Next-generation sequencing through multigene panel testing for the diagnosis of hereditary epidermolysis bullosa in Chinese population

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a heritable blistering disorder. We performed a next-generation sequencing-based multigene panel test and successfully predicted 100% of the EB types, including, 36 EB simplex (EBS), 13 junctional EB (JEB), 86 dystrophic EB (DEB), and 3 Kindler EB. Chinese JEB and recessive DEB (RDEB) patients have relatively mild phenotypes; for severe type separately accounts for 45.5% and 23.8%, respectively. We identified 96 novel and 49 recurrent pathogenic variants in 11 genes, although we failed to detect the second mutation in one JEB and five RDEB patients. We identified one novel p.E475K mosaic mutation in the clinically normal mother of one out of 13 EBS patients with KRT5 mutations, one recurrent p.G2034R mosaic mutation, and one novel p.G2043R mosaic mutation in the clinically normal relatives of two out of 19 dominant DEB patients. This study shows that next-generation technology could be an effective tool in diagnosing EB.     

不同规格怀牛膝不同极性部位HPLC指纹图谱

目的研究并比较不同规格怀牛膝不同极性部位的HPLC指纹图谱,探索其内部质量差异,为该药材的规格标准完善及临床用药提供参考。方法将怀牛膝用体积分数75%乙醇水浴回流提取,得体积分数75%乙醇回流提取物,用40 mL水溶解后,依次用石油醚、三氯甲烷、乙酸乙酯、正丁醇进行萃取,得到各萃取相及萃取后的水相,浓缩至浸膏,采集各部位HPLC指纹图谱;运用相似度、综合聚类法进行数据分析,同时对其不同部位的指纹图谱进行比对分析。结果石油醚、氯仿部位均标定了11个共有峰,乙酸乙酯部位标定了10个共有峰,正丁醇部位标定了19个共有峰,水部位标定8个共有峰;氯仿部位指纹图谱相似度差异较大,其他部位指纹图谱相似度差异较小,均在0.9以上;石油醚部位指纹图谱差异主要体现在峰高,乙酸乙酯部位、氯仿部位、水部位的化学成分种类及峰高均存在差异;综合聚类分析能将不同规格怀牛膝区分开。结论不同规格怀牛膝内部质量存在差异;实验中所建立的HPLC指纹图谱可以全面反映不同规格怀牛膝的化学成分分布,为不同规格怀牛膝的整体质量评价提供参考。     

Glioma-Induced Disruption of Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in the Salience Network

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Cognitive challenges are prevalent in survivors of glioma, but their neurobiology is incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of glioma presence and tumor characteristics on resting-state functional connectivity and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations of the salience network, a key neural network associated with cognition.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Sixty-nine patients with glioma (mean age, 48.74 [SD, 14.32] years) who underwent resting-state fMRI were compared with 31 healthy controls (mean age, 49.68 [SD, 15.54] years). We identified 4 salience network ROIs: left/right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and left/right anterior insula. Average salience network resting-state functional connectivity and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations within the 4 salience network ROIs were computed.RESULTS:Patients with gliomas showed decreased overall salience network resting-state functional connectivity (P = .001) and increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in all salience network ROIs (P < .01) except in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Compared with controls, patients with left-sided gliomas showed increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (P = .002) and right anterior insula (P < .001), and patients with right-sided gliomas showed increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the left anterior insula (P = .002). Anterior tumors were associated with decreased salience network resting-state functional connectivity (P < .001) and increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right anterior insula, left anterior insula, and right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Patients with high-grade gliomas had decreased salience network resting-state functional connectivity compared with healthy controls (P < .05). The right anterior insula showed increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in patients with grade II and IV gliomas compared with controls (P < .01).CONCLUSIONS:By demonstrating decreased resting-state functional connectivity and an increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations related to the salience network in patients with glioma, this study adds to our understanding of the neurobiology underpinning observable cognitive deficits in these patients. In addition to more conventional functional connectivity, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations is a promising functional-imaging biomarker of tumor-induced vascular and neural pathology.

