TNPO2 variants associate with human developmental delays, neurologic deficits, and dysmorphic features and alter TNPO2 activity in Drosophila

Transportin-2 (TNPO2) mediates multiple pathways including non-classical nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of >60 cargoes, such as developmental and neuronal proteins. We identified 15 individuals carrying de novo coding variants in TNPO2 who presented with global developmental delay (GDD), dysmorphic features, ophthalmologic abnormalities, and neurological features. To assess the nature of these variants, functional studies were performed in Drosophila. We found that fly dTnpo (orthologous to TNPO2) is expressed in a subset of neurons. dTnpo is critical for neuronal maintenance and function as downregulating dTnpo in mature neurons using RNAi disrupts neuronal activity and survival. Altering the activity and expression of dTnpo using mutant alleles or RNAi causes developmental defects, including eye and wing deformities and lethality. These effects are dosage dependent as more severe phenotypes are associated with stronger dTnpo loss. Interestingly, similar phenotypes are observed with dTnpo upregulation and ectopic expression of TNPO2, showing that loss and gain of Transportin activity causes developmental defects. Further, proband-associated variants can cause more or less severe developmental abnormalities compared to wild-type TNPO2 when ectopically expressed. The impact of the variants tested seems to correlate with their position within the protein. Specifically, those that fall within the RAN binding domain cause more severe toxicity and those in the acidic loop are less toxic. Variants within the cargo binding domain show tissue-dependent effects. In summary, dTnpo is an essential gene in flies during development and in neurons. Further, proband-associated de novo variants within TNPO2 disrupt the function of the encoded protein. Hence, TNPO2 variants are causative for neurodevelopmental abnormalities

Vascular permeability, vascular hyperpermeability and angiogenesis

The vascular system has the critical function of supplying tissues with nutrients and clearing waste products. To accomplish these goals, the vasculature must be sufficiently permeable to allow the free, bidirectional passage of small molecules and gases and, to a lesser extent, of plasma proteins. Physiologists and many vascular biologists differ as to the definition of vascular permeability and the proper methodology for its measurement. We review these conflicting views, finding that both provide useful but complementary information. Vascular permeability by any measure is dramatically increased in acute and chronic inflammation, cancer, and wound healing. This hyperpermeability is mediated by acute or chronic exposure to vascular permeabilizing agents, particularly vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/VEGF, VEGF-A). We demonstrate that three distinctly different types of vascular permeability can be distinguished, based on the different types of microvessels involved, the composition of the extravasate, and the anatomic pathways by which molecules of different size cross-vascular endothelium. These are the basal vascular permeability (BVP) of normal tissues, the acute vascular hyperpermeability (AVH) that occurs in response to a single, brief exposure to VEGF-A or other vascular permeabilizing agents, and the chronic vascular hyperpermeability (CVH) that characterizes pathological angiogenesis. Finally, we list the numerous (at least 25) gene products that different authors have found to affect vascular permeability in variously engineered mice and classify them with respect to their participation, as far as possible, in BVP, AVH and CVH. Further work will be required to elucidate the signaling pathways by which each of these molecules, and others likely to be discovered, mediate the different types of vascular permeability

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy

The previous Reviews in Mineralogy volume on spectroscopic methods (Vol. 18 Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology, Frank C. Hawthorne, ed. 1988), contained a single chapter on X-ray absorption spectroscopy which reviewed aspects of both EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) and XANES (X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure) (Brown et al. 1988, Chapter 11) However, since publication of that review there have been considerable advances in our understanding of XANES theory and applications. Hence EXAFS and XANES have been separated into their own individual chapters in the current volume. In this chapter we endeavor to bring the reader up to date with regard to current XANES theories, as well as, introducing them to the common applications of the technique in mineralogy, geochemistry and materials science. There have been several reviews of XANES (cf., Brown et al. 1988, Brown and Parks 1989, Manceau et al. 2002, Brown and Sturchio 2002, Mottana 2004, Rehr and Ankudinov 2005, de Groot 2001, 2005, and papers therein). In this chapter on XANES it is not our intention to provide a comprehensive review of all the XANES studies since 1988 but to summarize what X-ray edges are commonly investigated and what one can expect to be able to extract from the data. The reader is also advised to read the chapters in this volume on analytical transmission electron microscopy by Brydson et al. (2014, this volume) where (core level) electron energy loss (EELS) spectroscopy is discussed, and by Lee et al. (2014, this volume) on X-ray Raman spectroscopy (XRS), as these techniques provide element specific information similar to XANES. X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation is a well-established technique providing information on the electronic, structural and magnetic properties of matter. In XANES, a photon is absorbed and an electron is excited from a core state to an empty state. To excite an electron in a given core-level, the photon energy has to be equal or higher than the binding energy of this core-level. This gives rise to the opening of a new absorption channel when the photon energy is scanned. The energy of an absorption edge therefore corresponds to the core-level energy, which is characteristic for each element, making XANES an element-selective technique. In addition to the XANES region, at higher energies the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) region is found. The spectral shape in the near-edge region is determined by electronic density of states effects and gives mainly information about the electronic properties and the local geometry of the absorbing atom. The EXAFS region is dominated by single scattering events of the outgoing electron on the neighboring atoms, providing mainly information about the local geometric structure around the absorbing site. In this chapter we will focus on XANES

Effect of high pressure on the structure of barium disilicate glass-ceramics

A systematic study of crystallization of barium disilicate at high pressures and temperatures was undertaken.Two groups of samples were submitted to nucleation at 710°C, and then submitted to a crystal growth at either860°C or 960°C respectively. Both groups were heat treated at 1 atm, 2.5 GPa, 4 GPa, and 7.7 GPa. The dif-fraction results show that at atmospheric pressure, the phases formed are, monoclinic Ba6Si10O26, orthorhombiclow-Ba2Si4O10, and monoclinic high-Ba2Si4O10depending on the temperature treatment. In contrast, at 7.7 GPaorthorhombic BaSiO3, monoclinic phase Ba6Si10O26and coesite formed when treated at 860°C, whereasmonoclinic Ba6Si10O26is predominantly formed when treated at 960°C. At 2.5 and 4 GPa orthorhombic low-Ba2Si4O10formed when treated at 960°C. The high frequency Raman modes are strongly affected by the differentpressure and temperature treatments. The shifts and formations of distinct vibrations modes are discussed asfunction of pressure

The effect of alkaline-earth substitution on the Li K-edge of lithium silicate glasses

International audienceWe present the first Li K-edge XANES study of a varied suite of lithium silicate (LS) and lithium alkaline-earth silicate (LMS) glasses. The LS series contains three glasses with compositions LS4 (20 Li2O-80 SiO2), LS2 (33 Li2O-67 SiO2) and LS1.5 (40 Li2O-60 SiO2) and the LMS series is comprised of four glasses of compositions 20 Li2O-20 M2O-60 SiO2 where M = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba. The spectra were compared to those of known salts and minerals, particularly to lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3) and lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). Crystalline lithium metasilicate has a sharp, strong intensity absorption edge whereas the lithium silicate glasses all have a weak intensity edge feature, similar to that of lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). The intensity of the edge is governed by the existence of a 2p electron and can be correlated with the ionicity of the Lisbnd O bond. Therefore, the bonding environment in LS glasses differs considerably from their crystalline counterparts. The area of the absorption edge peak increases with the lithium content of the LS glasses. As for the LMS glasses the edge peak changes drastically depending on the alkaline-earth present. The peak area of the LMS glasses decreases with increasing charge density (Z/r2) from barium to magnesium. The area of the absorption edge peak in the LS glasses is larger than that of the LMS glasses. Thus, the addition of alkaline-earth elements to lithium silicate glasses modifies the glass network differently depending on the specific element, which in turn creates an altered lithium bonding environment as evidenced by their Li K-edge XANES spectra