Measurement of very low-molecular weight metabolites by traveling wave ion mobility and its use in human urine samples

The collision cross-sections(CCS)measurement using ion mobility spectrometry(IMS)in combination with mass spectrometry(MS)offers a great opportunity to increase confidence in metabolite identification.However,owing to the lack of sensitivity and resolution,IMS has an analytical challenge in studying the CCS values of very low-molecular-weight metabolites(VLMs250 Da).Here,we describe an analytical method using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC)coupled to a traveling wave ion mobility-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer optimized for the measurement of VLMs in human urine samples.The experimental CCS values,along with mass spectral properties,were reported for the 174 metabolites.The experimental data included the mass-to-charge ratio(m/z),retention time(RT),tandem MS(MS/MS)spectra,and CCS values.Among the studied metabolites,263 traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry(TWIMS)-derived CCS values(TWCCSN2)were reported for the first time,and more than 70%of these were CCS values of VLMs.The TWCCSN2 values were highly repeatable,with inter-day variations of<1%relative standard deviation(RSD).The developed method revealed excellent TWCCSN2 accuracy with a CCS difference(DCCS)within±2%of the reported drift tube IMS(DTIMS)and TWIMS CCS values.The complexity of the urine matrix did not affect the precision of the method,as evidenced by DCCS within±1.92%.According to the Metabolomics Standards Initiative,55 urinary metabolites were identified with a confidence level of 1.Among these 55 metabolites,53(96%)were VLMs.The larger number of confirmed compounds found in this study was a result of the addition of TWCCSN2 values,which clearly increased metabolite identification confidence.

Associations of PNPLA3 and LEP genetic polymorphisms with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in Thai people living with human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND The prevalence of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is a growing public health issue in people living with human immunodeficiency virus(PLWH).However,the pathophysiology of MAFLD is still unknown,and the role of genetic variables is only now becoming evident.AIM To evaluate the associations of gene-polymorphism-related MAFLD in PLWH.METHODS The study employed transient elastography with a controlled attenuation parameter≥248 dB/m to identify MAFLD in patients from a Super Tertiary Hospital in central Thailand.Candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were genotyped using TaqMan®MGB probe 5'nuclease assays for seven MAFLD-related genes.Statistical analyses included SNP frequency analysis,Fisher's Exact and Chi-square tests,odds ratio calculations,and multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS The G-allele carriers of PNPLA3(rs738409)exhibited a two-fold rise in MAFLD,increasing by 2.5 times in MAFLD with human immunodeficiency virus infection.The clinical features and genetic patterns imply that LEP rs7799039 A-allele carriers had a nine times(P=0.001)more significant chance of developing aberrant triglyceride among PLWH.CONCLUSION The current study shows an association between PNPLA3 rs738409 and LEP rs7799039 with MAFLD in PLWH.

Autophagy in hepatitis C virus-host interactions:Potential roles and therapeutic targets for liver-associated diseases

Autophagy is a lysosome-associated,degradative process that catabolizes cytosolic components to recycle nutrients for further use and maintain cell homeostasis.Hepatitis C virus(HCV)is a major cause of chronic hepatitis,which often leads to end-stage liverassociated diseases and is a significant burden on worldwide public health.Emerging lines of evidence indicate that autophagy plays an important role in promoting the HCV life cycle in host cells.Moreover,the diverse impacts of autophagy on a variety of signaling pathways in HCV-infected cells suggest that the autophagic process is required for balancing HCVhost cell interactions and involved in the pathogenesis of HCV-related liver diseases.However,the detailed molecular mechanism underlying how HCV activates autophagy to benefit viral growth is still enigmatic.Additionally,how the autophagic response contributes to disease progression in HCV-infected cells remains largely unknown.Hence,in this review,we overview the interplay between autophagy and the HCV life cycle and propose possible mechanisms by which autophagy may promote the pathogenesis of HCVassociated chronic liver diseases.Moreover,we outline the related studies on how autophagy interplays with HCV replication and discuss the possible implications of autophagy and viral replication in the progression of HCV-induced liver diseases,e.g.,steatosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.Finally,we explore the potential therapeutics that target autophagy to cure HCV infection and its related liver diseases.

Novel electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/type Ⅰ collagen nanofiber conduits for repair of peripheral nerve injury

Recent studies have shown the potential of artificially synthesized conduits in the repair of peripheral nerve injury. Natural biopolymers have received much attention because of their biocompatibility. To investigate the effects of novel electrospun absorbable poly(ε-caprolactone)/type Ⅰ collagen nanofiber conduits(biopolymer nanofiber conduits) on the repair of peripheral nerve injury, we bridged 10-mm-long sciatic nerve defects with electrospun absorbable biopolymer nanofiber conduits, poly(ε-caprolactone) or silicone conduits in Sprague-Dawley rats. Rat neurologica1 function was weekly evaluated using sciatic function index within8 weeks after repair. Eight weeks after repair, sciatic nerve myelin sheaths and axon morphology were observed by osmium tetroxide staining, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and transmission electron microscopy.S-100(Schwann cell marker) and CD4(inflammatory marker) immunoreactivities in sciatic nerve were detected by immunohistochemistry. In rats subjected to repair with electrospun absorbable biopolymer nanofiber conduits, no serious inflammatory reactions were observed in rat hind limbs, the morphology of myelin sheaths in the injured sciatic nerve was close to normal. CD4 immunoreactivity was obviously weaker in rats subjected to repair with electrospun absorbable biopolymer nanofiber conduits than in those subjected to repair with poly(ε-caprolactone) or silicone. Rats subjected to repair with electrospun absorbable biopolymer nanofiber conduits tended to have greater sciatic nerve function recovery than those receiving poly(ε-caprolactone) or silicone repair. These results suggest that electrospun absorbable poly(ε-caprolactone)/type Ⅰ collagen nanofiber conduits have the potential of repairing sciatic nerve defects and exhibit good biocompatibility. All experimental procedures were approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Taichung Veteran General Hospital, Taiwan, China(La-1031218) on October 2, 2014.

Screening of Fabry disease in patients with end-stage renal disease of unknown etiology:the first Thailand study

We aimed to explore the prevalence of Fabry disease in Thai patients who were diagnosed with end-stage renal disease（ESRD） of an unknown origin.Venous blood samples were collected from ESRD patients for biochemical and molecular studies.Alpha-galactosidase A（a-GAL A） screening was performed from dried-blood spots using fluorometry.Molecular confirmation was performed using DNA sequencing of the GLA gene.A total of 142 male and female patients were included in this study.Ten patients（7.04%） exhibited a significant decrease in a-GAL A activity.There were no definitive pathogenic mutations observed in the molecular study.However,four patients revealed a novel nucleotide variant at c.l-10 C〉T,which was identified as a benign variant following screening in the normal population.In conclusion,the a-GAL A assay utilizing dried-blood spots revealed a significant false positive rate.There was no definitive Fabry disease confirmed in Thai patients diagnosed with ESRD of unknown etiology.

Artificial intelligence in gastrointestinal radiology: A review with special focus on recent development of magnetic resonance and computed tomography

Artificial intelligence(AI),particularly the deep learning technology,have been proven influential to radiology in the recent decade.Its ability in image classification,segmentation,detection and reconstruction tasks have substantially assisted diagnostic radiology,and has even been viewed as having the potential to perform better than radiologists in some tasks.Gastrointestinal radiology,an important subspecialty dealing with complex anatomy and various modalities including endoscopy,have especially attracted the attention of AI researchers and engineers worldwide.Consequently,recently many tools have been developed for lesion detection and image construction in gastrointestinal radiology,particularly in the fields for which public databases are available,such as diagnostic abdominal magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and computed tomography(CT).This review will provide a framework for understanding recent advancements of AI in gastrointestinal radiology,with a special focus on hepatic and pancreatobiliary diagnostic radiology with MRI and CT.For fields where AI is less developed,this review will also explain the difficulty in AI model training and possible strategies to overcome the technical issues.The authors’insights of possible future development will be addressed in the last section.

Surveillance Imaging and GAAD/GALAD Scores for Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis

Background and Aims:Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is crucial for improving survival in patients with chronic hepatitis.The GALAD algorithm combines gen-der(biological sex),age,α-fetoprotein(AFP),Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP(AFP-L3),and protein in-duced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II(PIVKA-II)for HCC detection.Similarly,the GAAD algorithm incorporates gender(biological sex),age,AFP,and PIVKA-II.This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of AFP-L3 in the GALAD algorithm and its potential synergies with ultrasound.We compared the clinical performance of GALAD with GAAD;AFP;AFP-L3;and PIVKA-II,with or without ultrasound,in Taiwan residents adults.Methods:A total of 439 serum samples were analyzed using a Cobas®e 601 analyzer(healthy con-trols,n=200;chronic liver disease controls,n=177;HCC cases,n=62).Performance was assessed through receiver operating characteristic curve analyses to calculate the area under the curve.Results:The area under the curve for dif-ferentiating early-stage HCC from patients with chronic liver disease was optimal for PIVKA-II(84.9%),GAAD(79.8%),and GALAD(79.4%),with slightly improved performance for detecting all-stage HCC.Clinical performance was unaffected by disease stage or etiology.Sensitivity for early-stage HCC was highest for GAAD(57.6%)and GALAD(57.6%).Sen-sitivity for each strategy was further enhanced when com-bined with ultrasound,regardless of disease stage or etiology(P<0.01).Conclusions:These findings indicate that the role of AFP-L3 in the GALAD algorithm is minimal,supporting the use of GAAD for HCC detection.A combination of GAAD,GALAD,or PIVKA-II with ultrasound may improve diagnostic efficiency compared with recommended strategies.

Emerging roles of interferon-stimulated genes in the innate mmune response to hepatitis C virus infection

Infection with hepatitis C virus （HCV）, a major viral cause of chronic liver disease, frequently progresses to steatosis and cirrhosis, which can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infection strongly induces host responses, such as the activation of the unfolded protein response, autophagy and the innate immune response. Upon HCV infection, the host induces the interferon （IFN）-mediated frontline defense to limit virus replication. Conversely, HCV employs diverse strategies to escape host innate immune surveillance. Type I IFN elicits its antiviral actions by inducing a wide array of IFN-stimulated genes （ISGs）. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these ISGs participate in IFN-mediated anti-HCV actions remain largely unknown. In this review, we first outline the signaling pathways known to be involved in the production of type I IFN and ISGs and the tactics that HCV uses to subvert innate immunity. Then, we summarize the effector mechanisms of scaffold ISGs known to modulate IFN function in HCV replication. We also highlight the potential functions of emerging ISGs, which were identified from genome-wide siRNA screens, in HCV replication. Finally, we discuss the functions of several cellular determinants critical for regulating host immunity in HCV replication. This review will provide a basis for understanding the complexity and functionality of the pleiotropic IFN system in HCV infection. Elucidation of the specificity and the mode of action of these emerging ISGs will also help to identify novel cellular targets against which effective HCV therapeutics can be developed.

ESR1 alterations and metastasis in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer

Endocrine therapy is essential for the treatment of patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, however, resistance and the development of metastatic disease is common. Understanding how ER+ breast cancer metastasizes is critical since the major cause of death in breast cancer is metastasis to distant organs. Results from many studies suggest dysregulation of the estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) contributes to therapeutic resistance and metastatic biology. This review covers both pre-clinical and clinical evidence on the spectrum ofESR1 alterations including amplification, point mutations, and genomic rearrangement events driving treatment resistance and metastatic potential of ER+ breast cancer. Importantly, we describe how these ESR1 alterations may provide therapeutic opportunities to improve outcomes in patients with lethal, metastatic breast cancer.

Evaluation of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Antigen Detection Assay

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)infection in humans has a high mortality of>30%.Dromedaries are the reservoir of MERS-CoV and the main source of human infections.However,MERS-CoV infections in dromedaries are usually subclinical.Rapid diagnosis of MERS-CoV infection in these animals is important in preventing camel-to-human transmission of the virus.The possible cross-reactivity of a previously reported rapid nucleocapsid protein-based antigen detection assay for MERS-CoV was examined with different CoVs,including Tylonycteris bat CoV HKU4,dromedary camel CoV UAE-HKU23,human CoV-229E,human CoV-OC43,severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 and rabbit CoV HKU14,where none of them showed false-positive results.The assay was further validated using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-confirmed MERS-CoV-positive and MERS-CoV-negative dromedary nasal samples collected in Dubai,the United Arab Emirates,which showed that the rapid antigen detection assay has a specificity of 100%and sensitivity of 91.7%.