Radiological and histopathological features of short rib­polydactyly syndrome type III and identification of two novel DYNC2H1 variants.

Short rib­polydactyly syndrome type III (SRPS3) is a lethal perinatal skeletal disorder consisting of polydactyly and multi­system organ abnormalities. To further assess the pathogenicity of two pairs of compound heterozygotes and to search for novel molecular etiology, X­rays and hematoxylin and eosin staining were conducted in three cases: Two retrospective samples and a newly identified patient with SRPS3. In addition, next­generation sequencing was used to evaluate a fetus with SRPS3. Typical radiological features of the three cases included a long, narrow thorax with short ribs, shortened long bones, spurs at the metaphysis of the long bones and congenital bowing of the femurs. The present study also observed atypical histopathological changes, together with the absence of proliferation and abundance of retaining cartilage in the primary spongiosum. In addition, two novel compound heterozygous variants were identified in the dynein cytoplasmic 2 heavy chain 1 (DYNC2H1) gene of the fetus: NM_001080463.1, c.6591_6593delTGG (chr11:103055738­103055740); NM_001080463.1, c.7883T>C (chr11:103070000). The findings of the present study provided further confirmation of the pathogenicity of two compound heterozygous variants in two retrospective samples and identified novel compound heterozygous variants. These findings may improve our knowledge of the histopathological and radiological changes in patients with SRPS3 and the relative effects of DYNC2H1 variants. The findings of the present study may facilitate the clinical and molecular diagnosis of SRPS3.

Penalized logistic regression based on L1/2 penalty for high-dimensional DNA methylation data.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a molecular modification of DNA that is vital and occurs in gene expression. In cancer tissues, the 5'-C-phosphate-G-3'(CpG) rich regions are abnormally hypermethylated or hypomethylated. Therefore, it is useful to find out the diseased CpG sites by employing specific methods. CpG sites are highly correlated with each other within the same gene or the same CpG island. OBJECTIVE: Based on this group effect, we proposed an efficient and accurate method for selecting pathogenic CpG sites. METHODS: Our method aimed to combine a L1/2 regularized solver and a central node fully connected network to penalize group constrained logistic regression model. Consequently, both sparsity and group effect were brought in with respect to the correlated regression coefficients. RESULTS: Extensive simulation studies were used to compare our proposed approach with existing mainstream regularization in respect of classification accuracy and stability. The simulation results show that a greater predictive accuracy was attained in comparison to previous methods. Furthermore, our method was applied to over 20000 CpG sites and verified using the ovarian cancer data generated from Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation 27K Beadchip. In the result of the real dataset, not only the indicators of predictive accuracy are higher than the previous methods, but also more CpG sites containing genes are confirmed pathogenic. Additionally, the total number of CpG sites chosen is less than other methods and the results show higher accuracy rates in comparison to other methods in simulation and DNA methylation data. CONCLUSION: The proposed method offers an advanced tool to researchers in DNA methylation and can be a powerful tool for recognizing pathogenic CpG sites.

Rare De Novo IGF2 Variant on the Paternal Allele in a Patient With Silver-Russell Syndrome.

Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is a rare, well-recognized disorder characterized by growth restriction, including intrauterine and postnatal growth. Most SRS cases are caused by hypomethylation of the paternal imprinting center 1 (IC1) in chromosome 11p15.5 and maternal uniparental disomy in chromosome 7 (UPD7). Here, we report on a Chinese family with a 4 year old male proband presenting with low birth weight, growth retardation, short stature, a narrow chin, delayed bone age, and speech delays, as a result of a rare molecular etiology. Whole-exome sequencing was conducted, and a novel de novo IGF2 splicing variant, NM_000612.4: c.157+5G > A, was identified on the paternal allele. In vitro functional analysis by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing revealed that the variant leads to an aberrant RNA transcript lacking exon 2. Our results further confirm the IGF2 variant mediates SRS and expand the pathogenic variant and phenotypic spectrum of IGF2-mediated SRS. The results indicate that, beyond DNA methylation and UPD7 and CDKN1C variant tests, IGF2 gene screening should also be considered for SRS molecular diagnoses.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress may be involved in insulin resistance and lipid metabolism disorders of the white adipose tissues induced by high-fat diet containing industrial trans-fatty acids.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFAs) can result in alteration to lipid profile and glucose metabolism. Moreover, a diet high in iTFAs could increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Glucose and lipid metabolism are closely linked in white adipose tissue (WAT), yet the underlying mechanisms of the effect of iTFAs in WAT are poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parameters of glucose homeostasis, lipid profiles and markers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress of WAT were measured in rats maintained on a high-fat diet containing margarine (HFD-M) (n=10) compared to controls maintained on standard chow (n=10) over 16 weeks. RESULTS: Fat mass and body weight was significantly increased in rats maintained on the HFD-M compared to controls (P<0.01). HFD-M rats had increased levels of insulin (INS), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and serum lipid profile was significantly altered. The expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and the phosphorylation of inositol-requiring enzyme 1-alpha and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were significantly increased in subcutaneous and retroperitoneal adipose depots of HFD-M-fed rats. In vitro, wider ER lumens were observed in 100µmol/L elaidic acid (EA)-treated human mature adipocytes. We observed activation of ER stress markers, impaired INS receptor signaling and increased lipogenesis in adipocytes after EA exposure. These effects could be alleviated by inhibiting ER stress in adipocytes in vitro. CONCLUSION: Collectively these data suggest that ER stress may be involved in INS resistance and lipid metabolism disorders induced by high-fat diet containing iTFAs. These findings suggest that WAT could be regarded as a key target organ for inhibiting ER stress to reverse the impaired INS receptor signaling, alleviate lipid metabolism disorders, and provide a novel approach to prevent and treat INS resistance and dyslipidemia-related chronic diseases such as T2MD and CVDs.

MicroRNA-144 Regulates Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Apoptosis by Targeting TBX1 through the JAK2/STAT1 Pathway.

It is currently believed that the TBX1 gene is one of the core genes of congenital heart disease (CHD). However, there are few studies on the abnormal regulation of TBX1 gene expression. The purpose of this work was to investigate the role of miR-144 and TBX1 in cardiac development by studying the regulatory relationship and mechanism of miR-144 on TBX1/JAK2/STAT1 in cardiomyocytes. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT and clone formation assay and cell cycle and apoptosis by flow cytometry. The levels of miR-144 and TBX1 in H9c2 cells were assessed by qRT-PCR. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to validate the direct targeting of TBX1 with miR-144. The protein expression levels of TBX1 and its downstream proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. miR-144 inhibited H9c2 cell proliferation by arresting cells in G1 phase. Furthermore, miR-144 induced H9c2 cell apoptosis and activated the JAK2/STAT1 signaling pathway. Bioinformatic predictions and luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-144 directly targets TBX1. Co-overexpression of miR-144 and TBX1 upregulated cell proliferation by accelerating G1 to S phase transition and downregulated cell apoptosis through inhibiting the JAK2/STAT1 signaling pathway. miR-144 acts as a proliferation inhibitor in cardiomyocytes via the TBX1/JAK2/STAT1 axis and is therefore a potential novel therapeutic target for CHD treatment.

The L1/2 regularization network Cox model for analysis of genomic data.

Methods based on a L1/2 penalty have been utilized to solve the variable selection problem associated with the Cox proportional hazards model. One limitation of the existing methods for survival analysis is that these ignore the regulatory networks and pathways information. To merge prior pathway information into the analysis of genomic data, we proposed a network-based regularization method for the L1/2 penalty and applied it to high-dimensional survival analysis data. This method used a L1/2 regularized solver and network that penalizes a Cox proportional hazards model with respect to the sparsity of the regression and the smoothness between the coefficients in a given network. Based on the limited simulation studies and real breast cancer gene expression datasets, the experimental results showed that our method achieves a higher predictive accuracy than previous methods. Even though fewer genes were selected compared to those using previous methods, results showed stronger associations with cancer. The results of the analysis were also validated using GeneCards.

