Rosellichalasins A-H, cytotoxic cytochalasans from the endophytic fungus Rosellinia sp. Glinf021

Eight new cytochalasans rosellichalasins A-H (1-8), as well as two new shunt metabolites rosellinins A (9) and B (10) before intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction in cytochalasan biosynthesis, along with nine known cytochalsans (11-19) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Rosellinia sp. Glinf021, which was derived from the medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza inflata. Their structures were characterized by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR as well as HRESIMS spectra and quantum chemical ECD calculations. The cytotoxic activities of these compounds were evaluated against four human cancer cell lines including HCT116, MDA-MB-231, BGC823, and PANC-1 with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 58.2 μM.

Diphenyl ethers from endophytic fungus Rhexocercosporidium sp. Dzf14 and their antibacterial activity by affecting homeostasis of cell membranes

BACKGROUND

Phytopathogenic bacteria cause severe losses to crops every year. The management of crop bacterial diseases with chemical agents has been considered as the main strategy. In order to cope with the bactericide resistance made by the pathogens, new antibacterials need to be continuously developed.

RESULTS

A chemical investigation from the endophytic fungus Rhexocercosporidium sp. Dzf14 has led to the isolation of 12 diphenyl ethers including two new ones named rhexocerin E (1) and rhexocercosporin G (2), along with two new depsides named rhexocerdepsides A (3) and B (4). The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined through comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data and quantum chemical ECD calculations. Diphenyl ethers showed obviously antibacterial activity on Gram-positive bacteria. The structure-activity relationship of diphenyl ethers revealed that prenylation was critical to the antibacterial activity. Among them, rhexocercosporin D (12) possessed the strongest activity against Clavibacter michiganensis and Bacillus subtilis, and was selected for further mechanistic studies. It was found that rhexocercosporin D displayed bactericidal activity by affecting homeostasis of cell membranes. In addition to its rapid bactericidal effects on Gram-positive bacteria, rhexocercosporin D could restore the susceptibility against Gram-negative Agrobacterium tumefaciens by synergistic action with colistin.

CONCLUSION

Twelve diphenyl ethers and two depsides were isolated from endophytic fungus Rhexocercosporidium sp. Dzf14. Isopentenyl was critical for diphenyl ethers against Gram-positive bacteria. Rhexocercosporin D could affect homeostasis of bacterial cell membrane to exert rapid bactericidal activity. These findings highlight the antibacterial potential of the diphenyl ethers in crop bacterial disease management. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

'Gear up and get ready': Collaborative curriculum for radiographers supporting percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the operating theatre

INTRODUCTION

Newly qualified radiographers often find working in the operating theatre (OT) challenging and intimidating. These perceptions, which inhibit confidence, may hinder their effectiveness in interprofessional teamwork, which may in turn adversely affect patient outcomes. A collaborative education programme was designed, building upon the foundations of competency-based education (CBE) and simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) to examine its potential in mitigating these perceptions. The objective of this research was to assess participants' experience and level of competency after attending the curated collaborative educational programme.

METHODS

The programme was developed based on the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model and comprises two teaching and learning phases: educational session and simulation. A collaborative approach was undertaken to develop an assessment checklist for the interprofessional simulation. Requirements for the simulation, such as scenario design, information and storyboard, task trainer, logistics, and learners' briefing, debrief, and feedback, were identified and assembled. The radiographers' performance was recorded using a practical skills assessment checklist and a theory assessment.

RESULTS

Twelve radiographers participated and showed improvement in their self-rating of learning objectives before and after the programme. The median (interquartile range) score achieved in the theory assessment, out of a possible of 11, was 9.00 (7.75-9.50). The median (interquartile range) score achieved in the simulation component, out of a possible of 16, was 15.00 (14.00-15.00). There was statistically significant difference in self-perceived performance in all learning objective domains.

CONCLUSION

The findings from the programme were promising. The use of simulation and an assessment checklist proved to be useful learning tools in preparing newly qualified radiographers for work in the OT.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Assessment checklists are valuable tools that should be considered to facilitate teaching and learning. The use of interprofessional simulation activities can support radiographers in developing knowledge, professional skills, and clinical competency. It should be conducted in a timely manner to facilitate the introduction to role understanding and effective communication.

Activation of Ustilaginoidin Biosynthesis Gene uvpks1 in Villosiclava virens Albino Strain LN02 Influences Development, Stress Responses, and Inhibition of Rice Seed Germination

Villosiclava virens (anamorph: Ustilaginoidea virens) is the pathogen of rice false smut (RFS), which is a destructive rice fungal disease. The albino strain LN02 is a natural white-phenotype mutant of V. virens due to its incapability to produce toxic ustilaginoidins. In this study, three strains including the normal strain P1, albino strain LN02, and complemented strain uvpks1C-1 of the LN02 strain were employed to investigate the activation of the ustilaginoidin biosynthesis gene uvpks1 in the albino strain LN02 to influence sporulation, conidia germination, pigment production, stress responses, and the inhibition of rice seed germination. The activation of the ustilaginoidin biosynthesis gene uvpks1 increased fungal tolerances to NaCl-induced osmotic stress, Congo-red-induced cell wall stress, SDS-induced cell membrane stress, and H2O2-induced oxidative stress. The activation of uvpks1 also increased sporulation, conidia germination, pigment production, and the inhibition of rice seed germination. In addition, the activation of uvpks1 was able to increase the mycelial growth of the V. virens albino strain LN02 at 23 °C and a pH from 5.5 to 7.5. The findings help in understanding the effects of the activation of uvpks1 in albino strain LN02 on development, pigment production, stress responses, and the inhibition of rice seed germination by controlling ustilaginoidin biosynthesis.

Measurement of the 2νββ Decay Rate and Spectral Shape of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo Experiment

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is a yet unobserved nuclear process that would demonstrate Lepton number violation, a clear evidence of beyond standard model physics. The process two neutrino double beta decay (2νββ) is allowed by the standard model and has been measured in numerous experiments. In this Letter, we report a measurement of 2νββ decay half-life of ^{100}Mo to the ground state of ^{100}Ru of [7.07±0.02(stat)±0.11(syst)]×10^{18}  yr by the CUPID-Mo experiment. With a relative precision of ±1.6% this is the most precise measurement to date of a 2νββ decay rate in ^{100}Mo. In addition, we constrain higher-order corrections to the spectral shape, which provides complementary nuclear structure information. We report a novel measurement of the shape factor ξ_{3,1}=0.45±0.03(stat)±0.05(syst) based on a constraint on the ratio of higher-order terms from theory, which can be reliably calculated. This is compared to theoretical predictions for different nuclear models. We also extract the first value for the effective axial vector coupling constant obtained from a spectral shape study of 2νββ decay.

