CMIR: A Unified Cross-Modality Framework for Preoperative Accurate Prediction of Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Microvascular invasion of HCC is an important factor affecting postoperative recurrence and prognosis of patients. Preoperative diagnosis of MVI is greatly significant to improve the prognosis of HCC. Currently, the diagnosis of MVI is mainly based on the histopathological examination after surgery, which is difficult to meet the requirement of preoperative diagnosis. Also, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MVI diagnosis based on a single imaging feature are low. In this paper, a robust, high-precision cross-modality unified framework for clinical diagnosis is proposed for the prediction of microvascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma. It can effectively extract, fuse and locate multi-phase MR Images and clinical data, enrich the semantic context, and comprehensively improve the prediction indicators in different hospitals. The state-of-the-art performance of the approach was validated on a dataset of HCC patients with confirmed pathological types. Moreover, CMIR provides a possible solution for related multimodality tasks in the medical field.

Vision-Guided Attention-Enhanced Network for Predicting Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

As the most common malignant tumor worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high rate of death and recurrence, and microvascular invasion (MVI) is considered to be an independent risk factor affecting its early recurrence and poor survival rate. Accurate preoperative prediction of MVI is of great significance for the formulation of individualized treatment plans and long-term prognosis assessment for HCC patients. However, as the mechanism of MVI is still unclear, existing studies use deep learning methods to directly train CT or MR images, with limited predictive performance and lack of explanation. We map the pathological "7-point" baseline sampling method used to confirm the diagnosis of MVI onto MR images, propose a vision-guided attention-enhanced network to improve the prediction performance of MVI, and validate the prediction on the corresponding pathological images reliability of the results. Specifically, we design a learnable online class activation map (CAM) to guide the network to focus on high-incidence regions of MVI guided by an extended tumor mask. Further, an attention-enhanced module is proposed to force the network to learn image regions that can explain the MVI results. The generated attention maps capture long-distance dependencies and can be used as spatial priors for MVI to promote the learning of vision-guided module. The experimental results on the constructed multi-center dataset show that the proposed algorithm achieves the state-of-the-art compared to other models.

MVI-Wise GAN: Synthetic MRI to Improve Microvascular Invasion Prediction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

MRI is crucial for the diagnosis of HCC patients, especially when combined with CT images for MVI prediction, richer complementary information can be learned. Many studies have shown that whether hepatocellular carcinoma is accompanied by vascular invasion can be evidenced by imaging examinations such as CT or MR, so they can be used as a multimodal joint prediction to improve the prediction accuracy of MVI. However, it is high-risk, time-consuming and expensive in current clinical diagnosis due to the use of gadolinium-based contrast agent (CA) injection. If MRI could be synthesized without CA injection, there is no doubt that it would greatly optimize the diagnosis. Based on this, this paper proposes a high-quality image synthesis network, MVI-Wise GAN, that can be used to improve the prediction of microvascular invasion in HCC. It starts from the underlying imaging perspective, introduces K-space and feature-level constraints, and combines three related networks (an attention-aware generator, a convolutional neural network-based discriminator and a region-based convolutional neural network detector) Together, precise tumor region detection by synthetic tumor-specific MRI. Accurate MRI synthesis is achieved through backpropagation, the feature representation and context learning of HCC MVI are enhanced, and the performance of loss convergence is improved through residual learning. The model was tested on a dataset of 256 subjects from Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University. Experimental results and quantitative evaluation show that MVI-Wise GAN achieves high-quality MRI synthesis with a tumor detection accuracy of 92.3%, which is helpful for the clinical diagnosis of liver tumor MVI.

Elucidation of Geniposide and Crocin Accumulation and Their Biosysnthsis-Related Key Enzymes during Gardenia jasminoides Fruit Growth

Gardenia jasminoides fruits are extensively grown worldwide, with a large harvest, and its major medicinal ingredients are geniposide and crocins. Research on their accumulation and biosynthsis-related enzymes is rare. In this study, the accumulation of geniposide and crocin of G. jasminoides fruits at different developmental stages were clarified by HPLC. The highest cumulative amount of geniposide was 2.035% during the unripe-fruit period, and the highest content of crocin was 1.098% during the mature-fruit period. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing was performed. A total of 50 unigenes encoding 4 key enzymes related in geniposide biosynthsis pathways were screened, and 41 unigenes encoding 7 key enzymes in the pathways of crocin were elucidated. It was found that the expression levels of differentially expressed genes of DN67890_c0_g1_i2-encoding GGPS, which is highly related to geniposide biosynthesis, and DN81253_c0_g1_i1-encoding lcyB, DN79477_c0_g1_i2-encoding lcyE, and DN84975_c1_g7_i11-encoding CCD, which are highly related to crocin biosynthesis, were consistent with the accumulation of geniposide and crocin content, respectively. The qRT-PCR results showed that the trends of relative expression were consistent with transcribed genes. This study provides insights for understanding the geniposide and crocin accumulation and biosynthsis during fruit development in G. jasminoides.

[Diagnosis and treatment strategies of 56 cases of middle ear myoclonus]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment of middle ear myoclonus. Methods: Fifty-six cases of middle ear myoclonus were enrolled in Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University from September 2019 to August 2021, including 23 males and 33 females. The age ranged from 6 to 75 years, with a median age of 35 years; Forty-seven cases were unilateral tinnitus, nine cases were bilateral tinnitus. The time of tinnitus ranged from 20 days to 8 years. The voice characteristics, inducing factors, nature (frequency) of tinnitus, tympanic membrane conditions during tinnitus, audiological related tests, including long-term acoustic tympanogram, stapedius acoustic reflex, pure tone auditory threshold, short increment sensitivity test, alternate binaural loudness balance test, loudness discomfort threshold, vestibular function examination, facial electromyography, and imaging examination were recorded. Oral carbamazepine and/or surgical treatment were used. The patients were followed up for 6-24 months and the tinnitus changes were observed. Results: Tinnitus was diverse, including stepping on snow liking sound, rhythmic drumming, white noise, and so on. The inducing factors included external sound, body position change, touching the skin around the face and ears, speaking, chewing and blinking, etc. Forty-four cases were induced by single factor and 9 cases were induced by two or more factors. There was no definite inducing factor in 1 case. One patient had tinnitus with epilepsy. One case of traumatic facial paralysis after facial nerve decompression could induce tinnitus on the affected side when the auricle moved. Tympanic membrane flutter with the same frequency as tinnitus was found in 12 cases by otoscopy, and the waveform with the same frequency as tinnitus was found by long-term tympanogram examination. There were 7 patients with no tympanic membrane activity by otoscopy, the 7 cases also with the same frequency of tinnitus by long-term tympanogram examination, but the change rate of the waveform was faster than that of the patients with tympanic membrane flutter. All patients with tinnitus had no change in hearing. One case of tinnitus complicated with epilepsy (a 6-year-old child) was treated with antiepileptic drug (topiramate) and tinnitus subsided. One case suffered from tinnitus after facial nerve decompression for traumatic facial paralysis was not given special treatment. Fifty-four cases were treated with oral drug (carbamazepine), of which 10 cases were completely controlled and 23 cases were relieved; 21 cases were invalid. Among the 21 patients with no effect of carbamazepine treatment, 8 patients were treated by surgery, 7 patients had no tinnitus after surgery, 1 patient received three times of operation, and the third operation was followed up for 6 months, no tinnitus occurred again. The other 13 cases refused the surgical treatment due to personal reasons. Conclusions: Middle ear myoclonus tinnitus and the inducing factors manifestate diversity. Oral carbamazepine and other sedative drugs are effective for some patients, and surgical treatment is feasible for those who are ineffective for medication.

