Ad-CD40L mobilizes CD4 T cells for the treatment of brainstem tumors

BackgroundDiffuse midline glioma, formerly DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma), is the deadliest pediatric brainstem tumor with median survival of less than one year. Here, we investigated (i) whether direct delivery of adenovirus-expressing cluster of differentiation (CD)40 ligand (Ad-CD40L) to brainstem tumors would induce immune-mediated tumor clearance and (ii) if so, whether therapy would be associated with a manageable toxicity due to immune-mediated inflammation in the brainstem.MethodsSyngeneic gliomas in the brainstems of immunocompetent mice were treated with Ad-CD40L and survival, toxicity, and immune profiles determined. A clinically translatable vector, whose replication would be tightly restricted to tumor cells, rAd-Δ24-CD40L, was tested in human patient–derived diffuse midline gliomas and immunocompetent models.ResultsExpression of Ad-CD40L restricted to brainstem gliomas by pre-infection induced complete rejection, associated with immune cell infiltration, of which CD4+ T cells were critical for therapy. Direct intratumoral injection of Ad-CD40L into established brainstem tumors improved survival and induced some complete cures but with some acute toxicity. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that Ad-CD40L therapy induced neuroinflammatory immune responses associated with interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α. Therefore, to generate a vector whose replication, and transgene expression, would be tightly restricted to tumor cells, we constructed rAd-Δ24-CD40L, the backbone of which has already entered clinical trials for diffuse midline gliomas. Direct intratumoral injection of rAd-Δ24-CD40L, with systemic blockade of IL-6 and IL-1β, generated significant numbers of cures with readily manageable toxicity.ConclusionsVirus-mediated delivery of CD40L has the potential to be effective in treating diffuse midline gliomas without obligatory neuroinflammation-associated toxicity.     

Cell integrity indicators assessed by bioelectrical impedance: A systematic review of studies involving athletes

IntroductionBioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been used to evaluate cellular health and integrity through bioelectrical indicators. In the sporting context, monitoring these indicators can be useful to assess the quality and vitality of cells and body tissues.ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review was to investigate indicators of cellular health and integrity evaluated by BIA in athletes.MethodsSearches were performed in December 2017 in the Lilacs, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.ResultsThe searches retrieved 31 articles (30 involving professional athletes and one involving university athletes). In longitudinal studies (n = 15), the bioelectrical parameters directly associated with cellular health and integrity were extracellular water (ECW), phase angle (PA), BIA vector analysis (BIVA), crude reactance data (Xc), resistance (R), and ECW/BCM ratio. Regarding the findings of cross-sectional studies (n = 16), the investigated parameters (ECW, PA, BIVA, Z, BCM, and ECW/BCM) were directly associated with gender, age, sports performance level, modality, and game position.ConclusionsIn the included studies, the cellular health and integrity indicators were: Z, Xc, R, total water, intracellular water, ECW, PA, BIVA, BCM, and ECW/BCM.     

miR-451a suppresses the development of breast cancer via targeted inhibition of CCND2

Extensive research has indicated that miRNAs are crucial for the occurrence and progression of cancers. miR-451a, involved in breast cancer (BC), is one of the miRNAs. This study focused on the mechanism by which miR-451a regulates BC. The levels of miR-451a in BC tissues and cell lines were examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan‒Meier analysis showed that this was intimately related to the patient's overall survival rate. Functional experiments revealed the negative effects of miR-451a on the abilities of BC cells to multiply (tested by Cell Counting Kit-8), migrate (tested by wound healing assay), and invade (tested by Transwell assay) and its positive effects on apoptosis (tested by flow cytometry). Western blotting indicated that the expression of tumor-related proteins was affected by miR-451a. Moreover, in vivo experiments suggested that tumor growth was clearly restrained by an miR-451a agonist in a xenograft tumor model. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that miR-451a directly targeted Cyclin D2 (CCND2), as demonstrated by the luciferase reporter assay. An opposite change in the level of CCND2 and miR-451a in BC was indicated by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Subsequently, functional experiments and western blotting analysis confirmed that CCND2 accelerated BC progression, which was regulated by miR-451a. Cumulatively, research on miR-451a may be valuable for BC treatment.     

Aloe-Emodin Protects RIN-5F (Pancreatic β-cell) Cell from Glucotoxicity via Regulation of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine and Downregulation of Bax and Caspase 3

To determine the protective effect of aloe-emodin (AE) from high glucose induced toxicity in RIN-5F (pancreatic β-cell) cell and restoration of its function was analyzed. RIN-5F cells have been cultured in high glucose (25 mM glucose) condition, with and without AE treatment. RIN-5F cells cultured in high glucose decreased cell viability and increased ROS levels after 48 hr compared with standard medium (5.5 mM glucose). Glucotoxicity was confirmed by significantly increased ROS production, increased pro-inflammatory (IFN-γ, IL-1β,) & decreased anti-inflammatory (IL-6&IL-10) cytokine levels, increased DNA fragmentation. In addition, we found increased Bax, caspase 3, Fadd, and Fas and significantly reduced Bcl-2 expression after 48 hr. RIN-5F treated with both high glucose and AE (20 μM) decreased ROS generation and prevent RIN-5F cell from glucotoxicity. In addition, AE treated cells cultured in high glucose were transferred to standard medium, normal responsiveness to glucose was restored within 8hr and normal basal insulin release within 24 hr was achieved when compared to high glucose.     

