Definition of Environmental Variables and Critical Periods to Evaluate Heat Tolerance in Large White Pigs Based on Single-Step Genomic Reaction Norms

Properly quantifying environmental heat stress (HS) is still a major challenge in livestock breeding programs, especially as adverse climatic events become more common. The definition of critical periods and climatic variables to be used as the environmental gradient is a key step for genetically evaluating heat tolerance (HTol). Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to define the best critical periods and environmental variables (ENV) to evaluate HT and estimate variance components for HT in Large White pigs. The traits included in this study were ultrasound backfat thickness (BFT), ultrasound muscle depth (MDP), piglet weaning weight (WW), off-test weight (OTW), interval between farrowing (IBF), total number of piglets born (TNB), number of piglets born alive (NBA), number of piglets born dead (NBD), number of piglets weaned (WN), and weaning to estrus interval (IWE). Seven climatic variables based on public weather station data were compared based on three criteria, including the following: (1) strongest G×E estimate as measured by the slope term, (2) ENV yielding the highest theoretical accuracy of the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV), and (3) variable yielding the highest distribution of GEBV per ENV. Relative humidity (for BFT, MDP, NBD, WN, and WW) and maximum temperature (for OTW, TNB, NBA, IBF, and IWE) are the recommended ENV based on the analyzed criteria. The acute HS (average of 30 days before the measurement date) is the critical period recommended for OTW, BFT, and MDP in the studied population. For WN, WW, IBF, and IWE, a period ranging from 34 days prior to farrowing up to weaning is recommended. For TNB, NBA, and NBD, the critical period from 20 days prior to breeding up to 30 days into gestation is recommended. The genetic correlation values indicate that the traits were largely (WN, WW, IBF, and IWE), moderately (OTW, TNB, and NBA), or weakly (MDP, BFT, and NBD) affected by G×E interactions. This study provides relevant recommendations of critical periods and climatic gradients for several traits in order to evaluate HS in Large White pigs. These observations demonstrate that HT in Large White pigs is heritable, and genetic progress can be achieved through genetic and genomic selection.

Utilising clinical data to personlaise boundary conditions significantly improves the accuracy of angiography based virtual FFR

Background

Angiography-derived computed (virtual) fractional flow reserve (vFFR) permits the assessment of coronary physiology without the need for a pressure wire or hyperaemia. However, accuracy is limited by assumptions made about coronary microvascular resistance (CMVR) [1]. We hypothesised that machine learning may allow us to “tune” our estimate of the CMVR to increase the accuracy of vFFR.

Purpose

To determine whether routine clinical data can personalise CMVR and improve the accuracy of vFFR on an individual case basis.

Methods

Patients with chronic coronary syndromes underwent coronary angiography with FFR assessment. Vessel-specific CMVR was computed using a 3D- computational fluid dynamics simulation with invasively measured proximal and distal pressures. Predictive models were created using non-linear autoregressing moving average with exogenous inputs (NARMAX) modelling with computed CMVR as the dependent variable. vFFR was computed using previously described methods [2]. Three simulations were run, using: 1) a generic CMVR value (Model A); 2) a NARMAX-predicted CMVR based upon a panel of simple clinical data (Model B); and 3) a NARMAX-predicted CMVR incorporating echocardiographic data (Model C). The diagnostic and quantitative accuracy of each model was compared with directly measured FFR.

Results

Eighty four patients underwent coronary angiography with FFR assessment in 157 vessels. Mean age was 64 (±0.1) years and 64 (76%) were male. Mean FFR was 0.79 (±0.15). Mean CMVR was 1.01e+10 Pa/m3 s–1. vFFR error with Model A was ±0.10, with Model B was ±0.07 (p<0.001) and with Model C was ±0.05 (p<0.001) (Table 1).

Conclusion

vFFR is dependent upon not only the epicardial stenosis, but also the CMVR, estimation of which can be personalised based upon clinical and echocardiographic data. This can be used to increase the accuracy of vFFR.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation Clinial Research Training FellowshipNIHR i4i grant Table 1

Maxillary molar root and canal morphology of Neolithic and modern Chinese

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to characterize Neolithic human maxillary molars from archeological remains at the Jiaojia site, Shandong, China, and compare their ultrastructural features with sex and age-matched modern locals.

