Compound heterozygous mutations in the ALDH3A2 gene cause Sjögren-Larsson syndrome: a case report.

Purpose: Sjögren-Larsson syndrome is a rare, autosomal, recessive neurocutaneous disorder caused by mutations in the ALDH3A2 gene, which encodes the fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme. Deficiency in fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase results in an abnormal accumulation of toxic fatty aldehydes in the brain and skin, which cause spasticity, intellectual disability, ichthyosis, and other clinical manifestations. We present the clinical features and mutation analyses of a case of SLS.Materials and Methods: The family history and clinical data of the patient were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the patient and her parents, and next-generation sequencing was performed. The candidate mutation sites that required further validation were then sequenced by Sanger sequencing. Bioinformatics software PSIPRED and RaptorX were used to predict the secondary and tertiary structures of proteins.Results: The patient, a five-year-old girl with complaints of cough for three days and intermittent convulsions for seven hours, was admitted to the hospital. Other clinical manifestations included spastic paraplegia, mental retardation, tooth defects, and ichthyosis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed periventricular leukomalacia. Genetic screening revealed compound heterozygous mutations in the ALDH3A2 gene: a frameshift mutation c.779delA (p.K260Rfs*6) and a missense mutation c.1157A > G (p.N386S). Neither of the ALDH3A2 alleles in the compound heterozygote patient were able to generate normal fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase, which were likely responsible for her phenotype of Sjögren-Larsson syndrome.Conclusion: The compound heterozygous mutations found in the ALDH3A2 gene support the diagnosis of Sjögren-Larsson syndrome in the patient and expand the genotype spectrum of the gene.

Hydrogen-Bonding-Assisted Exogenous Nucleophilic Reagent Effect for ß-Selective Glycosylation of Rare 3-Amino Sugars.

Challenges for stereoselective glycosylation of deoxy sugars are notorious in carbohydrate chemistry. We herein report a novel strategy for the construction of the less investigated ß-glycosidic bonds of 3,5- trans-3-amino-2,3,6-trideoxy sugars (3,5- trans-3-ADSs), which constitute the core structure of several biologically important antibiotics. Current protocol leverages a C-3 axial sulfonamide group in 3,5- trans-3-ADSs as a hydrogen-bond (H-bond) donor and repurposes substoichiometric phosphine oxide as an exogenous nucleophilic reagent (exNu) to establish an intramolecular H-bond between the former and the derived α-oxyphosphonium ion. This pivotal interaction stabilizes the α-face-covered intermediate to inhibit the formation of the more reactive ß-intermediate, thereby yielding reversed ß-selectivity, which is unconventional for an exNu-mediated glycosylation system. A wide range of substrates was accommodated, and good to excellent ß-selectivities were ensured by this H-bonding-assisted exNu effect. The robustness of the current strategy was further attested by the architectural modification of natural products and drugs containing 3,5- trans-3-ADSs, as well as the synthesis of a trisaccharide unit in avidinorubicin.

3-Aminodeoxypyranoses in Glycosylation: Diversity-Oriented Synthesis and Assembly in Oligosaccharides.

A concise, diversity-oriented approach for the synthesis of naturally occurring 3-amino- and 3-nitro-2,3,6-trideoxypyranose derivatives and analogues thereof from simple sugars has been developed. In addition, we investigated the synthesis of various 3-aminoglycosyl donors and their application in glycosylation reactions. These studies led to the successful synthesis of a tetrasaccharide containing four different 3-aminosugar components using ortho-alkynylbenzoate donors.

Role of P311 in interleukin-1α-induced epithelial to myofibroblast transition in kidney tubular epithelial cells.

Tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transition (TEMT) is an important process in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) have been demonstrated to be key inducers of TEMT. In mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (NIH3T3), P311 protein induces phenotypic changes that are consistent to myofibroblast transformation. In the present study, we investigated the role of P311 gene and protein as well as potential mechanisms underlying TEMT in normal rat kidney tubular epithelial cells (NRK52E). Morphological and molecular changes were determined in NRK52E cells that were treated with IL-1α and/or P311 antibodies. The results showed that the NRK52E cells triggered by IL-1α became fibroblast-like cells, exhibiting hypertrophy of elongated and fusiform-shaped cells. IL-1α induced a time-dependent increase in P311 gene expression in NRK52E cells, with a peak time at 4 days. The expression levels of P311 gene were positively correlated with α-SMA and TGF-ß1 gene expression levels. Anti-P311 antibody inhibited P311 and α-SMA expression in the presence of IL-1α. In contrast, anti-P311 antibody increased the expression of TGF-ß1 gene in cells cultured with IL-1α. Therefore, P311 gene, together with α-SMA and TGF-ß1 genes, was induced in the process of TEMT. P311 protein triggered by interleukin-1α may promote TEMT through a TGF-ß1-independent pathway.

