Local optimized Stokes polarimetry for specific polarization states.

In this Letter, we propose a locally optimized Stokes polarimetry. Focusing on the effect on polarization measurements by Poisson noise, the studies establish a new, to the best of our knowledge, optimization function combining the equally weighted variance with the condition number. This method considers both the stability and the precision of polarization measurements; by trading an increase in the condition number by 2.48%, we realize a decrease in equal-weighted variance by 19.1% near the north pole. The advantages of this local optimization method are demonstrated based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and experiments of continuous polarization state modulation. Finally, an imaging demonstration using a 4 µm pathological section implies the potential of this new local optimization method in improving polarization measurements and applying it to more biomedical research.

KLIPP - a precision CRISPR approach to target structural variant junctions in cancer.

Current cancer therapies typically give rise to dose-limiting normal tissue toxicity. We have developed KLIPP, a precision cancer approach that specifically kills cancer cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The approach consists of guide RNAs that target cancer-specific structural variant junctions to nucleate two parts of a dCas9-conjugated endonuclease, Fok1, leading to its activation. We show that KLIPP causes induction of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) at the targeted junctions and cell death. When cancer cells were grown orthotopically in mice, activation of Fok1 at only two junctions led to the disappearance of tumor cells in 7/11 mice. This therapeutic approach has high specificity for tumor cells and is independent of tumor-specific drivers. Individualized translation of KLIPP to patients would be transformative and lead to consistent and simplified cancer treatment decisions.

Calculated inflammatory markers derived from complete blood count results, along with routine laboratory and clinical data, predict treatment failure of acute peritonitis in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Complete blood count (CBC)-derived inflammatory markers are predictive biomarkers for the prognosis of many diseases. However, there was no study on patients with peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PDAP). We aimed to investigate the value of these markers in predicting treatment failure of acute peritonitis in chronic PD patients. METHODS: The records of 138 peritonitis episodes were reviewed and divided into treatment success or failure groups in a single center for 10 years. CBC-derived markers and other routine data were recorded before peritonitis treatment was initiated. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve about the predictors of treatment outcomes were performed. RESULTS: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and derived NLR were significantly higher in the failure group. Univariate logistic regression results showed that NLR and PLR were risk factors of treatment outcomes. The backward stepwise multivariate logistic regression results demonstrated that NLR [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.376; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.105-1.713; p = .004], PLR (aOR, 1.010; 95%CI, 1.004-1.017; p = .002) were risk factors, but hemoglobin-to-lymphocyte ratio (HLR) (aOR, 0.977; 95%CI, 0.963-0.991; p = .001), and SII (aOR, 0.999; 95%CI, 0.998-1.000; p = .040) were protective factors. A combination of age, PD vintage, Gram-positive peritonitis, staphylococcus aureus, culture-negative, NLR, PLR, HLR, and SII would improve prognostic performance. The area under this ROC curve was 0.85, higher than other factors. CONCLUSIONS: NLR, PLR, HLR, and SII were associated with PDAP outcomes. Age, PD vintage, NLR, and PLR were significant risk factors in PDAP patients.

Effect of national holidays on health outcomes of patients receiving peritoneal dialysis in a single center over a ten-year period.

BACKGROUND: National holidays are associated with high mortality in some diseases, but little is known about patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). The research aimed to investigate the impact of national holidays on the health outcomes of PD patients. METHODS: Over ten years, all episodes of unplanned hospitalization, death, and peritonitis in PD patients were collected in our center. Seven national holidays in China were chosen, and non-holiday days were selected as the control period. The effect of national holidays was observed by comparing the hospitalization, death, and peritonitis rates between holiday and non-holiday groups. RESULTS: There were 297 events in all holiday periods and 1247 in non-holiday periods. There is no significant difference in hospitalization rate between holiday and non-holiday groups (32.4% ± 6.4% vs. 29.2% ± 3.4%, p = 0.175). So is the death rate [6.3% (4.8-12.3%) vs.5.0% (4.2-8.9%), p = 0.324] and peritonitis rate [0.19 (0.13-0.53) vs. 0.22 (0.18-0.27), p = 0.445] between the two groups. Significant differences were observed in the distribution of peritonitis causes between the two groups (p = 0.017). The rate of secondary to other infections in the holiday group was significantly higher than in the non-holiday group (25.0 vs. 10.3%, p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Our study suggested no national holiday effect on health outcomes of PD patients based on ten-year data in our center.