DESIGN

Maxillary first (n = 86) and second (n = 80) molars in 5000-year-old individuals (n = 50) from the Jiaojia site were scanned by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Sex and age-matched control groups were assigned from oral surgical patients at Shandong University. Images were analyzed for crown size, root length, root morphology, canal inter-orifice distances, mesiobuccal canal morphology, and second mesiobuccal (MB2) canal prevalence and location. Neolithic and modern values were compared statistically using Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney test at p < .05.

RESULTS

Crown and root size were smaller, and canal inter-orifice distances were shorter in Neolithic maxillary molars than their modern counterparts. For mesiobuccal roots, Weine's Type I single canals were the most prevalent in Neolithic and modern first and second molars. MB2 canal prevalence were not significantly different (p > .05) in Neolithic (53.3%) or modern (60.5%) first molars, and Neolithic (11.3%) or modern (21.3%) second molars. But, MB2 prevalence was significantly higher for modern than ancient male first (p = .032) and second (p = .005) molars. Additionally, MB2 were located more mesially and closer to MB1 in Neolithic than modern molars.

CONCLUSIONS

Maxillary molar root and canal morphology of ancient 5000-year-old remains at the Jiaojia site resemble that of local patients. A trend towards larger tooth size, and more dispersed MB2 canals over this short evolutionary period warrants additional investigation.

[Epidemiological characteristics of adenovirus infection in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection in Kunming during 2019]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of adenovirus (ADV)-caused acute respiratory tract infection among hospitalized children in Kunming, China. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data were collected from 467 children with adenovirus infection who were hospitalized from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 in 6 grade A class Ⅲ hospitals in Kunming area. The basic characteristics, epidemiology, mixed infection and adenovirus genotypes of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients diagnosed with adenovirus pneumonia (AP) were divided into two groups, severe AP (SAP) group and general AP(GAP) group according to the severity of illness. Mann-Whitney U test or χ² test was used for comparison between groups, while multivariate regression was applied to analyze the risk factors of SAP. Results: Among 15 635 hospitalized children with respiratory tract infection, 467 cases were adenovirus positive, with a detection rate of 2.99%. Of the 467 patients with adenovirus infection, 284 were male and 183 female, the age was 2.4 (1.1,3.9) years, including 44 cases (9.4%) < 0.5 years, 59 cases (12.6%) of 0.5 to<1.0 years, 176 cases (37.7%) of 1.0 to <3.0 years, 150 cases (32.1%) of 3.0 to <7.0 years, and 38 cases (8.1%) of 7.0 to 14.0 years. Adenovirus infection was common in autumn and winter, and the high incidence months were October to December, which accounted for 51.6% (241/467) of the whole year cases. Co-infection was detected in 226 cases (48.4%) out of 467 patients, in which one pathogen co-infection was the most frequent form (172 cases, 76.1%). Of the 262 pathogen detected 108 (41.2%) were Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In 144 of ADV-positve cases (30.8%) were taken geno-typing was done by PCR amplification, the results showed that 74 cases (51.4%) were ADV 3, 7 subtypes and 65 cases (45.1%) of ADV 1, 2,6 subtypes. Of the 467 cases of ADV infection, 320 (68.5%) were diagnosed with pneumonia, 82 (17.6%) with upper respiratory tract infection and pharyngeal tonsillitis, and 65 (13.9%) with bronchitis, laryngeal bronchitis, and asthmatic bronchitis. Among the 320 patients with AP, 56 cases were severe and 264 cases were general. Two cases (3.6%) in severe group died. Compared with the GAP group, the age was young [17 (11,42) months vs. 24 (14,44) months, Z=2.222, P=0.026], the fever duration was long [8 (5,14) days vs. 6 (3,9) days, Z=3.380, P<0.01], and the proportions of preterm birth and having underlying diseases were high [respectively 19.6% (11/56) vs. 6.1% (16/264), 26.8% (15/56) vs. 10.2% (27/264), χ²=8.965,11.109, P<0.05] in SAP group. Referring to laboratory markers, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly increased in SAP group as compared to GAP group(all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that preterm birth (OR=3.284, 95%CI 1.079-9.993, P=0.036), underlying disease (OR=3.284, 95%CI 1.079-9.993, P=0.036), fever duration ≥10 d (OR=2.523,95%CI 1.195-5.328, P=0.015) and C-reactive protein ≥50 mg/L (OR=3.156, 95%CI 1.324-7.524, P=0.010) were positively correlated with the risk of SAP. Conclusions: The incidence of adenovirus infection among hospitalized children in Kunming was lower than the national level, and no outbreak occurred in 2019. Subtype 3 and 7 of ADV are the predominant strains for infection, which usually occurs in autumn and winter and mainly causes pneumonia. Premature birth, underlining diseases, long fever duration and markedly increased C-reactive protein are the risk factors for developing into severe pneumonia. This paper presents the prevalence and clinical characteristics of adenovirus infection in children at high altitude area.

