Optimizing multi-domain hematologic biomarkers and clinical features for the differential diagnosis of unipolar depression and bipolar depression

There is a lack of objective features for the differential diagnosis of unipolar and bipolar depression, especially those that are readily available in practical settings. We investigated whether clinical features of disease course, biomarkers from complete blood count, and blood biochemical markers could accurately classify unipolar and bipolar depression using machine learning methods. This retrospective study included 1160 eligible patients (918 with unipolar depression and 242 with bipolar depression). Patient data were randomly split into training (85%) and open test (15%) sets 1000 times, and the average performance was reported. XGBoost achieved the optimal open-test performance using selected biomarkers and clinical features-AUC 0.889, sensitivity 0.831, specificity 0.839, and accuracy 0.863. The importance of features for differential diagnosis was measured using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The most informative features include (1) clinical features of disease duration and age of onset, (2) biochemical markers of albumin, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and potassium, and (3) complete blood count-derived biomarkers of white blood cell count (WBC), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocytes (MONO). Overall, onset features and hematologic biomarkers appear to be reliable information that can be readily obtained in clinical settings to facilitate the differential diagnosis of unipolar and bipolar depression.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of 83 children with newly treated hepatoblastoma]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features, survival and prognostic risk factors of children with hepatoblastoma (HB). Methods: Clinical data of 83 children with newly treated HB at the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2012 to October 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The sex, age, first clinical manifestations, pretreatment extent of disease (PRETEXT) stages, pathological types, initial alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), treatment methods and treatment outcome of all patients were summarized. The children diagnosed before 2018 were treated with "Wuhan Protocol", and those who diagnosed after 2018 were treated with the "Expert Consensus for Multidisciplinary Management of Hepatoblastoma"(CCCG-HB-2016) protocol. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to calculate the survival rate, Log-Rank test was used in univariate analysis, and the Cox regression model was used in multivariate prognosis analysis. Results: Among 83 cases, there were 51 males and 32 females. The age of onset was 25.2 (9.0, 34.0) months old, and 64 cases (77%) were under 3 years old. The most common first clinical manifestation was abdominal mass in 45 cases (54%). There were 8 cases of PRETEXT stage Ⅰ, 43 cases of stage Ⅱ, 20 cases of stage Ⅲ and 12 cases of stage Ⅳ. During the follow-up period of 40 (17, 63) months, the 1-year overall survival (OS) rate and event-free survival (EFS) rate were (84±4) % and (79±5) %, respectively, and 5-year OS rate and EFS rate were (78±5) % and (76±5) %, respectively. Fifty-five cases were treated with "Wuhan Protocol", and the 5-year OS and EFS rate were (73±6) % and (71±6) %, respectively. Twenty-eight cases were treated with CCCG-HB-2016 protocol, and the 5-year OS and EFS rate were (88±7) % and (82±9) %, respectively. Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that AFP did not turn negative after 3 courses of postoperative chemotherapy (HR=9.228, 95%CI 1.017-83.692) and PRETEXT stage Ⅳ (HR=6.587, 95%CI 1.687-25.723) were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of children with HB. Conclusions: The "Wuhan Protocol" and CCCG-HB-2016 protocol were effective in the treatment of children with HB. AFP did not turn negative after 3 courses of postoperative chemotherapy and PRETEXT stage Ⅳ were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of children with HB.

Research Progress on Species Identification of Sarcosaprophagous Flies

Abstract

Estimation of postmortem interval （PMI） has always been one of the difficult problems for forensic scientists. It is especially hard to estimate the PMI of highly decomposed corpses in the wild or in secluded houses with conventional methods. Therefore, application of insect evidence at the scene is usually required for estimation. Sarcosaprophagous flies of different species have totally different developmental rates. In actual cases, direct measurement of the body length of the larvae, calculation of accumulated temperature and succession stages without species identification, or calculation based on incorrect species identification would often lead to a large deviation between the calculated results and the real PMI. This mistake would also mislead the case investigation. Therefore, accurate species identification should be implemented before any PMI estimation of decomposed corpses with forensic entomological methods. This article reviews the general and ultramicroscopic species identification and molecular biological species identification methods of different stages of sarcosaprophagous flies, in order to provide new ideas and methods for related research and practice, and provide reference for the application and promotion of forensic entomology in the front line of public security.

