Age effect on the shared etiology of glycemic traits and serum lipids: evidence from a Chinese twin study

PURPOSE

Diabetes and dyslipidemia are among the most common chronic diseases with increasing global disease burdens, and they frequently occur together. The study aimed to investigate differences in the heritability of glycemic traits and serum lipid indicators and differences in overlapping genetic and environmental influences between them across age groups.

METHODS

This study included 1189 twin pairs from the Chinese National Twin Registry and divided them into three groups: aged ≤ 40, 41-50, and > 50 years old. Univariate and bivariate structural equation models (SEMs) were conducted on glycemic indicators and serum lipid indicators, including blood glucose (GLU), glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), in the total sample and three age groups.

RESULTS

All phenotypes showed moderate to high heritability (0.37-0.64). The heritability of HbA1c demonstrated a downward trend with age (HbA1c: 0.50-0.79), while others remained relatively stable (GLU: 0.55-0.62, TC: 0.58-0.66, TG: 0.50-0.63, LDL-C: 0.24-0.58, HDL-C: 0.31-0.57). The bivariate SEMs demonstrated that GLU and HbA1c were correlated with each serum lipid indicator (0.10-0.17), except HDL-C. Except for HbA1c and LDL-C, as well as HbA1c and HDL-C, differences in genetic correlations underlying glycemic traits and serum lipids between age groups were observed, with the youngest group showing a significantly higher genetic correlation than the oldest group.

CONCLUSION

Across the whole adulthood, genetic influences were consistently important for GLU, TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C, and age may affect the shared genetic influences between glycemic traits and serum lipids. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of age in the interactions of genes related to glycemic traits and serum lipids.

Uric acid is negatively associated with cognition in the first- episode of schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

We explored the relationship between levels of serum uric acid (UA) and cognitive impairment in people with schizophrenia to order to better protect and improve cognitive function in such patients.

METHODS

A uricase method evaluated serum UA levels in 82 individuals with first-episode schizophrenia and in 39 healthy controls. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the event-related potential P300 were used to assess the patient's psychiatric symptoms and cognitive functioning. The link between serum UA levels, BPRS scores, and P300 was investigated.

RESULTS

Prior to treatment, serum UA levels and latency N3 in the study group were significantly higher than in the control group, whereas the amplitude P3 was considerably lower. After therapy, the study group's BPRS scores, serum UA levels, latency N3, and amplitude P3 were lower than before treatment. According to correlation analysis, serum UA levels in the pre-treatment study group significantly positively correlated with BPRS score and latency N3 but not amplitude P3. After therapy, serum UA levels were no longer substantially related to the BPRS score or amplitude P3 but strongly and positively correlated with latency N3.

CONCLUSIONS

First-episode schizophrenia patients have higher serum UA levels than the general population which partly reflects poor cognitive performance. Improving patients' cognitive function may be facilitated by lowering serum UA levels.

Bacterial indole-3-lactic acid affects epithelium-macrophage crosstalk to regulate intestinal homeostasis

Tryptophan and its derivatives perform a variety of biological functions; however, the role and specific mechanism of many tryptophan derivatives in intestinal inflammation remain largely unclear. Here, we identified that an Escherichia coli strain (Ec-TMU) isolated from the feces of tinidazole-treated individuals, and indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) in its supernatant, decreased the susceptibility of mice to dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Ec-TMU and ILA contribute to the relief of colitis by inhibiting the production of epithelial CCL2/7, thereby reducing the accumulation of inflammatory macrophages in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ILA downregulates glycolysis, NF-κB, and HIF signaling pathways via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, resulting in decreased CCL2/7 production in epithelial cells. Clinical evidence suggests that the fecal ILA level is negatively correlated with the progression indicator of inflammatory bowel diseases. These results demonstrate that ILA has the potential to regulate intestinal homeostasis by modulating epithelium-macrophage interactions.

Characterization and profiling of the microRNA in small extracellular vesicles isolated from goat milk samples collected during the first week postpartum

Colostrum contains nutrients, immunoglobulins, and various bioactive compounds such as microRNA (miRNA). Less is known about the temporal changes in miRNA profiles in ruminant milk samples during the first week postpartum. In this study, we characterized and compared the profiles of miRNA in the small extracellular vesicles (sEV) isolated from colostrum (CM, collected immediately after parturition, n = 8) and transition milk (TM, collected 7 d postpartum, n = 8) from eight 1-yr-old Guanzhong dairy goats with a milk yield of approximately 500 kg/year. A total of 192 unique sEV-associated miRNA (transcripts per million >1 at least 4 samples in either CM or TM) were identified in all samples. There were 29 miRNA uniquely identified in the TM samples while no miRNA was uniquely identified in the CM samples. The abundance of the top 10 miRNA accounted for 82.4% ± 4.0% (± SD) of the total abundance, with let-7 families (e.g., let-7a/b/c-5p) being predominant in all samples. The top 10 miRNA were predicted to target 1,008 unique genes that may regulate pathways such as focal adhesion, TGF-β signaling, and axon guidance. The expression patterns of EV miRNA were similar between the 2 sample groups, although the abundance of let-7c-5p and miR-30a-3p was higher, whereas that of let-7i-5p and miR-103-3p was lower in CM than in TM. In conclusion, the core miRNAome identified in the samples from CM and TM may play an important role in cell proliferation, bone homeostasis, and neuronal network formation in newborn goat kids. The lack of differential miRNA expression between the CM and TM samples may be due to a relatively short sampling interval in which diet composition, intake and health status of ewes, and environment were relatively stable.

Efficacy of Postoperative Radiotherapy for Patients with New N2 Descriptors of Subclassification in Completely Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Real-World Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Patients with N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were heterogeneous groups and required further stratification. The International Society for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) added new descriptors of three sub-stages for stage N2 NSCLC: N2 at a single station without N1 involvement (N2a1), N2 at a single station with N1 involvement (N2a2), and N2 at multiple stations (N2b). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for patients with these N2 descriptors.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC after complete resection and divided into PORT group and non-PORT group. The primary endpoint was DFS. The second endpoints were overall survival (OS) and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS). Propensity-score matching (PSM) of baseline characteristics between the PORT and non-PORT groups was used for validation.

