Synthesis of graphene and recovery of lithium from lithiated graphite of spent Li-ion battery

Recycling of spent Li-ion batteries is crucial for achieving sustainable development of battery industry. Current recycling processes mainly focus on valuable metals but less attention has been paid to spent graphite, which generally ends up as secondary waste. In this study, a process for preparing graphene and recovering Li in anode as a by-product from spent graphite was developed. The key point was to re-charge the spent LIBs to generate lithium graphite intercalation compounds. The lithium graphite intercalation compounds were then subjected to a hydrolysis procedure and graphene could be produced through ultrasonic treatment via the expansion/micro-explosion mechanism. Experimental results demonstrated that 1-4 layered graphene could be efficiently produced when spent Li-ion batteries with beyond 50% capacity were re-charged. The prepared graphene showed high quantity containing few defects (I_D/I_G = 0.33, C/O = 13.2 by energy dispersive spectroscopy and C/O = 8.8 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). In addition, Li was simultaneously recovered in the form of battery-grade lithium carbonate in the above process. Economic analysis indicated that the graphene production cost was extremely low ($540/ton) compared to that of commercial graphene.

Highly Sensitive and Durable Sea-Urchin-Shaped Silver Nanoparticles Strain Sensors for Human-Activity Monitoring

High-performance strain sensors, composed of various artificial sensing materials on/in stretchable substrates, show great promise for applications in flexible electronic devices. Here, we demonstrated a highly sensitive and durable strain sensor consisting of a ribbon of close-packed sea-urchin-shaped silver nanoparticles (SUSNs) sandwiched between two layers of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Each of SUSNs possesses high-density and spherically distributed sharp spines over the body, which promotes electron transduction and further improves signal detection. This SUSN-based sensor possesses a desirable integration of high sensitivity (a gauge factor of 60) and large stretchability (up to 25%) at tensile sensing, broadening its application in wearable devices. Moreover, it also shows fast response (48 ms), good reproducibility, and long-term stability (>2500 cycles at 20% strain). It can also be used to detect compressing (sensitivity up to 31.5) and folding-type bending deformations. The sensing mechanism, the resistance of the sensors varying as the deformation load, results from the inter-spine contacts change and the microcracks evolution caused by variation in the gap between SUSNs. The sensor's sensitivity at different degrees of strain was also achieved by controlling the width of the close-packed SUSNs ribbon. For practical demonstration, the SUSN-based sensors could be used as wearable devices for monitoring human activities ranging from subtle deformations to substantial movements.

Knowledge Enhanced LSTM for Coreference Resolution on Biomedical Texts

MOTIVATION

Bio-entity Coreference Resolution focuses on identifying the coreferential links in biomedical texts, which is crucial to complete bio-events' attributes and interconnect events into bio-networks. Previously, as one of the most powerful tools, deep neural network-based general domain systems are applied to the biomedical domain with domain-specific information integration. However, such methods may raise much noise due to its insufficiency of combining context and complex domain-specific information.

RESULTS

In this paper, we explore how to leverage the external knowledge base in a fine-grained way to better resolve coreference by introducing a knowledge-enhanced Long Short Term Memory network (LSTM), which is more flexible to encode the knowledge information inside the LSTM. Moreover, we further propose a knowledge attention module to extract informative knowledge effectively based on contexts. The experimental results on the BioNLP and CRAFT datasets achieve state-of-the-art performance, with a gain of 7.5 F1 on BioNLP and 10.6 F1 on CRAFT. Additional experiments also demonstrate superior performance on the cross-sentence coreferences.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The Emerging Roles of Axonemal Glutamylation in Regulation of Cilia Architecture and Functions

Cilia, which either generate coordinated motion or sense environmental cues and transmit corresponding signals to the cell body, are highly conserved hair-like structures that protrude from the cell surface among diverse species. Disruption of ciliary functions leads to numerous human disorders, collectively referred to as ciliopathies. Cilia are mechanically supported by axonemes, which are composed of microtubule doublets. It has been recognized for several decades that tubulins in axonemes undergo glutamylation, a post-translational polymodification, that conjugates glutamic acid chains onto the C-terminal tail of tubulins. However, the physiological roles of axonemal glutamylation were not uncovered until recently. This review will focus on how cells modulate glutamylation on ciliary axonemes and how axonemal glutamylation regulates cilia architecture and functions, as well as its physiological importance in human health. We will also discuss the conventional and emerging new strategies used to manipulate glutamylation in cilia.

Transition of aromatic volatile and transcriptome profiles during melon fruit ripening

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important diploid crop with a wide variety of flavors due to its distinct aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOC). To understand the development of VOC profiles during fruit development, we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of two cantaloupe varieties over the course of fruit development. A total of 130 metabolites were detected in fruit samples, and 449014207 reads were mapped to the melon genome. A total of 4469 differentially expressed genes in fruits were identified and used to visualize the transition of VOC and transcriptomic profiles during the fruit development. A shift of VOC profiles in both varieties was observed from early-fruit profiles enriched in C5-C8 lipid-derived VOCs to late-fruit profiles abundant in C9 lipid-derived VOCs, apocarotenoids, and esters. The shift coincided with the expression of specific isoforms of lipid and carotenoid metabolizing enzymes as well as transcription factors involved in fruit ripening, metabolite regulation, and hormone signaling.

Remote Mesoscopic Signatures of Induced Magnetic Texture in Graphene

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations are a ubiquitous signature of phase-coherent transport in small conductors, exhibiting universal character independent of system details. In this Letter, however, we demonstrate a pronounced breakdown of this universality, due to the interplay of local and remote phenomena in transport. Our experiments are performed in a graphene-based interaction-detection geometry, in which an artificial magnetic texture is induced in the graphene layer by covering a portion of it with a micromagnet. When probing conduction at some distance from this region, the strong influence of remote factors is manifested through the appearance of giant conductance fluctuations, with amplitude much larger than e^{2}/h. This violation of one of the fundamental tenets of mesoscopic physics dramatically demonstrates how local considerations can be overwhelmed by remote signatures in phase-coherent conductors.

High expression of ACE2 in the human lung leads to the release of IL6 by suppressing cellular immunity: IL6 plays a key role in COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

The pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains clear, and no effective treatment exists. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 and uses ACE2 as a cell receptor to invade human cells. Therefore, ACE2 is a key factor to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included 9,783 sequencing results of different organs, analyzed the effects of different ACE2 expression patterns in organs and immune regulation.

RESULTS

We found that ACE2 expression was significantly increased in the lungs and digestive tract. The cellular immunity of individuals with elevated ACE2 expression is activated, whereas humoral immunity is dampened, leading to the release of many inflammatory factors dominated by IL6. Furthermore, by studying the sequencing results of SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected cells, IL6 was found to be an indicator of a significant increase in the number of infected cells. However, although patients with high expression of ACE2 will release many inflammatory factors dominated by IL6, cellular immunity in the colorectum is significantly activated. This effect may explain why individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection have severe lung symptoms and digestion issues, which are important causes of milder symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

This finding indicates that ACE2 and IL6 inhibitors have important value in COVID-19.