A Genome-Wide Comparison of Rice False Smut Fungus Villosiclava virens Albino Strain LN02 Reveals the Genetic Diversity of Secondary Metabolites and the Cause of Albinism

Rice false smut (RFS) caused by Villosiclava virens (anamorph: Ustilaginoidea virens) has become one of the most destructive fungal diseases to decrease the yield and quality of rice grains. An albino strain LN02 was isolated from the white RFS balls collected in the Liaoning Province of China in 2019. The strain LN02 was considered as a natural albino mutant of V. virens by analyzing its phenotypes, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) conserved sequence, and biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolites. The total assembled genome of strain LN02 was 38.81 Mb, which was comprised of seven nuclear chromosomes and one mitochondrial genome with an N50 value of 6,326,845 bp and 9339 protein-encoding genes. In addition, the genome of strain LN02 encoded 19 gene clusters for biosynthesis of secondary metabolites mainly including polyketides, terpenoids and non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs). Four sorbicillinoid metabolites were isolated from the cultures of strain LN02. It was found that the polyketide synthase (PKS)-encoding gene uspks1 for ustilaginoidin biosynthesis in strain LN02 was inactivated due to the deletion of four bases in the promoter sequence of uvpks1. The normal uvpks1 complementary mutant of strain LN02 could restore the ability to synthesize ustilaginoidins. It demonstrated that deficiency of ustilaginoidin biosynthesis is the cause of albinism for RFS albino strain LN02, and V. virens should be a non-melanin-producing fungus. This study further confirmed strain LN02 as a white phenotype mutant of V. virens. The albino strain LN02 will have a great potential in the development and application of secondary metabolites. The physiological and ecological functions of ustilaginoidins in RFS fungus are needed for further investigation.

A radio pulsar phase from SGR J1935+2154 provides clues to the magnetar FRB mechanism

The megajansky radio burst, FRB 20200428, and other bright radio bursts detected from the Galactic source SGR J1935+2154 suggest that magnetars can make fast radio bursts (FRBs), but the emission site and mechanism of FRB-like bursts are still unidentified. Here, we report the emergence of a radio pulsar phase of the magnetar 5 months after FRB 20200428. Pulses were detected in 16.5 hours over 13 days using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, with luminosities of about eight decades fainter than FRB 20200428. The pulses were emitted in a narrow phase window anti-aligned with the x-ray pulsation profile observed using the x-ray telescopes. The bursts, conversely, appear in random phases. This dichotomy suggests that radio pulses originate from a fixed region within the magnetosphere, but bursts occur in random locations and are possibly associated with explosive events in a dynamically evolving magnetosphere. This picture reconciles the lack of periodicity in cosmological repeating FRBs within the magnetar engine model.

Magnetic field reversal in the turbulent environment around a repeating fast radio burst

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, intense flashes of radio waves from unidentified extragalactic sources. Polarized FRBs originate in highly magnetized environments. We report observations of the repeating FRB 20190520B spanning 17 months, which show that the FRB's Faraday rotation is highly variable and twice changes sign. The FRB also depolarizes below radio frequencies of about 1 to 3 gigahertz. We interpret these properties as being due to changes in the parallel component of the magnetic field integrated along the line of sight, including reversing direction of the field. This could result from propagation through a turbulent magnetized screen of plasma, located 10^-5 to [Formula: see text] parsecs from the FRB source. This is consistent with the bursts passing through the stellar wind of a binary companion of the FRB source.

Effects of Carbon, Nitrogen, Ambient pH and Light on Mycelial Growth, Sporulation, Sorbicillinoid Biosynthesis and Related Gene Expression in Ustilaginoidea virens

Sorbicillinoids are a class of hexaketide metabolites produced by Ustilaginoidea virens (teleomorph: Villosiclava virens), an important fungal pathogen that causes a devastating rice disease. In this study, we investigated the effects of environmental factors, including carbon and nitrogen sources, ambient pH and light exposure, on mycelial growth, sporulation, as well as the accumulation of sorbicillinoids, and the expression of related genes involved in sorbicillinoid biosynthesis. It was found that the environmental factors had great influences on mycelial growth and sporulation of U. virens. Fructose and glucose, complex nitrogen sources, acidic conditions and light exposure were favorable for sorbicillinoid production. The relative transcript levels of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis genes were up-regulated when U. virens was separately treated with those environmental factors that favored sorbicillinoid production, indicating that sorbicillinoid biosynthesis was mainly regulated at the transcriptional level by different environmental factors. Two pathway-specific transcription factor genes, UvSorR1 and UvSorR2, were found to participate in the regulation of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis. These results will provide useful information to better understand the regulation mechanisms of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis, and be conducive to develop effective means for controlling sorbicillinoid production in U. virens.

A198 THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES ON HOST HEALTH AND THE RISK FACTORS OF CROHN'S DISEASE

Background

Several environmental factors are associated with Crohn’s disease (CD) in large case-control studies; however, it is not clear how these factors maybe be influenced by age of exposure and if they are related to alterations in pre-disease biological markers of CD risk.

Purpose

To investigate the association between environmental factors in different age groups with future risk of CD onset and assess their relation to other pre-disease biomarkers.

Method

We used an environmental risk assessment questionnaire (ERA) to collect information from healthy first-degree relatives(FDR) of CD enrolled in the CCC-GEM project. ERA was a multi-item questionnaire querying 69 questions under 7 section headings: background, cultural/ethnic, smoking history, medical history, family history, environmental history and pet history. For the environmental and pet sections, current and historical (<1, 2-4, 5-15 years old) data was captured at the time of recruitment. We used Cox proportional hazard models to identify exposures associated with future CD onset. Next, we used regression models to identify the relationship of exposures with biological factors associated with CD risk previously identified by our group i.e.: i) intestinal permeability using urinary fractional excretion of lactulose to mannitol ratio (LMR) with LMR≥0.025 defined as abnormal; ii) subclinical inflammation using fecal calprotectin (FCP) with FCP≥100µg/g; and iii) fecal microbiome composition and diversity using 16S rDNA sequencing. Two-sided p<0.05 (or false discovery rate corrected p<0.05) were considered significant.

Result(s)

A total of 4289 FDRs were recruited, 47% were male, median recruitment age was 17.0 years[6-35]. After a median follow-up of 5.6-years (IQR=3.42-8.67), 86 FDRs developed CD. Living with a dog between age 5-15 (Hazard Ratio (HR)=0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.39-0.95), and a large family size (>3) in the first year of life (HR=0.41; 95% CI=0.22-0.89) were protective against CD onset. Conversely, having a bird at time of survey (HR=2.84; CI=1.37-5.90), and having a sibling with CD (HR=2.07; 95% CI=1.18-3.63) were risk factors for CD onset. We found that owning a dog between age of 5-15 (Odd Ratio(OR)=0.77, 95% CI=0.65-0.90) was significantly associated with LMR, nine taxa bacterial and higher chao1 diversity index. Having a bird at time of survey was significantly associated with FCP (OR=2.04, 95% CI=1.33-3.11). There was no association between large family size and having a CD sibling with gut microbiome, FCP or LMR.

Conclusion(s)

The study identified four environmental factors associated with future development of CD. Among them, exposure to dogs during early life was protective against CD onset and might be explained by its association with normal gut permeability and microbiome. We also identified that having a bird at recruitment increased risk of CD onset which might be mediated by an increase in subclinical inflammation.

Submitted on behalf of the CCC-GEM consortium

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

A39 HEALTHY FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES FROM MULTIPLEX FAMILIES VERSUS SIMPLEX HARBOR A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING CROHN'S DISEASE AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATION AND ALTERED MICROBIOME COMPOSITION

Background

Healthy individuals within families with multiple affected members (multiplex families) with Crohn’s disease (CD) have a notably high risk of developing CD. No large prospective pre-disease cohort has assessed differences in preclinical intestinal inflammation, permeability, fecal microbiome, and genetics in healthy at-risk subjects from multiplex families.

Purpose

We aimed to assess differences in subclinical gut inflammation, genetic risk, gut barrier function, and fecal microbiota composition between first-degree relatives (FDRs) from families with 2 or more affected members (multiplex) and families with only one affected member (simplex). Also, we aimed to assess the risk of future CD onset in subjects from multiplex versus simplex families.

