Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma of the kidney: A case report

We report a 41-year-old Chinese woman with intravascular large B-cell lymphoma diagnosed by percutaneous renal biopsy. The patient was admitted to Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China with complaints of high spiking fever for a month and bilateral lower limb fatigue with difficulty ambulating for the past 5 months

Polarization-based probabilistic discriminative model for quantitative characterization of cancer cells

We propose a polarization-based probabilistic discriminative model for deriving a set of new sigmoid-transformed polarimetry feature parameters, which not only enables accurate and quantitative characterization of cancer cells at pixel level, but also accomplish the task with a simple and stable model. By taking advantages of polarization imaging techniques, these parameters enable a low-magnification and wide-field imaging system to separate the types of cells into more specific categories that previously were distinctive under high magnification. Instead of blindly choosing the model, the L0 regularization method is used to obtain the simplified and stable polarimetry feature parameter. We demonstrate the model viability by using the pathological tissues of breast cancer and liver cancer, in each of which there are two derived parameters that can characterize the cells and cancer cells respectively with satisfactory accuracy and sensitivity. The stability of the final model opens the possibility for physical interpretation and analysis. This technique may bypass the typically labor-intensive and subjective tumor evaluating system, and could be used as a blueprint for an objective and automated procedure for cancer cell screening

Roles for heterodimerization of APJ and B2R in promoting cell proliferation via ERK1/2-eNOS signaling pathway

Apelin receptor (APJ) and bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R) play an important role in many physiological processes and share multiple similar characteristics in distribution and functions in the cardiovascular system. We first identified the endogenous expression of APJ and B2R in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and their co-localization on human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells membrane. A suite of bioluminescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (BRET and FRET), proximity ligation assay (PLA), and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was exploited to demonstrate formation of functional APJ and B2R heterodimer in HUVECs and transfected cells. Stimulation with apelin-13 and bradykinin (BK) increased the phosphorylation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in HUVECs, which could be inhibited by the silencing of APJ or B2R, indicating the APJ-B2R dimer is critical for eNOS phosphorylation in HUVECs. Furthermore, the increase of NOS and extracellular signal regulated kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation mediated by APJ/B2R dimer can be inhibited by U0126 and U73122, respectively, suggesting that the heterodimer might activate the PLC/ERK1/2/eNOS signaling pathway, and finally leading to a significant increase in cell proliferation. Thus, we uncovered for the first time the existence of APJ-B2R heterodimer and provided a promising new target in cardiovascular therapeutics

Cytomegalovirus Infection May Trigger Adult-Onset Still's Disease Onset or Relapses

Previous studies have revealed that several micro-organisms, especially DNA viruses, have been associated with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). However, there are no studies on the relationship between the presence of viral infections in AOSD patients with disease occurrence and reactivation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the presence of antibodies against virus, virus DNA load and nucleic acid sensors in AOSD patients. Anti-viral antibodies were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in plasma samples from 100 AOSD patients and 70 healthy controls (HCs). The copy number of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in 100 AOSD patients was detected by PCR. The expression levels of nucleic acid sensors interferon gamma-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and skin from AOSD patients and HCs were analyzed by PCR and immunohistochemistry. The levels of antibodies against CMV were significantly higher in AOSD patients compared to HCs. Moreover, the level of anti-CMV IgM antibody was significantly increased in patients with fever, sore throat, arthralgia and rash. CMV DNA was found in plasma of AOSD patients with disease new-onset and relapse. Furthermore, the copy number of CMV DNA significantly increased in patients with fever, sore throat, arthralgia and rash. And the significant associations of the CMV DNA level with the levels of leukocytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were observed. Moreover, we found an upregulation of cytoplasmic DNA-sensing receptor IFI16 and AIM2 in PBMC and skin from AOSD patients. In conclusion, our results showed that CMV infection may play a role in the initiation or amplification of inflammatory responses in AOSD

Nomogram for Predicting Bone Development State of Female Children and Adolescents–A Fast Screening Approach Based on Pubes Stages for Growth and Development

Objective: To develop a nomogram for predicting bone development state (BDS) of female children and adolescents in a large scale.Methods: Four hundred forty-seven female students were designated as the training cohort to develop the predictive model, whereas 196 female students were used as the validation cohort to verify the established model. Bone age, height, body mass, body fat percentage, and secondary sexual characteristics were recorded, and BDS was determined with the chronological age and bone age. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the factors, and nomogram was developed and validated with the training and validation cohorts, respectively.Results: One hundred forty-seven female students were identified as BDS abnormal in the training cohort (32.9%), and 104 were determined in the validation cohort (53.1%). Age, height, weight, and pubes stage were selected for the predictive model. A nomogram was developed and showed a good estimation, with a C-index of 0.78 and a good calibration in the training cohort. Application of the nomogram to the validation cohort showed a similar C-index of 0.75 and a good calibration.Conclusion: A nomogram for predicting bone development was developed, which can provide a relatively good estimation of BDS for female children and adolescents in Chinese metropolis