Differences in growth and vascularization of ectopic menstrual and non-menstrual endometrial tissue in mouse models of endometriosis

STUDY QUESTION

Is there a difference in the growth and vascularization between murine endometriotic lesions originating from menstrual or non-menstrual endometrial fragments?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Endometriotic lesions developing from menstrual and non-menstrual tissue fragments share many similarities, but also exhibit distinct differences in growth and vascularization, particularly under exogenous estrogen stimulation.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Mouse models are increasingly used in endometriosis research. For this purpose, menstrual or non-menstrual endometrial fragments serve for the induction of endometriotic lesions. So far, these two fragment types have never been directly compared under identical experimental conditions.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This was a prospective experimental study in a murine peritoneal and dorsal skinfold chamber model of endometriosis. Endometrial tissue fragments from menstruated (n = 15) and non-menstruated (n = 21) C57BL/6 mice were simultaneously transplanted into the peritoneal cavity or dorsal skinfold chamber of non-ovariectomized (non-ovx, n = 17), ovariectomized (ovx, n = 17) and ovariectomized, estrogen-substituted (ovx+E2, n = 17) recipient animals and analyzed throughout an observation period of 28 and 14 days, respectively.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

The engraftment, growth and vascularization of the newly developing endometriotic lesions were analyzed by means of high-resolution ultrasound imaging, intravital fluorescence microscopy, histology and immunohistochemistry.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Menstrual and non-menstrual tissue fragments developed into peritoneal endometriotic lesions without differences in growth, microvessel density and cell proliferation in non-ovx mice. Lesion formation out of both fragment types was markedly suppressed in ovx mice. In case of non-menstrual tissue fragments, this effect could be reversed by estrogen supplementation. In contrast, endometriotic lesions originating from menstrual tissue fragments exhibited a significantly smaller volume in ovx+E2 mice, which may be due to a reduced hormone sensitivity. Moreover, menstrual tissue fragments showed a delayed vascularization and a reduced blood perfusion after transplantation into dorsal skinfold chambers when compared to non-menstrual tissue fragments, indicating different vascularization modes of the two fragment types. To limit the role of chance, the experiments were conducted under standardized laboratory conditions. Statistical significance was accepted for a value of P < 0.05.

LARGE SCALE DATA

N/A.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

Endometriotic lesions were induced by syngeneic tissue transplantation into recipient mice without the use of pathological endometriotic tissue of human nature. Therefore, the results obtained in this study may not fully relate to human patients with endometriosis.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The present study significantly contributes to the characterization of common murine endometriosis models. These models represent important tools for studies focusing on the basic mechanisms of endometriosis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this frequent gynecological disease. The presented findings indicate that the combination of different experimental models and approaches may be the most appropriate strategy to study the pathophysiology and drug sensitivity of a complex disease such as endometriosis under preclinical conditions.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

There was no specific funding of this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

P–568 Homozygous Pathogenic Variants in ACTL9 Cause Fertilization Failure and Male Infertility in Human and Mouse

Study question

What are the other male factors that cause total fertilization failure (TFF) excepting for variants in PLCZ1?