[Clinical analysis of 33 cases of chronic liver diseases overlapping with CMV infection]

Objective: To understand the clinical features and outcomes of chronic liver diseases overlapping with CMV infection. Methods: Clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of patients of chronic liver diseases overlapping with CMV infection were analyzed retrospectively. T-test was used for measurement data and χ (2) test was used for count data. All measurement data were expressed by (x ± s). P > 0.05 was not determined as significant. P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: Chronic liver diseases overlapping with CMV infections had similar clinical features. Etiopathogenic treatment + symptomatic supportive treatment + CMV overlapping infection treatment (including antiviral therapy, corticosteroids consideration, clearing heat and traditional Chinese choleretic medicine, etc) were the primary principles of therapy. The incidence of cytomegalovirus infection accounted for 4.125% during the corresponding hospitalization period. Cytomegalovirus infection had relatively caused liver function damage in patients with milder clinical symptoms and signs. Biochemical indicators before and after treatment showed that there was no significant difference in total bilirubin (TBil) before (262.93 ± 178.944) μmol/L and after one week of treatment (245.08 ± 179.332) μmol/L (P > 0.05). However, when TBIL was compared with three (156.58 ± 147.461) μmol/L and four weeks (103.39 ± 102.218) μmol/L) of treatment, the decrease was significant (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after one week (293.57 ± 467.438) U/L (P < 0.01) of treatment was significantly lower than before treatment (782.34 ± 828.801) U/L. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) after treatment (202.52 ± 155.174)U/L was significantly lower than before treatment(280.69 ± 205.619)U/L). Total bile acid (TBA) was increased after treatment (198.04 ± 155.174)μmol/L, when compared with that of before treatment (62.93 ± 178.944)μmol/L. Biochemical indicators of liver diseases had shown typical features of cholestasis, and the slow and reduced flow of bile acid was tracked and observed. Compared with the advanced group (182.45 ± 214.169) umol/L, the total bilirubin in inflammation group (50.36 ± 26.282) umol/L was decreased (P < 0.05). Moreover, advanced group (122.18 ± 106.780) umol/L (P < 0.05) had elevated total bile acid normalization rate than that of bile acid group (54.82 ± 56.123) umol/L, and the inflammatory phase had significantly better outcome than those with advanced-stage. Conclusion: Chronic liver diseases overlapping with cytomegalovirus infection has a good therapeutic outcome in the inflammatory phase, but in the advanced-stage; the therapeutic efficacy and outcome is poor and perilous.

[Development and performance test of the environment scale of unintentional injury in the home for children aged 0-6 years old in urban area of China]

Objective: To develop the environment scale of unintentional injury in the home for children aged 0-6 years living in urban area of China, and test its validity and reliability. Methods: The content of the environment scale was established through the literature review, expert consultation and pilot study. A total of 1 104 children aged 0-6 years in urban area of Changsha were enrolled in this study by using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. The questionnaire was used to collect the basic information of children, the incidence of unintentional injury and the status of home environment. The reliability of the scale was tested by using Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability coefficient. The content validity and construct validity were tested by using Pearson correlation analysis and factor analysis. All children were divided into two groups according to the incidence of unintentional injury in the home and the discrimination validity of the scale was tested by using t-test. Results: The scale had 54 items in 6 dimensions. The number of eligible questionnaires was 1 074, including 554 (51.6%) from boys and 519 (48.3%) from children under 3 years old. The incidence rate of unintentional injury and in-home injury was 18.34% (197 children) and 10.71% (115 children). The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α) coefficient for the scale was 0.87 and the split-efficacy reliability coefficient was 0.82, both meeting the standard of reliability above 0.70. The Pearson correlation coefficient between each dimension and the whole scale ranged from 0.53 to 0.84 (all P values <0.001). The common factor cumulative variance contribution rate of the scale was 58.34%. There were 54 items with factor loadings greater than 0.30. The root mean square error of approximation, comparative fit index and goodness-of-fit index were 0.07, 0.61 and 0.71, respectively. The score of scale in children with injury was significantly higher than that in children without injury (P=0.022). Conclusion: The validity and reliability of the environment scale for unintentional injury in the home for children aged 0-6 years old in the urban area of China are good.

Abstract P6-22-01: Repurposing sulindac sulfide as a notch inhibitor to target cancer stem-like cells in triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous group of clinically aggressive breast cancers. TNBC patients have a high risk of recurrence and metastasis, and current treatment options remain limited. There is strong evidence supporting the involvement of Notch signaling in TNBC progression. Expression of Notch1 and its ligand Jagged1 correlate with poor prognosis. Emerging evidence suggests that cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) that escape chemo or radiation therapy in TNBC are often Notch-dependent. At the same time, there is evidence that active tumor immunity predicts good response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in TNBC. Notch inhibitors, including Gamma Secretase Inhibitors (GSIs) are quite effective in preclinical models of TNBC, where they eliminate CSCs resistant to chemotherapy. However, the success of GSIs in clinical trials is limited by their intestinal toxicity and adverse immunological effects. CD4 and CD8 T-cells, necessary to adaptive tumor immunity, require Notch1 for activation. Our overarching goal is to replace GSIs with agents that lack their systemic toxicity and adverse immunological effects. We identified Sulindac Sulfide (SS), the active metabolite of FDA-approved NSAID Sulindac, as a potential candidate to replace GSI. SS has Gamma Secretase Modifier (GSM) activity. We confirmed that SS inhibits Notch1 cleavage in TNBC cells. SS significantly inhibited mammosphere growth in all human and murine TNBC models we tested: 1) human MDA-MB-231 cells; 2) murine TNBC model C0321, from targeted conditional knockout of Lunatic Fringe (LFng-/-); and 3) Two TNBC patient-derived xenograft models, 2K1 and 4IC. In contrast, SS did not inhibit Notch expression or cleavage in murine T cells. In C0321 tumors, which recapitulate human mesenchymal TNBC, we found that SS had remarkable single-agent anti-tumor activity and virtually eliminated Notch1 expression in tumors. SS caused an increase in intra-tumoral CD11c+ dendritic cells, but decreased CD4 cells, which in this model are largely PD-1 positive (exhausted). CD8 cells were modestly increased. SS did not affect the number of tumor infiltrating macrophages or myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). However, SS blocked the immunosuppressive function of bone marrow-derived MDSC. We are currently investigating the mechanisms of this anti-tumor activity. Our data support further investigation of SS for the treatment of TNBC, with standard of care or with immunotherapy agents. Repurposing an FDA-approved, safe agent for the treatment of TNBC would be significantly easier and more cost-effective than developing unproven investigational agents.

Citation Format: Hossain F, Ucar D, Majumder S, Xu K, Ran Y, Minter L, Xi Y, Burow M, Golde T, Osborne B, Miele L. Repurposing sulindac sulfide as a notch inhibitor to target cancer stem-like cells in triple negative breast cancer [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 P6-22-01.

[Role of Rac1 signaling pathway of azathioprine and peptidoglycan in the regulation of monocyte-macrophage apoptosis in Crohn's disease]

Objective: To evaluate the changes of macrophages and expression of Rac1 in the inflammatory site of Crohn's disease, and to investigate the effects of 6-thioguanine (6-TG) and peptidoglycan on apoptosis of human peripheral blood monocyte-macrophage by regulating Rac1 signaling pathway. Methods: Ten patients with Crohn's disease and eight healthy controls diagnosed were enrolled at Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from January 2013 to January 2014. The number of macrophages, apoptosis and expression of Rac1 in the inflammation sites and non-inflammation sites of intestinal mucosa were detected in both patients and controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were sorted by CD₁₄ immunomagnetic beads. The apoptosis of monocytes, expression of Rac1 and related apoptosis signaling molecules were detected in patients treated with peptidoglycan, 6-TG and Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 and another 15 healthy donors. Results: The number of macrophages and apoptotic cells significantly increased in the inflammatory group of Crohn's disease patients compared with the non-inflammatory group. The expression of PAK1, downstream molecular of Rac1 signaling pathway of macrophages was also significantly higher in the inflammatory group of Crohn's disease patients than that in healthy controls and non-inflammatory group. Compared with control group, anti-apoptotic signals (NF-κB, Bcl-xL and STAT-3) in PBMCs increased in the peptidoglycan group, while slightly decreased in 6-TG group. 6-TG and NSC23766 significantly promoted peptidoglycan-related anti-apoptosis [peptidoglycan group (8.6±3.7)%, peptidoglycan+ 6-TG group (42.0±2.7)%, peptidoglycan+ NSC23766 group (58.5±6.9)%, P<0.05]. Conclusions: Peptidoglycan plays a role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease by recruiting macrophages. However, 6-TG inhibits peptidoglycan-induced activation of Rac1 signaling pathway leading to macrophage apoptosis.

