A model for neural development and treatment of Rett syndrome using human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental diseases in which different combinations of genetic mutations may contribute to the phenotype. Using Rett syndrome (RTT) as an ASD genetic model, we developed a culture system using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from RTT patients' fibroblasts. RTT patients' iPSCs are able to undergo X-inactivation and generate functional neurons. Neurons derived from RTT-iPSCs had fewer synapses, reduced spine density, smaller soma size, altered calcium signaling and electrophysiological defects when compared to controls. Our data uncovered early alterations in developing human RTT neurons. Finally, we used RTT neurons to test the effects of drugs in rescuing synaptic defects. Our data provide evidence of an unexplored developmental window, before disease onset, in RTT syndrome where potential therapies could be successfully employed. Our model recapitulates early stages of a human neurodevelopmental disease and represents a promising cellular tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment.

Comparison of Taboo Search Methods for Atomic Cluster Global Optimization with a Basin-Hopping Algorithm.

The basin-hopping algorithm (BHA) allows for the efficient exploration of atomic cluster potential energy surfaces by random perturbations in configuration space, followed by energy minimizations. Here, the taboo search method is incorporated to prevent the search from revisiting recently visited regions of the search space. Two taboo search modes are implemented, one mode resets the search to random coordinates upon encountering the taboo region, while the other simply rejects any proposed move into the taboo region. These two modes are tested and compared on a variety of potential energy surfaces─several clusters where atomic interactions are described by the Lennard-Jones potential, and Au55 where a semi-empirical tight binding potential is used to describe atomic interactions. Some differences in performance between the two taboo search modes were noted for LJ38 and Au55, with the mode that rejects all hops into the taboo region performing better, offering a means to improve the efficiency of the BHA for multifunnel systems. However, both taboo search modes failed to significantly improve performance on multifunnel systems where more than two funnels were present in the system.

A human neurodevelopmental model for Williams syndrome.

Williams syndrome is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by an uncommon hypersociability and a mosaic of retained and compromised linguistic and cognitive abilities. Nearly all clinically diagnosed individuals with Williams syndrome lack precisely the same set of genes, with breakpoints in chromosome band 7q11.23 (refs 1-5). The contribution of specific genes to the neuroanatomical and functional alterations, leading to behavioural pathologies in humans, remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate neural progenitor cells and cortical neurons derived from Williams syndrome and typically developing induced pluripotent stem cells. Neural progenitor cells in Williams syndrome have an increased doubling time and apoptosis compared with typically developing neural progenitor cells. Using an individual with atypical Williams syndrome, we narrowed this cellular phenotype to a single gene candidate, frizzled 9 (FZD9). At the neuronal stage, layer V/VI cortical neurons derived from Williams syndrome were characterized by longer total dendrites, increased numbers of spines and synapses, aberrant calcium oscillation and altered network connectivity. Morphometric alterations observed in neurons from Williams syndrome were validated after Golgi staining of post-mortem layer V/VI cortical neurons. This model of human induced pluripotent stem cells fills the current knowledge gap in the cellular biology of Williams syndrome and could lead to further insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the disorder and the human social brain.

Comparing modalities for risk assessment in patients with pulmonary lesions and nondiagnostic bronchoscopy for suspected lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bronchoscopy is commonly utilized for non-surgical sampling of indeterminant pulmonary lesions, but nondiagnostic procedures are common. Accurate assessment of the risk of malignancy is essential for decision making in these patients, yet we lack tools that perform well across this heterogeneous group of patients. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of three previously validated risk models and physician-assessed risk (PAR) in patients with a newly identified lung lesion undergoing bronchoscopy for suspected lung cancer where the result is nondiagnostic. METHODS: We performed an analysis of prospective data collected for the Percepta Bronchial Genomic Classifier Multicenter Registry. PAR and three previously validated risk models (Mayo Clinic, Veteran's Affairs, and Brock) were used to determine the probability of lung cancer (low, intermediate, or high) in 375 patients with pulmonary lesions who underwent bronchoscopy for possible lung cancer with nondiagnostic pathology. Results were compared to the actual adjudicated prevalence of malignancy in each pre-test risk group, determined with a minimum of 12 months follow up after bronchoscopy. RESULTS: PAR and the risk models performed poorly overall in the assessment of risk in this patient population. PAR most closely matched the observed prevalence of malignancy in patients at 12 months after bronchoscopy, but all modalities had a low area under the curve, and in all clinical models more than half of all the lesions labeled as high risk were truly or likely benign. The studied risk model calculators overestimate the risk of malignancy compared to PAR, particularly in the subset in older patients, irregularly bordered nodules, and masses > 3 cm. Overall, the risk models perform only slightly better when confined to lung nodules < 3 cm in this population. CONCLUSION: The currently available tools for the assessment of risk of malignancy perform suboptimally in patients with nondiagnostic findings following a bronchoscopic evaluation for lung cancer. More accurate and objective tools for risk assessment are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not applicable.

Sex differences in M2 polarization, chemokine and IL-4 receptors in monocytes and macrophages from asthmatics.

Allergic asthma affects more women than men. It is mediated partially by IL-4/IL-13-driven polarization of monocyte-derived macrophages in the lung. We tested whether sex differences in asthma are due to differential IL-4 responsiveness and/or chemokine receptor expression in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages from healthy and allergic asthmatic men and women. We found female cells expressed M2 genes more robustly following IL-4 stimulation than male cells, as did cells from asthmatics than those from healthy controls. This likely resulted from increased expression ofγC, part of the type I IL-4 receptor, and reduced IL-4-induced SOCS1, a negative regulator of IL-4 signaling, in asthmatic compared to healthy macrophages. Monocytes from asthmatic women expressed more CX3CR1, which enhances macrophage survival. Our findings highlight how sex differences in IL-4 responsiveness and chemokine receptor expression may affect monocyte recruitment and macrophage polarization in asthma, potentially leading to new sex-specific therapies to manage the disease.

Differential responses to lithium in hyperexcitable neurons from patients with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by intermittent episodes of mania and depression; without treatment, 15% of patients commit suicide. Hence, it has been ranked by the World Health Organization as a top disorder of morbidity and lost productivity. Previous neuropathological studies have revealed a series of alterations in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder or animal models, such as reduced glial cell number in the prefrontal cortex of patients, upregulated activities of the protein kinase A and C pathways and changes in neurotransmission. However, the roles and causation of these changes in bipolar disorder have been too complex to exactly determine the pathology of the disease. Furthermore, although some patients show remarkable improvement with lithium treatment for yet unknown reasons, others are refractory to lithium treatment. Therefore, developing an accurate and powerful biological model for bipolar disorder has been a challenge. The introduction of induced pluripotent stem-cell (iPSC) technology has provided a new approach. Here we have developed an iPSC model for human bipolar disorder and investigated the cellular phenotypes of hippocampal dentate gyrus-like neurons derived from iPSCs of patients with bipolar disorder. Guided by RNA sequencing expression profiling, we have detected mitochondrial abnormalities in young neurons from patients with bipolar disorder by using mitochondrial assays; in addition, using both patch-clamp recording and somatic Ca(2+) imaging, we have observed hyperactive action-potential firing. This hyperexcitability phenotype of young neurons in bipolar disorder was selectively reversed by lithium treatment only in neurons derived from patients who also responded to lithium treatment. Therefore, hyperexcitability is one early endophenotype of bipolar disorder, and our model of iPSCs in this disease might be useful in developing new therapies and drugs aimed at its clinical treatment.

Safety and efficacy of direct two-step penicillin challenges with an inpatient pharmacist-driven allergy evaluation.

