A high frequency of allopolyploid speciation in the gymnospermous genus Ephedra and its possible association with some biological and ecological features

The origin and evolution of polyploids have been studied extensively in angiosperms and ferns but very rarely in gymnosperms. With the exception of three species of conifers, all natural polyploid species of gymnosperms belong to Ephedra, in which more than half of the species show polyploid cytotypes. Here, we investigated the origin and evolution of polyploids of Ephedra distributed in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and neighbouring areas. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to measure the ploidy levels of the sampled species that are represented by multiple individuals from different populations, and then, two single‐copy nuclear genes (LFY and DDB2) and two chloroplast DNA fragments were used to unravel the possible origins and maternal donors of the polyploids. The results indicate that the studied polyploid species are allopolyploids, and suggest that allotetraploidy is a dominant mode of speciation in Ephedra. The high percentage of polyploids in the genus could be related to some of its biological attributes such as vegetative propagation, a relatively high rate of unreduced gamete formation, and a small genome size relative to most other gymnosperms. Significant ecological divergences between allotetraploids and their putative progenitors were detected by PCAs and anova and Tukey's tests, with the exception of E. saxatilis. The overlap of geographical distributions and ecological niches of some diploid species could have provided opportunities for interspecific hybridization and allopolyploid speciation.

Abstract P3-07-37: Quantitative analysis of T cell and macrophage immune markers in Her2-positive breast cancer

Purpose/Objectives:

Her2-neu positive breast cancers have a good overall prognosis with the advent of Her2-directed therapies such as trastuzumab. However, despite the increased efficacy with Her-2-directed therapies 20-30% of patients still have local and/or distant failure despite being Her-2 amplified on pathology. The etiology of this local failure remains unknown. Recent evidence has suggested that there may be immune factors that contribute to the progression of breast cancer and the response to therapy so we undertook a study to examine the relationship between immune-based markers and traditional pathologic and clinical markers of outcome.

Materials/Methods:

Paraffin-embedded sections were generation and clinical records were reviewed for 88 patients, age ≥ 18 years, with pathologically-proven Her2-neu+ breast cancer who were treated at a single institution from 01/2001 to 12/2013. Single-color immunohistochemical staining was performed for CK5/6, CK14 and EGFR and scored by a breast pathologist. Adjacent sections were also then stained for CD45, CD4, CD8 and CD68 using a multi-color immunohistochemical approach. Slides were scanned using the Vectra Automated Quantitative Pathology Imaging System and analyzed using an in-house algorithm to quantitate the number of immune cells within the tumor, tumor margin and within 2 mm outside the tumor. We then compared the level of CK5/6, CK14, EGFR with the number of immune cells. The number of different immune cells were also analyzed with respect to other clinical parameters including age, tumor size, nodal status, hormone receptor status, time to progression, progression-free survival and overall survival.

Results:

At a median follow-up of 66.5 months, 20 (22.7%) patients had progressed. We found that the number of CD45+ leukocytes at the margin correlates with the expression of CK5/6 (p = 0.015) which predicted for local failure. Further, we found that the ratio of CD8 to CD4 cells within the tumor and margin highly correlates with the expression of the hormone receptors (p = 0.01).

Conclusions:

Our preliminary results suggest that immune markers may be important predictors of a basal-like phenotype as defined by CK5/6 expression in Her2+ breast cancers which itself correlated with significantly higher local failure. Further higher CD8 to CD4 ratios were highly correlated with hormone receptor expression, particularly PR expression suggesting that in the Her2+ population the more favorable prognosis for the "triple-positive" subtype of Her2+ cancers may be in part due to a more favorable immune microenvironment.

Citation Format: Shiao SL, Gertych A, Ma Z, Zhang X, Burnison CM, Mirhadi AJ, Giuliano A, Knudsen BS, Chung A. Quantitative analysis of T cell and macrophage immune markers in Her2-positive breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-37.

Biochip-based study of unidirectional mitochondrial transfer from stem cells to myocytes via tunneling nanotubes

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are small membranous tubes of 50-1000 nm diameter observed to connect cells in culture. Transfer of subcellular organelles through TNTs was observed in vitro and in vivo, but the formation and significance of these structures is not well understood. A polydimethylsiloxane biochip-based coculture model was devised to constrain TNT orientation and explore both TNT-formation and TNT-mediated mitochondrial transfer. Two parallel microfluidic channels connected by an array of smaller microchannels enabled localization of stem cell and cardiomyocyte populations while allowing connections to form between them. Stem cells and cardiomyocytes were deposited in their respective microfluidic channels, and stem cell-cardiomyocyte pairs were formed via the microchannels. Formation of TNTs and transfer of stained mitochondria through TNTs was observed by 24 h real-time video recording. The data show that stem cells are 7.7 times more likely to initiate contact by initial extension of filopodia. By 24 h, 67% of nanotube connections through the microchannels are composed of cardiomyocyte membrane. Filopodial extension and retraction by stem cells draws an extension of TNTs from cardiomyocytes. MitoTracker staining shows that unidirectional transfer of mitochondria between stem cell-cardiomyocyte pairs invariably originates from stem cells. Control experiments with cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes show little nanotube formation between homotypic or mixed cell pairs and no mitochondrial transfer. These data identify a novel biological process, unidirectional mitochondrial transfer, mediated by heterotypic TNT connections. This suggests that the enhancement of cardiomyocyte function seen after stem-cell injection may be due to a bioenergetic stimulus provided by mitochondrial transfer.

Techno-functional characterization of salad dressing emulsions supplemented with pea, lentil and chickpea flours

BACKGROUND

Salad dressings supplemented with pulse flours are novel products. A three-factor face-centered central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the effect of pulse flour concentration (3.5%, 7%, 10.5% w/w), egg yolk concentration (3%, 5%, 7% w/w) and oil concentration (20%, 35%, 50% w/w) on the rheological and color characteristics of salad dressings supplemented with pulse flours.

RESULTS

The consistency coefficient m, plateau modulus G(N)(0), recoverable strain Q(t) and color values were all affected by the concentrations of pulse flours used. Scanning electron microscopy showed that dressings with lower oil and egg yolk contents had a less densely packed network compared with dressings with higher oil and egg yolk contents. Sensory results were most promising for salad dressings supplemented with the whole green lentil, yellow pea with low flour content, and chickpea with high oil content.

CONCLUSION

This study should be useful for designing novel types of salad dressings to meet market requirements as well as helping to increase pulse consumption.

Effects of non-surgical factors on digital replantation survival rate: a meta-analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors affecting survival rate of digital replantation by a meta-analysis. A computer retrieval of MEDLINE, OVID, EMBASE, and CNKI databases was conducted to identify citations for digital replantation with digit or finger or thumb or digital or fingertip and replantation as keywords. RevMan 5.2 software was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios. In total, there were 4678 amputated digits in 2641 patients. Gender and ischemia time had no significant influence on the survival rate of amputation replantation (P > 0.05). Age, injured hand, injury type, zone, and the method of preservation the amputated digit significantly influence the survival rate of digital replantation (P < 0.05). Children, right hand, crush, or avulsion and little finger are the risk factors that adversely affect the outcome.

THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 5*.

Chromosomal microarray provides enhanced targetable gene aberration detection when paired with next generation sequencing panel in profiling lung and colorectal tumors

The development of targeted therapies based on specific genomic alterations has altered the treatment and management of lung and colorectal cancers. Chromosomal microarray (CMA) has allowed identification of copy number variations (CNVs) in lung and colorectal cancers in great detail, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) is used extensively to analyze the genome of cancers for molecular subtyping and use of molecularly guided therapies. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of combining CMA and NGS for a comprehensive genomic assessment of lung and colorectal adenocarcinomas, especially for detecting drug targets. We compared the results from NGS and CMA data from 60 lung and 51 colorectal tumors. From CMA analysis, 33% were amplified, 89% showed gains, 75% showed losses and 41% demonstrated loss of heterozygosity; pathogenic variants were identified in 81% of colon and 67% lung specimens through NGS. KRAS mutations commonly occurred with loss in TP53 and there was significant loss of BRCA1 and NF1 among male patients with lung cancer. For clinically actionable targets, 23% had targetable CNVs when no pathogenic variants were detected by NGS. The data thus indicate that combining the two approaches provides significant benefit in a routine clinical setting not available by NGS alone.

Equol protects PC12 neuronal cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in vitro by reducing reactive oxygen species production

OBJECTIVE

Both of gp91(phox) (an isoform of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-reduced oxidases) and Src (a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase) play a prominent role in mediating hypoxia/reoxygenation injury of neurons. The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of equol, a predominant active metabolite of daidzein, against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in rat pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12) and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

PC12 cells exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation injury were examined for reactive oxygen species (ROS) using dihydroethidium and 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and analyzed for changes in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The expression levels of gp91(phox) and phosphorylated Src-Tyr416 (p-Src) were measured using Western blotting.

RESULTS

Equol dose-dependently restored the cell viability and decreased LDH activity and MDA content in culture medium of PC12 cells exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation. Pretreatment of the cells with 10(-5) and 10(-6) mol/L equol inhibited hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced increase of ROS. PC12 cells treated with equol prior to hypoxia/reoxygenation injury showed significant enhancement of the protein levels of gp91(phox) and p-Src.

