Sex differences in oral oxycodone self-administration and stress-primed reinstatement in rats

The opioid epidemic has become a severe public health problem, with approximately 130 opioid-induced deaths occurring each day in the United States. Prescription opioids are responsible for approximately 40% of these deaths. Oxycodone is one of the most commonly abused prescription opioids, but despite its prevalent misuse, the number of preclinical studies investigating oxycodone-seeking behaviors is relatively limited. Furthermore, preclinical oxycodone studies that include female subjects are even more scarce, and it is critical that future work includes both sexes. Additionally, the oral route of administration is one of the most common routes for recreational users, especially in the early stages of drug experimentation. However, currently, only two studies have been published investigating operant oral oxycodone self-administration in rodents. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study was to establish an oral oxycodone operant self-administration model in adult male and female rats, as well as to examine a potential mechanism of stress-primed reinstatement. We found that females consumed significantly more oral oxycodone than males in operant self-administration sessions. We also found that active oxycodone self-administration was reduced by mu opioid receptor antagonism and by substitution of water for oxycodone solution. Lastly, we induced stress-primed reinstatement and found that this behavior was significantly attenuated by antagonism of the neurokinin-1 receptor, consistent with our prior work examining stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol- and cocaine-seeking.

The Chimonanthus salicifolius genome provides insight into magnoliid evolution and flavonoid biosynthesis

Chimonanthus salicifolius, a member of the Calycanthaceae of magnoliids, is one of the most famous medicinal plants in Eastern China. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly of C. salicifolius, comprising 820.1 Mb of genomic sequence with a contig N50 of 2.3 Mb and containing 36 651 annotated protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that magnoliids were sister to the eudicots. Two rounds of ancient whole-genome duplication were inferred in the C. salicifolious genome. One is shared by Calycanthaceae after its divergence with Lauraceae, and the other is in the ancestry of Magnoliales and Laurales. Notably, long genes with > 20 kb in length were much more prevalent in the magnoliid genomes compared with other angiosperms, which could be caused by the length expansion of introns inserted by transposon elements. Homologous genes within the flavonoid pathway for C. salicifolius were identified, and correlation of the gene expression and the contents of flavonoid metabolites revealed potential critical genes involved in flavonoids biosynthesis. This study not only provides an additional whole-genome sequence from the magnoliids, but also opens the door to functional genomic research and molecular breeding of C. salicifolius.

A metagenomic analysis of the modulatory effect of Cyclocarya paliurus flavonoids on the intestinal microbiome in a high-fat diet-induced obesity mouse model

BACKGROUND

As a result of a low bioavailability, the majority of Cyclocarya paliurus flavonoids (CPF) remain in the large intestine where they accumulate to exert a modulatory effect on the intestinal micro-ecology. Therefore, the present study investigated the modulatory effect of CPF on intestinal microbiota.

RESULTS

CPF dramatically ameliorated the obesity-induced gut dysbiosis. A significant decrease (P < 0.05) was observed in the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes after CPF treatment for 8 weeks. Moreover, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of biosynthesis of amino acids, the two-component system and ATP-binding cassette transporters enriched the most differentially expressed genes after CPF intervention.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study indicate that CPF might have prebiotic-like activity and could be used as a functional food component with potential therapeutic utility to prevent obesity-related metabolic disorders by manipulating the gut flora and affecting certain metabolic pathways, thus contributing to the improvement of human health. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of diets with different energy and bile acids levels on growth performance and lipid metabolism in broilers

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bile acids (BAs) on the growth performance and lipid metabolism of broilers fed with different energy level diets. 480 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers (45.01 ± 0.26 g) were allotted to a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 levels of energy (basal or high-energy level) and 2 levels of BAs (with or without BAs supplementation), resulting in 4 groups of 8 replicates; the experiment lasted 42 d. High-energy diets decreased the feed/gain ratio (F/G) from 1 to 21 d (P < 0.05), and increased the liver index and abdominal fat percentage at 42 d (P < 0.05). The serum total triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 42 d were increased by high-energy diets (P < 0.05), while the hepatic lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity at 21 and 42 d was decreased (P < 0.05). BAs supplementation increased the body weight at 21 d and decreased the F/G during entire period (P < 0.05), as well as improved the carcass quality reflected by decreased abdominal fat percentage at 42 d and increased breast muscle percentage at 21 and 42 d (P < 0.05). The serum TG at 21 and 42 d were decreased by BAs (P < 0.05), and the hepatic LPL activity at 42 d was increased (P < 0.05). In addition, high-energy diets increased the expression of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and fatty acid synthase (P < 0.05), while BAs diets decreased these genes expression (P < 0.05). Moreover, BAs supplementation also increased the expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (P < 0.05), which was increased in high-energy groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, BAs supplementation could increase growth performance, elevate carcass quality, and improve lipid metabolism in broilers.

