A Chinese Herbal Formula to Improve General Psychological Status in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial on Sichuan Earthquake Survivors

Introduction. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is accompanied by poor general psychological status (GPS). In the present study, we investigated the effects of a Chinese herbal formula on GPS in earthquake survivors with PTSD. Methods. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared a Chinese herbal formula, Xiao-Tan-Jie-Yu-Fang (XTJYF), to placebo in 2008 Sichuan earthquake survivors with PTSD. Patients were randomized into XTJYF (n = 123) and placebo (n = 122) groups. Baseline-to-end-point score changes in the three global indices of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and rates of response in the SCL global severity index (GSI) were the primary endpoints. A subanalysis of the nine SCL factors and the sleep quality score were secondary endpoints. Results and Discussion. Compared to placebo, the XTJYF group was significantly improved in all three SCL global indices (P = 0.001~0.028). More patients in the XTJYF group reported “much improved” than the placebo group (P = 0.001). The XTJYF group performed significantly better than control in five out of nine SCL factors (somatization, obsessive-compulsive behavior, depression, anxiety, and hostility (P = 0.001~0.036)), and in sleep quality score (P < 0.001). XTJYF produced no serious adverse events. These findings suggest that XTJYF may be an effective and safe treatment option for improving GPS in patients with PTSD

A functional genomic approach to actionable gene fusions for precision oncology

Fusion genes represent a class of attractive therapeutic targets. Thousands of fusion genes have been identified in patients with cancer, but the functional consequences and therapeutic implications of most of these remain largely unknown. Here, we develop a functional genomic approach that consists of efficient fusion reconstruction and sensitive cell viability and drug response assays. Applying this approach, we characterize similar to 100 fusion genes detected in patient samples of The Cancer Genome Atlas, revealing a notable fraction of low-frequency fusions with activating effects on tumor growth. Focusing on those in the RTK-RAS pathway, we identify a number of activating fusions that can markedly affect sensitivity to relevant drugs. Last, we propose an integrated, level-of-evidence classification system to prioritize gene fusions systematically. Our study reiterates the urgent clinical need to incorporate similar functional genomic approaches to characterize gene fusions, thereby maximizing the utility of gene fusions for precision oncology

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations of 66 chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChRCCs) based on multidimensional and comprehensive characterization, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and whole genome sequencing. The result is consistent that ChRCC originates from the distal nephron compared to other kidney cancers with more proximal origins. Combined mtDNA and gene expression analysis implicates changes in mitochondrial function as a component of the disease biology, while suggesting alternative roles for mtDNA mutations in cancers relying on oxidative phosphorylation. Genomic rearrangements lead to recurrent structural breakpoints within TERT promoter region, which correlates with highly elevated TERT expression and manifestation of kataegis, representing a mechanism of TERT up-regulation in cancer distinct from previously-observed amplifications and point mutations

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

Advanced low‐dimensional carbon materials for flexible devices

We live in a digitized era, where we are completely surrounded by a plethora of automated electronic systems, be it a smart home energy controller or a self‐operated diagnostic kiosk in a clinic. With the recent advent of one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials like carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene, the world of electronics has revolutionized with state‐of‐the‐art product paradigms. These nanomaterials possess desirable features of large surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, and high mechanical strength. Electronic devices made out of these materials have the added advantages of being flexible, light‐weight, and durable. Thus, present‐day devices that utilize these substances as channel or electrode materials have been able to undergo a positive transformation as compared with conventional structures. Flexibility and bendability are some of the coveted aesthetics of modern‐day electronics and the use of these 1D and 2D nanomaterials imparts such features to the devices, without having to compromise on key output characteristics like sensitivity and efficiency. In this short review, we discuss about various new configurations that are based on graphene, CNT, and other materials like transition metal dichalcogenides, and how these materials have been able to metamorphose the attributes of conventional devices.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)Published versio

Heterolayered films of monolayer WS2 nanosheets on monolayer graphene embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) for plasmonic biosensing

International audienceThe interplay between light photons and nanomaterials can give rise to many striking phenomena. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which is one such plasmonic sensing mechanism, is gaining much attention from the biomedical fraternity. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials like transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and graphenes are recently discovered nanomaterials that have favorable properties like high optical absorption. These materials have been applied extensively in the fields of drug delivery and cancer therapy. However, their applications in the area of plasmonic biosensing need to be explored more. Hence, using commercial SPR sensors, we demonstrate the effectiveness of heterostructured monolayer nanosheets of graphene and WS2 for a plasmonic-based detection system of a specific ligand-analyte interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-BSA. Our detection technique does not require any complex functionalization scheme as the graphene-WS2 nanosheet-coated gold chip can attach protein molecules through hydrophobic interactions. The limit of detection (LOD) obtained for the anti-BSA protein is 0.44 μg/mL

Multifaceted Hybrid Carbon Fibers: Applications in Renewables, Sensing and Tissue Engineering

The field of material science is continually evolving with first-class discoveries of new nanomaterials. The element carbon is ubiquitous in nature. Due to its valency, it can exist in various forms, also known as allotropes, like diamond, graphite, one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotube (CNT), carbon fiber (CF) and two-dimensional (2D) graphene. Carbon nano fiber (CNF) is another such material that falls within the category of CF. With much smaller diameters (around hundreds of nanometers) and lengths in microns, CNFs have higher aspect (length to diameter) ratios than CNTs. Because of their unique properties like high electrical and thermal conductivity, CNFs can be applied to many matrices like elastomers, thermoplastics, ceramics and metals. Owing to their outstanding mechanical properties, they can be used as reinforcements that can enhance the tensile and compressive strain limits of the base material. Thus, in this short review, we take a look into the dexterous characteristics of CF and CNF, where they have been hybridized with different materials, and delve deeply into some of the recent applications and advancements of these hybrid fiber systems in the fields of sensing, tissue engineering and modification of renewable devices since favorable mechanical and electrical properties of the CFs and CNFs like high tensile strength and electrical conductivity lead to enhanced device performance