CONCLUSION

Equol confers neuroprotection against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in PC12 cells by inhibiting the generation of ROS very likely as a result of down-regulation of gp91(phox) and inhibition of Src phosphorylation.

A versatile large-scale and green process for synthesizing magnetic nanoparticles with tunable magnetic hyperthermia features

Production of functionalized nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia by an industrial-scale process.

Single- and Multiple-dose Pharmacokinetic, Safety and Tolerability Study of Mildronate Injection in Healthy Chinese Subjects Pharmacokinetic of Mildronate Injection

Mildronate is an agent for cardioprotection and neuroprotection. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles, safety and tolerability of mildronate injection after single escalating doses and multiple doses in healthy Chinese subjects. We performed a randomized, open-label, single- and multiple-dose phase I trial including 3 doses of mildronate: 250, 500 and 750 mg. Plasma and urine samples were collected and concentrations of mildronate were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). PK parameters were calculated using noncompartmental analysis. Safety and tolerability was assessed throughout noting subjects' vital signs and monitoring adverse events (AEs) and conduct a comprehensive physical examination and laboratory analyses before and after the study. There was no significant difference in C 0, AUC0-t, AUC0-∞ among 3 single-dose groups, whereas T 1/2 had significant statistical difference which may be caused by the inhibition of metabolic enzymes. Single- and multiple-dose intravenous injection of mildronate exhibited linear PK profiles in the range of 250-750 mg. An unconspicuous accumulation phenomenon was found after multiple-dose mildronate administration. No significant gender difference was found and mildronate is primarily excreted by the kidney. No serious AEs were observed. The formulation was safe and well tolerated from 250 to 750 mg.

Characterization of the nuclear localization signals of duck circovirus replication proteins

Duck circovirus (DuCV) possess a circular, single-stranded DNA genome that requires the replication protein (Rep) for its replication. Based on the viral genotype, there are two categories of Rep proteins: Rep1 and Rep2. To characterize the nuclear localization signals (NLSs) conferring the nuclear localization of the Rep proteins, defined coding regions of the rep gene of two genotypes of DuCV were cloned and co-expressed with the red fluorescent protein DsRed2. The results showed that deleting the putative N-terminal NLS located at amino acid residues 10-37 of Rep1 and Rep2 abrogated nuclear translocation, while deleting the putative C-terminal NLS located at residues 244-274 of Rep1 did not significantly alter its subcellular localization, confirming that only the NLS located at residues 10-37 in the N-termini of the Rep proteins had nuclear targeting activity.

Epileptogenic zone localization and seizure control in coupled neural mass models

Exact localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is the first priority for ensuring epilepsy treatments and reducing side effects. The results of traditional visual methods for localizing the origin of seizures are far from satisfactory in some cases. Signal processing methods could extract substantial information that may complement visual inspection of EEG signals. In this study, EZ localization is changed into a driver identification problem, and a nonlinear interdependence measure, the weighted rank interdependence, is proposed and used as a driver indicator because it can detect coupling information, especially directionality, from EEG signals. A proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is then explored, using simulations, to establish its suitability for seizure control. The seizure control we propose rests on identifying the EZ using nonlinear interdependence measures of directed functional connectivity. Two directionally coupled neural mass models are employed for simulation investigation. Two parameters can adjust the sensitivity and completeness of the weighted rank interdependence for different applications, and their effect is discussed in the context of neural mass models. Simulation results demonstrate that use of the weighted rank interdependence for EZ identification can be applied to different EZ types, and the approach achieves an overall identification rate of 98.84 % for several EZ types. Simulations also indicate that PID control can effectively regulate synchronization between neural masses.

Investigations on the genomic diversity of OXA from isolated Acinetobacter baumannii

We distinguished the four OXA-type carbapenemase subgroup alleles present in 120 strains of Acinetobacter baumannii by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and investigated the distributions of the OXA subgroups in clinically isolated samples. Amplification of the OXA genes blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-51, and blaOXA-58 was performed by multiplex PCR. Antibiotics susceptibility test was conducted for determine the sensitivity of the A. baumannii to clinical common used antibiotics by Kirby-Bauer method. Results revealed that 46 (51.69%) of the samples were positive for only the blaOXA51 gene and 41 (46.07%) were positive for both the blaOXA51 and blaOXA58 genes in the 89 isolates of A. baumannii. Among these, 45 were carbapenem-resistant and 44 carbapenem-sensitive. Strains containing either blaOXA51 or blaOXA58 showed resistance or sensitivity to carbapenems, respectively. A. baumannii isolated from intensive care units showed significantly higher resistance rate to Cefepime, Piperacillin-tazobactam, Amikacin, Ceftazidime, Cefotaxime, Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and Gentamicin than those isolated from other departments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, we found that the presence of blaOXA-51 and blaOXA-58 appears to convey a mechanism of resistance or sensitivity to carbapenems, respectively, in A. baumannii clinical isolates.