Method

We utilized the GEM Project cohort of healthy FDRs of CD patients. Subclinical gut inflammation was assessed using fecal calprotectin (FCP) at recruitment. Gut barrier function was assessed using the lactulose-to-mannitol ratio (LMR). For assessment of the CD-related genetic risk, CD-polygenic risk scores (CD-PRS) were calculated. Microbiome composition was assessed by sequencing fecal 16S ribosomal RNA. Generalized estimating equations logistic regression and LEfSe (PMID: 21702898) were used to assess the associations between multiplex status and different outcomes. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess time-related risk of future onset of CD.

Result(s)

4385 subjects were included. Median age was 17 [IQR 12-24] years, 52.9% were female, 69.4% were siblings and 30.6% were offspring. 4052 (92.4%) and 333 (7.6 %) were simplex and multiplex subjects, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, family size, and relation to proband, multiplex status was significantly associated with higher baseline FCP (p=0.038), but was not associated with either baseline LMR or CD-PRS (p=0.19 and p=0.33, respectively).

We found no significant differences in alpha diversity (Shannon index) (p=0.57) between simplex and multiplex subjects. Beta diversity analysis assessed by the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index did not reveal significant differences (R2=3e-04, p=0.607). The genera Eisenbergiella, Eggerthellaceae uncultured, and Morganella, were significantly more abundant in multiplex subjects, whereas Lachnospira, Sutterella, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_004 less abundant.

The risk of CD onset was significantly higher in multiplex subjects. In multivariable analysis, multiplex status at recruitment was associated with increased risk of CD onset (adjusted HR 3.41, 95% CI 1.70-6.87, p=0.00055), after adjusting for demographics, FCP, LMR, and CD-PRS.

Conclusion(s)

Multiplex status compared to simplex is associated with a 3.4-fold increased risk of CD onset, a higher FCP, and fecal bacterial composition. A comprehensive assessment of environmental factors that increase CD risk in multiplex families remains to be elucidated in future studies.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

A218 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ADHERENCE TO LITERATURE-DERIVED DIETARY INDICES AND PRE-DISEASE BIOMARKERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CROHN’S DISEASE PREVENTION

Background

The incidence of Crohn’s disease (CD) is increasing globally, indicating a significant environmental influence such as diet. A plethora of dietary adherence (DA) patterns exist in the literature: the Mediterranean Diet (MD), Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), and low Fermentable Oligosaccharide, Disaccharide, Monosaccharide, or Polyol diet (FODMAP) are all potential candidates to maintain a reduced level of inflammation, improving gastrointestinal function. Contrary, the Westernized diet (WD) is generally reported as a diet promoting inflammation in humans.

Purpose

To determine if DA to literature-derived dietary indices in a cohort of first-degree relatives (FDRs) of CD patients can modulate pre-disease biomarkers.

Method

We used food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data from 2,696 healthy FDR subjects of the Crohn’s Colitis Canada- Genes, Environment, Microbial (CCC-GEM) project. We rederived each of the following scores using our FFQ data, utilizing originally described methods for the MD, EDIP, SCD, low FODMAP, and WD to obtain DA. Each diet was correlated pairwise via Kendall’s Tau.

We fit multivariable regression models to identify the association of DA (top quintile vs remaining) and: i) intestinal permeability using urinary fractional excretion of lactulose to mannitol ratio (LMR), LMR≥0.03 defined abnormal; ii) subclinical inflammation using fecal calprotectin (FCP) measured with BÜHLMANN fCAL® ELISA, FCP≥250µg/g defined inflammation; and iii) fecal microbiome richness and composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. Two-sided p<0.05 for primary and q<0.05 for secondary analysis defined significance.

Result(s)

There were positive correlations between the MD, SCD, and low FODMAP, these diets negatively correlated with the WD. The EDIP negatively correlated with the SCD and low FODMAP, did not correlate with the MD, and positively correlated with the WD. No diet was associated with abnormal LMR or FCP. Only the SCD was associated with increased microbial richness (q=0.03). All diets were associated with microbial genera: the MD (n=18 taxa, (2.0^-7<q-values< 0.04), EDIP (n=9, [2.8^-4-0.05]), SCD (n=13, [3.7^-11-0.05]), low FODMAP (n=14, [1.3^-7-0.05]), and WD (n=1, [0.03]).

Conclusion(s)

This study shows that literature-derived dietary indices correlate generally with each other, yet none were not associated with abnormal LMR or FCP. However, we found that diet can impact microbiome richness and composition. Thus, it is tempting to speculate that diet is a possible intervention capable of maintain microbiome homeostasis to reduce future risk of CD.

Submitted on behalf of the CCC-GEM consortium.

Funding

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetics Environment Microbial (CCC-GEM) III

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

Kenneth Croitoru is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

A238 BILE ACID COMPOSITION AND DIETARY FAT: IMPLICATIONS FOR CROHN’S DISEASE IN A COHORT OF HEALTHY FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES

Background

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology of CD may arise from complex interactions including host genetics, diet, and the intestinal microbiome. Increased consumption of saturated fats, characteristic of the Western diet, is a known risk factor for CD. Dietary fat (DF) is absorbed by the host through the release of primary bile acids (PBAs) and bio-transformed by the microbiome into secondary bile acids (SBAs). Altogether, bile acids (BAs) can act as signaling molecules involved in host immune regulation and potentially in CD onset.

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between CD risk, BAs, and DF, and evaluate the predictive performance of CD onset of these factors by developing machine learning models.

Method

We used samples healthy first-degree relatives (FDRs) recruited as part of the Crohn’s Colitis Canada- Genes, Environment, Microbial (GEM) project. Those who developed CD (n=87) were matched 1:4 by age, sex, follow-up time, and geographic location with control FDRs remaining healthy (n=347).

Serum, urine, and stool BA were measured using ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectroscopy. DF types were derived from food frequency questionnaire data. We used conditional logistic regressions to identify associations between CD onset, BAs (n=93), and DFs (n=9). We further explored the relationships of significant CD-related BAs and DF via Generalized Estimation Equations. Finally, we used a tree-based machine-learning algorithm (XGBoost) with 5-fold cross-validation to assess the prediction performance of CD onset using BA from all sources as well as DF. Two-sided p<0.05 was considered significant.

Result(s)

In total, 10 of 93 BAs, and two of nine DFs were significantly associated with increased odds of CD onset (p<0.05). Additionally, five BAs were significantly associated with DF (p<0.05). Serum-derived BAs had the best predictive performance for CD, with a mean AUC of 0.70 [95% CI: 0.63;0.76], followed by stool derived BAs with a mean AUC= 0.65 [0.55;0.75], and followed by urine derived Bas with a mean AUC= 0.57 [0.48;0.66]. Lastly DF was not a predictive marker of CD onset with a mean AUC= 0.50 [0.41;0.60].

Conclusion(s)

This study suggests that BAs are associated with the pathogenesis of CD and the effects may be influenced by DF. Serum-derived BAs may be able to better predict the risk of CD than other stool or urine derived BA, while DF is not directly implicated in CD risk.

Submitted on behalf of the CCC-GEM consortium.

Funding

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetics Environment Microbial (CCC-GEM) III

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

Kenneth Croitoru is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

The International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD)

Jingcheng Shao is the recipient of a Data Science Institute Summer Undergraduate Data Science award

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

[Bushen Huoxue Fang improves recurrent miscarriage in mice by down-regulating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the efficacy of Bushen Huoxue Fang (BSHXF, a traditional Chinese medicine formula) for improving recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in mice and the role of tyrosine kinase (JAK2) and transcriptional activator (STAT3) signaling pathway in its therapeutic mechanism.