Residual Multilayer Perceptrons for Genotype-Guided Recurrence Prediction of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, with a high recurrence rate after surgery, which directly affects the life and health of patients. Recently, many studies are based on Computed Tomography (CT) images. They are cheap but have low accuracy. In contrast, the use of gene expression data to predict the recurrence of NSCLC has high accuracy. However, the acquisition of gene data is expensive and invasive, and cannot meet the recurrence prediction requirement of all patients. In this paper, we proposed a low-cost, high-accuracy residual multilayer perceptrons (ResMLP) recurrence prediction method. First, several proposed ResMLP modules are applied to construct a deep regression estimation model. Then, we build a mapping function of mixed features (handcrafted features and deep features) and gene data via this model. Finally, the recurrence prediction task is realized, by utilizing the gene estimation data obtained from the regression model to learn the information representation related to recurrence. The experimental results show that the proposed method has strong generalization ability and can reach 86.38% prediction accuracy. Clinical Relevance- This study improved the preoperative recurrence of NSCLC prediction accuracy from 78.61% by the conventional method to 86.38% by our proposed method using only the CT image.

MiR-126-5p Promotes Tumor Cell Proliferation, Metastasis and Invasion by Targeting TDO2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

TDO2 is a key enzyme in the kynurenine metabolic pathway, which is the most important pathway of tryptophan metabolism. It has been shown that miRNAs are involved in cell metastasis through interaction with target mRNAs. In this study, we found 645 miRNAs that could be immunoprecipitated with TDO2 through the RNA-immunoprecipitation experiment. miR-126-5p was selected as the research target, which was also confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Through qRT-PCR analysis, it was verified that the overexpression of miR-126-5p promoted the expression of TDO2, PI3K/AKT and WNT1. Meanwhile, it was verified that overexpression of miR-126-5p can promote intracellular tryptophan metabolism by HPLC. We also verified the effects of miR-126-5p on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by cck-8, cell colony formation and trans-well assay in both HCCLM3 cells and HepG2 cells. In vivo experiments were also conducted to verify that miR-126-5p promoted tumor formation and growth via immunohistochemical detection of cell infiltration and proliferation to generate markers Ki-67, BAX, and VEGF. In conclusion, our results suggest that miR-126-5p is a biomarker and a potential new treatment target in the progression of HCC via promoting the expression of TDO2.

Changes in the hepatic differentiation potential of human mesenchymal stem cells aged in vitro

Background

Due to their multipotency and ability for self-renewal, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) hold great promise for generating hepatocytes. Previous research has successfully generated hepatocytes from early-passage [i.e., passage (P)3] hUC-MSCs; however, the populations of early-passage cells are limited, and these cells cannot produce sufficient functional hepatocytes for large-scale application in clinical therapy. Thus, a thorough investigation of the hepatic differentiation potential of in vitro-aged hUC-MSCs is needed.

Methods

hUC-MSCs were passaged in vitro and subcultured every 3 days up to P8, and their morphology, proliferative capacity, liver-specific marker expression, and liver function at the end of each passage were analyzed. The efficiency of the hepatogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs driven by a functional hit 1 (FH1)-based strategy at different passages was also evaluated.

Results

The in vitro-aged hUC-MSCs gradually displayed morphological inhomogeneity, had reduced proliferative capability, and exhibited senescent properties while maintaining adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential. Additionally, senescence also decreased the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in albumin (ALB) and alpha 1-antitrpsin (A1AT) in these cells and their relative protein expression, which is the marker of a mature hepatocyte. The liver function of the in vitro-aged hUC-MSCs also deteriorated gradually. Finally, the percentage of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) generated from in vitro-aged hUC-MSCs reduced significantly, and the mature hepatocyte functions, such as ALB secretion, glycogen synthesis, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) intake, and indocyanine green (ICG) uptake, also changed.

Conclusions

hUC-MSCs possess mature hepatocytes’ specific markers and functions, which change gradually as they undergo cell senescence. Due to the loss of these properties within in vitro subcultures, the hepatic differentiation efficiency of in vitro-aged hUC-MSCs decreased dramatically in the late passage (P8). The current study provides valuable information can inform future research on liver disease.

Tryptophan Side-Chain Oxidase Enzyme Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth through Degradation of Tryptophan

Tryptophan metabolism plays a role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. By degrading certain amino acids, tumor growth can be limited while maintaining the body’s normal nutritional requirements. Tryptophan side-chain oxidase (TSO) enzyme can degrade tryptophan, and its inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cells is worthy of further study. To investigate the degradation effect on tryptophan, TSO was isolated and purified from qq Pseudomonas. The reaction products were identified with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). De novo sequencing provided the complete amino acid sequence of TSO. The results of CCK-8, colony formation, transwell, and qPCR confirmed that TSO had inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of HCCLM3 (human hepatocarcinoma cell line) and HepG2 cells. The results of flow cytometry confirmed its apoptotic activity. In animal experiments, we found that the tumor-suppressive effect was better in the oncotherapy group than the intraperitoneal injection group. The results of immunohistochemistry also suggested that TSO could inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis. In conclusion, a specific enzyme that can degrade tryptophan and inhibit the growth of hepatoma cells was authenticated, and its basic information was obtained by extraction/purification and amino acid sequencing.

Functional hit 1 (FH1)-based rapid and efficient generation of functional hepatocytes from human mesenchymal stem cells: a novel strategy for hepatic differentiation

Background

Because the liver is central to the physiology of the body, primary hepatocytes are widely used in liver pathology and physiological research, such as liver drug screening, bioartificial liver support system, and cell therapy for liver diseases. However, the source of primary hepatocytes is limited. We describe a novel non-transgenic protocol that facilitates the rapid generation of hepatocyte-like cells from human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs), providing a new source of functional hepatocytes.

Methods

In this study, we used hUC-MSCs and human induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) to investigate the new induction strategy. Passage 3 MSCs were induced into hepatocyte-like cells using small-molecule compounds combined with cell factors in vitro. Functional hit 1 (FH1), a promising small molecule compound was achieved to replace HGF in the hepatocyte maturation stage to induce the hepatocyte-like cells differentiation.

Results

We rapidly induced hUC-MSCs and human iMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells within 10 days in vitro, and the cells were morphologically similarly to both hepatocytes derived from the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-based method and the primary hepatocytes. They expressed mature hepatocyte special genes and achieved functions such as glycogen storage, albumin expression, urea secretion, cytochrome P450 activity, Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake, and indocyanine green (ICG) uptake.

Conclusions

We successfully established a small-molecule protocol without using HGF to differentiate MSCs into hepatocyte-like cells, which provides a rapid and cost-effective platform for in vitro studies of liver disease.

Safety assessment of subtilisin QK in rats

BACKGROUND

Subtilisin QK is a serine protease in the subtilisin family, and is fermented by Bacillus subtilis QK02. The fibrinolytic activity of subtilisin QK was measured by detecting low molecular weight degradation products using a spectrophotometric method developed by Japan Bio Science Laboratory Co., Ltd. Subtilisin QK powder can maintain its fibrinolytic activity for more than 24 months when it is stored at room temperature and protected from light. Our previous results showed that subtlisin QK directly degraded cross-linked fibrins in the fibrin plate assay and effectively inhibited thrombosis in the mouse thrombus model. The aim of this study was to determine the acute toxicity, potential subchronic toxicity, and safety pharmacology of subtilisin QK in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

METHODS

In the acute toxicity study, a single oral dose of 100,000 FU/kg was administered to 10 female and 10 male SD rats. In the 28-day subchronic toxicity, 60 female and 60 male SD rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups (daily oral dose of 0, 2500, 7500 and 25,000 FU/kg). In the safety pharmacology study, 20 female and 20 male SD rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups (single oral dose of 0, 500, 1500 and 5000 FU/kg).

RESULTS

No death occurred and no adverse effects were observed in the acute toxicity study at a dose of 100,000 FU/kg. In the 28-day subchronic toxicity study, several hematological and blood biochemical parameters showed increases or decreases; however, due to the lack of a dose-response relationship, these differences were considered unrelated to treatment. In the safety pharmacology study, no adverse effects were observed on the central nervous of SD rats post-administration up to a dose of 5000 FU/kg subtilisin QK.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that oral consumption of subtilisin QK is of low toxicological concern. No adverse effects were observed at doses of 2500, 7500, and 25,000 FU/kg in the 28-day subchronic toxicity, and the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of subtilisin QK was 25,000 FU/kg.

Gut microbiome is more stable in males than in females during the development of colorectal cancer

AIMS

Gut microbial alterations have great potential to predict the development of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, how gut microbes respond to the development of CRC in males and females at the community level is unknown. We aim to investigate the differences of gut microbiota between the male and female.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We reanalysed the dataset in a published project from a sex perspective at the community level by characterizing the gut microbiome in patients (including males and females) from three clinical groups representative of the stages of CRC development: healthy, adenoma, and carcinoma. The results indicated that the microbial α-diversity showed no significant difference in the male gut but had decreased significantly in the female gut with the development of CRC. In males, a significant difference in the microbial β-diversity was only observed between the healthy and carcinoma subgroups. However, significant community deviations were detected with the development of CRC in females. The microbial community assembly processes changed from deterministic to stochastic in males, whereas they became increasingly deterministic in females with the development of CRC. Moreover microbial co-occurrence associations tended to be more complicated in males; rare species were enriched in the co-occurrence network of the male gut, whereas key species loss was observed in the co-occurrence network of the female gut.

CONCLUSIONS

The microbial communities in the male gut were more stable than those in the female gut, and microbial community assembly in the gut was sex dependent with the development of CRC. Our study suggests that sexual dimorphism needs to be considered to better predict the risk of CRC based on microbial shifts.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing how gut microbes respond to the development of CRC in males and females at the community scale.

Influences of dissolved humic acid on Zn bioavailability and its consequences for thyroid toxicity

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dissolved humic acid (dHA) on Zn bioavailability and the subsequent influence on the Zn-induced thyroid toxicity. Zn toxicity was assessed using a yeast bioassay in the presence and absence of dHA. With increasing concentration of dHA, the toxic effects decreased, and the free Zn concentrations detected by the anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) method also decreased. The high correlation (R = 0.92, p < 0.001) between toxic effects and free Zn concentrations indicated that Zn thyroid toxicity largely comes from the free Zn fraction. Water samples from the Qing River in Beijing were also assayed for thyroid toxicity. The results revealed that the metals might contribute to the toxicity. The known thyroid hormone-disrupting metals, namely, Zn, Cd and Hg, were analyzed. The cause-effect relationship between the observed thyroid toxicity and free Zn concentrations as well as their dose-effect relationships were examined. Our results showed that Zn might be the major contributor to the observed thyroid toxicity caused by metals. These results suggest that the ASV method and the identified major contributor (Zn) may be used in lieu of conventional environmental analyses to follow the progression of a risk assessment or remediation strategy.

Dietary Intake is Positively Associated with Cognitive Function of a Chinese Older Adults Sample

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between cognitive function and dietary intake in older adults was under-studied in China. This study examined this relationship in a Chinese sample while controlling for the effects of sleep quality and socio demographic confounders.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 340 Chinese older adults (age > 60) who were randomly selected from Wuhan city in central China. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-mental State Examination [MMSE], sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI], and dietary intake by frequencies of intake of meat products, fruits, fish/seafood/aquatic products, nuts and mushroom/algae over the past year. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the measurement properties of cognitive function, dietary intake, and sleep quality. Second, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine the relations of cognitive function, dietary intake, and sleep quality.

RESULTS

Dietary intake was found to be positively related to cognitive function. Older age, lower education status, monthly income, and living alone or without a spouse were significantly associated with poorer cognitive function. SES status had an indirect effect on cognitive function via dietary intake.

CONCLUSION

Dietary intake may be critical to maintain normal cognitive function of older adults in China.

