A novel mutation in intron 1 of Wnt1 causes developmental loss of dopaminergic neurons in midbrain and ASD-like behaviors in rats.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders with a strong genetic liability. Despite extensive studies, however, the underlying pathogenic mechanism still remains elusive. In the present study, we identified a homozygous mutation in the intron 1 of Wnt1 via large-scale screening of ASD risk/causative genes and verified that this mutation created a new splicing donor site in the intron 1, and consequently, a decrease of WNT1 expression. Interestingly, humanized rat models harboring this mutation exhibited robust ASD-like behaviors including impaired ultrasonic vocalization (USV), decreased social interactions, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Moreover, in the substantia nigra compacta (SNpc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of mutant rats, dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons were dramatically lost, together with a comparable decrease in striatal DAergic fibers. Furthermore, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that the decreased DAergic neurons in these midbrain areas might attribute to a shift of the boundary of the local pool of progenitor cells from the hypothalamic floor plate to the midbrain floor plate during the early embryonic stage. Moreover, treatments of mutant rats with levodopa could attenuate the impaired USV and social interactions almost completely, but not the restricted and repetitive behaviors. Our results for the first time documented that the developmental loss of DAergic neurons in the midbrain underlies the pathogenesis of ASD, and that the abnormal progenitor cell patterning is a cellular underpinning for this developmental DAergic neuronal loss. Importantly, the effective dopamine therapy suggests a translational significance in the treatment of ASD.

Improving cancer immunotherapy by targeting IL-1.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is an inflammatory cytokine associated with tumor invasiveness and metastasis. We recently found that baseline IL-1 in melanomas promoted resistance to immunotherapy by creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and that IL-1 produced in response to CD40 agonist also induced resistance to therapy. Here, we discuss how naturally occurring and immunotherapy-induced IL-1 in tumors causes immune suppression and resistance to immunotherapy, and we discuss targeting the IL-1 pathway to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy.

IL-1α Mediates Innate and Acquired Resistance to Immunotherapy in Melanoma.

Inflammation has long been associated with cancer initiation and progression; however, how inflammation causes immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment and resistance to immunotherapy is not well understood. In this study, we show that both innate proinflammatory cytokine IL-1α and immunotherapy-induced IL-1α make melanoma resistant to immunotherapy. In a mouse melanoma model, we found that tumor size was inversely correlated with response to immunotherapy. Large tumors had higher levels of IL-1α, Th2 cytokines, polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), and regulatory T cells but lower levels of IL-12, Th1 cytokines, and activated T cells. We found that therapy with adenovirus-encoded CD40L (rAd.CD40L) increased tumor levels of IL-1α and PMN-MDSCs. Blocking the IL-1 signaling pathway significantly decreased rAd.CD40L-induced PMN-MDSCs and their associated PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment and enhanced tumor-specific immunity. Similarly, blocking the IL-1 signaling pathway improved the antimelanoma activity of anti-PD-L1 Ab therapy. Our study suggests that blocking the IL-1α signaling pathway may increase the efficacy of immunotherapies against melanoma.

Comparative analysis of the down syndrome hippocampal non-coding RNA transcriptomes using a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy 21, is the most common human chromosomal disorder. Hippocampal abnormalities have been believed to be responsible for the DS developmental cognitive deficits. Cumulative evidences indicated that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) participated in brain development and function. Currently, few was known whether dysregulated ncRNAs existed in DS whether the dysregulated ncRNAs played important pathology roles in DS. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was generating an overview map of the dysregulated ncRNAs in DS, including the microRNA (miRNA), long ncRNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNAs). DS mouse models are invaluable tools for further mechanism and therapy studies. METHODS: The well-studied DS mouse model Dp(16)1/Yey was used in this study as it contains the trisomy of the whole human chromosome 21 syntenic region on mouse chromosomes 16. Hippocampi were isolated from pups of seven-days-old. Libraries for miRNA, lncRNA and circRNAs were constructed separately, and the next generation sequencing method was utilized. RESULTS: Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs were reported. Relative few regulating relationship were found between the DE miRNAs and DE mRNAs. LncRNAs originated from the trisomic regions expressed in clusters, but not all of them were 1.5-fold increased expressed. Dramatic DE circular RNAs were found in the DS hippocampus. The host genes of the DE circRNAs were enriched on functions which were well-known impaired in DS, e.g. long-term-potentiation, glutamatergic synapse, and GABAergic synapse. CONCLUSIONS: We generated the first DS developmental hippocampal ncRNA transcriptome map. This work laid foundations for further investigations on role of ncRNAs in hippocampal functions.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Ezetimibe as the Add-on Treatment to Moderate-Dose Rosuvastatin versus High-Dose Rosuvastatin in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in China: A Markov Model Analysis.

