Multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of Parkinson's disease.

Although over 90 independent risk variants have been identified for Parkinson's disease using genome-wide association studies, most studies have been performed in just one population at a time. Here we performed a large-scale multi-ancestry meta-analysis of Parkinson's disease with 49,049 cases, 18,785 proxy cases and 2,458,063 controls including individuals of European, East Asian, Latin American and African ancestry. In a meta-analysis, we identified 78 independent genome-wide significant loci, including 12 potentially novel loci (MTF2, PIK3CA, ADD1, SYBU, IRS2, USP8, PIGL, FASN, MYLK2, USP25, EP300 and PPP6R2) and fine-mapped 6 putative causal variants at 6 known PD loci. By combining our results with publicly available eQTL data, we identified 25 putative risk genes in these novel loci whose expression is associated with PD risk. This work lays the groundwork for future efforts aimed at identifying PD loci in non-European populations

Congenital Chagas Disease: Recommendations for Diagnosis, Treatment and Control of Newborns, Siblings and Pregnant Women

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Stem diameter and rotational stability in revision total hip arthroplasty: a biomechanical analysis

BACKGROUND: Proximal femoral bone loss during revision hip arthroplasty often requires bypassing the deficient metaphyseal bone to obtain distal fixation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of stem diameter and length of diaphyseal contact in achieving rotational stability in revision total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Twenty-four cadaveric femoral specimens were implanted with a fully porous-coated stem. Two different diameters were tested and the stems were implanted at multiple contact lengths without proximal bone support. Each specimen underwent torsional testing to failure and rotational micromotion was measured at the implant-bone interface. RESULTS: The larger stem diameter demonstrated a greater torsional stability for a given length of cortical contact (p ≤ 0.05). Decreasing length of diaphyseal contact length was associated with less torsional stability. Torsional resistance was inconsistent at 2 cm of depth. CONCLUSION: Larger stem diameters frequently used in revisions may be associated with less diaphyseal contact length to achieve equivalent rotational stability compared to smaller diameter stems. Furthermore, a minimum of 3 cm or 4 cm of diaphyseal contact with a porous-coated stem should be achieved in proximal femoral bone deficiency and will likely be dependent on the stem diameter utilized at the time of surgery

Phospholipase D Family Member 4, a Transmembrane Glycoprotein with No Phospholipase D Activity, Expression in Spleen and Early Postnatal Microglia

BACKGROUND: Phospholipase D (PLD) catalyzes conversion of phosphatidylcholine into choline and phosphatidic acid, leading to a variety of intracellular signal transduction events. Two classical PLDs, PLD1 and PLD2, contain phosphatidylinositide-binding PX and PH domains and two conserved His-x-Lys-(x)(4)-Asp (HKD) motifs, which are critical for PLD activity. PLD4 officially belongs to the PLD family, because it possesses two HKD motifs. However, it lacks PX and PH domains and has a putative transmembrane domain instead. Nevertheless, little is known regarding expression, structure, and function of PLD4. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: PLD4 was analyzed in terms of expression, structure, and function. Expression was analyzed in developing mouse brains and non-neuronal tissues using microarray, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and immunocytochemistry. Structure was evaluated using bioinformatics analysis of protein domains, biochemical analyses of transmembrane property, and enzymatic deglycosylation. PLD activity was examined by choline release and transphosphatidylation assays. Results demonstrated low to modest, but characteristic, PLD4 mRNA expression in a subset of cells preferentially localized around white matter regions, including the corpus callosum and cerebellar white matter, during the first postnatal week. These PLD4 mRNA-expressing cells were identified as Iba1-positive microglia. In non-neuronal tissues, PLD4 mRNA expression was widespread, but predominantly distributed in the spleen. Intense PLD4 expression was detected around the marginal zone of the splenic red pulp, and splenic PLD4 protein recovered from subcellular membrane fractions was highly N-glycosylated. PLD4 was heterologously expressed in cell lines and localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Moreover, heterologously expressed PLD4 proteins did not exhibit PLD enzymatic activity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Results showed that PLD4 is a non-PLD, HKD motif-carrying, transmembrane glycoprotein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. The spatiotemporally restricted expression patterns suggested that PLD4 might play a role in common function(s) among microglia during early postnatal brain development and splenic marginal zone cells

Glutaredoxin-1 Overexpression Enhances Neovascularization and Diminishes Ventricular Remodeling in Chronic Myocardial Infarction

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of cardiac failure, including the modulation of neovascularization following myocardial infarction (MI). Redox molecules thioredoxin (Trx) and glutaredoxin (Grx) superfamilies actively maintain intracellular thiol-redox homeostasis by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Among these two superfamilies, the pro-angiogenic function of Trx-1 has been reported in chronic MI model whereas similar role of Grx-1 remains uncertain. The present study attempts to establish the role of Grx-1 in neovascularization and ventricular remodeling following MI. Wild-type (WT) and Grx-1 transgenic (Grx-1Tg/+) mice were randomized into wild-type sham (WTS), Grx-1Tg/+ Sham (Grx-1Tg/+S), WTMI, Grx-1Tg/+MI. MI was induced by permanent occlusion of the LAD coronary artery. Sham groups underwent identical time-matched surgical procedures without LAD ligation. Significant increase in arteriolar density was observed 7 days (d) after surgical intervention in the Grx-1Tg/+MI group as compared to the WTMI animals. Further, improvement in myocardial functional parameters 30 d after MI was observed including decreased LVIDs, LVIDd, increased ejection fraction and, fractional shortening was also observed in the Grx-1Tg/+MI group as compared to the WTMI animals. Moreover, attenuation of oxidative stress and apoptotic cardiomyocytes was observed in the Grx-1Tg/+MI group as compared to the WTMI animals. Increased expression of p-Akt, VEGF, Ang-1, Bcl-2, survivin and DNA binding activity of NF-κB were observed in the Grx-1Tg/+MI group when compared to WTMI animals as revealed by Western blot analysis and Gel-shift analysis, respectively. These results are the first to demonstrate that Grx-1 induces angiogenesis and diminishes ventricular remodeling apparently through neovascularization mediated by Akt, VEGF, Ang-1 and NF-κB as well as Bcl-2 and survivin-mediated anti-apoptotic pathway in the infarcted myocardium

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine is a predominantly stable DNA modification.

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC) is an oxidation product of 5-methylcytosine which is present in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of most mammalian cells. Reduction of hmC levels in DNA is a hallmark of cancers. Elucidating the dynamics of this oxidation reaction and the lifetime of hmC in DNA is fundamental to understanding hmC function. Using stable isotope labelling of cytosine derivatives in the DNA of mammalian cells and ultrasensitive tandem liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry, we show that the majority of hmC is a stable modification, as opposed to a transient intermediate. In contrast with DNA methylation, which occurs immediately during replication, hmC forms slowly during the first 30 hours following DNA synthesis. Isotopic labelling of DNA in mouse tissues confirmed the stability of hmC in vivo and demonstrated a relationship between global levels of hmC and cell proliferation. These insights have important implications for understanding the states of chemically modified DNA bases in health and disease.We would like to acknowledge the CRUK CI Flow Cytometry and Histopathology/ISH core facilities for their contributions, David Oxley, Clive d’Santos and Donna Michelle-Smith for their support with mass spectrometry, Xiangang Zou for his help with mES cells and David Tannahill for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was funded by Cancer Research UK (all authors) and the Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award (S.B.).This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Chemistry at http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchem.2064.html

Plasma vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer: the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

We investigated the association between plasma 25(OH)D and the subsequent colorectal cancer incidence risk by a nested case–control study in The Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study, covering 375 newly diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer from 38 373 study subjects during a 11.5-year follow-up after blood collection. Two controls were matched per case on sex, age, study area, date of blood draw, and fasting time. In a conditional logistic regression model with matched pairs adjusted for smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, physical exercise, vitamin supplement use, and family history of colorectal cancer, plasma 25(OH)D was not significantly associated with colorectal cancer in men or in women. However, the lowest category of plasma 25(OH)D was associated with an elevated risk of rectal cancer in both men (odds ratio (OR), 4.6; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–20) and women (OR, 2.7, 95% CI, 0.94–7.6), compared with the combined category of the other quartiles. Our results suggest that a low level of plasma 25(OH)D may increase the risk of rectal cancer

Short-term follow-up of chagasic patients after benznidazole treatment using multiple serological markers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Conventional serological tests, using total soluble proteins or a cocktail of recombinant proteins from <it>T. cruzi </it>as antigens, are highly sensitive for Chagas disease diagnosis. This type of tests, however, does not seem to be reliable tools for short- and medium-term monitoring of the evolution of patients after antiparasitic treatment. The aim of the present study was to search for immunological markers that could be altered in the sera from Chagas disease patients after benznidazole treatment, and therefore have a potential predictive diagnostic value.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the reactivity of sera from chagasic patients during different clinical phases of the disease against a series of immunodominant antigens, known as KMP11, PFR2, HSP70 and Tgp63. The reactivity of the sera from 46 adult Chronic Chagas disease patients living in a non-endemic country without vector transmission of <it>T. cruzi </it>(15 patients in the indeterminate stage, 16 in the cardiomiopathy stage and 16 in the digestive stage) and 22 control sera from non-infected subjects was analyzed. We also analyzed the response dynamics of sera from those patients who had been treated with benznidazole.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Regardless of the stage of the sickness, the sera from chagasic patients reacted against KMP11, HSP70, PFR2 and Tgp63 recombinant proteins with statistical significance relative to the reactivity against the same antigens by the sera from healthy donors, patients with autoimmune diseases or patients suffering from tuberculosis, leprosy or malaria. Shortly after benznidazole treatment, a statistically significant decrease in reactivity against KMP11, HSP70 and PFR2 was observed (six or nine month). It was also observed that, following benznidazole treatment, the differential reactivity against these antigens co-relates with the clinical status of the patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The recombinant antigens KMP11, PFR2, Tgp63 and HSP70 are recognized by Chagas disease patients' sera at any clinical stage of the disease. Shortly after benznidazole treatment, a drop in reactivity against three of these antigens is produced in an antigen-specific manner. Most likely, analysis of the reactivity against these recombinant antigens may be useful for monitoring the effectiveness of benznidazole treatment.</p

Src Kinases Are Required for a Balanced Production of IL-12/IL-23 in Human Dendritic Cells Activated by Toll-Like Receptor Agonists

BACKGROUND: Pathogen recognition by dendritic cells (DC) is crucial for the initiation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Activation of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) by microbial molecular patterns leads to the maturation of DC, which present the antigen and activate T cells in secondary lymphoid tissues. Cytokine production by DC is critical for shaping the adaptive immune response by regulating T helper cell differentiation. It was previously shown by our group that Src kinases play a key role in cytokines production during TLR4 activation in human DC. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this work we investigated the role of Src kinases during different TLRs triggering in human monocyte-derived DC (MoDC). We found that Src family kinases are important for a balanced production of inflammatory cytokines by human MoDC upon stimulation of TLR3 and 8 with their respective agonists. Disruption of this equilibrium through pharmacological inhibition of Src kinases alters the DC maturation pattern. In particular, while expression of IL-12 and other inflammatory cytokines depend on Src kinases, the induction of IL-23 and co-stimulatory molecules do not. Accordingly, DC treated with Src inhibitors are not compromised in their ability to induce CD4 T cell proliferation and to promote the Th17 subset survival but are less efficient in inducing Th1 differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the pharmacological modulation of DC maturation has the potential to shape the quality of the adaptive immune response and could be exploited for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases