[Etiological diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis]

Objective: To explore the etiological diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis. Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of patients with PD-related peritonitis who were treated and underwent microbial cultivation and mNGS test at the same time from June 2020 to July 2021 in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University were analyzed. The positive rate, detection time and consistency between mNGS test and traditional microbial culture were compared. Results: A total of 18 patients with age of (50.4±15.4) years old and median dialysis time of 34.0 (12.4, 62.0) months were enrolled in the study, including 11 males and 7 females. Pathogenic microorganisms were isolated in 17 patients by mNGS test, with a positive rate of 17/18, which was higher than 13/18 of microbial culture, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.219). Both mNGS test and microbial culture isolated positive pathogenic bacteria in 12 patients, and mNGS test isolated the same types of pathogenic bacteria as microbial cultivation did in 11 patients. In five patients with negative microbial culture, mNGS test also isolated pathogenic microorganisms, including 3 cases of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 1 case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 1 case of Ureaplasma urealyticum. In 1 patient, microbial culture isolated pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli) whereas mNGS test did not. The detection time of mNGS was 25.0 (24.0, 27.0) h, which was significantly shorter than 89.0 (72.8, 122.0) h of microbial culture (Z=3.726, P<0.001). Conclusions: mNGS test can improve the detection rate of pathogenic microorganisms in PD-related peritonitis and greatly shorten the detection time, and has good consistency with microbial culture. mNGS may provide a new approach for pathogen identification of PD-related peritonitis, especially refractory peritonitis.

[Effect of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid protein on allergic rhinitis induced by ovalbumin in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective effect of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid protein (HCFP) on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) in mice.

METHODS

Twenty-four BALB/c mice at ages of 8 to 10 weeks, each weighing approximately 20 g, were randomly divided into four groups, including groups A (blank control group), B (blank intervention group), C (AR model group) and D (AR+HCFP intervention group), with 6 mice in each group. On days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, mice in groups A, B, C and D were injected with 200 μL sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS), 200 μL sterile PBS containing 20 μg HCFP, 200 μL sterile PBS containing 50 μg OVA and 5 mg Al(OH)₃ gel, and 200 μL sterile PBS containing 50 μg OVA, 5 mg Al(OH)₃ gel and 20 μg HCFP, respectively. On days 14 to 20, mice in groups A, B, C and D were administered with 40 μL sterile PBS, 40 μL sterile PBS containing 20 μg HCFP, 40 μL sterile PBS containing 2 mg OVA and 40 μL sterile PBS containing 2 mg OVA and 20 μL HCFP by nasal drop, respectively. Mouse behavioral changes were observed and behavioral scores were estimated. The serum levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-10, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and OVA-specific IgE antibody (OVA-sIgE) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the pathological changes of mouse nasal mucosa were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining.

RESULTS

The mean behavioral score was significantly greater in Group C (6.83 ± 0.50) than in groups A (1.17 ± 0.52) and B (1.33 ± 0.52) (P < 0.05), while a lower mean behavioral score was estimated in Group D (3.50 ± 0.50) than in Group C (P < 0.05). There were significant differences among the groups in terms of serum IFN-γ (F = 4.08, P < 0.05), IL-4 (F = 275.90, P < 0.05), IL-5 (F = 96.82, P < 0.05), IL-10 (F = 77.67, P < 0.05), TGF-β (F = 9.98, P < 0.05) and OVA-sIgE levels (F = 44.69, P < 0.05). The serum IFN-γ level was significantly lower in Group C than in groups A, B and C (P < 0.05), and the serum levels of IL-4, IL-5 and OVA-sIgE were significantly higher in Group C than in groups A, B and C (P < 0.05), while the serum IL-10 and TGF-β levels were significantly greater in Group D than in Group C (P < 0.05). Microscopy showed apparent loss of nasal mucosa cilia, increased number and enlargement of goblet cells, interstitial edema and submucous vascular dilation in Group C, while the pathological changes of nasal mucosa were alleviated in Group D relative to Group C.

CONCLUSIONS

E. granulosus HCFP has a protective activity against OVA-induced allergic rhinitis in mice.

Ginseng berry concentrate prevents colon cancer via cell cycle, apoptosis regulation, and inflammation-linked Th17 cell differentiation