Background: Penicillin allergy is commonly reported and has clinical and financial consequences for patients and hospitals. A penicillin evaluation program can safely delabel patients and optimize antibiotic therapy. Pharmacists who perform this task have focused on a detailed interview or penicillin skin testing (PST). Antibiotic graded challenge after PST requires more resources and is more costly than going directly to a two-step challenge. Objective: To determine whether a pharmacist-driven penicillin allergy evaluation and a testing protocol that primarily uses direct oral challenges can safely delabel patients. Methods: Adult patients (ages >18 years) with a penicillin allergy in their electronic medical record (EMR) who were admitted between September 2019 and June 2020 were eligible. Although all patients with penicillin allergy were eligible, priority was given to patients who required antibiotics. Patients were interviewed, and, if indicated, based on an institutional protocol, were tested by using PST and/or two-step oral challenge. If the patient passed the challenge, then the penicillin allergy label was removed in the EMR and the patient counseled. Demographic information, allergy questionnaire results, testing results, and changes in antimicrobial therapy were collected. Results: Fifty patients were evaluated from September 2019 to June 2020. Ninety-six percent of the patients were delabeled, and antibiotic therapy changed for 54%. Twenty patients were delabeled with an interview alone, and 30 patients underwent oral two-step challenge. Only one patient required PST. Conclusion: A pharmacist-driven penicillin allergy evaluation program focused on direct oral graded challenges and bypassing PST can effectively delabel admitted patients. However, more safety data are needed before implementation of similar programs to optimize antibiotic treatment.

A Revised Mechanism for the Kinugasa Reaction.

Detailed kinetic analysis for the Cu(I)-catalyzed Kinugasa reaction forming ß-lactams has revealed an anomalous overall zero-order reaction profile, due to opposing positive and negative orders in nitrone and alkyne, respectively. Furthermore, the reaction displays a second-order dependence on the catalyst, confirming the critical involvement of a postulated bis-Cu complex. Finally, reaction progress analysis of multiple byproducts has allowed a new mechanism, involving a common ketene intermediate to be delineated. Our results demonstrate that ß-lactam synthesis through the Kinugasa reaction proceeds via a cascade involving (3 + 2) cycloaddition, (3 + 2) cycloreversion, and finally (2 + 2) cycloaddition. Our new mechanistic understanding has resulted in optimized reaction conditions to dramatically improve the yield of the target ß-lactams and provides the first consistent mechanistic model to account for the formation of all common byproducts of the Kinugasa reaction.

Mechanism of a No-Metal-Added Heterocycloisomerization of Alkynylcyclopropylhydrazones: Synthesis of Cycloheptane-Fused Aminopyrroles Facilitated by Copper Salts at Trace Loadings.

A mechanistic study of a new heterocycloisomerization reaction that forms annulated aminopyrroles is presented. Density functional theory calculations and kinetic studies suggest the reaction is catalyzed by trace copper salts and that a Z- to E-hydrazone isomerization occurs through an enehydrazine intermediate before the rate-determining cyclization of the hydrazone onto the alkyne group. The aminopyrrole products are obtained in 36-93% isolated yield depending on the nature of the alkynyl substituent. A new automated sampling technique was developed to obtain robust mechanistic data.

How to make a hippocampal dentate gyrus granule neuron.

Granule neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) receive their primary inputs from the cortex and are known to be continuously generated throughout adult life. Ongoing integration of newborn neurons into the existing hippocampal neural circuitry provides enhanced neuroplasticity, which plays a crucial role in learning and memory; deficits in this process have been associated with cognitive decline under neuropathological conditions. In this Primer, we summarize the developmental principles that regulate the process of DG neurogenesis and discuss recent advances in harnessing these developmental cues to generate DG granule neurons from human pluripotent stem cells.

Modelling schizophrenia using human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Schizophrenia (SCZD) is a debilitating neurological disorder with a world-wide prevalence of 1%; there is a strong genetic component, with an estimated heritability of 80-85%. Although post-mortem studies have revealed reduced brain volume, cell size, spine density and abnormal neural distribution in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of SCZD brain tissue and neuropharmacological studies have implicated dopaminergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic activity in SCZD, the cell types affected in SCZD and the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease state remain unclear. To elucidate the cellular and molecular defects of SCZD, we directly reprogrammed fibroblasts from SCZD patients into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and subsequently differentiated these disorder-specific hiPSCs into neurons (Supplementary Fig. 1). SCZD hiPSC neurons showed diminished neuronal connectivity in conjunction with decreased neurite number, PSD95-protein levels and glutamate receptor expression. Gene expression profiles of SCZD hiPSC neurons identified altered expression of many components of the cyclic AMP and WNT signalling pathways. Key cellular and molecular elements of the SCZD phenotype were ameliorated following treatment of SCZD hiPSC neurons with the antipsychotic loxapine. To date, hiPSC neuronal pathology has only been demonstrated in diseases characterized by both the loss of function of a single gene product and rapid disease progression in early childhood. We now report hiPSC neuronal phenotypes and gene expression changes associated with SCZD, a complex genetic psychiatric disorder.

Cord blood-derived neuronal cells by ectopic expression of Sox2 and c-Myc.

The finding that certain somatic cells can be directly converted into cells of other lineages by the delivery of specific sets of transcription factors paves the way to novel therapeutic applications. Here we show that human cord blood (CB) CD133(+) cells lose their hematopoietic signature and are converted into CB-induced neuronal-like cells (CB-iNCs) by the ectopic expression of the transcription factor Sox2, a process that is further augmented by the combination of Sox2 and c-Myc. Gene-expression analysis, immunophenotyping, and electrophysiological analysis show that CB-iNCs acquire a distinct neuronal phenotype characterized by the expression of multiple neuronal markers. CB-iNCs show the ability to fire action potentials after in vitro maturation as well as after in vivo transplantation into the mouse hippocampus. This system highlights the potential of CB cells and offers an alternative means to the study of cellular plasticity, possibly in the context of drug screening research and of future cell-replacement therapies.

Resistin Pathway as Novel Mechanism of Post-lung Transplantation Bronchial Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial stenosis remains a significant source of morbidity among lung transplant recipients. Though infection and anastomotic ischemia have been proposed etiologies of the development of bronchial stenosis, the pathophysiologic mechanism has not been well elucidated. METHODS: In this single-centered prospective study, from January 2013 through September 2015, we prospectively collected bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and endobronchial epithelial brushings from the direct anastomotic site of bronchial stenosis of bilateral lung transplant recipients who developed unilateral post-transplant bronchial stenosis. Endobronchial epithelial brushings from the contralateral anastomotic site without bronchial stenosis and BAL from bilateral lung transplant recipients who did not develop post-transplant bronchial stenosis were used as controls. Total RNA was isolated from the endobronchial brushings and real-time polymerase chain reaction reactions were performed. Electrochemiluminescence biomarker assay was used to measure 10 cytokines from the BAL. RESULTS: Out of 60 bilateral lung transplant recipients, 9 were found to have developed bronchial stenosis with 17 samples adequate for analysis. We observed a 1.56 to 70.8 mean-fold increase in human resistin gene expression in the anastomotic bronchial stenosis epithelial cells compared with nonstenotic airways. Furthermore, IL-1ß (21.76±10.96 pg/mL; control 0.86±0.44 pg/mL; P <0.01) and IL-8 levels (990.56±326.60 pg/mL; control 20.33±1.17 pg/mL; P <0.01) were significantly elevated in the BAL of the lung transplant patients who developed anastomotic bronchial stenosis. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the development of postlung transplantation bronchial stenosis may be in part mediated through the human resistin pathway by IL-1ß induced transcription factor nuclear factor-κß activation and downstream upregulation of IL-8 in alveolar macrophages. Further study is needed in the larger patient cohorts and to determine its potential therapeutic role in the management of post-transplant bronchial stenosis.

Put the Vanc Down, Flip It and Reverse It: Comparison of Vancomycin and Daptomycin Health Care Utilization and Cost in Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

Vancomycin and daptomycin are frequently used in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT). We analyze health care utilization and cost to the health care system for vancomycin vs daptomycin in the outpatient setting and find that vancomycin results in significantly higher health care utilization and similar cost per course compared with daptomycin in OPAT.

Importance of off-cycle species in the acid-catalyzed aza-Piancatelli rearrangement.

The observed rate of reaction in the dysprosium triflate catalyzed aza-Piancatelli rearrangement is controlled by a key off-cycle binding between aniline and catalyst. Deconvoluting the role of these ancillary species greatly broadens our understanding of factors affecting the productive catalytic pathway. We demonstrate that the rate of reaction is controlled by initial competitive binding between the furylcarbinol and nitrogen nucleophile using either a Brønsted or Lewis acid catalyst and that the resulting rearrangement proceeds without involving the Brønsted and Lewis acid catalyst. This shows conclusively that the rate-controlling step and selectivity of reaction are decoupled.

Shedding Light on Amoxicillin, Amoxicillin-clavulanate, and Cephalexin Dosing in Children from a Pharmacist's Perspective.

Selection of an antibiotic and dosing regimen requires consideration of multiple factors including microbiological data, site of infection, pharmacokinetics, and how it relates to the pharmacodynamic target. Given the multiple dosage regimens of amoxicillin with/without clavulanate and cephalexin, we review the principles of dose selection from a pharmacist's perspective.

Quantifying the Quality of Web-Based Health Information on Student Health Center Websites Using a Software Tool: Design and Development Study.

BACKGROUND: The internet has become a major source of health information, especially for adolescents and young adults. Unfortunately, inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated health information is widespread on the web. Often adolescents and young adults turn to authoritative websites such as the student health center (SHC) website of the university they attend to obtain reliable health information. Although most on-campus SHC clinics comply with the American College Health Association standards, their websites are not subject to any standards or code of conduct. In the absence of quality standards or guidelines, monitoring and compliance processes do not exist for SHC websites. Thus, there is no oversight of the health information published on SHC websites by any central governing body. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to develop, describe, and validate an open-source software that can effectively and efficiently assess the quality of health information on SHC websites in the United States. METHODS: Our cross-functional team designed and developed an open-source software, QMOHI (Quantitative Measures of Online Health Information), that assesses information quality for a specified health topic from all SHC websites belonging to a predetermined list of universities. The tool was designed to compute 8 different quality metrics that quantify various aspects of information quality based on the retrieved text. We conducted and reported results from 3 experiments that assessed the QMOHI tool in terms of its scalability, generalizability in health topics, and robustness to changes in universities' website structure. RESULTS: Empirical evaluation has shown the QMOHI tool to be highly scalable and substantially more efficient than manually assessing web-based information quality. The tool's runtime was dominated by network-related tasks (98%), whereas the metric computations take <2 seconds. QMOHI demonstrated topical versatility, evaluating SHC website information quality for four disparate and broad health topics (COVID, cancer, long-acting reversible contraceptives, and condoms) and two narrowly focused topics (hormonal intrauterine device and copper intrauterine device). The tool exhibited robustness, correctly measuring information quality despite changes in SHC website structure. QMOHI can support longitudinal studies by being robust to such website changes. CONCLUSIONS: QMOHI allows public health researchers and practitioners to conduct large-scale studies of SHC websites that were previously too time- and cost-intensive. The capability to generalize broadly or focus narrowly allows a wide range of applications of QMOHI, allowing researchers to study both mainstream and underexplored health topics. QMOHI's ability to robustly analyze SHC websites periodically promotes longitudinal investigations and allows QMOHI to be used as a monitoring tool. QMOHI serves as a launching pad for our future work that aims to develop a broadly applicable public health tool for web-based health information studies with potential applications far beyond SHC websites.