RESULTS

Totally 1832 patients were enrolled, including 308 N2a1 patients, 682 N2a2 patients, and 842 N2b patients. The median follow-up time was 50.1 months. The survival outcomes of the PORT and non-PORT groups before PSM were shown in Table 1. For patients with N2a1, PORT could not improve the DFS (median DFS of the PORT group and the non-PORT group: not reached vs. 46.8 months, P = 0.41), OS (P = 0.85), or LRFS (P = 0.32), which were consistent with the multivariate analysis and data after the PSM. For patients with N2a2, PORT significantly improved the DFS (median DFS 29.7 vs. 22.2 months, P = 0.02), OS (P = 0.03), and LRFS (P = 0.01). The multivariate analysis and data after the PSM confirmed the benefits in DFS and LRFS, but no benefit was observed in OS (multivariate analysis: HR 0.79, P = 0.18; median OS after PSM: 103.7 vs. 63.1 months, P = 0.34). For patients with N2b, PORT could not improve the DFS (median DFS 20.6 vs. 21.2 months, P = 0.39) but significantly improved the OS (P<0.001) and LRFS (P<0.001). However, the multivariate analysis showed that PORT significantly improved DFS (HR 0.81, P = 0.03), consistent with the data after the PSM (median DFS 20.6 and 17.6 months, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

PORT significantly improved the DFS and LRFS in patients with N2a2 and significantly improved the DFS, LRFS, and OS in patients with N2b. Patients with N2a1 could not benefit from PORT.

Chemoradiotherapy Combined with Nab-Paclitaxel plus Cisplatin in Patients with Locally Advanced Borderline Resectable or Unresectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase I/II Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) plus cisplatin as the regimen of conversional chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) in locally advanced borderline resectable or unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with locally advanced ESCC (cT3-4, Nany, M0-1, M1 was limited to lymph node metastasis in the supraclavicular area) were enrolled. All the patients received the cCRT of nab-PTX plus cisplatin. After the cCRT, those resectable patients received esophagectomy; those unresectable patients continued to receive the definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). The locoregional control (LRC), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), pathological complete response (pCR), R0 resection rate and adverse events (AEs) were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 45 patients with ESCC treated from October 2019 to May 2021 were finally included. The median follow-up time was 30.3 months. The LRC, OS, EFS, DMFS at 1and 2 years were 81.5%, 86.6%, 64.3%, 73.2% and 72.4%, 68.8%, 44.8%, 52.7% respectively. 21 patients (46.7%) received conversional chemoradiotherapy plus surgery (cCRT+S). The pCR rate and R0 resection rate were 47.6% and 84.0%. The LRC rate at 1 and 2 years were 95.0%, 87.1% in cCRT+S patients and 69.3%, 58.7% in dCRT patients respectively (HR, 5.14; 95% CI, 1.10-23.94; P = 0.021). The OS rate at 1 and 2 years were 95.2% and 84.2% in resectable patients compared to 78.8% and 54.4% in unresectable patients (HR, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.10-10.61; P = 0.024). The toxicities during chemoradiotherapy were tolerated, the most common grade 3-4 toxicities were radiation esophagitis (15.6%).

CONCLUSION

Nab-PTX plus cisplatin were effective and safe as the regimen of conversional chemoradiotherapy of ESCC. The patients receiving conversional chemoradiotherapy plus surgery (cCRT+S) were prone to have a better survival.

Dose Rate Assessment of Spot-Scanning Very High Energy Electrons FLASH Radiotherapy Driven by Laser Plasma Acceleration

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

This study assesses the dose rate delivered by the spot-scanning VHEE beams generated by laser plasma acceleration and discusses the feasibility and beam requirements for FLASH-RT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Different types of dose rate metrics (averaged-dose-rate (ADR), dose-averaged dose rate (DADR), and dose-threshold dose rate (DTDR)) in the spot-scanning situation are considered. Theoretical analysis and Monte Carlo simulations are performed to quantify the dose rate distribution for the water phantom and investigate the influence of beam parameters. All the beam parameters are derived from the experimental results.

RESULTS

At a much lower pulse repetition rate of 5 Hz, ADR can only reach a dose rate at the magnitude of 10^-1 Gy/s, and the FLASH-RT dose rate (40 Gy/s) could be reached when the high-power laser's working repetition rate is kilo-Hertz. Different from ADR, DADR and DTDR are independent of the scanning path, and they can reach the ultra-high dose rate even exceeding 10^14 Gy/s. Meanwhile, the ultrashort electron bunch can be stretched during the scattering in the water, resulting in the dependence of DADR and DTDR on the penetration depth. DADR decreases exponentially from 10^14 Gy/s at the surface to 10^11 Gy/s at 15 cm depth. Both the charge per shot and angular spread are important parameters in the dose rate calculation. The distinct results among these 3 dose rate metrics are due to their correlations with the averaged beam current and instantaneous current.

CONCLUSION

This study explored the practical beam parameters for preclinical use and provided guidance in designing LPA for the future spot-scanning VHEE FLASH-RT.

Clinical Outcomes with Thoracic Radiotherapy for Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Era of Immunotherapy: A Retrospective Analysis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Chemo-immunotherapy has shown significant benefits for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), which prolonged overall survival (OS) of nearly 2-4.5 months compared with platinum-based chemotherapy alone. However, thoracic radiotherapy (TRT), was not allowed to be used in previous trials. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of TRT for ES-SCLC patients in the era of Immunotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed ES-SCLC patients treated with chemo-immunotherapy between 2017 and 2021 in our center. Patients who accepted consolidative or salvage TRT were included. The overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), local progression-free survival (LPFS), and distant progression free-survival (DPFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Toxicity was recorded based on CTCAE 5.0 scale.

RESULTS

We finally enrolled 30 patients in our study. The median follow-up time was 26.0 months (95% confidence interval, 18.2-33.8 months). 26(86.7%) patients have undergone first-line chemotherapy and immunotherapy, while 4(13.3%) have undergone immunotherapy as a second-line agent. 23(76.6%) patients achieved CR/PR/SD to initial systematic therapy. All patients were treated with TRT with a median dose of 51 Gy (24-60.2 Gy). The median interval between TRT and immunotherapy was 35 days. Median OS was 26 months (95% confidence interval, 17.8-34.2 months) and median PFS was 8 months (95% confidence interval, 5.3-10.7 months). 2-year OS, PFS, and DPFS were 51.4%, 21.4%, and 27.4%, respectively. 18 months LPFS was 59.6%. There was no ≥ G3 radiation-related adverse event except 2(6.7%) G3 esophagitis. G1-2 pneumonitis was reported in 8(26.7%) patients.

CONCLUSION

TRT is well-tolerated and effective for selected ES-SCLC patients in the modern era of immunotherapy. Prospective trials are still needed to further evaluate the combination of TRT and immunotherapy for patients with ES-SCLC.

Prognostic Significance of Serum Lipids in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy: A Multicenter Prospective Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Although lipids have been assessed for their possible roles in cancer survival prediction, studies on the association between serum lipids levels and the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are limited. This study aimed to evaluate whether serum lipids are associated with outcomes in patients with NSCLC treated with radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We conducted a multicenter prospective study on patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 2018 and February 2021. Participants received thoracic radiotherapy of 60ཞ80 Gy to the primary lung tumor and positive lymph node metastases. We measured patients' serum lipids levels (serum triglyceride, TGs; total cholesterol, TC, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C; low density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C) before radiotherapy. The association between serum lipids levels and overall survival (OS) was evaluated using hazard ratios. We sought to determine a threshold point using optimal stratification. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

Of the 300 participants diagnosed with NSCLC treated with radiotherapy, 165 (55.0%) were men. Median follow-up time was 24.4 months (range 1.0- 101.9 months). Using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, among those serum lipids, only serum TG was shown to be independent prognostic factors for OS (hazard ratio: 1.203, 95% confidence interval: 1.038 - 1.393, p = 0.014). The cut-off for TG associated with OS was 2.04 mmol/L. Based on the TG cut-off value, 55 NSCLC patients were categorized into the high TG group (>2.04 mmol/L) and 245 in the low TG group (<2.04 mmol/L). The NSCLC patients in the low TG group exhibited higher OS than the high group (median OS, not reach vs 41.4 months, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

TG levels were found to be a significant negative prognostic biomarker for OS in NSCLC patients treated with radiotherapy.

Promoting the Anti-Tumor Activity of Radiotherapy on Lung Cancer through a Modified Ketogenic Diet and the AMPK Signaling Pathway

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Taking advantage of the characteristics of high metabolic heterogeneity of tumor cells, the modified ketogenic diet (KD) combined with radiotherapy was used to investigate and analyze the radiosensitivity of a lung cancer model from the perspective of energy metabolism.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Different concentrations of glucose and βhydroxybutyrate (βHB) were used at the cellular level to simulate the level of ketone bodies. A cell counting kit was used to detect the effect of different concentrations of glucose (2.78mM, 5.56mM, 12.5mM, and 25mM) and βHB (0mM, 5mM, and 10mM) combined with radiotherapy on the proliferation of LLC cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect tumor cell cycle and apoptosis. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of γH2AX, a DNA damage marker, and western blot was used to detect the expression of AMPK and ρ-AMPK. At the animal level, C57BL/6J female mice were used to establish a transplanted tumor model of lung cancer, and fed with different fat ratio diets combined with radiotherapy. The volume, tumor size, blood glucose level, blood ketone level, survival time and safety of the mice were monitored and observed.

RESULTS

The LLC cells were treated with different concentrations of glucose and βHB. The results showed that the survival rate of LLC cells decreased significantly with the increase of irradiation dose when the glucose concentration was 5.56mM and 2.78mM; However, the survival rate of cells in low glucose medium added with βHB was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the survival rate of LLC decreased significantly with the extension of culture time after irradiation (p < 0.001). After irradiation, LG (low glucose) group, LG+βHB 5mM group and LG+βHB 10mM group had a significantly higher proportion of G2 phase, and a significantly higher proportion of early and late phase than the control group. γH2AX foci were detected in LG group, LG +βHB 5mM group and LG +βHB 10mM group at 2h and 24h after radiotherapy, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The median survival time was 38 days in the PT group, 55 days in the PT+RT group, 41 days in the 45F group, and not reached in the 45F+RT group. HE staining showed no tumor metastasis and toxic side effects in liver and kidney. The expression of ρ-AMPK/AMPK in the combined treatment group was higher than that in the other groups. The expression of ρ-AMPK/AMPK in RT, 45F and combined treatment group was higher than that in PT group. The expression of ρ-AMPK/AMPK in RT group was higher than that in 45F group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Modified ketogenic diet can enhance the anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy in LLC tumor-bearing mice by reducing glucose and increasing the energy supply ratio from fat.

[UhpTE350Q mutation along with the presence of fosA6/5 genes in the genome probably contributes to inherent fosfomycin resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying inherent fosfomycin resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae).

METHODS

The draft genomic sequences of 14 clinical hypervirulent/hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae (HvKP/ HmKP) isolates were obtained using the next-generation sequencing technology. The genomic sequences were analyzed using the Resistance Gene Identifier (RGI) software for predicting the resistome based on homology and SNP models in the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) and for identification of the presence of phosphomycin resistancerelated genes uhpt and fosA and their mutations in the bacterial genomes. The results were verified by analyzing a total of 521 full-length genomic sequences of K. pneumonia strains obtained from GenBank.

RESULTS

All the 14 clinical isolates of HvKP/ HmKP carried hexose phosphate transporter (UhpT) gene mutation, in which the glutamic acid was mutated to glutamine at 350aa (UhpT^E350Q mutation); the presence of fosA6 gene was detected in 12 (85.71%) of the isolates and fosA5 gene was detected in the other 2 (14.29%) isolates. Analysis of the genomic sequences of 521 K. pneumonia strains from GenBank showed that 508 (97.50%) strains carried UhpT^E350Q mutation, 439 (84.26%) strains harbored fosA6, and 80 (15.36%) strains harbored fosA5; 507 (97.31%) strains were found to have both UhpT^E350Q mutation and fosA6/5 genes in the genome. Only 12 (2.30%) strains carried fosA6/5 genes without UhpT^E350Q mutation; 1 (0.19%) strain had only UhpT^E350Q mutation without fosA6/5 genes, and another strain contained neither UhpT^E350Q mutation nor fosA6/5 genes.

CONCLUSION

UhpT^E350Q mutation with the presence of fosA6/5 genes are ubiquitous in K. pneumonia genomes, indicating a possible intrinsic mechanism of fosfomycin resistance in the bacterium to limit the use of fosfomycin against infections caused by K. pneumoniae, especially the multi-resistant HvKP/HmKP strains.

Aberrant metabolic processes promote the immunosuppressive microenvironment in multiple myeloma

Introduction

Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an incurable plasma cell malignancy. The efficacy of immunotherapy on MM remains unsatisfactory, and the underlying molecular mechanisms still are not fully understood.

Methods

In this study, we delineated the dynamic features of immune cell in MM bone marrow (BM) along with elevated tumor cell infiltration by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and investigated the underlying mechanisms on dysfunction of immune cells associated with myelomagenesis.

Results

We found that immune cells were activated in those patients with low infiltration of tumor cells, meanwhile suppressed with elevated infiltration of MM cells, which facilitated MM escaping from immune surveillance. Besides PD-1, abnormal expression of PIM kinases, KLRB1 and KLRC1 were involved in the defect of immune cells in MM patients. Importantly, we found aberrant metabolic processes were associated with the immunosuppressive microenvironment in MM patients. Disordered amino acid metabolism promoted the dysfunction of cytotoxicity CD8 T cells as well as lipid metabolism disorder was associated with the dysregulation of NK and DCs in MM. As metabolic checkpoints, PIM kinases would be potential effective strategies for MM immunotherapy.

Discussion

In summary, redressing the disordered metabolism should be the key points to get promising effects in immune-based therapies.

