Fenton reaction activity are promising for tumor-specific chemodynamic therapy (CDT). However, most of the nanomaterials suffer from low catalytic efficiency due to its insufficient active site exposure and the relatively high tumor intracellular pH, which greatly impede its clinical application. Herein, macrophage membrane-camouflaged carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitor (CAI)-loaded hollow mesoporous ferric oxide (HMFe) nanocatalysts are designed to remodel the tumor microenvironment with decreased intracellular pH for self-amplified CDT. The HMFe not only serves as a Fenton agent with high active-atom exposure to enhance CDT but also provides hollow cavity for CAI loading. Meanwhile, the macrophage membrane-camouflaging endows the nanocatalysts with immune evading capability and improves tumoritropic accumulation by recognizing tumor endothelium and cancer cells through α4/VCAM-1 interaction. Once internalized by tumor cells, the CAI could be specifically released, which can not only inhibit CA IX to induce intracellular H⁺ accumulation for accelerating the Fenton reaction but also could prevent tumor metastasis because of the insufficient H⁺ formation outside cells for tumor extracellular matrix degradation. In addition, the HMFe can be employed to highly efficient magnetic resonance imaging to real-time monitor the agents' bio-distribution and treatment progress. Both in vitro and in vivo results well demonstrated that the nanocatalysts could realize self-amplified CDT and breast cancer metastasis inhibition via tumor microenvironment remodeling, which also provides a promising paradigm for improving CDT and antimetastatic treatment.

Trojan-Horse Diameter-Reducible Nanotheranostics for Macroscopic/Microscopic Imaging-Monitored Chemo-Antiangiogenic Therapy

Although nanotheranostics have displayed striking potential toward precise nanomedicine, their targeting delivery and tumor penetration capacities are still impeded by several biological barriers. Besides, the current antitumor strategies mainly focus on killing tumor cells rather than antiangiogenesis. Enlightened by the fact that the smart transformable self-targeting nanotheranostics can enhance their targeting efficiency, tumor penetration, and cellular uptake, we herein report carrier-free Trojan-horse diameter-reducible metal-organic nanotheranostics by the coordination-driven supramolecular sequential co-assembly of the chemo-drug pemetrexed (PEM), transition-metal ions (Fe^III), and antiangiogenesis pseudolaric acid B. Such nanotheranostics with both a high dual-drug payload efficiency and outstanding physiological stability are responsively decomposed into numerous ultra-small-diameter nanotheranostics under stimuli of the moderate acidic tumor microenvironment and then internalized into tumor cells through tumor-receptor-mediated self-targeting, synergistically enhancing tumor penetration and cellular uptake. Besides, such nanotheranostics enable visualization of self-targeting capacity under the macroscopic monitor of computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, thereby realizing efficient oncotherapy. Moreover, tumor microvessels are precisely monitored by optical coherence tomography angiography/laser speckle imaging during chemo-antiangiogenic therapy in vivo, visually verifying that such nanotheranostics possess an excellent antiangiogenic effect. Our work will provide a promising strategy for further tumor diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Optical coherence tomography-defined vulnerable plaque characteristics in relation to functional severity of coronary stenoses stratified by quantitative flow ratio

Background

The functional severity and morphological features of epicardial lesions are both related to plaque vulnerability and adverse coronary events. However, their relationship remains controversial, especially in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

Purpose

This study aimed to examine whether quantitative flow ratio (QFR), an angiography-based computation of fractional flow reserve, was associated with optical coherence tomography (OCT)-defined vulnerable plaques such as thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFAs) in a board spectrum of population, including patients presenting stable angina and NSTE-ACS.

Methods

We identified patients who underwent OCT examinations from 2 prospective cohorts and then assessed interrogated vessels with QFR. Lesions were divided into tertiles: QFR-T1 (QFR &lt;0.85)&lt;qfr),&gt;, QFR-T2 (0.85 to 0.93) and QFR-T3 (QFR &gt;0.93).

Results

This post-hoc analysis included 83 lesions from 79 patients (mean age: 61.5±9.8 years, males: 58%). Patients with NSTE-ACS accounted for the majority of the population (67%). The median % diameter stenosis and median QFR value were 42% (36 to 49%) and 0.88 (0.83 to 0.95), respectively. The prevalence of OCT-TCFA was significantly higher in QFR-T1 (50%) than in QFR-T2 (14%) and QFR-T3 (19%) (p=0.003 and 0.018, respectively). Overall significant differences were observed among tertiles in maximum lipid arc, thinnest fibrous cap thickness (FCT), and minimal lumen area (MLA) (p=0.017, 0.040, and &lt;0.001, respectively). The Spearman's correlation analysis showed that QFR was significantly related to MLA (ρ = 0.537, p&lt;0.001), % area stenosis (ρ = –0.512, p&lt;0.001), maximum lipid arc (ρ = –0.360, p=0.002), lipid length (ρ = –0.242, p=0.038), lipid index (ρ = –0.333, p=0.004), and thinnest FCT (ρ = 0.315, p=0.006). In the multivariable analysis, QFR ≤0.80 remained as a significant determinant of TCFAs regardless of the presence of NSTE-ACS and the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (adjusted odds ratio = 4.387, 95% confidence interval: 1.297 to 14.839, p=0.017). In addition, QFR demonstrated moderate predictive ability for OCT-TCFA (area under the curve = 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.58 to 0.86, p=0.003) with the best cutoff of ≤0.86 (sensitivity: 65%; specificity: 73%; negative predictive value: 85%; accuracy: 71%).