METHODS

Female CBA/J mice were caged with male DBA/2 mice to establish RSA mouse models, which were randomly divided into model group, dydrogesterone group and BSHXF group, with the female mice caged with male BALB/c mice as the control group (n=6). From the first day of pregnancy, the mice were subjected to daily intragastric administration of BSHXF, dydrogesterone, or distilled water (in control and model groups) for 12 days. After the treatments, serum levels of antithrombin III (AT-III), activated protein C (APC), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and estradiol (E2) were detected in each group using ELISA. HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of the endometrium of the mice. Western blotting was performed to determine the expressions of p-JAK2, p-Stat3 and Bcl-2 in the placenta of the mice.

RESULTS

Compared with the control mice, the mouse models of RSA showed a significantly increased embryo loss rate with decreased serum levels of AT-III, T-PA, progesterone, APC and HCG, increased placental expressions of p-JAK2, p-STAT3 and Bax, and decreased expression of Bcl-2 (P < 0.05). Treatments with BSHXF and dydrogesterone both increased serum levels of AT-III, t-PA and HCG in the mouse models; Serum APC level was significantly reduced in BSHXF group and serum progesterone level was significantly increased in dydrogesterone group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

BSHXF can improve the prethrombotic state and inhibit cell apoptosis by downregulating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway to increase the pregnancy rate in mouse models of RSA.

Recent Advances in Search of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Fungi Triggered by Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Genomic analysis has demonstrated that many fungi possess essential gene clusters for the production of previously unobserved secondary metabolites; however, these genes are normally reduced or silenced under most conditions. These cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters have become treasures of new bioactive secondary metabolites. The induction of these biosynthetic gene clusters under stress or special conditions can improve the titers of known compounds or the production of novel compounds. Among the inducing strategies, chemical-epigenetic regulation is considered a powerful approach, and it uses small-molecule epigenetic modifiers, which mainly act as the inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase, histone deacetylase, and histone acetyltransferase, to promote changes in the structure of DNA, histones, and proteasomes and to further activate cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters for the production of a wide variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. These epigenetic modifiers mainly include 5-azacytidine, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, suberoyl bishydroxamic acid, sodium butyrate, and nicotinamide. This review gives an overview on the method of chemical epigenetic modifiers to trigger silent or low-expressed biosynthetic pathways to yield bioactive natural products through external cues of fungi, mainly based on the research progress in the period from 2007 to 2022. The production of about 540 fungal secondary metabolites was found to be induced or enhanced by chemical epigenetic modifiers. Some of them exhibited significant biological activities such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity.

Association between Sarcopenia and Cognitive Trajectories among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

The relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive function has been extensively studied, but is usually explored at a single time point. We used repeatedly measured cognitive data to examine the relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive trajectories over time among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.

DESIGN

A nationally representative cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Data were from three waves (2011, 2013 and 2015) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 8963 participants with complete baseline data (wave 1) and at least two cognitive function tests (waves 1-3) were enrolled in this study.

MEASUREMENTS

Sarcopenia was diagnosed at baseline (wave 1). The wave 1-3 data were used to analyze cognitive trajectories over time by constructing a latent class trajectory model (LCTM). Logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between sarcopenia and cognitive trajectories.

RESULTS

Among 8693 participants, we identified two trajectories of cognitive function development, including a persistent low trajectory (n= 4856, 55.86%) and a persistent high trajectory (n= 3837, 44.14%). Sarcopenia was associated with persistently low cognitive trajectory of global cognitive (OR: 1.248, 95%CI: 1.046-1.490) after adjustment for other covariates. This association was still observed when stratified by age, gender, educational level, marital status, social activity, smoking status and drinking status. Mediation analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) mediated efficacy accounting for 42.32% of the relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed two trajectory groups of global cognitive function. Sarcopenia was associated with a persistent low trajectory over time and BMI mediated the relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive trajectories among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.

[Efficacy of endoscopic treatment oncolorectal laterally spreading tumor and risk factors of delayed bleeding after operation]

Objective: To evaluate the endoscopic treatment efficacy of colorectal laterally spreading tumor (LST) and analyze the risk factors for delayed post-polypectomy bleeding (DPPB). Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2020, patients underwent colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or hybrid ESD were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University. Complete resection rate, perforation rate, bleeding rate, operation time and lesion adhesion were compared between the ESD and hybrid ESD groups. Patients were divided into bleeding and non-bleeding groups based on the presence of DPPB. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of DPPB. Results: A total of 665 patients with colorectal LST were enrolled, including 376 males and 289 females, with an average age of (57.4±0.4) years. There were 471 cases underwent ESD and 194 cases underwent hybridized ESD. There were no significant differences in gender, age, history of smoking and drinking, and prevalence of hypertension between the two groups (all P>0.05). Likewise, the rate of lesion adhesion (4.2% vs 7.7%, P=0.067), lesion complete resection (96.8% vs 93.8%, P=0.418), perforation (0.6% vs 1.0%, P=0.594), delayed bleeding (2.8% vs 2.1%, P=0.605) were not statistically significant between the two groups. Seventeen patients (2.6%) developed DPPB after endoscopic treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the lesion was in the rectum (OR=3.594, 95%CI: 1.237-10.443, P=0.019) and the diameter of the lesion>2 cm (OR=3.776, 95%CI: 1.411-10.106, P=0.008) were risk factors for DPPB. Conclusions: Both ESD and hybrid ESD are successful treatments for colorectal LST. Colorectal LST lesion site and lesion size>2 cm are risk factors of DPPB.

[Clinical effect and influencing factors of focused ultrasound ablation surgery combined with suction curettage for the treatment of mass-type cesarean scar pregnancy]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of focused ultrasound ablation surgery (FUAS) combined with suction curettage for mass-type cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) and to analyze the influencing factors of vaginal bleeding and readmission. Methods: From January 2014 to December 2020, 88 patients with mass-type CSP were treated by FUAS combined with suction curettage in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The clinical results and the influencing factors of bleeding and readmission for mass-type CSP were analyzed. Results: All the patients underwent one time FUAS treatment successfully. Immediately after FUAS treatment, color Doppler ultrasound showed obvious necrosis and no perfusion area in all lesions, and the blood flow in the mass-type CSP tissue significantly decreased. The median volume of blood loss in the procedure was 20 ml (range: 5-950 ml). Thirteen patients (15%, 13/88) had vaginal bleeding≥200 ml, and 15 patients (17%, 15/88) were hospitalized again. The average time for menstruation recovery was (28±8) days (range: 18-66 days). The average time needed for serum human chorionic gonadotropin-beta subunit to return to normal levels was (22±6) days (range: 7-59 days). The risk of large vaginal bleeding of patients were related to the blood supply of the mass (OR=5.280, 95%CI: 1.335-20.858, P=0.018) and the largest diameter of the mass (OR=1.060, 95%CI: 1.010-1.120, P=0.030). The risk of readmission were related to the largest diameter of the mass (OR=1.055, 95%CI: 1.005-1.108, P=0.030) and the depth of the uterus cavity (OR=1.583, 95%CI: 1.015-2.471, P=0.043). No serious complications such as intestinal and nerve injury occurred during and after FUAS treatment. Conclusions: FUAS combined with suction curettage is safe and effective in treating patients with mass-type CSP through this preliminary study. The volume of vaginal bleeding are associated with the blood supply of the mass and the largest diameter of the mass, the risk of readmission are related to the largest diameter of the mass and the depth of the uterus cavity.