Plasma microRNA Profiles as a Potential Biomarker in Differentiating Adult-Onset Still's Disease From Sepsis

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by cytokine storm. However, a diagnostic test for AOSD in clinical use is yet to be validated. The aim of our study was to identify non-invasive biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity to diagnosis of AOSD. MicroRNA (miRNA) profiles in PBMC from new-onset AOSD patients without any treatment and healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed by miRNA deep sequencing. Plasma samples from 100 AOSD patients and 60 HCs were used to validated the expression levels of miRNA by qRT-PCR. The correlations between expression levels of miRNAs and clinical manifestations were analyzed using advanced statistical models. We found that plasma samples from AOSD patients showed a distinct miRNA expression profile. Five miRNAs (miR-142-5p, miR-101-3p, miR-29a-3p, miR-29c-3p, and miR-141-3p) were significantly upregulated in plasma of AOSD patients compared with HCs both in training and validation sets. We discovered a panel including 3 miRNAs (miR-142-5p, miR-101-3p, and miR-29a-3p) that can predict the probability of AOSD with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.8250 in training and validation sets. Moreover, the expression levels of 5 miRNAs were significantly higher in active AOSD patients compared with those in inactive patients. In addition, elevated level of miR-101-3p was found in AOSD patients with fever, sore throat and arthralgia symptoms; the miR-101-3p was also positively correlated with the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in serum. Furthermore, five miRNAs (miR-142-5p, miR-101-3p, miR-29c-3p, miR-29a-3p, and miR-141-3p) expressed in plasma were significantly higher in AOSD patients than in sepsis patients (P < 0.05). The AUC value of 4-miRNA panel (miR-142-5p, miR-101-3p, miR-29c-3p, and miR-141-3p) for AOSD diagnosis from sepsis was 0.8448, revealing the potentially diagnostic value to distinguish AOSD patients from sepsis patients. Our results have identified a specific plasma miRNA signature that may serve as a potential non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis of AOSD and monitoring disease activity

Genomic Analyses Reveal Mutational Signatures and Frequently Altered Genes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the fourth most lethal cancer in China. However, although genomic studies have identified some mutations associated with ESCC, we know little of the mutational processes responsible. To identify genome-wide mutational signatures, we performed either whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 104 ESCC individuals and combined our data with those of 88 previously reported samples. An APOBEC-mediated mutational signature in 47% of 192 tumors suggests that APOBEC-catalyzed deamination provides a source of DNA damage in ESCC. Moreover, PIK3CA hotspot mutations (c.1624G>A [p.Glu542Lys] and c.1633G>A [p.Glu545Lys]) were enriched in APOBEC-signature tumors, and no smoking-associated signature was observed in ESCC. In the samples analyzed by WGS, we identified focal (<100 kb) amplifications of CBX4 and CBX8. In our combined cohort, we identified frequent inactivating mutations in AJUBA, ZNF750, and PTCH1 and the chromatin-remodeling genes CREBBP and BAP1, in addition to known mutations. Functional analyses suggest roles for several genes (CBX4, CBX8, AJUBA, and ZNF750) in ESCC. Notably, high activity of hedgehog signaling and the PI3K pathway in approximately 60% of 104 ESCC tumors indicates that therapies targeting these pathways might be particularly promising strategies for ESCC. Collectively, our data provide comprehensive insights into the mutational signatures of ESCC and identify markers for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets

Physicochemical Properties and Biological Activity of Active Films Based on Corn Peptide Incorporated Carboxymethyl Chitosan

Active films based on carboxymethyl chitosan incorporated corn peptide were developed, and the effect of the concentration of corn peptide on films was evaluated. Physicochemical properties of the films, including thickness, opacity, moisture content, color, mechanical properties, water vapor permeability, and oil resistance, were measured. Biological activities of the films, including the antioxidant and antibacterial activities, were characterized in terms of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, reducing power, the total antioxidant activity, and the filter disc inhibition zone method. The results indicated that the incorporation of corn peptide caused interactions between carboxymethyl chitosan and corn peptide in Maillard reaction and gave rise to the films light yellow appearance. Compared with the Control, the degree of glycosylation, browning intensity, thickness, opacity, tensile strength, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity of films were increased, but the elongation, vapor permeability, and oil resistance of films were decreased. The films based on corn peptide and carboxymethyl chitosan can potentially be applied to food packaging