Associations of carboxypeptidase 4 with ALDH1A1 expression and their prognostic value in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal cancer is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis because of early metastasis when diagnosed and recurrence after surgery. This study is aimed at investigating the expression of carboxypeptidaseA4 (CPA4) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumor tissues and analyzed their association and clinical significance. The expression of CPA4 and ALDH1A1 was determined by immunohistochemistry using the corresponding primary antibodies on two commercial tissue arrays. High level of CPA4 was observed in 87/150 (58%) ESCC samples and was significantly associated with histologic grade, lymph node metastasis, and TNM Classification of Esophageal cancer stage. The expression level of ALDH1A1 was much higher in ESCC than their corresponding normal epithelial tissues, with 66% positive rate. And, high levels of ALDH1A1 were significantly associated with lymph nodes metastasis (P < 0.05) and TNM stage (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed the expression level of CPA4 positively correlated with that of ALDH1A1 (r = 0.416, P < 0.01). In Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, either CPA4 or ALDH1A1 was significantly correlated with poor overall survival of ESCC patients. Multivariate Cox regression model showed that high expression of CPA4 was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients. In conclusion, our present study demonstrated for the first time that CPA4 might be used as an independent poor prognostic factor in ESCC. This study demonstrated for the first time that CPA4 was aberrantly expressed in ESCC tissues. Overexpression of CPA4 was closely associated with the putative cancer stem cell marker ALDH1A1 and might be used as an independent prognostic factor in ESCC.

Novel multifunctional pH-sensitive nanoparticles loaded into microbubbles as drug delivery vehicles for enhanced tumor targeting

This study fabricated novel multifunctional pH-sensitive nanoparticles loaded into microbubbles (PNP-MB) with the combined advantages of two excellent drug delivery vehicles, namely, pH-sensitive nanoparticles and microbubbles. As an antitumor drug, resveratrol (RES) was loaded into acetylated β-cyclodextrin nanoparticles (RES-PNP). The drug-loaded nanoparticles were then encapsulated into the internal space of the microbubbles. The characterization and morphology of this vehicle were investigated through dynamic light scattering and confocal laser scanning microscopy, respectively. In vitro drug release was performed to investigate the pH sensitivity of RES-PNP. The antitumor property of RES-loaded PNP-MB (RES-PNP-MB) was also analyzed in vivo to evaluate the antitumor effect of RES-PNP-MB. Results suggested that PNP exhibited pH sensitivity, and was successfully encapsulated into the microbubbles. RES-PNP-MB exhibit effective tumor growth suppressing in vivo. Therefore, such drug delivery vehicle should be of great attention in tumor therapy.

Disposition of GDC-0879, a B-RAF kinase inhibitor in preclinical species

1. The pharmacokinetics and disposition of GDC-0879, a small molecule B-RAF kinase inhibitor, was characterized in mouse, rat, dog, and monkey. 2. In mouse and monkey, clearance (CL) of GDC-0879 was moderate (18.7-24.3 and 14.5 +/- 2.1 ml min(-1) kg(-1), respectively), low in dog (5.84 +/- 1.06 ml min(-1) kg(-1)) and high in rat (86.9 +/- 14.2 ml min(-1) kg(-1)). The volume of distribution across species ranged from 0.49 to 1.9 l kg(-1). Mean terminal half-life values ranged from 0.28 h in rats to 2.97 h in dogs. Absolute oral bioavailability ranged from 18% in dog to 65% in mouse. 3. Plasma protein binding of GDC-0879 in mouse, rat, dog, monkey, and humans ranged from 68.8% to 81.9%. 4. In dog, the major ketone metabolite (G-030748) of GDC-0879 appeared to be formation rate-limited. 5. Based on assessment in dogs, the absorption of GDC-0879 appeared to be sensitive to changes in gut pH, food and salt form (solubililty), with approximately three- to four-fold change in areas under the curve (AUCs) observed.

Prediction of aqueous solubility of organic compounds by the general solubility equation (GSE)

The revised general solubility equation (GSE) is used along with four different methods including Huuskonen's artificial neural network (ANN) and three multiple linear regression (MLR) methods to estimate the aqueous solubility of a test set of the 21 pharmaceutically and environmentally interesting compounds. For the selected test sets, it is clear that the GSE and ANN predictions are more accurate than MLR methods. The GSE has the advantages of being simple and thermodynamically sound. The only two inputs used in the GSE are the Celsius melting point (MP) and the octanol water partition coefficient (K(ow)). No fitted parameters and no training data are used in the GSE, whereas other methods utilize a large number of parameters and require a training set. The GSE is also applied to a test set of 413 organic nonelectrolytes that were studied by Huuskonen. Although the GSE uses only two parameters and no training set, its average absolute errors is only 0.1 log units larger than that of the ANN, which requires many parameters and a large training set. The average absolute error AAE is 0.54 log units using the GSE and 0.43 log units using Huuskonen's ANN modeling. This study provides evidence for the GSE being a convenient and reliable method to predict aqueous solubilities of organic compounds.

Prediction of drug solubility by the general solubility equation (GSE)

The revised general solubility equation (GSE) proposed by Jain and Yalkowsky is used to estimate the aqueous solubility of a set of organic nonelectrolytes studied by Jorgensen and Duffy. The only inputs used in the GSE are the Celsius melting point (MP) and the octanol water partition coefficient (K(ow)). These are generally known, easily measured, or easily calculated. The GSE does not utilize any fitted parameters. The average absolute error for the 150 compounds is 0.43 compared to 0.56 with Jorgensen and Duffy's computational method, which utilitizes five fitted parameters. Thus, the revised GSE is simpler and provides a more accurate estimation of aqueous solubility of the same set of organic compounds. It is also more accurate than the original version of the GSE.

Solubilization of cyclosporin A

This study investigated the solubilization of cyclosporin A (CsA), a neutral undecapeptide, by cosolvency, micellization, and complexation. Cosolvents (ethanol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol polyethyleneglycol ether, and glycerin), surfactants (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate [(Tween 80)], polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate [(Tween 20)], and Cremophor EL), and cyclodextrins (alpha-cyclodextrin [(alphaCD)] and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin[(HPbetaCD)] were used as solubilizing agents in this study. Surfactants had a noticeable effect in increasing CsA solubility. Twenty percent solutions of Tween 20, Tween 80, and Cremophor EL increased the solubility by 60 to 160 fold. Cyclodextrins can increase the CsA solubility, but alphaCD was more effective than HPbetaCD. Cosolvents on the other hand did not increase the solubility of CsA as much as expected from the LOGP (logarithm of water-octanol partition coefficient) value of CsA.

Na+/myo-inositol symporters and Na+/H+-antiport in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Mitr1 and Mitr2 from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (common ice plant) are members of a family of genes homologous to H+[or Na+]/myo-inositol symporters (ITRs), not previously studied in plants. MITR1 complemented an Itr1-deficient yeast strain. Mitr1 is strongly expressed in roots, moderately in stems, and weakly in leaves. Its transcripts increased in all organs, most dramatically in roots, under salinity stress. Mitr2 constitutes a rare transcript, slightly upregulated by salt stress in leaves only. Mitr1 transcripts are present in all cells in the root tip, but become restricted to phloem-associated cells in mature roots. Peptide antibodies against the two proteins indicated the presence of MITR1 in all organs and of MITR2 in leaves. Both are located in the tonoplast. MITR1 acts in removing sodium from root vacuoles, correlated with findings of low root sodium, while leaf vacuoles accumulate sodium in the ice plant. Up-regulation in leaves and stems is also found for Na+/H+-antiporter (Nhx-type) transcripts. Under comparable stress conditions, Nhx-and Itr-like transcripts in Arabidopsis were regulated differently. In the ice plant, co-ordinate induction of Na+/H+-antiporters and Na+/myo-inositol symporters transfers sodium from vacuoles in root cells into the leaf mesophyll as a halophytic strategy that lowers the osmotic potential. The tissue-specific differential expression of Itr- and Nhx-type transcripts suggests that the vacuolar sodium/inositol symporters function to reduce sodium amounts in cells of the root and vascular tissue, while sodium/proton antiporters in leaf tissues function to partition sodium into vacuoles for storage.

Fractionation and composition of colloidal and suspended particulate materials in rivers

The association of pollutants (nutrients, heavy metals and organic compounds) with colloidal and suspended particle matter (SPM) plays a dominant role in determining their transport, fate, biogeochemistry, bioavailability and toxicity in natural waters. A scheme for the fractionation and composition of colloidal and SPM from river waters has been tested. All four separation methods, i.e. sieving, continuous flow centrifugation, tangential flow filtration, sedimentation field-flow fractionation, were for the first time used to separate five size particulate fractions from river. Significant (gram) amounts of colloidal material (<1 microm) in three size ranges, nominally 1-0.2, 0.2-0.006 and 0.006-0.003 microm were obtained. The separation scheme was able to process large samples (100 l), within reasonable times (1 day) and the apparatus was portable. The aquatic colloid size was also characterized with high resolution by using sedimentation field-flow fractionation technique. The mass-based particle size distribution for the water sample showed a broad size distribution between 0.05 and 0.4 microm with the maximum around 0.14 microm. There was a systematic increase in the content of organic carbon (estimated by loss on ignition), Mg, Ca, Na, Cu and Zn with decreasing particle size, highlighting the importance of the colloidal (<1 microm) fraction. It was concluded that the colloidal Cu and Zn concentrations in rivers might be much higher than those reported before.

[Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma: expression of cytotoxic-granule-associated protein TIA-1 and its relation with Epstein-Barr virus infection]

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinicopathologic features, the expression of cytotoxic-granule-associated protein TIA-1 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL).

METHODS

Totally 17 cases of SPTCL were studied. Immunohistochemical staining was done for TIA-1, CD45RO, CD3, CD20 and CD68, and in situ hybridization for EBV encoded small nuclear RNA (EBER1/2).

RESULTS

In the 17 cases of SPTCL, the ratio of male-to-female was 1:1.1 and the median age was 24 years old. The main clinical manifestations were asymptomatic plaques, nodules and masses. Histologically, the pattern of lymphoid cells infiltration was panniculitis. The infiltrated lymphoid cells were pleomorphic and their mitotic figures were few (0 - 2/hpt). In the tumor tissue, there might be epithilioid granulomas, multinuclear cells, beanbag cells, small pieces of necrosis and small vessels with lymphoid cells infiltration in the vascular wall. Immunohistochemically, all the cases showed a T-cell phenotype and the expression rate of TIA-1 was 100% (16/16). By in situ hybridization, the positive rate of EBV-EBER1/2 was 29.4% (5/17).

CONCLUSIONS

SPTCL has a specific histopathologic picture. It may originate from cytotoxic T lymphocytes or NK cells. Some of them may be accompanying with EBV latent infection.

[Construction of anti-human VEGF165 chimeric antibodies and expression in eukaryotic cells]

OBJECTIVE

To express chimeric anti-VEGF165 antibody genes in eukaryotic cells.

METHODS

The variable region genes of light and heavy chains from mouse anti-human VEGF165 monoclonal antibody VmD11 were cloned into eukaryotic expression vectors and transfected into dihydrofolate reductase-deficient Chinese hamster ovary(CHO-dhfr-) cells to express chimeric antibody. The antibody expressed was examined for the presence of human constant regions and specificity against human VEGF165.

RESULTS

The chimeric antibody with human constant regions and specificity against human VEGF was detected in the culture supernatant of transfected CHO cells by ELISA and Western blot. The chimeric antibody gene was also detected at mRNA level by RT-PCR.

CONCLUSION

The mouse anti-human VEGF165 monoclonal antibody is successfully humanized and expressed in eukaryotic cells.

[The analysis of manganese through electrochemical stripping ellipsometry]

This paper introducing the cathodic stripping ellipsometry with a new function Vop for analyzing manganese quantitatively. The results indicated that the related average deviation of this method are more smaller than the stripping voltamimetry of electrochemistry and providing a lot of information about electrode processes.

[Cloning and sequencing of the VL and VH genes from the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor McAb hybridoma cell line]

OBJECTIVE

The light chain variable region (VL) and heavy chain variable region (VH) genes from the anti-VEGF165 McAb hybridoma cell line were cloned for construction of it's chimeric antibody.

METHODS

The VL and VH genes were amplified from the total RNA of the VmD11 hybridoma with RT-PCR and cloned into vectors, and then analyzed by sequencing.

RESULTS

The 320 bp VL gene belong to mouse kappa light chain subgroup V, the 354 bp VH gene belong to mouse heavy chains subgroup I (B).

CONCLUSIONS

The nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that the cloned genes coded the light and heavy chain variable region of mouse respectively.

A physical map of chromosome 7 of Candida albicans

As part of the ongoing Candida albicans Genome Project, we have constructed a complete sequence-tagged site contig map of chromosome 7, using a library of 3840 clones made in fosmids to promote the stability of repeated DNA. The map was constructed by hybridizing markers to the library, to a blot of the electrophoretic karyotype, and to a blot of the pulsed-field separation of the SfiI restriction fragments of the genome. The map includes 149 fosmids and was constructed using 79 markers, of which 34 were shown to be genes via determination of function or comparison of the DNA sequence to the public databases. Twenty-five of these genes were identified for the first time. The absolute position of several markers was determined using random breakage mapping. Each of the homologues of chromosome 7 is approximately 1 Mb long; the two differ by about 20 kb. Each contains two major repeat sequences, oriented so that they form an inverted repeat separated by 370 kb of unique DNA. The repeated sequence CARE2/Rel2 is a subtelomeric repeat on chromosome 7 and possibly on the other chromosomes as well. Genes located on chromosome 7 in Candida are found on 12 different chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Limited genetic changes in the Sabin 1 strain of poliovirus occurring in the central nervous system of monkeys

Replication of attenuated poliovirus strains results in their partial deattenuation. Recently we identified mutations accumulating in the Sabin 1 poliovirus in cell cultures. Here we report genetic changes occurring in this virus during replication in the central nervous system (CNS) of monkeys. Viruses isolated from different parts of the CNS of rhesus monkeys (inoculated into the spinal cord) were screened for sequence heterogeneities and newly identified mutations were independently confirmed and quantified using mutant analysis by PCR and restriction enzyme cleavage (MAPREC). All consistently accumulating mutations identified in this study were located in untranslated regions: GU-->AU or GU-->GC substitution at a complementary pair formed by nucleotides 480 and 525, U-->C substitution at nucleotide 612, and GU-->AU or GU-->GC substitution of a base pair formed by the nucleotides 7427/7441 immediately preceding the poly(A) tract. All these mutations except one (7427) were previously identified in cell culture passages or stool isolates from vaccinees. Sequencing of 11 CNS isolates also identified a few random silent mutations that accumulated as neutral 'passengers', passively co-selected with genuinely selectable mutations present on the same RNA molecule. One isolate also contained the wild-type base at nucleotide 2741 (Ala88-->Thr in VP1). Our results demonstrate a remarkable genetic stability of the Sabin 1 poliovirus in the CNS of monkeys, suggesting that deattenuation is determined by a very limited number of mutations. These mutations can be assayed by MAPREC to monitor the consistency of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) production.

Evaluation of porous biphasic calcium phosphate ceramics for anterior cervical interbody fusion in a caprine model

STUDY DESIGN

This study compared the efficacy of characterized 50/50 hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics of 30%, 50%, and 70% porosity and autograft to promote interbody spinal fusion at C2-C3 and C5-C6 in 24 goats: 12 at 3 months and 12 at 6 months.

OBJECTIVES

Radiographs, histology, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry analysis, and biomechanical testing were used to evaluate the ability of the 30%, 50%, and 70% porous 50/50 hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics and autograft to promote cervical interbody fusion.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The conundrum in the use of calcium phosphates for interbody fusion is what porosity is most effective to promote ingrowth yet strong enough to resist compressive stresses found in the spine? It is known that the ability for bone ingrowth increases and the compressive strength decreases as porosity of the ceramic is increased. Dense ceramics remain intact but may be surrounded by fibrous tissue. Porous ceramics have good ingrowth but may fracture.

METHODS

Radiographs were evaluated for fusion and fracture or collapse of the ceramics or autograft. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to evaluate the fusion mass. Treated motion segments underwent biomechanical testing to quantify the flexibility of the segment. Undecalcified and decalcified histologic analysis were performed to evaluate the presence or absence of a bony union.

RESULTS

Thirty percent, 50%, and 70% porous ceramics had better radiographic fusion scores than the autograft at 3 and 6 months. Incidence of ceramic fracture did not increase with porosity and was equivalent to the collapse of autograft, although ceramics maintained disc height when fracture occurred. No statistically significant differences were found between autograft and the porous ceramics with biomechanical testing and peri-implant bone mineral density values as measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. At 3 months, histologic analysis showed a union rate of 0% for autograft and 30% porous ceramic, 67% for 50% porous ceramic, and 83% for 70% porous ceramic. At 6 months, the union rate was 67% for the 30%, 50%, and 70% porous ceramics and 50% for autograft.

CONCLUSIONS

Thirty percent, 50%, and 70% porous ceramics performed equal to or better than autogenous bone after 3 and 6 months. There may be promise for the use of 50/50 hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate in spine surgery as the need to harvest autograft from the iliac crest is obviated, and complications and cost associated with the harvest are avoided.

Microevolution of Sabin 1 strain in vitro and genetic stability of oral poliovirus vaccine

Mutants consistently accumulating in Sabin 1 poliovirus during serial passaging in vitro were identified by sequence heterogeneity assay and quantitated using mutant analysis by PCR and restriction enzyme cleavage (MAPREC). Only four unstable genomic sites were identified in virus passaged 10 times in African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cells, and eight sites in virus passaged in Vero cells. Mutations accumulated both in untranslated regions of RNA (nucleotides 480, 525 and 7441) and in coding sequences, as missense (nucleotides 1449, 4944, and 6203) or silent (nucleotides 1123 and 1141) mutations. The most prominent selectable mutations were found at complementary nucleotides 480 and 525 of the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the Sabin strain, changing the G:U pair in F-domain to either A:U or G:C variants. These two variants have been shown previously to have an increased neurovirulence in monkeys. The G:C variant accumulated during passage in Vero cells, while A:U variant accumulated in CV-1 cells. Virus passaged in AGMK cells accumulated both variants. Higher temperature (37 instead of 34 degrees) strongly favored selection of mutants in Vero cells, had a smaller effect on mutant accumulation in AGMK cells, and had no effect in CV-1 cells. Monopools of type 1 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) made by seven manufacturers were found to contain both 480-A and 525-C revertants at a combined level of 1.1-2.7%. Viral samples with increased amounts of these revertants had higher neurovirulence in monkeys. Our results suggest that quantitation of these reversions by MAPREC may be prognostic for results of the monkey neurovirulence test (MNVT) and can be used for monitoring type 1 OPV consistency.