The Asian ginseng root (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is a very commonly used herbal medicine worldwide. Ginseng fruit, including the berry (or pulp) and seed, is also valuable for several health conditions including immunostimulation and cancer chemoprevention. In this study, the anticancer and anti-proliferative effects of the extracts of ginseng berry and seed were evaluated. The ginsenosides in the ginseng berry concentrate (GBC) and ginseng seed extract (GSE) were analyzed. We then evaluated their anti-colorectal cancer potentials, including antiproliferation, cell cycle arrest, and apoptotic induction. Further investigation consisted of the berry's adaptive immune responses, such as the actions on the differentiation of T helper cells Treg, Th1, and Th17. The major constituents in GBC were ginsenosides Re and Rd, which can be compared to those in the root. The GBC significantly inhibited colon cancer cell growth, and its anti-proliferative effect involved mechanisms including G2/M cell cycle arrest via upregulation of cyclin A and induction of apoptosis via regulation of apoptotic related gene expressions. GBC also downregulated the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes. For the adaptive immune responses, GBC did not influence Th1 and Treg cell differentiation but significantly inhibited Th17 cell differentiation and thus regulated the balance of Th17/Treg for adaptive immunity. Although no ginsenoside was detected in the GSE, interestingly, it obviously enhanced colon cancer cell proliferation with the underlined details to be determined. Our results suggested that GBC is a promising dietary supplement for cancer chemoprevention and immunomodulation.

Effective Model of Food Allergy in Mice Sensitized with Ovalbumin and Freud's Adjuvant

To better explore the pathophysiology of FA and its therapy, we aimed to establish a simple and practicable FA model with Freund's adjuvant and introduce an easy and reliable laboratory evaluation method for assessment of inflammation in intestinal segments at different anatomical locations. BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin combined with Freund's adjuvant. Complete Freund's adjuvant was chosen for the first sensitization and two weeks later incomplete Freund's adjuvant was used for a second sensitization. Two weeks later, the sensitized mice were challenged with 50 mg ovalbumin every other day. After the 6 challenge, all mice were assessed for systemic anaphylaxis, and then sacrificed for sample collection. All sensitized mice showed anaphylactic symptoms and markedly increased levels of serum ovalbumin-specific IgE and IgG1. The activity of mast cell protease-1 (mMCPT-1) was significantly increased in the serum and interstitial fluid of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon. A successful FA model was established, of which inflammation occurred in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon. This model provides a reliable and simple tool for analysis of the mechanism of FA and methods of immunotherapy. Moreover, combined detection of ovalbumin-specific antibody and local mMCPT-1 levels could potentially be used as the major indicator for assessment of food allergy.

Semi-Automated Glycoproteomic Data Analysis of LC-MS Data Using GlycopeptideGraphMS in Process Development of Monoclonal Antibody Biologics

The glycosylation of antibody-based proteins is vital in translating the right therapeutic outcomes of the patient. Despite this, significant infrastructure is required to analyse biologic glycosylation in various unit operations from biologic development, process development to QA/QC in bio-manufacturing. Simplified mass spectrometers offer ease of operation as well as the portability of method development across various operations. Furthermore, data analysis would need to have a degree of automation to relay information back to the manufacturing line. We set out to investigate the applicability of using a semiautomated data analysis workflow to investigate glycosylation in different biologic development test cases. The workflow involves data acquisition using a BioAccord LC-MS system with a data-analytical tool called GlycopeptideGraphMS along with Progenesis QI to semi-automate glycoproteomic characterisation and quantitation with a LC-MS1 dataset of a glycopeptides and peptides. Data analysis which involved identifying glycopeptides and their quantitative glycosylation was performed in 30 min with minimal user intervention. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the antibody and biologic glycopeptide assignment in various scenarios akin to biologic development activities, we demonstrate the effectiveness in the filtering of IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses from human serum IgG as well as innovator drugs trastuzumab and adalimumab and glycoforms by virtue of their glycosylation pattern. We demonstrate a high correlation between conventional released glycan analysis with fluorescent tagging and glycopeptide assignment derived from GraphMS. GraphMS workflow was then used to monitor the glycoform of our in-house trastuzumab biosimilar produced in fed-batch cultures. The demonstrated utility of GraphMS to semi-automate quantitation and qualitative identification of glycopeptides proves to be an easy data analysis method that can complement emerging multi-attribute monitoring (MAM) analytical toolsets in bioprocess environments.

GlycopeptideGraphMS: Improved Glycopeptide Detection and Identification by Exploiting Graph Theoretical Patterns in Mass and Retention Time

The leading proteomic method for identifying N-glycosylated peptides is liquid chromatography coupled with tandem fragmentation mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) followed by spectral matching of MS/MS fragment masses to a database of possible glycan and peptide combinations. Such database-dependent approaches come with challenges such as needing high-quality informative MS/MS spectra, ignoring unexpected glycan or peptide sequences, and making incorrect assignments because some glycan combinations are equivalent in mass to amino acids. To address these challenges, we present GlycopeptideGraphMS, a graph theoretical bioinformatic approach complementary to the database-dependent method. Using the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) as a model glycoprotein with multiple N-glycosylation sites, we show that those LCMS features that could be grouped into graph networks on the basis of glycan mass and retention time differences were actually N-glycopeptides with the same peptide backbone but different N-glycan compositions. Conversely, unglycosylated peptides did not exhibit this grouping behavior. Furthermore, MS/MS sequencing of the glycan and peptide composition of just one N-glycopeptide in the graph was sufficient to identify the rest of the N-glycopeptides in the graph. By validating the identifications with exoglycosidase cocktails and MS/MS fragmentation, we determined the experimental false discovery rate of identifications to be 2.21%. GlycopeptideGraphMS detected more than 500 unique N-glycopeptides from AXL, triple the number found by a database search with Byonic software, and detected incorrect assignments due to a nonspecific protease cleavage. This method overcomes some limitations of the database approach and is a step closer to comprehensive automated glycoproteomics.

Characterization of a GDP-Fucose Transporter and a Fucosyltransferase Involved in the Fucosylation of Glycoproteins in the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Although Phaeodactylum tricornutum is gaining importance in plant molecular farming for the production of high-value molecules such as monoclonal antibodies, little is currently known about key cell metabolism occurring in this diatom such as protein glycosylation. For example, incorporation of fucose residues in the glycans N-linked to protein in P. tricornutum is questionable. Indeed, such epitope has previously been found on N-glycans of endogenous glycoproteins in P. tricornutum. Meanwhile, the potential immunogenicity of the α(1,3)-fucose epitope present on plant-derived biopharmaceuticals is still a matter of debate. In this paper, we have studied molecular actors potentially involved in the fucosylation of the glycoproteins in P. tricornutum. Based on sequence similarities, we have identified a putative P. tricornutum GDP-L-fucose transporter and three fucosyltransferase (FuT) candidates. The putative P. tricornutum GDP-L-fucose transporter coding sequence was expressed in the Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-gmt5 mutant lacking its endogenous GDP-L-fucose transporter activity. We show that the P. tricornutum transporter is able to rescue the fucosylation of proteins in this CHO-gmt5 mutant cell line, thus demonstrating the functional activity of the diatom transporter and its appropriate Golgi localization. In addition, we overexpressed one of the three FuT candidates, namely the FuT54599, in P. tricornutum and investigated its localization within Golgi stacks of the diatom. Our findings show that overexpression of the FuT54599 leads to a significant increase of the α(1,3)-fucosylation of the diatom endogenous glycoproteins.

LC/MS-based Intact IgG and Released Glycan Analysis for Bioprocessing Applications

Robust plate based antibody glycan analysis platforms are urgently needed for biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing as well as for clinical biomarker research. A 96-well plate based workflow has been developed to analyze both intact IgG antibodies and released N-glycans using an Orbitrap Fusion Mass Spectrometer and an LC/MS method on the Waters UNIFI platform. Here, such a workflow including protein A purification, PNGaseF digestion, 2-AB labeling, and SPE clean-up is described. The measured IgG glycan profile is consistent with that obtained from non-plate based method and commercial kit and has the advantage of less hands-on time. Also the application of the workflow in cell culture monitoring and clonal selection work is demonstrated. Apart from checking the major glycan structure changes among clones, post translational modifications (PTMs) such as C-terminal lysine residue clipping and N-terminal pyroglutamic acid formation can also be deduced from the workflow.

Serum fatty acid patterns in patients with schizophrenia: a targeted metabonomics study

Previous studies have indicated that schizophrenia is linked to abnormal lipid metabolism. Free fatty acids (FFAs) in peripheral blood can reflect the status of lipid metabolism in human body. The purpose of this study was to scan the FFA pattern and elucidate the characteristics of lipid metabolic abnormality in schizophrenia patients. One hundred and ten patients with schizophrenia (SCZs) and 109 healthy controls (HCs) were included in the study and divided into a discovery set and a validation set. Forty-seven serum FFAs were detected by UPLC-QTOF-MS and 39 of them were absolutely quantified by establishing standard curves. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-6 PUFAs) were significantly increased in SCZs compared with HCs. Desaturation from saturated fatty acids to MUFAs and β-oxidation were enhanced, as estimated by the ratios of products to precursors. These results suggest that lipolysis and β-oxidation are upregulated in SCZ, presumably resulting from insufficient brain energy supply.

Adverse impact of intermittent portal clamping on long-term postoperative outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction To evaluate the impact of intermittent portal clamping (IPC) on long-term postoperative outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Clinical records of 355 patients underwent curative liver resection for HCC in January 2007 to December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. According to how portal clamping was performed, patients were grouped as: IPC, n=113; other portal clamping (OPC), n=190; and no portal clamping (NPC), n=52. Results Median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was statistically significantly shorter in the IPC (39.4 months) than OPC (47.3 months, p=0.010) and NPC groups (51.4 months, p=0.008). Median overall survival (OS) was also significantly shorter with IPC (46.3 months), versus 52.9 months with OPC (p=0.022) and 56.2 months with NPC (p=0.015). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that 5-year cumulative RFS was much lower in the IPC (42.5%) than OPC (50.9%, p=0.014) and NPC groups (49.6%, p=0.013). Five-year cumulative OS was also much lower in the IPC (44.9%) than OPC (58.0%, p=0.020) and NPC groups (57.7%, p=0.025). On univariate analysis, tumour grade, size and number, TNM stage, blood transfusion, vascular invasion and IPC were significantly inversely correlated with RFS and OS. On multivariate analysis, tumour size and number, blood transfusion, vascular invasion and IPC remained significant. Conclusions Our study suggests that IPC is an independent risk factor for poor long-term postoperative outcomes in patients with HCC.

Study of the Role of Transforming Growth Factor β-1 in Organ Damage Protection in Porcine Model of Brain Death

BACKGROUND

From the medical and ethical points of view, donation after brain death is a more acceptable organ source than that from a living donor because it has the advantage of providing multiple organs from a single donor source. Hence, it has become a more promising field of research which focuses on the protection of organs at brain death Here we investigated the role of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in a porcine model of brain death.

METHODS

A porcine model of brain death was established by increasing the intracranial pressure (ICP) after which TGF-β1 was monitored by immunofluorescence at the following time points: before ICP was performed (t1), at brain death (t2), and at 3 (t3), 6 (t4), 9 (t5), and 18 (t6) hours after brain death. The data were analyzed using the fixed effect regression method and the correlation between the results was determined by Pearson analysis.

RESULTS

Our results showed that there was a significant increase in the levels of TGF-β1 (P < .05), urea (P < .01), creatinine (P < .01), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; P < .01) during the 18-hour brain death process. There were negative correlations between TGF-β1 and urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, AST, and total bilirubin. The negative correlations between TGF-β1 and creatinine and AST achieved statistical significance (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings taken together confirm that significant damages are caused to the myocardial fiber cell and kidney glomerulus during brain death process, and that TGF-β1 is associated with the protection of these organs.

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous microwave ablation treatment for lung metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for treating lung metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From December 2012 to November 2014, 17 patients (15 males, and two females, averaged 45.7 years old) with lung metastases from NPC accepted computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous MWA. The average number of lung metastases was 1.7 (range: 1-4), and the biggest tumor diameter was 4.2 cm (range: 0.8-4.2 cm). Nineteen nodules located in the right lung and 10 nodules located in the left lung. A total of 29 ablation sites were performed to 29 lung metastases in 22 MWA sessions. Postoperative assessments of complete tumor necrosis rate, safety, local tumor progression, and survival period were carried out.

RESULTS

Of the 29 lesions, complete response was achieved for 27 lesions; residual tumor was found in one lesion 3 months postoperatively; and another lesion was found enlarged 3-month postoperatively with obvious enhancement. Four patients had a small amount of postoperative parenchyma bleeding and two patients had a small amount of pneumothorax. Six months after MWA treatment, new metastatic lesions appeared in six patients, five patients had new metastatic lesions inside the lung, and the other patient had metastatic lesions in the thoracic vertebra. The time for the appearance of new pulmonary metastases for the five patients was 4-20 months, averaged 7.2 months.

CONCLUSION

CT-guided MWA is a promising treatment alternative for local tumor control in selected patients with lung metastases from NPC.

Free Nano-Object Ramsey Interferometry for Large Quantum Superpositions

We propose an interferometric scheme based on an untrapped nano-object subjected to gravity. The motion of the center of mass (c.m.) of the free object is coupled to its internal spin system magnetically, and a free flight scheme is developed based on coherent spin control. The wave packet of the test object, under a spin-dependent force, may then be delocalized to a macroscopic scale. A gravity induced dynamical phase (accrued solely on the spin state, and measured through a Ramsey scheme) is used to reveal the above spatially delocalized superposition of the spin-nano-object composite system that arises during our scheme. We find a remarkable immunity to the motional noise in the c.m. (initially in a thermal state with moderate cooling), and also a dynamical decoupling nature of the scheme itself. Together they secure a high visibility of the resulting Ramsey fringes. The mass independence of our scheme makes it viable for a nano-object selected from an ensemble with a high mass variability. Given these advantages, a quantum superposition with a 100 nm spatial separation for a massive object of 10^{9}  amu is achievable experimentally, providing a route to test postulated modifications of quantum theory such as continuous spontaneous localization.

The Role of miR-124 in Drosophila Alzheimer's Disease Model by Targeting Delta in Notch Signaling Pathway

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which mainly affects elderly population. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small RNA molecules that fine-tune gene expression at posttranscriptional level and exert important functions in AD. MicroRNA-124 (miR-124) is a kind of miRNA abundantly expressed in the central nervous system. It is highly conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. However, its function in AD is still elusive. In this study, we found miR-124 was significantly down-regulated in AD flies. miR-124 mutant flies showed impaired climbing ability and shortened lifespan. In contrast, miR-124 expression rescued locomotive defects of AD flies. Using microarray analysis to test gene expression profiles of miR-124 mutant flies, we found that Notch signaling pathway was potentially targeted by miR-124. Further experiments showed that miR-124 regulated Notch ligand Delta expression by acting on specific site of Delta 3`UTR. In addition, reduced Delta expression by RNA interference extended lifespan and ameliorated learning defects of AD Drosophila. Notch inhibitor DAPT could also alleviate AD phenotypes, which confirmed our findings. In conclusion, our study indicates that miR-124 plays neuroprotective roles in AD Drosophila by targeting Delta in Notch signaling pathway, which helps further our understanding of miRNAs in the molecular pathology of AD.

Measurement of Shear Viscosity and Solubility of Polystyrene Melts Containing Various Blowing Agents

This article presents measured data on shear viscosity and solubility of HCFC-142b and HFC-134a/ethanol blowing agent laden polystyrene melts at different temperatures. This study establishes the baseline for more novel and innovative blowing agent systems to replace HCFC-142b. The shear viscosity is measured using a helical barrel rheometer. Apparent solubility is determined by observing the onset of gas bubble presence or absence in a specially designed optical cell with sapphire windows using a microscope–CCD camera–monitor/recorder system. The article presents a selection of viscosity and solubility data and, where possible, compares them with measurements carried out by others. The dynamic methods of measuring solubility and viscosity of gas laden polymer melts used in this study are closer to the polymer foam manufacturing practice.

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Output Monitoring: Agreement of Oesophageal Doppler, LiDCOrapid™ and Vigileo FloTrac™ Monitors in Non-Cardiac Surgery

There is lack of data about the agreement of minimally invasive cardiac output monitors, which make it impossible to determine if they are interchangeable or differ objectively in tracking physiological trends. We studied three commonly used devices: the oesophageal Doppler and two arterial pressure–based devices, the Vigileo FloTrac™ and LiDCOrapid™. The aim of this study was to compare the agreement of these three monitors in adult patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery. Measurements were taken at baseline and after predefined clinical interventions of fluid, metaraminol or ephedrine bolus. From 24 patients, 131 events, averaging 5.2 events per patient, were analysed. The cardiac index of LiDCOrapid versus FloTrac had a mean bias of −6.0% (limits of agreement from −51% to 39%) and concordance of over 80% to the three clinical interventions. The cardiac index of Doppler versus LiDCOrapid and Doppler versus FloTrac, had an increasing negative bias at higher mean cardiac outputs and there was significantly poorer concordance to all interventions. Of the preload-responsive parameters, Doppler stroke volume index, Doppler systolic flow time and FloTrac stroke volume variation were fair at predicting fluid responsiveness while other parameters were poor. While there is reasonable agreement between the two arterial pressure–derived cardiac output devices (LiDCOrapid and Vigileo FloTrac), these two devices differ significantly to the oesophageal Doppler technology in response to common clinical intraoperative interventions, representing a limitation to how interchangeable these technologies are in measuring cardiac output.

Inactivation of GDP-fucose transporter gene (Slc35c1) in CHO cells by ZFNs, TALENs and CRISPR-Cas9 for production of fucose-free antibodies

Removal of core fucose from N-glycans attached to human IgG1 significantly enhances its affinity for the receptor FcγRIII and thereby dramatically improves its antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity. While previous works have shown that inactivation of fucosyltransferase 8 results in mutants capable of producing fucose-free antibodies, we report here the use of genome editing techniques, namely ZFNs, TALENs and the CRISPR-Cas9, to inactivate the GDP-fucose transporter (SLC35C1) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. A FACS approach coupled with a fucose-specific lectin was developed to rapidly isolate SLC35C1-deficient cells. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that both EPO-Fc produced in mutants arising from CHO-K1 and anti-Her2 antibody produced in mutants arising from a pre-existing antibody-producing CHO-HER line lacked core fucose. Lack of functional SLC35C1 in these cells does not affect cell growth or antibody productivity. Our data demonstrate that inactivating Slc35c1 gene represents an alternative approach to generate CHO cells for production of fucose-free antibodies.

Lipid nanoparticle delivery systems for siRNA-based therapeutics

Therapeutics based on small interfering RNA (siRNA) have a huge potential for the treatment of disease but requires sophisticated delivery systems for in vivo applications. Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) are proven delivery systems for conventional small molecule drugs with over eight approved LNP drugs. Experience gained in the clinical development of LNP for the delivery of small molecules, combined with an understanding of the physical properties of lipids, can be applied to design LNP systems for in vivo delivery of siRNA. In particular, cationic lipids are required to achieve efficient encapsulation of oligonucleotides; however, the presence of a charge on LNP systems can result in toxic side effects and rapid clearance from the circulation. To address these problems, we have developed ionizable cationic lipids with pKa values below 7 that allow oligonucleotide encapsulation at low pH (e.g., pH 4) and a relatively neutral surface at physiological pH. Further optimization of cationic lipids to achieve maximized endosomal destabilization following uptake has resulted in LNP siRNA systems that can silence genes in hepatocytes at doses as low as 0.005 mg siRNA/kg body weight in mouse models. These systems have been shown to be highly effective clinically, with promising results for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and transthyretin-induced amyloidosis among others. More LNP siRNA therapeutics, targeting different tissues and diseases, are expected to become available in the near future.

On the effects of substitution, intercalation, non-stoichiometry and block layer concept in TiS2 based thermoelectrics

TiS₂ based layered sulfides have recently received increasing interest from the thermoelectric community.

Association study of UGT1A9 promoter polymorphisms with DILI based on systematically regional variation screen in Chinese population

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is caused by unpredictable adverse drug reaction due mainly to the accumulation of hepatotoxic compounds in the liver resulting in significant damage. Drug-metabolizing enzymes have been prime targets for molecular studies relevant to DILI. The gene UGT1A9 mainly expresses in the liver and has an important role in drug metabolism. The Han Chinese has a very long and complex demographic history, and the population stratification arising from the interplay of different geographic areas may influence the polymorphism pattern. We selected 260 healthy subjects in three different geographic areas (including Xian, Shanghai and Liuzhou) for systemic screening and analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of UGT1A9. Eight SNPs were identified and no regional disparity exists among the three populations. Based on these results, 213 DILI patients from all over the Chinese mainland were further recruited to investigate possible association between UGT1A9 and DILI. We observed statistically significant associations between SNP rs2741045 and DILI at both allele and genotype levels (allele: P=0.032; genotype: P=0.029; after Bonferroni correction). Also, multivariate interaction analysis discovered the interaction between rs2741045 and age associated with DILI significantly. This is the first such screening study to investigate the association between UGT1A9 promoter polymorphisms and DILI in the Chinese population and it could provide the basis for further study of DILI mechanisms.

Producing recombinant therapeutic glycoproteins with enhanced sialylation using CHO-gmt4 glycosylation mutant cells

Recombinant glycoprotein drugs require proper glycosylation for optimal therapeutic efficacy. Glycoprotein therapeutics are rapidly removed from circulation and have reduced efficacy if they are poorly sialylated. Ricinus communis agglutinin-I (RCA-I) was found highly toxic to wild-type CHO-K1 cells and all the mutants that survived RCA-I treatment contained a dysfunctional N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnT I) gene. These mutants are named CHO-gmt4 cells. Interestingly, upon restoration of GnT I, the sialylation of a model glycoprotein, erythropoietin, produced in CHO-gmt4 cells was shown to be superior to that produced in wild-type CHO-K1 cells. This addendum summarizes the applicability of this cell line, from transient to stable expression of the recombinant protein, and from a lab scale to an industrial scale perfusion bioreactor. In addition, CHO-gmt4 cells can be used to produce glycoproteins with mannose-terminated N-glycans. Recombinant glucocerebrosidase produced by CHO-gmt4 cells will not require glycan remodeling and may be directly used to treat patients with Gaucher disease. CHO-gmt4 cells can also be used to produce other glycoprotein therapeutics which target cells expressing mannose receptors.

Polymorphisms in the XRCC1 gene are associated with treatment response to platinum chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients based on meta-analysis

X-ray repair cross complementing group 1(XRCC1) polymorphisms have been implicated in interindividual variability of efficacy of platinum chemotherapy for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, results of different studies have been inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between polymorphisms in the XRCC1 gene and response rate of platinum chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients. Searches were performed on MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese Biological Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wangfang Data, covering all relevant studies published up to August 1, 2012. Statistical analyses were performed using the Revman 5.0 and STATA 10.0 software. Two polymorphisms, Arg399Gln (G>A) and Arg194Trp (C>T), were investigated in 19 studies, involving 2152 advanced NSCLC patients. For XRCC1 Arg399Gln, patients carrying two G alleles had a significantly increased response rate of platinum chemotherapy, when compared with those carrying the A allele [odds ratio (OR) = 2.05, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.62-2.60 for GG vs GA+AA]. Similarly, the AA carriers had a 54% decreased response rate compared with the G allele carriers (OR = 0.46, 95%CI = 0.30-0.70 for AA vs GA+GG). For XRCC1 Arg194Trp, patients carrying two C alleles had a 62% decreased response rate compared with those carrying either one or two variant T alleles (OR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.30-0.48 for CC vs CT+TT). However, although TT carriers had a better response rate compared with the C allele carriers, the difference was not significant (OR = 1.27, 95%CI = 0.92-1.77 for TT vs CC+CT). Based on this meta-analysis, we conclude that XRCC1 polymorphisms are associated with treatment response to platinum chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients.

Decreased expression of Small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein (SGT) correlated with prognosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma

Small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein (SGT) is an ubiquitously expressed cochaperone of heat shock cognate protein of 70 kDa (Hsc70). SGT binds to the C terminus of Hsc70 to recruit Hsc70 into complexes of diverse function. SGTB was identified as an isoform of SGT with 60% amino acid sequence homology. To investigate the expression of SGTB in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and determine its correlation with tumor progression and prognosis, we evaluated the expression levels of SGTB in HCCs and corresponding adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. We also assessed the association between their expression and clinicopathologic parameters. The expression of SGTB was absent or low in HCCs while it was notable in paracancerous tissues from 108 patients by western blotting and immunochemistry (P < 0.05). Among the 108 HCCs, low expression of SGTB was associated with gender, histological grade (P<0.001) and HBsAg expression (P=0.002). Univariate analysis showed that the low SGTB expression was associated with poor prognosis (P<0.001). Thus, decreased expression of SGTB may be a favorable independent poor prognostic parameter for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Different risk factors of recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis between Tibetan and Han populations in Southwest China

OBJECTIVE

The geographical environment and living habits are different between Tibetan and Han populations. The present study aimed to investigate the risk factors of recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and analyze the differences between the two populations.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 480 TB patients, including 80 Tibetan and 80 Han patients with recurrent pulmonary TB, and 320 patients without recurrent pulmonary TB, were included in present study. All patients with pulmonary TB were diagnosed between 2000 and 2001 and followed until December 2012. Multivariate logistic regression was used for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Among all patients, the independent risk factors associated with recurrent pulmonary TB were no use of directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) (HR 5.867, 95% CI 2.557-13.461), diabetes (HR 3.288, 95% CI 1.301-8.312), smoking (HR 2.387, 95% CI 1.328-4.291) and malnutrition (HR 1.910, 95% CI 1.110-3.285). The independent risk factors of recurrent pulmonary TB for the Tibetan patients included no use of DOTS and malnutrition, while the independent risk factors for the Han patients were diabetes and smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk factors of pulmonary TB recurrence were different between Tibetan and Han patients. To reduce the recurrent rate of pulmonary TB, especially for Tibetan populations, pursuing high-quality DOTS is essential.

Role of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades in 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced apoptosis in neuronal pheochromocytoma cells

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are involved in neuronal death caused by many cytotoxins. Conventional MAPKs consist of three family members: extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38. It has been originally shown that ERK1/2 is important for cell survival, whereas JNK and p38 are deemed stress responsive and thus involved in apoptosis. However, information describing the role of MAPKs in 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-induced neurotoxicity is insufficient. The aim of this study was to identify the role of MAPK cascades in TCDD-induced neurotoxicity using differentiated pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells as a model for neuronal cells. Cell viability assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay and flow cytometry analysis showed that TCDD attenuated cell viability with a dose- and time-dependent manner and significantly induced apoptosis in primary cortical neurons and PC12 cells. Western blot analysis indicated that TCDD markedly activated the expression of ERK1/2, JNK and p38 in TCDD-treated PC12 cells. Furthermore, PD98059 (ERK1/2 inhibitor), SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) and SB202190 (p38 inhibitor) notably blocked the effect of TCDD on cell apoptosis. Based on the findings above, it is concluded that the activation of MAPK signaling pathways may be associated with TCDD-mediated neuronal apoptosis.

A potential role for D-dimer in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is associated with enhanced local fibrinolysis; however, its role in TPE has not been studied. The present study aims to investigate whether pleural D-dimer, a fibrinolysis marker, plays a diagnostic role for TPE.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with pleural effusion were recruited prospectively. All subjects underwent a standard thoracocentesis and pleural effusion samples were collected. The diagnosis of pleural effusion was based on clinical, radiological, bacteriological, and histopathological examinations. Pleural D-dimer levels were measured by immunonephelometry assay. The capacity of pleural D-dimer to differentiate TPE from non-TPE was assessed with receiver operating characteristic curve analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 87 patients with pleural effusion were included in the study (32 TPE cases and 55 non-TPE controls). Subjects with TPE showed a marked elevation of pleural D-dimer than those with other etiologies (1082.66±453.83 vs. 319.98±266.78 mg/L FEU, p < 0.05). The area under curve when pleural D-dimer was used to differentiate TPE from non-TPE was 0.928 (95% confidence interval: 0.878-979). With a cut-off value of 622.5 mg/L FEU, the sensitivity and specificity were 84.38% and 85.45%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Pleural D-dimer levels are higher in TPE than other causes of pleural effusions. D-dimer might be useful as a simple, surrogate marker for TPE. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Potential metabolite markers of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects 0.5-1% of the population worldwide. Current diagnostic methods are based on psychiatric interviews, which are subjective in nature. The lack of disease biomarkers to support objective laboratory tests has been a long-standing bottleneck in the clinical diagnosis and evaluation of schizophrenia. Here we report a global metabolic profiling study involving 112 schizophrenic patients and 110 healthy subjects, who were divided into a training set and a test set, designed to identify metabolite markers. A panel of serum markers consisting of glycerate, eicosenoic acid, β-hydroxybutyrate, pyruvate and cystine was identified as an effective diagnostic tool, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.945 in the training samples (62 patients and 62 controls) and 0.895 in the test samples (50 patients and 48 controls). Furthermore, a composite panel by the addition of urine β-hydroxybutyrate to the serum panel achieved a more satisfactory accuracy, which reached an AUC of 1 in both the training set and the test set. Multiple fatty acids and ketone bodies were found significantly (P<0.01) elevated in both the serum and urine of patients, suggesting an upregulated fatty acid catabolism, presumably resulting from an insufficiency of glucose supply in the brains of schizophrenia patients.

Validation and psychometric properties of Chinese version of SF-36 in patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer

BACKGROUND

The SF-36 is widely used as a significant health outcome or quality of life indicator and validated in many languages versions including Chinese. But the Chinese version of the SF-36 (CSF-36) is rarely used for those patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in China. Therefore, the CSF-36 needs to be validated in patients with chronic diseases.

OBJECTIVES

This paper is aimed to validate the CSF-36 using an in-patient sample of four chronic diseases from mainland China, with focusing on psychometric properties.

METHODS

The CSF-36 was used in a longitudinal study consisting of 534 patients in these four chronic disease groups. The psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated by indicators such as validity and reliability coefficients Cronbach α, Pearson r, standardized response mean employing correlational analyses, multi-trait scaling analysis, t-tests, factor analyses and structural equation models.

RESULTS

Test-retest reliability coefficients for all domains were higher than 0.80 with a range of 0.83 to 0.96; the internal consistency (α) for most domains was higher than 0.70. Five of the eight domains as well as the Physical and Mental Health subscale summaries all had statistically significant changes after treatment with the SRM ranging from 0.18 to 0.28.

CONCLUSION

The CSF-36 showed good validity and reliability but small responsiveness when used in patients. It is a good and useful instrument for patients with chronic disease at some situations.

Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction to correlate Chlamydia pecorum infectious load with ocular, urinary and reproductive tract disease in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Complex interactions between Chlamydia pecorum infection, the immune response and disease exist in the koala. We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to investigate the relationship between C. pecorum infectious load and ocular and urogenital tract disease. Chlamydia pecorum shedding was generally higher in animals with chronic, active disease than in animals with inactive disease. The absence of ocular disease was generally associated with low levels of shedding, but relatively high levels of shedding in the urogenital tract were detected in some koalas without clinical disease signs. These results suggest a complex disease pathogenesis and clinical course in C. pecorum-infected koalas.

A Comparison of Three Minimally Invasive Cardiac Output Devices with Thermodilution in Elective Cardiac Surgery

This study compared the cardiac output responses to haemodynamic interventions as measured by three minimally invasive monitors (Oesophageal Doppler Monitor, the VigileoFlotrac and the LiDCOrapid) to the responses measured concurrently using thermodilution, in cardiac surgical patients. The study also assessed the precision and bias of these monitors in relation to thermodilution measurements.

After a fluid bolus of at least 250 ml, the measured change in cardiac output was different among the devices, showing an increase with thermodilution in 82% of measurements, Oesophageal Doppler Monitor 68%, VigileoFlotrac 57% and LiDCOrapid 41%. When comparing the test devices to thermodilution, the kappa statistic showed at best only fair agreement, Oesophageal Doppler Monitor 0.34, LiDCOrapid 0.28 and VigileoFlotrac -0.03. After vasopressor administration, there was also significant variation in the change in cardiac output measured by the devices. Using Bland-Altman analysis, the precision of the devices in comparison to thermodilution showed minimal bias, but wide limits of agreement with percentage errors of Oesophageal Doppler Monitor 64.5%, VigileoFlotrac 47.6% and LiDCOrapid 54.2%. These findings indicate that these three devices differ in their responses, do not always provide the same information as thermodilution and should not be used interchangeably to track cardiac output changes.