[Clinical phenotype and genotype of early-onset facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 1]

Objective: To explore the clinical, pathological and genetic characteristics of early-onset facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 1 (FSHD1), in order to increase awareness of the disease. Methods: In this retrospective study, the history of 3 patients, who were diagnosed with early-onset FSHD1 by molecular genetic test in Pediatric Outpatient Department of Peking University First Hospital from 4(th) June 2012 to 4(th) June 2018, were collected. Their clinical data, genotypes, phenotypes and pathological features of muscle biopsy were analyzed. Results: All the three patients were males at the age of 14 years, 11 years and 9 years 11 months, respectively, whose onset age was between infancy and early childhood and they got confirmed diagnosis within 4 to 10 years after the onset of illness. Their molecular genetic testing indicated that the number of D4Z4 repeat arrays located in 4qA were 2, 3 and 4, which was consistent with the characteristics of early-onset FSHD1. Their common clinical manifestations were facial, scapular and proximal lower limb muscle progressively and asymmetrically weakness. All patients had different severity of spine deformity and high-frequency dominant sensorineural hearing loss, however, the phenotype of the third patient with 4 D4Z4 repeats was significantly the most severe. Conclusions: Early-onset FSHD1 usually concealed onset and is difficult to diagnose. Its precise diagnosis depends on molecular genetic techniques, but the genotypes of 3 patients here are not corresponding to phenotypes strictly and it is necessary to accumulate more cases for further analysis in order to provide a more reliable basis for the relationship of genotype-phenotype and prognosis evaluation of the disease.

[A case report of childhood Farber's disease and literature review]

Objective: To explore the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and the prognosis of Farber disease by case report and literature review. Method: The clinical information of a case with farber's disease diagnosed in October 2015 at Peking University First Hospital was collected and analyzed, including clinical manifestation, electrophysiology, magnetic resonance imaging, pathology, treatments and prognosis.ASAH1 gene mutational analysis was conducted in the patient and her parents.By using "Farber's disease, ASAH1" as keywords, literature was searched from Pubmed, CHKD and HGMD database from January 1951 to January 2016. Result: The girl, 2 years 2 months old, was sent to our hospital in October 2015, with complains of "joint swelling for 17 months, development regress of intelligence and movement for 11 months, intermittent seizures for 2 months" .The clinical manifestation of the patient was characterized by painful and deformed joints, subcutaneous nodules, progressive hoarseness, and the progressive neurological system deterioration.Joints swelling and deformity behave as the first symptoms.A series of electroencephalogram showed slow background and spike wave.Visual evoked potential was significantly abnormal.Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hypomyelination and progressive diffuse brain atrophy.Histology of subcutaneous nodule showed proliferation of the connective tissue with hyalinization, cholesterol crystal like changes, and a large number of foamy cell infiltration.Compound heterozygous mutations of ASAH1 gene, c. 304_305 ins A (p.T102Nfs14) and c. 314T>C (p.L105p), were found in the patient, and the former is inherited from her mother, the latter from her father.Antiepileptic treatment and other symptomatic treatments were delivered to the patient, but the effectiveness was poor.One reference from China hownet and 35 references from Pubmed have reported a total of 26 cases.Twenty out of 26 patients (77%) had the onset under 1 year of age.By region, there were 12 patients (12/26, 46%) from India, and the others around world.Among these 12 indian patients, 10 lack of complete clinical data.Among the rest 16 patients, 4 patients' parents were consanguineous; 8 patients with the main clinical manifestation of painful and deformed joints, subcutaneous nodules, and hoarse cry; 4 patients with hepatic failure and impaired spleen; 5 patients with rapid neurological deterioration; 1 patient with bone destruction; 7 patients under liver and skin biopsies, pathologically showing a large number of foam cells and "Farber bodies" . There are 33 genetic mutations, and 45% (15/33) mutations are concentrated in ASAH1 exon 6-10. Conclusion: Farber disease is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by deficiency of lysosomal acid ceramidase.Histopathology of granulomatous tissue plays an important role in the early diagnosis.

