ABSTRACT
Psychosocial experiences affect brain health and aging trajectories, but the molecular pathways underlying these associations remain unclear. Normal brain function relies on energy transformation by mitochondria oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). Two main lines of evidence position mitochondria both as targets and drivers of psychosocial experiences. On the one hand, chronic stress exposure and mood states may alter multiple aspects of mitochondrial biology; on the other hand, functional variations in mitochondrial OxPhos capacity may alter social behavior, stress reactivity, and mood. But are psychosocial exposures and subjective experiences linked to mitochondrial biology in the human brain? By combining longitudinal antemortem assessments of psychosocial factors with postmortem brain (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) proteomics in older adults, we find that higher well-being is linked to greater abundance of the mitochondrial OxPhos machinery, whereas higher negative mood is linked to lower OxPhos protein content. Combined, positive and negative psychosocial factors explained 18 to 25% of the variance in the abundance of OxPhos complex I, the primary biochemical entry point that energizes brain mitochondria. Moreover, interrogating mitochondrial psychobiological associations in specific neuronal and nonneuronal brain cells with single-nucleus RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed strong cell-type-specific associations for positive psychosocial experiences and mitochondria in glia but opposite associations in neurons. As a result, these "mind-mitochondria" associations were masked in bulk RNA-seq, highlighting the likely underestimation of true psychobiological effect sizes in bulk brain tissues. Thus, self-reported psychosocial experiences are linked to human brain mitochondrial phenotypes.
Subject(s)
Brain , Mitochondria , Oxidative Phosphorylation , Humans , Mitochondria/metabolism , Male , Female , Brain/metabolism , Aged , Stress, Psychological/metabolism , Middle Aged , Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Proteomics/methods , Affect/physiologyABSTRACT
ZCCHC17 is a putative master regulator of synaptic gene dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and ZCCHC17 protein declines early in AD brain tissue, before significant gliosis or neuronal loss. Here, we investigate the function of ZCCHC17 and its role in AD pathogenesis using data from human autopsy tissue (consisting of males and females) and female human cell lines. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) of ZCCHC17 followed by mass spectrometry analysis in human iPSC-derived neurons reveals that ZCCHC17's binding partners are enriched for RNA-splicing proteins. ZCCHC17 knockdown results in widespread RNA-splicing changes that significantly overlap with splicing changes found in AD brain tissue, with synaptic genes commonly affected. ZCCHC17 expression correlates with cognitive resilience in AD patients, and we uncover an APOE4-dependent negative correlation of ZCCHC17 expression with tangle burden. Furthermore, a majority of ZCCHC17 interactors also co-IP with known tau interactors, and we find a significant overlap between alternatively spliced genes in ZCCHC17 knockdown and tau overexpression neurons. These results demonstrate ZCCHC17's role in neuronal RNA processing and its interaction with pathology and cognitive resilience in AD, and suggest that the maintenance of ZCCHC17 function may be a therapeutic strategy for preserving cognitive function in the setting of AD pathology.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Resilience, Psychological , Female , Humans , Male , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Cognition , Neurons/metabolism , RNA , RNA Splicing/genetics , tau Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
Foodborne pathogens, particularly antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria, remain a significant threat to global health. Given the limitations of conventional culture-based approaches, which are limited in scope and time-consuming, metagenomic sequencing of food products emerges as a promising solution. This method provides a fast and comprehensive way to detect the presence of pathogenic microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Notably, nanopore long-read sequencing provides more accurate bacterial taxonomic classification in comparison to short-read sequencing. Here, we revealed the impact of food types and attributes (origin, retail place, and food processing methods) on microbial communities and the AMR profile using nanopore metagenomic sequencing. We analyzed a total of 260 food products, including raw meat, sashimi, and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables. Clostridium botulinum, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were identified as the top three foodborne pathogens in raw meat and sashimi. Importantly, even with low pathogen abundance, higher percentages of samples containing carbapenem and cephalosporin resistance genes were identified in chicken and RTE vegetables, respectively. In parallel, our results demonstrated that fresh, peeled, and minced foods exhibited higher levels of pathogenic bacteria. In conclusion, this comprehensive study offers invaluable data that can contribute to food safety assessments and serve as a basis for quality indicators.
Subject(s)
Anti-Infective Agents , Nanopore Sequencing , Food Microbiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics , Bacteria/genetics , MetagenomicsABSTRACT
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSC), the foundation of spermatogenesis and male fertility, possess lifelong self-renewal activity. Aging leads to the decline in stem cell function and increased risk of paternal age-related genetic diseases. In the present study, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of mouse SSC-enriched undifferentiated spermatogonia (Oct4-GFP+/KIT-) and differentiating progenitors (Oct4-GFP+/KIT+) isolated from young and aged testes. Our transcriptome data revealed enormous complexity of expressed coding and non-coding RNAs and alternative splicing regulation during SSC differentiation. Further comparison between young and aged undifferentiated spermatogonia suggested these differentiation programs were affected by aging. We identified aberrant expression of genes associated with meiosis and TGF-ß signaling, alteration in alternative splicing regulation and differential expression of specific lncRNAs such as Fendrr. Epigenetic profiling revealed reduced H3K27me3 deposition at numerous pro-differentiation genes during SSC differentiation as well as aberrant H3K27me3 distribution at genes in Wnt and TGF-ß signaling upon aging. Finally, aged undifferentiated spermatogonia exhibited gene body hypomethylation, which is accompanied by an elevated 5hmC level. We believe this in-depth molecular analysis will serve as a reference for future analysis of SSC aging.
Subject(s)
Adult Germline Stem Cells/cytology , Adult Germline Stem Cells/physiology , Aging/physiology , Epigenome , 5-Methylcytosine/metabolism , Aging/genetics , Alternative Splicing , Animals , Cell Differentiation , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Expression Regulation , Lysine/genetics , Lysine/metabolism , Male , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Testis/cytologyABSTRACT
Neonatal germ cell development provides the foundation of spermatogenesis. However, a systematic understanding of this process is still limited. To resolve cellular and molecular heterogeneity in this process, we profiled single cell transcriptomes of undifferentiated germ cells from neonatal mouse testes and employed unbiased clustering and pseudotime ordering analysis to assign cells to distinct cell states in the developmental continuum. We defined the unique transcriptional programs underlying migratory capacity, resting cellular states and apoptosis regulation in transitional gonocytes. We also identified a subpopulation of primitive spermatogonia marked by CD87 (plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor), which exhibited a higher level of self-renewal gene expression and migration potential. We further revealed a differentiation-primed state within the undifferentiated compartment, in which elevated Oct4 expression correlates with lower expression of self-renewal pathway factors, higher Rarg expression, and enhanced retinoic acid responsiveness. Lastly, a knockdown experiment revealed the role of Oct4 in the regulation of gene expression related to the MAPK pathway and cell adhesion, which may contribute to stem cell differentiation. Our study thus provides novel insights into cellular and molecular regulation during early germ cell development.
Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental , Sequence Analysis, RNA , Spermatogonia/cytology , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Apoptosis , Cell Adhesion , Cell Differentiation , Gene Expression Profiling , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Male , Mice , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Octamer Transcription Factor-3/physiology , Receptors, Retinoic Acid/physiology , Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator/physiology , Spermatogenesis/genetics , Transcriptome , Tretinoin/physiology , Retinoic Acid Receptor gammaABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRFs) during middle age and later and is frequently accompanied by cerebrovascular pathology at death. An interaction between CVRFs and genetic variants might explain the pathogenesis. Genome-wide, gene by CVRF interaction analyses for AD, in 6568 patients and 8101 controls identified FMNL2 (p = 6.6 × 10-7). A significant increase in FMNL2 expression was observed in the brains of patients with brain infarcts and AD pathology and was associated with amyloid and phosphorylated tau deposition. FMNL2 was also prominent in astroglia in AD among those with cerebrovascular pathology. Amyloid toxicity in zebrafish increased fmnl2a expression in astroglia with detachment of astroglial end feet from blood vessels. Knockdown of fmnl2a prevented gliovascular remodeling, reduced microglial activity and enhanced amyloidosis. APP/PS1dE9 AD mice also displayed increased Fmnl2 expression and reduced the gliovascular contacts independent of the gliotic response. Based on this work, we propose that FMNL2 regulates pathology-dependent plasticity of the blood-brain-barrier by controlling gliovascular interactions and stimulating the clearance of extracellular aggregates. Therefore, in AD cerebrovascular risk factors promote cerebrovascular pathology which in turn, interacts with FMNL2 altering the normal astroglial-vascular mechanisms underlying the clearance of amyloid and tau increasing their deposition in brain.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Amyloidosis , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism , Amyloidosis/complications , Animals , Brain/pathology , Disease Models, Animal , Formins , Humans , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Risk Factors , Zebrafish/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Histopathologically ambiguous melanocytic lesions lead some pathologists to list multiple diagnostic considerations in the pathology report. The frequency and circumstance of multiple diagnostic considerations remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Two hundred and forty skin biopsy samples were interpreted by 187 pathologists (8976 independent diagnoses) and classified according to a diagnostic/treatment stratification (MPATH-Dx). RESULTS: Multiple diagnoses in different MPATH-Dx classes were used in n = 1320 (14.7%) interpretations, with 97% of pathologists and 91% of cases having at least one such interpretation. Multiple diagnoses were more common for intermediate risk lesions and are associated with greater subjective difficulty and lower confidence. We estimate that 6% of pathology reports for melanocytic lesions in the United States contain two diagnoses of different MPATH-Dx prognostic classes, and 2% of cases are given two diagnoses with significant treatment implications. CONCLUSIONS: Difficult melanocytic diagnoses in skin may necessitate multiple diagnostic considerations; however, as patients increasingly access their health records and retrieve pathology reports (as mandated by US law), uncertainty should be expressed unambiguously.
Subject(s)
Pathologists , Skin Neoplasms/classification , Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis , Skin/pathology , Adult , Aged , Biopsy , Female , Humans , Male , Melanocytes/pathology , Middle Aged , Terminology as TopicABSTRACT
The number of melanoma diagnoses has increased dramatically over the past three decades, outpacing almost all other cancers. Nearly 1 in 4 skin biopsies is of melanocytic lesions, highlighting the clinical and public health importance of correct diagnosis. Deep learning image analysis methods may improve and complement current diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. The histologic evaluation of melanocytic lesions, including melanoma and its precursors, involves determining whether the melanocytic population involves the epidermis, dermis, or both. Semantic segmentation of clinically important structures in skin biopsies is a crucial step towards an accurate diagnosis. While training a segmentation model requires ground-truth labels, annotation of large images is a labor-intensive task. This issue becomes especially pronounced in a medical image dataset in which expert annotation is the gold standard. In this paper, we propose a two-stage segmentation pipeline using coarse and sparse annotations on a small region of the whole slide image as the training set. Segmentation results on whole slide images show promising performance for the proposed pipeline.
Subject(s)
Melanoma , Humans , Melanoma/diagnostic imaging , Melanoma/pathology , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Skin/diagnostic imaging , Skin/pathology , Epidermis/pathology , BiopsyABSTRACT
Evidence from neuroimaging and genetic studies supports the concept that brain aging mirrors development. However, it is unclear whether mechanisms linking brain development and aging provide new insights to delay aging and potentially reverse it. This study determined biological mechanisms and phenotypic traits underpinning brain alterations across the lifespan and in aging by examining spatio-temporal correlations between gene expression and cortical volumes using datasets d with the age range from 2 to 82 years. We revealed that a large proportion of genes whose expression was associated with cortical volumes across the lifespan were in astrocytes. These genes, which showed up-regulation during development and down-regulation during aging, contributed to fundamental homeostatic functions of astrocytes. Included among these genes were those encoding components of cAMP, Ras, and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling pathways. Genes associated with cortical volumes in the same data aged above 55 years were also enriched for the sphingolipid, renin-angiotensin system (RAS), proteasome, and TGF-ß signaling pathway, which is linked to senescence-associated secretory phenotypes. Neuroticism, drinking, and smoking were the common phenotypic traits in the lifespan and aging, while memory was the unique phenotype associated with aging. These findings provide biological mechanisms mirroring development and aging as well as unique to aging.
Subject(s)
Aging/genetics , Cerebral Cortex/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics , Gene Expression/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Astrocytes/metabolism , Brain Cortical Thickness , Cerebral Cortex/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Cortex/pathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cyclic AMP/genetics , Cyclic AMP/metabolism , Down-Regulation , Endocannabinoids/genetics , Endocannabinoids/metabolism , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Organ Size , Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/genetics , Renin-Angiotensin System/genetics , Spatio-Temporal Analysis , Sphingolipids/genetics , Sphingolipids/metabolism , Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics , Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism , Up-Regulation , Young Adult , ras Proteins/genetics , ras Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
Intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) is one of the most common yet underappreciated forms of invasive candidiasis. IAC is difficult to treat, and therapeutic failure and drug-resistant breakthrough infections are common in some institutions despite the use of echinocandins as first-line agents. Fosmanogepix (FMGX, formerly APX001) is a first-in-class antifungal prodrug that can be administered both intravenously and orally. FMGX is currently in phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of life-threatening invasive fungal infections. To explore the pharmacological properties and therapeutic potential of FMGX for IAC, we evaluated both drug penetration and efficacy of the active moiety manogepix (MGX, formerly APX001A) in liver tissues in a clinically relevant IAC mouse model infected with Candida albicans Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and laser capture microdissection (LCM)-directed absolute drug quantitation were employed to evaluate drug penetration into liver abscess lesions both spatially and quantitatively. The partitioning of MGX into lesions occurred slowly after a single dose; however, robust accumulation in the lesion was achieved after 3 days of repeated dosing. Associated with this drug penetration pattern, reduction in fungal burden and clearance in the liver were observed in mice receiving the multiday FMGX regimen. In comparison, administration of micafungin resulted in marginal reduction in fungal burden at the end of 4 days of treatment. These results suggest that FMGX is a promising candidate for the treatment of IAC.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents , Candidiasis, Invasive , Animals , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Candidiasis, Invasive/drug therapy , Echinocandins , Micafungin , Mice , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
During development, cellular events such as cell proliferation, migration, and synaptogenesis determine the structural organization of the brain. These processes are driven in part by spatiotemporally regulated gene expression. We investigated how the genetic signatures of specific neural cell types shape cortical organization of the human brain throughout infancy and childhood. Using a transcriptional atlas and in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, we demonstrated time-dependent associations between the expression levels of neuronal and glial genes and cortical macro- and microstructure. Neonatal cortical phenotypes were associated with prenatal glial but not neuronal gene expression. These associations reflect cell migration and proliferation during fetal development. Childhood cortical phenotypes were associated with neuronal and astrocyte gene expression related to synaptic signaling processes, reflecting the refinement of cortical connections. These findings indicate that sequential developmental stages contribute to distinct MRI measures at different time points. This helps to bridge the gap between the genetic mechanisms driving cellular changes and widely used neuroimaging techniques.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Cortex/growth & development , Child Development/physiology , Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology , Neuroglia/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Phenotype , Astrocytes/physiology , Brain Cortical Thickness , Cell Proliferation/physiology , Cerebral Cortex/cytology , Cerebral Cortex/diagnostic imaging , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , MaleABSTRACT
Ibrexafungerp (IBX), formerly SCY-078, is a novel, oral and intravenous, semisynthetic triterpenoid glucan synthase inhibitor in clinical development for treating multiple fungal infections, including invasive candidiasis. Intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) is one of the most common types of invasive candidiasis associated with high mortality largely due to poor drug exposure in infected lesions. To better understand the potential of IBX to treat such infections, we investigated its penetration at the site of infection. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and laser capture microdissection (LCM)-directed high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we investigated tissue distribution and lesion-specific drug exposure of IBX in a clinically relevant IAC mouse model. After a single-dose treatment, IBX quickly distributed into tissues and efficiently accumulated within lesions. Drug concentrations of IBX within the liver abscesses were almost 100-fold higher than the serum concentration. In addition, drug penetration after repeated treatment of IBX was compared with micafungin. IBX exhibited robust and long-lasting lesion penetration after repeated treatment. These data indicate that IBX penetrates into intra-abdominal abscesses highly efficiently and holds promise as a potential therapeutic option for IAC patients.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Candidiasis/drug therapy , Glycosides/therapeutic use , Triterpenes/therapeutic use , Animals , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Laser Capture Microdissection , Mice , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Tandem Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
Working memory (WM) is defined as the ability to maintain a representation online to guide goal-directed behavior. Its capacity in early childhood predicts academic achievements in late childhood and its deficits are found in various neurodevelopmental disorders. We employed resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) of 468 participants aged from 4 to 55 years and connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to explore the potential predictive power of intrinsic functional networks to WM in preschoolers, early and late school-age children, adolescents, and adults. We defined intrinsic functional networks among brain regions identified by activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on existing WM functional studies (ALE-based intrinsic functional networks) and intrinsic functional networks generated based on the whole brain (whole-brain intrinsic functional networks). We employed the CPM on these networks to predict WM in each age group. The CPM using the ALE-based and whole-brain intrinsic functional networks predicted WM of individual adults, while the prediction power of the ALE-based intrinsic functional networks was superior to that of the whole-brain intrinsic functional networks. Nevertheless, the CPM using the whole-brain but not the ALE-based intrinsic functional networks predicted WM in adolescents. And, the CPM using neither the ALE-based nor whole-brain networks predicted WM in any of the children groups. Our findings showed the trend of the prediction power of the intrinsic functional networks to cognition in individuals from early childhood to adulthood.
Subject(s)
Brain/physiology , Connectome , Human Development/physiology , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Nerve Net/physiology , Adolescent , Adult , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Nerve Net/growth & development , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Melanocytic tumors are often challenging and constitute almost one in four skin biopsies. Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies may assist diagnosis; however, indications for their use are not standardized. METHODS: A test set of 240 skin biopsies of melanocytic tumors was examined by 187 pathologists from 10 US states, interpreting 48 cases in Phase I and either 36 or 48 cases in Phase II. Participant and diagnosis characteristics were compared between those who reported they would have ordered, or who would have not ordered IHC on individual cases. Intraobserver analysis examined consistency in the intent to order when pathologists interpreted the same cases on two occasions. RESULTS: Of 187 participants interpreting 48 cases each, 21 (11%) did not request IHC tests for any case, 85 (45%) requested testing for 1 to 6 cases, and 81 (43%) requested testing for ≥6 cases. Of 240 cases, 229 had at least one participant requesting testing. Only 2 out of 240 cases had more than 50% of participants requesting testing. Increased utilization of testing was associated with younger age of pathologist, board-certification in dermatopathology, low confidence in diagnosis, and lesions in intermediate MPATH-Dx classes 2 to 4. The median intraobserver concordance for requesting tests among 72 participants interpreting the same 48 cases in Phases I and II was 81% (IQR 73%-90%) and the median Kappa statistic was 0.20 (IQR 0.00, 0.39). CONCLUSION: Substantial variability exists among pathologists in utilizing IHC.
Subject(s)
Histological Techniques/methods , Immunohistochemistry/methods , Melanocytes/pathology , Melanoma/diagnosis , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Biomarkers/metabolism , Biopsy/methods , Female , Histological Techniques/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Immunohistochemistry/statistics & numerical data , Male , Melanoma/metabolism , Middle Aged , Observer Variation , Pathologists/statistics & numerical data , Pathology, Clinical/methods , Pathology, Clinical/statistics & numerical data , Skin/pathology , Skin Neoplasms/metabolism , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a subjective categorization of nerve shape and to examine the relationship of shape categorizations to measurement of nerve circularity. METHODS: Wrists were evaluated with sonography in healthy participants. Images of the median nerve were obtained in the transverse plane at the level of pisiform with the fingers resting, gripping, and pinching. Nerves were categorized as ovoid, angular, or irregular, and the cross-sectional area and perimeter were measured to calculate nerve circularity. RESULTS: Across 167 participants, the median nerve shifted from being primarily ovoid at rest to angular shaped when the fingers were in a full fist or pinching. Approximately three-quarters of subjects exhibited a shape change during dynamic movement. Irregular nerves had the lowest circularity values; however, the majority of nerves had similar circularity measures despite having different shapes. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective categorization of shape has the potential to be a valid technique for evaluation of the median nerve using sonography, and this evaluation may provide additional information regarding nerve compression that is not fully captured by a circularity measure. Further investigation is needed to determine how these two techniques may be best used individually or together to advance clinical diagnosis, prevention, and rehabilitative interventions.
ABSTRACT
Accurate and rapid assessment of Candida auris antifungal drug resistance is crucial for effective infection prevention and control actions, and patient management. Here, performance of a molecular diagnostic platform, enabling rapid identification of FKS1 and ERG11 mutations conferring echinocandin and azole resistance, respectively, was evaluated on a panel of clinical skin swabs. Gene sequencing and antifungal susceptibility testing were used as "gold standard". All swabs were correctly categorized as harboring wild-type or mutant C. auris.
ABSTRACT
Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast that can cause serious invasive infections. The accurate and rapid assessment of antifungal resistance is important for effective patient management. A novel and highly accurate diagnostic platform was established for the rapid identification of ERG11 mutations conferring azole resistance and FKS1 mutations associated with echinocandin resistance in C. auris Using allele-specific molecular beacons and DNA melting curve analysis following asymmetric PCR, a duplex ERG11 assay and a simplex FKS1 HS1 assay were developed to identify the most prominent resistance-associated mutations (Y132F and K143R in ERG11; S639F in FKS1 HS1) within 2 h. Assays were validated by testing a panel of 94 C. auris clinical isolates in a blind manner. The molecular diagnostic results from the assays were 100% concordant with DNA sequencing results. This platform has the potential to overcome the deficiencies of existing in vitro susceptibility-based assays to identify azole- and/or echinocandin-resistant C. auris, and thus, it holds promise as a surrogate diagnostic method to direct antifungal therapy more effectively.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Candida/genetics , Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/genetics , Drug Resistance, Fungal/genetics , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Glucosyltransferases/genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Amino Acid Substitution , Anidulafungin/pharmacology , Candida/drug effects , Candida/enzymology , Candida/isolation & purification , Candidiasis/drug therapy , Candidiasis/microbiology , Caspofungin/pharmacology , Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism , DNA Mutational Analysis , Fluconazole/pharmacology , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Gene Expression , Glucosyltransferases/metabolism , Humans , Micafungin/pharmacology , Mutation , Nucleic Acid Denaturation , Voriconazole/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Isavuconazole, the active moiety of the prodrug isavuconazonium sulfate, has potent activity against a wide spectrum of fungal pathogens and is approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis, yet little is known about the tissue penetration of isavuconazole at the target sites of infection. Here, we explored the spatial and quantitative distribution of isavuconazole in tissue lesions in experimental pulmonary aspergillosis established in mice with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) (gp91phox-). Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and laser capture microdissection (LCM)-directed high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to analyze infected lungs and brain tissues collected 1, 3, 6, and 24 h after a single oral administration of the prodrug at a dose of 256 mg/kg of body weight (corresponding to 122.9 mg/kg of isavuconazole). Drug enrichment within granulomatous lesions was observed in lung tissue at 1 h postdose, although drug levels quickly equilibrated afterwards between lesion and nonlesion areas. A prominent antifungal effect in the infected lung tissue was revealed by histopathological analysis. Isavuconazole also penetrated into the brain with high efficiency. These data further support the value of isavuconazole to treat patients with invasive aspergillosis.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Aspergillosis/drug therapy , Granulomatous Disease, Chronic/drug therapy , Invasive Fungal Infections/drug therapy , Nitriles/metabolism , Nitriles/pharmacology , Pyridines/metabolism , Pyridines/pharmacology , Triazoles/metabolism , Triazoles/pharmacology , Administration, Oral , Animals , Chromatography, Liquid/methods , Disease Models, Animal , Granulomatous Disease, Chronic/metabolism , Invasive Fungal Infections/metabolism , Male , Mice , Prodrugs/pharmacology , Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
Childhood is a critical period for the development of cognitive planning. There is a lack of knowledge on its neural mechanisms in children. This study aimed to examine cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity in association with planning skills in 6-year-olds (nâ¯=â¯76). We identified the cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional networks related to cognitive planning using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on existing functional imaging studies on spatial planning, and data-driven independent component analysis (ICA) of children's resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). We investigated associations of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity with planning ability in 6-year-olds, as assessed using the Stockings of Cambridge task. Long-range functional connectivity of two cerebellar networks (lobules VI and lateral VIIa) with the prefrontal and premotor cortex were greater in children with poorer planning ability. In contrast, cortico-cortical association networks were not associated with the performance of planning in children. These results highlighted the key contribution of the lateral cerebello-frontal functional connectivity, but not cortico-cortical association functional connectivity, for planning ability in 6-year-olds. Our results suggested that brain adaptation to the acquisition of planning ability during childhood is partially achieved through the engagement of the cerebello-cortical functional connectivity.
Subject(s)
Cerebellum/physiology , Cerebral Cortex/physiology , Child Development/physiology , Connectome/methods , Executive Function/physiology , Nerve Net/physiology , Psychomotor Performance/physiology , Cerebellum/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Cortex/diagnostic imaging , Child , Humans , Magnetic Resonance ImagingABSTRACT
Candida auris has simultaneously emerged on five continents as a fungal pathogen causing nosocomial outbreaks. The challenges in the treatment of C. auris infections are the variable antifungal susceptibility profiles among clinical isolates and the development of resistance to single or multiple classes of available antifungal drugs. Here, the in vitro susceptibility to echinocandin antifungal drugs was determined and FKS1 sequencing was performed on 106 C. auris clinical isolates. Four isolates were identified to be resistant to all tested echinocandins (MIC ≥ 4 mg/liter) and harbored an S639F mutation in FKS1 hot spot region 1. All remaining isolates were FKS1 wild type (WT) and echinocandin susceptible, with micafungin being the most potent echinocandin (MIC50 = 0.125 mg/liter). Antifungal susceptibility testing with caspofungin was challenging due to the fact that all FKS1 WT isolates exhibited an Eagle effect (also known as the paradoxical growth effect), which occurred at various intensities. To assess whether the Eagle effect resulted in pharmacodynamic resistance, 8 representative isolates were evaluated for their in vivo drug response in a murine model of invasive candidiasis. All isolates were susceptible to caspofungin at a human therapeutic dose, except for those harboring the S639F mutation. The data suggest that only isolates carrying mutations in FKS1 are echinocandin resistant and that routine in vitro testing of C. auris isolates for susceptibility to caspofungin by the broth microdilution method should be viewed cautiously or avoided.