Isotropic-nematic transition for hard rods on a three-dimensional cubic lattice

Using grand-canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations, we investigate the isotropic-nematic phase transition for hard rods of size L×1×1 on a three-dimensional cubic lattice. We observe such a transition for L≥6. For L=6, the nematic state has a negative order parameter, reflecting the co-occurrence of two dominating orientations. For L≥7, the nematic state has a positive order parameter, corresponding to the dominance of one orientation. We investigate rod lengths up to L=25 and find evidence for a very weakly first-order isotropic-nematic transition, while we cannot completely rule out a second-order transition. It was not possible to detect a density jump at the transition, despite using large systems containing several 10^{5} particles. The probability density distributions P(Q) from the GCMC simulations near the transition are very broad, pointing to strong fluctuations. Our results complement earlier results on the demixing (pseudonematic) transition for an equivalent system in two dimensions, which is presumably of Ising type and occurs for L≥7. We compare our results to lattice fundamental measure theory (FMT) and find that FMT strongly overestimates nematic order and consequently predicts a strong first-order transition. The rod packing fraction of the nematic coexisting states, however, agree reasonably well between FMT and GCMC.

[Effect of Dissolved Humic Acid on Thyroid Receptor Antagonistic Activity of Zinc in Aquatic Environment]

A rapid recombinant human thyroid (hTR) gene yeast bioassay was used to evaluate the effect of dissolved humic acid on thyroid receptor antagonistic activity of ZnCl₂.The concentration of bio-available zinc after its reaction with dissolved humic acids was measured by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV).Furthermore,the reaction mechanism of humic acid and zinc was investigated by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (3DEEM).The results revealed that ZnCl₂ demonstrated strong thyroid receptor antagonistic activity,and the concentration inhibiting 20% of the maximum effect of ZnCl₂ was 1.70×10^-5 mol·L^-1.The thyroid receptor antagonistic activity of ZnCl₂ was reduced by 30%-50% after the reaction of dissolved humic acids.The results of ASV showed that the concentration of bio-available zinc was decreased after the reaction of dissolved humic acids,the result was similar to that of bioassay test.The thyroid receptor antagonistic activity of the mixed solution of humic acid and ZnCl₂ was increased after UV radiation treatment,however it was still lower than the antagonistic activity induced by ZnCl₂.The results of 3DEEM showed that ZnCl₂ could reduce the fluorescence peak intensity of humic acid,which could intuitively characterize the interaction between humic acid and ZnCl₂.The above results can provide basic data and theoretical support for zinc toxicity study in aquatic environment and the establishment of water quality criteria for znic.

[Ultrahigh-frequency hearing thresholds in middleaged and elderly healthy adults]

Objective:To investigate the ultrahigh-frequency(UHF) hearing thresholds in middle-aged and elderly healthy subjects .Method: Healthy subjects(age range: 50-69 ) were divided into two groups,i.e.50-59 year-old group and >59-69 year-old group.Each subject was tested with both conventional-frequency(0.25,0.50,1.00,2.00,4.00,6.00 and 8.00 kHz) and ultrahigh-frequency(9.0,10.0,11.5,12.5,14.0,16.0,18.0,and 20.0 kHz) audiometry.UHF was performed twice to evaluate the reliability.The best hearings among 20-29 aged healthy adults were considered as normal controls.Results:Seventy five middle-aged and elderly subjects were included,with 39 subjects(78 ears) being 50-59 years old and 36(72 ears) being >59-69 year-old.Eighteen subjects(36 ears) aging from 20 to 29 were considers as controls.For the conventional-frequency,the hearing thresholds in middle-aged and elderly people were significantly higher than those in young people(all P<0.05),especially at ≥4 kHz.Although the conventional-frequency thresholds in >59-69 year-old group were higher than those in 50-59 year-old,the difference was significant just at 4 kHz(P<0.05).The UHF thresholds in middle-aged and elderly people were significantly higher than those in young people(all P<0.05).The thresholds at 9,10,11.5 and 12.5 kHz in >59-69 year-old people were significantly increased than those in 50-59 year-old counterparts(all P<0.05).Hearing threshold at ≥12.5 kHz couldn't be detected in some subjects in middle-aged and elderly group.The response rate at UHF in >59-69 year-old people were just higher than that in 50-59 year-old counterparts (P>0.05),and none responded at 18 and 20 kHz.The standard deviations(SDs) for <14 kHz in 50-59 year-old and for <11.5 kHz in >59-69 year-old subjects,were both higher than that in 20-29 year old counterparts.Above 6 kHz,the SDs in 50-59 year-old subjects were significantly higher than those in >59-69 year-old subjects(all P<0.05).Conclusion:For middle-aged and elderly people,the hearing loss may occur from 4 kHz.Hearing thresholds at UHF were increased with age,and it might be used as an early indicator for age-induced hearing loss.However,the UHF sensitivity decreased as the frequency increased beyond 14 kHz.

Molecular diagnosis of a Chinese pedigree with α-mannosidosis and identification of a novel missense mutation

α-Mannosidosis storage disease is a rare autosomal recessive disease that is caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-mannosidase. In this article, a proband in China was preliminarily diagnosed as having α-mannosidosis by clinical symptoms, imaging examination, and enzyme assay. Definitive diagnosis was performed by directly sequencing the MAN2B1 gDNA and cDNA of the peripheral blood leukocyte from the patient. Finally, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography screening, conservative analysis, and protein secondary structure prediction were used to identify the novel mutation. The results showed that the patient has compound heterozygous mutations in the MAN2B1 gene, c.856G>A (p.E286K, novel) and c.788C>T (p.P263L). Her parents are heterozygote that carry one of these two mutations respectively. Pathogenicity identification of the novel mutation showed that the p.E286K mutation is a disease-causing mutation. Our work enriches the human MAN2B1 gene mutation database. As far as we know, this research is thus far the first gene diagnosis case of a Chinese patient with α-mannosidosis.

Cortical glutamate levels decrease in a non-human primate model of dopamine deficiency

While Parkinson's disease is the result of dopaminergic dysfunction of the nigrostriatal system, the clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease are brought about by alterations in multiple neural components, including cortical areas. We examined how 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration affected extracellular cortical glutamate levels by comparing glutamate levels in normal and MPTP-lesioned nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta). Extracellular glutamate levels were measured using glutamate microelectrode biosensors. Unilateral MPTP-administration rendered the animals with hemiparkinsonian symptoms, including dopaminergic deficiencies in the substantia nigra and the premotor and motor cortices, and with statistically significant decreases in basal glutamate levels in the primary motor cortex on the side ipsilateral to the MPTP-lesion. These results suggest that the functional changes of the glutamatergic system, especially in the motor cortex, in models of Parkinson's disease could provide important insights into the mechanisms of this disease.

Identification and characterization of novel alternative splice variants of human SAMD11

Sterile alpha motif domain-containing 11 (SAMD11) is evolutionarily conserved from zebrafish to human. Mouse Samd11 is predominantly expressed in developing retinal photoreceptors and the adult pineal gland, and its transcription is directly regulated by the cone-rod homeodomain protein Crx. However, there has been little research on human SAMD11. To investigate the function of human SAMD11, we first cloned its coding sequence (CDS) and identified up to 45 novel alternative splice variants (ASVs). Mouse Samd11 ASVs were also identified by aligning the mouse Samd11 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) with the annotated sequence. However, the range of expression and transcriptional regulation of SAMD11 differs between human and mouse. Human SAMD11 was found to be widely expressed in many cell lines and ocular tissues and its transcription was not regulated by CRX, OTX2 or NR2E3 proteins. Furthermore, functional analysis indicated that human SAMD11 could promote cell proliferation slightly. In conclusion, this study elucidated the basic characteristics of human SAMD11 and revealed that, although the occurrence of alternative splicing of SAMD11 was conserved, the function of SAMD11 may vary in different species.

[Identification of a novel mutation of GALNS gene from a Chinese pedigree with mucopolysaccharidosis type IV A]

OBJECTIVE

To study the molecular genetic mechanism of mucopolysaccharidosis type IV A(MPS IV A), and reveal the relationship between the genotype and phenotype, and provide a basis for prenatal gene diagnosis in the future.

METHODS

A preliminary diagnosis was made by qualitative detection of urinary glycosaminoglycans of the suspected MPS IV A proband. Then, mutation detection was performed on the proband and her family members with PCR and direct sequencing of the PCR products. After a novel c.1567T to G mutation was detected, Xsp I restriction enzyme digestion and amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) fast specific identification were established to analyze the sequences of exon 14 in GALNS gene, including 110 randomly selected healthy controls, the proband and other pedigree members. At the same time, bioinformatic approaches for protein secondary, tertiary structure prediction were applied to identify the novel pathologic mutation.

RESULTS

The proband's urine GAGs test was a weak positive(± ), and a c.1567T to G heterozygous termination codon mutation in exon 14 and a c.374C to T heterozygous missense mutation in exon 4 were found. The proband was compound heterozygous of the two mutations, so was her younger sister. Her mother was a carrier with only a c.1567T to G heterozygous mutation in exon 14. Her father had a heterozygous mutation of c.374C to T in exon 4. After Xsp I restriction enzyme digestion, healthy controls had three bands including 28 bp, 120 bp and 399 bp, while the proband and her mother had four bands consisting of 28 bp, 120 bp, 148 bp and 399 bp. For amplification by ARMS specific primers, it was negative for the controls, while it was positive for the proband and the carrier. The results of protein secondary and tertiary structure prediction showed that the c.1567T to G mutation located in the stop codon, resulted in stop codon (TAG) changing to glutamic acid (GAG), with the peptide chain extending 92 amino acid residues, and secondary and tertiary protein structure change, which were not found in the controls. The result of enzyme assay showed that the activity of GALNS enzyme in the affected child was 8.3 nmol/17h/mg pr, which was obviously lower than the normal value (the normal range is 41.9-92.1 nmol/17h/mg pr).

CONCLUSION

These results illustrate that the c.1567 T to G is a novel pathologic mutation, which is the main cause of the disease in this family.

Intraputamenal Infusion of Exogenous Neurturin Protein Restores Motor and Dopaminergic Function in the Globus Pallidus of MPTP-Lesioned Rhesus Monkeys

The neurorestorative effects of exogenous neurturin (NTN) delivered directly into the putamen via multiport catheters were studied in 10 MPTP-lesioned rhesus monkeys expressing stable parkinsonism. The parkinsonian animals were blindly assigned to receive coded solutions containing either vehicle (n = 5) or NTN (n = 5, 30 μg/day). Both solutions were coinfused with heparin using convection-enhanced delivery for 3 months. The NTN recipients showed a significant and sustained behavioral improvement in their parkinsonian features during the treatment period, an effect not seen in the vehicle-treated animals. At study termination, locomotor activity levels were increased by 50% in the NTN versus vehicle recipients. Also, DOPAC levels were significantly increased by 150% ipsilateral (right) to NTN infusion in the globus pallidus, while HVA levels were elevated bilaterally in the NTN-treated animals by 10% on the left and 67% on the right hemisphere. No significant changes in DA function were seen in the putamen. Volumetric analysis of putamenal NTN labeling showed between-subject variation, with tissue distribution ranging from 214 to 744 mm3, approximately equivalent to 27–93% of area coverage. Our results support the concept that intraparenchymal delivery of NTN protein may be effective for the treatment of PD. More studies are needed to determine strategies that would enhance tissue distribution of exogenous NTN protein, which could contribute to optimize its trophic effects in the parkinsonian brain.

Intraputamenal infusion of exogenous neurturin protein restores motor and dopaminergic function in the globus pallidus of MPTP-lesioned rhesus monkeys

The neurorestorative effects of exogenous neurturin (NTN) delivered directly into the putamen via multiport catheters were studied in 10 MPTP-lesioned rhesus monkeys expressing stable parkinsonism. The parkinsonian animals were blindly assigned to receive coded solutions containing either vehicle (n = 5) or NTN (n = 5, 30 microg/day). Both solutions were coinfused with heparin using convection-enhanced delivery for 3 months. The NTN recipients showed a significant and sustained behavioral improvement in their parkinsonian features during the treatment period, an effect not seen in the vehicle-treated animals. At study termination, locomotor activity levels were increased by 50% in the NTN versus vehicle recipients. Also, DOPAC levels were significantly increased by 150% ipsilateral (right) to NTN infusion in the globus pallidus, while HVA levels were elevated bilaterally in the NTN-treated animals by 10% on the left and 67% on the right hemisphere. No significant changes in DA function were seen in the putamen. Volumetric analysis of putamenal NTN labeling showed between-subject variation, with tissue distribution ranging from 214 to 744 mm3, approximately equivalent to 27-93% of area coverage. Our results support the concept that intraparenchymal delivery of NTN protein may be effective for the treatment of PD. More studies are needed to determine strategies that would enhance tissue distribution of exogenous NTN protein, which could contribute to optimize its trophic effects in the parkinsonian brain.

Evidence for a distinct group of nestin-immunoreactive neurons within the basal forebrain of adult rats

Nestin is an intermediate filament protein serving as a marker for neuroprogenitor and stem cells. Here we report that a cluster of previously unrecognized nestin immunoreactive (nestin-ir) neurons was located in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca (MS-DBB) of the basal forebrain in adult rats. Nestin-ir neurons were exclusively located in the MS-DBB and intermingled with choline acetyltransferase-ir (ChAT-ir), parvalbumin-ir (PV-ir), or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase reactive (NADPHd-reactive) neurons. However, there was no colocalization between nestin-ir and PV-ir in single neurons in MS-DBB; only about 35% of nestin-ir neurons were ChAT-ir, and 8%-12% of nestin-ir neurons were NADPHd-reactive. Morphologically, nestin-ir neurons showed a larger size of somata than that of ChAT-ir or PV-ir neurons and the distribution of nestin-ir neurons spread across the rostro-caudal extent of the MS-DBB. Moreover, retrograde tracing revealed that a significant portion of these nestin-ir neurons projected to the thalamus and hippocampus. These results, for the first time, provide strong evidence that there exists a cluster of previously unrecognized nestin-ir neurons in MS-DBB of the basal forebrain in adult rats and that these nestin-ir neurons are distinguishable from ChAT-ir, PV-ir, and NADPHd-reactive neurons.

[The clinical features of multiple-trauma patients APACHE II score system]

The clinical features of 76 multiple-trauma patients in the intensive care unit were observed with acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) system. The results showed that the mean value of APACHE II scores in 76 patients was 18.4; the mean duration of staying at the ICU was 91.5 hours. Six patients died in the ICU (7.9%), 13 patients were complicated with MODS (17.1%), and 10 patients developed ARDS (13.2%). As APAHCE II scores increased, the duration of the patient staying at the ICU lengthened and the mortality went up.

[Investigation on skin retrograde degeneration after tissue expansion]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of tissue expansion on tissue damage and retrograde degeneration.

METHODS

9 cases of conventional intermittent tissue expansion (CITE) and 9 cases of continuous pressure-controlled tissue expansion (CPTE) were chosen for the study. In creating of the expanded flaps, tissue samples were taken for histopathology, molecular biology and transmission electron microscope (TEM) examinations.

RESULTS

Capillary bleeding, elastic and reticular fiber proliferation, arteriole thrombosis, fibroblast apoptosis and collagenolysis were observed after expansion. Retrograde degeneration was obvious in CITE group and acute lesion was obvious in CPTE group.

CONCLUSION

Expansion stimulation induces tissue damage and retrograde degeneration, which indicates that the time for conventional intermittent expansion should be shortened and too fast continuous expansion is harmful.

Abnormal migration phenotype of mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2-/- neutrophils in Zigmond chambers containing formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine gradients

Time-lapsed video microscopy and confocal imaging were used to study the migration of wild-type (WT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2-/-) mouse neutrophils in Zigmond chambers containing fMLP gradients. Confocal images of polarized WT neutrophils showed an intracellular gradient of phospho-MK2 from the anterior to the posterior region of the neutrophils. Compared with WT neutrophils, MK2-/- neutrophils showed a partial loss of directionality but higher migration speed. Immunoblotting experiments showed a lower protein level of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and a loss of fMLP-induced extracellular signal-related kinase phosphorylation in MK2-/- neutrophils. These results suggest that MK2 plays an important role in the regulation of neutrophil migration and may also affect other signaling molecules.

Leukocyte-specific gene 1 protein (LSP1) is involved in chemokine KC-activated cytoskeletal reorganization in murine neutrophils in vitro

Leukocyte-specific gene 1 protein (LSP1) is a cytoskeletal-associated protein of leukocytes that in vitro cross-links F-actin into extensively branched bundles of mixed polarity. In this study, we examined chemotaxis and superoxide production in neutrophils prepared from wild-type (WT) and Lsp1 knockout mice. Compared to WT neutrophils, Lsp1-/- neutrophils showed impairment in both migration speed and chemotaxis direction during chemokine KC-directed chemotaxis. When examined by confocal microscopy, chemotaxing Lsp1-/- neutrophils showed abnormal morphologies. They had discontinuous primary actin-rich cortexes and large membrane protrusions. When stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), Lsp1-/- peritoneal neutrophils produce more superoxide than WT. The data presented suggest that LSP1 plays important roles in the regulation of neutrophil morphology, motility, and superoxide production.

[Survey on the growth of interpupillary distance of Chinese children aged 5 to 17 years]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the interpupillary distance (IPD) of Chinese children for stipulating the sizes for children spectacle frames.

METHOD

The IPD of 10171 children aged 5 to 17 years old was measured with a caliper in four cities.

RESULTS

The IPD was positively correlated with the age increase from 5 to 17 years. The IPD in males was larger than that in females. The differences of IPD between males and females in the age groups of 5 to 9 and 10 to 15 years were statistically significant (F = 400.97, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

There are two peak periods of the growth of IPD in Chinese children at 5 to 9 and 10 to 15 years. The IPD in males reaches adult level at age 15 and in females at age 13. The differences of the IPD between male and female and among 4 cities have no practical meaning in stipulating the sizes of children spectacle frames.

A mouse model of galactose-induced cataracts

Galactokinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.6) is the first enzyme in the metabolism of galactose. In humans, GK deficiency results in congenital cataracts due to an accumulation of galactitol within the lens. In an attempt to make a galactosemic animal model, we cloned the mouse GK gene (Glk1) and disrupted it by gene targeting. As expected, galactose was very poorly metabolized in GK-deficient mice. In addition, both galactose and galactitol accumulated in tissues of GK-deficient mice. Surprisingly, the GK-deficient animals did not form cataracts even when fed a high galactose diet. However, the introduction of a human aldose reductase transgene into a GK-deficient background resulted in cataract formation within the first postnatal day. This mouse represents the first mouse model for congenital galactosemic cataract.

P47(phox)-deficient NADPH oxidase defect in neutrophils of diabetic mouse strains, C57BL/6J-m db/db and db/+

Deficiencies in neutrophil NADPH oxidase proteins have been demonstrated in humans with chronic granulomatous disease. However, no spontaneous mutation in murine NADPH oxidase has been reported. In this study we report that neutrophils from the diabetic mouse strains, C57BL/6J-m heterozygous lean (lepr(db/+)) and homozygous obese (lepr(db/db)) mice produced no superoxide on stimulation. An absence of intact p47(phox) but not other oxidase proteins was observed in both mouse strains through the use of immunoblotting. Molecular analysis by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction identified three abnormal p47phox mRNA transcripts. Sequencing of genomic DNA of p47(phox) revealed a point mutation at the -2 position of exon 8, which is consistent with aberrant splicing of the p47(phox) transcript. These results indicate that the C57BL/6J-m db/db and db/+ mice are the first spontaneously derived murine model of NADPH oxidase deficiency involving a p47(phox) mutation.

[A case of fetal valproate syndrome with intractable wheezing due to submucosal tumor below the vocal cord]

A full-term baby was born to an epileptic mother treated with two anti-epileptic drugs, sodium valproate and phenobarbital, throughout the pregnancy. She was given no information about the risk of teratogenesis of these drugs. At birth the patient was hypotonic and had clinical features specific for the fetal valproate syndrome. After a viral infection at three months of age, he had intractable and persistent wheezing. Suspecting the presence of congenital respiratory tract abnormality, we performed tracheobronchoscopy, which revealed a relatively big submucosal tumor on the left trachial wall below the vocal cord. Dyspnea and wheezing were remarkably improved by tracheolaryngotomy, but he died suddenly and unexplainedly at seven months of age.

Construction and application of MCBL plate for facilitation of chromosome recombination in fungi

A medium with camphor and benomyl MCBL plate was designed and constructed based on the proposed mechanism that d-camphor could induce the fusion of nuclear membrane while benomyl could induce the nondisjunctional recombination of chromosome in fungi. This so-called co-induction plate consisted of 0.1% d-camphor (W/V) and 0.5 microgram/L benomyl contained in Czapek's minimal medium. The precautions to be taken in the construction procedure of this plate was described in detail. One typical example of intergeneric fusion-cross, Aspergillus niger x Trichoderma reesei, was investigated, comparing the ratios of genotypes and phenotypes of fusant progenies produced by the co-induction of MCBL plate and by the step-by-step induction with camphor and benomyl separately. The results showed that the heterodiploid state was extremely transient and the recombinant haploid was hardly obtained when induced by the routine step-by-step method, whereas the ratios of apparent diplodization and nondisjunctional recombinant haplodization among all types of varied segregates on MCBL plate were greatly improved, compared with those on the routine plates containing single reagents, which indicated that the transient heterodiploid could be grasped and transformed further into nondisjunctional recombinant haploid when co-induced on the MCBL plate. The age of regenerated mycelium to be induced was found to have a dominant influence on the co-induction effects of MCBL plate. The mechanism of co-induction by MCBL plate and its promising applications were discussed.

MPTP-Induced pallidal lesions in rhesus monkeys

Dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain are the primary neuronal population affected by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity, which produces the pathological and behavioral features of Parkinson's disease in nonhuman primates and man. We have identified another injury site in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans in 13 of 37 rhesus monkeys taken 10-12 months after administration of this neurotoxin via the right carotid artery. Focal lesions, ranging in volume from 6.75 to 60 mm3 in the rostral globus pallidus region, were seen on the right side of the brain in these 13 animals in addition to the midbrain effects. While no significant differences were seen between globus pallidus lesioned and nonlesioned animals in the severity of MPTP-induced parkinsonian symptoms, the response to levodopa was muted in pallidal-lesioned animals. To confirm the role of neurotoxicity in producing the lesions, brain scans from an additional 12 monkeys were evaluated during the acute period following exposure to either MPTP (n = 6) or saline (n = 6). Focal lesions in the rostral globus pallidus were seen as early as 2-4 h following a carotid artery infusion in two of six MPTP recipients, but no evidence of injury was seen in saline recipients. The globus pallidus includes important components of the neural circuitry regulating motor functions. The present results indicate that in addition to midbrain dopamine neurons, a focal region of the rostral globus pallidus is selectively vulnerable to MPTP toxicity.

[Study on the effect of human herpesvirus 6 on replication of Epstein-Barr virus]

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effect of human herpesvirus 6(HHV-6) on the replication of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cell lines.

METHODS

Both EBV-infected Raji cells and EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) were infected with HHV-6. Immunofluoresence assay (IFA) with monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against HHV-6 was applied to confirm the infection of HHV-6 in the two cell lines. Expression of EBV antigen was examined by IFA using human anti-EBV serum.

RESULTS

Following HHV-6 infection, cytopathic effects (CPE) were observed in Raji cells but not in LCL. HHV-6 were detected in both cell lines by IFA with anti-HHV-6 MAb, but not in controls. EBV antigens were detected by IFA with human serum against EBV in both HHV-6 infected cell lines.

CONCLUSION

Data in this study suggest that HHV-6 promotes the expression of EBV antigen and may contribute to the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in cooperation with EBV.

[The intergeneric compatibility of heredity and expression for cellulase genomes between Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei]

By using the developed display techniques of cellulase isozymes and the RAPD-PCR analysis guided by a deduced universal sequence of cellulase genes, the polymorphisms of genomic DNA fingerprints and cellulase isozymes were compared among three typical stable recombinants (3a, 3b, A7-1) and their two parents (Aspergillus niger AMS11, Trichoderma reesei QM9414) in order to provide the molecular evidence of gene recombination, to demonstrate the compatibility of heredity and expression of intergeneric genomes, and to assay on the molecular fundamentals of hybridization dominance. The results showed that in these recombinant strains the recombinantal fingerprints of genomic DNA could be stablly hereditary and the expression of recombinantal CMCase (carboxymethylcellulase) and beta GLase (beta-glucosidase) could be compatibly enhanced. The diversity of molecular fundamentals of cellulase hybridization dominance were (1) the compatible co-existence and enhanced expression of some hereditary beta GLase-coding genes from two parents in recombinant 3b; and (2) the compatibly enhancement of expression between the hereditary genes encoding beta GLase and CMCase from two parents, resulting in the dramatic increase of proteins of corresponding isozymes in recombinants 3a and A7-1. Based on these, a proposal model for the double synergism on cellulase activity in vitro and on its biosynthesis in vivo mediated by beta GLase was suggested. A practical method for assaying on the molecular fundamentals and the stability of hybridization dominance of recombinants was thereby established in this study.

The role of p38 MAP kinase in TGF-beta1-induced signal transduction in human neutrophils

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is the strongest chemoattractant yet described for human neutrophils. It activates neither phospholipase C nor phospholipase D. It does not induce rises in intracellular calcium, degranulation, or superoxide production. The signaling pathways utilized by TGF-beta 1 are largely unknown. This report demonstrates that TGF-beta 1 activates p38 MAP kinase. The kinase inhibitor SB203580 blocks the chemotactic responses as well as actin polymerization induced by TGF-beta 1. Potential cellular targets of the p38 MAP kinase pathway which could mediate these function are discussed.

Hybridization dominance of kinetics in recombinant ATH-1376 obtained via protoplast fusion between Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei

Comparisons of the kinetics of mycelium growth, cellulase biosynthesis, and the degradation of filter paper to accumulate reducing-sugar by the filtrates of cultures were carried out among the recombinant strain ATH-1376 and its two parents, Aspergillus niger AMS11 and Trichoderma reesei QM9414. The results showed that both the specific mycelium growth rate and the cellulase biosynthesis rate of the recombinant were dramatically dominant over those of the two parents. In addition, the negative correlation between the specific mycelium growth rate and the cellulase biosynthesis rate of the recombinant ATH-1376 was much lower than those of its parents. In terms of the amount of reducing-sugar accumulated from the hydrolysis of filter paper by culture filtrates, there were great differences among the three different treatments, i.e., fermentation filtrate of single parental strain, mixture of the fermentation filtrates from two parental strains with different ratios (v:v), and filtrate from the mixed culture of the two parental strains. Out of these, the second approach, particularly with the ratio of 1:1, was best for the accumulation of reducing sugar. Within various tested periods of enzymic hydrolysis, the amounts of reducing-sugar produced by the recombinant were 1.19 to 2.26 times as much as the maximum amounts produced in parallel by the mixture of filtrates (1:1) from separate fermentations of the two parental strains. These results suggested that constructing the engineered strains with hybridization dominance of these two typical genera of far-heredity could be effective to overcome the great deficiencies of routine mixculture, single-strain fermentation, or double fed-batch fermentations.

[Scalp expansion in treatment of scalp defect with skull exposure]

We repaired the scalp defect and skull exposure with scalp expansion. The technique consisted of two stages. First, expander was implaned an then N. S injected to its enough volume. The size of the expander was estimated by the formula that 1 cm2 needs 4 ml expansive volume. The incision was made at normal skin. Second flap was transferred. The expander was removed and the external skull which was necrotic severed. There were five patient with eight flaps at all, followed up for 6 months to 1 year. The hair grew. The results were satisfactory. This method not only treated the disease, but also avoided alopecia.

High expression and activation of MAP kinase-activated protein kinase 2 in cardiac muscle cells

Recently, three mammalian mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, ERK, SAPK/JNK, and p38/HOG-1 have been identified, each with apparently unique signal transduction pathways. The p38 MAP kinase mediates an intracellular stress-activated signaling pathway by regulating down-stream molecules, such as MAP kinase-activated protein (MAPKAP) kinase 2. To study the tissue specificity of MAPKAP kinase 2, mRNA blots containing multiple human tissues were hybridized with a specific oligonucleotide probe corresponding to human MAPKAP kinase 2. The Northern blot analysis revealed that two mRNA species of MAPKAP kinase 2, with sizes of 4.8 and 3.3 kb, were expressed in high levels in both human heart and skeletal muscle tissues. To better understand how MAPKAP kinase 2 is regulated in myocardium, cultured rat cardiac myoblast (H9c2) cells were stimulated with heat shock, H2O2-induced oxidative stress, or phorbol ester (PMA). Enzymatic activity of cellular MAPKAP kinase 2 in the cell lysates was evaluated using an in vitro kinase assay. Exposure of H9c2 cells to heat shock or oxidative stress induced a transient increase of cellular MAPKAP kinase 2 activity, which reached its peak level within 5 min. In contrast, stimulation of H9c2 cells with PMA, a potential myocardial hypertrophic factor, induced a sustained increase of cellular MAPKAP kinase 2 activity that was detectable for over 1 h. In addition, in vitro protein phosphorylation analysis with recombinant MAPKAP kinase 2 showed that small heat shock protein (hsp25) served as a major substrate molecule for the kinase in H9c2 cells and the protein phosphorylation of cellular hsp25 was stimulated by H2O2-induced oxidative stress or PMA treatment in intact H9c2 cells. Moreover, exposure of H9c2 cells to H2O2-induced oxidative stress or PMA rapidly activated cellular p38 MAP kinase as detected by the induced protein phosphorylation of the kinase. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that MAPKAP kinase 2 may be involved in stress-activated signal transduction in myocardium.

LSP1 is the major substrate for mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 in human neutrophils

In intact cells, mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein (MAPKAP) kinase 2 is rapidly activated by various cytokines, stresses, and chemotactic factors. The small heat shock protein p27 has been shown to be a substrate for MAPKAP kinase 2. Recently, we identified a novel substrate, designated p60, for MAPKAP kinase 2 in human neutrophils (Zu, Y.-L., Ai, Y., Gilchrist, A., Labadia, M. E., Sha'afi, R. I., and Huang, C.-K. (1996) Blood 87, 5287-5296). To further understand the signaling pathway of MAPKAP kinase 2, we have purified p60 from a heat-treated neutrophil lysate by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Microsequencing of five peptides derived from purified p60 indicates that p60 is lymphocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP1). Furthermore antibodies specific for human and mouse LSP1 react with human and mouse p60. The sequence of human LSP1 indicates two serine residues at positions 204 and 252 as potential phosphorylation sites. The amino acid sequences surrounding these two sites are in agreement with the consensus sequence (Xaa-Xaa-Hyd-Xaa-Arg-Xaa-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Xaa) for phosphorylation by MAPKAP kinase 2. Both serine residues in human LSP1 and the corresponding conserved serine residues in mouse LSP1 are in the basic C-terminal F-actin binding domain. Various fusion proteins of wild type and truncated mouse LSP1 with glutathione S-transferase were tested for their capacity to be phosphorylated by MAPKAP kinase 2. The results indicate that LSP1 is a substrate for MAPKAP kinase 2 in vitro and that the phosphorylation sites are located in the basic C-terminal domain of LSP1. Because both the small heat shock proteins and LSP1 are F-actin binding proteins, these results suggest a role for MAPKAP kinase 2 in the regulation of cytoskeletal structure or function.

Fine structure of the human galactokinase GALK1 gene

Defects in the human GALK1 gene result in galactokinase deficiency and cataract formation. We have isolated this gene and established its structural organization. The gene contains 8 exons and spans approximately 7.3 kb of genomic DNA. The GALK1 promoter was localized and found to have many features in common with other housekeeping genes, including high GC content, several copies of the binding site for the Sp1 transcription factor, and the absence of TATA-box and CCAAT-box motifs typically present in eukaryotic Pol II promoters. Analysis by 5'-RACE PCR indicates that the GALK1 mRNA is heterogeneous at the 5' terminus, with transcription sites occurring at many locations between 21 and 61 bp upstream of the ATG start site of the coding region. In vitro translation experiments of the GALK1 cDNA indicate that the protein is cytosolic and not associated with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane.