Genome-wide detection of CNVs associated with beak deformity in chickens using high-density 600K SNP arrays

Beak deformity (crossed beaks) is found in several indigenous chicken breeds including Beijing-You studied here. Birds with deformed beaks have reduced feed intake and poor production performance. Recently, copy number variation (CNV) has been examined in many species and is recognized as a source of genetic variation, especially for disease phenotypes. In this study, to unravel the genetic mechanisms underlying beak deformity, we performed genome-wide CNV detection using Affymetrix chicken high-density 600K data on 48 deformed-beak and 48 normal birds using penncnv. As a result, two and eight CNV regions (CNVRs) covering 0.32 and 2.45 Mb respectively on autosomes were identified in deformed-beak and normal birds respectively. Further RT-qPCR studies validated nine of the 10 CNVRs. The ratios of six CNVRs were significantly different between deformed-beak and normal birds (P < 0.01). Within these six regions, three and 21 known genes were identified in deformed-beak and normal birds respectively. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these genes were enriched in six GO terms and one KEGG pathway. Five candidate genes in the CNVRs were further validated using RT-qPCR. The expression of LRIG2 (leucine rich repeats and immunoglobulin like domains 2) was lower in birds with deformed beaks (P < 0.01). Therefore, the LRIG2 gene could be considered a key factor in view of its known functions and its potential roles in beak deformity. Overall, our results will be helpful for future investigations of the genomic structural variations underlying beak deformity in chickens.

Rapid specific and visible detection of porcine circovirus type 3 using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)

In this study, a rapid and specific assay for the detection of porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) was established using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Four primers were specifically designed to amplify PCV3. The LAMP assay was effectively optimized to amplify PCV3 by water bath at 60°C for 60 min. The detection limit was approximately 1 × 10¹ copy in this LAMP assay. Compared to porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), both gE and gD genes of pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine parvovirus (PPV), the LAMP assay showed a high specific detection of PCV3. A visible detection method was developed using SYBR Green I to recognize the results rapidly. Based on the detection of 20 clinical tissue samples, the LAMP assay was more practical and convenient than classical PCR due to its simplicity, high sensitivity, rapidity, specificity, visibility and cost efficiency.

Climate change and landscape development in post-closure safety assessment of solid radioactive waste disposal: Results of an initiative of the IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency has coordinated an international project addressing climate change and landscape development in post-closure safety assessments of solid radioactive waste disposal. The work has been supported by results of parallel on-going research that has been published in a variety of reports and peer reviewed journal articles. The project is due to be described in detail in a forthcoming IAEA report. Noting the multi-disciplinary nature of post-closure safety assessments, here, an overview of the work is given to provide researchers in the broader fields of radioecology and radiological safety assessment with a review of the work that has been undertaken. It is hoped that such dissemination will support and promote integrated understanding and coherent treatment of climate change and landscape development within an overall assessment process. The key activities undertaken in the project were: identification of the key processes that drive environmental change (mainly those associated with climate and climate change), and description of how a relevant future may develop on a global scale; development of a methodology for characterising environmental change that is valid on a global scale, showing how modelled global changes in climate can be downscaled to provide information that may be needed for characterising environmental change in site-specific assessments, and illustrating different aspects of the methodology in a number of case studies that show the evolution of site characteristics and the implications for the dose assessment models. Overall, the study has shown that quantitative climate and landscape modelling has now developed to the stage that it can be used to define an envelope of climate and landscape change scenarios at specific sites and under specific greenhouse-gas emissions assumptions that is suitable for use in quantitative post-closure performance assessments. These scenarios are not predictions of the future, but are projections based on a well-established understanding of the important processes involved and their impacts on different types of landscape. Such projections support the understanding of, and selection of, plausible ranges of scenarios for use in post-closure safety assessments.

Recent progress and perspectives of space electric propulsion systems based on smart nanomaterials

Drastic miniaturization of electronics and ingression of next-generation nanomaterials into space technology have provoked a renaissance in interplanetary flights and near-Earth space exploration using small unmanned satellites and systems. As the next stage, the NASA's 2015 Nanotechnology Roadmap initiative called for new design paradigms that integrate nanotechnology and conceptually new materials to build advanced, deep-space-capable, adaptive spacecraft. This review examines the cutting edge and discusses the opportunities for integration of nanomaterials into the most advanced types of electric propulsion devices that take advantage of their unique features and boost their efficiency and service life. Finally, we propose a concept of an adaptive thruster.

