Alterations in Localized Electrical Impedance Myography of Biceps Brachii Muscles Paralyzed by Spinal Cord Injury

This study assessed electrical impedance myography (EIM) changes after spinal cord injury (SCI) with a localized multifrequency technology. The EIM measurement was performed on the biceps brachii muscle at rest condition of 17 cervical SCI subjects, and 23 neurologically intact subjects as control group. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in muscle reactance (X) and phase angle (θ) at selected frequencies (i.e., 50 and 100 kHz) in SCI compared to control. There was no significant difference in muscle resistance (R) between the two groups. The anisotropy examination revealed that SCI group had a decreased anisotropy ratio in resistance. In addition, the multifrequency spectrum analysis showed a decreased slope of the log(freq)-resistance regression in SCI group when compared to healthy control. Findings of the EIM changes are related to inherit muscle changes after the injury. Since EIM requires no patient effort and is quick and convenient to conduct, it may provide a useful tool for examination of paralyzed muscle changes after SCI

Analysis of the efficacy and safety of inpatient and outpatient initiation of KD for the treatment of pediatric refractory epilepsy using generalized estimating equations

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and safety of inpatient and outpatient initiation ketogenic diet (KD) protocol of pediatric refractory epilepsy.MethodsEligible children with refractory epilepsy were randomly assigned to receive KD with inpatient and outpatient initiation. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) model was used to analyze the longitudinal variables of seizure reduction, ketone body, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and BMI Z-score at different follow-up times between the two groups.ResultsBetween January 2013 and December 2021, 78 and 112 patients were assigned to outpatient and inpatient KD initiation groups, respectively. There were no statistical differences between the two groups based on baseline demographics and clinical characteristics (all Ps > 0.05). The GEE model indicated that the rate of reduction of seizures≥50% in the outpatient initiation group was higher than that of the inpatient initiation group (p = 0.049). A negative correlation was observed between the seizure reduction and blood ketone body at 1, 6, and 12 months (all Ps < 0.05). There were no significant differences in height, weight, BMI, and BMI Z-score between the two groups over the 12-month period by the GEE models (all Ps > 0.05). Adverse events were reported by 31 patients (43.05%) in the outpatient KD initiation group and 46 patients (42.20%) in the inpatient KD initiation group, but these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.909).ConclusionOur study shows that outpatient KD initiation is a safe and effective treatment for children with refractory epilepsy

Inhibition of HIV virus by neutralizing Vhh attached to dual functional liposomes encapsulating dapivirine

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly improved the life expectancy of HIV/AIDS patients, the treatment is not curative. It is a global challenge which fosters an urgent need to develop an effective drug or neutralizing antibody delivery approach for the prevention and treatment of this disease. Due to the low density of envelope spikes with restricted mobility present on the surface of HIV virus, which limit the antibody potency and allow virus mutation and escape from the immune system, it is important for a neutralizing antibody to form bivalent or multivalent bonds with the virus. Liposome constructs could fulfil this need due to the flexible mobility of the membrane with its attached antibodies and the capacity for drug encapsulation. In this study, we evaluated the neutralization activity of a range of liposome formulations in different sizes coated with anti-gp120 llama antibody fragments (Vhhs) conjugated via either non-covalent metal chelation or a covalent linkage. The non-covalent construct demonstrated identical binding affinity to HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 and neutralizing ability for HIV virus as free Vhh. Although covalently linked Vhh showed significant binding affinity to gp120, it unexpectedly had a lower neutralization potency. This may be due to the comparability in size of the viral and liposome particles restricting the number which can be bound to the liposome surface so involving only a fraction of the antibodies, whereas non-covalently attached antibodies dissociate from the surface after acting with gp120 and free the remainder to bind further viruses. Covalently conjugated Vhh might also trigger the cellular uptake of a liposome-virion complex. To explore the possible ability of the antibody-coated liposomes to have a further function, we encapsulated the hydrophobic antiviral drug dapivirine into both of the non-covalently and covalently conjugated liposome formulations, both of which revealed high efficacy in reducing viral replication in vitro. Thus, dual function liposomes may lead to a novel strategy for the prophylaxis of HIV/AIDS by combining the neutralizing activity of Vhh with antiviral effects of high drug concentrations