Alterations in Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus refers to central and peripheral nervous system involvement, which may occur secondary to antineuronal antibodies crossing the blood-brain barrier that preferentially target cells in the hippocampus leading to abnormal hypermetabolism and atrophy. Thus, we hypothesized that alterations in BBB permeability, detected on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, occur in the hippocampus in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus before development of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus and 5 healthy controls underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging with postprocessing into BBB permeability parameters (K ^trans and Ve) and CBF. Standardized methods selected ROI sampling of the abnormal brain regions detected on FDG-PET. The mean and SD of K ^trans, Ve, and CBF were calculated. Linear regression and nonparametric Spearman rank correlation analyses of K ^trans and Ve with CBF were performed. Dynamic contrast-enhanced curves and the area under the curve were generated for each brain region. Student t test comparisons were performed.

RESULTS

Quantitative data revealed that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have statistically increased K ^trans (P < .001) and Ve (P < .001) compared with controls. In patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, statistically significant positive correlations were seen between K ^trans (P < .001) and Ve (P < .001) with CBF. Furthermore, the mean area under the curve revealed statistically increased BBB permeability in the hippocampus (P = .02) compared with other brain regions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

These initial findings are proof-of-concept to support the hypothesis that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have increased BBB permeability, specifically in the hippocampus, compared with other brain regions. These findings may advance our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology affecting the brain in autoimmune diseases.

Abstract P3-12-25: Dosimetric impact of patient rotation during prone breast radiotherapy

Purpose

Prone positioning has been used as a viable alternative to conventional supine position for patients receiving breast radiation therapy. However, little research has been done exploring the axial rotation of patients toward the treated breast when “sinking” into the opening of the breast board and its potentially negative effects on dosimetric outcomes, which may include increased heart and lung dose. The physician may need to move the posterior border away from the chest wall to reduce heart and lung dose.

Methodology

49 consecutive female patients with left sided early stage breast cancer treated at University of California Davis Medical Center were assessed from 2015 to 2018 (age range: 42-84 years, median age: 62 years). All patients underwent prone whole breast therapy with conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) at doses of 50 Gy (n = 12) or hypofractionated at 42.56 Gy (n = 37). Treatment plans and dose volumes were retrospectively analyzed for each patient. Standard tangents were designed for each patient using clinical landmarks of the midaxillary line and midsternal line, which were then compared to the delivered tangent beams. The angle created between a vertical line centered on center sternum and a line drawn from center sternum to center spinal cord served to define degree of axial rotation. Breast depth was defined by the longest horizontal length from outer rib to edge of breast on sagittal view. Patients were divided into subgroups by degree of rotation and absolute breast depth. A two tailed paired Student's t-test was used for analysis.

Results

Overall mean heart and lung dose were 82.2 cGy and 50.43 cGy for the entire cohort, respectively. For standard tangents, patients with degree of rotation &lt; 5 degrees in the prone position (n = 23) had significant lung sparing as compared to patients with degree of rotation &gt; 5 cm (n = 26) (mean lung dose: 61.8 cGy vs 129.6 cGy, p = 0.00329). This was also seen for cardiac sparing (mean heart dose: 105.9 cGy vs 183.9 cGy, p = 0.000235). Even with reduction of posterior border for treatment delivery, there remained a significant increase in mean heart and lung dose with increased rotation (p = 0.038, p = 0.046). Although not statistically significant, for patients with &gt; 5 degrees of rotation there was a trend toward increased reduction of the posterior border of the tangent (13 mm vs. 7.5 mm, p = 0.13). A significant predictor of increased rotation was breast depth &gt; 10 cm (p = 0.01). Patients with absolute breast depth &gt; 10 cm (n = 23) in the prone position had significant lung sparing as compared to patients with absolute breast depth &lt; 10 cm (n = 26) (mean lung dose: 58.6 cGy vs 40.8 cGy, p = 0.042).

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first dosimetric comparison of prone breast therapy exploring the degree of patient roll into the prone-breast setup cavity. This study demonstrates a significant increase in mean lung and heart dose when patient rotation is greater than 5 degrees. Given this, the posterior border may have to be reduced to prevent a higher than intended dose to the heart and lung. Proper attention during simulation is important to allow for optimal dose distribution and special attention should be paid to women with smaller breast size.

Citation Format: Cheng K, Hoopingarner S, Wright C, Daly M, Fragoso R, Zhao X. Dosimetric impact of patient rotation during prone breast radiotherapy [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 P3-12-25.

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI Reveals Unique Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Characteristics in the Hippocampus in the Normal Brain

We report a prospective dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging analysis of region-specific blood-brain barrier permeability in 5 healthy subjects. By means of standardized postprocessing and ROI sampling methods, the hippocampi revealed significantly elevated area under the dynamic contrast-enhanced curve and significantly increased blood-brain barrier permeability metrics (volume transfer constant and volume in the extravascular extracellular space) from model-based quantitation. These findings suggest unique blood-brain barrier permeability characteristics in the hippocampus, which are concordant with previous animal studies, potentially laying the groundwork for future studies assessing patient populations in which hippocampal pathology plays a role.

200 Developing exosomes as a mediator for CRISPR/Cas-9 delivery

CRISPR/Cas systems present a powerful gene-editing tool with the potential for widespread therapeutic use; however, current methods of in vivo delivery such as adeno-associated viruses (AAV) may stimulate an immune response, creating the need for an alternative for delivery of CRISPR/Cas9. Exosomes are small vesicles that are released by cells and serve as a delivery system for RNA, proteins, and various molecules to other cells. The focus of this project was to use exosomes as a delivery system for Cas9, exploiting their high uptake by target cells and their ability to avoid the immune system in vivo. Porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFF) were grown to 80% confluency; after 48h, exosomes were isolated and concentrated from conditioned media by filtration with a 0.22-μm filter followed by 100-kDa molecular weight cutoff filter. Transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting for presence of CD81, and an uptake assay for exosomes stained with the lipophilic dye DiI (Invitrogen/Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) were used to characterise isolated exosomes, and average particle size was evaluated by NanoSight (Salisbury, United Kingdom). After characterisation, exosomes were loaded with Cas9 (PNA Bio, Newbury Park, CA, USA) using sonication, incubation with saponin, or extrusion. For each method of loading, 1.0×1011 exosomes and 500ng of Cas9 were used. For sonication, exosomes and Cas9 were sonicated 4 times: 4s on/2s off, left on ice for 2min, and then repeated for 4 more cycles. Loaded exosomes were then incubated at 37°C for 20min. For incubation with saponin, 100μL of 0.6% saponin solution was made in PBS, mixed with exosomes and Cas9, and then incubated on a shaker at 800 rpm for 20min. For extrusion, exosomes and Cas9 were extruded (Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster, AL, USA) 10, 15, or 20 times through a 0.22-μm filter. To evaluate efficiency of Cas9 loading into exosomes, loaded exosome samples were split in half, with one-half receiving a proteinase K digest (100μg mL−1) to remove free Cas9 and the other receiving no treatment. Proteinase K-treated and untreated samples were then compared side by side on Western blot staining for Cas9. ImageJ software (National Institutes for Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) was used to quantify band intensity and loading efficiency. With optimal conditions, our preliminary results show loading efficiency for sonication and saponin to be 16.7 and 19.2%, respectively, whereas loading by extrusion was undetectable. For CRISPR/Cas targeting, transgenic PFF carrying one copy of H2B-GFP were used to test delivery of ribonucleotide protein complex (RNP). To verify efficiency of the guide (g)RNA targeting green fluorescent protein (GFP), cells were nucleofected with Cas9 and gRNA. The DNA was extracted, PCR amplified, and sequenced (Eton Bioscience, San Diego, CA, USA) and then evaluated for indels with TIDE, resulting in a 53.2% cleavage efficiency. Next, exosomes will be loaded with RNP to knockout GFP in H2B-GFP cells, and targeting efficiency will be evaluated by flow cytometry and TIDE. We hypothesise that based on loading efficiency and target cell uptake, exosomes will present a safe and efficient method for in vitro and in vivo delivery of Cas9. The financial support of the Comparative Medicine Institute is gratefully acknowledged.

Critical care usage after major gastrointestinal and liver surgery: a prospective, multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND

Patient selection for critical care admission must balance patient safety with optimal resource allocation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between critical care admission, and postoperative mortality after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients enrolled in the DISCOVER study from UK and Republic of Ireland undergoing major gastrointestinal and liver surgery between October and December 2014. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore associations between critical care admission (planned and unplanned) and mortality, and inter-centre variation in critical care admission after emergency laparotomy.

RESULTS

Of 4529 patients included, 37.8% (n=1713) underwent planned critical care admissions from theatre. Some 3.1% (n=86/2816) admitted to ward-level care subsequently underwent unplanned critical care admission. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.9% (n=133/4519), and the risk-adjusted association between 30-day mortality and critical care admission was higher in unplanned [odds ratio (OR): 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.51-19.97) than planned admissions (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43-3.85). Some 26.7% of patients (n=1210/4529) underwent emergency laparotomies. After adjustment, 49.3% (95% CI: 46.8-51.9%, P<0.001) were predicted to have planned critical care admissions, with 7% (n=10/145) of centres outside the 95% CI.

CONCLUSIONS

After risk adjustment, no 30-day survival benefit was identified for either planned or unplanned postoperative admissions to critical care within this cohort. This likely represents appropriate admission of the highest-risk patients. Planned admissions in selected, intermediate-risk patients may present a strategy to mitigate the risk of unplanned admission. Substantial inter-centre variation exists in planned critical care admissions after emergency laparotomies.

To Gastric Cancer Patients, Diet Calls - On Living Demands by Gastric Cancer Patients

Background: My father died with gastric cancer about a decade ago. I missed him a lot in my daily life. It seems like a surprising opportunity for me to join the research on postcancer living for gastric cancer patients, through which I could share what I experienced as a caregiver to my father and delve more into issues pertaining to the details of the disease to make it more understandable and to make more demands satisfied. Gastric cancer ranked 7th (1.74%) among individual cases in HOPE Foundation for Cancer Care last year. Not as common as breast, colorectal or lung cancers, gastric cancer triggers more apparent side effects from surgeries, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy, which exhaust less stamina and compromise less life quality. And the condition is even worse when there is frugal number of resources in medical units and community health care systems. Thus the importance of demands for stomach cancer patients is critical. Aim: This research depicts the dietary influences and changes in regard to gastric cancer and treatment. Methods: By means of observing focus groups by 26 gastric cancer patients attending three times respectively. Results: These 26 gastric cancer patients experience extreme sensations such as “every gram counts” or “reaching to the tipping point of either too full or not enough “. The patients shared some precious novel dietary ideas like chopping or mashing, stewed rice, fluid-and-non-fluid separation for better digestion, or finding suitable dietary preferences through trial-error strategies and so on, most of which can not be derived merely by pure theoretical research rather than personal sharing and interactions with detailed “bloody cruel” living experiences. The information is right to the bulls-eye, comprehensible and advisable for coming dietary strategies. Conclusion: There´s only one word to describe the living conditions of a gastric cancer patient: diet. When the access and awareness to dietary information for gastric cancer patients are very limited, the aim for field practice lies in knowing how to have those patients to eat, and eat richly, and happily. Firstly, we can provide patients with places for group talking, in which they design creative and tailor-made cuisine for their own by trial-errors. Secondly, to those who suffer gastric cancer, it is fairly inconvenient to eat out, finding nowhere to get the right food for their specific dietary needs. Therefore, a “community gourmet spots”, a gathered sharing for food information, is suggested among patients to offer more choices to each other and to make healthier dieting environments. Lastly, more dietary consulting stations ought to be set in hospitals and community service centers for gastric cancer patients to acquire the right food information lest the disease adaptation inclines due to malnutrition.

Effects of dietary supplementation with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua on growth performance, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, immunity, and antioxidant capacity of heat-stressed broilers

The gastrointestinal tract is considered as one of the main target organs affected by heat stress. Phytogenic feed additives containing phenolics and flavonoids can improve the resistance of broilers to heat stress. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua (EA) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, immunity and antioxidant capacity of broilers challenged with heat stress. One hundred and forty-four 21-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed into 3 treatments: 1) non-challenged control (CON); 2) heat-stress-challenged control (HS); and 3) heat-stress-challenged group + 1 g EA/kg diet (HS-EA). From 22 to 41 d, broilers in the CON group were housed at 22 ± 1°C, the HS and HS-EA groups, in which broilers were raised at 34 ± 1°C for 8 h (0900-1700 h) and the temperature for the rest time was the same as that of the CON group. The EA supplementation alleviated the compromised body weight gain and intestinal morphology impairment caused by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The EA attenuated heat-stress-induced decreased intestinal lipase, trypsin and total superoxide dismutase activities, and reduced intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and IgG concentrations (P < 0.05). The EA inclusion prevented the elevation of intestinal malondialdehyde content and reduction of intestinal glutathione concentration induced by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The intestinal mRNA abundances of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase, gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase larger catalytic subunit and gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase smaller modulator subunit in heat-stressed broilers were increased in response to dietary EA treatment (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 1 g/kg EA could alleviate heat-stress-induced compromised growth performance and intestinal damage of broilers.