Ophiopogonin D Inhibiting Epithelial NF-κB Signaling Pathway Protects Against Experimental Colitis in Mice.

The sustained activation of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway has been observed in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ophiopogonin D (OP-D) is a small molecular compound isolated from Ophiopogon japonicus, a widely used herbal remedy. In this study, dextran sodium sulfate was used to make a mouse model of experimental colitis and verify the effect of OP-D on the mouse model of experimental colitis. Small molecule-protein molecular docking approaches were also used to discover the mechanisms underlying the OP-D-induced regulation of colitis. In colitis, the OP-D can inhibit the apoptosis of intestinal mucosa cells, restore the intestinal barrier, and alleviate inflammation. The molecular docking simulations showed that OP-D had a high affinity with the REL-homology domain of NF-κB-p65 that affected its translocation to the nucleus. In a cell study, the effects of OP-D on inflammation and barrier dysfunction were significantly decreased by a small interfering RNA targeting NF-κB-p65. Further, the LPS-induced increase in NF-κB-p65 in the nucleus was also significantly inhibited by OP-D. OP-D alleviated experimental colitis by inhibiting NF-κB. New insights into the pathogenesis and treatment options of colitis are provided through this study.

Identification and validation of a five-gene prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: ARID1A is a commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene found in all human cancer types, but its clinical significance, oncogenic functions, and relevant mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to improving the prognosis risk classification of HCC from the perspective of ARID1A mutations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the interaction between ARID1A mutations and the overall survival via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. We used gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to elucidate the influence of ARID1A mutations on signaling pathways. A prognostic model was constructed using LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analyses. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the performance and accuracy of the model. RESULTS: HCC patients with ARID1A mutations presented poor prognosis. By GSEA, we showed that genes upregulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulated by MYC were positively correlated with ARID1A mutations. A prognostic signature consisting of 5 genes (SRXN1, LDHA, TFDP1, PPM1G, and EIF2S1) was constructed in our research. The signature showed good performance in predicting overall survival (OS) for HCC patients by internal and external validation. CONCLUSION: Our research proposed a novel and robust approach for the prognostic risk classification of HCC patients, and this approach may provide new insights to improve the treatment strategy of HCC.

ATDC binds to KEAP1 to drive NRF2-mediated tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a lethal disease characterized by late diagnosis, propensity for early metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Little is known about the mechanisms that drive innate therapeutic resistance in pancreatic cancer. The ataxia-telangiectasia group D-associated gene (ATDC) is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and promotes tumor growth and metastasis. Our study reveals that increased ATDC levels protect cancer cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) via stabilization of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). Mechanistically, ATDC binds to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), the principal regulator of NRF2 degradation, and thereby prevents degradation of NRF2 resulting in activation of a NRF2-dependent transcriptional program, reduced intracellular ROS and enhanced chemoresistance. Our findings define a novel role of ATDC in regulating redox balance and chemotherapeutic resistance by modulating NRF2 activity.

Brain metastases from esophageal cancer: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: At present, there is no uniform consensus on the treatment of brain metastases from esophageal cancer. The studies on the treatment of brain metastases from esophageal cancer by radiotherapy combined with temozolomide (TMZ) are even rarer. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for brain metastases from esophageal cancer after thoracic irradiation. DIAGNOSES: Magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed a round, heterogeneous metastatic tumor in the left parietal lobe. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed edema around brain metastasesInterventions: After radiotherapy plus TMZ in this patient's head, the brain metastatic tumor was significantly decreased. OUTCOMES: At the end of radiotherapy, and 1 and 2 months after the end of radiotherapy, the metastatic tumor continued to shrink, and no obvious side effects were observed. LESSONS: This study suggests that radiotherapy plus TMZ might be a feasible option for brain metastases from esophageal cancer.