运用六经辨证治疗子嗽探析

妊娠期间,咳嗽不已,称"妊娠咳嗽",亦称"子嗽",孕妇咳嗽日久未见好转,咳嗽胸痛甚则咳而呕吐,或咳嗽剧烈或久咳不愈,可损伤胎气,导致堕胎、小产。笔者运用六经辨证治疗外感型中表寒里热证子嗽,认为此类患者病在太阳阳明,属于寒热错杂之表寒里热,采用《伤寒论》中方证麻杏甘石汤合止嗽散,使热从外泄,宣发卫气,散寒不助热、解表不伤正,故辨证论治取得了显著的疗效。同时子嗽治疗还需注意健脾固肾安胎,应将顾护胎元贯穿治疗妊娠咳嗽的始终。     

Central nervous system and peripheral cell labeling by vascular endothelial cadherin-driven lineage tracing in adult mice

Understanding the contribution of endothelial cells to the progenitor pools of adult tissues has the potential to inform therapies for human disease.To address whether endothelial cells transdifferentiate into non-vascular cell types,we performed cell lineage tracing analysis using transgenic mice engineered to express a fluorescent marker following activation by tamoxifen in vascular endothelial cadherin promoter-expressing cells(VEcad-CreERT2;B6 Cg-Gt(ROSA)26Sortm9(CAG-tdTomato)Hze).Activation of target-cell labeling following 1.5 months of ad libitum feeding with tamoxifen-laden chow in 4–5 month-old mice resulted in the tracing of central nervous system and peripheral cells that include:cerebellar granule neurons,ependymal cells,skeletal myocytes,pancreatic beta cells,pancreatic acinar cells,tubular cells in the renal cortex,duodenal crypt cells,ileal crypt cells,and hair follicle stem cells.As Nestin expression has been reported in a subset of endothelial cells,Nes-CreERT2 mice were also utilized in these conditions.The tracing of cells in adult Nes-CreERT2 mice revealed the labeling of canonical progeny cell types such as hippocampal and olfactory granule neurons as well as ependymal cells.Interestingly,Nestin tracing also labeled skeletal myocytes,ileal crypt cells,and sparsely marked cerebellar granule neurons.Our findings provide support for endothelial cells as active contributors to adult tissue progenitor pools.This information could be of particular significance for the intravenous delivery of therapeutics to downstream endothelial-derived cellular targets.The animal experiments were approved by the Boise State University Institute Animal Care and Use Committee(approval No.006-AC15-018)on October 31,2018.     

超高分辨率眼前节光学相干断层成像技术在结膜增生性疾病诊断中的应用

目的 探讨超高分辨率眼前节OCT在结膜增生性疾病诊断中的应用效果。方法 选取2017年1月～2018年12月浙江大学附属第一医院及北仑分院眼科门诊收治的150例(150眼)结膜增生性疾病患者作为研究组。另选同期在我院进行体检的结膜正常者80例(80眼)作为对照组。统计分析超高分辨率眼前节OCT在睑裂斑,翼状胬肉及鳞状上皮瘤等结膜增生性疾病中临床诊断与病理诊断的符合率。观察分析睑裂斑,翼状胬肉及鳞状上皮瘤等结膜增生性疾病的特征性表现。结果 150例(150眼)结膜增生患者临床诊断为睑裂斑患者30例(30眼),翼状胬肉患者100例(100眼),以及眼表鳞状细胞瘤的患者20例(20眼)。与病理学诊断相比,UHR-OCT诊断睑裂斑诊断符合率为100.00%(30/30),翼状胬肉诊断符合率100.00%(98/98),眼表鳞状细胞瘤诊断符合率为90.91%(20/22),经统计学处理,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。睑裂斑患者图像特征:生长在角巩膜缘处停止,且角膜上未见隆起,与前弹力层间未见高反射信号,与巩膜间未见明显分界。翼状胬肉患者图像特征:结膜上皮厚度轻度增厚,上皮层表现为中等程度的高反射,角膜上皮与前弹力层间表现为较高程度的高反射信号。OSSN患者图像特征:结膜上皮增厚,呈高反射,结膜正常上皮与异常上皮转变突然,无过渡区域,深部组织间上皮内可见瘤变。结论 超高分辨率眼前节OCT在结膜增生性疾病的诊断中具有较高的准确性,且影像特征明显,具有广阔的临床应用前景。     

miR-147对胶质瘤U87细胞增殖、凋亡和侵袭的影响

目的:比较胶质瘤患者胶质瘤组织和瘤旁组织中miR-147表达水平的差异性，进一步分析miR-147与胶质瘤细胞生物学活性的相关性。方法:通过实时荧光定量PCR检测65例胶质瘤患者瘤组织和瘤旁组织中miR-147的表达水平；采用Lipofectamine 2000转染法转染胶质瘤细胞，分为miR-147 mimics组和NC组，检测两组转染效率；进一步通过CCK-8实验、流式细胞实验和Transwell实验比较两组细胞生物活性。结果:胶质瘤组织中miR-147表达水平显著低于瘤旁组织；与NC组比较，miR-147 mimics组细胞不论是增殖能力还是侵袭能力都明显降低，但是，miR-147 mimics组的细胞凋亡率升高。结论:胶质瘤组织中存在miR-147低表达的现象。miR-147在胶质瘤细胞中表达升高能够抑制细胞的增殖能力、降低其侵袭能力，并促使更多的细胞发生晚期凋亡。miR-147可能在胶质瘤中扮演着抑癌基因的重要角色。