Detrimental effects of cancer on cognitive function and, consequently, on the quality of life are emerging as a key focus of cancer survivorship both in research and clinical practice.^1,2 Brain tumors have been shown to affect memory, processing, and attention in patients; however, their underlying neurobiology is incompletely understood.³ Using resting-state functional MR imaging (rsfMRI) to evaluate changes in cognitive resting-state networks may provide a better understanding of the pathology underlying the observable cognitive disruptions in gliomas, the most common primary brain tumor in adults.A “triple network model” of neurocognitive pathology has been proposed, which encompasses the default mode network, involved in mind wandering; the central executive network, involved in decision-making; and the salience network (SN), implicated in modulating activation of the default mode network and central executive network by detecting the presence of salient stimuli.^4-8 While previous rsfMRI research has largely focused on tumor-induced changes in the default mode network,^9,10 our study examined the less-studied SN, a network rooted in the anterior insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex.⁶Prior studies evaluating gliomas and SN resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) provided conflicting results in small patient samples: Maesawa et al¹⁰ found no significant differences in the SN in 12 patients, while Liu et al¹¹ more recently found decreased SN connectivity in 13 patients. Gliomas impact the integrity of the neurovascular unit to varying degrees, resulting in neurovascular uncoupling that has been reported to confound fMRI interpretations in patients with brain tumors.^12-14 Additionally, research has reported neuronal plasticity manifested by structural reorganization and functional remodeling of neural networks in patients with gliomas with possible alterations in clinically observable cognitive manifestations.^15-17 An rsfMRI metric, the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), has recently shown promise as a biomarker for brain plasticity and hemodynamic characterization, including neurovascular uncoupling in patients with gliomas.^15-19The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of glioma presence and tumor characteristics on overall RSFC and regional normalized ALFF within the SN in a large patient population. We hypothesized that there would be decreased average SN RSFC and altered ALFF in patients with gliomas compared with healthy controls. Recent studies have acknowledged that gliomas have variable effects on network integrity based on lesion location and proximity to network ROIs,^20-22 and unilateral gliomas can be associated with plasticity in both the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres.^11,17 Research also supports differences in resting-state network reorganization in aggressive high-grade gliomas compared with slower-growing low-grade gliomas.^20,23 Therefore, we also hypothesized that there would be differences in average SN RSFC and regional ALFF in patients based on the anterior-versus-posterior location, hemispheric side, and grade of glioma.     

基于血清代谢组学技术考察通阳化浊方与四妙勇安汤治疗冠心病模型家兔的作用机制＊

目的 通过血清代谢组学技术，考察通阳化浊方与四妙勇安汤在治疗冠心病家兔中的作用机制。方法 40只雄性白兔，随机分为空白组、模型组、通阳化浊方组与四妙勇安汤组4组，每组10只。空白组正常饮食，模型组给予高脂饲料喂养至第8周，于第4周结束后，用球囊法手术损伤实验兔的右侧颈总动脉；在模型组基础上，两个实验组分别在术后，灌胃给予通阳化浊方和四妙勇安汤，连续4周，每日1次。给药结束后，模型组与实验组每组抽取3只家兔，采集全血后，用LC-MS技术进行血清代谢组学检测，运用PCA与OPLS-DA分析法来寻找差异性表达的代谢物和代谢途径。结果 相较于模型组，通阳化浊方与四妙勇安汤组分别存在45和27个差异化合物，通阳化浊方组涉及18条代谢通路，根据Impact值 > 0.05筛选出5条主要代谢通路，包括精氨酸和脯氨酸代谢、组氨酸代谢、牛磺酸和牛磺酸代谢、精氨酸生物合成和α-亚麻酸代谢；四妙勇安汤组涉及11条代谢通路，筛选出2条主要代谢通路分别为牛磺酸和牛磺酸代谢、组氨酸代谢。结论 通阳化浊方与四妙勇安汤在治疗冠心病模型家兔的过程中存在差异性代谢产物，干预相应的代谢通路可能会对药物在模型中的作用产生影响。     

m6A结合蛋白IGF2BP1在肝细胞癌中的基因调控网络分析

目的 分析m6A阅读器胰岛素样生长因子2-mRNA结合蛋白1（insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1，IGF2BP1）在肝细胞癌（hepatocellular carcinoma，HCC）中的表达水平及其对HCC患者预后的影响，并探讨IGF2BP1在HCC发生发展中的作用及其潜在机制。方法 基于5对HCC癌及相应癌旁组织mRNA-seq数据和TCGA数据库LIHC的mRNA-seq数据综合分析IGF2BP1在HCC中的表达情况，同时利用TCGA数据库中343例HCC患者的临床随访资料分析IGF2BP1表达水平对HCC患者总生存期的影响。基于TCGA数据库筛选IGF2BP1的共表达mRNA，并利用m6Avar在线网站预测mRNA的m6A位点及其RNA结合蛋白等信息，最终构建IGF2BP1的基因调控网络。结果 IGF2BP1基因在HCC中表达上调（log2FC HCC转录组数据=10.684，P<0.001；log2FC TCGA-LIHC数据集=7.032，P<0.001）。生存分析显示IGF2BP1低表达的HCC患者中位生存时间为5.84年，IGF2BP1高表达患者为4.44年，高表达患者总生存期缩短（P=0.011）。22个差异表达的mRNA与IGF2BP1存在靶向结合关系，并与其表达水平呈正相关。其中，HMGA2等15个高表达mRNA的HCC患者总生存期缩短。HMGA2、PEG10、CEP55、RHO、CDC6和KIF23基因中的潜在m6A甲基化位点位于mRNA 3'UTR端的miRNA结合区域。结论 IGF2BP1在HCC中高表达且导致患者总生存期缩短。IGF2BP1可能通过m6A甲基化及miRNA抑制作用的方式上调mRNA的表达，促进HCC发生并导致不良预后。