The relationship and diagnostic efficacy of N-terminal propeptide type III collagen in pathological changes associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

OBJECTIVE

This study delves into the role of N-terminal propeptide type III collagen (PIIINP) in the diagnosis and management of liver pathological changes associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We collected baseline information, pathological data, and serum PIIINP levels of 168 patients diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) via ultrasound imaging in our hospital. Based on the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS), patients with different NAFLD patterns were divided into a Definite NASH group and a Not/borderline group. Differences in PIIINP levels and pathological features between the two groups were compared and analyzed. The diagnostic value of PIIINP for NASH was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Patients with NASH exhibited significantly higher values of homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fibrosis biomarker fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and serum PIIINP levels than those classified as Not/borderline. A marked increase in the serum concentrations of PIIINP was observed with the severity of fatty degeneration, lobular inflammation, and hepatocellular ballooning. The AUC of PIIINP for diagnosing definite NASH was 0.766 (95% CI: 0.694, 0.839), APRI was 0.634 (95% CI: 0.549, 0.718), and FIB-4 was 0.621 (95% CI: 0.534, 0.708). The AUC of PIIINP for diagnosing definite NASH was significantly higher than that of APRI and FIB-4 (all p<0.05). Utilizing the predetermined threshold values for diagnostic parameters, the PIIINP measure demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.6% and a specificity of 73.6% in diagnosing definitive NASH when its value exceeded 7.72 ng/dL. This yielded a Youden index of 0.45. Similarly, when the APRI measure exceeded 0.21, it exhibited a sensitivity of 60.5% and a specificity of 63.2%, resulting in a Youden index of 0.24. Moreover, when the FIB-4 index surpassed 0.26, it showed a sensitivity of 46.9% and a specificity of 79.3%, culminating in a Youden index of 0.26.

CONCLUSIONS

NASH patients in this study exhibited significantly elevated PIIINP serum levels, which were closely associated with hepatocyte pathological changes. PIIINP demonstrated superior competence in diagnosing NASH than APRI and FIB-4 and thus offers a viable alternative for the clinical diagnosis of NASH.

Evidence from enzymatic and meta-analyses does not support a direct association between USP26 gene variants and male infertility

Do men who carry mutations in USP26 have an increased risk of infertility? The association between mutations in USP26 gene and male infertility has been studied intensively. However, the results from different groups are controversial. In particular, biological function of the mutant proteins remains to be elucidated. In this study, we conducted a USP cleavage assay and a meta-analysis of the published literature (up to 31 May 2013) to evaluate the impact of five frequent mutations (NM_031907.1: c.363_364insACA, c.494T>C, c.1423C>T, c.1090C>T, c.1737G>A) on enzymatic activity of the USP26 and to assess the strength of the association between those mutations and male infertility. The USP cleavage assay showed that those mutations do not affect USP26 enzymatic activity. Moreover, the results of meta-analysis of ten case-control studies (in total 1716 patients and 2597 controls) revealed no significant association (P > 0.05) between USP26 mutations and male infertility. The pooled ORs were 1.58 (95% CI: 0.81, 3.10) for cluster mutations (c.363_364insACA, c.494T>C, c.1423C>T), 1.60 (95% CI: 0.93, 2.74) for c.1090 C>T and 2.64 (95% CI: 0.97, 7.20) for c.1737 G>A. Evidence from both enzymatic and meta-analyses does not support a direct association between USP26 variants and male infertility. Further research is necessary to study the biological function of USP26, which may provide clues as to the regulation of androgen receptor signalling.

Prognostic relevance and therapeutic implications of centromere protein F expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Centromere protein F (CENP-F), a cell cycle-regulated centromere protein, has been shown to affect numerous tumorigenic processes. This study aimed to clarify the prognostic significance of CENP-F expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The levels of CENP-F messenger RNA and protein were higher in ESCC cell lines than in the normal tissues. An immunohistochemical analysis of paired tissue specimens showed that the CENP-F expression was higher in tumorous tissues than in the adjacent non-tumorous tissues (P < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between CENP-F expression and gender (P = 0.012), clinical stage (P = 0.039), and T classification (P = 0.026). Patients with higher CENP-F expression had shorter overall survival than those with lower CENP-F expression (P = 0.009). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that CENP-F expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.582, 95% confidence interval = 0.397-0.804, P = 0.041). Importantly, it was found that zoledronic acid (ZOL) could significantly enhance the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of ESCC cell lines with high CENP-F expression to cisplatin, although ZOL alone only exhibited a minor inhibitory effect to ESCC cells. In summary, these findings demonstrate that CENP-F may serve as a valuable molecular marker for predicting the prognosis of ESCC patients. In addition, the data indicate a potential benefit of combining ZOL with cisplatin in ESCC, suggesting that CENP-F expression may have therapeutic implications.

Amino-Nogo-A antagonizes reactive oxygen species generation and protects immature primary cortical neurons from oxidative toxicity

Nogo-A is originally identified as an inhibitor of axon regeneration from the CNS myelin. Nogo-A is mainly expressed by oligodendrocytes, and also by some neuronal subpopulations, particularly in the developing nervous system. Although extensive studies have uncovered regulatory roles of Nogo-A in neurite outgrowth inhibition, precursor migration, neuronal homeostasis, plasticity and neurodegeneration, its cell-autonomous functions in neurons are largely uncharacterized. Here, we show that HIV-1 trans-activating-mediated amino-Nogo-A protein transduction into cultured primary cortical neurons achieves an almost complete neuroprotection against oxidative stress induced by exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). Endogenously expressed neuronal Nogo-A is significantly downregulated upon H(2)O(2) treatment. Furthermore, knockdown of Nogo-A results in more susceptibility to acute oxidative insults and markedly increases neuronal death. Interacting with peroxiredoxin 2 (Prdx2), amino-Nogo-A reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation to exert neuroprotective effects. Structure-function mapping experiments reveal that, out of NiG-Δ20, a novel region comprising residues 290-562 of amino-Nogo-A is indispensable for preventing oxidative neuronal death. Moreover, mutagenesis analysis confirms that cysteine residues 424, 464 and 559 are involved in the inhibition of ROS generation and neuroprotective role of amino-Nogo-A. Our data suggest that neuronal Nogo-A might play a cell-autonomous role in improving neuronal survival against oxidative insult through interacting with Prdx2 and scavenging of ROS.