Conclusions

Lower QFR was related to OCT-TCFA and other vulnerable plaque characteristics in angiographically mild-to-intermediate stable lesions and culprit lesions from NSTE-ACS. The QFR might be a useful tool for ruling out high-risk, rupture-prone plaques without using any pressure wires or vasodilators.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): The Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program Flow diagram of patient selectionOCT findings according to QFR tertiles

Mn(II)-directed dual-photosensitizers co-assemblies for multimodal imaging-guided self-enhanced phototherapy

Phototherapy has attracted increasing attention in cancer therapy owing to its non-invasive nature, high spatiotemporal selectivity, and negligible side effects. However, a single photosensitizer often exhibits poor photothermal conversion efficiency or insufficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) productivity. Even worse, the ROS can be consumed by tumor overexpressed reductive glutathione, resulting in severely compromised phototherapy. In this paper, we prepared a Mn^II-coordination driven dual-photosensitizers co-assemblies (IMCP) for imaging-guided self-enhanced PDT/PTT. Specifically, a photothermal agent indocyanine green (ICG), a photodynamic agent chlorin e6 (Ce6), and a transition metal ion (Mn^II/III) were chosen to synthesize the nanodrug via coordination-driven co-assembly. The as-prepared IMCP exhibited extremely high photosensitizer payload (96 wt%), excellent physiological stability, and outstanding tumor accumulation. Moreover, the existence of Mn^II not only assists the nanostructure formation but also could competitively coordinate with GSH to minimize the unnecessary ROS consumption, thus improving PDT efficiency. Meanwhile, benefiting from the intrinsic fluorescence, photoacoustic imaging ability of photosensitizers, and the MRI contrast potential of Mn^II/III, IMCP exhibited superior imaging potential for guiding tumor phototherapy. By changing the excitation wavelength suitably, IMCP could realize the switch between PTT and PDT. In short, the dual-PSs co-assembled nanotheranostic has great potential for multi-modal imaging guided phototherapy.

H2O2 Self-Supplying and GSH-Depleting Nanoplatform for Chemodynamic Therapy Synergetic Photothermal/Chemotherapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) that utilizes Fenton-type reactions to convert endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) is a promising strategy in anticancer treatment, but the overexpression of glutathione (GSH) and limited endogenous H₂O₂ make the efficiency of CDT unsatisfactory. Here, an intelligent nanoplatform CuO₂@mPDA/DOX-HA (CPPDH), which induced the depletion of GSH and the self-supply of H₂O₂, was proposed. When CPPDH entered tumor cells through the targeting effect of hyaluronic acid (HA), a release of Cu²⁺ and produced H₂O₂ were triggered by the acidic environment of lysosomes. Then, the Cu²⁺ was reduced by GSH to Cu⁺, and the Cu⁺ catalyzed H₂O₂ to produce ^•OH. The generation of ^•OH could be distinctly enhanced by the GSH depletion and H₂O₂ self-sufficiency. Besides, an outstanding photothermal therapy (PTT) effect could be stimulated by NIR irradiation on mesoporous polydopamine (mPDA). Meanwhile, mPDA was an excellent photoacoustic reagent, which could monitor the delivery of nanocomposite materials through photoacoustic (PA) imaging. Moreover, the successful delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) realized the integration of chemotherapy, PTT, and CDT. This strategy could solve the problem of insufficient CDT efficacy caused by the limited H₂O₂ and overexpression of GSH. This multifunctional nanoplatform may open a broad path for self-boosting CDT and synergistic therapy.