Summary answer

Homozygous variants in ACTL9 (actin like 9) cause abnormal localization of PLCζ in a loosened perinuclear theca (PT) structure and leads to TFF.

What is known already

In previous studies, investigators have reported that the female factors in TFF after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) include pathogenic variants in WEE2, TLE6, and TUBB8, whereas for male factors, pathogenic variants in PLCZ1 were reported to be the primary cause of TFF, which account for approximately 30% of couples with male factors in TFF excluding globozoospermia. Most recently, it was reported that pathogenic variants in ACTL7A led to reduced expression and abnormal localization of PLCζ, thereby identifying this genetic variant as a potential cause of TFF.

Study design, size, duration

Fifty-four infertile couples with TFF or poor fertilization (fertilization rate of &lt; 20%) at the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya during January 2014 to June 2020 were recruited into this study.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Male factors were identified in (MOAT). WES analysis was used to analyze the genetic factors of individuals with male factors. Sperm morphological study was conducted by H&E staining and TEM. Immunostaining of PLCζ was used to analyze the status of sperm-borne activation factor. A knock-in mouse model was generated by CRISPER-Cas9 technology. Sperm from homozygous Actl9 variant mice were analyzed by TEM and ICSI. ICSI with AOA was performed in couples with ACTL9 variants.

Main results and the role of chance

A total of 54 couples with TFF or poor fertilization were screened, with 21 couples determined to have a male infertility factor by MOAT. Whole-exome sequencing of these 21 male individuals identified three homozygous pathogenic variants in ACTL9 in three individuals. ACTL9 variations led to abnormal ultrastructure of the PT, with PLCζ absent in the head and present in the neck of the mutant sperm, which contributed to failed normal calcium oscillations in oocytes and subsequent TFF. The key roles of ACTL9 in the PT structure and TFF after ICSI were further confirmed in Actl9-mutated mouse model. Furthermore, assisted oocyte activation by calcium ionophore exposure successfully overcame TFF and achieved live births in a couple with an ACTL9 variant.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The mechanism of how ACTL9 regulate PLCζ remains unknown.

Wider implications of the findings: It provided a genetic marker and a therapeutic option for individuals who have undergone ICSI without successful fertilization.

Trial registration number

not applioable

The effect of dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan on its control and prevention of COVID-19

Objectives

As a unique prevention and control measure, the dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan has played a key role in protecting Wuhan against COVID-19. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the effect of this key measure in reducing infections and fatalities.

Study design

A scenario analysis is used in this study, where the forming of scenarios is on the basis of the stages of medical to Wuhan. We divided the evaluation into 4 scenarios: Scenario Ⅰ—no dispatch, Scenario Ⅱ—dispatch of 4599 medical staff, Scenario Ⅲ—dispatch of 16,000 staff, and Scenario Ⅳ—dispatch of 32,000 staff.

Methods

The extended Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered-Death model was adopted to quantify the effect of the dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Results

The dispatch dramatically cuts the channels for the transmission of the virus and succeeds in raising the cure rates while reducing the fatality rates. If there were no dispatch at all, a cumulative total of 158,881 confirmed cases, 18,700 fatalities and a fatality rate of 11.77% would have occurred in Wuhan, which are 3.2 times, 4.8 times and 1.5 times the real figures respectively. The dispatch has avoided 108,541 confirmed cases and 14,831 fatalities in this city.

Conclusions

The proven successful measure provides valuable experience and enlightenment to international cooperation on prevention and control of COVID-19, as well as a similar outbreak of new emerging infectious diseases.

Accurate diagnosis of colorectal cancer based on histopathology images using artificial intelligence

BACKGROUND

Accurate and robust pathological image analysis for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis is time-consuming and knowledge-intensive, but is essential for CRC patients' treatment. The current heavy workload of pathologists in clinics/hospitals may easily lead to unconscious misdiagnosis of CRC based on daily image analyses.

METHODS

Based on a state-of-the-art transfer-learned deep convolutional neural network in artificial intelligence (AI), we proposed a novel patch aggregation strategy for clinic CRC diagnosis using weakly labeled pathological whole-slide image (WSI) patches. This approach was trained and validated using an unprecedented and enormously large number of 170,099 patches, > 14,680 WSIs, from > 9631 subjects that covered diverse and representative clinical cases from multi-independent-sources across China, the USA, and Germany.

RESULTS

Our innovative AI tool consistently and nearly perfectly agreed with (average Kappa statistic 0.896) and even often better than most of the experienced expert pathologists when tested in diagnosing CRC WSIs from multicenters. The average area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of AI was greater than that of the pathologists (0.988 vs 0.970) and achieved the best performance among the application of other AI methods to CRC diagnosis. Our AI-generated heatmap highlights the image regions of cancer tissue/cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This first-ever generalizable AI system can handle large amounts of WSIs consistently and robustly without potential bias due to fatigue commonly experienced by clinical pathologists. It will drastically alleviate the heavy clinical burden of daily pathology diagnosis and improve the treatment for CRC patients. This tool is generalizable to other cancer diagnosis based on image recognition.

[Correlation between midpalatal suture stage on cone-beam CT images and its cervical vertebral maturation stage for 1 076 Chinese children and youth]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between cone-beam CT (CBCT) morphological stage of midpalatal suture (MPS) and cervical vertebral maturation stage (CS) of Chinese children and youth. Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study. A total of 1 076 CBCT images (male: 401, female: 675, age≥ 6.0 years old and<21.0 years old) taken from January 2013 to April 2018 in Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology were included. MPS and CS of each sample were recorded according to previous studies. MPS included five stages: MPS 1, MPS 2, MPS 3, MPS 4s1 (substage), MPS 4s2 (substage), and MPS 5. CS included six stages: CS 1-6. Correlation between MPS and CS (ordinal categorical variables) was investigated by Spearman correlation coefficient and diagnostic test analysis. Results: Spearman coefficient between CS and MPS was 0.803. Diagnostic pairs with the best diagnostic performance include: CS 6-MPS 5, CS 5-MPS 4s2, CS 1-MPS 1, CS 4-MPS 4s1, CS 2-MPS 1, CS 3-MPS 3. The 90.9% (309/340) of individuals at CS 1-3 were at MPS 1-3 and 9.1% (31/340) were at MPS 4s1. The 33.0% (107/324) of individuals at CS 4 were at MPS 3 and 46.6% (151/324) were at MPS 4s1. Conclusions: CS has a close relationship with MPS. Individuals at CS 4 are recommended to take pre-treatment CBCT, so as to estimate feasibility of skeletal expansion with traditional tooth-borne rapid maxillary expansion.

Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia: Advantages, Limitations, and New Perspectives for Treatment of Patients with Critical Diabetic Vasculopathy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To provide a highlight of the current state of cell therapy for the treatment of critical limb ischemia in patients with diabetes.

RECENT FINDINGS

The global incidence of diabetes is constantly growing with consequent challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. In the UK only, NHS costs attributed to diabetic complications, such as peripheral vascular disease, amputation, blindness, renal failure, and stroke, average £10 billion each year, with cost pressure being estimated to get worse. Although giant leaps forward have been registered in the scope of early diagnosis and optimal glycaemic control, an effective treatment for critical limb ischemia is still lacking. The present review aims to provide an update of the ongoing work in the field of regenerative medicine. Recent advancements but also limitations imposed by diabetes on the potential of the approach are addressed. In particular, the review focuses on the perturbation of non-coding RNA networks in progenitor cells and the possibility of using emerging knowledge on molecular mechanisms to design refined protocols for personalized therapy. The field of cell therapy showed rapid progress but has limitations. Significant advances are foreseen in the upcoming years thanks to a better understanding of molecular bottlenecks associated with the metabolic disorders.

JAB1 Promotes High Glucose-Induced Inflammation and Extracellular Matrix Deposition in Glomerular Mesangial Cells by Regulating Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2

Diabetic or hyperglycaemic conditions stimulate the inflammatory response, excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, and result in glomerulosclerosis, a scarring process of diabetic nephropathy. c-Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) functions as a regulator of pathways involved in cellular apoptosis and proliferation. The role of JAB1 in diabetic nephropathy was investigated in this study. Firstly, glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) were treated with high glucose, and high glucose conditions induced up-regulation of JAB1 in the GMCs. Moreover, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-1β were also elevated in high glucose-induced GMCs. Secondly, silencing of JAB1 reduced the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-1β in high glucose-induced GMCs. In addition, silencing of JAB1 attenuated the high glucose-induced decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The increased TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen IV, and fibronectin levels in high glucose-induced GMCs were restored by knockdown of JAB1. Thirdly, angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) expression was reduced by JAB1. Over-expression of ANGPTL2 weakened the JAB1 silence-induced decrease of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen IV, and fibronectin. In conclusion, silencing of JAB1 reduced extracellular matrix deposition and suppressed inflammation in high glucose-induced GMCs through down-regulation of ANGPTL2.

Intratumoral interleukin-9 delineates a distinct immunogenic class of gastric cancer patients with better prognosis and adjuvant chemotherapeutic response

Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a T cell cytokine that is associated with inflammation and allergy, but the expression level of IL-9 in gastric cancer and its clinical significance are less well established. Our study aims to uncover the critical role of IL-9 in the progression of gastric cancer. Here, a total of 453 patients with gastric cancer undergoing curative resection were enrolled for immunohistochemical analyses, and Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to compare overall survival of patients in different subgroups. We further investigated the correlation between IL-9 expression and functional status of intratumoral CD8⁺ T cells by means of Flow cytometry. Moreover, in vitro study was preformed to further explore the influence of IL-9 on anti-tumor immunity. Results indicated that gastric cancer patients with high IL-9 expression showed improved overall survival and gained more benefit from 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). High IL-9 expression was associated with increased numbers and elevated function of intratumoral CD8⁺ T cells. In vitro study revealed that recombinant human IL-9 (rhIL-9) exhibit anti-tumor activity via enhancing the function of intratumoral CD8⁺ T cells. Moreover, we found rhIL-9 could augment the efficacy of Pembrolizumab in gastric cancer. In summary, these results suggest that IL-9 expression could act as an independent predictor for overall survival and ACT response and enhancing IL-9 signaling might represent an important therapeutic strategy in gastric cancer.

Dietary fatty acids and risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: Observations from the Washington Heights-Hamilton Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP)

INTRODUCTION

High dietary intake of long chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with lower Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk.

METHODS

Washington Heights-Hamilton Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project is a multiethnic, prospective observational study of aging and dementia among elderly (≥ 65 years). Dietary intake was measured using a food frequency questionnaire. Dietary short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acid intakes were categorized by number of carbons and double bonds. Consensus AD diagnoses were made. Associations between AD risk and dietary fatty acid and cholesterol intakes were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

Of 2612 multiethnic women (67%) and men (baseline age 76.3 [6.4] years), 380 developed AD over an average 4.5 years follow-up. Lower risk of AD was associated with increasing intakes of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57 to 0.95, P = 0.018) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.95, P = 0.021), and longer AD-free survival (P < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

Higher intake of DHA and EPA are protective for AD.

Exercise stress global longitudinal strain echocardiography can detect subclinical cardiac dysfunction and assist in risk stratification in children with Kawasaki disease: a 3-year follow-up study

Background

Global longitudinal strain (GLS) echo has been regarded as a sensitive and reproducible indicator for detection of subclinical cardiac dysfunction in children with Kawasaki disease (KD), but whether it can assist in differentiating KD patients with different severity of coronary artery lesions (CALs) has been rarely reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of GLS derived from rest and exercise stress echo in risk stratification in patients with KD.

Methods

43 children with KD and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. KDs was divided into 3 groups according to the severity of CALs based on Z score, which was measured at the 3-year follow-up, G1 = KD without CALs (Z&lt;2), G2 = KD with mild CALs (2≤Z&lt;5), G3 = KD with severe CALs (Z≥5). Both group underwent echo at the onset of KD diagnosis and at the 3 years' follow-up, including: diameter of LA and LV, thickness of LVPW and IVS, LVFS, LVEF, and rest GLS (GLSrest). Both group also accomplished the exercise stress echo at the 3 years' follow-up, who squatted quickly to reach target heart rate and stress GLS (GLSstress) was recorded. Patients in G3 underwent a CMR examination, including LGE, to detect myocardial ischemia or infarction.

Results

38 KDs and 50 HCs had normal exercise tolerance. There were 18, 8, and 12 patients in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. LA, LV, LVPW, IVS and LVEF, were not significantly different in the KDs at the onset and 3-year follow-up, and so did that between KDs and HCs (all p&gt;0.05). Both GLSrest and GLSstress in the KDs were significantly decreased compared with HCs (GLSrest: −17.2±9.1% vs. −22.3±0.7%, p&lt;0.01; GLSstress: −20.7±3.5% vs. −27.7±0.7%, p&lt;0.01, seen in Fig.1A, B). However, there were no significant difference in GLSrest among 3 subgroups of KDs (G1: −18.0±10.0%; G2: −19.7±1.2%; G3: 14.4±10.4%; all p&gt;0.05, seen in Fig.1C). GLSstress in the G3 decreased significantly compared with that in G1 and G2 (G3 vs. G1: −16.8±2.6% vs. −22.8±1.9%, p&lt;0.01; G3 vs. G2: −16.8±2.6% vs. −22.1±2.5%, p&lt;0.01, seen in Fig. 1D). GLSrest had no correlation with Z score (r=0.08, p=0.62), but GLSstress correlated well with Z score (r=0.70, p&lt;0.01). 8 of 12 (67%) patients in the G3 underwent CMR and 6 of 8 (75%) were found endomyocardial enhancement on LGE, which indicated myocardial infarction corresponding to the territory of abnormal coronary arteries (seen in Fig. 2).

Conclusions

GLS derived from rest and exercise stress speckle-tracking echo can detect subclinical cardiac dysfunction in KD patients with normal LV systolic function by conventional measurements, but rest GLS could not assist in differentiating KD patients with different severity of CALs. Exercise stress GLS, which correlated well with Z score, has the potential in risk stratification in children with KD, and thus may provide prognostic value in multidisciplinary treatment strategy.

Statistics and echo, CMR imaging

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

PHACTR1, a pro-atherosclerotic mechanosensitive PPARgamma corepressor in endothelial cells

Background

Numerous genome-wide association studies revealed that SNPs at phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (PHACTR1) locus are strongly correlated with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the mechanism linking these variants to CAD remains uncertain.

Purpose

We studied the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of PHACTR1 in atherosclerosis.

Methods and results

Analysis of GTEx database showed that CAD-related SNPs in PHACTR1 are cis-eQTLs for PHACTR1 in arteries. Therefore, we generated Phactr1 knockout mice and crossed them with apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice to induce atherosclerosis by high-fat/high-cholesterol (HF-HC) diet. Phactr1 deficiency significantly inhibited atherosclerosis with decreased inflammatory cell infiltration. Western blot showed that PHACTR1 was restricted to endothelial cells (ECs) in mice. Mechanistically, RNAseq of aortic ECs revealed that the major molecular function of PHACTR1 was transcriptional regulation. PPARγ/RXRα was the top transcription factor, and PPARγ target gene expression substantially increased in Phactr1−/− mice. Moreover, we generated endothelial cell specific Phactr1−/−, ApoE−/− mice and found decreased atherosclerotic plaque area in aortic sinus. In vitro, PHACTR1 associated with PPARγ and inhibited PPARγ transcriptional activity. The inhibitory effect of PHACTR1 on PPARγ required its shuttling from cytosol to nucleus triggered by disturbed flow, a well-established pro-atherosclerotic stimulus.

Conclusion

Our results identified PHACTR1 as a mechanosensitive corepressor of PPARγ in ECs to promote atherosclerosis. Endothelial PHACTR1 is a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis treatment.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (CPSF)

Rescue of cardiac function in obese type-2 diabetic mice by transfer of a human longevity gene

Background

Healthy longevity is the result of the interaction between favourable environment and unique genetic makeup. We showed that horizontal transfer of a longevity-associated gene variant (LAV-BPIFB4) improves endothelial function and accelerates the recovery from ischemia.

Purpose

To determine if the benefit of LAV-BPIFB4 gene therapy can be extended to diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Methods and results

We confirmed that human diabetic patients with heart failure (n=13) show a decreased cardiac expression of BPIFB4 compared with healthy subjects (n=10). Obese db/db mice received a systemic injection of adeno-associated viral vector (AAV9)-LAV-BPIFB4, AAV9-wild type (WT)-BPIFB4 (both 100 μL at 1×1012 GC/mL) or vehicle before the onset of cardiomyopathy, and were euthanised four weeks later for histological, metabolic and transcriptional analyses. Echocardiographic evaluation (n=8/group), performed at baseline and after gene therapy, showed that LAV-BPIFB4 treatment, despite not resolving hyperglycaemia, improved left ventricular function compared with the other groups. Histological analyses of the hearts (n=5 to 10/group) revealed that LAV-BPIFB4 reduced myocardial fibrosis and increased angiogenesis compared with vehicle and WT-hearts; moreover, LAV increased the expression of the alpha-isoform of the cardiac myosin heavy chain, which is associated with a superior cardiomyocyte contractility. Interestingly, LAV-BPIFB4 treatment induced an increase in cardiac SDF1 expression compared with WT and vehicle, despite the mechanism linking the two events is still unknown. The oral administration of the CXCR4 antagonist AMD-070, given at 2 mg/kg/day for four weeks, abolished several of the beneficial effects exerted by the LAV-BPIFB4 therapy in the obese diabetic mice, as assessed by echocardiography and histology (n=7/group).

At the molecular level, next-generation RNA sequencing (n=3 to 4 /group) showed 8 genes were differentially expressed by LAV-BPIFB4-hearts compared with vehicle-hearts. These genes are associated with mitochondrial and metabolic functions. Among them, changes in the UCP3, HMGCS2, CS, ATPB and TOMM20 expression were also validated at the protein level by western blotting. Lipidomics using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (n=6 or 7/group) showed 63 metabolites differentially expressed by LAV-BPIFB4- compared with vehicle-hearts, with only 3 (two cardiolipins and one glycerophospholipid) returning close to the non-diabetic phenotype following LAV-BPIFB4 treatment.

Conclusions

This study newly shows the possibility of transferring the benefit of salutary polymorphic gene variants to protect the cardiovascular system from metabolic pressure. Rather than combating pathogenic mechanisms, the strategy activates alternative pathways overriding disease risk factors.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation project grant “Longevity-associated BPIFB4 gene therapy for treatment of ischemic disease”

A nomogram to predict recurrence of RA patients in clinical remission within one year

OBJECTIVE

Some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will recur despite they have achieved clinical remission after treatment. The subclinical synovitis detected by ultrasonography (US) may be one of the main causes of the RA recurrence. The aim of this study is to establish a nomogram for predicting the outcome of RA patients with disease in clinical remission.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and sixty-seven RA patients who achieved clinical remission and were willing to receive a 1-year follow-up were included in this study. Their demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics were recorded at baseline. 7-joints ultrasound (US7) synovitis score (simplified from US7 score) were evaluated at baseline and at the end of follow-up (or when RA recurrence confirmed). All patients were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group after the follow-up. Multivariable regression was applied to link the predictors that were significant at p < 0.05 in the univariate analysis and the recurrence of RA patients in clinical remission, which was served as the basis of the nomogram.

RESULTS

Fifty-one RA patients were included in the recurrence group and 116 patients in the non-recurrence group. All US7 synovitis scores in this study showed excellent reproducibility. Multivariable analysis revealed that high-titer positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), simplified clinical disease activity index (SDAI), baseline grayscale ultrasound (GSUS) score, and baseline power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) score were the independent predictors for RA recurrence within 1 year. A nomogram incorporating the independent predictors was constructed to predict the risk of RA recurrence. The nomogram showed good discrimination (C-index=0.826) and good calibration.

CONCLUSIONS

The nomogram incorporating anti-CCP, SDAI, and subclinical synovitis helps to achieve complete remission and reduces the risk of short-term recurrence of RA patients.