Frequency-dependent polarization of repeating fast radio bursts-implications for their origin

The polarization of fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are bright astronomical transient phenomena, contains information about their environments. Using wide-band observations with two telescopes, we report polarization measurements of five repeating FRBs and find a trend of lower polarization at lower frequencies. This behavior is modeled as multipath scattering, characterized by a single parameter, σ_RM, the rotation measure (RM) scatter. Sources with higher σ_RM have higher RM magnitude and scattering time scales. The two sources with the highest σ_RM, FRB 20121102A and FRB 20190520B, are associated with compact persistent radio sources. These properties indicate a complex environment near the repeating FRBs, such as a supernova remnant or a pulsar wind nebula, consistent with their having arisen from young stellar populations.

[An area under curve-based nomogram to predicts vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study]

Objective: To develop an area under curve (AUC)-based nomogram to predict vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in critically ill patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult patients treated with vancomycin in the intensive care unit at a tertiary teaching hospital from January 2015 to December 2017. Baseline clinical characteristics before vancomycin treatment and pharmacokinetic parameters were collected to establish a prediction model of nephrotoxicity. Univariate analysis was used to screen variables, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish the prediction model and nomogram. Results: A total of 159 patients met the inclusion criteria, sixty-four were included in the final analysis. Sixteen patients (25%, 16/64) developed vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity. The following variables were incorporated into the prediction model: vancomycin AUC, estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and combined nephrotoxic drugs. The following equation was established to calculate the probability of nephrotoxicity: logit (P)=-4.83+0.009×AUC-2.87×1 (if GFR>60 ml/min)+2.53×1 (if number of combined nephrotoxic drugs≥2). A nomogram was generated based on the equation. The receiver-operating characteristic curve demonstrated that the AUC of the prediction model was 0.927 (95%CI 0.851-1.000). The cut-off value of the probability of nephrotoxicity was 26.48%. The sensitivity and specificity were 87.5% and 87.5% respectively. Conclusion: The incidence of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity is high. The AUC-based nomogram can effectively predict vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in critically ill patients.

A238 ALTERED GUT MICROBIOME COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH GUT BARRIER DYSFUNCTION IN HEALTHY RELATIVES OF CROHN’S DISEASE PATIENTS

Background

The gut microbiome may play a role in gut barrier homeostasis including epithelial barrier function, but data are scarce and limited to animal studies

Aims

To assess if alterations in gut microbiome are associated with gut barrier function

Methods

We utilized the Genetic Environmental Microbial (CCC GEM) cohort of healthy first-degree relatives (FDRs) of Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. Gut barrier function was assessed using the ratio of urinary fractional excretion of lactulose to mannitol (LMR). Stool bacterial DNA was extracted and sequenced for the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene using MiSeq and processed using QIIME2. Microbial functions were imputed using PICRUSt2. The cohort was divided into a North American discovery cohort (n=2,472) and non-North American external validation cohort (n=655). LMR>0.025 was defined as abnormal. LMR-microbiome associations were assessed using multivariable regression model and Random Forest (RF) classifier algorithm. q<0.05 was considered significant when multiple tests were performed

Results

The median age of the entire cohort was 17.0 years [IQR 12.0; 24.0], 52.6% were females and 25.4% had LMR>0.025. In the discovery cohort, subjects with LMR>0.025 had markedly reduced alpha diversity (Chao1 index, estimate= -0.0037, p=4.0e-04) and altered beta diversity (Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index, PERMANOVA: pseudo-F statistic = 2.99, p=1.0e-03). We identified eight bacterial genera and 52 microbial pathways associated with LMR>0.025 (q<0.05). Four genera (decreased Adlercreutzia [odds ratio(OR)=0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6–0.91], Clostridia-UCG-014 [OR=0.71, 95%CI 0.59–0.86], and Clostridium-sensu-stricto-1 [OR=0.75, 95%CI 0.61–0.92] and increased Colidextribacter [OR=1.65, 95%CI 1.2–2.26]) and eight pathways (including decreased biosynthesis of glutamate [OR=0.4, 95%CI 0.21–0.74], tryptophan [OR=0.06, 95%CI 0.01–0.27] and threonine [OR=0.038, 95%CI 0.003–0.41]) were replicated. Bacterial community composition was associated with gut barrier homeostasis as defined by the RF analysis (p= 1.4e-6)

Conclusions

Gut microbiome community and pathways are associated with gut barrier function. These findings may identify potential microbial targets to modulate barrier function

Submitted on behalf of the CCC-GEM Consortium

Funding Agencies

CCC, CIHRCrohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetics Environment Microbial (CCC-GEM) III; The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; Kenneth Croitoru is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

A157 DEFINITIONS OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET INCONSISTENTLY ASSOCIATE WITH MARKERS OF GUT BARRIER FUNCTION OR SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATION IN A POPULATION-BASED COHORT

Background

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is proposed to reduce the risk of Crohn’s disease (CD) onset in cohort studies, with inconsistent results. This inconsistency may be due to heterogeneity in defining MD scores. Additionally, relationships between MD compliance and intestinal permeability or sub-clinical inflammation are not defined.

Aims

We examined correlations between different MD scores, and determined associations between MD compliance and intestinal permeability or subclinical inflammation in a cohort of first degree relatives of CD patients.

Methods

We used food frequency questionnaire data from 2,112 subjects of the Crohn’s Colitis Canada- Genes, Environment, Microbial (CCC-GEM) project. We obtained 12 MD definitions from the literature and calculated daily percent compliance, we further compared MD scores via pairwise correlations (Kendall’s Tau). We measured intestinal permeability via urinary fractional excretion ratio of lactulose to mannitol (LMR) (LMR≥0.03 defined abnormal), and subclinical inflammation via fecal calprotectin (FCP) measured with BÜHLMANN fCAL® ELISA (FCP≥250 defined abnormal). We fit multivariable regression models between MD compliance and abnormal LMR and FCP, respectively. Two-sided p&lt;0.05 defined significance.

Results

There was large variation in cross-correlations among MD scores, from nil (t=0.0, p=0.54) to highly significant (t=0.97, p&lt;2.2e-16). Associations of MD compliance and abnormal LMR or FCP were in both directions of effect, largely non-significant. Of the 12 MD scores, none associated with abnormal LMR, while 4 associated with abnormal FCP-Odds Ratios =1.22, 1.23, 1.24, and 1.30; p=0.02, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.009, and 95% Confidence Intervals = [1.03,1.45], [1.04,1.45], [1.05,1.47], and [1.07,1.59] respectively. No diet remained significant after correcting for multiple testing.

Conclusions

Currently MD definitions vary widely. Despite discrepancies, we expected consistent directions of effect for MD compliance on LMR or FCP. The largely non-significant associations between MDs suggest limitations in definition, interpretation, and relation to biological outcomes.

Submitted on behalf of the CCC-GEM consortium.

Funding Agencies

CIHRCrohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetics Environment Microbial (CCC-GEM) III;The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; Justine Timpano is a recipient of a fellowship award from Mount Sinai Hospital; Kenneth Croitoru is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

New Limit for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo Experiment

The CUPID-Mo experiment at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France) is a demonstrator for CUPID, the next-generation ton-scale bolometric 0νββ experiment. It consists of a 4.2 kg array of 20 enriched Li_{2}^{100}MoO_{4} scintillating bolometers to search for the lepton-number-violating process of 0νββ decay in ^{100}Mo. With more than one year of operation (^{100}Mo exposure of 1.17  kg×yr for physics data), no event in the region of interest and, hence, no evidence for 0νββ is observed. We report a new limit on the half-life of 0νββ decay in ^{100}Mo of T_{1/2}>1.5×10^{24}  yr at 90% C.I. The limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass ⟨m_{ββ}⟩<(0.31-0.54)  eV, dependent on the nuclear matrix element in the light Majorana neutrino exchange interpretation.