The SET protein promotes androgen production in testicular Leydig cells

Approximately 40% of middle‐aged men exhibit symptoms of late‐onset hypogonadism (LOH). However, the mechanism of androgen deficiency is still currently unclear. As shown in our previous studies, the SET protein is expressed in testicular Leydig cells and ovarian granule cells. This study was designed to investigate the effect of the SET protein on androgen production in Leydig cells. The AdCMV/SET and AdH1siRNA/SET adenoviruses were individually transduced into a cultured mouse Leydig cell line (mLTC‐1) with or without human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) stimulation in vitro. The primary mouse Leydig cells were used to confirm the main data from mLTC‐1 cells. The SET protein was expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of mLTC‐1 cells. Testosterone production was significantly increased in mLTC‐1 cells overexpressing the SET protein compared with the control group (p < 0.05), whereas testosterone production was significantly decreased in the SET knockdown mLTC‐1 cells (p < 0.05). Consistent with the testosterone levels, the expression levels of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and cytochrome P450c17α‐hydroxylase (CYP17a1) mRNAs and proteins synchronously changed according to the expression level of the SET protein. Interestingly, the expression of the SET protein was significantly increased in the mLTC‐1 cells stimulated with 0.04 and 0.1 U/mL hCG. In the mLTC‐1 cells transfected with AdH1siRNA/SET and concurrently stimulated with 0.1 U/mL hCG, both testosterone production and StAR expression were significantly lower than in the cells without SET knockdown (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the SET protein participates in regulating testosterone production by increasing the expression of StAR and CYP17a1, and it may be a downstream factor of the classic luteinizing hormone (LH)/luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) signaling pathway. This study improves our understanding of the intracellular mechanism of testicular steroidogenesis and the pathophysiological mechanism of LOH in the aging male.

Abstract P1-09-07: Breast cancer initiating cells express functional ROR1, which can be targeted by cirmtuzumab to potentially mitigate the risk of relapse after therapy

Although initially responsive to chemotherapy, patients with advanced breast cancer often relapse, generally with incurable metastatic disease. This may be due to a subpopulation of tumor cells, called cancer-initiating cells, or cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are relatively resistant to chemotherapy and have self-renewing and tumor-initiating capacities. Prior studies in our laboratory found that CSCs may express ROR1, an onco-embryonic, tyrosine-kinase-like orphan receptor, which we found could bind Wnt5a to activate non-canonical Wnt-signaling (Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 111:17266, 2014). Interrogation of the transcriptomes of breast-cancer cells obtained from patients before and after paclitaxel therapy revealed that chemotherapy treatment enhanced cancer-cell expression of ROR1, along with genes induced by activation of Rho-GTPases (e.g. RhoA, cdc42, and Rac1). We found that primary breast-cancer patient-derived xenografts with high-level expression of ROR1 were enriched for cells that had activated Rho-GTPases and stem-cell-like gene-expression signatures. Furthermore, we found that treatment of breast cancer cell lines with Wnt5a induced ROR1-dependent activation of Rho-GTPases andAKT and induced high-level protein expression of BMI1, also known as polycomb group RING finger protein 4 (PCGF4) or RING finger protein 51 (RNF51); Wnt5a also enhanced the capacity of breast cancer cell lines to form spheroids. All these effects could be inhibited by cirmtuzumab, a humanized high-affinity anti-ROR1 mAb, which can block Wnt5a signaling. We find that ROR1-positive breast cancer cells have a greater capacity to form spheroids or engraft immune-deficient mice than did ROR1-negative cancer cells isolated from the same PDX tumor. Treatment of immune-deficient mice bearing breast-cancer PDX with paclitaxel reduced tumor volumes but enhanced expression of ROR1 and other CSC markers, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1). Moreover, the breast cancer cells surviving such paclitaxel treatment had increased activation of Rho-GTPases and AKT, and increased expression of BMI1, relative to that of breast cancer cells obtained from the same primary tumor prior to therapy. On the other hand, treatment of such mice with cirmtuzumab also reduced breast cancer PDX tumor volumes, but the remaining cells had reduced expression of ROR1 and CSC markers and had impaired capacity to re-engraft immune-deficient mice. Finally, therapy with cirmtuzumab and paclitaxel was more effective in eradicating breast-cancer PDX than treatment with either agent alone. Collectively, these findings support use of cirmtuzumab in combination with conventional anti-cancer drugs to improve the outcome of patients with advanced breast cancer.

Citation Format: Zhang S, Zhang H, Ghia EM, Liu G, Tripple V, Xu S, Cui B, Widhopf G, Yu J, Schwab R, Messer K, Parker BA, Kipps TJ. Breast cancer initiating cells express functional ROR1, which can be targeted by cirmtuzumab to potentially mitigate the risk of relapse after therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-09-07.

[Radiological analysis of coronal and sagittal spinopelvic parameters in patients with degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis]