Electric-field-induced selective catalysis of single-molecule reaction

随着单分子电学检测技术的迅速发展，分子电子学的研究不再局限于分子电子学器件的构筑及其电学性质的测量，而且扩展到单分子尺度化学反应过程的探索。然而目前相关的研究仍然局限于理论计算方面，在单分子尺度上实时监测和调控化学反应的活性和选择性是化学领域的长期目标和挑战。针对这一挑战，洪文晶教授课题组与程俊教授课题组合作，自主研发了精密科学仪器，将单个有机分子定向连接在两个末端尺寸为原子级的电极之间，解决了化学反应中分子取向控制的问题.理论计算结果证实了定向电场可以有效地稳定化学反应的过渡态，从而降低反应能垒。该研究工作在化学化工学院洪文晶教授、程俊教授、能源材料化学协同创新中心（iChEM）刘俊扬副研究员的共同指导下完成，由硕士研究生黄晓艳、iChEM博士研究生唐淳、博士研究生李洁琼以及兰州大学的陈力川博士作为共同第一作者，化学化工学院师佳副教授、陈招斌高级工程师、夏海平教授和田中群教授，萨本栋微纳研究院杨扬副教授、环境与生态学院白敏冬教授以及兰州大学张浩力教授参与了研究工作的讨论并给予指导，博士后乐家波、博士研究生郑珏婷、张佩（已毕业）、李瑞豪、李晓慧也参与了研究工作。Oriented external electric fields (OEEFs) offer a unique chance to tune catalytic selectivity by orienting the alignment of the electric field along the axis of the activated bond for a specific chemical reaction; however, they remain a key experimental challenge. Here, we experimentally and theoretically investigated the OEEF-induced selective catalysis in a two-step cascade reaction of the Diels-Alder addition followed by an aromatization process. Characterized by the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique in the nanogap and confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in bottles, OEEFs are found to selectively catalyze the aromatization reaction by one order of magnitude owing to the alignment of the electric field on the reaction axis. Meanwhile, the Diels-Alder reaction remained unchanged since its reaction axis is orthogonal to the electric fields. This orientation-selective catalytic effect of OEEFs reveals that chemical reactions can be selectively manipulated through the elegant alignment between the electric fields and the reaction axis.This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0204902), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21722305, 21703188, 21673195, 21621091, 51733004, 51525303, and 91745103), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M622060), and the Young Thousand Talents Project of China. 该工作得到国家自然科学基金委（21722305、21703188、21673195、51733004、51525303、91745103），国家重点研发计划课题（2017YFA0204902），中国博士后面上基金（2017M622060）的资助，以及固体表面物理化学国家重点实验室、醇醚酯化工清洁生产国家工程实验室、能源材料化学协同创新中心的支持

Regulator of G-Protein Signaling 14 (RGS14) Is a Selective H-Ras Effector

Background: Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins have been well-described as accelerators of Ga-mediated GTP hydrolysis (‘‘GTPase-accelerating proteins’’ or GAPs). However, RGS proteins with complex domain architectures are now known to regulate much more than Ga GTPase activity. RGS14 contains tandem Ras-binding domains that have been reported to bind to Rap- but not Ras GTPases in vitro, leading to the suggestion that RGS14 is a Rap-specific effector. However, more recent data from mammals and Drosophila imply that, in vivo, RGS14 may instead be an effector of Ras.Methodology/Principal Findings: Full-length and truncated forms of purified RGS14 protein were found to bind indiscriminately in vitro to both Rap- and Ras-family GTPases, consistent with prior literature reports. In stark contrast, however, we found that in a cellular context RGS14 selectively binds to activated H-Ras and not to Rap isoforms. Co- transfection / co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated the ability of full-length RGS14 to assemble a multiprotein complex with components of the ERK MAPK pathway in a manner dependent on activated H-Ras. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of RGS14 inhibited both nerve growth factor- and basic fibrobast growth factor- mediated neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells, a process which is known to be dependent on Ras-ERK signaling.Conclusions/Significance: In cells, RGS14 facilitates the formation of a selective Ras?GTP-Raf-MEK-ERK multiprotein complex to promote sustained ERK activation and regulate H-Ras-dependent neuritogenesis. This cellular function for RGS14 is similar but distinct from that recently described for its closely-related paralogue, RGS12, which shares the tandem Ras- binding domain architecture with RGS14

Prime–boost vaccination with plasmid and adenovirus gene vaccines control HER2/neu(+ )metastatic breast cancer in mice

INTRODUCTION: Once metastasis has occurred, the possibility of completely curing breast cancer is unlikely, particularly for the 30 to 40% of cancers overexpressing the gene for HER2/neu. A vaccine targeting p185, the protein product of the HER2/neu gene, could have therapeutic application by controlling the growth and metastasis of highly aggressive HER2/neu(+ )cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two gene vaccines targeting HER2/neu in preventive and therapeutic tumor models. METHODS: The mouse breast cancer cell line A2L2, which expresses the gene for rat HER2/neu and hence p185, was injected into the mammary fat pad of mice as a model of solid tumor growth or was injected intravenously as a model of lung metastasis. SINCP-neu, a plasmid containing Sindbis virus genes and the gene for rat HER2/neu, and Adeno-neu, an E1,E2a-deleted adenovirus also containing the gene for rat HER2/neu, were tested as preventive and therapeutic vaccines. RESULTS: Vaccination with SINCP-neu or Adeno-neu before tumor challenge with A2L2 cells significantly inhibited the growth of the cells injected into the mammary fat or intravenously. Vaccination 2 days after tumor challenge with either vaccine was ineffective in both tumor models. However, therapeutic vaccination in a prime–boost protocol with SINCP-neu followed by Adeno-neu significantly prolonged the overall survival rate of mice injected intravenously with the tumor cells. Naive mice vaccinated using the same prime–boost protocol demonstrated a strong serum immunoglobulin G response and p185-specific cellular immunity, as shown by the results of ELISPOT (enzyme-linked immunospot) analysis for IFNγ. CONCLUSION: We report herein that vaccination of mice with a plasmid gene vaccine and an adenovirus gene vaccine, each containing the gene for HER2/neu, prevented growth of a HER2/neu-expressing breast cancer cell line injected into the mammary fat pad or intravenously. Sequential administration of the vaccines in a prime–boost protocol was therapeutically effective when tumor cells were injected intravenously before the vaccination. The vaccines induced high levels of both cellular and humoral immunity as determined by in vitro assessment. These findings indicate that clinical evaluation of these vaccines, particularly when used sequentially in a prime–boost protocol, is justified