16种植物挥发油对柏子仁黄曲霉菌的抑制作用考察

目的:从16种植物(香茅、香叶、松节、山苍子、薄荷、干姜、丁香、姜黄、红花椒、肉桂、罗勒、迷迭香、青花椒、竹叶花椒、八角茴香、肉豆蔻)挥发油中筛选出对黄曲霉菌生长有较好抑制效果的植物挥发油。方法:采用平板培养法从柏子仁药材表面分离得到黄曲霉菌,利用水蒸气蒸馏法提取16种植物挥发油,采用滤纸片熏蒸后测定黄曲霉菌的菌落直径,对16种植物挥发油抑制黄曲霉菌生长的效果进行研究。结果:采用性状、显微及DNA条形码鉴定的方法从柏子仁药材上成功分离了黄曲霉菌,上述16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌的抑菌率分别为2. 93%,0. 05%,0. 37%,76. 07%,0. 34%,0. 15%,50. 05%,8. 51%,1. 43%,58. 20%,0. 07%,2. 60%,8. 73%,100. 00%,52. 62%,0. 07%。结论:16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌均有着不同程度的抑菌活性,其中竹叶花椒挥发油、山苍子挥发油、肉桂挥发油的抑菌效果较好,可为柏子仁生长储藏过程中防治黄曲霉菌的污染提供参考,并为植物挥发油作为中药仓储过程中的抑菌剂提供应用依据。     

SEPT9在结直肠癌早期检测中的研究进展

SEPT9是13个Septin同源基因家族之一，参与调控众多过程，包括细胞分裂、细胞极化、细胞迁移以及线粒体分裂等。研究表明在众多肿瘤中，SEPT9都发挥着作用，尤其在结直肠肿瘤研究领域，外周血SEPT9基因甲基化检测更是研究热点，其检测的敏感度和特异度相对于其他糖蛋白肿瘤标志物、粪便隐血试验和粪便免疫化学测试等更具有优势，相对于结直肠镜等侵入性检查更节约成本，同时有着更好的依从性。本文对SEPT9的功能、与结直肠癌之间的关系以及对结直肠肿瘤的筛查及诊断价值做一综述。     

Evaluation of protection induced by a dengue virus serotype 2 envelope domain III protein scaffold/DNA vaccine in non-human primates

We describe the preclinical development of a dengue virus vaccine targeting the dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) envelope domain III (EDIII). This study provides proof-of-principle that a dengue EDIII protein scaffold/DNA vaccine can protect against dengue challenge. The dengue vaccine (EDIII-E2) is composed of both a protein particle and a DNA expression plasmid delivered simultaneously via intramuscular injection (protein) and gene gun (DNA) into rhesus macaques. The protein component can contain a maximum of 60 copies of EDIII presented on a multimeric scaffold of Geobacillus stearothermophilus E2 proteins. The DNA component is composed of the EDIII portion of the envelope gene cloned into an expression plasmid. The EDIII-E2 vaccine elicited robust antibody responses to DENV2, with neutralizing antibody responses detectable following the first boost and reaching titers of greater than 1:100,000 following the second and final boost. Vaccinated and naïve groups of macaques were challenged with DENV2. All vaccinated macaques were protected from detectable viremia by infectious assay, while naïve animals had detectable viremia for 2–7 days post-challenge. All naïve macaques had detectable viral RNA from day 2–10 post-challenge. In the EDIII-E2 group, three macaques were negative for viral RNA and three were found to have detectable viral RNA post challenge. Viremia onset was delayed and the duration was shortened relative to naïve controls. The presence of viral RNA post-challenge corresponded to a 10–30-fold boost in neutralization titers 28 days post challenge, whereas no boost was observed in the fully protected animals. Based on these results, we determine that pre-challenge 50% neutralization titers of >1:6000 correlated with sterilizing protection against DENV2 challenge in EDIII-E2 vaccinated macaques. Identification of the critical correlate of protection for the EDIII-E2 platform in the robust non-human primate model lays the groundwork for further development of a tetravalent EDIII-E2 dengue vaccine.     

Relationship between MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and MSH6 gene-specific alterations and tumor mutational burden in 1057 microsatellite instability-high solid tumors

Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) and tumor mutational burden (TMB) are predictive biomarkers for immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Still, the relationship between the underlying cause(s) of MSI and TMB in tumors remains poorly defined. We investigated associations of TMB to mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression patterns by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and MMR mutations in a diverse sample of tumors. Hypothesized differences were identified by the protein/gene affected/mutated and the tumor histology/primary site. Overall, 1057 MSI-H tumors were identified from the 32 932 tested. MSI was examined by NGS using 7000+ target microsatellite loci. TMB was calculated using only nonsynonymous missense mutations sequenced with a 592-gene panel; a subset of MSI-H tumors also had MMR IHC performed. Analyses examined TMB by MMR protein heterodimer impacted (loss of MLH1/PMS2 vs. MSH2/MSH6 expression) and gene-specific mutations. The sample was 54.6% female; mean age was 63.5 years. Among IHC tested tumors, loss of co-expression of MLH1/PMS2 was more common (n = 544/705, 77.2%) than loss of MSH2/MSH6 (n = 81/705, 11.5%; P < .0001), and was associated with lower mean TMB (MLH1/PMS2: 25.03 mut/Mb vs MSH2/MSH6 46.83 mut/Mb; P < .0001). TMB also varied by tumor histology: colorectal cancers demonstrating MLH1/PMS2 loss had higher TMBs (33.14 mut/Mb) than endometrial cancers (20.60 mut/Mb) and other tumors (25.59 mut/Mb; P < .0001). MMR gene mutations were detected in 42.0% of tumors; among these, MSH6 mutations were most common (25.7%). MSH6 mutation patterns showed variability by tumor histology and TMB. TMB varies by underlying cause(s) of MSI and tumor histology; this heterogeneity may contribute to differences in response to ICI.     

Genetic toxicity assessment using liver cell models: past,present, and future

ABSTRACT

Genotoxic compounds may be detoxified to non-genotoxic metabolites while many pro-carcinogens require metabolic activation to exert their genotoxicity in vivo. Standard genotoxicity assays were developed and utilized for risk assessment for over 40 years. Most of these assays are conducted in metabolically incompetent rodent or human cell lines. Deficient in normal metabolism and relying on exogenous metabolic activation systems, the current in vitro genotoxicity assays often have yielded high false positive rates, which trigger unnecessary and costly in vivo studies. Metabolically active cells such as hepatocytes have been recognized as a promising cell model in predicting genotoxicity of carcinogens in vivo. In recent years, significant advances in tissue culture and biological technologies provided new opportunities for using hepatocytes in genetic toxicology. This review encompasses published studies (both in vitro and in vivo) using hepatocytes for genotoxicity assessment. Findings from both standard and newly developed genotoxicity assays are summarized. Various liver cell models used for genotoxicity assessment are described, including the potential application of advanced liver cell models such as 3D spheroids, organoids, and engineered hepatocytes. An integrated strategy, that includes the use of human-based cells with enhanced biological relevance and throughput, and applying the quantitative analysis of data, may provide an approach for future genotoxicity risk assessment.