Lipoxin A4 may attenuate the progression of obesity-related glomerulopathy by inhibiting NF-κB and ERK/p38 MAPK-dependent inflammation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) on inflammatory responses in obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) mouse model and its potential mechanisms. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal, model, LXA4, and LXA4/Boc-2 groups (n = 8). Mice in LXA4 group were intraperitoneally injected with LXA4 (40 ng/kg) once daily for 3 days following 12 weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. LXA4 receptor antagonist, Boc-2, was administered in LXA4/Boc-2 group prior to LXA4 treatment to block the effects of LXA4. Renal morphology and function impairment were determined. Inflammation was tested by measuring serum and mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. HFD-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were investigated by immunohistochemistry and western blot. RESULTS: HFD-feeding caused significant renal injury, pathological changes and inflammation in model group mice. LXA4 injection significantly alleviated HFD-induced effects on renal morphology and functions, as demonstrated by lower kidney index, glomerular diameter, 24 h urine protein, urinary albumin creatinine ratio and renal histomorphology. Moreover, HFD-induced accumulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were obviously attenuated by LXA4 administration, so did the HFD-induced activation of NF-κB and ERK/p38 MAPK pathways. However, these effects were markedly abrogated by BOC-2 pretreatment. CONCLUSION: LXA4 significantly attenuated HFD-induced renal inflammation and injury in ORG models, and these effects may be associated with the inhibition of activation of NF-κB and ERK/p38 MAPK pathways. The findings of our study may shed light on LXA4 showed a potential therapeutic application in ORG.

Biomechanical evaluation of four different posterior screw and rod fixation techniques for the treatment of the odontoid fractures.

Problems that screw cannot be inserted may occur in screw-rod fixation techniques such as Harms technique. We compared the biomechanical stability imparted to the C-2 vertebrae by four designed posterior screw and rod fixation techniques for the management of odontoid fractures. A three-dimensional finite element model of the odontoid fracture was established by subtracting several unit structures from the normal model from a healthy male volunteer. 4 different fixation techniques, shown as follows: ① C-1 lateral mass and C-2 pedicle screw fixation (Harms technique); ② C-1 lateral mass and unilateral C-2 pedicle screw fixation combined with ipsilateral laminar screw fixation; ③ Unilateral C-1lateral mass combined with ipsilateral C-1 posterior arch, and C-2 pedicle screw fixation; and ④ Unilateral C1 lateral mass screw connected with bilateral C2 pedicle screw fixation was performed on the odontoid fracture model. The model was validated for axial rotation, flexion, extension, lateral bending, and tension for 1.5 Nm. Changes in motion in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation were calculated. The finite element model of the odontoid fracture was established in this paper. All of the four screw-rod techniques significantly decreased motion in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, as compared with the destabilized odontoid fracture complex (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in stability among the four screw techniques. We concluded that the first three fixation techniques are recommended to be used as surgical intervention for odontoid fracture, while the last can be used as supplementary for the former three methods.

Hydrogen sulfide protects spinal cord and induces autophagy via miR-30c in a rat model of spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a novel gaseous mediator, has been recognized as an important neuromodulator and neuroprotective agent in the nervous system. The present study was undertaken to study the effects of exogenous H2S on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of spinal cord and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The effects of exogenous H2S on I/R injury were examined by using assessment of hind motor function, spinal cord infarct zone by Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Autophagy was evaluated by expressions of Microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 which were determined by using Quantitative Real-Time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: Compared to I/R injury groups, H2S pretreatment had reduced spinal cord infarct zone, improved hind motor function in rats. Quantitative Real-Time PCR or Western blotting results showed that H2S pretreatment also downregulated miR-30c expression and upregulated Beclin-1 and LC3II expression in spinal cord. In vitro, miR-30c was showed to exert negative effect on Beclin-1 expression by targeting its 3'UTR in SY-SH-5Y cells treated with Oxygen, Glucose Deprivation (OGD). In rat model of I/R injury, pretreatment of pre-miR-30c or 3-MA (an inhibitor for autophagy) can abrogated spinal cord protective effect of H2S. CONCLUSION: H2S protects spinal cord and induces autophagy via miR-30c in a rat model of spinal cord hemia-reperfusion injury.

Reduced ACTC1 expression might play a role in the onset of congenital heart disease by inducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: The Cardiac α actin 1 gene (ACTC1) has been related to familial atrial septal defects. This study was set to explore a potential role of this gene in the formation of sporadic congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Assessment of cardiac tissue samples from 33 patients with sporadic CHD (gestational age (GA) 18 weeks-49 months) with real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry has revealed a markedly decreased ACTC1 expression in the majority of samples (78.8%) compared with autopsied normal heart tissue from aged-matched subjects (GA 17 weeks-36 months). Also, as shown by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay, the proportion of apoptotic cardiomyocytes in samples featuring down-regulated ACTC1 expression (Group 1) was significantly greater than those with normal expression (Group 2) and the controls (P<0.01). The proportion of apoptotic cells strongly correlated with the expression of ACTC1 (r=-0.918, P<0.01). A study of 2 essential genes involved in apoptosis, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2, confirmed that the former has significantly increased expression, whilst the latter has decreased expression in Group 1 than in the other groups (P<0.01). Transfection of a small interfering RNA targeting, Actc1 (Actc1-siRNA), to a cardiomyocyte cell line, H9C2, also detected more apoptotic cells. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced ACTC1 expression might play a role in the onset of CHD through induction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

[Interleukin-18 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To examine serum concentration of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-18 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in children with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) and explore the possible role of IL-18 in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). METHODS: Sixty-six children with newly diagnosed PNS, including 39 cases of steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) and 27 cases of SRNS, were enrolled. Forty healthy children were used as a normal control group. Blood samples were collected before and 8 weeks after glucocorticoid treatment. Serum concentration of IL-18 was measured using ELISA. IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs was detected by the RT-PCR method. The amount of 24-hr urine protein was measured by the biuret method. Serum contents of total cholesterol (T-Ch), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), total protein (TP), and albumin (Alb) were measured by the automatic biochemistry analyzer. RESULTS: Serum concentration of IL-18 and IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs in the SSNS and the SRNS groups were significantly higher than those in the normal control group before treatment (P< 0.05). The SRNS group had increased serum protein concentration of IL-18 and IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs compared with the SSNS group before treatment (P< 0.05). Serum LDL content in the SRNS group was also significantly higher than that in the SSNS group before treatment (P< 0.05). After treatment, serum concentration of IL-18 and IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs in the SRNS group were significantly higher than those in the SSNS and the normal control groups (P< 0.05). Serum concentration of IL-18 and IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs in the SSNS group were significantly reduced after treatment, but the alterations of IL-18 were not observed in the SRNS group after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: SRNS was associated with increased serum IL-18 concentration and IL-18 mRNA expression in PBMCs. Over-production of IL-18 may play a role in the development of SRNS.

[Interleukin-13 expression before and after pulse treatment with methylprednisolone in children with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study serum concentration and mRNA expression of interleukin-13 (IL-13) in children with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) and the effect of methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPT) on IL-13 expression. METHODS: Twenty-eight children with SRNS were enrolled in this study. Serum protein level of IL-13 was measured using ELISA and IL-13 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was detected with RT-PCR before MPT, 2 and 5 days after MPT, and 2 weeks after disappearance of proteinuria following MPT. Twenty-four urinary protein was measured with the biuret assay. Twenty healthy children were used as controls. RESULTS: Serum IL-13 levels (38.48 +/- 13.01 pg/mL vs 5.18 +/- 2.71 pg/mL) and PBMC IL-13 mRNA expression (1.31 +/- 0.23 vs 0.36 +/- 0.07) before MPT in SRNS patients were significantly higher than in the controls. After 5 days of MPT and 2 weeks after disappearance of proteinuria following MPT, serum IL-13 levels (15.33 +/- 7.81 and 5.35 +/- 2.12 pg/mL respectively) and PBMC IL-13 mRNA expression (0.89 +/- 0.26 and 0.33 +/- 0.08 respectively) were significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Serum IL-13 levels and PBMC IL-13 mRNA expression in SRNS patients 2 weeks after disappearance of proteinuria following MPT were reduced to control levels, but remained at a higher level than controls 5 days after MPT. A positive correlation was found between serum levels of IL-13 and 24-hour urinary protein in SRNS patients before (r=0.75, P < 0.01) and after 2 and 5 days of MPT (r=0.68, r=0.71 respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Serum IL-13 levels and PBMC IL-13 mRNA expression in children with SRNS increase. MPT can inhibit the expression of protein and mRNA of IL-13 in these patients.

[Response of water quality to agricultural cultivation in Liangwanghe River catchment of Fuxianhu Lake region].

Response of water quality to agricultural cultivation was investigated for the Liangwanghe River catchment of Fuxianhu Lake region in Yunnan Province of China. Two typical tillage lands-the rice-wheat rotation (R-W) and the tobacco-pea (T-P) rotation were selected and monitored. Groundwater quality and water quality of Liangwanghe River were monitored simultaneously, as well as the farmland cultivation situation at that time. It was found that cultivation activities, such as transplanting, base fertilizer applying, top dressing, draining would cause apparent elevation of concentrations of TP, PO4(3-)-P, TN, NO3(-)-N and NH4(+)-N of groundwater in a short time period. Nutrients adsorption by crops during different bearing periods has an obvious relationship to the change of contents of TP, PO4(3-)-P, TN, NO3(-)-N, and NH4(+)-N in groundwater in a long time scale. When the crops are in a peak demand for nutrients, contents of nutrients in groundwater were found to reduce obviously, and contents of nutrients may rise for other crop conditions. Contents of TP and PO4(3-)-P of Liangwanghe River for full cultivation periods were found to be 5.8% and 21.7% lower than those for partial cultivation periods, while contents of TN, NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N for full cultivation periods were found to be 11.5%, 242.6% and 9.55% higher than those for partial cultivation periods.

Expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in progression muscular dystrophy.

Objective Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is a multifunctional protein that has thc capacity to modify cellular activities and to modulate matrix turnover. This paper revealed the contributive role of TIMP-1 in progressive muscular dystrophy (PMD). Methods We examined the expression and cellular localization of TIMP-1 protein using biopsied frozen muscle from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) by immunohistochemistry, double immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Results The results of immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence showed that TIMP-1 was positive only in vascular endothelial cells of normal muscles. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis showed that the staining intensity was distinctly increased in some dystrophic muscles of PMD for TIMP-1. Double immunofluorescence revealed that TIMP-1 strongly expressed in the regenerating muscle fibers, macrophages and macrophage infiltrating necrotic fibers. Some activated fibroblasts in endomysium and perimysium of DMD and CMD muscles were also positive for TIMP1. Conclusion The functional consequence of overexpression of TIMP-1 in the dystrophic muscles is unknown, but the elevated local expression of TIMP-1 in diseased muscles of PMD and their distinct distribution pattern provide evidence that TIMP-1 may participate in the pathogenesis of PMD.

[Expression of connective tissue growth factor in progressive muscular dystrophy].

OBJECTIVE: Progressive muscular dystrophy (PMD) is characterized by muscle fiber necrosis, regeneration, and endomysial fibrosis. Although absence of dystrophin and subsarcolemmic protein has been known as the cause of muscle fiber degeneration, pathogenesis of interstitial fibrosis is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in PMD and its relationship with muscular fibrosis. METHODS: Immunological localization of CTGF was examined in frozen muscle specimens obtained via biopsy from 8 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), 2 patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), 6 patients with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) and 6 cases with normal muscle by immunohistochemistry, double immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The results of immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence showed that CTGF was positive only in vessels of normal muscle. Both immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis showed that CTGF expression was distinctly increased in dystrophy muscles of PMD than that in normal muscles. In dystrophy muscle, marked immunostaining of CTGF was not only observed in vascular walls, but also strongly expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of regenerating muscle fibers, and also immunolocalized in the muscle fiber sarcolemma of non-regenerating fibers. Double labeling with antibodies against CTGF and CD68 demonstrated that CTGF was expressed in some macrophages and some macrophage infiltrated necrotic fibers. CTGF was strongly expressed in endomysial and perimysial connective tissues of dystrophy muscles of patients with DMD, CMD and FCMD. Double immunolabeling revealed that most activated fibroblasts in perimysium and endomysium were positive for CTGF, but not all of connective tissues were co-localized with CTGF. Older cases with FCMD showed poor or no expression of CTGF in advanced fibrosis. CONCLUSION: CTGF may play a role in the pathogenetic process of muscular dystrophy, and CTGF may be important for muscle repair and fibrosis.