Bsep expression in hilar cholangiocarcinoma of rat model

Develop a rat model of hilar cholangiocarcinoma for detecting bile salt export pump (Bsep) expression in hilar cholangiocarcinoma tissues, in order to provide a new therapeutic target for the gene therapy of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Sixty male Wistar rats (body weight, 190 ± 8 g) were randomly divided into three groups (the experimental group, the control group and the sham operation group, n = 20 each) as follows: The three groups were fed a standard diet, the experimental group was injected by cholangiocarcinoma QBC939 cell suspension along the hilar bile duct into the bile duct bifurcation with microsyringe, the control group was injected by normal saline, the sham operation group did not inject anything. Every day assess the rats’ mental state, diet, and motion by using Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan and combined behavioral score. At 4 weeks, one rat of the experimental group was sacrificed after it was administered anesthesia, and we recorded changes in hilar bile duct size, texture, and form. This procedure was repeated at 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, hilar cholangiocarcinoma developed only in the experimental group, thereby establishing an experimental model for studying QBC939-induced hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Tumor formation was confirmed by pathological examination, and hilar bile duct tissues were harvested from both the groups. A real-time polymerase chain reaction assay and an immunohistochemical assay were used to analyze the expression of Bsep in hilar bile duct tissues of each group. From the second week, the rats in experimental group began to eat less, and their body mass decreased compared with control group and sham operation group. After 6 weeks, we detected hilar cholangiocarcinoma in the hilar bile duct tissues of 18 rats (90%) in the experimental group. In the experimental group with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, we found that the levels of total cholesterol, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin were higher compared with those in the control group and sham operation group. Simultaneously, muddy stones emerged from the bile ducts of rats in the experimental group. The Bsep/Gapdh mRNA ratio in hilar cholangiocarcinoma, control group and sham operation group differed markedly. Light microscopy revealed a granular pattern of Bsep protein expression which reacted with the anti-Bsep antibody. Each section was randomly divided into six regions, with 80 cells were observed in every region. Sections with > 10% positive cells were designated positive, Sections with < 10% positive cells were designated negative. Each group included 4800 cells. In the experimental group, 1200 cells (25%) were positive, in the control group, 3648 cells (76%) were positive and in the sham operation group 3598 cells (75%) were positive, and this difference was statistically significant. Bsep expression significantly decreased in hilar cholangiocarcinoma of rats than those in control group and sham operation group, suggesting that drugs targeting Bsep are a new strategy for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

In Situ TEM Study on Conversion-Type Electrodes for Rechargeable Ion Batteries

Conversion-type materials have been considered as potentially high-energy-density alternatives to commercially dominant intercalation-based electrodes for rechargeable ion batteries and have attracted tremendous research effort to meet the performance for viable energy-storage technologies. In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been extensively employed to provide mechanistic insights into understanding the behavior of battery materials. Noticeably, a great portion of previous in situ TEM studies has been focused on conversion-type materials, but a dedicated review for this group of materials is missing in the literature. Herein, recent developments of in situ TEM techniques for investigation of dynamic phase transformation and associated structural, morphological, and chemical evolutions during conversion reactions with alkali ions in secondary batteries are comprehensively summarized. The materials of interest broadly cover metal oxides, chalcogenides, fluorides, phosphides, nitrides, and silicates with specific emphasis on spinel metal oxides and recently emerged 2D metal chalcogenides. Special focus is placed on the scientific findings that are uniquely obtained by in situ TEM to address fundamental questions and practical issues regarding phase transformation, structural evolution, electrochemical redox, reaction mechanism, kinetics, and degradation. Critical challenges and perspectives are discussed for advancing new knowledge that can bridge the gap between prototype materials and real-world applications.

AtPiezo Plays an Important Role in Root Cap Mechanotransduction

Plants encounter a variety of mechanical stimuli during their growth and development. It is currently believed that mechanosensitive ion channels play an essential role in the initial perception of mechanical force in plants. Over the past decade, the study of Piezo, a mechanosensitive ion channel in animals, has made significant progress. It has been proved that the perception of mechanical force in various physiological processes of animals is indispensable. However, little is still known about the function of its homologs in plants. In this study, by investigating the function of the AtPiezo gene in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we found that AtPiezo plays a role in the perception of mechanical force in plant root cap and the flow of Ca2+ is involved in this process. These findings allow us to understand the function of AtPiezo from the perspective of plants and provide new insights into the mechanism of plant root cap in response to mechanical stimuli.

Flower-like MoS2 microspheres compounded with irregular CdS pyramid heterojunctions: highly efficient and stable photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water

An irregular CdS pyramid/flower-like MoS₂ microsphere composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical tests. The composite photocatalysts showed superior photocatalytic activities for hydrogen evolution from water under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) with an extremely high apparent quantum yield (AQY = 64.8%) at 420 nm. To our knowledge, this value is the highest reported efficiency value for CdS/MoS₂ photocatalysts. Further detailed characterization revealed that the special structure for some CdS pyramid structures dispersed in the MoS₂ microsphere structures and surrounded by MoS₂ nanosheets led to the photogenerated electrons migrating from the conduction band of different faces of the CdS pyramid to the conduction band of different MoS₂ nanosheets while photogenerated holes remained in the CdS pyramid structures, which greatly promoted the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, improving the photoactivity of the CdS/MoS₂ catalyst. The catalyst also exhibited perfect stability, and the photoactivity displayed no significant degradation during continuous hydrogen production over nearly 70 h.

Schematic diagram of the photogenerated carrier migration between CdS and MoS₂.

Interlocked 3D active carbon fibers and monolithic I-doped Bi2O2CO3 structure built by 2D face-to-face interaction: endowed with cycling stability and photocatalytic activity

Photocatalysis is considered a remarkable green method in the catalytic degradation of wastewater; however, the collection and loading of the powdered catalyst is still a problem.

Acupuncture Medical Therapy and its Underlying Mechanisms: A Systematic Review

As a traditional Chinese alternative health care approach, acupuncture is gaining increasing attention and reputation in China and overseas. While becoming increasingly popular globally, some consumers and professionals still know little about the therapy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Due to local superiority, there are large numbers of both clinical applications and mechanistic studies performed in China compared to countries overseas. Herein, this review attempts to give a comprehensive profile of the development, application, and mechanisms of acupuncture in treating major diseases. The number of clinical publications concerning acupuncture-treated neurological diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, etc. is first counted, and then, the application and therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture on the predominant diseases in each category, including obesity, facial paralysis, sciatica, depression, hypertension, asthma, etc., are specifically discussed in this paper. The evolution of acupuncture tools and the rationality of acupoints are also discussed. This review not only summarizes the mechanisms of acupuncture but also provides useful information, such as specific acupoints and acupuncture procedures, for treating common diseases. Therefore, the current study provides useful information for both investigators and acupuncturists.

Thymic function affects breast cancer development and metastasis by regulating expression of thymus secretions PTMα and Tβ15b1

Breast cancer is currently one of the most common malignant tumors in women. Our previous research found that thymic dysfunction has a certain relationship with the occurrence and development of breast cancer. In order to explore whether the functional status of thymus is related to the development and metastasis of breast cancer, we use BALB/c wild type mice (BALB wt), BALB/c nude mice (BALB nu), BALB wt mice implanted with 4T1 cells (wt 4T1), BALB nu with 4T1 (nu 4T1), D-galactose treatment wt 4T1 mice (D-Gal), Thymalfasin treatment wt 4T1 mice (Tα1), Cyclophosphamide treatment wt 4T1 mice (CTX), Doxorubicin treatment wt 4T1 mice (Dox) in the research. As a result, nu 4T1, D-Gal and DOX had earlier lung metastases. Gene chip results showed that PTMα and Tβ15b1 were the most up-regulated and down-regulated genes in thymosin-related genes, respectively. Overexpression or silencing of PTMα and Tβ15b1 genes did not affect the proliferation of 4T1 cells. PTMα gene silenced, cell migration and invasion ability enhanced, while PTMα gene overexpression, the cell invasion ability weaken. In vivo, PTMα gene overexpression promotes tumor growth and lung metastasis in the early stage, but has no significant effect in the later stage. Tβ15b1 overexpression also promotes tumor growth in the early stage, but suppresses in the later stage. Tβ15b1 gene silencing inhibits tumor lung metastasis. Thus, our findings demonstrated that thymic function affects breast cancer development and metastasis by regulating expression of thymus secretions PTMα and Tβ15b1. Our study provided new directions for breast cancer therapy.

PIK3CA Is Regulated by CUX1, Promotes Cell Growth and Metastasis in Bladder Cancer via Activating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

PIK3CA is a key component of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway that its involvement in tumorigenesis has been revealed by previous research. However, its functions and potential mechanisms in bladder cancer are still largely undiscovered. Tissue microarray (TMA) with 66 bladder cancer patients was surveyed via immunohistochemistry to evaluate the level of PIK3CA and CUX1 and we found upregulation of PIK3CA in bladder cancer tissue and patients with higher level of PIK3CA presented with poorer prognosis. Overly expressed PIK3CA promoted growth, migration, invasion, and metastasis of bladder cancer cells and knockdown of PIK3CA had the opposite effect. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies showed that PIK3CA expression was facilitated by CUX1, leading to activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), accompanied by upregulated expression of Snail, β-catenin, Vimentin and downregulated expression of E-cadherin in the bladder cancer cell lines. Besides, over-expressed CUX1 could restore the expression of downregulated Snail, β-catenin, Vimentin and E-cadherin which was induced by PIK3CA knockdown. These results revealed that PIK3CA overexpression in bladder cancer was regulated by the transcription factor CUX1, and PIK3CA exerted its biological effects by activating EMT.

Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Based on Circulating Cell-Free DNA and Impact of Variation Allele Frequency

BACKGROUND

Next-generation sequencing of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can identify sensitizing and resistance mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). cfDNA is helpful when tissue is insufficient for genomic testing or repeat biopsy is not feasible or poses unacceptable risk. Here we report the experience of cfDNA testing at the time of diagnosis and how this intervention can help avoid further invasive interventions, how it can be used to determine initiation of therapy, and how variation allele frequency of the somatic alteration affects response to subsequent treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a single-institution retrospective study of patients with advanced NSCLC who had cfDNA from plasma tested using the Guardant360 panel, which identifies somatic genomic alterations by massive parallel sequencing of target genes. An institutional Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments tissue panel using fluorescence in situ hybridization (for MET, RET, ROS1, and ALK) and next-generation sequencing for selected genes was used for tissue analysis. Actionable mutations are those with US Food and Drug Administration-approved targeted therapies (EGFR, ALK, ROS, BRAF, NTRK fusions) or therapies soon to be approved (RET fusions and MET amplifications, or MET exon 14 skipping mutation).

RESULTS

A total of 163 blood samples from 143 patients were evaluated, 82 at diagnosis and 81 at disease progression. A total of 94 cases had tissue and cfDNA testing performed within 12 weeks of each other. Seventy-six (81%) of 94 cases were concordant, of which 22 cases were concordantly positive and 54 concordantly negative. Eighteen (19%) of 94 cases were discordant, of which 11 had negative blood and positive tissue results, and 7 had positive blood and negative tissue results. cfDNA testing had a sensitivity of 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51%, 83%), specificity of 89% (95% CI, 81%, 97%), negative predictive value of 83% (95% CI, 74%, 92%), and positive predictive value of 76% (95% CI, 60%, 91%). Nineteen (21%) of 82 cfDNA samples analyzed at diagnosis had actionable mutations identified (4 EGFR exon 19 deletion, 2 EGFR exon 21 L858R, 2 EGFR L861Q, 1 L861R, 4 EML4-ALK fusion, 2 CD74-ROS1 fusion, 2 MET exon 14 skipping mutation, 2 KIF5B-RET fusion). Of the 82 patients with cfDNA testing performed at the time of diagnosis, 8 patients (10%) initiated targeted therapy on the basis of cfDNA results only, with 6 patients experiencing partial response, 1 patient complete response, and 1 patient stable disease. The response rate for patients who initiated targeted therapies on the basis of cfDNA only at diagnosis was 88%. Variant allele frequency had no impact on response.

CONCLUSIONS

Initiation of targeted therapy for advanced NSCLC was feasible based only on identification of actionable mutations by cfDNA testing in 9% of the cases for which tissue diagnosis could not be obtained. Actionable targets were identified by cfDNA in 20% of the samples sent at diagnosis. A substantial number of patients benefited from cfDNA testing at initial diagnosis because it identified actionable mutations that led to appropriate targeted treatments.

Alterations in the diversity and composition of gut microbiota in weaned piglets infected with Balantioides coli

Balantioides coli is a ciliated parasite that can cause diarrhea when inhabiting the colon and cecum of pigs and humans. However, information regarding the changes in structure and composition of the gut microbiome in piglets infected with B. coli remains scarce. In this study, 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was conducted on fecal samples from both B. coli-positive piglets with diarrhea and B. coli-negative piglets without diarrhea. The results showed that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the major phyla in the two groups, and the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes, including Ruminococcaceae and Clostridiaceae, was significantly lower in the B. coli-positive samples than in the B. coli-negative ones (p < 0.05). Compared with B. coli-negative samples, Alloprevotella and Faecalibacterium showed distinctly higher relative abundances (p < 0.05) in the B. coli-positive samples, and the abundances of some potential pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia-Shigella and Campylobacter, were positively correlated with B. coli infection and diarrhea of weaned piglets. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in fecal microbiota diversity and abundances of predicted functional genes between B. coli-colonized and B. coli-negative samples (p <  0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that there were significant differences in the bacterial community composition, diversity, and functions between the B. coli-positive and B. coli-negative piglets, and the colonization by B. coli may be associated with the dysbiosis of gut microbiota structure in weaned piglets.

RGF1-RGI1, a Peptide-Receptor Complex, Regulates Arabidopsis Root Meristem Development via a MAPK Signaling Cascade

Root growth is maintained by the continuous division of cells in the apical meristem. ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR 1 (RGF1) is a critical peptide hormone regulating root stem cell niche maintenance. Previous studies discovered that five closely related leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinases (LRR-RLKs), named RGF1 INSENSITIVES (RGIs) or RGF1 RECEPTORS (RGFRs), are able to perceive the RGF1 signal and redundantly control root stem cell niche maintenance. RGF1 regulates root meristem activity mainly via two downstream transcription factors, PLETHORA 1 (PLT1) and PLT2. Regulatory proteins connecting cell surface RGF1-RGI1 and nuclear PLTs, however, were not identified. Here, we report that the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) and MAP kinase 3 (MPK3) were co-immunoprecipitated with RGI1-FLAG after Arabidopsis seedlings were treated with RGF1. Genetic and biochemical assays confirmed that MKK4 and MKK5, and their downstream targets MPK3 and MPK6, are essential RGI-dependent regulators of root meristem development. In addition, we found that the MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 module functions downstream of YDA, a MAPKKK. Our results demonstrate that RGF1-RGI1 regulate the expression of PLT1/PLT2 via a YDA-MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 signaling cascade.

[Genes associated with Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in natural populations of Culex pipiens pallens: a preliminary study]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the genes involved in Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility among three natural populations of Culex pipiens pallens in eastern China, so as to provide insights into the development of preventive and control measures for mosquito-borne diseases based on Wolbachia.

METHODS

The cytoplasmic incompatibility was tested among three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province using reciprocal crosses. Wolbachia infection was detected in C. pipiens pallens using a PCR assay, and the expression of Wolbachia wsp and WD0513 genes was quantified using a fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay.

RESULTS

Bidirectional compatibility was found between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (t = 0.57 and 0.15, both P values > 0.05), while bidirectional incompatibility was seen between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (t = 63.81 and 43.51, both P values < 0.01), and between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province (t = 39.62 and 43.12, both P values < 0.01). Wolbachia wsp gene was amplified in all three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens, and qPCR assay detected no significant difference in the Wolbachia wsp gene expression among the three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens (F = 2.15, P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the WD0513 gene expression between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Nanjing of Jiangsu Province (q = 8.42, P < 0.05) or between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Tangkou of Shandong Province and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (q = 7.84, P < 0.05); however, there was a significant difference detected in the WD0513 gene expression between the natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province (q = 0.40, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Different Wolbachia numbers are detected in natural populations of C. pipiens pallens collected from Nanjing and Wuxi of Jiangsu Province and Tangkou of Shandong Province, and WD0513 gene may be involved in the Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility among three natural populations of C. pipiens pallens.

Cardiolipin inhibitor ameliorates the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis through suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation

OBJECTIVE

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been proven to be the most common liver disease in the world, which is a sterile liver disease and is characterized by chronic hepatic steatosis and inflammation. The first step of the spectrum of the disease is the non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). Based on hepatocellular necrosis and inflammation, NAFL will progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which may have the potential to progress cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a few years. Kupffer cells (KCs) are liver-resident macrophages and have been proven to play a crucial role in NAFLD development. Cardiolipin is reported to be effective to trigger the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome through a ROS-independent signaling pathway. However, the exact mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activated by cardiolipin in KCs is still unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To make clear of the specific mechanism mentioned above, we firstly used a MCD-induced NASH mice model to demonstrate that CLS1 suppression reduced hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Secondly, the results of IHC staining indicated that the expressions of CLS1 and NLRP3 in liver tissues were significantly upregulated in the NASH group compared to the ND group. On the contrary, CLS1 inhibition significantly downregulated NLRP3 expression in liver tissues, which indicated that CLS1 probably regulated the level of NLRP3 expression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CLS1 suppression significantly ameliorated the liver function and decreased the TG level, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18 were markedly reduced upon CLS1 inhibition.

RESULTS

In this work, we reported that cardiolipin is involved in the development of NASH, and the suppression of the cardiolipin synthesis by shRNA-CLS1 could ameliorate the hepatic pathogenic manifestations, as well as the serum inflammatory biomarkers. We further showed that the protein expressions of CLS1, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 were all upregulated in the NASH liver tissues and palmitic stimulated KCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that the upregulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activated by cardiolipin is crucial in NASH pathogenesis, which might provide a novel potential role of cardiolipin blockade in the treatment of NASH.

LncMirNet: Predicting LncRNA-miRNA Interaction Based on Deep Learning of Ribonucleic Acid Sequences

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) are both non-coding RNAs that play significant regulatory roles in many life processes. There is cumulating evidence showing that the interaction patterns between lncRNAs and miRNAs are highly related to cancer development, gene regulation, cellular metabolic process, etc. Contemporaneously, with the rapid development of RNA sequence technology, numerous novel lncRNAs and miRNAs have been found, which might help to explore novel regulated patterns. However, the increasing unknown interactions between lncRNAs and miRNAs may hinder finding the novel regulated pattern, and wet experiments to identify the potential interaction are costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, few computational tools are available for predicting lncRNA-miRNA interaction based on a sequential level. In this paper, we propose a hybrid sequence feature-based model, LncMirNet (lncRNA-miRNA interactions network), to predict lncRNA-miRNA interactions via deep convolutional neural networks (CNN). First, four categories of sequence-based features are introduced to encode lncRNA/miRNA sequences including k-mer (k = 1, 2, 3, 4), composition transition distribution (CTD), doc2vec, and graph embedding features. Then, to fit the CNN learning pattern, a histogram-dd method is incorporated to fuse multiple types of features into a matrix. Finally, LncMirNet attained excellent performance in comparison with six other state-of-the-art methods on a real dataset collected from lncRNASNP2 via five-fold cross validation. LncMirNet increased accuracy and area under curve (AUC) by more than 3%, respectively, over that of the other tools, and improved the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) by more than 6%. These results show that LncMirNet can obtain high confidence in predicting potential interactions between lncRNAs and miRNAs.

Comparison among different ASEAN water quality indices for the assessment of the spatial variation of surface water quality in the Selangor river basin, Malaysia

The assessment of surface water quality is often laborious, expensive and tedious, as well as impractical, especially for the developing and middle-income countries in the ASEAN region. The application of the water quality index (WQI), which depends on several independent key parameters, has great potential and is a useful tool in this region. Therefore, this study aims to find out the spatial variability of various water quality parameters in geographical information system (GIS) environment and perform a comparative study among the ASEAN WQI systems. At present, there are four ASEAN countries which have implemented the WQI system to evaluate their surface water quality, which are (i) Own WQI system-Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam-and (ii) Adopted WQI system: Indonesia. A spatial distribution of 12 water quality parameters in the Selangor river basin, Malaysia, was plotted and then applied into the different ASEAN WQI systems. The WQI values obtained from the different WQI systems have an appreciable difference, even for the same water samples due to the disparity in the parameter selection and the standards among them. WQI systems which consider all biophysicochemical parameters provide a consistent evaluation (Very Poor), but the system which either considers physicochemical or biochemical parameters gives a relatively lenient evaluation (Fair-Poor). The Selangor river basin is stressed and impacted by all physical, biological and chemical parameters caused by both the aridity of the climate and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, it is crucial to include all these aspects into the evaluation and corresponding actions should be taken.

Prevalence and molecular identification of Balantioides coli isolates from pet guinea pigs in Central China

Balantioides coli is the only known zoonotic ciliate that can infect humans and is usually acquired from swine. It has, however, been reported in other mammals, including guinea pigs, where infection prevalence and molecular characterization are relatively unknown. In the present study, 32 guinea pigs from two different pet markets in Luoyang city of the Henan province in China were evaluated for ciliate-like trophozoites or cysts by direct fecal smear microscopy. Positive samples were further characterized using 18S rDNA and ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 sequence analysis. Microscopy indicated that ciliate-like cysts were observed in the fecal samples of several guinea pigs, were spherical in shape, and exhibited sizes of 40-65 μm in diameter. The average cyst-positive prevalence in guinea pigs was 62.5%. Sequence analysis indicated that the guinea pig-derived ciliate isolates belonged to B. coli and included two genetic variants (A and B), of which genetic variant A was more dominant among the guinea pig samples. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first molecular identification of B. coli in guinea pigs and provides some important information for investigating the molecular epidemiology of B. coli.

A Genome-Wide Pooled shRNA Screen Identifies PPP2R2A as a Predictive Biomarker for the Response to ATR and CHK1 Inhibitors

There is currently a lack of precise predictive biomarkers for patient selection in clinical trials of inhibitors targeting replication stress (RS) response proteins ATR and CHK1. The objective of this study was to identify novel predictive biomarkers for the response to these agents in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A genome-wide loss-of-function screen revealed that tumor suppressor PPP2R2A, a B regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A), determines sensitivity to CHK1 inhibition. A synthetic lethal interaction between PPP2R2A deficiency and ATR or CHK1 inhibition was observed in NSCLC in vitro and in vivo and was independent of p53 status. ATR and CHK1 inhibition resulted in significantly increased levels of RS and altered replication dynamics, particularly in PPP2R2A-deficient NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, PPP2R2A negatively regulated translation of oncogene c-Myc protein. c-Myc activity was required for PPP2R2A deficiency-induced alterations of replication initiation/RS and sensitivity to ATR/CHK1 inhibitors. We conclude that PPP2R2A deficiency elevates RS by upregulating c-Myc activity, rendering cells reliant on the ATR/CHK1 axis for survival. Our studies show a novel synthetic lethal interaction and identify PPP2R2A as a potential new predictive biomarker for patient stratification in the clinical use of ATR and CHK1 inhibitors. SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals new approaches to specifically target PPP2R2A-deficient lung cancer cells and provides a novel biomarker that will significantly improve treatment outcome with ATR and CHK1 inhibitors.

A green process for phosphorus recovery from spent LiFePO4 batteries by transformation of delithiated LiFePO4 crystal into NaFeS2

Recovery of high-content and valuable elements including phosphorus (P) is critical for recycling of spent LiFePO₄ battery, but P recovery is challengeable due to the poor solubility of lithium phosphate and iron phosphate. This study compared two strategies to recover P by adopting sulfide salt to induce P dissolution, i.e., recovery of P directly from LiFePO₄, and step-by-step recovery of Li then P. The results revealed that the second strategy was more efficient because of the higher recovering efficiency and selectivity. Accordingly, an acid-free process to recover P was successfully demonstrated. Li-recovery efficiency of 97.5 % was reached at a leaching time of 65 min, and nearly 100 % P-recovery efficiency was reached at 5 h. Mechanism analysis revealed that the transforming of delithiated LiFePO₄ crystal to NaFeS₂ was mainly responsible for P dissolution. Thermodynamic analysis and density functional theory calculation further proved the transformation reaction, and a stepwise-transformation mechanism was proposed. In addition, P was reclaimed in the form of soluble phosphate salts. The process is especially appealing due to its environmental and economic benefits for recycling spent LiFePO₄ batteries.

Assembly of a DNA Origami Chinese Knot by Only 15% of the Staple Strands

As a giant leap in DNA self-assembly, DNA origami has exhibited an unprecedented ability to construct nanostructures with arbitrary shapes and sizes. In typical DNA origami, hundreds of short DNA staple strands fold a long, single-stranded (ss) DNA scaffold cooperatively into designed nanostructures. However, large numbers of DNA strands are expensive and would hinder applications such as pharmaceutical investigations because of the complicated components. Therefore, one challenge is how to reduce the number of staple strands needed to construct DNA origami. For a DNA origami structure, the scale-free folding pattern of the scaffold strand is determined by staple strands at the branching vertexes. Simple duplex regions help to define the size-related features of the origami geometry. In this study, we hypothesized that a scaffold strand can be correctly folded into a designed topology by using only staple strands involved in branching vertexes. After assembly, any remaining, flexible, single-stranded regions of the scaffold could be converted into rigid duplexes by DNA polymerase to achieve the designed geometric structures. To demonstrate the concept, we used only 18 staple strands (covering 15 % of the scaffold strand) to assemble a porous DNA nanostructure, which was visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This study helps understanding of the role of cooperativity in origami folding, and provides a cost-effective approach for small-scale prototyping DNA origami.

Two receptor-like protein kinases, MUSTACHES and MUSTACHES-LIKE, regulate lateral root development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) play key roles in regulating plant growth, development and stress adaptations. There are at least 610 RLKs (including receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases) in Arabidopsis. The functions of the majority of RLKs have not yet been determined. We previously generated promoter::GUS transgenic plants for all leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-RLKs in Arabidopsis and analyzed their expression patterns during various developmental stages. We found the expression of two LRR-RLKs, MUSTACHES (MUS) and MUSTACHES-LIKE (MUL), are overlapped in lateral root primordia. Independent mutants, mus-3 mul-1 and mus-4 mul-2, show a significantly decreased emerged lateral root phenotype. Our analyses indicate that the defects of the double mutant occur mainly at stage I of lateral root development. Exogenous application of auxin can dramatically enhance the transcription of MUS, which is largely dependent on AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 7 (ARF7) and ARF19. MUS and MUL are inactive kinases in vitro but are phosphorylated in planta, possibly by an unknown kinase. The kinase activity of MUS is dispensable for its function in lateral root development. Many cell wall related genes are down regulated in mus-3 mul-1. In conclusion, we identified MUS and MUL, two kinase-inactive RLKs, in controlling the early development of lateral root primordia likely via regulating cell wall synthesis and remodeling.

Brief report: inhaled corticosteroid use and the risk of checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis in patients with advanced cancer

BACKGROUND

Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) is an immune-related adverse event that may complicate treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and can cause significant morbidity. We sought to identify predictors for the development of CIP, and whether the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at time of ICI may be protective.

METHODS

Patients with advanced cancer treated with ICI from 2011 and 2018 were included in this study. CIP attribution to ICI was determined by treating physician at time of diagnosis. Predictors were assessed by univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

We identified 837 pts treated with ICI, of whom 30 (3.6%) developed grade 2 or higher CIP. 82 patients (9.8%) were receiving ICS at time of ICI and had increased risk of developing CIP with hazard ration (HR) of 4.22 (95% CI 1.93-9.21, p < 0.001) compared to those patients not receiving ICS. Patients with age ≥ 65 years had increased risk of developing CIP (HR 2.12, 95% CI 1.02-4.40, p = 0.044), as did 209 patients with lung cancer (198 NSCLC and 11 SCLC) compared to other types of cancers (HR 3.15, 95% CI 1.54-6.46, p = 0.002). In multivariable analysis, age ≥ 65 years, lung cancer diagnosis, and ICS use remained statistically associated with the development of CIP, with adjusted HR for ICS 3.09 (95% CI 1.32-7.24, p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients treated with ICS at time of ICI initiation had an increased risk of developing CIP. We further identified older adults with age ≥ 65 years and lung cancers as independent risk factors for CIP.

Meta-analysis of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping combined with the pringle maneuver during hepatectomy

This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping combined with the Pringle maneuver during. hepatectomies. Clinical studies were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Medline and Web of Science databases. Study-specific effect sizes and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to calculate the pooled value using a fixed-effects or random-effects model.Nine studies with 1008 patients in total were included. The infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping combined with Pringle maneuver group experienced less total operative blood loss (mean difference [MD] = -327.11; 95% CI: -386.50-267.72; P < 0.00001), less blood loss during transection (MD = -270.19; 95% CI: -344.99-195.38; P < 0.00001), fewer blood transfusions (odds ratio [OR] = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.25-0.53;P < 0.00001) and fewer postoperative complications (OR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.52-0.95; P = 0.02) than did the control group. Operative time (MD = 8.54; 95% CI: 4.68-12.40; P < 0.0001) was similar in both groups. liver transection time,hospital stay, postoperative liver function and renal function did not differ between groups.Applying infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping combined with the Pringle maneuver can effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding, blood transfusion rates, and postoperative complications, while adding minimal time to the operation.

Use of Shear Wave Elastography to Quantify Abdominal Wall Muscular Properties in Patients With Incisional Hernia

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a potential modality that quantitatively measures the elasticity (shear wave speed [SWS]) of musculoskeletal structure. This SWS was bilaterally measured in the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO) muscle, internal oblique (IO) muscle and transversus abdominis (TrA) using SWE in 28 patients with incisional hernia and 14 healthy controls. The differences in muscle thickness for IO and TrA were significant between the two groups (p < 0.05). The SWS of RA, EO, IO and TrA was significantly higher in the incisional hernia patient group than in the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also observed between the upper and lower points in both groups (p < 0.05). The measurements of SWS help in evaluating the elastic properties of abdominal wall muscles, which could further aid in preparing treatment plans to improve muscle strength.

Sale-based estimation of pharmaceutical concentrations and associated environmental risk in the Japanese wastewater system

Information on sales and emission of selected pharmaceuticals were used to predict their concentrations in Japanese wastewater influent through a >300 of pharmaceuticals data sink. A combined wastewater-based epidemiology and environmental risk analysis follow was established. By comparing predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals in wastewater influent against measured environmental concentrations (MECs) reported in previous studies, it was found that the model gave accurate results for 17 pharmaceuticals (0.5 < PEC/MEC < 2), and acceptable results for 32 out of 40 pharmaceuticals (0.1 < PEC/MEC < 10). Although the majority of pharmaceuticals considered in the model were antibiotics and analgesics, pranlukast, a receptor antagonist, was predicted to have the highest concentration in wastewater influent. With regard to the composition of wastewater effluent, the Estimation Program Interface (EPI) suite was used to predict pharmaceutical removal through activated sludge treatment. Although the performance of the EPI suite was variable in terms of accurate prediction of the removal of different pharmaceuticals, it could be an efficient tool in practice for predicting removal under extreme scenarios. By using the EPI suite with input data on PEC in the wastewater influent, the PEC values of pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent were predicted. The concentrations of 26 pharmaceuticals were relatively high (>1 μg/L), and the PECs of 6 pharmaceuticals were extremely high (>10 μg/L) in wastewater effluent, which could be attributed to their high usage rates by consumers and poor removal rates in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Furthermore, environmental risk assessment (ERA) was carried out by calculating the ratio of predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) to PEC of different pharmaceuticals, and it was found that 9 pharmaceuticals were likely to have high toxicity, and 54 pharmaceuticals were likely to have potential toxicity. It is recommended that this is further investigated in detail. The priority screening and environmental risk assessment results on pharmaceuticals can provide reliable basis for policy-making and environmental management.

A new technique for the 3D reconstruction of the incisional hernia: A pilot study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to accurately evaluate incisional hernias with a new three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technology, proving surgeons more information for intuitive and accurate judgments about incisional hernia to minimize the perioperative complications and recurrence rate.

METHOD

This was a pilot study using a new technique, 3D reconstruction, based on computed tomography (CT) scans to measure abdominal wall defect, herniary area, herniary volume, abdominal cavity volume, and the volume of transverse, oblique, and recti abdominis in three patients with incisional hernias.

RESULTS

The 3D reconstruction technique made automated segmentation of the bony skeleton, skin, outer abdominal wall, vessel, and hernia sac. The hernia sac, abdominal muscles, and their anatomic relationship were clearly illustrated in 3D reconstruction images. Moreover, abdominal cavity volume; herniary diameter, area, and volume; and the volume of transverse, oblique, and recti muscles could be evaluated through 3D reconstruction images. Surgeons can also freely combine, rotate, scale, and move the 3D reconstruction mode, modify the name and transparency of the 3D reconstruction model, and observe the internal structure of the tissue and the size, shape, and location of the lesion from multiple angles for better and accurate judgments.

CONCLUSION

The herniary diameter, area, and volume and the volume of transverse, oblique, and recti abdominis can be accurately calculated through this 3D reconstruction technology. A three-dimensional vision of the abdomen through this technology can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the situation of incisional hernia, providing a more realistic means for diagnosis and treatment of incisional hernias.

0605 Comparison of Sleep Specialist vs Primary Care Driven Home Sleep Apnea Testing in Routine Practice

Introduction

Home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) has largely supplanted diagnostic polysomnography. Primary care (PC) driven HSAT utilization is common especially in rural settings that lack sleep specialist (SS) support. There have been no studies comparing appropriateness of HSAT utilization in veterans managed by SS vs. PC.

Methods

We use hub and spoke model to manage patients with OSA. SS selects testing for hub and PC utilizes HSAT for spoke patients. Testing is interpreted by SS. Patients referred for HSAT using WatchPAT over 4 months were compared on test failure rate, adherence to AASM guidelines for OSA diagnosis, adherence to HSAT use criteria, and diagnostic success rate (AHI ≥5) in high risk patients (STOPBANG ≥5) without significant comorbidities or HSAT contraindications compared to all comers.

Results

There were 125 hub and 170 spoke patients included in the analyses. Baseline characteristics were similar between sites (gender, age, BMI, Epworth sleepiness scale, neck size, STOPBANG, pacemaker dependence, and medication use affecting HSAT). Spoke patients had slightly higher prevalence of comorbidities (hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, COPD, stroke, and long acting opioid use). Complete HSAT failure (no data) was 2% and technical failure (monitoring time &lt;4 hours) was 13% at both sites. Unnecessary studies primarily to confirm OSA in those previously diagnosed on therapy seeking to establish care were 3% (hub) and 21% (spoke). HSAT done in patients without significant comorbidities was 77% (hub) and 68% (spoke). Adherence to HSAT use criteria was 74% at both sites. Diagnostic success rate of prespecified and all comers was 65% vs. 60% at hub and 86% vs. 64% at spoke sites.

Conclusion

Adherence to AASM guidelines and HSAT use criteria was overall fair with low failure rates. Further improving HSAT protocol for SS and PC with the aim to improve diagnostic success rate and minimize unnecessary studies should be pursued.

Support

 

Neutrophil-lymphocyte score: A novel prognostic scoring system that utilized the dynamic change of neutrophil, lymphocyte, and albumin and its comparison to other indices

3048

Background: Indications for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in cancer care are expanding rapidly. There is increasing need for accurate decision tool to better guide treatment. We have constructed a new prognostic scoring system, neutrophil-lymphocyte score (NRS), based on the nonlinear dynamic change of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in relation to survival over the first cycle of ICI treatment. We compared this novel system to existing indices such as NLR, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI), and Systemic Immune-inflammation Index (SII). Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 837 patients at Ohio State University from 2011-18. Neutrophil (ANC), lymphocyte (ALC), platelet (plt), monocyte (AMC), albumin (alb), and body mass index (BMI) were collected at baseline. Repeat labs were collected at cycle 2. NLR = ANC/ALC, ALI = BMI x alb / NLR, LMR = ALC/AMC, SII = platelet x NLR, PLR = plt/ALC. NLR Ratio = baseline NLR / repeat NLR. Based on the association between NLR and the overall survival, we assigned 1 point (p) for baseline NLR < 0.7, 6p for 0.7 to < 2, 5p for 2 to < 3, 4 p for 3 to < 4, 3 for 4 to 5, 2p for 5 to < 9, and 1p for ≥9. We also assigned 1p for NLR ratio < 0.6, 2p for 0.6 to < 0.8, 3p for 0.8 to < 1.2, 5p for 1.25 to < 1.4, 3p for 1.4 to < 1.6, and 2p for ≥1.6. NLS = sum of these 2 scores . NLS_A = NLS*alb. Time-dependent receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves with integrated time-dependent area under the curve (TD AUC) values were used to evaluate the predictive accuracy of each index for survival. Results: For baseline and repeat values, all indices were statistically significant (P < 0.001) in predicting survival. Baseline integrated TD AUC were: ALI 0.704, NLR 0.692, SII 0.663, LMR 0.645, and PLR 0.612. All of the repeat indices at cycle 2 had higher prognostic value than their baseline counterparts. Integrated TD AUC for indices at cycle 2 were: ALI 0.740 (with baseline BMI), NLR 0.729, SII 0.694, LMR 0.671, and PLR 0.652. NLS_A was a composite score based on the dynamic change of NLR from cycle 1 to 2 and the treatment alb with integrated TD-AUC at 0.754. Conclusions: Indices constructed from ANC, ALC, AMC, Plt, alb, and BMI can be obtained inexpensively and provide great prognostic value for pts on ICI. We have constructed a novel scoring system (NLS_A) and demonstrated its improvement over the current prognostic indices. Studies with a larger cohort are needed to further improve and validate this system.

Inhaled corticosteroid use and risk of pneumonitis in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

3140

Background: The identification of risk factors for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is an important area of research. Among irAEs, pneumonitis carries one of the highest morbidities. There is a lack of strong predictors for pneumonitis in patients (pts) treated with ICI. We sought to identify predictors for the development of pneumonitis, and whether the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at time of ICI could be protective. Methods: Pts with advanced cancer treated with ICI from 2011 and 2018 were included in this retrospective study. Pneumonitis attribution to ICI was determined by treating physician at time of diagnosis. Time to pneumonitis was defined as days from the start of ICI to pneumonitis diagnosis. Pts who never had pneumonitis were censored at the time of last follow up or death. Predictors of pneumonitis were assessed by univariate Cox proportional hazard models at a significance threshold of alpha = 0.05. Results: A total of 837 pts were identified, and 30 (3.6%) pts developed any grade pneumonitis (12 grade 2, 14 grade 3, 1 grade 4, 3 grade 5) after receiving ICI (Table). Pts with age ≥65 years (y) had increased risk of developing pneumonitis over pts with age < 65y (HR 2.1, 95 CI: 1.02-4.4, p=0.041). 82 (9.7%) of the total cohort were on inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) at time of ICI, and 9 (11%) developed pneumonitis. Rather than being protective, pts on ICS had higher risk of pneumonitis (HR 4.2, 95 CI: 1.9-9.2, p=0.001). Pts with lung cancer had an increased risk for pneumonitis compared to pts with other cancers (HR 3.2, 95 CI: 1.5-6.4, p =0.003). Other risk factors included performance status, smoking history, line of therapy, or prior treatment including radiation were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Rather than a protective effect of ICS, our analysis found a higher risk of pneumonitis in pts treated with ICS. We confirmed an increased risk of pneumonitis for lung cancer pts compared to pts with other cancers, and higher risk of pneumonitis in pts age >65y. We hypothesize that the increased inflammatory status in chronic lung inflammation may predispose pts to pneumonitis that was not ameliorated by ICS. Future study is needed in prospective cohorts to further clarify the underlying inflammatory mechanism. [Table: see text]

Platelets impact the responsiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy in solid tumors

e15023

Background: A growing body of evidence has linked platelets (plts) with immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our group has demonstrated, plts are the dominant source for TGF-β in TME and pharmacologic inhibition of plt function enhances multiple forms of immunotherapy (Sc Immunol 2017 PMID 28763790; J Immunol 2019 PMID 31358658; Sci Transl Med 2020 PMID 31915300). To further delineate this relationship, we examined the roles of plts on T cell exhaustion in a preclinical model and on response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in a large cohort of patients (pts) with stage 4 cancers. Methods: The mouse MC-38 colon adenocarcinoma model was used in age-matched female C57Bl/6J mice. Antiplatelet therapy (APT) consisting of aspirin and clopidogrel (both at 30 mg/kg daily) was delivered p.o. and anti-PD-1 antibody (100 mg/mouse every 3 days) was administered i.p. starting on days 5 and 9 respectively. TME analysis via multispectral histology or flow cytometry was performed. Retrospective analysis was carried out on 826 pts who received ICI from 2011-2017 at the Ohio State University. Baseline plt count was collected within 7 days before initiating ICI. Repeat plt count was obtained prior to initiation of cycle 2. Normal plt counts were defined as 150,000 – 450,000/µl blood, and thrombocytosis as plt ≥450,000/µl blood. Kaplan Meier and log-rank analysis were performed to estimate median survival and determine the association with plt count. Results: In pre-clinical models, pretreatment with APT (1) synergized with PD-1 blockade to enhance T cell infiltration into MC-38 tumors resulting in immediate tumor reduction, and (2) decreased tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cell TOX expression, a transcription factor associated with T cell exhaustion (Nat Immunol 2019 PMID: 31427776). Among pts receiving ICIs, 46 (5.6%) pts with thrombocytosis had a significantly reduced median OS vs pts with normal plt counts: 6.0 (95 CI: 1.5—10.6) months (mos) vs 11.6 (95 CI: 9.7—13.4) mos (p = 0.002). Fluctuations ≥50,000 plt/mL in either direction between cycle 1 and 2 were associated with a significant reduction in median OS: 8.3 (95 CI: 6.4—10.1) mos vs 13.6 (95 CI: 11.2-16.1) mos (p < 0.001). Conclusions: There is a strong association between plts and failure of ICI in both the preclinical and clinical settings, likely via modifying the amount of active CD8+ T cells infiltrating into tumors. These findings merit further study to delineate the underlying mechanism for plt-mediated immune suppression and strategies to overcome it.

Changes in lymphocyte/monocyte ratio, prognostic marker to predict overall survival in patients with advanced cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor

3047

Background: Immunosuppressive factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME) pose a barrier to response to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Monocytes alter the TME to promote cancer progression through local immune suppression and angiogenesis. Peripheral blood lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) may reflect the interaction between host immunity, represented by lymphocytes, and the tumor microenvironment, represented by monocytes. A low LMR in the peripheral blood may serve as a surrogate biomarker and has been associated with poor prognosis in various cancers; however, its role has not been well defined in the era of treatment with ICI. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1034 patients with advanced cancer treated with ICI from 2011 to 2017. We calculated LMR as ratio of absolute lymphocyte/monocyte counts at baseline and median of 21 days after first cycle of ICI (on-treatment LMR) and considered low if < 2. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the initiation of ICI to date of death or censored at last follow-up. Median OS with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log rank test was used for group comparison. Results: 536 pts (52%) with LMR < 2 at baseline had shorted median OS compared to 498 (48%) with LMR≥2 (median OS 8.4 months vs 17.8 months, p < 0.001). Of 1034 pts with baseline LMR, 837 had follow up LMR evaluable. In patients with baseline and on-treatment LMR, those with baseline LMR < 2, who had on treatment LMR ≥2, had OS of 16.8 months (95% CI 10.3-23.5) compared to median OS 8.0 months (95% CI 6-9.4) for patients with on treatment LMR < 2 after first cycle of ICI, p < 0.001. Patients with baseline LMR≥2, who had on treatment LMR ≥ 2, had median OS of 23 months (95% CI 19.7-28.9), but median OS was 9.4 months (95% CI 7.1-11.1) for patients with on-treatment LMR < 2 after first cycle of ICI, p < 0.001. Conclusions: We observed a statistically significant association between not only baseline LMR but also change in LMR from baseline after first cycle of ICI and overall survival in cancer patients treated with ICI. The role of LMR at baseline and on-treatment LMR should be evaluated in further studies incorporating known additional prognostic factors for ICI therapy. [Table: see text]

Exome sequencing analysis identifies frequent oligogenic involvement and FLNB variants in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Background

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a genetically heterogeneous disease characterised by three-dimensional deformity of the spine in the absence of a congenital spinal anomaly or neurological musculoskeletal disorder. The clinical variability and incomplete penetrance of some genes linked with AIS indicate that this disease constitutes an oligogenic trait.

Objective

We aimed to explore the oligogenic nature of this disease and identify novel AIS genes.

Methods

We analysed rare damaging variants within AIS-associated genes by using exome sequencing in 40 AIS trios and 183 sporadic patients.

Results

Multiple variants within AIS-associated genes were identified in eight AIS trios, and five individuals harboured rare damaging variants in the FLNB gene. The patients showed more frequent oligogenicity than the controls. In the gene-based burden test, the top signal resided in FLNB. In functional studies, we found that the AIS-associated FLNB variants altered the protein’s conformation and subcellular localisation and its interaction with other proteins (TTC26 and OFD1) involved in AIS. The most compelling evidence of an oligogenic basis was that the number of rare damaging variants was recognised as an independent prognostic factor for curve progression in Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that AIS is an oligogenic disease and identify FLNB as a susceptibility gene for AIS.

Effect of biodegradation on haloacetic acid formation potentials of anthropogenic compounds during chlorination

During drinking water treatment processes, anthropogenic compounds act as important precursors of disinfection by-products such as haloacetic acids (HAAs). Several transformations in these precursors occur prior to the disinfection stage, such as partial biodegradation. We hypothesized that this partial biodegradation of anthropogenic compounds potentially affects their HAA formation potentials (HAAFPs). In this study, the HAAFPs of 51 anthropogenic compounds after short-term contact (less than 1 h) and long-term contact (24 h) with activated sludge were compared. Considerable changes were observed particularly in trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) formation potentials (FPs) of phenols, demonstrating that biodegradation should be considered in investigations of potential precursors of HAAs. Phenols with low HAAFPs, such as hydroquinone, show higher HAAFPs after biodegradation, but HAAFPs of most phenols and anilines decreased after biodegradation. Thus, biodegradation will most likely have a positive impact on water quality from the standpoint of HAAFP reduction. For most aliphatic compounds, changes in HAAFP were negligible, but the dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) FP of acrylic acid largely increased. This study illustrates that biodegradation may have a large effect on the HAAFPs of anthropogenic compounds.

-Brucella induction of RIDD activity promotes intracellular parasitism by subverting BLOS1-controlled immune defense

The intracellular bacterial pathogen and biothreat agent Brucella is the causative agent of brucellosis, a global zoonotic disease that is associated with acute and chronic symptoms in humans and animals. The mechanisms by which the pathogen colonizes host cells remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that infection activates the regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) of mRNA encoding BLOS1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles 1 subunit 1), a protein that promotes endosome-lysosome fusion. RIDD-deficient host cells as well as mice harboring a RIDD-incompetent variant of IRE1a displayed resistance to infection. Moreover, host cells carrying a RIDD resistant variant of BLOS1 displayed enhanced trafficking of the pathogen to lysosomes, and increased resistance to intracellular parasitism. Finally, cells harboring mutations in BLOS1 displayed increased susceptibility. Taken together, the data demonstrate that host RIDD activity on BLOS1 transcripts regulate Brucella intracellular parasitism by disrupting BLOS1-directed lysosomal trafficking activity, thereby promoting maintenance of the pathogen’s replicative niche in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Identification and functional study of immortalized mouse thymic epithelial cells

As the key cells in a three-dimensional scaffold within the thymus, Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play critical roles in the homing, migration and differentiation of T cell precursors through adhesive interactions and the release of various cytokines. In this study, primary cultures of mouse TECs were isolated and identified with TEC-specific antibodies CK5 and CK8. These TECs were immortalized by retroviral transduction of simian virus (SV) 40 large T antigen. We then compared the functions of TECs and immortalized TECs (iTECs). Cell morphology and the proliferative capacity of TECs and iTECs were observed by inverted microscope photography and crystal violet assay after passage. A soft agar assay was then performed to observe their clone formation ability. The expression levels of epithelial cell related factors, such as IL-7, Lptin, Pax-9, Sema3A and et al., were detected by IF and qPCR. TECs were co-cultured with human acute monocytic leukemia cells (THP-1), and the effect of TECs on promoting THP-1 proliferation was observed with flow cytometry and CFSE labeling. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase assay was measured to detect the anti-aging capabilities of the cells. Cell cycle distribution was analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining, and paclitaxel (PTX)-induced apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-PI staining to evaluate the anti-apoptotic ability of the cells. Throughout, we found that the immortalized TECs still retain the characteristics of primary TECs, such as the morphology, function and epithelial characteristics; however, iTECs have stronger capabilities in proliferation and anti-aging. Our research suggests that the iTECs were successfully immortalized by SV40 large T antigen, and that the biological characteristics and functions of iTECs were similar to the original TECs. This immortalized cell can be used as an efficient cell model in functional research of the thymus substituting primary TECs with iTECs.

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Its Regulatory Effects on Tumor Related T Cells

Traditional Chinese medicine is an accepted and integral part of clinical cancer management alongside Western medicine in China. However, historically TCM physicians were unaware of the chemical constituents of their formulations, and the specific biological targets in the body. Through HPLC, flow cytometry, and other processes, researchers now have a much clearer picture of how herbal medicine works in conjunction with the immune system in cancer therapy. Among them, the regulation of tumor-related T cells plays the most important role in modulating tumor immunity by traditional Chinese medicine. Encouraging results have been well-documented, including an increase in T cell production along with their associated cytokines, enhanced regulation of Tregs and important T cell ratios, the formation and function of Tregs in tumor microenvironments, and the promotion of the number and function of normal T Cells to reduce conventional cancer therapy side effects. Chinese herbal medicine represents a rich field of research from which to draw further inspiration for future studies. While promising agents have already been identified, the vast majority of Chinese herbal mechanisms remain undiscovered. In this review, we summarize the effects and mechanisms of specific Chinese herbs and herbal decoctions on tumor related T cells.

Construction of innovative 3D-weaved carbon mesh anode network to boost electron transfer and microbial activity in bioelectrochemical system

Bioelectrochemical system (BES) is promising technology to simultaneously treat wastewater and recover energy, and electrode material is important for the system performance. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is one of typical BES to be applied in wastewater treatment. How to improve the electrode material is significant to improve wastewater treatment, energy recovery and cost effectiveness. In this study, 3D-weaved carbon electrode entity, assembled by multiple pieces of carbon mesh (CM), was proposed to combine all electrode components as entity to facilitate electron conduction and ionic migration, compared with carbon brush (CB) and granular activated carbon (GAC). The result showed that current density and internal resistance of MFC using 3D-weaved CM as horizontally extended inside anode (CM(T)) were 30.9 A m-3 and 4.5 Ω, respectively, with higher output than traditional GAC (22.6 A m-3 and 6.2 Ω). Though GAC had greater electrode filling and surface area for biomass growth, the electron transfer efficiency per unit electrode biomass was only at 0.0019 ± 0.0002 mol g-1 d-1, much lower than CM(T) at 0.0077 ± 0.0009 mol g-1 day-1. Higher ionic migration rate of CM(T) suggested the assisting effect of composite electrode to enhance ionic transportation towards the cathode. Microbial analysis further indicated that 3D-CM electrode network could simultaneously enhance Geobacter abundance and methanogen activity, suggesting the importance of electrode network on electricigens. Furthermore, CM(T) could obtain 10 times higher energy output efficiency than traditional GAC when applied inside anode chamber. This study proved that network construction of anode electrode could promote the electrode performance and cost effectiveness, suggesting the future development of reactor design of bioelectrochemical system.

Selectively peeling of spent LiFePO4 cathode by destruction of crystal structure and binder matrix for efficient recycling of spent battery materials

Impurity Fe could severely damage the performance of resynthesized cathode material, and therefore, LiFePO₄ cathode should be removed from the mixed spent LIBs for materials recycling. In this research, a non-hydrometallurgy method has been developed to separate LiFePO₄ by selectively peeling-off the LiFePO₄ cathode material and the peeling-off process was well explained by theoretical modeling. The peeling-off efficiency of LiFePO₄ was approximate 100 % and that of LiMn₂O₄/LiCoO₂/Li(Ni, Co, Al)O₂/Li(Ni, Mn, Co)O₂ was only 0.08 %. That is, the separating selectivity was 1250. Mechanism study revealed that the peeling-off was achieved through selective destruction of the LiFePO₄ crystal and the matrix of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder. Particularly, the crystal structure of LiFePO₄ was firstly destructed by sulfide, thus LiFePO₄ particles were detached from the matrix of PVDF binder. Then, the PVDF binder without LiFePO₄ particles filling were more susceptible to be brittlely peeled off by the micro-explosion force of hydrogen from the reaction of Al foil with water due to the weakened mechanical strength. The process is suitable for recycling varied types of spent LIBs, having a strong potential for industrial application.

Type one protein phosphatases (TOPPs) contribute to the plant defense response in Arabidopsis

Plant immunity must be tightly controlled to avoid activation of defense mechanisms in the absence of pathogen attack. Protein phosphorylation is a common mechanism regulating immune signaling. In Arabidopsis thaliana, nine members of the type one protein phosphatase (TOPP) family (also known as protein phosphatase 1, PP1) have been identified. Here, we characterized the autoimmune phenotype of topp4-1, a previously identified dominant-negative mutant of TOPP4. Epistasis analysis showed that defense activation in topp4-1 depended on NON-RACE-SPECIFIC DISEASE RESISTANCE1, PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4, and the salicylic acid pathway. We generated topp1/4/5/6/7/8/9 septuple mutants to investigate the function of TOPPs in plant immunity. Elevated defense gene expression and enhanced resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 in the septuple mutant indicate that TOPPs function in plant defense responses. Furthermore, TOPPs physically interacted with mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and affected the MAPK-mediated downstream defense pathway. Thus, our study reveals that TOPPs are important regulators of plant immunity.