Objective: To review and compare radiological parameters between degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis (DLKS) and degenerative lumbar kyphosis (DLK), and analyze the relationships between coronal and sagittal deformities and compensatory mechanisms of sagittal balance. Methods: A total of 82 patients with lumbar degenerative deformities were enrolled for our radiographic study at Department of Spinal Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital from January 2016 to May 2017. These patients were divided into two groups: DLKS group (39 patients) with lumbar coronal and sagittal deformities, and DLK group (43 patients) just with lumbar sagittal deformity. Complete spinopelvic radiographic parameters were compared. Results: The Cobb angle and lumbar lordosis of DLKS group were (23.0±11.8)° and (18.2±12.1)°, while the lumbar lordosis of DLK group was (20.4±10.2)°. In DLKS group, Cobb angle had correlations with lumbar lordosis(r=-0.338, P=0.035), and central sacral vertical line distance had significant correlations with thoracolumbar junctional angle (r=0.488, P=0.002) . Moreover, no significant differences of all sagittal spinopelvic parameters were found between two groups (P>0.05). In DLKS group, significant correlations between lumbar lordosis and sacral slope (r=0.617, P=0.000), and correlations between lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis(r=-0.363, P=0.023) were observed. In DLK group, lumbar lordosis showed significant correlations with thoracic kyphosis(r=-0.341, P=0.025) and sacral slope (r=0.772, P=0.000). According to Nash-Moe grading scale of apical vertebral rotation, 10 patients were with Ⅰ-Ⅱ grade while 29 patients with Ⅲ-Ⅴ grade in DLKS group. Conclusions: Both as typical lumbar degenerative deformities, there are some correlations between scoliosis and kyphosis. However, coronal scoliosis may not influent sagittal morphological parameters for DLKS patients. Thoracic curve changes and pelvic backtilt are both important for maintaining the sagittal balance in patients with degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis.

Compensation factors for 3rd order coma in three mirror anastigmatic (TMA) telescopes

Misalignment induced third-order coma with respect to misaligned parameters in TMA optical systems is derived by using Nodal Aberration Theory, which yields the compensation factors that can be used to accomplish coma compensation in both coaxial and off-axis misaligned TMA telescopes. By using the compensation factors, coma free point for the tertiary mirror in TMA telescopes is derived and proved to be the negative form of the one for the secondary mirror in the Cassegrain telescope. The compensation factors can also be used to design the off-axis TMAs due to their capability of eliminating the coma over the field of view.

Presence of Torque teno sus virus 1 and 2 in porcine circovirus 3-positive pigs

In this study, the co-infection of Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) and porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) was reported. One hundred and ten of 132 (83.3%) PCV3-positive samples were co-infected with Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1). Ninety-four of 132 (71.2%) PCV3-positive samples were co-infected with Torque teno sus virus 2 (TTSuV2). Sixty-six of 132 (50.0%) of PCV3-positive samples were co-infected with both TTSuV1 and TTSuV2. There were no clinical signs of infection in pigs that were both PCV3-positive and PCV2-negative, in either multiparous sows or live-born infants. The high co-infection rate provides valuable information for the further study of the pathological correlation between PCV3 and TTSuVs.

[Expression and mechanism of Twist2 in glioma]

Objective: To investigate the significance of Twist2 in glioma and whether it is involved in the malignant transformation of glioma by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods: Using immunohistochemical method detected the expression level of Twist2 in 60 cases of gliomas (including WHO grades Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ, each for 20 cases) and 20 cases of non-tumor brain tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression level of Twist2 mRNA and protein in 61 cases of fresh glioma tissue (WHO grade Ⅱ 16 cases, Ⅲ 21 cases, Ⅳ 24 cases) and 12 cases of adjacent tissues, and the expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin were also investigated in fresh glioma tissue. Results: Immunohistochemistry results showed that the percentages of Twist2 expression in glioma was 90%(54/60) compared with 30%(6/20) in non-tumor brain tissues(P<0.01). The percentages of Twist2 expression were 75% (15/20), 95% (19/20), and 100% (20/20) in the WHO gradesⅡ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ gliomas, respectively. WHO grades Ⅳ and Ⅲ were significantly higher than that of WHO grade Ⅱ (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between WHO grade Ⅳand WHO Ⅲ glioma (P>0.05). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot showed that the expression level of Twist 2 in gliomas was significantly higher than that in para-cancerous tissues (P<0.01), and those in WHO grades Ⅳ and Ⅲ gliomas were significantly higher than that in WHO grade Ⅱ glioma (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between WHO grade Ⅳand grade Ⅲ glioma (P>0.05). Detection of key protein expression in EMT by Western blot displayed that the expression of E-cadherin was negatively associated with Twist2 in glioma (r=-0.972, P<0.01). The expression of N-cadherin and vimentin was positively associated with Twist2 in glioma(r=0.971, P<0.01; r=0.968, P<0.01). Conclusions: The expression of Twist2 in human glioma is positively correlated with the malignant grade of glioma, which may be involved in the malignant progression of glioma by EMT.

Stronger selective constraint on downstream genes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway of cetaceans

The oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway is an efficient way to produce energy via adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is critical for sustaining an energy supply for cetaceans in a hypoxic environment. Several studies have shown that natural selection may shape the evolution of the genes involved in OXPHOS. However, how network architecture drives OXPHOS protein sequence evolution remains poorly explored. Here, we investigated the evolutionary patterns of genes in the OXPHOS pathway across six cetacean genomes within the framework of a functional network. Our results show a negative correlation between the strength of purifying selection and pathway position. This result indicates that downstream genes were subjected to stronger evolutionary constraints than upstream genes, which may be due to the dual function of ATP synthase in the OXPHOS pathway. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between codon usage bias and omega (ω = dN/dS) and a negative correlation with synonymous substitution rate (dS), indicating that the stronger selective constraint on genes (with less biased codon usage) along the OXPHOS pathway is attributable to an increase in the rate of synonymous substitution. Surprisingly, there was no significant correlation between protein-protein interactions and the evolutionary estimates, implying that highly connected enzymes may not always show greater evolutionary constraints. Compared with that observed for terrestrial mammals, we found that the signature of positive selection detected in five genes (ATP5J, LHPP, PPA1, UQCRC1 and UQCRQ) was cetacean-specific, reflecting the importance of OXPHOS for survival in hypoxic, aquatic environments.

Mode suppression of 53 dB and pulse repetition rates of 2.87 and 36.4 GHz in a compact, mode-locked fiber laser comprising coupled Fabry-Perot cavities of low finesse (F = 2)

Multiplication of the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of a compact, mode-locked fiber laser by a factor as large as 25 has been achieved with two coupled Fabry-Perot (FP) resonators of low finesse (F = 2). Reducing the FP finesse by at least two orders of magnitude, relative to previous pulse frequency multiplication architectures, has the effect of stabilizing the oscillator with respect to pulse-to-pulse amplitude, dropped pulses, and other effects of cavity detuning. Coupling two Fabry-Perot cavities, each encompassing a 3.3-3.6 cm length of fiber, in a hybrid geometry resembling that of the coupled-cavity laser interferometer has yielded side mode suppressions ≥ 50 dB while simultaneously doubling the laser PRF to 2.87 GHz. Pulses approximately 3.9 ps in duration (FWHM) are emitted at intervals of 27.5 ps, and in groups (bursts) of pulses separated by 350 ps. Thus, the PRF within the pulse bursts is 36 GHz, a factor of 25 greater than the free spectral range for a conventional mode-locked cavity having a length of 6.9 cm. Experimental data are in accord with simulations of the phase coherence and temporal behavior of the mode-locked pulses.

Socio-economic status and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus among Chinese women

AIMS

The relationship between socio-economic status and gestational diabetes mellitus has received little attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between socio-economic status and risk of gestational diabetes.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the ongoing Healthy Baby Cohort study in Hubei Province, China, in 2012-2014. Information on educational level and household income was collected using standard questionnaires during face-to-face interviews. Gestational diabetes was defined based on the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group's criteria. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for gestational diabetes in relation to socio-economic status.

RESULTS

Among 6886 participants, 1005 (14.6%) pregnant women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Higher educational level was inversely associated with risk of gestational diabetes (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58, 0.95 for high school and OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.50, 0.76 for college or above). After adjustment for potential confounders, the ORs for gestational diabetes were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.59, 1.00) and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.51, 0.83) for women with high school and college or above education, respectively, compared with women with less than high school education. No significant association between household income and gestational diabetes was observed after adjustment for potential confounders. Subgroup analysis showed that the reduced risk of gestational diabetes with higher educational level was more evident among women with a pre-pregnancy BMI < 24 kg/m² (P for interaction = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested that educational level was a more robust predictor of gestational diabetes than household income among Chinese women.

Investigation of rectangular shaped wave packet dynamics in a high-repetition-rate ultrafast fiber laser

We identify a new regime where laser pulses represent the dynamics of rectangular-shaped wave packets (RSWPs) in a passively mode-locked Tm³⁺-doped fiber laser. In this regime the laser consists of a train of mode-locked pulses underneath a rectangular-shaped envelope. The density of pulses within a RSWP can be as high as 2.8 GHz, which is consistent with cavity fundamental repetition rate. The effects of small-signal gain value, pulse repetition rate, and net dispersion on the RSWP performance are analyzed. These results imply that this new regime particularly favors high-repetition-rate ultrafast lasers. We further reproduce the phenomenon from using numerical simulations and understand such behavior by referring to the nonlinear dynamics.

Changes in prostate cancer detection rate of MRI-TRUS fusion vs systematic biopsy over time: evidence of a learning curve

BACKGROUND

To determine the effect of urologist and radiologist learning curves and changes in MRI-TRUS fusion platform during 9 years of NCI's experience with multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)/TRUS fusion biopsy.

METHODS

A prospectively maintained database of patients undergoing mpMRI followed by fusion biopsy (Fbx) and systematic biopsy (Sbx) from 2007 to 2016 was reviewed. The patients were stratified based on the timing of first biopsy. Cohort 1 (7/2007-12/2010) accounted for learning curve. Cohort 2 (1/2011-5/2013) and cohort 3 (5/2013-4/2016) included patients biopsied prior to and after debut of a new software platform, respectively. Clinically significant (CS) disease was defined as Gleason 7 (3+4) or higher. McNemar's test compared cancer detection rates (CDRs) of Sbx and Fbx between time periods.

RESULTS

1528 patients were included in the study with 230, 537 and 761 patients included in three respective cohorts. Median age (interquartile range) was 61.0 (±9.0), 62.0 (±7.3), and 64.0 (±11.0) years in three cohorts, respectively (P<0.001). Fbx and Sbx had comparable CS CDR in cohort 1 (24.8 vs 22.2%, P=0.377). Fbx detected significantly more CS disease compared to Sbx in the following two periods (cohort 2: 31.5 vs 25.0%, P=0.001; cohort 3: 36.4 vs 30.3%, P<0.001) and detected significantly less low risk disease in the same period (cohort 2: 14.5 vs 19.6%, P<0.001; cohort 3: 12.6 vs 16.7%, P<0.001). Even after multivariate adjustment with age, PSA, race, clinical stage and MRI suspicion score, Fbx CS cancer detection increased in successive cohorts (cohort 2: OR 2.23, P=0.043; cohort 3: OR 2.92, P=0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

In the past 9 years, there has been significant improvement in the accuracy of Fbx. Our results show that after an early learning period, Fbx detected higher rates of CS cancer and lower rates of clinically insignificant cancer than Sbx. Software advances allowed for even greater detection of CS disease.

Aspartate β-hydroxylase disrupts mitochondrial DNA stability and function in hepatocellular carcinoma

The mechanism of aberrant mitochondrial genome and function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Our previous study demonstrated an increased expression of aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) in HCC tissues, which was associated with tumor invasiveness and a worse prognosis. Currently, we unexpectedly observed the presence of ASPH in purified mitochondrial protein fraction. In addition, immunostaining of both exogenously and endogenously expressed ASPH showed a colocalization with mitochondrial biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate whether the mitochondrial ASPH is involved in mitochondrial malfunction in HCC. Our results showed that ASPH overexpression in HCC tissues was correlated with decreased copy numbers of displacement loop (D-loop) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND-1) and enhanced D-loop mutation, suggesting the disrupted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) stability. The reduced mtDNA copy numbers were associated with aggressive clinicopathological features of HCC. The loss of mtDNA integrity induced by enforced expression of ASPH was accompanied with mitochondrial dysfunction, which was characterized by the aberrant mitochondrial membrane potential, decreased ATP generation and enhanced reactive oxygen species. In contrast, knocking down ASPH by siRNA in HCC cell lines showed the opposite impact on mtDNA integrity and function. Mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation further identified that ASPH interacted with histone H2A member X (H2AX). ASPH overexpression diminished the interaction between H2AX and mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA), an important DNA-binding protein for mtDNA replication, which then reduced the binding of mtTFA to D-loop region. Collectively, our results demonstrate that ASPH overexpression disrupts the mtDNA integrity through H2AX-mtTFA signal, thereby affecting mitochondrial functions in HCC.

The occurrence of porcine circovirus 3 without clinical infection signs in Shandong Province

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) was detected in Shandong, China. One hundred and thirty‐two of 222 (59.46%) samples were PCV3 positive, while 52 of 132 (39.39%) samples were co‐infected with PCV2. There were no clinical signs of infection in either multiparous sows or live‐born infants. Two strains of PCV3 were indentified from natural stillborn foetuses. Phylogenetic analysis showed the two strains of PCV3 are 96% identical to the known PCV3/Pig/USA (KX778720.1, KX966193.1 and KX898030.1) and closely related to Barbel Circovirus. Further studies of the epidemiology of PCV3 and the co‐infection with PCV2 are needed.

Limited fertility of the subcutaneous cysts of Echinococcus multilocularis

Echinococcus multilocularis is a tiny devastating worm that causes alveolar echinococcosis in humans. This disease mainly occurs in the liver but rarely in other organs. We report the subcutaneous encystment of E. multilocularis metacestodes in experimentally infected mice. Subcutaneous cysts had remarkably fewer protoscoleces (2.05 ± 1.47, n = 20) and small irregular-shape vesicles (ISVs) in the lumen as compared to liver cysts (69.6 ± 55.65, n = 10). Moreover, abnormal development of a protoscolex was also observed in a subcutaneous cyst. The results suggest that subcutaneous encystment may have potential adverse effects on the reproductivity and development of protoscoleces, providing potential explanations for high tissue preference of metacestode encystment.

CDK20 interacts with KEAP1 to activate NRF2 and promotes radiochemoresistance in lung cancer cells

Radiochemoresistance is considered the main cause of local recurrence and distant metastasis in lung cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of radiochemoresistance remain to be uncovered. In this study, we determine the functions of cell cycle-related kinase (CDK20) in radiochemoresistance. CDK20 is a newly identified protein kinase, which plays critical roles in cell growth and proliferation in several types of cancer. Using tandem affinity purification technology, we provide evidences that CDK20 binds to the ubiquitin ligase Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), which targets transcriptional factor nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2) for degradation. We show that this interaction is mediated by an evolutionarily conserved ETGE motif on CDK20. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CDK20 competes with NRF2 for KEAP1 binding, enhances the transcriptional activity of NRF2 and lowers the cellular reactive oxygen species level. Moreover, CDK20-depleted cells display impaired cell proliferation, defective G2/M arrest and increased radiochemosensitivity in lung cancer. These phenotypes induced by CDK20 knockdown are partially dependent on NRF2 inactivation. More importantly, CDK20 is overexpressed in human lung cancer tissues, as determined by immunostaining. Collectively, our results suggest that CDK20 positively modulate the KEAP1-NRF2 cytoprotective pathway to regulate tumor progression and radiochemoresistance, implying that CDK20 is a novel, promising therapeutic target for lung cancer.

Polyenergetic known-component CT reconstruction with unknown material compositions and unknown x-ray spectra

Metal artifacts can cause substantial image quality issues in computed tomography. This is particularly true in interventional imaging where surgical tools or metal implants are in the field-of-view. Moreover, the region-of-interest is often near such devices which is exactly where image quality degradations are largest. Previous work on known-component reconstruction (KCR) has shown the incorporation of a physical model (e.g. shape, material composition, etc) of the metal component into the reconstruction algorithm can significantly reduce artifacts even near the edge of a metal component. However, for such approaches to be effective, they must have an accurate model of the component that include energy-dependent properties of both the metal device and the CT scanner, placing a burden on system characterization and component material knowledge. In this work, we propose a modified KCR approach that adopts a mixed forward model with a polyenergetic model for the component and a monoenergetic model for the background anatomy. This new approach called Poly-KCR jointly estimates a spectral transfer function associated with known components in addition to the background attenuation values. Thus, this approach eliminates both the need to know component material composition a prior as well as the requirement for an energy-dependent characterization of the CT scanner. We demonstrate the efficacy of this novel approach and illustrate its improved performance over traditional and model-based iterative reconstruction methods in both simulation studies and in physical data including an implanted cadaver sample.

Dietary supplementation with tributyrin prevented weaned pigs from growth retardation and lethal infection via modulation of inflammatory cytokines production, ileal expression, and intestinal acetate fermentation

Weanling pigs, with an underdeveloped intestine and immature immune system, are usually subjected to depressed feed intake, growth retardation, and postweaning diarrhea. The aim of this study was to determine 1) the growth response of weaned pigs to supplemental tributyrin (TB) and 2) the potential effects and mechanisms of TB in modulating immune responses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged piglets. A total of 240 piglets (Duroc × Large White × Landrace) were weaned at 21 d of age to a control (basal diet), supplemented with antibiotics (AB; +AB), supplemented with TB (+TB), or with supplemental AB and TB (+AB+TB) diets, with 10 replicate pens (6 piglets/pen) per diet. At 49 d of age, male pigs from the control and +TB groups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (25 μg/kg BW) or saline ( = 6) and sacrificed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis. There were higher ( < 0.05) feed intake and lower ( < 0.05) percentage of negative growth piglets in the +TB groups than in the control group during the first week after weaning. For piglets without LPS challenge, there were higher ( < 0.05) ileal fibroblast growth factor 19 () mRNA abundance and total bile acid concentrations in the +TB groups than in the control group, whereas downregulated ( < 0.05) expression was observed in the +TB groups after LPS challenge. Lipopolysaccharide challenge in the control group increased ( < 0.05) plasma tumor necrosis factor α and IL-6 concentrations and colonic amount and decreased ( < 0.05) colonic goblet cells and colonic and cecal acetate concentrations, with no differences ( > 0.05) observed between +TB groups following LPS challenge. Taken together, dietary supplementation with TB prevented growth retardation through stimulating the appetite of weaned pigs and protected piglets against lethal infection via modulation of inflammatory cytokines production, ileal expression, and intestinal acetate fermentation.

[Icariin reduces S-nitrosogultathione induced endothelial cell apoptosis through modulating AKT/P53 pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effects of icariin on S-nitrosogultathione(GSNO) induced endothelial cell apoptosis, and to explore the relative mechanisms.

METHODS

EA.hy926 cell line was provided by Zhejiang University and cells were divided into blank control group, GSNO group (1 mmol/L GSNO), icariin (ICA) intervention group (GSNO+ different concentrations (high, medium and low: 10, 1 and 0.1 μmol/L ICA) and 1 μmol/L LY294002 pretreatment groups (AKT protease pathway inhibitor on top of ICA groups) by cluster random sample method. After 48 hours. EA.hy 926 cell survival was detected by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromicle (MTT) method. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, malonaldehyde (MDA) content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, mitochondrial membrane potential were also measured. The protein expression of protein kinase B(AKT)/phosphorylation protein kinase B(p-AKT), people tumor-suppressor protein (protein 53, P53), cytochrome C (CYC), endothelial nitric oxide synthetase (eNOS)/phosphorylation endothelial nitric oxide synthetase (p-eNOS), procaspase-3/caspase-3 was detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

(1) The cell survival rate was significantly lower in GSNO group than in the blank control group (P< 0.01), which was significantly higher in the high, medium and low concentration ICA groups than in the GSNO group (all P< 0.01). (2) The LDH activity was significantly higher in the GSNO group than in the blank control group ((142.65±5.56) U/L vs. (50.01±3.42) U/L, P< 0.05), which was significantly reduced by high, medium and low concentration ICA ((98.02±3.52), (105.29±6.89) and (117.16±4.27) U/L vs. (142.65±5.56) U/L, all P< 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. (3) The MDA content was significantly higher in GSNO group than in the blank control group ((11.14±0.37) nmol/mg vs. (5.21±0.18) nmol/mg, P< 0.05), which could be reduced by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA ((6.60±0.41), (6.83±0.21) and (8.29±0.07) nmol/mg vs. (11.14 ±0.37) nmol/mg, all P< 0.05). (4) The ROS content was significantly higher in GSNO group than in the blank control group ((173.15±11.12)% (relative ratio to the blank control group), P< 0.05), which could be significantly reduced by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA ((122.56±8.09)%, (134.52±9.09)%, and(149.89±9.16)% (the ratio of the above are compared with the blank control group), P< 0.05). (5) The mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly higher in the GSNO group (0.84 ± 0.04) than in the blank control group (0.12 ±0.12), which could be significantly reduced by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA ((0.57±0.08), (0.63±0.02), (0.66±0.04) vs. (0.84±0.04), all P<0.05). (6) The expression of AKT/p-AKT was significantly lower in GSNO group than in the blank control group (P< 0.05), which could be significantly upregulated by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA in a concentration-dependent manner, above effects could be blocked by LY294002 (all P<0.05). (7) The expression of P53 was significantly higher in GSNO group than in the blank control group (P< 0.05), which could be significantly down regulated by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA in a concentration-dependent manner, above effects could be blocked by LY294002(all P<0.05). (8) The expression of CYC and caspase-3 was significantly reduced in the mitochondria and increased in cytoplasm post GSNO treatment compared to blank control group, which could be reversed by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA(all P<0.05). (9) The expression of eNOS/p-eNOS was similar between GSNO and the blank control group, while it was significantly upregulated by pretreatment with high, medium and low concentration ICA and this effect could be blocked by LY294002(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Icariin could reduce GSNO induced endothelial cell apoptosis through activating AKT pathway and downregulating P53 activity.

RCN1 suppresses ER stress-induced apoptosis via calcium homeostasis and PERK-CHOP signaling

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is caused by the disturbance of ER homeostasis and leads to the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), which alleviates stress at an early stage and triggers apoptosis if homeostasis fails over a prolonged timeframe. Here, we report that reticulocalbin 1 (RCN1), a member of the CREC family, is transactivated by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) during ER stress and inhibits ER stress-induced apoptosis. The depletion of RCN1 increases the UPR during drug-induced ER stress by activating PRKR-like ER kinase–CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-homologous protein (PERK–CHOP) signaling, thus inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that the first two EF-hand calcium-binding motifs of RCN1 specifically interact with inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) receptor type 1 (IP₃R1) on loop 3 of its ER luminal domain and inhibit ER calcium release and apoptosis. Together, these data indicate that RCN1, a target of NF-κB, suppresses ER calcium release by binding to IP₃R1 and decreases the UPR, thereby inhibiting ER stress-induced apoptosis.

[Utilization of Quality-of-life assessment Questionnaires for Intermittent Exotropia in China]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the reliability and validity of Chinese version of Quality-of-life assessment Questionnaires for Intermittent Exotropia (CIXTQ).

METHODS

Cross-sectional study. The original English version of the IXTQ was translated into Chinese. The final Chinese version of the IXTQ (CIXTQ) consists of 3 parts: the 12-item child CIXTQ (for children ≥5 and<8 years old and ≥8 and<18 years old, respectively, to assess their health quality of life (HRQoL)), the 12-item proxy CIXTQ (for parents to assess children's HRQoL), and the 17-item parent CIXTQ (containing functional, psychosocial, and surgery subscales; for parents to assess their HRQoL). 175 IXT children and 151 control children along with one of their parents were recruited to answer the CIXTQ. Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability were used to test the internal consistency reliability of the CIXTQ. Kappa coefficient was used to assess the test-retest reliability. Scale-level content validity index/average (S-CVI/Ave) was used to evaluate the content validity of the CIXTQ. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to verify the construct validity of the parent CIXTQ. Comparison of different CIXTQ scores in IXT patients with controls was conducted by independent-samples t test to evaluate the discriminate validity of the CIXTQ.

RESULTS

For all scales and subscales of the CIXTQ in different age groups, the Cronbach's α ranged from 0.804 to 0.963; the split-half reliability ranged from 0.658 to 0.963 and was higher than 0.7 except for the proxy CIXTQ for children aged ≥5 and<8 years old; the test-retest reliability ranged from 0.569 to 0.944. The S-CVI/Ave of the child, proxy and parent CIXTQ was 0.988, 0.988 and 0.966, respectively. Principal factors identified by PCA for the parent CIXTQ could be regrouped into the originally described 3 subscales which was functional, social psychology and surgery in different age groups. The mean scores of all the scales and subscales among IXT children and their parents (8.0±12.5-81.6 ±15.1) were significantly lower than these among control children and their parents (83.1±11.3-99.6±1.2) (t values range from -50.36 to -6.93, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The CIXTQ are useful tools to evaluate the influence of IXT on HRQoL among Chinese children and their parents. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2016, 52: 596-603).

Polyenergetic Known-Component Reconstruction without Prior Shape Models

Purpose

Previous work has demonstrated that structural models of surgical tools and implants can be integrated into model-based CT reconstruction to greatly reduce metal artifacts and improve image quality. This work extends a polyenergetic formulation of known-component reconstruction (Poly-KCR) by removing the requirement that a physical model (e.g. CAD drawing) be known a priori, permitting much more widespread application.

Methods

We adopt a single-threshold segmentation technique with the help of morphological structuring elements to build a shape model of metal components in a patient scan based on initial filtered-backprojection (FBP) reconstruction. This shape model is used as an input to Poly-KCR, a formulation of known-component reconstruction that does not require a prior knowledge of beam quality or component material composition. An investigation of performance as a function of segmentation thresholds is performed in simulation studies, and qualitative comparisons to Poly-KCR with an a priori shape model are made using physical CBCT data of an implanted cadaver and in patient data from a prototype extremities scanner.

Results

We find that model-free Poly-KCR (MF-Poly-KCR) provides much better image quality compared to conventional reconstruction techniques (e.g. FBP). Moreover, the performance closely approximates that of Poly- KCR with an a prior shape model. In simulation studies, we find that imaging performance generally follows segmentation accuracy with slight under- or over-estimation based on the shape of the implant. In both simulation and physical data studies we find that the proposed approach can remove most of the blooming and streak artifacts around the component permitting visualization of the surrounding soft-tissues.

Conclusion

This work shows that it is possible to perform known-component reconstruction without prior knowledge of the known component. In conjunction with the Poly-KCR technique that does not require knowledge of beam quality or material composition, very little needs to be known about the metal implant and system beforehand. These generalizations will allow more widespread application of KCR techniques in real patient studies where the information of surgical tools and implants is limited or not available.

Early age at menarche and gestational diabetes mellitus risk: Results from the Healthy Baby Cohort study

AIM

Early age at menarche has been reported to increase type 2 diabetes risk, but little is known of its impact on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. The aim of this study was to examine the association between age at menarche and plasma glucose levels as well as GDM risk.

METHODS

A total of 6900 pregnant women from the Healthy Baby Cohort Study were included in our analysis. Age at menarche was self-reported and categorized into five groups (9-11, 12, 13, 14 and 15-18 years of age). GDM was diagnosed using the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Comparisons of plasma glucose levels according to age at menarche categories were performed using analysis of covariance. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between age at menarche and GDM risk.

RESULTS

Of our 6900 participants, 1015 (14.7%) were diagnosed with GDM. Mean age at menarche was 13.1±1.2 years. Early age at menarche (9-11 years) was associated with higher fasting, 1-h and 2-h plasma glucose levels (all P<0.05) compared with menarche at age 13 years. Furthermore, early age at menarche was linked to increased GDM risk after adjusting for potential confounders (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.06-1.87).

CONCLUSION

Early age at menarche is an independent risk factor for GDM and, as such, may help to identify women at higher GDM risk who would benefit from early preventative strategies.

Deformable Known Component Model-Based Reconstruction for Coronary CT Angiography

Purpose

Atherosclerosis detection remains challenging in coronary CT angiography for patients with cardiac implants. Pacing electrodes of a pacemaker or lead components of a defibrillator can create substantial blooming and streak artifacts in the heart region, severely hindering the visualization of a plaque of interest. We present a novel reconstruction method that incorporates a deformable model for metal leads to eliminate metal artifacts and improve anatomy visualization even near the boundary of the component.

Methods

The proposed reconstruction method, referred as STF-dKCR, includes a novel parameterization of the component that integrates deformation, a 3D-2D preregistration process that estimates component shape and position, and a polyenergetic forward model for x-ray propagation through the component where the spectral properties are jointly estimated. The methodology was tested on physical data of a cardiac phantom acquired on a CBCT testbench. The phantom included a simulated vessel, a metal wire emulating a pacing lead, and a small Teflon sphere attached to the vessel wall, mimicking a calcified plaque. The proposed method was also compared to the traditional FBP reconstruction and an interpolation-based metal correction method (FBP-MAR).

Results

Metal artifacts presented in standard FBP reconstruction were significantly reduced in both FBP-MAR and STF-dKCR, yet only the STF-dKCR approach significantly improved the visibility of the small Teflon target (within 2 mm of the metal wire). The attenuation of the Teflon bead improved to 0.0481 mm^-1 with STF-dKCR from 0.0166 mm^-1 with FBP and from 0.0301 mm^-1 with FBP-MAR - much closer to the expected 0.0414 mm^-1.

Conclusion

The proposed method has the potential to improve plaque visualization in coronary CT angiography in the presence of wire-shaped metal components.

Plasma-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon films: multiscale modelling reveals key processes

Physical and chemical mechanisms and role of plasma in the synthesis of hydrogenated amorphous silicon were studied numerically to reveal the key growth processes and, hence, to ensure a higher level of control over the film structure and properties.