Enterobacter ludwigii protects DSS-induced colitis through choline-mediated immune tolerance

Commensal intestinal bacteria play key roles in regulating host immune tolerance; however, bacterial strains and related metabolites directly involved in this regulation are largely unknown. Here, using a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis combined with different antibiotic treatment, Enterobacter ludwigii, abundant in microbiota of mice treated with metronidazole, is screened out to have prophylactic and therapeutic effects on DSS-induced colitis with or without the presence of complex intestinal bacteria. E. ludwigii is found to induce CD103⁺DC and regulatory T (Treg)-mediated immune tolerance for colitis remission using in vitro and in vivo experiments. Moreover, choline, one metabolite of E. ludwigii, is identified to increase dendritic cells' (DCs) immune tolerance to promote Treg differentiation. E. ludwigii is found to induce DCs' immune tolerance ability for Treg differentiation through choline and α7nAChR-mediated retinoic acid (RA) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) upregulation, resulting in protecting mice against DSS-induced colitis. This study suggests potential therapeutic approaches for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).

Waveguide scattering antennas made by direct laser writing in bulk glass for spectrometry applications in the short-wave IR

A buried straight waveguide perturbed periodically by six antennas composed of submicronic cylinder voids is entirely fabricated using ultrafast laser photoinscription. The light scattered from each antenna is oriented vertically and is detected by a short-wave IR camera bonded to the surface of the glass with no relay optics. The response of each antenna is analyzed using a wavelength tunable laser source and compared to simulated responses verifying the behavior of the antenna. These results show the good potential of the direct laser writing technique to realize monolithic embedded detectors by combining complex optical functions within a 3D design. A wavelength meter application with a spectral resolution of 150 pm is proposed to demonstrate this combination.

Structural connections between the noradrenergic and cholinergic system shape the dynamics of functional brain networks

Complex cognitive abilities are thought to arise from the ability of the brain to adaptively reconfigure its internal network structure as a function of task demands. Recent work has suggested that this inherent flexibility may in part be conferred by the widespread projections of the ascending arousal systems. While the different components of the ascending arousal system are often studied in isolation, there are anatomical connections between neuromodulatory hubs that we hypothesise are crucial for mediating key features of adaptive network dynamics, such as the balance between integration and segregation. To test this hypothesis, we estimated the strength of structural connectivity between key hubs of the noradrenergic and cholinergic arousal systems (the locus coeruleus [LC] and nucleus basalis of Meynert [nbM], respectively). We then asked whether the strength of structural LC and nbM inter-connectivity was related to individual differences in the emergent, dynamical signatures of functional integration measured from resting state fMRI data, such as network and attractor topography. We observed a significant positive relationship between the strength of white-matter connections between the LC and nbM and the extent of network-level integration following BOLD signal peaks in LC relative to nbM activity. In addition, individuals with denser white-matter streamlines interconnecting neuromodulatory hubs also demonstrated a heightened ability to shift to novel brain states. These results suggest that individuals with stronger structural connectivity between the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems have a greater capacity to mediate the flexible network dynamics required to support complex, adaptive behaviour. Furthermore, our results highlight the underlying static features of the neuromodulatory hubs can impose some constraints on the dynamic features of the brain.

Brain charts for the human lifespan

Over the past few decades, neuroimaging has become a ubiquitous tool in basic research and clinical studies of the human brain. However, no reference standards currently exist to quantify individual differences in neuroimaging metrics over time, in contrast to growth charts for anthropometric traits such as height and weight1. Here we assemble an interactive open resource to benchmark brain morphology derived from any current or future sample of MRI data ( http://www.brainchart.io/ ). With the goal of basing these reference charts on the largest and most inclusive dataset available, acknowledging limitations due to known biases of MRI studies relative to the diversity of the global population, we aggregated 123,984 MRI scans, across more than 100 primary studies, from 101,457 human participants between 115 days post-conception to 100 years of age. MRI metrics were quantified by centile scores, relative to non-linear trajectories2 of brain structural changes, and rates of change, over the lifespan. Brain charts identified previously unreported neurodevelopmental milestones3, showed high stability of individuals across longitudinal assessments, and demonstrated robustness to technical and methodological differences between primary studies. Centile scores showed increased heritability compared with non-centiled MRI phenotypes, and provided a standardized measure of atypical brain structure that revealed patterns of neuroanatomical variation across neurological and psychiatric disorders. In summary, brain charts are an essential step towards robust quantification of individual variation benchmarked to normative trajectories in multiple, commonly used neuroimaging phenotypes.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes in young patients with myocardial infarction

Background

Young people hold a stable or increasing percentage of patients with acute myocardial infarction in many countries. However, data on clinical characteristics and outcomes in young patients are lacking.

Purpose

To compare clinical characteristics and outcomes between patients aged ≤45 years and those aged &gt;45 years with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods

A total of 24125 patients with acute myocardial infarction between January 2013 and September 2014 from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry were included in this study. Clinical characteristics, in-hospital and 2-year outcomes were compared between patients aged ≤45 years (young) and those aged &gt;45 years (older). Gender disparity in prognosis of myocardial infarction was analyzed among young patients.

Results

Of 24125 patients, 2042 (8.5%, 116 female) were aged ≤45 years. Compared with patients aged &gt;45 years, young patients were more often male, current smokers, having medical history of hyperlipidemia and family history of premature coronary artery disease. Young patients were significantly more likely to have clear trigger factor, present with persistent chest pain and suffer ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Symptom onset to admission time was shorter in patients aged ≤45 years. For patients undergoing emergency coronary angiography, those aged ≤45 years were more likely to suffer left anterior descending coronary artery related myocardial infarction. Young patients were significantly more likely to receive percutaneous coronary intervention and other medications at discharge, including dual antiplatelet therapy, statins, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers and β blockers. Compared with patients aged &gt;45 years, young patients experienced significantly lower in-hospital and 2-year mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, a composite of death, reinfarction and stroke) rates (Table 1). Among young patients, women experienced higher in-hospital mortality and MACCE rates than men (Table 2). Women who survived at discharge experienced significantly higher 2-year mortality (1.4% vs 3.8%, Log-rank P=0.0412, Table 2).

Conclusions

Compared with the older patients, young patients were more likely to present with typical symptoms and receive guideline-recommended medications. Clinical outcomes of patients aged ≤45 years were significantly better than older patients. However, our results showed significant gender disparity in both short- and long-term outcomes of young patients. More efforts are needed to improve prognosis in young patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The Twelfth Five-Year Planning Project of the Scientific and Technological Department of China

Incidence and risk factors of female urinary incontinence: a 4-year longitudinal study among 24 985 adult women in China

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence of urinary incontinence (UI), including its subtypes stress UI (SUI), urgency UI (UUI) and mixed UI (MUI), and to examine risk factors for de novo SUI and UUI in Chinese women.

DESIGN

Nationwide longitudinal study.

SETTING

Six geographic regions of China.

PARTICIPANTS

Women aged ≥20 years old were included using a multistage, stratified, cluster sampling method.

METHODS

This study was conducted between May 2014 and March 2016, with follow up in 2018. Data on demographics, medical history, lifestyle and physiological and anthropometric information were collected.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Incidence, rate ratio (RR).

RESULTS

Analyses included 24 985 women (mean age 41.9 years).The follow-up response rate was 55.5%, median follow-up time was 3.7 years. The standardised incidences of UI, SUI, UUI and MUI were 21.2, 13.1, 3.0 and 5.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Risk factors for de novo SUI included delivery pattern (vaginal spontaneous delivery RR 2.12, 95% CI 1.62-2.78 and instrumental delivery RR 3.30, 95% CI 1.99-5.45), high body mass index (BMI) (overweight RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.33-1.74 and obesity RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.32-2.11), cigarette smoking (RR 1.54, 95% CI 1.12-2.12), chronic cough (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.17-1.76), diabetes (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.10-1.60) and older age (50-59 years RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.16-1.90 and 60-69 years RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.22-2.13).The risk factors significantly associated with de novo UUI were age (RR increased from 1.21, 95% CI 0.74-1.99, at 30-39 years to 6.3, 95% CI 3.85-10.30, at >70 years) and diabetes (RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.05-2.09).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of female UI is 21.2 per 1000 person-years in China. Delivery (vaginal spontaneous delivery, instrumental delivery), high BMI, cigarette smoking, chronic cough, diabetes and older age were risk factors.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

The incidence of female urinary incontinence was 21.2 per 1000 person-years in China. Delivery, BMI, diabetes and old age are risk factors.

P–583 Differential lipidomic characteristics of children born to women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Study question

To describe lipidomic characteristics of offspring born to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS-off) women and assess the associations of clinical phenotypes changes with differential lipids.

Summary answer

PCOS-off showed specific changes in lipidomics and some differential lipids (e.g., phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin) may be the potential markers of aberrant cardiometabolic health.

What is known already

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most prevalent endocrine disorder characterized by ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovarian morphology, affects about 8–13% of women of fertile age. Aberrant metabolic pathophysiological changes and increased pregnancy complications associated with PCOS predispose PCOS patients to have suboptimal intrauterine environments and that may produce a detrimental impact on the cardiometabolic health of their children.

Study design, size, duration

A total of 141 blood plasma samples from 70 children born to PCOS women (43 girls, 27 boys) and 71 healthy control children (44 girls, 27 boys) were obtained for lipidomics.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Blood samples were centrifuged at 2000 rpm, 4 °C for 20 min, and the upper plasma was collected and used for lipid extraction. Then the waters ACQUITY UPLC I-Class system and The Xevo G2-S Q-TOF with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source (Waters, Manchester, UK) was used for chromatographic analysis and mass spectrometry analysis separately.

Main results and the role of chance

In total, 44 metabolites were found to be significantly altered in PCOS-off, including 8 up-regulated and 36 down-regulated metabolites. After stratified by sex, 44 metabolites were found to express differently in girls born to PCOS women (PCOS-g). 13 metabolites were up-regulated, and 31 metabolites were down-regulated, most of which belong to glycerolipids species. While 46 metabolites were found to express differently in boys born to PCOS women (PCOS-b) with 9 increased metabolites and 35 decreased ones, most of which were glycerophospholipids metabolites. Additionally, significant associations between metabolites changes and weight Z-score as well as high density lipoprotein level were found in PCOS-off. In PCOS-g, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein level were found to be correlated with some metabolites, whereas in PCOS-b, thyroid stimulating hormone and high density lipoprotein were correlated with some lipids.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Other species of metabolites except lipids are not included in this study. Besides, some potential confounding maternal factors, such as smoking, drinking, breastfeeding etc. were not included due to the lack of data.

Wider implications of the findings: The results had broadened our understanding of PCOS-off’s cardiometabolic status and emphasized monitor and special management in this susceptible group of population.

Trial registration number

Not applicable

An infection-induced RhoB-Beclin 1-Hsp90 complex enhances clearance of uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Host cells use several anti-bacterial pathways to defend against pathogens. Here, using a uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) infection model, we demonstrate that bacterial infection upregulates RhoB, which subsequently promotes intracellular bacteria clearance by inducing LC3 lipidation and autophagosome formation. RhoB binds with Beclin 1 through its residues at 118 to 140 and the Beclin 1 CCD domain, with RhoB Arg133 being the key binding residue. Binding of RhoB to Beclin 1 enhances the Hsp90-Beclin 1 interaction, preventing Beclin 1 degradation. RhoB also directly interacts with Hsp90, maintaining RhoB levels. UPEC infections increase RhoB, Beclin 1 and LC3 levels in bladder epithelium in vivo, whereas Beclin 1 and LC3 levels as well as UPEC clearance are substantially reduced in RhoB^+/− and RhoB^−/− mice upon infection. We conclude that when stimulated by UPEC infections, host cells promote UPEC clearance through the RhoB-Beclin 1-HSP90 complex, indicating RhoB may be a useful target when developing UPEC treatment strategies.

Bacterial invasion can lead to multiple host cell responses. Here, the authors show that in a model of uropathogenic E. coli, RhoB is upregulated and induces autophagosome formation in a complex with Beclin1 and Hsp90, promoting bacterial clearance.

Circ-ABCB10 acts as an oncogene in glioma cells via regulation of the miR-620/FABP5 axis

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the biological function of circular RNA ABCB10 (circ-ABCB10) in regulating the progression of glioma and to study the possible underlying mechanisms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression levels of circ-ABCB10, miR-620 and FABP5 mRNA in glioma tissues, normal surrounding tissues and glioma cell lines were measured by Real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Circ-ABCB10 was silenced by siRNA in glioma cell lines (U87, T98G). The proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells were measured by MTT, wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. The relationship between circ-ABCB10, miR-620 and FABP5 was tested by Dual-Luciferase assay. The expression of proteins was measured by Western blot. The cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The expression levels of circ-ABCB10 and FABP5 in glioma tissues and cells were significantly higher than those in their normal counterparts. Moreover, the expression of miR-620 was lower in glioma tissues. Silencing of circ-ABCB10 in glioma cells significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells. Moreover, downregulation of circ-ABCB10 induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in glioma cells. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-620 showed the opposite effects to silencing circ-ABCB10 on glioma cells. Dual-Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that circ-ABCB10 could bind to miR-620 and that FABP5 was a direct target of miR-620. Western blot results showed that circ-ABCB10 could stabilize the expression of FABP5, while miR-620 decreased the expression of FABP5. Furthermore, overexpression of FABP5 abrogated the silencing effects of circ-ABCB10 in glioma cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that circ-ABCB10 affects glioma progression by regulating the miR-620/FABP5 axis, and circ-ABCB10 might be used as a potential target for the treatment of glioma.

Herbal formula of Bushen Jianpi combined with sorafenib inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth by promoting cell apoptosis and blocking the cell cycle

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the efficacy of an herbal formula of Bushen Jianpi ( BSJP) combined with sorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro and in vivo, and to study the underlying mechanisms of action.

METHODS

BSJP, a mixture of 12 raw herbs, was extracted in 70% alcohol/30% water and freeze-dried into a powder. The in vitro effects of BSJP alone, sorafenib alone, and their combination on cell survival, apoptosis, and cell cycle distribution were evaluated in HCC cell lines HCCLM3, HepG2, and SMMC-7721. The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), caspase-3, and caspase-9 in HCCLM3 cells was measured using Western blots after drug administration. The in vivo effects of BSJP and sorafenib were evaluated in a tumor surgical resection model using 4-week old male athymic BALB/c nude mice injected with HCCLM3 cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor tissues was performed to evaluate the effects of BSJP alone, sorafenib alone, and their combination on the expression of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bcl-2.

RESULTS

BSJP decreased the survival rate of HCC cell lines, and the combination of BSJP and sorafenib further decreased the survival rate. BSJP significantly promoted cell apoptosis and blocked cell-cycle progression in HCCLM3, HepG2, and SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the administration of BSJP and sorafenib inhibited the growth of HCCLM3 cell xenografts in nude mice, with no reduction in body weight. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that BSJP combined with sorafenib could significantly decrease the expression of Bcl-2.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the herbal formula of BSJP is a potential HCC antitumor agent.

Cinnamic Acid Increased the Incidence of Fusarium Wilt by Increasing the Pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum and Reducing the Physiological and Biochemical Resistance of Faba Bean, Which Was Alleviated by Intercropping With Wheat

BACKGROUND

Continuous cropping has resulted in the accumulation of self-toxic substances in faba beans which has restricted their global production. Intercropping is widely used to alleviate these problems.

AIMS

To explore the role of cinnamic acid stress in faba bean physiology and disease resistance, and the potential mitigating effects of intercropping the faba bean with wheat.

METHODS

Faba bean seedlings were grown with or without wheat in both field and hydroponic conditions in the presence of different cinnamic acid concentrations and Fusarium oxysporum (FOF), the occurrence of. Fusarium-mediated wilt and oxidative stress, as well as plant growth indices and the anti-pathogen defense system were analyzed.

RESULTS

Cinnamic acid significantly increased Fusarium pathogenicity, inhibited the activity of defense enzymes and reduced the ability of plants to resist pathogens, indicating the importance of cinnamic acid in the promotion of Fusarium wilt resulting in reduced seedling growth. Intercropping with wheat improved plant resistance by alleviating cinnamic acid-induced stress, which promoted crop growth and decreased the incidence and disease index of Fusarium wilt.

CONCLUSION

Cinnamic acid promotes Fusarium wilt by stimulating pathogen enzyme production and destroying the defense capability of faba bean roots. Intercropping reduces Fusarium wilt by alleviating the damage caused by cinnamic acid to the defense system of the faba bean root system.

The decision-making of treatment and outcome in elderly patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis

Background

The prevalence of aortic stenosis (AS) steadily increases with age. There is a consensus that intervention should be advised in patients with symptomatic severe AS. However, decision to operate raises complex issues in the elderly due to the increasing operative comorbidity and mortality. There is limited information regarding the characteristics and outcome of elderly patients with symptomatic severe AS who were denied intervention and the reasons leading to the denial.

Purpose

To analyze the decision-making and the prognosis in elderly patients with symptomatic severe AS.

Methods

In a cohort of 8929 patients aged ≥60 years with significant valvular heart disease, we divided patients with severe (valve area ≤1 cm2 or peak velocity ≥4.0 m/s or mean gradient ≥40 mmHg), symptomatic (angina or NYHA II-IV or syncope) AS into three groups by final treatment decision: intervention group, doctor-deny group, patient-deny group. The impact of characteristics on decision-making was evaluated and 1-year mortality among three groups were compared.

Results

Among 546 patients with severe symptomatic AS, the interventional decision was taken in 338 patients (61.9%), 134 patients (24.5%) were denied intervention by doctor after evaluation and 74 patients (13.5%) refused intervention due to personal preference. In multivariable analysis, age [OR=1.104, 95% CI (1.068–1.142)], multi-comorbidities [OR=4.706, 95% CI (2.355–9.403)] and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) [OR=1.021, 95% CI (1.001–1.042)] were markedly associated with the conservative decision made by doctor, while LVEF &gt;50% [OR=0.260, 95% CI (0.082–0.823)] was significantly linked with the interventional decision. Lower mortality was observed in intervention group during 1-year follow-up compared with either doctor-deny group or patient-deny group (both P&lt;0.001 after adjustment). Further, diabetes [HR=2.513, 95% CI (1.243–5.084)], syncope [HR=2.856, 95% CI (1.338–6.098)], atrial fibrillation (AF) [HR=2.764, 95% CI (1.305–5.855)], stroke [HR=2.921, 95% CI (1.252–6.851)] and multi-comorbidities [HR=3.120, 95% CI (1.363–7.142)] were strong 1-year mortality predictors, whereas interventional treatment [HR=0.195, 95% CI (0.091–0.417)] and LEVF &gt;50% [HR=0.960, 95% CI (0.938–0.984)] were related to lower mortality.

Conclusions

Intervention was denied in about forty percent of elderly patients with symptomatic severe AS. Patients with advanced age, multi-comorbidities and increased LVEDD tended to be denied intervention by doctors, whereas interventions were more likely to be performed on patients with normal LVEF. Diabetes, syncope, AF, stroke and multi-comorbidities were the predictive factors of 1-year mortality. Elderly patients with symptomatic severe AS could benefit from intervention. Patient education needs to be strengthened, to encourage more patients accept the appropriate intervention.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Twelfth Five-year Science and Technology Support Projects by Ministry of Science and Technology of China

Optimal timing of delayed percutaneous coronary intervention in stable patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background

There is ongoing controversy and limited data about the optimal timing to perform delayed percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in stable ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who have missed opportunities for acute reperfusion therapy and are in absence of ongoing ischemia.

Purpose

To evaluate the effects of timing of delayed PCI on short- and long-term safety outcomes in stable STEMI patients.

Methods

A cohort of 3,048 stable STEMI patients without acute reperfusion therapy who underwent delayed PCI were included in the study. Procedural timing was stratified into three groups: &lt;3d, 3–7d, &gt;7d. Primary outcomes were 30-day and 12-month major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of death and reinfarction. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression models were performed.

Results

After multivariate adjustment, restricted cubic splines revealed a monotonic decrease in the risk of MACE with prolonged procedural timing (Figure-1). Delayed PCI on 3–7d and &gt;7d were strongly associated with lower risks of MACE at 30 days (3–7d: Hazard ratio (HR) 0.43 [95% Confidence interval (CI) 0.18–0.99], P=0.046; &gt;7d: HR 0.40 [95% CI 0.19–0.87], P=0.020) and 12 months (3–7d: HR 0.49 [95% CI 0.25–0.95], P=0.036; &gt;7d: HR 0.42 [95% CI 0.22–0.77], P=0.006) compared with that on &lt;3d. Delayed PCI on &gt;7d also showed improvement in 12-month mortality (HR 0.45 [95% CI 0.22–0.91], P=0.026) over that on &lt;3d, whereas procedure on 3–7d did not (HR 0.52 [95% CI 0.24–1.11], P=0.091). MI location and cardiac function had significant interactions with procedural timing for 12-month MACE (P-interaction=0.141 and 0.137). Procedural timing had more significant effects on MACE in patients with anterior MI or cardiac insufficiency.

Conclusion

Delayed PCI over a week after symptom onset had significant improvement in short- and long-term safety in stable STEMI patients especially with anterior MI or cardiac insufficiency. Decision-making on optimal timing should identify the high-risk individuals and balance between ischemic benefits and safety.

Figure 1

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Twelfth Five-year Science and Technology Support Projects by Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

Circ-CCDC66 accelerates proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer via binding to miRNA-1238-3p

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the expression of circ-CCDC66 in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and cell lines, as well as its correlation with the prognosis of GC. Moreover, the regulatory effects of circ-CCDC66 on biological behaviors of GC cells and its molecular mechanism were explored.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The relative expression level of circ-CCDC66 in GC tissues and cell lines was determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation between the circ-CCDC66 level and overall survival of GC patients was analyzed as well. The potential influences of circ-CCDC66 on proliferative and invasive abilities of GC cells were evaluated through 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), colony formation and transwell assay, respectively. Meanwhile, the cell cycle progression and apoptosis of GC cells affected by circ-CCDC66 were determined. In addition, the direct target miRNA of circ-CCDC66 was predicted and verified by bioinformatics method and Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay, respectively.

RESULTS

Circ-CCDC66 was significantly up-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Up-regulation of circ-CCDC66 indicated markedly worse prognosis of GC patients. Transfection of circ-CCDC66-siRNA remarkably attenuated proliferative and invasive abilities of BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells. Besides, GC cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase, and the apoptotic rate was remarkably elevated after circ-CCDC66 knockdown. The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay verified that circ-CCDC66 bind to miRNA-1238-3p by competing with LHX2 (LIM-homeobox domain 2). MiRNA-1238-3p was significantly down-regulated in GC cells, whereas LHX2 was up-regulated. Furthermore, overexpression of miRNA-1238-3p in GC cells markedly suppressed the LHX2 level.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ-CCDC66 is highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of circ-CCDC66 attenuates proliferative and invasive abilities of GC cells. Our results indicate that circ-CCDC66/miRNA-1238-3p/LHX2 axis may be a promising target for GC treatment.

[Bivariate heritability estimation of resting heart rate and common chronic disease based on extended pedigrees]

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the univariate heritability of resting heart rate and common chronic disease such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia based on extended pedigrees in Fujian Tulou area and to explore bivariate heritability to test for the genetic correlation between resting heart rate and other relative phenotypes.

METHODS

The study was conducted in Tulou area of Nanjing County, Fujian Province from August 2015 to December 2017. The participants were residents with Zhang surname and their relatives from Taxia Village, Qujiang Village, and Nanou Village or residents with Chen surname and their relatives from Caoban Village, Tumei Village, and Beiling Village. The baseline survey recruited 1 563 family members from 452 extended pedigrees. The pedigree reconstruction was based on the family information registration and the genealogy booklet. Univariate and bivariate heritability was estimated using variance component models for continuous variables, and susceptibility-threshold model for binary variables.

RESULTS

The pedigree reconstruction identified 1 seven-generation pedigree, 2 five-generation pedigrees, 23 four-generation pedigrees, 186 three-generation pedigrees, and 240 two-generation pedigrees. The mean age of the participants was 57.2 years and the males accounted for 39.4%. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia in this population was 49.2%, 10.0%, and 45.2%, respectively. The univariate heritability estimation of resting heart rate, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was 0.263 (95%CI: 0.120－0.407), 0.404 (95%CI: 0.135－0.673), and 0.799 (95%CI: 0.590－1), respectively. The heritability of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.379, 0.306, 0.393, 0.452, 0.568, 0.852, and 0.387, respectively. In bivariate analysis, there were phenotypic correlations between resting heart rate with hypertension, diabetes, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglyceride. After taking resting heart rate into account, there were strong genetic correlations between resting heart rate with fasting glucose (genetic correlation 0.485, 95%CI: 0.120－1, P<0.05) and diabetes (genetic correlation 0.795, 95%CI: 0.181－0.788, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Resting heart rate was a heritable trait and correlated with several common chronic diseases and related traits. There was strong genetic correlation between resting heart rate with fasting glucose and diabetes, suggesting that they may share common genetic risk factors.

[Correlation between fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and DNA methylation in adult twins]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the cytidine-phosphate-guanosine (CPG) sites associated with fas-ting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in twins.

METHODS

In the study, 169 pairs of monozygotic twins were recruited in Qingdao, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Heilongjiang in June to December of 2013 and June 2017 to October 2018. The methylation was detected by Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip and Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. According to the Linear Mixed Effect model (LME model), fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c were taken as the main effects, the methylation level (β value) was taken as the dependent variable, continuous variables, such as age, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, components of blood cells, surrogate variables generated by SVA, and categorical variables, such as gender, smoking and drinking status, hypoglycemic drugs taking, were included in the fixed effect model as covariates, and the identity numbers (ID) of the twins was included in the random effect model. The intercept was set as a random. Regression analysis was carried out to find out the CpG sites related to fasting blood glucose or HbA1c, respectively.

RESULTS

In this study, 338 monozygotic twins (169 pairs) were included, with 412 459 CpG loci. Among them, 114 pairs were male, and 55 pairs were female, with an average age of (48.2±11.9) years. After adjustment of age, gender, BMI, blood pressure, smoking, drinking, blood cell composition, and other covariates, and multiple comparison test, 7 CpG sites (cg19693031, cg01538969, cg08501915, cg04816311, ch.8.1820050F, cg06721411, cg26608667) were found related to fasting blood glucose, 3 of which (cg08501915, ch.8.1820050f, cg26608667) were the newly found sites in this study; whereas 10 CpG sites (cg19693031, cg04816311, cg01538969, cg01339781, cg01676795, cg24667115, cg09029192, cg20697417, ch.4.1528651F, cg16097041) were found related to HbA1c, and 4 of which(cg01339781, cg24667115, cg20697417, and ch.4.1528651f) were new. We found that cg19693031 in TXNIP gene was the lowest P-value site in the association analysis between DNA methylation and fas-ting plasma glucose and HbA1c (P_FPG=2.42×10^-19, FDR_FPG<0.001; P_HbA1c=1.72×10^-19, FDR_HbA1c<0.001).

CONCLUSION

In this twin study, we found new CpG sites related to fasting blood glucose and HbA1c, and provided some clues that partly revealed the potential mechanism of blood glucose metabolism in terms of DNA methylation, but it needed further verification in external larger samples.

Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 promotes bladder cancer angiogenesis through activating RhoC

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), a leading cause of urinary tract infections, is associated with prostate and bladder cancers. Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) is a key UPEC toxin; however, its role in bladder cancer is unknown. In the present study, we found CNF1 induced bladder cancer cells to secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through activating Ras homolog family member C (RhoC), leading to subsequent angiogenesis in the bladder cancer microenvironment. We then investigated that CNF1-mediated RhoC activation modulated the stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) to upregulate the VEGF. We demonstrated in vitro that active RhoC increased heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) phosphorylation, which induced the heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) expression, leading to stabilization of HIF1α. Active RhoC elevated HSP90α, HIF1α, VEGF expression, and angiogenesis in the human bladder cancer xenografts. In addition, HSP90α, HIF1α, and VEGF expression were also found positively correlated with the human bladder cancer development. These results provide a potential mechanism through which UPEC contributes to bladder cancer progression, and may provide potential therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.

[Development and applications of makeshift emergency hospitals]

When wars, major disasters, or epidemics of the infectious diseases occur, existing medical facilities are usually unable to implement timely and effective treatment for patients, or the reception capacity is difficult to meet the surge in demand for health care. The makeshift emergency hospitals are built for patient reception, treatment, and even isolation for infectious disease control. The makeshift hospitals have developed and improved in modern times, including mobile field hospitals, field tent hospitals, and navy hospital ships equipped with advanced equipment and commonly used for military purposes or in support of disaster relief and humanitarian operation, and temporary hospitals built in large public buildings, and newly built hospitals. Makeshift hospitals have played an important role in response to many disasters and epidemics globally. This paper briefly summarizes the history, types, and applications of makeshift hospitals in disaster and epidemic response.

Survival comparision of three-dimensional radiotherapy alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-surgical esophageal carcinoma

PURPOSE

Radiotherapy is the main treatment method for patients with locally advanced, unresectable esophageal cancer. The aim of this study is to compare overall survival (OS) using 3D radiotherapy (3DRT) alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in 296 non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients.

PATENTS AND METHODS

Over 10 years, of the 480 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 3DRT with or without chemotherapy, 148 patients each comprised 3DRT and CCRT groups after propensity score matching.

RESULTS

The 5- and 10-year OS (P=0.337) and PFS (P=0.715) rates for 3DRT alone were 22.0%, 14.4% and 26.1%, 23.2%, respectively, compared with 28.8%, 18.6% and 34.7%, 29.1% for CCRT, respectively. CCRT did not improve 5-year and 10-year OS or PFS in 60-70Gy group (OS: 27.5% and 25.2%; 17.9% and 17.0%, P=0.938; PFS: 38.3% and 31.8%; 31.9% and 27.8%, P=0.890) nor reduce 10-year hematogenous metastasis (31.7% and 28.3%, P=0.698). CCRT improved 5-year OS and PFS of 50.0-59.9Gy group (OS: 33.3% and 12.0%, P=0.029; PFS: 33.1% and 10.6%, P=0.081). For 3DRT, the 5-year OS and PFS rates were significantly better in the 60-70Gy group (P=0.017) compared with 50.0-59.9Gy group (P=0.002). For CCRT group, 5-year OS and PFS favored the 50.0-59.9Gy group, but the difference was insignificant. Major toxicities were greater with CCRT compared with 3DRT.

CONCLUSION

For non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients, 3DRT combined with CCRT was effective in prolonging both OS and PFS.

Alpha-hemolysin of uropathogenic Escherichia coli induces GM-CSF-mediated acute kidney injury

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), inducing acute pyelonephritis and may result in permanent renal scarring and failure. Alpha-hemolysin (HlyA), a key UPEC toxin, causes serious tissue damage; however, the mechanism through which HlyA induces kidney injury remains unclear. In the present study, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) secreted by renal epithelial cells was upregulated by HlyA in vitro and in vivo, which induced M1 macrophage accumulation in kidney, and ADAM10 was found involved in HlyA-induced GM-CSF. Macrophage elimination or GM-CSF neutralization protected against acute kidney injury in mice, and increased GM-CSF was detected in urine of patients infected by hlyA-positive UPEC. In addition, HlyA was found to promote UPEC invasion into renal epithelial cells by interacting with Nectin-2 in vitro. However, HlyA did not affect bacterial titers during acute kidney infections, and HlyA-induced invasion did not contribute to GM-CSF upregulation in vitro, which indicate that HlyA-induced GM-CSF is independent of bacteria invasion. The role of GM-CSF in HlyA-mediated kidney injury may lead to novel strategies to treat acute pyelonephritis.

Klinefelter's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus and atrial fibrillation

We describe a 65-year-old man who presented with arthralgia, reduced body hair and gynecomastia. He showed severe pancytopaenia. Laboratory examination revealed high follicle-stimulating hormone, low testosterone and oestradiol, elevated antinuclear antibodies, anti-dsDNA and ESR levels, as well as low complement levels. An electrocardiogram showed atrial fibrillation. Computed tomography and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry showed pleural effusion and osteoporosis. Chromosome analysis revealed 47, XXY karyotype. The unifying diagnosis was therefore Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with manifestations of pancytopaenia, atrial fibrillation, serositis and osteoporosis. After immunosuppressive therapy, his physical condition and pancytopaenia improved. Sex hormones and gene escape from X chromosome inactivation may contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE. Clinicians should consider autoimmune processes when patients with KS present with pancytopaenia or additional features of a systemic autoimmune disorder.

The Chinese National Twin Registry: a 'gold mine' for scientific research

The Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) currently includes data from 61 566 twin pair from 11 provinces or cities in China. Of these, 31 705, 15 060 and 13 531 pairs are monozygotic, same-sex dizygotic and opposite-sex dizygotic pairs, respectively, determined by opposite sex or intrapair similarity. Since its establishment in 2001, the CNTR has provided an important resource for analysing genetic and environmental influences on chronic diseases especially cardiovascular diseases. Recently, the CNTR has focused on collecting biologic specimens from disease-concordant or disease-discordant twin pairs or from twin pairs reared apart. More than 8000 pairs of these twins have been registered, and blood samples have been collected from more than 1500 pairs. In this review, we summarize the main findings from univariate and multivariate genetic effects analyses, gene-environment interaction studies, omics studies exploring DNA methylation and metabolomic markers associated with phenotypes. There remains further scope for CNTR research and data mining. The plan for future development of the CNTR is described. The CNTR welcomes worldwide collaboration.