Simultaneous diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy and malignant pleural effusion using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

BACKGROUND: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has become a powerful tool for pathogen detection, but the value of human sequencing reads generated from it is underestimated. METHODS: A total of 138 patients with pleural effusion (PE) were diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy (TBP, N = 82), malignant pleural effusion (MPE, N = 35), or non-TB infection (N = 21), whose PE samples all underwent mNGS analysis. Clinical TB tests including culture, Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB) test, Xpert, and T-SPOT, were performed. To utilize mNGS for MPE identification, 25 non-MPE samples (20 TBP and 5 non-TB infection) were randomly selected to set human chromosome copy number baseline and generalized linear modeling was performed using copy number variant (CNV) features of the rest 113 samples (35 MPE and 78 non-MPE). RESULTS: The performance of TB detection was compared among five methods. T-SPOT demonstrated the highest sensitivity (61% vs. culture 32%, AFB 12%, Xpert 35%, and mNGS 49%) but with the highest false-positive rate (10%) as well. In contrast, mNGS was able to detect TB-genome in nearly half (40/82) of the PE samples from TBP subgroup, with 100% specificity. To evaluate the performance of using CNV features of the human genome for MPE prediction, we performed the leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) in the subcohort excluding the 25 non-MPE samples for setting copy number standards, which demonstrated 54.1% sensitivity, 80.8% specificity, 71.7% accuracy, and an AUC of 0.851. CONCLUSION: In summary, we exploited the value of human and non-human sequencing reads generated from mNGS, which showed promising ability in simultaneously detecting TBP and MPE.

Effects of glycine on cell growth and pigment biosynthesis in Rhodobacter azotoformans.

The effect of exogenous glycine (a precursor for the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll) on the cell growth and photopigment accumulation was investigated in phototrophic growing Rhodobacter azotoformans 134K20. The growth rate and the biomass of strain 134K20 were significantly inhibited by glycine addition when ammonium sulfate or glutamate were used as nitrogen sources and acetate or succinate as carbon sources. A characteristic absorption maximum at approximately 423 nm was present in the absorption spectra of glutamate cultures while it was absent by the addition of high-concentration glycine of 15 mM. The component account for the 423 nm peak was eventually identified as magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester, a precursor of bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a). Comparative analysis of pigment composition revealed that the amount of BChl a precursors was significantly decreased by the addition of 15-mM glycine while the BChl a accumulation was increased. Moreover, glycine changed the carotenoid compositions and stimulated the accumulation of spheroidene. The A850 /A875 in the growth-inhibited cultures was increased, indicating an increased level of the light-harvesting complex 2 compared to the reaction center. The exogenous glycine possibly played an important regulation role in photosynthesis of purple bacteria.

Cerebrospinal fluid ctDNA testing shows an advantage over plasma ctDNA testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases.

Background: Brain metastases (BM), including brain parenchyma metastases (BPM) and leptomeningeal metastases (LM), are devastating metastatic complications in advanced cancer patients. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is emerging as a new promising tool for profiling cancer mutation, which could facilitate the diagnosis of cancer. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the molecular genetic characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with BPM and LM using NGS. Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and paired plasma samples were collected from 37 patients of NSCLC-BM. We profiled genetic mutation characteristics using NGS from NSCLC-BM by comparing CSF circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) with plasma ctDNA and primary tumour tissues. Results: Among the 37 patients with NSCLC-BM, 28 patients had LM with or without BPM, while 9 patients only had BPM. Driver and drug-resistant mutations in primary tumours with LM included: EGFR L858R (10, 35.7%), EGFR 19del (6, 21.4%), EGFR L858R+MET (1, 3.6%), EGFR L858R+S768I (1, 3.6%), ALK (2, 7.1%), ROS1 (1, 3.6%), negative (5, 17.9%), and unknown (2, 7.1%). In patients with NSCLC-LM, the detection rate and abundance of ctDNA in the CSF were significantly higher than those in paired plasma. The main driver mutations of NSCLC-LM remained highly consistent with those of the primary tumours, along with other unique mutations. Circulating tumour DNA was negative in the CSF samples of BPM patients. Patients with BMP had a higher ratio of EGFR 19del than L858R mutation (55.6% vs 11.1.%), whereas NSCLC patients with LM had a higher ratio of EGFR L858R than 19del mutation (50.0% vs 25.0%). Most patients with positive plasma ctDNA results were male (p = 0.058) and in an unstable state (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Our study indicated that the CSF ctDNA detected by NGS may reflect the molecular characteristics and heterogeneity of NSCLC-LM. Timely screening of patients with NSCLC for CSF ctDNA, especially for patients with positive plasma ctDNA, may facilitate the early detection of LM. Furthermore, patients with the EGFR 19del may have a higher risk of developing BPM.

Protective effect of combination of sulforaphane and riluzole on glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity.

Threohydroxyaspartate (THA) causes glutamate excitotoxicity in motor neurons in organotypic culture of rat spinal cord. Some drugs, including sulforaphane (SF) and riluzole, can protect motor neuron against excitotoxicity. It has been demonstrated that SF is a potent inducer of Phase II enzymes, while riluzole is a classic anti-glutamate agent. The objective of the current study is to investigate whether the combination of SF and riluzole is superior to either one used alone. In our study, the combination of SF with riluzole not only stimulates the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH): quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), but also reduces the extracellular accumulation of glutamate. When used at optimal doses, SF (10 microM) and riluzole (5 microM), either alone or in combination, all exert significant and similar neuroprotection, as measured by the number of motor neuron, medium malondialdehyde (MDA) level and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. When used at low doses, the combination is better than each agent used alone. In conclusion, these results suggest the potential utility of combination use of SF and riluzole for protection of motor neuron against excitotoxicity.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate protects motor neurons and regulates glutamate level.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a major component of green tea polyphenols which displays potential properties of anticancer and neuroprotection. Here we show that protection of motor neuron by EGCG is associated with regulating glutamate level in organotypic culture of rat spinal cord. In this model, EGCG blocked glutamate excitotoxicity caused by threohydroxyaspartate, an inhibitor of glutamate transporter. This property of EGCG may be not due to its intrinsic antioxidative activity, because another antioxidant could not regulate glutamate level under the same condition. These results show that EGCG may be a potential therapeutic candidate for neurodegenerative diseases involving glutamate excitotoxicity such as ALS.