A carrier-free metal-coordinated dual-photosensitizers nanotheranostic with glutathione-depletion for fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging-guided tumor phototherapy

As a promising noninvasive tumor treatment modality, dual phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), has drawn extensive research interest in imaging-guided synergistic antitumor treatment. However, developing a high-efficient phototherapeutic agent is still a huge challenge, since single photosensitizer often suffers from the insufficient photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) or low reactive oxygen species (ROS) productivity. Moreover, the overexpression of reductive glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells also severely compromises PDT efficiency. Here, inspired by the glutathione oxidase activity of high-valent transition metal ions, we designed a copper-coordinated nanotheranostic (PhA@NanoICG) by the coordination-driven co-assembly of photothermal-agent indocyanine green (ICG) and photodynamic-agent pheophorbide A (PhA), in which Cu²⁺ acted as a bridge to tightly associate ICG with PhA. Such carrier-free metal-coordinated nanotheranostics exhibited ultra-high dual-photosensitizers co-loading (~96.74 wt%) and excellent structural stability. Notably, NanoICG significantly increase the PCE of ICG via J-aggregation induced UV-vis absorption red-shift. Once PhA@NanoICG accumulated in tumor sites, they could be disassembled triggered by the weakly acidic and highly reducible tumor microenvironment. Moreover, the Cu²⁺ can deplete intracellular GSH and impair cellular antioxidant defense system, reducing the unnecessary ROS consumption caused by glutathione. Under fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging-guided laser irradiation, local hyperthermia and ROS were generated to induce tumor cells apoptosis. The in vitro and in vivo experiments consistently confirm that PhA@NanoICG could induce remarkable tumor inhibition through self-enhanced PTT and PDT, which may pave a new way for cancer therapy.

Gene mapping reveals the association between tyrosine protein kinase Abl1 and the silk yield of Bombyx mori

The Z chromosome of the silkworm contains a major gene that influences silk yield. This major locus on chromosome Z accounts for 35.10% of the phenotypic variance. The location and identification of the gene have been a focus of silkworm genetics research. Unfortunately, identification of this gene has been difficult. We used extreme phenotype subpopulations and selected from a backcross population, BC₁ M, which was obtained using the high-yield strain 872B and the low-yield strain IS-Dazao as parents, for mapping the gene on the chromosome Z. The candidate region was narrowed down to 134 kb at the tip of the chromosome. BmAbl1 in this region correlated with silk gland development by spatiotemporal expression analysis. This gene was differentially expressed in the posterior silk glands of the high- and low-yield strains. In BmAbl1, an insertion-deletion (indel) within the 10th exonic region and an SNP within the 6th intronic region were detected and shown to be associated with cocoon shell weight in 84 Bombyx mori strains with different yields. Nucleotide diversity analysis of BmAbl1 and its 50 kb flanking regions indicated that BmAbl1 has experienced strong artificial selection during silkworm domestication. This study is the first to identify the genes controlling silk yield in the major QTL of the Z chromosome using forward genetics.

Quasifree Neutron Knockout Reaction Reveals a Small s-Orbital Component in the Borromean Nucleus ^{17}B

A kinematically complete quasifree (p,pn) experiment in inverse kinematics was performed to study the structure of the Borromean nucleus ^{17}B, which had long been considered to have a neutron halo. By analyzing the momentum distributions and exclusive cross sections, we obtained the spectroscopic factors for 1s_{1/2} and 0d_{5/2} orbitals, and a surprisingly small percentage of 9(2)% was determined for 1s_{1/2}. Our finding of such a small 1s_{1/2} component and the halo features reported in prior experiments can be explained by the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum, revealing a definite but not dominant neutron halo in ^{17}B. The present work gives the smallest s- or p-orbital component among known nuclei exhibiting halo features and implies that the dominant occupation of s or p orbitals is not a prerequisite for the occurrence of a neutron halo.

Self-Distinguishing and Stimulus-Responsive Carrier-Free Theranostic Nanoagents for Imaging-Guided Chemo-Photothermal Therapy in Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Lack of tumor targeting and low drug payload severely impedes various nanoagents further employed in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Therefore, how to develop a new targeting ligand and enhance drug payload has been an urgent need for SCLC therapy. Herein, we first sift and verify that capreomycin (Cm) has a high affinity toward CD56 receptors overexpressed on SCLC cells. Motivated by the concept of self-targeted drug delivery, Cm is selected as the specific targeting ligand toward CD56 receptors and chemodrug doxorubicin (Dox) is adopted to be covalently linked via the redox-responsive disulfide linkage. The synthesized self-distinguishing prodrug (Dox-ss-Cm) and FDA-approved photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) as structural motifs can be self-assembled into theranostic nanoagents (ICG@Dox-ss-Cm NPs) within an aqueous solution. Such carrier-free nanoagents with high drug payload can exert targeted on-demand drug release under multiple stimuli of intracellular lysosomal acidity, glutathione (GSH), and an external near-infrared (NIR) laser. Besides, our nanoagents can be specifically self-targeted to SCLC sites in vivo and self-distinguishing via SCLC cells in vitro; thus, they decrease the undesirable effects on normal tissues and organs. Further in vitro and in vivo studies uniformly confirm that such nanoagents show highly synergistic effects for SCLC chemo-photothermal therapy (PTT) under the precise guidance of NIR fluorescence (NIRF)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging. Taken together, our work can provide a novel and promising strategy for the targeted treatment of SCLC.

Design of light/ROS cascade-responsive tumor-recognizing nanotheranostics for spatiotemporally controlled drug release in locoregional photo-chemotherapy

Carrier-free nanotheranostics with high drug loading and no carrier-related toxicity are highly promising cancer therapy agents. However, the limited tumor accumulation and poorly controlled drug release of these nanotheranostics continue to be major challenges that restrict clinical applications. In this study, we develop a tumor-recognizing carrier-free nanotheranostic with light/reactive oxygen species (ROS) cascade-responsiveness for spatiotemporally selective photo-chemotherapy. The nanotheranostic is constructed by co-assembly of the indocyanine green (ICG) photosensitizer and the mannose-thioketal-doxorubicin conjugate (MAN-TK-DOX) (abbreviated as IMTD), efficiently preventing premature DOX leakage during blood circulation while reducing nonspecific damage to normal tissues/cells. Once accumulated in tumor tissues, IMTD rapidly diffuses into cancer cells via lectin receptors-mediated endocytosis. Photoacoustic/fluorescence-imaging-guided laser irradiation induces local hyperthermia and ROS generation in tumor cells, thereby promoting apoptosis. Together, the ICG-generated ROS and the endogenous ROS in cancer cells synergistically enhance DOX release, resulting in more efficient chemotherapeutic effects. The in vitro and in vivo results consistently demonstrate that IMTD achieves superior tumor accumulation, highly controllable drug release, and synergetic photo-chemotherapy. Therefore, the co-assembly of an ROS-sensitive targeting ligand-chemodrug conjugate and a photosensitizer could be used to develop spatiotemporally light-activatable nanotheranostics for precision cancer therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Synergistic phototherapy and chemotherapy have been considered as a promising cancer treatment modality to maximize the therapeutic efficacy. Unfortunately, most nanodrugs consisting of chemotherapeutic drug and photosensitizer suffer from suboptimal tumor accumulation and poorly controlled drug release, which results in reduced therapeutic outcome. In this study, Mannose (MAN) was conjugated to the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) by a ROS-sensitive thioketal linker (TK), the obtained amphiphilic MAN-TK-DOX could serve as an ideal self-carrier material to deliver photosensitizer, thus to achieve high-efficient tumor-targeting, spatiotemporal controlled drug release, and superior antitumor effect. We believe that the ROS-sensitive amphiphilic targeting ligand-chemodrug conjugate could be developed as a universal approach for designing tumor-targeted nanodrugs with precisely controlled drug release.

Dual-self-recognizing, stimulus-responsive and carrier-free methotrexate–mannose conjugate nanoparticles with highly synergistic chemotherapeutic effects

Stimulus-responsive carrier-free MTX–MAN conjugate nanoparticles could be expected to achieve dual-receptor-mediated self-recognizing, reduced drug dosage, and enhanced synergistic chemotherapeutic effects.

Abstract P2-08-33: A novel seven-gene signature predicts prognosis in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer

Purpose:

Chemotherapy remains the only systemic treatment option for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, due to the heterogeneity of TNBC, not all patients benefit from chemotherapy, especially those with early-stage disease. In order to improve prognostic assessment and reduce unnecessary adjuvant systemic therapy in these patients, we have developed a novel seven-gene signature.

Experimental Design:

With the ComBat method, we integrated the results from 150 transcriptome microarrays samples and 246 RNA-seq samples of early-stage TNBC patients, and identified mRNAs associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) using Lasso-Cox model, We further analyzed these TNBC samples and compared them with 60 paired normal breast tissues (40 samples from RNA-seq and 20 samples from microarrays) to identify tumor-specific mRNAs. Twenty-one overlapped mRNAs of the RFS-associated mRNAs and the tumor-specific mRNAs are selected as candidate mRNAs. An additional 371 samples of frozen primary tumors were then collected from early-stage TNBC patients (mean follow-up of 45 months) and randomly divided into two sets: a training set (n = 186) and a validation (n = 185) set. Expression level of candidate mRNAs in these samples were measured using RT-qPCR assays, and a seven-gene signature was built through all subset regression in the training set. The prognostic and predictive accuracy of our signature was tested in the validation set and other public databases (GSE5327, GSE2034 and METABRIC).

Results:

Twenty-one candidate mRNAs were identified in early-stage TNBC patients, from which we developed a novel seven-gene signature (recurrence risk score [mRNA signature] = 1.108*TMEM101 - 0.213*KRT5 - 0.315*ACAN - 0.464*LCA5 + 0.446*RPP40 - 0.373*LAGE3 - 0.257*CDKL2). Patients in the training set were classified into high- or low-risk group based on our seven-gene signature and an optimum cut-off score derived from x-tile. The patients in high-risk group were more likely to suffer from recurrence (HR, 2.718; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.928–3.726, P= 0.001), and a time-dependent receiver operating curve showed that the seven-gene mRNA signature had a better prognostic value than the clinicopathologic risk factors in both training set and validation set. The prognostic and predictive accuracy of the signature was also validated in the METABRIC and two other public GEO databases (GSE5327 and GSE2034). The time-dependent receiver operating curve showed that this signature had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.742 (95% CI, 0.705-0.773) in METABRIC, 0.716 (95% CI, 0.682-0.739) and 0.723 (95% CI, 0.683-0.756) in GSE5327 and GSE2034 respectively.

Conclusion:

In this study, we developed a novel seven-gene signature which can provide additional prognostic information and may guidance in identifying early-stage TNBC patients eligible for adjuvant therapy or reduction of chemotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the prognostic potential of mRNA signature in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. Our novel signature may provide an opportunity for de-escalating treatment in early-stage TNBC patients in the future.

Citation Format: Ren Y, Jiang Y, Zuo W, Xu X, Jin X, Ma D, Shao Z. A novel seven-gene signature predicts prognosis in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-33.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of GPx2 protein expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to evaluate the relation between GPx2 (glutathione peroxidase 2) expressions and clinicopathological features as well as prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

A total of 89 cases of NPC were investigated to examine the immunohistochemical expression of GPx2. Fourteen pairs of NPC and the control samples were analyzed respectively by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The correlations of GPx2 expressions with the clinicopathologic features and the prognosis of NPC patients were also analyzed.

RESULTS

The expression of GPx2 in NPC tissues was elevated immunohistochemically when compared with normal nasopharyngeal tissues (P< 0.05). The mRNA expression of GPx2 in carcinoma tissues was highly elevated compared with the control tissues (P< 0.05). GPx2 protein in carcinoma tissues was also over expressed than in control tissues (P< 0.05). Also GPx2 expression was significantly higher in the late clinical stage (P= 0.02). While there was no significant association between GPx2 expression and patient age, sex, T-stage, N-stage and the metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

GPx2 may play an important role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, GPx2 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for NPC patient.

Cationic DDA/TDB liposome as a mucosal vaccine adjuvant for uptake by dendritic cells in vitro induces potent humoural immunity

The cationic dimethyldioctadecylammonium/trehalose 6,6,9-dibehenate (DDA/TDB) liposome is as a strong adjuvant system for vaccines, with remarkable immunostimulatory activity. The mucosal administration of vaccines is a potential strategy for inducing earlier and stronger mucosal immune responses to infectious diseases. In this study, we assessed whether the intranasal administration of cationic DDA/TDB liposomes combined with influenza antigen A (H3N2) can be used as a highly efficacious vaccine to induce mucosal and systemic antibody responses. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and a flow-cytometric analysis showed that the uptake of the cationic DDA/TDB liposome carrier was significantly higher than that of neutral 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/cholesterol (DSPC/Chol) or cationic 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane/3β-(N-[N',N'-dimethylaminoethane]-carbamoyl (DOTAP/DC-Chol) liposomes. Our results indicate that the cationic DDA/TDB liposome is more effective in facilitating its uptake by dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro than the DSPC/Chol or DOTAP/DC-Chol liposome. DCs treated with DDA/TDB liposomes strongly expressed CD80, CD86, and MHC II molecules, whereas those treated with DSPC/Chol or DOTAP/DC-Chol liposomes did not. C57BL/6 mice intranasally immunized with H3N2-encapsulating cationic DDA/TDB liposomes had significantly higher H3N2-specific s-IgA levels in their nasal wash fluid than those treated with other formulations. The DDA/TDB liposomes also simultaneously enhanced the serum IgG IgG2a, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody responses. In summary, DDA/TDB liposomes effectively facilitated their uptake by DCs and DCs maturation in vitro, and induced significantly higher mucosal IgA, systemic IgG, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody titres than other formulations after their intranasal administration in vivo. These results indicate that DDA/TDB liposomes are a promising antigen delivery carrier for clinical antiviral applications.

Drp-1, a potential therapeutic target for brain ischaemic stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The resistance of CA3 neurons to ischaemia and the ischaemic tolerance conferred by ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) are two well-established endogenous neuroprotective mechanisms. Elucidating the molecules involved may help us find new therapeutic targets. Thus, we determined whether dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) is involved in these processes.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

In vivo, we subjected rats to either 10 min severe global ischaemia using a four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) model or 2 min IPC before the onset of 4-VO. In vitro, we performed oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) studies in rat hippocampal neurons. Drp-1 was silenced or inhibited by siRNA or pharmacological inhibitor Mdivi1. To assess whether mitochondrial Drp-1 alters neuronal vulnerability to ischaemic injury, various approaches were used including western blot, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining and electron microscopy. Hippocampal function was assessed using an open-field test.