ATDC is required for the initiation of KRAS-induced pancreatic tumorigenesis.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive disease driven by oncogenic KRAS and characterized by late diagnosis and therapeutic resistance. Here we show that deletion of the ataxia-telangiectasia group D-complementing (Atdc) gene, whose human homolog is up-regulated in the majority of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, completely prevents PDA development in the context of oncogenic KRAS. ATDC is required for KRAS-driven acinar-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and its progression to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN). As a result, mice lacking ATDC are protected from developing PDA. Mechanistically, we show ATDC promotes ADM progression to PanIN through activation of ß-catenin signaling and subsequent SOX9 up-regulation. These results provide new insight into PDA initiation and reveal ATDC as a potential target for preventing early tumor-initiating events.

ATDC mediates a TP63-regulated basal cancer invasive program.

Basal subtype cancers are deadly malignancies but the molecular events driving tumor lethality are not completely understood. Ataxia-telangiectasia group D complementing gene (ATDC, also known as TRIM29), is highly expressed and drives tumor formation and invasion in human bladder cancers but the factor(s) regulating its expression in bladder cancer are unknown. Molecular subtyping of bladder cancer has identified an aggressive basal subtype, which shares molecular features of basal/squamous tumors arising in other organs and is defined by activation of a TP63-driven gene program. Here, we demonstrate that ATDC is linked with expression of TP63 and highly expressed in basal bladder cancers. We find that TP63 binds to transcriptional regulatory regions of ATDC and KRT14 directly, increasing their expression, and that ATDC and KRT14 execute a TP63-driven invasive program. In vivo, ATDC is required for TP63-induced bladder tumor invasion and metastasis. These results link TP63 and the basal gene expression program to ATDC and to aggressive tumor behavior. Defining ATDC as a molecular determinant of aggressive, basal cancers may lead to improved biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.

Design and synthesis of thiazolylhydrazone derivatives as inhibitors of chitinolytic N-acetyl-ß-d-hexosaminidase.

N-acetyl-ß-d-hexosaminidase (Hex) is potential target for pesticide design. Here, a series of thiazolylhydrazone derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as competitive inhibitors of OfHex1, a Hex from the agricultural pest Ostrinia furnacalis. The derivative 3k, with a (benzyloxy)methyl group at the N3 atom, demonstrated greater potency with a Ki of 10.2 µM. Molecular docking analysis indicated that the (benzyloxy)methyl group of 3k was bound to a previously unexplored pocket formed by Loop478-496. Then further optimization around naphthalene ring led to find the more potency substituent phenyl. The derivative 7, with phenoxyethyl group at R1 and a phenyl group at R2, demonstrated an augmented potency with a Ki of 2.1 µM. Molecular docking analysis indicated that 7 was bound to the active pocket of OfHex1 more favorably than 3k. This work suggests a novel scaffold for developing specific Hex inhibitors.

Risk Assessment and Mapping of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease at the County Level in Mainland China Using Spatiotemporal Zero-Inflated Bayesian Hierarchical Models.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a worldwide infectious disease, prominent in China. China's HFMD data are sparse with a large number of observed zeros across locations and over time. However, no previous studies have considered such a zero-inflated problem on HFMD's spatiotemporal risk analysis and mapping, not to mention for the entire Mainland China at county level. Monthly county-level HFMD cases data combined with related climate and socioeconomic variables were collected. We developed four models, including spatiotemporal Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP), and zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) models under the Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework to explore disease spatiotemporal patterns. The results showed that the spatiotemporal ZINB model performed best. Both climate and socioeconomic variables were identified as significant risk factors for increasing HFMD incidence. The relative risk (RR) of HFMD at the local scale showed nonlinear temporal trends and was considerably spatially clustered in Mainland China. The first complete county-level spatiotemporal relative risk maps of HFMD were generated by this study. The new findings provide great potential for national county-level HFMD prevention and control, and the improved spatiotemporal zero-inflated model offers new insights for epidemic data with the zero-inflated problem in environmental epidemiology and public health.

Effects of Information Technology-Based Two-Way Referral on Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Lesions: A Cluster-Controlled Trial in China.

This study investigates the effectiveness of information technology-based 2-way referral in the diagnosis and management of cervical lesions in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. Women who underwent screening for cervical lesions in 4 community health centers constituted the intervention group, whereas women from the other 9 community health centers were included as controls. The diagnosis rate of cervical lesions was higher in the intervention group (7.61%) than in the control group (0.36%; P = .000). The diagnosis rate of early cervical lesion was 97.11% in the intervention group and 85.71% in the control group, showing no statistically significant differences ( P = .080). However, early diagnosis rate of precancerous lesion was much higher in the intervention group (95.45%) compared with the control group (64.29%; P = .001). In conclusion, higher effectiveness of early diagnosis and management of cervical lesions was observed in the intervention group compared with the control group.

The mechanism of all-trans retinoic acid in the regulation of apelin expression in vascular endothelial cells.

The apelin gene can promote vascular endothelial cell (VEC) proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism for regulation of the apelin gene is still unknown. Real-time PCR and Western blotting analysis were employed to detect the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in up-regulating apelin expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, the in vivo study also indicated that ATRA could increase apelin expression in balloon-injured arteries of rats, which is consistent with the results from the cultured HUVECs. To ensure whether retinoic acid receptor (RAR) α (RARα) could be induced by ATRA in regulating apelin, the expression of RARα was tested with a siRNA method to knock down RARα or adenovirus vector infection to overexpress RARα. The results showed that ATRA could up-regulate apelin expression time- and dose- dependently in HUVECs. ATRA could induce a RARα increase; however, the expression of RARß and RARγ were unchanged. The blocking of RARα signaling reduced the response of apelin to ATRA when HUVECs were treated with RARα antagonists (Ro 41-5253) or the use of siRNA against RARα (si-RARα) knockdown RARα expression before using ATRA. In addition, induction of RARα overexpression by infection with pAd-GFP-RARα further increased the induction of apelin by ATRA. These results suggested that ATRA up-regulated apelin expression by promoting RARα signaling.

GM-CSF Mediates Mesenchymal-Epithelial Cross-talk in Pancreatic Cancer.

UNLABELLED: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is characterized by a dense stroma consisting of a prevalence of activated fibroblasts whose functional contributions to pancreatic tumorigenesis remain incompletely understood. In this study, we provide the first identification and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) within the human PDA microenvironment, highlighting the heterogeneity of the fibroblast population. Primary patient PDA samples and low-passage human pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblast cultures were found to contain a unique population of cancer-associated MSCs (CA-MSC). CA-MSCs markedly enhanced the growth, invasion, and metastatic potential of PDA cancer cells. CA-MSCs secreted the cytokine GM-CSF that was required for tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and transendothelial migration. Depletion of GM-CSF in CA-MSCs inhibited the ability of these cells to promote tumor cell growth and metastasis. Together, these data identify a population of MSCs within the tumor microenvironment that possesses a unique ability, through GM-CSF signaling, to promote PDA survival and metastasis. SIGNIFICANCE: The role of stroma in pancreatic cancer is controversial. Here, we provide the first characterization of MSCs within the human PDA microenvironment and demonstrate that CA-MSCs promote tumorigenesis through the production of GM-CSF. These data identify a novel cytokine pathway that mediates mesenchymal-epithelial cross-talk and is amenable to therapeutic intervention. Cancer Discov; 6(8); 886-99. ©2016 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 803.

ATDC/TRIM29 Drives Invasive Bladder Cancer Formation through miRNA-Mediated and Epigenetic Mechanisms.

Bladder cancer is a common and deadly malignancy but its treatment has advanced little due to poor understanding of the factors and pathways that promote disease. ATDC/TRIM29 is a highly expressed gene in several lethal tumor types, including bladder tumors, but its role as a pathogenic driver has not been established. Here we show that overexpression of ATDC in vivo is sufficient to drive both noninvasive and invasive bladder carcinoma development in transgenic mice. ATDC-driven bladder tumors were indistinguishable from human bladder cancers, which displayed similar gene expression signatures. Clinically, ATDC was highly expressed in bladder tumors in a manner associated with invasive growth behaviors. Mechanistically, ATDC exerted its oncogenic effects by suppressing miR-29 and subsequent upregulation of DNMT3A, leading to DNA methylation and silencing of the tumor suppressor PTEN. Taken together, our findings established a role for ATDC as a robust pathogenic driver of bladder cancer development, identified downstream effector pathways, and implicated ATDC as a candidate biomarker and therapeutic target.

ATDC (Ataxia Telangiectasia Group D Complementing) Promotes Radioresistance through an Interaction with the RNF8 Ubiquitin Ligase.

Induction of DNA damage by ionizing radiation (IR) and/or cytotoxic chemotherapy is an essential component of cancer therapy. The ataxia telangiectasia group D complementing gene (ATDC, also called TRIM29) is highly expressed in many malignancies. It participates in the DNA damage response downstream of ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and p38/MK2 and promotes cell survival after IR. To elucidate the downstream mechanisms of ATDC-induced IR protection, we performed a mass spectrometry screen to identify ATDC binding partners. We identified a direct physical interaction between ATDC and the E3 ubiquitin ligase and DNA damage response protein, RNF8, which is required for ATDC-induced radioresistance. This interaction was refined to the C-terminal portion (amino acids 348-588) of ATDC and the RING domain of RNF8 and was disrupted by mutation of ATDC Ser-550 to alanine. Mutations disrupting this interaction abrogated ATDC-induced radioresistance. The interaction between RNF8 and ATDC, which was increased by IR, also promoted downstream DNA damage responses such as IR-induced γ-H2AX ubiquitination, 53BP1 phosphorylation, and subsequent resolution of the DNA damage foci. These studies define a novel function for ATDC in the RNF8-mediated DNA damage response and implicate RNF8 binding as a key determinant of the radioprotective function of ATDC.

ATDC induces an invasive switch in KRAS-induced pancreatic tumorigenesis.

The initiation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is linked to activating mutations in KRAS. However, in PDA mouse models, expression of oncogenic mutant KRAS during development gives rise to tumors only after a prolonged latency or following induction of pancreatitis. Here we describe a novel mouse model expressing ataxia telangiectasia group D complementing gene (ATDC, also known as TRIM29 [tripartite motif 29]) that, in the presence of oncogenic KRAS, accelerates pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) formation and the development of invasive and metastatic cancers. We found that ATDC up-regulates CD44 in mouse and human PanIN lesions via activation of ß-catenin signaling, leading to the induction of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype characterized by expression of Zeb1 and Snail1. We show that ATDC is up-regulated by oncogenic Kras in a subset of PanIN cells that are capable of invading the surrounding stroma. These results delineate a novel molecular pathway for EMT in pancreatic tumorigenesis, showing that ATDC is a proximal regulator of EMT.

A crystal structure-guided rational design switching non-carbohydrate inhibitors' specificity between two ß-GlcNAcase homologs.

Selective inhibition of function-specific ß-GlcNAcase has great potential in terms of drug design and biological research. The symmetrical bis-naphthalimide M-31850 was previously obtained by screening for specificity against human glycoconjugate-lytic ß-GlcNAcase. Using protein-ligand co-crystallization and molecular docking, we designed an unsymmetrical dyad of naphthalimide and thiadiazole, Q2, that changes naphthalimide specificity from against a human glycoconjugate-lytic ß-GlcNAcase to against insect and bacterial chitinolytic ß-GlcNAcases. The crystallographic and in silico studies reveal that the naphthalimide ring can be utilized to bind different parts of these enzyme homologs, providing a new starting point to design specific inhibitors. Moreover, Q2-induced closure of the substrate binding pocket is the structural basis for its 13-fold increment in inhibitory potency. Q2 is the first non-carbohydrate inhibitor against chitinolytic ß-GlcNAcases. This study provides a useful example of structure-based rationally designed inhibitors as potential pharmaceuticals or pesticides.

ATDC/TRIM29 phosphorylation by ATM/MAPKAP kinase 2 mediates radioresistance in pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by therapeutic resistance for which the basis is poorly understood. Here, we report that the DNA and p53-binding protein ATDC/TRIM29, which is highly expressed in PDAC, plays a critical role in DNA damage signaling and radioresistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Ataxia-telangiectasia group D-associated gene (ATDC) mediated resistance to ionizing radiation in vitro and in vivo in mouse xenograft assays. ATDC was phosphorylated directly by MAPKAP kinase 2 (MK2) at Ser550 in an ATM-dependent manner. Phosphorylation at Ser-550 by MK2 was required for the radioprotective function of ATDC. Our results identify a DNA repair pathway leading from MK2 and ATM to ATDC, suggesting its candidacy as a therapeutic target to radiosensitize PDAC and improve the efficacy of DNA-damaging treatment.