Novel prescribed performance neural control of a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle with unknown initial errors

A novel prescribed performance neural controller with unknown initial errors is addressed for the longitudinal dynamic model of a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (FAHV) subject to parametric uncertainties. Different from traditional prescribed performance control (PPC) requiring that the initial errors have to be known accurately, this paper investigates the tracking control without accurate initial errors via exploiting a new performance function. A combined neural back-stepping and minimal learning parameter (MLP) technology is employed for exploring a prescribed performance controller that provides robust tracking of velocity and altitude reference trajectories. The highlight is that the transient performance of velocity and altitude tracking errors is satisfactory and the computational load of neural approximation is low. Finally, numerical simulation results from a nonlinear FAHV model demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed strategy.

The expression of serum M30 and M65 in chronic hepatitis B patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

OBJECTIVE

Chronic hepatitis B patients with fatty liver disease are gradually increasing. We aim to investigate the serum fragment level of cytokeratin 18 (CK-18), M30 and M65, in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Serum M30 and M65 levels were measured by ELISA assay in 46 CHB patients with NAFLD and 42 CHB patients without NAFLD. The association of serum M30 levels in 46 CHB patients with NAFLD and biochemistry and pathological indexes were investigated.

RESULTS

The serum M30 levels in CHB with NAFLD group were 614.48 ± 471.43 U/L, which were significantly higher than non NAFLD group (374.50 ± 231.04 U/L, p < 0.01). But there were no differences in serum M65 levels between NAFLD group (369.41 ± 262.21 U/L) and non-NAFLD group (296.50 ± 231.44 U/L, p = 0.172). We observed significantly higher serum M30 levels in CHB with NAFLD patients with positive HBV-DNA (752.36 ± 554.79 U/L) as compared with patients with negative HBV-DNA (400.0 ± 171.64 U/L, p < 0.05). While the M65 levels have no significant difference (p = 0.285). For CHB patient with NAFLD patients, the M30 level was positively correlated with ALT, AST, HBVDNA, TG, FBG, histology inflammation score, fibrosis score and steatosis (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum M30 levels in CHB with NAFLD patients are significantly higher than CHB patients without NAFLD, especially for HBV-DNA positive patients. It could be a reference value for evaluating the inflammation degree of CHB with NAFLD.

A Review of the Quantification and Classification of Pigmented Skin Lesions: From Dedicated to Hand-Held Devices

In recent years, the incidence of skin cancer cases has risen, worldwide, mainly due to the prolonged exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation. Concurrently, the computer-assisted medical diagnosis of skin cancer has undergone major advances, through an improvement in the instrument and detection technology, and the development of algorithms to process the information. Moreover, because there has been an increased need to store medical data, for monitoring, comparative and assisted-learning purposes, algorithms for data processing and storage have also become more efficient in handling the increase of data. In addition, the potential use of common mobile devices to register high-resolution images of skin lesions has also fueled the need to create real-time processing algorithms that may provide a likelihood for the development of malignancy. This last possibility allows even non-specialists to monitor and follow-up suspected skin cancer cases. In this review, we present the major steps in the pre-processing, processing and post-processing of skin lesion images, with a particular emphasis on the quantification and classification of pigmented skin lesions. We further review and outline the future challenges for the creation of minimum-feature, automated and real-time algorithms for the detection of skin cancer from images acquired via common mobile devices.

High-order tracking differentiator based adaptive neural control of a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle subject to actuators constraints

In this paper, an adaptive neural controller is exploited for a constrained flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (FAHV) based on high-order tracking differentiator (HTD). By utilizing functional decomposition methodology, the dynamic model is reasonably decomposed into the respective velocity subsystem and altitude subsystem. For the velocity subsystem, a dynamic inversion based neural controller is constructed. By introducing the HTD to adaptively estimate the newly defined states generated in the process of model transformation, a novel neural based altitude controller that is quite simpler than the ones derived from back-stepping is addressed based on the normal output-feedback form instead of the strict-feedback formulation. Based on minimal-learning parameter scheme, only two neural networks with two adaptive parameters are needed for neural approximation. Especially, a novel auxiliary system is explored to deal with the problem of control inputs constraints. Finally, simulation results are presented to test the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in the presence of system uncertainties and actuators constraints.