[Peripheral nerve injury in LAMA2-related congenital muscular dystrophy patients]

Objective: To explore the injury pattern and features of peripheral nerve in congenital muscular dystrophy patients caused by LAMA2 gene mutation. Method: Seventeen patients genetically or molecular pathologically diagnosed as LAMA2-related congenital muscular dystrophy were recruited in Peking University First Hospital between 2002 and 2015. All the patients received nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and needle electromyography tests. Clinical and laboratory examination data of the patients was retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between the NCV and disease course was determined by Pearson correlation analysis. Additionally, one patient underwent a sural nerve biopsy. Result: Among these 17 identified patients (13 male and 4 female), all of them were diagnosed as congenital muscular dystrophy, and all of them underwent electrophysiological examination at ages between 1 month to 6 years. Electromyogram indicated seventeen patients of myogenic damage, of whom 10 cases were complicated with reduced NCV. Twenty-six of 95 analyzed nerves showed NCV slower than the normal average of contemporary in 17%-47%. Correlation analysis between NCV and the disease course indicated that NCV of median nerves, ulnar nerves, tibial nerves and common peroneal nerves were negatively associated with the disease course (r=-0.737, -0.771, -0.540 and -0.682, respectively; all P<0.05). Sural nerve biopsy revealed peripheral neuropathy changes of myelin. Conclusion: There is peripheral nerve injury in LAMA2-related muscular dystrophy patients. It mainly manifests as demyelinating lesions. Moreover, the NCV of peripheral nerve will decrease with the increase of the course of the disease.

Tiaogan Qingxin Granule treatment increases myocardial connexin 43 expression in a rat model of arrhythmia

Myocardial ischemia-induced arrhythmia, especially ventricular arrhythmia, is the main reason for sudden cardiac death. Therefore, ischemic ventricular arrhythmia-targeted treatments are urgently needed. The mechanism of Tiaogan Qingxin Granule in premature ventricular beat (PVB) treatment was explored in arrhythmic rats pretreated with Tiaogan Qingxin Granule. Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 40) were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham-operated, arrhythmia model, Wenxin Granule, and Tiaogan Qingxin Granule. The ischemic arrhythmia model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The Tiaogan Qingxin Granule group was treated intragastrically for 7 days before surgery. Sham-operated rats underwent thoracotomy without coronary artery ligation. Myocardial infarction rate was measured using the triphenyltetrazolium chloride method and Cx43 expression was quantified by western blotting. Compared to the arrhythmia model group, the Tiaogan Qingxin Granule group showed a significant reduction in the myocardial infarct size and myocardial infarction rate (P < 0.01). Cx43 expression in the left ventricular myocardial tissues was significantly lower in the arrhythmia model group than in the sham-operated group (P < 0.01), but significantly higher in the Tiaogan Qingxin Granule group (P < 0.01). Intergroup difference in the relative Cx43 expression between the Tiaogan Qingxin Granule and Wenxin Granule groups was not significant (P > 0.05). Thus, Tiaogan Qingxin Granule reduced the myocardial infarct size, lowered the myocardial infarction rate, and increased Cx43 expression, possibly by increasing blood supply to the cardiac muscles. In conclusion, Tiaogan Qingxin Granule may be useful for treating ischemic PVB.

Cloning and expression analysis of the 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor gene from Hyriopsis cumingii

Hyriopsis cumingii is an economically important freshwater pearl mussel with high pearl quality that is endemic in China. Investigation of genes relevant to shell formation is important for increased pearl output. The substances that form mollusk shells are secreted by epithelial cells in the mantle, the proliferation of which influences secretion ability. This study focused on the proliferation-related 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor (37LRP) of H. cumingii. The full-length cDNA (1133 bp) encoding this 300-amino acid protein was cloned from the mantle. Quantitative fluorescence analysis showed that 37LRP expressed in eight tissues, with the highest expression observed in the liver, and its expression pattern in the mantle reflected shell repair. During repair, 37LRP expression was higher in the experimental shell repair group than that in the control group, exhibiting an initial increase followed by a decrease in expression, and returning to basal levels on completion of the repair. A similar trend was also observed with respect to immunity and cellular metabolism. Expression of the 37LRP protein in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group at the first and second days after shell injury. After 4 days, 37LRP expression in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group. In situ hybridization revealed a strong positive signal corresponding to the 37LRP mRNA at the horny grooves of the mantle, evagination, and in epithelial cells of the velum, which implicated these areas in the repair and formation of the cuticle, prismatic layer, and nacre.

Nucleophilic addition to the ethynyl group in ethynylestradiol catalyzed by crown ether-copper (1) iodide

A new and convenient synthetic route to acetylation of estrogens is described. Benzo-15-crown-5 and cuprous iodide-mixed catalyst catalyzed the nucleophilic addition of 2,4-dibromoethynylestradiol, resulting in the formation of a new compound, 2,4-dibromo-17 alpha-acetylestradiol, of which the structure was characterized by infrared, UV, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectra, and elemental analysis. It was found that the yield of this approach is much higher than that obtained in the hydration of usual acetylenic compounds.