A comprehensive clinical evaluation of HER2-TKIs in patients with previously treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (HER2-TKIs) have been extensively utilized for treating HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), with numerous clinical trial reports available. We aim to systematically perform a comprehensive clinical evaluation on HER2-TKIs, provide a reference for the clinical rational use of drugs, and serve for the decision-making of the national drug policy. We performed comprehensive clinical evaluation in six dimensions including safety, effectiveness, economy, suitability, accessibility, and innovation through meta-analysis, literature review, drug administration websites, and other relevant medication data to analyze HER2-TKIs in treating HER2-positive MBC. For safety, the risk of ≥ grade 3 adverse events among pyrotinib, lapatinib, and neratinib is not significantly different. Furthermore, pyrotinib and neratinib were found to be higher in the risk of ≥ grade 3 diarrhea than lapatinib, however the risk could be reversed and prevented with loperamide. Regarding effectiveness and economy, pyrotinib was confirmed to have the best efficacy and cost-utility value, neratinib the second, and lapatinib the third. As regards innovation and suitability, pyrotinib showed better than other HER2-TKIs. In addition, pyrotinib received a higher recommendation than other HER2-TKIs in patients with HER2-positive MBC. The accessibility of pyrotinib was found to be the best with better urban, rural, and national affordability and lower annual treatment costs. Pyrotinib is more valuable in clinics with better safety, effectiveness, economy, suitability, accessibility, and innovation in HER2-positive MBC. This study could provide references for the clinical application of HER2-TKIs in treating HER2-positive MBC.

Percutaneous Fully-endoscopic Anterior Transcorporeal Procedure for the Treatment of Isolated Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament in the Cervical Spine: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: With the development of spinal endoscopic techniques, on the basis of our previous experience in treating various types of cervical disc herniation with this endoscopic technique, we took the lead in applying the percutaneous fully endoscopic anterior transcorporeal procedure to be utilized in the treatment of the isolated cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old male patient who weighed 57 kg, with a height of 169 cm was admitted to the hospital on September 16, 2021 because of recurrent pain and numbness in the neck, shoulder, and right arm for 2 years, which as aggravated for the last 2 weeks. Two years ago, the patient developed neck and shoulder pain accompanied by right arm pain without obvious predisposing factors, and numbness in the first web space of the right hand. In the last 2 weeks, he had difficulty moving the right arm, but no pain or numbness in the contralateral arm. MRI and CT scans demonstrated that the ossified posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical 5/6 vertebrae with spinal canal stenosis and seriously compressed the spinal cord patient was treated with a percutaneous fully endoscopic anterior transcorporeal procedure. CONCLUSION: Our percutaneous fully endoscopic anterior transcorporeal procedure is a feasible, minimally invasive surgery for treating isolated ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine.

Variable phenotypes and outcomes associated with the MMACHC c.482G > A mutation: follow-up in a large CblC disease cohort.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize the variable phenotypes and outcomes associated with the methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria type C protein gene (MMACHC) c.482G > A mutation in 195 Chinese cases with CblC disease. METHODS: We carried out a national, retrospective multicenter study of 195 Chinese patients with CblC disease attributable to the MMACHC c.482G > A variant either in a homozygous or compound heterozygous state. The control group consisted of 200 patients diagnosed with CblC disease who did not possess the c.482G > A mutation. Clinical features, including disease onset, symptoms, biochemical metabolites, gene mutation, and follow-up outcomes were reviewed and analyzed in detail. The median follow-up period spanned 3 years and 8 months, with a range of 1 year and 2 months to 12 years and 10 months. RESULTS: Among 195 patients carrying the c.482G > A variant, 125 (64.1%) cases were diagnosed by newborn screening (NBS), 60 (30.8%) cases were detected due to disease onset, and 10 (5.1%) cases were identified from sibling diagnoses. One hundred and seventeen (93.6%) individuals who were diagnosed by NBS, and nine patients who came from sibling diagnoses remained asymptomatic in this study. From 69 symptomatic patients of the c.482G > A group, more patients presented with later onset, and the top six common clinical symptoms at disease onset were developmental delay (59.4%), lower limb weakness and poor exercise tolerance (50.7%), cognitive decline (37.7%), gait instability and abnormal posture (36.2%), seizures (26.1%), and psychiatric and behavioral disturbances (24.6%). In the 159 symptomatic patients lacking c.482G > A variants, the most frequently observed clinical manifestations at disease onset included developmental delay (81.8%), lethargy and feeding difficulty (62.9%), lower limb weakness and poor exercise tolerance (54.7%), prolonged neonatal jaundice (51.6%), vomiting (47.2%), and seizures (32.7%). Before treatment, the levels of blood propionylcarnitine, propionylcarnitine/acetylcarnitine ratio, and homocysteine in the c.482G > A group were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those in the non-c.482G > A group, while the concentration of urinary methylmalonic acid was slightly lower (P > 0.05). The degree of decline in the above metabolites after treatment in different groups significantly differed in both plasma total homocysteine values and urinary methylmalonic acid levels (P < 0.05). In patients carrying the c.482G > A variant compared with the non-c.428G > A group, there were markedly lower rates of mortality (0.5% vs. 2.0%) and developmental delay (20.5% vs. 65.5%). When compared with individuals diagnosed due to disease onset, those identified through NBS in either group exhibited a reduced proportion of disease onset (6.7% vs. 100% in the c.482G > A group, 54.4% vs. 100% in the non-c.482G > A group), lower mortality (0.0% vs. 1.7% in the c.482G > A group, 0.0% vs. 3.6% in the non-c.482G > A group), and had a higher percentage of patients exhibiting normal psychomotor and language development (99.3% vs. 33.3% in the c.482G > A group, 58.9% vs. 10.9% in the non-c.482G > A group). CONCLUSIONS: The c.482G > A variant in MMACHC is associated with late-onset and milder phenotypes of CblC disease. Patients with this mutation tend to have a relatively better response to hydroxocobalamin, better metabolic control, and more favorable neurological outcomes. NBS and other appropriate pre-symptomatic treatments seem to be helpful in early diagnosis, resulting in favorable clinical outcomes. Video Abstract (MP4 136794 kb).

Selective and Controllable Defluorophosphination and Defluorophosphorylation of Trifluoromethylated Enones: An Auxiliary Function of the Carbonyl Group.

The auxiliary function of a carbonyl group in the tunable defluorophosphination and defluorophosphorylation of trifluoromethylated enones with P(O)-containing compounds was demonstrated. Controlled replacement of one or two fluorine atoms in trifluoromethylated enones while maintaining high chemo- and stereoselectivity was achieved under mild conditions, thus enabling diversity-oriented synthesis of skeletally diverse organophosphorus libraries─(Z)-difluoro-1,3-dien-1-yl phosphinates, (1Z,3E)-4-phosphoryl-4-fluoro-buta-1,3-dien-1-yl phosphinates, and (E)-4-phosphoryl-4-fluoro-1,3-but-3-en-1-ones─in good yields with excellent functional group tolerance.

Prognostic role of pretreatment circulating MDSCs in patients with solid malignancies: A meta-analysis of 40 studies.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been shown to contribute to tumor progression, mainly through immune suppression. Inverse correlations have been observed between MDSC levels and patient survival for various malignancies. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment circulating MDSCs. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from their inceptions to September 2017 to identify relevant articles. Using a fixed or random effects model, pooled hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for overall survival (OS) and combined disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and recurrence-free survival (DFS/PFS/RFS). A total of 40 studies comprising 2721 were included. For solid tumors, high levels of pretreatment circulating MDSCs were significantly associated with worse OS (HR = 1.796, 95% CI = 1.587-2.032) and DFS/PFS/RFS (HR = 2.459, 95% CI = 2.018-2.997). Breast cancer showed the largest association between high MDSC levels and worse OS (pooled HR = 3.053). Elevated MDSCs were also associated with worse OS for mixed-stage tumors (pooled HR = 1.659) and advanced-stage tumors (pooled HR = 2.337). Furthermore, both monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) and granulocytic or polymorphonuclear (PMN-MDSCs) showed negative associations with survival outcomes. Overall, high levels of pretreatment circulating MDSCs negatively influenced survival in most cancers. Pretreatment circulating MDSCs should be taken into account to further improve prognostic evaluation and develop novel therapeutic strategies.

Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated with Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Treatment for Malignancies: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Treatment of cancers with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which could be serious and even fetal. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the characteristics of irAEs associated with the use of such drugs. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched to find potential studies using the following strategies: anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment; irAEs; and cancer. R© package Meta was used to pool incidence. Results: Forty-six studies representing 12,808 oncologic patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents were included in the meta-analysis. The anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents included nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, avelumab, and BMS-936559. The tumor types were melanomas, Hodgkin lymphomas, urothelial carcinomas, breast cancers, non-small cell lung cancers, renal cell carcinomas (RCC), colorectal cancers, and others. We described irAEs according to organ systems, namely, the skin (pruritus, rash, maculopapular rash, vitiligo, and dermatitis), endocrine system (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypophysitis, thyroiditis, and adrenal insufficiency), digestive system (colitis, diarrhea, pancreatitis, and increased AST/ALT/bilirubin), respiratory system (pneumonitis, lung infiltration, and interstitial lung disease), and urinary system (increased creatinine, nephritis, and renal failure). In patients treated with the PD-1 signaling inhibitors, the overall incidence of irAEs was 26.82% (95% CI, 21.73-32.61; I2, 92.80) in any grade and 6.10% (95% CI, 4.85-7.64; I2, 52.00) in severe grade, respectively. The development of irAEs was unrelated to the dose of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents. The incidence of particular irAEs varied when different cancers were treated with different drugs. The incidence of death due to irAEs was around 0.17%. Conclusion: The occurrence of irAEs was organ-specific and related to drug and tumor types.

Allergy reduces the risk of meningioma: a meta-analysis.

Meningiomas are the most common brain tumours; however, little is known regarding their aetiology. The data are inconsistent concerning atopic disease and the risk of developing meningioma. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between allergic conditions and the risk of developing meningioma. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Web of SCI from Jan 1979 to Feb 2016. Two investigators independently selected the relevant articles according to the inclusion criteria. Eight case-control studies and 2 cohort studies were included in the final analysis, comprising 5,679 meningioma cases and 55,621 control subjects. Compared with no history of allergy, the pooled odds ratio (OR) for allergic conditions was 0.81 (0.70-0.94) for meningioma in a random-effects meta-analysis. Inverse correlations of meningioma occurrence were also identified for asthma and eczema, in which the pooled ORs were 0.78 (0.70-0.86) and 0.78 (0.69-0.87), respectively. A reduced risk of meningioma occurrence was identified in hay fever; however, the association was weak (0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.99). The source of this heterogeneity could be the various confounding variables in individual studies. Overall, the current meta-analysis indicated that allergy reduced the risk of developing meningiomas. Large cohort studies are required to investigate this relationship.

[Study on the Characterization of VNIR-MIR Spectra and Prediction of Soil Organic Matter in Paddy Soil].

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an essential indicator for the fertility assessment of farmland. and An efficient and stable prediction model is in need to rapidly estimate SOM in larger scale. Spectroscopic technology has been proved as a powerful tool to access SOM in the last decade. The aims of this paper were: to compare different selection method of calibration set for modeling SOM in paddy soil by using visible-near infrared (VNIR), mid-infrared (MIR) and VNIR-MIR spectra and to assess the prediction ability of the results. All spectra were transformed from reflectance to absorbance, and preprocessed by Savitzky-Golay smoothing algorithm. The prediction models of SOM were built by using partial least squares regression (PLSR) coupled with three selection methods of calibration set in VNIR, MIR and VNIR-MIR regions. The selection method of calibration Rank-KS performed better than Rank method and KS method, meanwhile the models in MIR region showed stronger prediction ability than VNIR and VNIR-MIR regions. The best prediction model was obtained with the MIR model combined with Rank-KS, and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) were 3.25 g·kg-1 and 4.24. According to variable in the projection (VIP) score, important bands for SOM prediction in paddy soil were identified in VNIR and MIR region. Our results show that MIR spectroscopy could make quantitative prediction of SOM in paddy soil and Rank-KS is an effective method for selection of calibration sets, so as to provide some scientific basis for fertility assessment of farmland and rational fertilization.

Erythropoietin improves glucose metabolism and pancreatic ß-cell damage in experimental diabetic rats.

Previous studies have implicated erythropoietin (EPO) signaling in the regulation of glucose metabolism. Whether EPO can be used treat diabetes and the underlying mechanism remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate whether EPO affects glucose metabolism, and the underlying mechanisms, in experimental diabetic rats. The effects of EPO (300 U/kg three times a week for 4 weeks) on glucose metabolism, hematopoietic function, blood selenium content and the ultrastructure of pancreatic ß­cells were investigated in low dose (25 mg/kg body weight) streptozotocin­induced experimental diabetic rats provided with a high­fat diet. The results demonstrated that EPO significantly decreased the fasting blood glucose, the area under the curve of the oral glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance tests and L­alanine gluconeogenesis. Ultrastructural examination of the pancreatic islets revealed that EPO prevented the dysfunction of pancreatic ß­cells in experimental diabetic rats, ameliorated cytoplasmic vacuolation and fragmentation of mitochondria, and increased the number of secretory granules. EPO administration increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and decreased the level of malondialdehyde. Additionally, EPO increased blood selenium in the diabetic rats and produced a hematopoietic effect. These results indicated that EPO modulated glucose metabolism and improved pancreatic ß­cells damage by increasing anti­oxidation. The detailed mechanisms underlying these effects require further investigation.

Hepatoprotective effects of erythropoietin on D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced fulminant hepatic failure in mice.

Fulminant hepatic failure is a severe clinical syndrome associated with a high rate of patient mortality. Recent studies have shown that in addition to its hematopoietic effect, erythropoietin (EPO) has multiple protective effects and exhibits antiapoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective effect of EPO and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms using a D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced model of acute liver injury. Experimental groups of mice were administered with various doses of EPO (1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 U/kg, intraperitoneal) once per day for 3 days, prior to injection with D-GalN (700 mg/kg)/LPS (10 µg/kg). Mice were sacrificed 8 h after treatment with D­GalN/LPS. Liver function and histopathology, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH­Px) activities and EPO receptor (EPOR) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) mRNA expression were evaluated. D-GalN/LPS administration markedly induced liver injury, as evidenced by elevated levels of serum aminotransferases, as well as histopathological changes. Compared with the D-GalN/LPS group, pretreatment with EPO significantly decreased the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and MDA, and increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px. Furthermore, the protective effects of EPO were paralleled by an upregulation in the mRNA expression of EPOR and PI3K. These data suggest that EPO can ameliorate D-GalN/LPS-induced acute liver injury by reducing oxidative stress and upregulating the mRNA expression of EPOR and PI3K.

Liraglutide ameliorates glycometabolism and insulin resistance through the upregulation of GLUT4 in diabetic KKAy mice.

Liraglutide, a long-lasting glucagon­like peptide­1 analogue, has been used for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus since 2009. In this study, we investigated the anti-diabetic effects and mechanisms of action of liraglutide in a spontaneous diabetic animal model, using KK/Upj-Ay/J (KKAy) mice. The KKAy mice were divided into 2 groups, the liraglutide group (mice were treated with 250 µg/kg/day liraglutide) and the model group (treated with an equivalent amount of normal saline). C57BL/6J mice were used as the controls (treated with an equivalent amount of normal saline). The treatment period lasted 6 weeks. During this treatment period, fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels and the body weight of the mice were measured on a weekly basis. Our results revealed that liraglutide significantly decreased FBG levels, the area under the curve following a oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test, increased serum insulin levels, reduced homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and increased the insulin sensitivity index. Furthermore, liraglutide ameliorated glycometabolism dysfunction by increasing glycolysis via hexokinase and glycogenesis via pyruvate kinase activation. An ultrastructural examination of the pancreas revealed that liraglutide improved the damaged state of islet ß cells and increased the number of insulin secretory granules. The real-time PCR results revealed that the gene expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) increased following treatment with liraglutide. Liraglutide also upregulated the protein expression of GLUT4 in liver tissue and skeletal muscle. Our results suggest that liraglutide ameliorates glycometabolism and insulin resistance in diabetic KKAy mice by stimulating insulin secretion, increasing glycogenesis and glycolysis and upregulating the expression of GLUT4.

[Estimation and mapping of soil organic matter based on Vis-NIR reflectance spectroscopy].

Visible-near infrared (Vis-NIR) reflectance spectroscopy, which is rapid, cost-effective, in-situ, nondestructive and without hazardous chemicals, is increasingly being used for prediction and digital soil mapping of soil organic matter (SOM). This method is the inevitable demand for precision agriculture and soil remote sensing mapping. In the present study, the Vis-NIR (350-2 500 nm) diffuse reflectance spectral collected by ASD FieldSpec Pro FR spectrometer was truncated by removing the noisy edge values below 400 nm and above 2 450 nm and then was transformed into apparent absorbance spectral using log(1/ R). Based on the relationship analysis between absorbance spectral, spectral indices and SOM, partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was applied to predict SOM, and finally the spatial variability of SOM was characterized by geostatistics method. The results indicated that good model was modeling from the characteristic bands (CB, R2 = 0.91, RPD = 3.28) of correlation coefficient more than 0. 5, the spectral index (SI) of normalized difference index (NDI, R2 0.90, RPD = 3.08), CB integrating SI with which a correlation coefficient was more than 0.5 (R2 = 0.87, RPD = 2.67), and total bands (TA, 400-2 450 nm, R2 = 0.95, RPD = 4.36). While the digital mapping of SOM produced by kriging and cokriging interpolation methods implied a better prediction result, showing similar spatial distribution with the measured SOM, indicating that it is feasible and reliable to use these spectral indices to predict and map the spatial variability.

[Outcomes of patients with combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria after treatment].

OBJECTIVE: Combined methylmalonic acidemia with homocystinuria is a common form of methylmalonic acidemia in China. Patients with this disease can progress to death without timely and effective treatment. This study aimed to analyze the treatment outcomes of patients with combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria. METHOD: From September 2004 to April 2012, 58 patients with combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria (34 males and 24 females) were diagnosed and treated in our hospital. Fifty cases were from clinical patients including 42 early-onset cases and 8 late-onset cases. Their age when they were diagnosed ranged from 18 days to 30.8 years. The other 8 cases were from newborn screening. All the patients were treated with vitamin B12, betaine, folic acid, vitamin B6, and L-carnitine. The physical and neuropsychological development, general laboratory tests, the levels of amino acids, acylcarnitines, and homocysteine in blood, and organic acids in urine were followed up. RESULT: The follow-up period ranged from 1 month to 7.1 years. Three cases died (all were early-onset cases). In the other patients after treatment, the symptoms such as recurrent vomiting, seizures, lethargy, and poor feeding disappeared, muscle strength and muscle tension were improved, and general biochemical abnormalities such as anemia and metabolic acidosis were corrected. Among the surviving 55 cases, 49 had neurological impairments such as developmental delay and mental retardation. The median levels of blood propionylcarnitine and its ratio with acetylcarnitine, serum homocysteine, and urine methylmalonic acid were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), from 7.73 µmol/L (ranged from 1.5 to 18.61 µmol/L), 0.74 (ranged from 0.29 to 2.06), 97.3 µmol/L (ranged from 25.1 to 250 µmol/L) and 168.55 (ranged from 3.66 to 1032.82) before treatment to 2.74 µmol/L (ranged from 0.47 to 12.09 µmol/L), 0.16 (ranged from 0.03 to 0.62), 43.8 µmol/L (ranged from 17 to 97.8 µmol/L) and 6.81 (ranged from 0 to 95.43) after treatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with combined methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinuria respond to a combined treatment consisting of supplementation of hydroxycobalamin, betaine, folic acid, vitamin B6 and L-carnitine with clinical and biochemical improvement. But the long-term outcomes are unsatisfactory, with neurological sequelae in most patients.

NVP-BEZ235, a novel dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, enhances the radiosensitivity of human glioma stem cells in vitro.

AIM: NVP-BEZ235 is a novel dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor and shows dramatic effects on gliomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NVP-BEZ235 on the radiosensitivity and autophagy of glioma stem cells (GSCs) in vitro. METHODS: Human GSCs (SU-2) were tested. The cell viability and survival from ionizing radiation (IR) were evaluated using MTT and clonogenic survival assay, respectively. Immunofluorescence assays were used to identify the formation of autophagosomes. The apoptotic cells were quantified with annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry, and observed using Hoechst 33258 staining and fluorescence microscope. Western blot analysis was used to analyze the expression levels of proteins. Cell cycle status was determined by measuring DNA content after staining with PI. DNA repair in the cells was assessed using a comet assay. RESULTS: Treatment of SU-2 cells with NVP-BEZ235 (10-320 nmol/L) alone suppressed the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner. A low concentration of NVP-BEZ235 (10 nmol/L) significantly increased the radiation sensitivity of SU-2 cells, which could be blocked by co-treatment with 3-MA (50 µmol/L). In NVP-BEZ235-treated SU-2 cells, more punctate patterns of microtubule-associated protein LC3 immunoreactivity was observed, and the level of membrane-bound LC3-II was significantly increased. A combination of IR with NVP-BEZ235 significantly increased the apoptosis of SU-2 cells, as shown in the increased levels of BID, Bax, and active caspase-3, and decreased level of Bcl-2. Furthermore, the combination of IR with NVP-BEZ235 led to G1 cell cycle arrest. Moreover, NVP-BEZ235 significantly attenuated the repair of IR-induced DNA damage as reflected by the tail length of the comet. CONCLUSION: NVP-BEZ235 increases the radiosensitivity of GSCs in vitro by activating autophagy that is associated with synergistic increase of apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest and decrease of DNA repair capacity.

[Using different data mining algorithms to predict soil organic matter based on visible-near infrared spectroscopy].

Using visible/near infrared spectroscopy to model soil properties is very important in current soil sensing research. It can be applied to rapidly access soil information and precision management. In the present study, paddy soil in Zhejiang Province is treated as the research samples. The nonlinear models such as random forests (RF), supported vector machines (SVM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used respectively to build models to predict soil organic matter based on different selection of calibration and validation datasets. The results show that there is a certain impact on prediction results under the division of different sample modes. Compared to the commonly used linear model PLSR, the nonlinear model RF and SVM have comparable prediction accuracy, especially predictions by SVM using all Vis-NIR wavelengths produced the smallest RMSE values. It shows that the model constructed by SVM method has a good predictive ability. In addition, a combined method, PLSR-ANN (with the introduction of ANN into PLSR), significantly improves the predictive ability of PLSR Even though ANNs are "black box" systems the combination of PLSR and nonliner modelling helps achieve good predictions and interpretability.

[Primary carnitine deficiency in 17 patients: diagnosis, treatment and follow up].

OBJECTIVE: Many children were found to have low free carnitine level in blood by tandem mass spectrometry technology. In some of the cases the problems occurred secondary to malnutrition, organic acidemia and other fatty acid oxidation metabolic diseases, and some of cases had primary carnitine deficiency (PCD). In the present article, we discuss the diagnosis of PCD and evaluate the efficacy of carnitine in the treatment of PCD. METHOD: We measured the free carnitine (C0) and acylcarnitine levels in the blood of 270 000 neonates from newborns screening program and 12 000 children with suspected clinical inherited metabolic diseases by tandem mass spectrometry. The mutations of carnitine transporter protein were tested to the children with low C0 level and the diagnosis was made. The children with PCD were treated with 100 - 300 mg/kg of carnitine. RESULT: Seventeen children were diagnosed with PCD, 6 from newborn screening program and 11 from clinical patients. Mutations were found in all of them. The average C0 level [(2.9 ± 2.0) µmol/L] in patients was lower than the reference value (10 µmol/L), along with decreased level of different acylcarnitines. The clinical manifestations were diverse. For the 6 patients from newborn screening, 4 were asymptomatic, 1 showed hypoglycaemia and 1 showed movement intolerance from 2 years of age. For the 11 clinical patients, 8 showed hepatomegaly, 7 showed myasthenia, 6 showed cardiomyopathy, 1 showed chronic abdominal pain, and 1 showed restlessness and learning difficulty. Among these patients, 14 cases were treated with carnitine. Their clinical symptoms disappeared 1 to 3 months later. The C0 level in the blood rose to normal, with the average from (4.0 ± 2.7) µmol/L to (20.6 ± 8.3) µmol/L (P < 0.01). However, the level was still lower than the average level of healthy children [(27.1 ± 4.5) µmol/L, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSION: Seventeen patients were diagnosed with PCD by the test levels of free carnitine and acylcarnitines in blood with tandem mass spectrometry, and gene mutation test. Large dose of carnitine had a good effect in treatment of the PCD patients.

[Application of succinylacetone levels measurement in the blood and urine in the diagnosis of tyrosinemia type 1].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the diagnostic method of tyrosinemia type 1 and evaluate its value, the succinylacetone levels in the blood of suspected patients with tyrosinemia were tested by tandem mass spectrometry, and the succinylacetone in the urine was tested by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. METHOD: A total of 190 patients suspected of having tyrosinemia, were tested by tandem mass spectrometry for measurement of the level of succinylacetone in the blood, and detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for measurement of the level of succinylacetone and organic acid in the urine. The method of measuring the level of succinylacetone in blood by tandem mass spectrometry as follows: After the diameter of 3 mm dry blood spots were punched into wells of 96-well plate, 100 µl 80% acetonitrile were added into each well, which contained hydrazine monohydrate and the internal standard of succinylacetone. The supernatant fluid were transferred to another 96-well plate and dried under heated nitrogen, after the plate was incubated for 30 min at 65°C. The residual hydrazine reagent was removed by addition of 100 µl methanol to each well and evaporated under heated nitrogen. The mobile phase (80% acetonitrile) was added to each well and 20 µl samples were tested by tandem mass spectrometry. The diagnostic terms were the clinical manifestation and the high level of succinylacetone in both blood and urine. RESULT: Eleven patients were diagnosed as tyrosinemia type 1, with 9 males and 2 females. Their ages ranged from 2 months to 6 years. The succinylacetone levels in the blood of the patients were remarkably increased (7.26-31.09 µmol/L), with an average of (14.2 ± 7.8)µmol/L. Seven patients were tested for the level of succinylacetone in the urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 4 were positive and 3 negative. Their tyrosine levels in the blood were 190-543 µmol/L(Normal: 20 - 100 µmol/L), with an average of (327.3 ± 125.8) µmol/L. All the patients presented the symptoms of hepatomegaly. Among them, 9 patients died and 2 patients were improved after treatment. CONCLUSION: The higher levels of succinylacetone in the blood or urine is a remarkable evidence for the diagnosis of tyrosinemia type 1. Determination of succinylacetone in the dry blood spots using tandem mass spectrometry was a good method for diagnosis of tyrosinemia type 1. To test succinylacetone in urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry may yield a false-negative result for tyrosinemia type 1.

Rapamycin induces differentiation of glioma stem/progenitor cells by activating autophagy.

Glioma stem/progenitor cells (GSPCs) are considered to be responsible for the initiation, propagation, and recurrence of gliomas. The factors determining their differentiation remain poorly defined. Accumulating evidences indicate that alterations in autophagy may influence cell fate during mammalian development and differentiation. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy in GSPC differentiation. SU-2 cells were treated with rapamycin, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) plus rapamycin, E64d plus rapamycin, or untreated as control. SU-2 cell xenografts in nude mice were treated with rapamycin or 3-MA plus rapamycin, or untreated as control. Western blotting and immunocytochemistry showed up-regulation of microtubule-associated protein light chain-3 (LC3)-II in rapamycin-treated cells. The neurosphere formation rate and the number of cells in each neurosphere were significantly lower in the rapamycin treatment group than in other groups. Real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry showed down-regulation of stem/progenitor cell markers and up-regulation of differentiation markers in rapamycin-treated cells. Transmission electron microscopy revealed autophagy activation in rapamycin-treated tumor cells in mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased Nestin-positive cells and increased GFAP-positive cells in rapamycin-treated tumor sections. These results indicate that rapamycin induces differentiation of GSPCs by activating autophagy.

[Characteristics of thermal infrared hyperspectra and prediction of sand content of sandy soil].

To explore the potential of thermal infrared hyperspecra for retrieving sand content in soil, the sandy soil was measured using a 102F Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroradiometer (FTIR), and the characteristics of sandy soil's emissivity spectra were discussed based on correlation analysis and principal component analysis. Moreover, the sand contents were predicted using two modeling methods: Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR). The results show that the Reststrahlen feature (RF) of SiO2 is obvious in the emissivity spectra of sandy soil with two large asymmetrical absorption troughs near 8.13 and 9.17 microm and two small troughs in the region of 12-13 microm. Soil emissivity becomes lower when sand content increases, this trend is more evident especially in the regions of 8-9.5 microm and 9.5-10.4 microm of which correlation coefficients are above 0.65 and 0.5 respectively, and these two regions can account for 84.07% of total emissivity variance. Predictive precision varies significantly when sand content is predicted by different modeling methods or spectral variables. The PLSR model can achieve the highest predictive precision by using first-order derivative spectra, and it's RMSE of modeling and prediction is 0.45 and 0.53 respectively, and the R2, 0.9907 and 0.9836, which means that the thermal hyperspectra has promising potential for retrieving sand content in soil.