Phytotoxic Secondary Metabolites from Fungi

Fungal phytotoxic secondary metabolites are poisonous substances to plants produced by fungi through naturally occurring biochemical reactions. These metabolites exhibit a high level of diversity in their properties, such as structures, phytotoxic activities, and modes of toxicity. They are mainly isolated from phytopathogenic fungal species in the genera of Alternaria, Botrytis, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Helminthosporium, and Phoma. Phytotoxins are either host specific or non-host specific phytotoxins. Up to now, at least 545 fungal phytotoxic secondary metabolites, including 207 polyketides, 46 phenols and phenolic acids, 135 terpenoids, 146 nitrogen-containing metabolites, and 11 others, have been reported. Among them, aromatic polyketides and sesquiterpenoids are the main phytotoxic compounds. This review summarizes their chemical structures, sources, and phytotoxic activities. We also discuss their phytotoxic mechanisms and structure-activity relationships to lay the foundation for the future development and application of these promising metabolites as herbicides.

Preparation of a novel hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin functionalized monolith for separation of chiral drugs in capillary electrochromatography

In this study, a novel hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) functionalized monolithic capillary column was prepared by one-pot sequential strategy and used for chiral separation in capillary electrochromatography for the first time. In one pot, GMA-HP-γ-CD as functional monomer was allowed to be formed via the ring opening reaction between HP-γ-CD and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) catalyzed by 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and then copolymerized directly with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) in the presence of porogenic solvents via thermally initiated free radical polymerization. The preparation conditions of monoliths were optimized. Enantiomer separations of six chiral drugs including pindolol, clorprenaline, tulobuterol, clenbuterol, propranolol, and tropicamide were achieved on the monolith. Among them, pindolol, clorprenaline, and tropicamide were baseline separated with resolution values of 1.62, 1.73, and 1.55, respectively. The mechanism of enantiomer separation was discussed by comparison of the HP-γ-CD and HP-β-CD functionalized monoliths.

Plant protein diet-induced hypoimmunity by affecting the spiral valve intestinal microbiota and bile acid enterohepatic circulation in Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii)

An 8-week growth trial was conducted to study enterohepatic recirculation of bile acid metabolism and the intestinal microbiota of Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) fed with three diets, including 540 g/kg, 270 g/kg or 0 g/kg fishmeal, which was correspondingly replaced by a plant protein blend (named P0, P50 and P100, respectively). The diets were designed to be isonitrogenous, isoenergetic and essential nutrients balanced. With rising levels of dietary plant protein, disruption of the spiral valve intestinal microbiota and more morbidity with liver disease were observed in the P100 group, although there were no haematological abnormalities observed. An obvious bile acids enterohepatic circulation disorder was found with phenotypes of increased liver bile acids compensatory synthesis, and reduced expression of bile acid receptors (FXR and TGR5), which induced BA accumulative toxicity. Accompanied by increased oxidative stress, it further induced hepatic lesions and hypoimmunity, which were non-negligible reasons for the high mortality and low utilization ability of plant protein by Amur sturgeon.

[Comparative analysis on amenable mortality with main non-communicable diseases in urban and rural areas in China, 2010 and 2017]

Objective: To analyze the composition and differences of amenable mortality in urban and rural areas in China, 2010 and 2017. Methods: With the national mortality rates in 2010 and 2017 calculated by the National Bureau of Statistics and the National Health Commission as the reference, the underreporting rate from diseases was adjusted in combination with the cause-of-death surveillance data published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Center for Health Statistics and Information, National Health Commission. Age-standardized mortality was calculated by using a direct method based on the population census in 2010. Differences of the mortality in two years were compared, and the proportion of amenable mortality of different diseases in the total amenable mortality was calculated. Results: In 2010 and 2017, the age-standardized total mortality of non-communicable diseases was 536.4/100 000 and 493.6/100 000, respectively. The age-standardized amenable mortality rates were 107.6/100 000 and 96.0/100 000, respectively. Compared with 2010, the mortality of four major non-communicable diseases declined in 2017. The fastest declined amenable mortality was in with an average annual growth rate of -5.6%, followed by chronic respiratory diseases (-2.5%). Among the 11 subdivided non-communicable diseases, the age-standardized mortality of hypertension, chronic rheumatic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease declined, with an average annual growth rate of -6.7%, -5.8% and -3.0%, respectively. The proportion of amenable mortality from cerebrovascular disease was the highest among the 11 subdivided non-communicable diseases in 2010 and 2017, from 52.4% to 47.2%, followed by ischemic heart disease with an increase from 27.4% to 34.5%. Conclusion: Compared with that in 2010, the amenable mortality of non-communicable chronic diseases in urban and rural areas in China declined in 2017, of which cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease account for more than 80%.

Enantioseparation and molecular modeling study of eight psychoactive drugs on a coated polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase

The enantioseparation of eight psychoactive drugs has been firstly performed on a coated cellulose-based chiral stationary phase (Chiralcel OJ-H). To obtain optimum separation conditions, the influences of alcohol modifiers and basic/acidic additives have been studied. As a result, except for the partial separation of oxybutynin enantiomers, the other seven drug enantiomers including mirtazapine, sulpiride, promethazine, citalopram, oxazepam, donepezil, and cyamemazine have been completely separated. Additionally, for gaining a better insight into the chiral recognition mechanisms, molecular docking was carried out using the Autodock software. Herein, binding energy and conformations of the chiral stationary phase complexes were provided, and it was found that the distinction in enantiomeric conformation determined the number and strength of intermolecular interactions between analytes and chiral stationary phase which resulted in the difference in binding energies of two enantiomers, and ultimately led to the different migration. These modeling results were in accordance with the observed enantioseparation results in high performance liquid chromatography experiments. At last, chiral separation mechanisms have been discussed in detail, and it has been confirmed that hydrogen bond, π-π, hydrophobic interactions, and some special interactions synergistically contributed to the enantioseparation of psychoactive drugs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Characteristics and roles of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific antibodies in patients with different severities of coronavirus 19

The diagnosis of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) relies mainly upon viral nucleic acid detection, but false negatives can lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody detection is convenient, safe and highly sensitive. Immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG are commonly used to serologically diagnose COVID-19; however, the role of IgA is not well known. We aimed to quantify the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG antibodies, identify changes in them based on COVID-19 severity, and establish the significance of combined antibody detection. COVID-19 patients, divided into a severe and critical group and a moderate group, and non-COVID-19 patients with respiratory disease were included in this study. A chemiluminescence method was used to detect the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG in the blood samples from the three groups. Epidemiological characteristics, symptoms, blood test results and other data were recorded for all patients. Compared to the traditional IgM-IgG combined antibodies, IgA-IgG combined antibodies are more effective for diagnosing COVID-19. During the disease process, IgA appeared first and disappeared last. All three antibodies had significantly higher levels in COVID-19 patients than in non-COVID-19 patients. IgA and IgG were also higher for severe and critical disease than for moderate disease. All antibodies were at or near low levels at the time of tracheal extubation in critical patients. Detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific combined IgA-IgG antibodies is advantageous in diagnosing COVID-19. IgA detection is suitable during early and late stages of the disease. IgA and IgG levels correspond to disease severity.

Influence of exosome-derived miR-21on chemotherapy resistance of esophageal cancer

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influence of exosome-derived micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-21 on chemotherapy resistance of esophageal cancer and its mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Human esophageal cancer TE-1 and Eca109/DDP cell lines and human normal esophageal Het-1A cells were cultured, and the exosomes were extracted from cells. After miR-21 was inhibited with an inhibitor and overexpressed with miRNA mimics combined with cisplatin, the cell viability was detected via cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), the interaction between miR-21 and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) was detected via dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, and the changes in the protein level were detected via Western blotting.

RESULTS

The expression level of exosome-derived miR-21 in esophageal cancer cells was higher than that in normal esophageal cells, and it was the highest in cisplatin-resistant esophageal cancer cells. After treatment with cisplatin, miR-21 overexpression significantly reduced the invasion ability of esophageal cancer cells. After miR-21 overexpression, the sensitivity of esophageal cancer cells to cisplatin was lowered. MiR-21 interacted with the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of PDCD4. Moreover, the miR-21 overexpression significantly down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of PDCD4 in cells.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-21 affects the sensitivity of esophageal cancer to cisplatin through targeting PDCD4.

New chlamydosporol derivatives from the endophytic fungus Pleosporales sp. Sigrf05 and their cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities

Five new chlamydosporol derivatives, named pleospyrones A-E (1-5), together with one known congener (6), were isolated from the culture of the endophytic fungus Pleosporales sp. Sigrf05, obtained from the medicinal plant Siraitia grosvenorii. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated mainly by analysis of the HRESIMS, and (1D, 2D) NMR data, while ECD and optical rotation calculations were used to assign the absolute configurations. The plausible biosynthetic pathway of these compounds were proposed. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity, antifungal and antibacterial activities. Compounds 1, and 4-6 were cytotoxic against the tested cancer cells with IC50 values of 1.26~47.5 μM. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate antifungal activities against Magnaporthe oryzae, while compound 5 displayed weak antibacterial activity.

Lophiostomin A–D: new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin derivatives from the endophytic fungus Lophiostoma sp. Sigrf10

Four new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin congeners, named lophiostomin A–D (1–4), together with two known α-pyridones (5 and 6) were isolated from cultures of the endophytic fungus Lophiostoma sp. Sigrf10 obtained from Siraitia grosvenorii. The structures of the new compounds were determined via combined analysis involving 1D and 2D NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, as well as quantum chemical ECD computations for assigning the absolute configurations. All the compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. Compounds 1 and 2 displayed moderate inhibitory activities against the spore germination of Magnaporthe oryzae, whereas 5 and 6 were active against the following tested pathogenic bacteria: Bacillus subtilis, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Ralstonia solanacearum, and Xanthomonas vesicatoria.

Four new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin congeners, named lophiostomin A–D (1–4), together with two known α-pyridones (5 and 6) were isolated from cultures of the endophytic fungus Lophiostoma sp. Sigrf10 obtained from Siraitia grosvenorii.

Lose-of-Function of a Rice Nucleolus-Localized Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein Is Responsible for the floury endosperm14 Mutant Phenotypes

BACKGROUND

The endosperm of rice (Oryza sativa) has been usually used for the study of starch synthesis. Although several related factors have been revealed, other unknown members remain to be identified, given that starch synthesis is a complicated and sophisticated process.

RESULTS

Here, we identified and characterized a new rice seed mutant, floury endosperm14 (flo14), which showed chalked endosperm and seed-lethal phenotypes. Map-based cloning indicated FLO14 encodes a novel P-family PPR protein which contains ten PPR motifs. Afterwards the gene was named OsNPPR3. Subcellular localization showed OsNPPR3 was targeted to nucleolus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that OsNPPR3 was universally expressed in various tissues, with pronounced levels during rice endosperm development. Molecular analysis further suggested that OsNPPR3 was involved in the regulation of expression levels and splicing of a few genes in mitochondria.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrates that the nucleolus-localized PPR protein is responsible for the flo14 mutant phenotypes through affecting nuclear and mitochondrial gene expression and splicing.

Enantioselective degradation of chiral fungicides triticonazole and prothioconazole in soils and their enantioselective accumulation in earthworms Eisenia fetida

Triticonazole and prothioconazole are widely used systemic agricultural triazole fungicides both with a chiral center. In this work, the enantioselective degradation of triticonazole and prothioconazole in three types of soils were investigated under native conditions using reversed phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a Chiralcel OD-RH column. The results indicated that the enantioselective degradation was observed with S-triticonazole and R-prothioconazole preferentially degraded and the degradation rate was fast with a half-life within 6 days. It was also found that the presence of earthworms can accelerate the degradation and further enhance degradation enantioselectivity of triticonazole and prothioconazole in soils. Moreover, the enantioselective of triticonazole and prothioconazole in earthworms were studied. The results showed that the bioaccumulation was enantioselective with R-triticonazole and S-prothioconazole preferentially accumulated, which was similar to the soil. Our findings suggest that the enantioselective toxicity and potential effects of the metabolites should be considered for more accurate assessment of ecological risks of triticonazole and prothioconazole to target and non-target species.

Plant protein diet suppressed immune function by inhibiting spiral valve intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, anti-oxidation, apoptosis, autophagy and proliferation responses in amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii)

An 8-week growth trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing dietary fishmeal with a plant protein blend on the growth performance, mucosal barrier integrity and the related regulation mechanism in Amur Sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) with initial weight of 87.48 g. Three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were prepared. A basal diet containing 540 g/kg fishmeal (P0), whereas the other two diets were formulated by replacing 50% and 100% of FM with plant protein blend (soybean protein concentrate and cottonseed protein concentrate), and named as P50 and P100, respectively. Although essential amino acids, fatty acids, and available phosphorus had been balanced according to the nutrient requirement of sturgeon, compared with the fish of P0 and P50, the full plant protein diet (P100) significantly reduced growth performance and survival, and accompanied with serious spiral valve intestinal (SVI) damage. The increased tissue necrosis and failed responses in anti-oxidation, programming apoptosis, autophagy and cell proliferation system were regulated by inhibiting ERK1 phosphorylation, which indicated that SVI hypoimmunity and functional degradation were the main reasons for the high mortality and low utilization ability of plant protein in Amur sturgeon.

Enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices with chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

The present work firstly described the enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in milk, yogurt, chicken, beef, egg, and honey samples by chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The enantioseparation was performed under reversed-phase conditions on a Chiralpak IC column at 20°C. The effects of chiral stationary phase, mobile phase components, and column temperature on the separation of flumequine enantiomers have been studied in detail. Target compounds were extracted from six different matrices with individual extraction procedure followed by cleanup using Cleanert C18 solid phase extraction cartridge. Good linearity (R² >0.9913) was obtained over the concentration range of 0.125 to 12.5 ng g^-1 for each enantiomer in matrix-matched standard calibration curves. The limits of detection and limits of quantification of two flumequine enantiomers were 0.015-0.024 and 0.045-0.063 ng g^-1 , respectively. The average recoveries of the targeted compounds varied from 82.3 to 110.5%, with relative standard deviation less than 11.7%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices, providing a reliable method for evaluating the potential risk in animal productions.

Metabolic disorder induces fatty liver in Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicas fed a full plant protein diet and regulated by cAMP-JNK/NF-kB-caspase signal pathway

A 10-week growth trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing dietary fishmeal with plant proteins on nutrition metabolism, immunity, inflammation and apoptosis responses in liver tissues of Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicas (initial body weight = 10.42 ± 0.01 g). Two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated. A basal diet containing 54% fishmeal (FM), whereas another diet was prepared by totally replacing FM with a plant protein blend (PP) composed with soybean protein concentrate and cottonseed protein concentrate. Although essential amino acids, fatty acids, and available phosphorus had been balanced according to the FM diet profile, the significantly lower growth performance, metabolic disorder, and fatty liver symptom were observed in the PP group. Compared with the FM group, fish in the PP group showed significantly lower plasma free EAA level and PPV. Glucose metabolism disorder was expressed as the uncontrollable fasting glycolysis and pyruvate aerobic oxidation at postprandial 24 h with significantly up-regulated GK, PK and PDH genes expression, which potentially over-produced acetyl-CoA as the substrate for protein and lipid synthesis. Significantly reduced plasma GLU, but increased GC level, along with very significantly reduced liver GLY storage could be observed in the PP group. Plasma TG and hepatic NEFA contents were significantly decreased, but the hepatic TC content was very significantly increased in the PP group, in addition, hepatocyte vacuolation appeared. The significantly up-regulated cholesterol synthesis gene (HMGCR) expression but down-regulated bile acid synthesis gene (CYP7A1) expression could be the main reason for the fatty liver induced by cholesterol accumulation. The reduced plasma IgM content accompanied by the up-regulated mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL1β) and activated apoptosis signals of liver tissues were found in the PP group. The hyperthyroidism (higher plasma T3 and T4) and the accelerated energy metabolism rate decreased the growth performance in the PP group. The activated p65NF-kB may promote the hepatocytes apoptosis via the extrinsic pathway (caspase8/caspase3). Simultaneously, a "self-saving" response could be observed that activated cAMP promoted the lipolysis/β-oxidation process and up-regulated gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL10 via promoting CREB expression, further inhibited the over-phosphorylation of JNK protein, which might impede the intrinsic apoptosis pathway (caspase9/caspase3). In conclusion, the nutrient and energy metabolic disorder induced fatty liver related to the cholesterol accumulation in Japanese seabass fed full PP diet, which was under the regulation by cAMP-JNK/NF-kB-caspase signaling pathway. The hemostasis phosphorylation of JNK protein protected the liver tissues from more serious damage.

Dietary N-Carbamylglutamate (NCG) alleviates liver metabolic disease and hepatocyte apoptosis by suppressing ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signal pathway via promoting endogenous arginine synthesis in Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus)

N-Carbamylglutamate (NCG), an analogue of N-acetylglutamate (NAG), can promote the synthesis of endogenous Arginine (Arg) in mammals, but not well studied in fish. This study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Arg endogenous synthesis by NCG, and the effects of various dietary NCG doses on growth performance, hepatic health and underlying nutrient regulation metabolism on ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signaling pathway in Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus). Four experimental diets were prepared with NCG supplement levels of 0 (N0), 360 (N360), 720 (N720) and 3600 (N3600) mg/kg, in which N360 was at the maximum recommended level authorized by MOA, China in fish feed, and the N720 and N3600 levels were 2 and 10-fold of N360, respectively. Each diet was fed to 6 replicates with 30 Japanese seabass (initial body weight, IBW = 11.67 ± 0.02 g) in each tank. The results showed that the dietary NCG supplementation had no significant effects on the SGR and morphometric parameters of Japanese seabass, but 360-720 mg/kg NCG inclusion promoted PPV, while the 10-fold (3600 mg/kg) overdose of NCG had remarkably negative effects with significantly reduced feed efficiency, PPV and LPV. We found that Japanese seabass can utilize 360-720 mg/kg NCG to synthesis Arg to improve the amino acid metabolism by increasing plasma Arg and up-regulating intestinal ASL gene expression. Increased plasma GST and decreased MDA indicated the improved antioxidant response. Dietary NCG inclusion decreased plasma IgM and down-regulated the mRNA levels of inflammation (TNF-α and IL8), apoptosis (caspase family) and fibrosis (TGF-β1) related genes in the liver. The immunofluorescence examination revealed significantly decreased hepatic apoptosis and necrosis signals in the NCG groups. The ameliorated liver function and histological structure were closely related to the improved lipid metabolism parameters with decreased plasma VLDL and hepatic TG and NEFA accumulation, down-regulated fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis and simultaneously increased lipolysis gene mRNA levels, which regulated by inhibiting phosphorylation of ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signaling pathway. Consuming 3600 mg/kg of dietary NCG is not safe for Japanese seabass culturing with the significantly increased FCR and decreased protein and lipid retention, and reduced plasma ALB. Accordingly, the observed efficacy and safety level of dietary NCG in the diet of Japanese seabass is 720 mg/kg.

25-OH-vitamin D deficiency identifies poor tumor response in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization

PURPOSE

Vitamin D is implicated linked to liver cancer and chronic liver diseases, but its association with tumor response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether vitamin D levels influence tumor response in HCC patients treated with TACE.

METHODS

A total of 58 HCC patients undergoing TACE were enrolled in the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels were determined at baseline and 1 day after TACE using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Response to TACE was evaluated after a 4-6 week interval. Univariate and multivariate analyses with Cox regression model were performed to determine the risk factors associated with tumor response. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the predictive performance of baseline 25-OHD levels on tumor response in HCC patients undergoing TACE.

RESULTS

43.1% of HCC patients showed 25-OHD deficiency. Baseline 25-OHD level was associated with liver cirrhosis (P = 0.025), vascular invasion (P = 0.031), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (P = 0.002) and an alanine aminotransferase increase after TACE (P = 0.021). Serum 25-OHD level was significantly decreased 1 day after TACE (P = 0.045). Multiple tumor numbers (P = 0.034) and low baseline 25-OHD levels (P = 0.040) were independently correlated with poor tumor response after TACE. ROC curve analysis showed that baseline 25-OHD levels present better predictive performance for OR in those patients, compared with other current clinical test pointers.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that 25-OHD deficiency at baseline is a prognostic indicator for a poor tumor response in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE.

A comparison between high-intensity focused ultrasound and surgical treatment for the management of abdominal wall endometriosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic outcomes of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and surgical treatment for abdominal wall endometriosis.

DESIGN

A retrospective study.

SETTING

Gynaecological department of a teaching hospital in China.

POPULATION

Patients with abdominal wall endometriosis.

METHODS

Among the 51 patients, 23 patients were treated with ultrasound-guided HIFU and 28 patients with surgery. Pain relief and the size change of the nodule after each management were evaluated 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment, respectively. The hospital stay and blood loss were also compared.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Difference between HIFU and surgical treatment for abdominal wall endometriosis.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in the pain relief in 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment, respectively. The hospital stay was clearly shorter in the HIFU group than in the surgery group. Change in nodules was more remarkable in the group treated with surgery; no palpable nodules existed in most patients in the surgery group. HIFU had more advantages over surgery, such as no blood loss, no new scar, no anaesthesia and lower pain score immediately after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our results, it appears that either HIFU or surgery is safe and effective in treating patients with AWE in short-term. Compared with surgery, HIFU treatment for AWE has the advantages of shorter hospital stay, no blood loss, no new scar, no anaesthesia and a lower immediate pain score.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Either HIFU or surgical treatment is safe and effective in treating patients with AWE. HIFU has the advantages of a less invasive procedure and shorter hospital stay.

Abstract P3-07-07: Withdrawn

This abstract was withdrawn by the authors.

Citation Format: Jiang Y-Z, Ma D, Suo C, Shi J, Xue M, Stover DG, Verschraegen C, Kaklamani V, Wang P, Shi L, Huang W, Shao Z-M. Withdrawn [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-07.