BACKGROUND: For patients with inadequate control of cholesterol using moderate-dose statins in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), either doubling the dose of statins or adding ezetimibe should be considered. The cost-effectiveness of them is unknown in the Chinese context. The aim of this study is to compare the cost and effectiveness of the two regimens, and estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). METHODS: A Markov model of five health statuses were used to estimate long-term costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of the two treatment regimens from the healthcare perspective. The effectiveness data used to calculate the transition probability was based on a previously published randomized trial. The utility data was gathered from literature and the costs were gathered from the electronic medical record system of West China Hospital in Chinese Yuan (CNY) in 2017 price. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The ICER for ezetimibe plus moderate-dose rosuvastatin was 47,102.99 CNY per QALY for 20 years simulation, which did not reach the threshold of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of 59,660 CNY per QALY in 2017 in China. Non-CVD-related mortality and CVD-related mortality contributed most to the ICER. CONCLUSION: Adding ezetimibe to the moderate-dose statin in secondary prevention for CVD is cost-effective, compared with the high-dose statin in the Chinese context whose low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was not inadequately controlled by moderate-dose statin alone.

HOXA9 rs3801776 G>A polymorphism increases congenital talipes equinovarus risk in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is the most common congenital deformity in children, and muscular dysplasia plays a potential role in the etiology of CTEV. Notably, previous studies have found that HOXA9 rs3801776 and TPM2 rs2025126 genetic polymorphisms play important roles in regulating muscle development in Caucasian children; however, there is a lack of investigations conducted in Chinese children. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based, case-control study of 189 children with CTEV and 457 CTEV-free children aiming to examine the associations between these two polymorphisms and CTEV susceptibility. The rs3801776 (G>A) and rs2025126 (G>A) polymorphisms were genotyped using TaqMan. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to measure the associations between the selected polymorphisms and CTEV susceptibility. RESULTS: We found that rs3801776A was associated with increased CTEV risk (GA versus GG: adjusted OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.22-2.69, p = 0.0031; AA versus GG: adjusted OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.28-3.73, p = 0.0041; GA/AA versus GG: adjusted OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.29-2.76, p = 0.0010). In a stratified analysis, the risk effect of rs3801776 GA/AA was observed in both unilateral and bilateral patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the rs3801776 G>A polymorphism is associated with CTEV risk in Chinese children; however, this conclusion should be validated in larger studies.

Stromal Modulation Reverses Primary Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat. It is refractory to most existing therapies, including immunotherapies, due to the presence of an excessive desmoplastic stroma, which restricts penetration of drugs and cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. Stromal modulation has shown promising results in the enhancement of immune checkpoint blockade treatment in PDAC. We demonstrate here effective stromal modulation by a polymeric micelle-based nanoformulation to codeliver a sonic hedgehog inhibitor (cyclopamine, abbreviated as CPA) and a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug (paclitaxel, abbreviated as PTX). The formulation, M-CPA/PTX, modulated the PDAC stroma by increasing the intratumoral vasculature density, which then promoted the tumor infiltration by cytotoxic CD8+ T cells without depletion of tumor-restraining α-smooth muscle action-positive fibroblasts and type I collage in the stroma. The combination of M-CPA/PTX and the PD-1 checkpoint blockade significantly prolonged animal survival in an orthotopic murine PDAC model as well as a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC. The superior antitumor efficacy was mediated by enhanced tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells without concomitant infiltration of suppressive regulatory T cells or myeloid-derived suppressor cells and by the coordinated action of PTX and interferon-gamma. Our results demonstrate that stroma-modulating nanoformulations are a promising approach to potentiate immune checkpoint blockade therapy of pancreatic cancer.

Peptide Vaccine Formulation Controls the Duration of Antigen Presentation and Magnitude of Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cell Response.

Despite remarkable progresses in vaccinology, therapeutic cancer vaccines have not achieved their full potential. We previously showed that an excessively long duration of Ag presentation critically reduced the quantity and quality of vaccination-induced T cell responses and subsequent antitumor efficacy. In this study, using a murine model and tumor cell lines, we studied l-tyrosine amino acid-based microparticles as a peptide vaccine adjuvant with a short-term Ag depot function for the induction of tumor-specific T cells. l-Tyrosine microparticles did not induce dendritic cell maturation, and their adjuvant activity was not mediated by inflammasome activation. Instead, prolonged Ag presentation in vivo translated into increased numbers and antitumor activity of vaccination-induced CD8+ T cells. Indeed, prolonging Ag presentation by repeated injection of peptide in saline resulted in an increase in T cell numbers similar to that observed after vaccination with peptide/l-tyrosine microparticles. Our results show that the duration of Ag presentation is critical for optimal induction of antitumor T cells, and can be manipulated through vaccine formulation.

Cancer vaccine formulation dictates synergy with CTLA-4 and PD-L1 checkpoint blockade therapy.

Anticancer vaccination is a promising approach to increase the efficacy of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint blockade therapies. However, the landmark FDA registration trial for anti-CTLA-4 therapy (ipilimumab) revealed a complete lack of benefit of adding vaccination with gp100 peptide formulated in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA). Here, using a mouse model of melanoma, we found that gp100 vaccination induced gp100-specific effector T cells (Teffs), which dominantly forced trafficking of anti-CTLA-4-induced, non-gp100-specific Teffs away from the tumor, reducing tumor control. The inflamed vaccination site subsequently also sequestered and destroyed anti-CTLA-4-induced Teffs with specificities for tumor antigens other than gp100, reducing the antitumor efficacy of anti-CTLA-4 therapy. Mechanistically, Teffs at the vaccination site recruited inflammatory monocytes, which in turn attracted additional Teffs in a vicious cycle mediated by IFN-γ, CXCR3, ICAM-1, and CCL2, dependent on IFA formulation. In contrast, nonpersistent vaccine formulations based on dendritic cells, viral vectors, or water-soluble peptides potently synergized with checkpoint blockade of both CTLA-4 and PD-L1 and induced complete tumor regression, including in settings of primary resistance to dual checkpoint blockade. We conclude that cancer vaccine formulation can dominantly determine synergy, or lack thereof, with CTLA-4 and PD-L1 checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer.

Macrophage depletion through colony stimulating factor 1 receptor pathway blockade overcomes adaptive resistance to anti-VEGF therapy.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy has shown clinical benefit in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), but adaptive resistance rapidly emerges. Thus, approaches to overcome such resistance are needed. We developed the setting of adaptive resistance to anti-VEGF therapy, and performed a series of in vivo experiments in both immune competent and nude mouse models. Given the pro-angiogenic properties of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and the dominant role of CSF1R in macrophage function, we added CSF1R inhibitors following emergence of adaptive resistance to anti-VEGF antibody. Mice treated with a CSF1R inhibitor (AC708) after anti-VEGF antibody resistance had little to no measurable tumor burden upon completion of the experiment while those that did not receive a CSF1R inhibitor still had abundant tumor. To mimic clinically used regimens, mice were also treated with anti-VEGF antibody and paclitaxel until resistance emerged, and then a CSF1R inhibitor was added. The addition of a CSF1R inhibitor restored response to anti-angiogenesis therapy, resulting in 83% lower tumor burden compared to treatment with anti-VEGF antibody and paclitaxel alone. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the addition of a CSF1R inhibitor to anti-VEGF therapy and taxane chemotherapy results in robust anti-tumor effects.

Intratumoral CD40 activation and checkpoint blockade induces T cell-mediated eradication of melanoma in the brain.

CD40 agonists bind the CD40 molecule on antigen-presenting cells and activate them to prime tumor-specific CD8+ T cell responses. Here, we study the antitumor activity and mechanism of action of a nonreplicating adenovirus encoding a chimeric, membrane-bound CD40 ligand (ISF35). Intratumoral administration of ISF35 in subcutaneous B16 melanomas generates tumor-specific, CD8+ T cells that express PD-1 and suppress tumor growth. Combination therapy of ISF35 with systemic anti-PD-1 generates greater antitumor activity than each respective monotherapy. Triple combination of ISF35, anti-PD-1, and anti-CTLA-4 results in complete eradication of injected and noninjected subcutaneous tumors, as well as melanoma tumors in the brain. Therapeutic efficacy is associated with increases in the systemic level of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells, and an increased ratio of intratumoral CD8+ T cells to CD4+ Tregs. These results provide a proof of concept of systemic antitumor activity after intratumoral CD40 triggering with ISF35 in combination with checkpoint blockade for multifocal cancer, including the brain.

Should tumor with direct adjacent lobe invasion (Tdali) be assigned to T2 or T3 in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The staging of tumor with direct adjacent lobe invasion (Tdali) or interlobar invasion pleural 3 (ILI PL3) in TNM system of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still in controversy. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the prognosis of Tdali with T2 or T3 disease. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched for relevant studies. Ln hazard ratio (HR) and its standard error (SE) of each study were estimated in the comparison of overall survival (OS) between Tdali and T2 or T3 respectively. Forest plots were used to show the combined HRs. RESULTS: The meta-analysis for comparison of OS of Tdali and T2 or T3 disease both showed a significant HR [Tdali versus T2, 1.39 (1.21, 1.61), P<0.000, Tdali versus T3, 0.73 (0.57, 0.93), P=0.01]. Comparisons of OS of Tdali specified to T2 (Tdali-T2) and that of all patients of T2 or T3 disease also both showed significant HRs [Tdali-T2 versus T2, 1.44 (1.23, 1.69), P<0.000, Tdali-T2 versus T3, 0.77 (0.64, 0.94), P=0.008]. When only analyzing the patients with N0 status, those with Tdali-T2N0 compared to the T2N0 group had a HR of 1.79 (1.37, 2.34) (P<0.000). For those with Tdali-T2N0 compared to the T3N0 group, the HR was 0.98 (0.71, 1.35) (P=0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis showed that the prognosis of Tdali is poorer than T2 disease but similar to T3 disease after controlled for T and N status. We suggest that Tdali should be considered to be upgraded to T3. Our work challenges the current staging system regarding staging of Tdali, which might be important evidence of future revision of Tdali staging. As the malignancy of Tdali has been underrated till now, more attention needs to be drawn to proper treatment of Tdali patients.

Prognostic impact of tumor-associated macrophage infiltration in non-small cell lung cancer: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important components of cancer microenvironment. In the present study, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library and Web of Science to perform a meta-analysis of 20 studies including a total of 2,572 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, in order to determine the association between TAMs and NSCLC prognosis. The combined hazard ratio (HR) of 9 studies showed that the density of total CD68+ TAMs in the tumor islet and stroma was not associated with overall survival (OS) of the patients. However, the pooled HR of 4 studies showed that high density of CD68+ TAMs in the tumor islet predicted better OS, while the pooled HR of 6 studies showed that high density of CD68+ TAMs in the tumor stroma was associated with poor OS. A high islet/stroma ratio of CD68+ TAMs was associated with better OS. A high density of M1 TAMs in the tumor islet was associated with better OS, while a high density of M2 TAMs in the tumor stroma predicted poor OS. These findings suggest that, although the density of total CD68+ TAMs is not associated with OS, the localization and M1/M2 polarization of TAMs are potential prognostic predictors of NSCLC.

Unusual cause of massive hemothorax: spontaneous rupture of nonfunctioning mediastinal paraganglioma.

Mediastinal paraganglioma is a rare neurogenic tumor with a hypervascular feature. The spontaneous rupture of mediastinal paraganglioma is an unusual cause of massive hemothorax. Here we present a case of 39-year-old man with massive hemothorax due to the spontaneous rupture of a mediastinal paraganglioma. The man underwent successful resection of tumor and had an uneventful recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous rupture of nonfunctioning mediastinal paraganglioma.

Simultaneous thoracoscopic resection for coexisting pulmonary and thymic lesions.

BACKGROUND: The management of synchronous thymic and pulmonary lesions remains a challenge due to the lack of case series and surgical guidelines. This study aims to retrospectively review our preliminary experience and results of performing simultaneous thoracoscopic resection of coexisting diseases of the lung and thymus. METHODS: Simultaneous thoracoscopic resection was performed to remove coexisting thymic and pulmonary lesions in nine patients from August 2008 to November 2013. Patient demographics, preoperative assessment, surgical procedures and postoperative course of these patients were reviewed. RESULTS: There were four female and five male patients between 43 and 70 years old (median age, 64 years). Each patient had thymic neoplasm and solitary pulmonary lesion on chest computed tomography (CT) scan. Four patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy and thymectomy. One patient had thoracoscopic bronchovascular sleeve lobectomy combined with thymic cyst resection (TCR). The other four patients received pulmonary wedge resection and thymectomy (n=3)/TCR (n=1). The operation lasted from 35-480 min (median, 110 min). Intra-operative blood loss was 20-380 mL (median, 120 mL). Two patients developed post-operative pneumonia without mortality. All the patients were discharged home within 9 days after surgery. Two patients died from metastatic lung cancer 14 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous thoracoscopic resection of coexisting pulmonary and thymic lesions is safe and feasible in selected patients.

Surgical treatment of primary mediastinal myelolipoma.

OBJECTIVES: Primary mediastinal myelolipoma (PMM) is a rare benign tumour composed of haematopoietic tissue and mature adipose tissue. Here, we report the largest series aiming to investigate the outcomes of surgical treatment for patients with PMM. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 12 patients operated in a single institute during the period between April 2008 and December 2014. RESULTS: There were 7 female and 5 male patients between 54 and 73 years old (median age, 64 years). Among them, 11 patients underwent unilateral (n = 10) or bilateral (n = 1) mass resection via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and 1 patient underwent a planned open thoracotomy due to a large tumour volume. The VATS operating time ranged from 20 to 65 min (median, 30 min) and intraoperative blood loss ranged from 20 to 60 ml (median, 30 ml). The open thoracotomy operating time was 120 min, and the blood loss was 1000 ml; thus, the patient received blood transfusion (2 units of RBCs). No operative mortalities or major postoperative complications were observed. All patients experienced a regular follow-up ranging from 2 to 80 months with a median follow-up of 18 months. No recurrence was observed at the time of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment is recommended for the diagnosis and treatment of PMM, while VATS is a safe and feasible option in most cases.

Non-grasping en bloc mediastinal lymph node dissection for video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to introduce an optimized method named "non-grasping en bloc mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND)" through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). METHODS: Between February 2009 and July 2013, 402 patients with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent "non-grasping en bloc MLND" conducted by one surgical team. Target lymph nodes (LNs) were exposed following non-grasping strategy with simple combination of a metal endoscopic suction and an electrocoagulation hook or an ultrasound scalpel. In addition, dissection was performed following a stylized three-dimensional process according to the anatomic features of each station. Clinical and pathological data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The postoperative morbidity and mortality were 17.4% (70/402) and 0.5% (2/402), respectively. The total number of LNs (N1 + N2) was 16.0 ± 5.9 (range of 5-52), while the number of N2 LNs was 9.5 ± 4.0 (range of 3-23). The incidences of postoperative upstaging from N0 to N1 and N2 disease were 7.7% and 12.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Non-grasping en bloc MLND enables en bloc dissection of mediastinal LNs with comparable morbidity and oncological efficacy while saving troubles of excessive interference of instruments and potential damage to the target LN.