Two siblings suffering from Angelman Syndrome with a novel c.1146T>G mutation in UBE3A: A case report.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental genetic disease with maternal imprint, which is associated with the presence of the abnormal chromosome 15q11-q13, and the loss of maternal specific expression of ubiquitin-protein ligase E3A (UBE3A). The expression levels of UBE3A depend on the parental origin and exhibit tissue specificity. In normal brain tissues, the maternal UBE3A gene is actively expressed, whereas the paternal UBE3A gene is not. In total, ~85% of pediatric patients with AS present with epilepsy within their 3rd year of life. This condition is usually difficult to control with medical treatment. An 8-year-old female visited the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University due to frequent epilepsy. Her clinical manifestations included specific facial features, moderate mental retardation and frequent seizures. It was interesting to note that her 15-year-old sister exhibited similar clinical manifestations to those of AS. The results of the electroencephalogram and the imaging examinations were also in line with the characteristics of AS. In order to further clarify the diagnosis, all the suspected genes in her sister and in their parents were sequenced. The multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification project of the Angel/chubby and copy number variation (CNV) sequencing were assessed concomitantly to identify the pathogenic genes responsible for the development of AS. The latter occurs due to the missense mutation c.1146T>G, which results in asparagine replacement by lysine at position 382 (p.Asn382Lys) in exon 7. This amino acid change affects the normal expression of UBE3A; the mutation is a novel mutation, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported. Relevant large fragments of mutations and methylation abnormalities were not found in the associated genes. The data further revealed absence of 25-bp repeat mutations at the shear mutation site of exon 1 of the small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide N gene in the subjects examined. No suspected CNV was found following analysis.

Compound heterozygous mutations in the TH gene in a Chinese family with autosomal-recessive dopa-responsive dystonia: A case report.

RATIONALE: Autosomal-recessive dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is a rare clinical disorder presenting as bradykinesia, dystonia, tremor and even severe encephalopathy, and caused by tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency (THD). We report a case of compound heterozygous mutations in the TH gene in a Chinese family with autosomal-recessive DRD herein. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 16-month-old Chinese boy presented with symptoms of movement disorder and growth retardation in his infant period. DIAGNOSES: The genetic test revealed compound heterozygous mutations in the TH gene at c.457C>T and c.698G>A, which are pathogenic of DRD. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was administrated low-dose levodopa. OUTCOMES: The treatment resulted in the substantial improvement of dystonia. His long-term neurological outcome need follow-up for years. LESSONS: Gene mutation analysis is helpful and necessary to diagnose DRD and has important guiding significance for the subsequent treatment.

Synthesis and anti-proliferative activity evaluation of novel benzo[d][1,3] dioxoles-fused 1,4-thiazepines.

Benzo[d][1,3]dioxoles 1,4-thiazepines remarkable antitumor activities, benzo[d][1,3]dioxoles-fused 1,4-thiazepines, which combine two biologically active heterocyclic cores, are expected to be of pharmacological interest, We therefore envisaged that integrating 1,4-thiazepine and benzo[d][1,3]dioxole moieties in one molecular platform could potentially produce novel compounds with significant synergistic antitumor properties. A series of novel benzo[d][1,3]dioxoles-fused 1,4-thiazepines, designed via molecular hybridization approach, were synthesized in very good yields using one-pot condensation of 3,4-methylenedioxyaniline, aldehydes, and α-mercaptocarboxylic acids under solvent-free condition. The anti-proliferative activities of all the synthesized compounds were assessed on two different human cancer cell lines (Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma Ec9706 and Eca109), and the results showed that compound 4e showed the best anti-tumor activity with IC50 values of 8.23 µM and 16.22 µM against Ec9706 and Eca109 cell lines, respectively, which was 2-3 times more potent than 5-Fluorouracil (IC50 = 23.26 µM and 30.25 µM against Ec9706 and Eca109 respectively). These novel benzo[d][1,3]dioxoles fused with bioactive heterocyclic skeletons may find their pharmaceutical applications after further investigations.

Repair of rat calvarial defects using Si-doped hydroxyapatite scaffolds loaded with a bone morphogenetic protein-2-related peptide.

Tissue engineering promises therapies ideal for treating conventional large bone injuries and defects. In the present study, we developed a novel Si-HA scaffold loaded with a synthetic BMP-2-related peptide, P28, and tested its ability to repair a critical-sized calvarial defect. We created a calvarial defect (5 mm in diameter) in the parietal bone of 32 rats and implanted one of the following biomaterials: No implant (control), Si-HA, P28/Si-HA, or rhBMP-2/Si-HA. As assessed by micro CT imaging and histological evaluations, the P28/Si-HA scaffold promoted bone recovery to a similar degree as the rhBMP-2/Si-HA scaffold. In addition, both P28/Si-HA and rhBMP-2/Si-HA promoted recovery better than Si-HA alone. The novel P28/Si-HA scaffold might represent a promising biomaterial for future bone tissue engineering applications. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1874-1882, 2016.

Electrophoretic deposition of zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite coatings.

Zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles synthesized by the co-precipitation method were used to coat stainless steel plates by electrophoretic deposition in n-butanol with triethanolamine as a dispersant. The effect of zinc concentration in the synthesis on the morphology and microstructure of coatings was investigated. It is found that the deposition current densities significantly increase with the increasing zinc concentration. The zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It is inferred that hydroxyapatite and triethanolamine predominate in the chemical composition of coatings. With the increasing Zn/Ca ratios, the contents of triethanolamine decrease in the final products. The triethanolamine can be burnt out by heat treatment. The tests of adhesive strength have confirmed good adhesion between the coatings and substrates. The formation of new apatite layer on the coatings has been observed after 7days of immersion in a simulated body fluid. In summary, the results show that dense, uniform zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite coatings are obtained by electrophoretic deposition when the Zn/Ca ratio reaches 5%.

Stir-fried white pepper can treat diarrhea in infants and children efficiently: a randomized controlled trial.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of stir-fried white pepper in the treatment of infant and children diarrhea. This was a randomized trial conducted in the pediatric emergency department of the hospital affiliated to Jining Medical College. One hundred seventy four patients were selected from outpatients from 2011 to 2012. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with stir-fried white pepper (n = 88) or montmorillonite powder (n = 86). The proportions of chronic diarrhea patients (n = 52) showing success of treatment were similar for both groups. There were great differences between the two groups in acute diarrhea (n = 62) and persistent diarrhea (n = 60), and the cure rate of stir-fried white pepper was higher than montmorillonite powder in both groups. The prescription of stir-fried white pepper significantly decreased the frequency of diarrhea in infants and children under 2.5 years with diarrhea compared to treatment with montmorillonite powder, especially for the patients with acute diarrhea or persistent diarrhea.

Feasibility study of high-temperature thermoseed inductive hyperthermia in melanoma treatment.

Current treatment modalities for melanoma do not offer satisfactory efficacy. We have developed a new, minimally invasive hyperthermia technology based on radio-frequency hyperthermia. Herein, we investigated the feasibility of using a nickel-copper thermoseed for inductive hyperthermia at a relatively high temperature (46-55 ˚C). In vitro, the thermoseed showed good thermal effects and effective killing of B16/F10 melanoma cells. Temperatures of 53.1 ± 0.5 ˚C were achieved for a single thermoseed and 56.5 ± 0.5 ˚C for two in parallel (spacing 5 mm). No B16/F10 melanoma cells survived with heating time longer than 20 min in the parallel thermoseed group. Magnetic fields or thermoseeds alone did not affect the survival rate of B16/F10 cells (P>0.05). In vivo, B16/F10 melanoma cells were subcutaneously injected into the right axilla of C57BL/6 mice. After the tumors grew to ~11-13 mm, two thermoseeds (spacing 5 mm) were implanted into the tumors and the mice were subjected to an alternating magnetic field (100-250 kHz, 15 kA/m) to induce hyperthermia. The temperature at the center of the tumor reached 46 ˚C at 5 min and plateaued at 50 ˚C. Thermoseed treatment produced large necrotic areas, inhibited tumor growth in 60% (6 of 10) of animals and prolonged survival time (P<0.05). Thus, with further optimization and testing, high-temperature thermoseed inductive hyperthermia may have therapeutic potential for melanoma.