Consistent selection of mutations in the 5'-untranslated region of oral poliovirus vaccine upon passaging in vitro

We have previously found that upon passaging type 3 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in cell cultures the proportion of revertants at nucleotide 472 rapidly increases [Chumakov et al.: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 88:199-203 1991]. Systematic study on the accumulation of these revertants showed that it was dependent on the multiplicity of infection and the temperature at which virus was grown. Revertants at position 472 of type 3 OPV accumulated faster in vaccines derived from Sabin Original (SO) substrain than from RNA-plaque purified (RSO) substrain. The rate of accumulation of 472-C revertants differed among cell lines and was higher in overgrown cell cultures suggesting that host factors are involved in the selection of mutants. We also found that accumulation of mutants occurred in vitro at position 480 in type 1 and position 481 in type 2 OPV, making the selection for revertants in domain F of the 5'-noncoding region a general phenomenon for all three Sabin strains. Assessment of the abundance of these mutants may be used for evaluation of the quality of OPV lots.

Quantitative aspects of the mutant analysis by PCR and restriction enzyme cleavage (MAPREC)

Quantitation of virus revertants by PCR and restriction enzyme cleavage may give nonlinear results and, in some cases, produce artifacts caused by nucleotide misincorporation and heteroduplex formation, occurring during PCR. Modifications of the procedure allowed us to overcome these problems and develop a highly sensitive and reliable method of mutant quantitation. This procedure can be used to assess the quality of live vaccines and to study heterogeneity of viral and bacterial populations.

[Effects of air pollution on health of residents in vicinity of an electrometallurgical factory in Chengdu]

Air pollution in an electrometallurgical plant in Chengdu was monitored in 1988. Results showed that atmospheric TSP and Ni concentrations in the vicinity of the plant were higher than those in control area; and TSP content higher than its health standard level. A population of 262 children was physically examined in the same pollution and control areas in May, 1988. Physical examinations were as follows:otorhinolaryngological examination, skin patch test of Ni and Co, immune function test (including PHA skin test, salivary LZM content), Ni levels in human hair and urine etc. We found that body burdens of Ni in population of pollution area increased because of the pollution of Ni compounds in the atmosphere. Hair Ni content in pollution area was significantly higher than that in control area, and the positive rate of Ni skin patch test was also markedly higher than that in control area. Case history indicated that there was a significant difference in Ni content as detected by otorhinolaryngological examinations between the pollution and control areas. Some measures were suggested to improve the air quality based on the study.

Lipase of Malassezia furfur: some properties and their relationship to cell growth

Lipase activity of Malassezia furfur, detected with alpha-naphthyl palmitate as a substrate, appeared to be associated with the insoluble fraction of the organism. Profiles of M. furfur lipase were similar to those of Candida cylindracea lipase. The pH optimum of the lipase was acidic, pH 5.0, which is very similar to skin surface pH. The enzyme activity was strongly activated by a lipase activator, sodium taurocholate (STC). Addition of STC to the culture medium activated cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and induced hyphae production. These results suggest that M. furfur lipase plays an important role in cell growth.

[Distribution and activity regularities of medicinal Mojiang centipedes in Yunnan Province]

A study has been made on the distribution, living environment and behavior characteristics of medicinal Mojiang centipedes in Yunnan Province. The result has shown they are active between mid-March and late October every year. During this time, the temperature is 18-23 degrees C, moisture 75-85 percent, precipitation 50-280mm, sunshine 115-225 hours and evaporation 100-200mm.

[Selection of the germination strain of Mycena osmundicola Lange in Gastrodia elata Bl. seeds]

By successive selection and comparison these seeds are higher in germination rate, faster in protocorm growth and higher in yield of Gastrodia elata. It is evident that Mycene osmundicola is one of the best strains in Gastrodia elata germination fungi.