KEY RESULTS

Mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (mtDrp-1) was selectively induced by ischaemia in hippocampal CA3 neurons. In hippocampal CA1 neurons, mtDrp-1 was not affected by ischaemia but significantly up-regulated by IPC. Suppression of Drp-1 increased the vulnerability of cells to OGD and global ischaemia. Inhibition of Drp-1 in vivo resulted in loss of acquisition and encoding of spatial information, and also prevented ischaemia-induced mitophagy in CA3. Thus mitochondrial-mediated injury was amplified and resistance to ischaemic injury lost.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Our findings that Drp-1 increases the resistance of neurons of hippocampal CA3 affected by global ischaemia and contributes to the tolerance conferred by IPC highlight Drp-1 as a potential therapeutic target for brain ischaemic stroke.

Multiple Linear Regression and Artificial Neural Network to Predict Blood Glucose in Overweight Patients

BACKGROUND

Overweight individuals are at higher risk for developing type II diabetes than the general population. We conducted this study to analyze the correlation between blood glucose and biochemical parameters, and developed a blood glucose prediction model tailored to overweight patients.

METHODS

A total of 346 overweight Chinese people patients ages 18-81 years were involved in this study. Their levels of fasting glucose (fs-GLU), blood lipids, and hepatic and renal functions were measured and analyzed by multiple linear regression (MLR). Based the MLR results, we developed a back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model by selecting tansig as the transfer function of the hidden layers nodes, and purelin for the output layer nodes, with training goal of 0.5×10(-5).

RESULTS

There was significant correlation between fs-GLU with age, BMI, and blood biochemical indexes (P<0.05). The results of MLR analysis indicated that age, fasting alanine transaminase (fs-ALT), blood urea nitrogen (fs-BUN), total protein (fs-TP), uric acid (fs-BUN), and BMI are 6 independent variables related to fs-GLU. Based on these parameters, the BP-ANN model was performed well and reached high prediction accuracy when training 1 000 epoch (R=0.9987).

CONCLUSIONS

The level of fs-GLU was predictable using the proposed BP-ANN model based on 6 related parameters (age, fs-ALT, fs-BUN, fs-TP, fs-UA and BMI) in overweight patients.

Do glial cells play an anti-oxidative role in Huntington's disease?

Oxidative stress is a condition of imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and antioxidant capacity as a result of dysfunction of the antioxidant system. ROS can be served as a second messenger at low or moderate concentration, while excessive amount of ROS under oxidative stress condition would destroy macromolecules like proteins, DNA, and lipids, finally leading to cell apoptosis or necrosis. Changes in these macromolecules are involved in various pathological changes and progression of diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases are morphologically featured by progressive neuronal cell loss, accompanied with inclusions formed by protein aggregates in neurons or glial cells. Neurons have always received much more attention than glial cells in neurodegenerative diseases. Actually, glial cells might play a key role in the functioning of neurons and cellular survival through an antioxidant way. Additionally, neurons can modulate the activities of glia either. Herein, the main purposes of this review are to mention the connection between Huntington's disease (HD) and oxidative stress, to summarize the characteristics and functions of glial cells in HD, to state the cross talk between neurons and glial cells, and to emphasize the conclusive role of activation of Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway in glial cells against oxidative stress in HD.

Inhibition of cell proliferation by CD44: Akt is inactivated and EGR-1 is down-regulated

OBJECTIVE

CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein and can facilitate signal transduction by serving as a platform for molecular recruitment and assembly. A number of studies have suggested that CD44 can either positively or negatively regulate cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how CD44 can inhibit cell proliferation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We engineered E6.1 Jurkat cells to express CD44. Importantly, these cells lack endogenous CD44 expression. Molecular pathways involved with cell proliferation were studied using RT(2)-PCR array, siRNA, Western blotting and by employing pharmacological inhibitors of ERK1/2, p38 and the PI3K/Akt pathways.

RESULTS

We found that CD44 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation and down-regulated EGR-1 expression and EGR-1 targets cyclin D1 and cyclin D2. Transfection of control E6.1 Jurkat cells with EGR-1 siRNA also inhibited cell proliferation, confirming its role. Disruption of the PI3K/Akt pathway with pharmacological inhibitors reduced both EGR-1 expression and cell proliferation, recapitulating the properties of CD44 expressing cells. Akt was hypophosphorylated in cells expressing CD44 showing its potential role in negatively regulating Akt activation. Strikingly, constitutively active Akt rescued the proliferation defect showing requirement for active Akt, in our system.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest a novel pathway by which CD44 inactivates Akt, down-regulates EGR-1 expression and inhibits cell proliferation.

Real-time or faster-than-real-time simulation of airflow in buildings

Real-time flow simulation is crucial for emergency management in buildings, such as fire and accidental or intentional release of chemical/biological agents (contaminants). The simulation results can then be used to impose proper measures to minimize casualties. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is accurate, but too time-consuming. Nodal models are fast, but not informative. To obtain a quick and informative solution, this study proposes an intermediate approach between nodal models and CFD by introducing a fast fluid dynamics (FFD) method. This investigation used the FFD methods with and without turbulence treatments to study systematically four basic flows in buildings, and compared the numerical results with the corresponding CFD results and the data from the literature. The results show that, on one hand, the FFD can offer much richer flow information than nodal models, but less accurate results than CFD. On the other hand, the FFD is 50 times faster than the CFD. The results also show that the FFD with the laminar assumption has the best overall performance as regards both accuracy and speed. It is possible to conduct faster-than-real-time flow simulations with detailed flow information by using the FFD method.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The paper introduces a fast fluid dynamics (FFD) method, which can simulate airflow and contaminant dispersion in buildings with real-time or faster-than-real-time speed and provide informative solutions. As an intermediate approach between nodal models and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the FFD can be a very useful tool for emergency management in case of fire and accidental or intentional release of chemical or biological agents in a building or around the buildings. The FFD can also be used as a preliminary test tool for quick assessment of indoor airflows before a detailed CFD analysis.

[Observation on the clinical symptoms and sporocyst excretion in human volunteers experimentally infected with Sarcocystis hominis]

AIM

To investigate the excretion of sporocysts and clinical manifestations in humans experimentally infected of Sarcocystis hominis.

METHODS

Three volunteers were infected by eating raw beef containing cysts of S. hominis. One ingested about 1,567 cysts in skeletal muscles of a naturally infected cattle; two volunteers each ingested about 14,740 cysts from an experimentally infected water buffalo meat. Fecal examination by zinc sulfate flotation method was conducted daily since d4 postinfection (pi).

RESULTS

Free sporocysts and oocysts were found in their faeces from d11-40, d12-23, d10-30 pi, and peaked at d18, d14, d14. All of them presented clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, distension, watery diarrhea and eosinophilia 1 wk approximately 4 wk pi and were spontaneously cured within 29 days pi without taking any medicine.

CONCLUSION

All the experimentally infected persons had gastrointestinal symptoms and passed sporocysts and oocysts in faeces 10-12 days after infection and persisted for 11-29 days.

The LIS1-related protein NUDF of Aspergillus nidulans and its interaction partner NUDE bind directly to specific subunits of dynein and dynactin and to alpha- and gamma-tubulin

The NUDF protein of Aspergillus nidulans, which is required for nuclear migration through the fungal mycelium, closely resembles the LIS1 protein required for migration of neurons to the cerebral cortex in humans. Genetic experiments suggested that NUDF influences nuclear migration by affecting cytoplasmic dynein. NUDF interacts with another protein, NUDE, which also affects nuclear migration in A. nidulans. Interactions among LIS1, NUDE, dynein, and gamma-tubulin have been demonstrated in animal cells. In this paper we examine the interactions of the A. nidulans NUDF and NUDE proteins with components of dynein, dynactin, and with alpha- and gamma-tubulin. We show that NUDF binds directly to alpha- and gamma-tubulin and to the first P-loop of the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain, whereas NUDE binds directly to alpha- and gamma-tubulin, to NUDK (actin-related protein 1), and to the NUDG dynein LC8 light chain. The data suggest a direct role for NUDF in regulation of the dynein heavy chain and an effect on other dynein/dynactin subunits via NUDE. The interactions between NUDE, NUDF, and gamma-tubulin suggest that this protein may also be involved in the regulation of dynein function. Additive interactions between NUDE and dynein and dynactin subunits suggest that NUDE acts as a scaffolding factor between components.

The Aspergillus cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain and NUDF localize to microtubule ends and affect microtubule dynamics

Cytoplasmic dynein is a multisubunit, minus end-directed microtubule motor that uses dynactin as an accessory complex to perform various in vivo functions including vesicle transport, spindle assembly, and nuclear distribution [1]. We previously showed that in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, a GFP-tagged cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (NUDA) forms comet-like structures that exhibited microtubule-dependent movement toward and back from the hyphal tip [2]. Here we demonstrate that another protein in the NUDA pathway, NUDF, which is homologous to the human LIS1 protein involved in brain development [3, 4], also exhibits such dynamic behavior. Both NUDA and NUDF are located at the ends of microtubules, and this observation suggests that the observed dynamic behavior is due to their association with the dynamic microtubule ends. To address whether NUDA and NUDF play a role in regulating microtubule dynamics in vivo, we constructed a GFP-labeled alpha-tubulin strain and used it to compare microtubule dynamics in vivo in wild-type A. nidulans versus temperature-sensitive loss-of-function mutants of nudA and nudF. The mutants showed a lower frequency of microtubule catastrophe, a lower rate of shrinkage during catastrophe, and a lower frequency of rescue. The microtubules in the mutant cells also paused longer at the hyphal tip than wild-type microtubules. These results indicate that cytoplasmic dynein and the LIS1 homolog NUDF affect microtubule dynamics in vivo.

[Clinical significance of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To study the significance of sentinel lymph node(SLN) biopsy (SLNB) in determining the extent of axillary dessection for cN0 breast cancer patients.

METHODS

In 96 patients with cN0 breast cancer, sentinel lymph nodes identified by patent blue-V or methylene blue staining were excised for biopsy. patients then received operations for breast cancer including axillary dessection.

RESULTS

SLN was identified in 91 patients. The total number of SLN identified was one in 54 cases(59.3%), 2 in 23 cases(25.3%) and > or = 3 in 14 cases(15.4%). In 24 of the 91 patients, SLN was positive for metastasis. In 13 the 24 patients, only SLN provided evidence of lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity of SLN biopsy was 87.5%, the specificity was 100%. It had 100% positive predictability and 95.7% negative predictability of lymph node metastasis. The accuracy rate of intraoperative imprint cytology examination of SLN was 92.1%, with a false negative rate of 10.0% and a false positive rate of 7.1%. The accuracy rate of frozen-section examination of SLN was 98.7% during operation, with a false negative rate of 5.0% but without false positive result. Immunohistochemical assay did not help demonstrate metastasis in SLN negative on routine pathologic examination.

CONCLUSION

The SLN status can generally be a representation of axillary metastasis, SLNB is useful to determine the extent of axillary dessection in cN0 breast cancer patients. Methylene blue is as effective as patent blue-V in the identification of SLN.

Nuclear stopping as a probe for in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross sections in intermediate energy heavy ion collisions

Using an isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics, nuclear stopping in intermediate heavy ion collisions has been studied. The calculation has been done for colliding systems with different neutron-proton ratios in beam energy ranging from 15 MeV/ u to 150 MeV/ u. It is found that, in the energy region from above Fermi energy to 150 MeV/ u, nuclear stopping is very sensitive to the isospin dependence of in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section, but insensitive to symmetry potential. From this investigation, we propose that nuclear stopping can be used as a new probe to extract the information on the isospin dependence of in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section in intermediate energy heavy ion collisions.

[Evaluation of autonomic nervous function with heart rate variability and cardiovascular reflex tests in type II diabetes mellitus patients]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate autonomic nervous function in simple diabetes mellitus patients, diabetic nephropathy(DN) patients and diabetes mellitus patients with accompanying coronary heart disease(DC) by studying heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiovascular reflex tests.

METHODS

57 type II diabetes mellitus patients were divided into 3 groups: 29 of simple diabetes mellitus, 17 of DC, and 11 of DN. The three groups were matched to 15 healthy controls for age, HRV and three cardiovascular reflex tests were performed in all the patients.

RESULTS

The overall frequency of abnormal autonomic nervous function in 57 diabetes mellitus patients was 45.6%. All the diabetes mellitus groups especially the DN group were lower than a normal control group in time domain indexes and nonlinear dynamics indexes. As the patterns of R-R interval Poincare plots were concerned, the control group was mainly of comet-shaped pattern, the simple diabetes mellitus group was mainly of torpedo-shaped pattern, while the DN group and the DC group had more irregular patterns.

CONCLUSION

Decrease in HRV is an early clinical marker for evolving diabetic autonomic neuropathy. This method may be helpful for evaluating organ dysfunction in diabetes mellitus patients.

[Endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors in infertile women]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors (PgR) as well as its relationship with retarded endometrial development (RED) in infertile women.

METHODS

The progesterone profile, endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors (PgR) and endometrial biopsies were studied by using (125)I radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemical technique in 53 infertile women during median luteal phase. When the endometrial dating lagged 2 days behind the dating as determined by luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, diagnosis of luteal phase defect (LPD) was made. According to progesterone profile and endometrial morphology, the patients were divided into three groups: normal, luteal phase defect (LPD) and pseudocorpus luteum insufficiency (PLI).

RESULTS

During median luteal phase, RED were found in all of 24 cases with LPD and PLI, but PgR contents were different in them. Mean progesterone profile of 9 cases of PLI cycles was normal (60.2 nmol/L) but the endometrial nuclear PgR appeared to be prominently lower than in normal cycles during the median luteal phase (P < 0.01). Average progesterone level of 15 cases of LPD cycles were significantly lower (29.9 nmol/L) but endometrial nuclear PgR were similar to normal group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Retarded endometrial development may have different causes. Measurement of endometrial nuclear PgR is of assistance in differential diagnosis.