Following the recovery of naso-pharyngeal cancer patients by trace elements in hair using statistical pattern recognition methods

This article describes a study where the recovery of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients was traced by trace elements (TEs) in hair of these patients. These patients whose concentrations of TEs in hair were studied are volunteers who were divided into three groups B, C, and D. Group B was made up of volunteers who had just been diagnosed as having NPC, group C and group D were made up of volunteers who had been diagnosed as having NPC after 3 and 6 mo, respectively, of treatment. For comparison, a control group, namely group A, which was made up of volunteers from healthy persons was added to this study. By implementation of statistic pattern recognition methods, it has been found that the concentrations of TEs in hair can remarkably reflect different recovery phases of NPC patients.     

Association between concentration of trace elements in serum and bronchial asthma among Japanese general population

Background and aimsA number of previous studies had revealed the association between trace elements in serum and bronchial asthma. However, only a few researches had focused on serum concentration of trace elements in a general population. In this study, an association between trace elements in serum and bronchial asthma was investigated in a general population.MethodsSubjects were 1025 volunteers (385 males and 640 females between ages 19 and 82 years old) who had participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project 2005. Bronchial asthma was diagnosed based on the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II according to the self-questionnaires on health conditions of subjects. The serum concentrations of certain trace elements (manganese, copper, zinc, selenium and iron) were measured and compared. Also, an association between serum trace elements level and neutrophil-related functions (oxidative burst activity, phagocytic activity, serum opsonic activity) were determined.ResultsIn males, no significant differences were seen in any serum trace elements concentrations. In females, serum zinc level was significantly higher in bronchial asthma group than in control. A positive correlation was seen between serum concentration of zinc and serum opsonic activity in both genders.ConclusionsIn female asthmatics, increase of oxidative stress was suggested to be caused by superoxide dismutase pathway (elimination system of reactive oxygen species) rather than serum opsonic activity (production system of reactive oxygen species from neutrophils) pathway, as the zinc concentration in bronchial asthma group was higher than that in control.     

Plasma trace elements concentrations in trained subjects after exposure to hypokinesia and daily hyperhydration

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of a daily intake of fluid and salt supplementation (FSS) on blood plasma trace elements concentrations in physically healthy volunteers after exposure to 364 d of hypokinesia (decreased number of steps per day). The studies were performed after exposure to 364 d of Hypokinesia (HK) on 30 long-distance runners of volunteers who had a VO₂ max 67 mL/kg/min and were ranging in the age of 19–24 yrs. Prior to their exposure to HK all volunteers were on an average of 10,000 steps/d. For the simulation of the hypokinetic effect the volunteers were kept under an average of 3000 steps/d. All volunteers were divided into three equal groups. The first group of volunteers subjected to HK and received daily FSS (water 26 mL/kg body wt and sodium chloride 0.16 g/kg body wt.), the second groups of volunteers submitted only to HK, and the third group of volunteers underwent a normal ambulatory life and served as control. The content of manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, lead, copper, tin, nickel, zinc and cobalamine were determined in blood plasma of volunteers. By the end of the hypokinetic period the blood plasma concentration of microelements increased significantly in the hypokinetic subjects (second group), whereas in the hyperhydrated subjects (first group) decreased. It was concluded that prolonged restriction of motor activity induced significant increases in blood trace elements concentrations whereas daily hyperhydration had a normalizing effect on their concentration in blood plasma. This indicates that daily hyperhydration may be used to normalize blood plasma concentrations of microelements in physically healthy volunteers subjected to prolonged restriction of motor activity.     

Three Groups of Transposable Elements with Contrasting Copy Number Dynamics and Host Responses in the Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) Genome

Most angiosperm nuclear DNA is repetitive and derived from silenced transposable elements (TEs). TE silencing requires substantial resources from the plant host, including the production of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Thus, the interaction between TEs and siRNAs is a critical aspect of both the function and the evolution of plant genomes. Yet the co-evolutionary dynamics between these two entities remain poorly characterized. Here we studied the organization of TEs within the maize (Zea mays ssp mays) genome, documenting that TEs fall within three groups based on the class and copy numbers. These groups included DNA elements, low copy RNA elements and higher copy RNA elements. The three groups varied statistically in characteristics that included length, location, age, siRNA expression and 24∶22 nucleotide (nt) siRNA targeting ratios. In addition, the low copy retroelements encompassed a set of TEs that had previously been shown to decrease expression within a 24 nt siRNA biogenesis mutant (mop1). To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of the three groups, we estimated their abundance in two landraces, one with a genome similar in size to that of the maize reference and the other with a 30% larger genome. For all three accessions, we assessed TE abundance as well as 22 nt and 24 nt siRNA content within leaves. The high copy number retroelements are under targeted similarly by siRNAs among accessions, appear to be born of a rapid bust of activity, and may be currently transpositionally dead or limited. In contrast, the lower copy number group of retrolements are targeted more dynamically and have had a long and ongoing history of transposition in the maize genome.     

Prediction of prostate cancer using hair trace element concentration and support vector machine method

A change in the normal concentration of essential trace elements in the human body might lead to major health disturbances. In this study, hair samples were collected from 115 human subject, including 55 healthy people and 60 patients with prostate cancer. The concentrations of 20 trace elements (TEs) in these samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. A support vector machine was used to investigate the relationship between TEs and prostate cancer. It is found that, among the 20 TEs, 10 (Mg P, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe. Cu, Zn, and Se) are related to the risk of prostate cancer. These 10 TEs were used to build the prediction model for prostate cancer. The model obtained can satisfactorily distinguish the healthy samples from the cancer samples. Furthermore, the cross-validation by leaving-one method proved that the prediction ability of this model reaches as high as 95.8%. It is practical to predict the risk of prostate cancer using this model in the clinics     

Trace elements in coronary heart disease

Concentrations of 14 trace elements (Bi, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Tl, and Zn) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 120 whole-blood and 121 plasma samples of 56 patients with angiographically documented coronary heart disease (CHD). One serum and two wholeblood reference materials were analyzed for quality control. At baseline, patients had elevated Co plasma as well as diminished Cu blood concentrations compared to healthy adults. The Zn concentrations in whole blood were below or at the lower end of the normal range, but the concentrations in plasma were elevated. All other trace elements were within the normal concentration ranges for healthy adults. After initial investigations, patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (N = 27) and to a usual care group (N = 29). Experimental group patients were prescribed a lifestyle program that included a low-fat diet and a weekly moderate exercise. Patients were examined at baseline, after 6 and 12 mo for clinical assessment and fasting venous blood samples. No significant time-course changes in concentrations of trace elements in blood and plasma during the clinical treatment in both groups of patients could be observed. The experimental group patients lost weight and had lower blood pressure after 12 mo compared to baseline. The interventional therapy reduced the need for further revascularization procedures.     

Genetic link between Chaoshan and other Chinese Han populations: Evidence from HLA-A and HLA-B allele frequency distribution

The genetic polymorphism of HLA-A and HLA-B loci was investigated in 505 Chaoshanese using PCR-SSP method. Among the HLA-A alleles detected, A*11 (35.64%) was most frequent, followed by A*02 (31.78%). Of 34 HLA-B alleles tested, 30 were observed, in which B*60 (21.68%), B*46 (14.46%), and B*58 (10.69%) were highly predominant. Comparison was made with other nine Chinese Han ethnic groups covering the Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The high frequent alleles found in Chaoshanese were also common in other Chinese groups compared though the frequency levels varied from group to group. The phylogenic tree analysis based on the HLA-A and -B allele frequencies of all the 10 Chinese ethnic groups revealed that Chaoshanese, while clustering in general with the southern China-related Han Chinese, had the highest affinity to the Mainland Minnanese, but separated distinctively from the northern Han Chinese. The study, however, was yet to confirm the hypothesis of the Central Plains Han origin of Chaoshanese. Interestingly, the alleles (B*46, B*38, and B*58) and the related haplotypes (A*02-B*46 and A*33-B*58) that are positively associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a disease prevailing predominantly among southern Chinese, were always at much higher frequencies among southern Chinese than among northern Chinese, whereas A*31 and B*13, the two alleles with highly protective effects for NPC, and the associated haplotype A*30-B*13 were predominantly high in northern Chinese. The different genetic background between northern and southern China may explain, at least partially, the prevalence of NPC among southern Chinese.     

Updating of transposable element annotations from large wheat genomic sequences reveals diverse activities and gene associations

Triticeae species (including wheat, barley and rye) have huge and complex genomes due to polyploidization and a high content of transposable elements (TEs). TEs are known to play a major role in the structure and evolutionary dynamics of Triticeae genomes. During the last 5 years, substantial stretches of contiguous genomic sequence from various species of Triticeae have been generated, making it necessary to update and standardize TE annotations and nomenclature. In this study we propose standard procedures for these tasks, based on structure, nucleic acid and protein sequence homologies. We report statistical analyses of TE composition and distribution in large blocks of genomic sequences from wheat and barley. Altogether, 3.8 Mb of wheat sequence available in the databases was analyzed or re-analyzed, and compared with 1.3 Mb of re-annotated genomic sequences from barley. The wheat sequences were relatively gene-rich (one gene per 23.9 kb), although wheat gene-derived sequences represented only 7.8% (159 elements) of the total, while the remainder mainly comprised coding sequences found in TEs (54.7%, 751 elements). Class I elements [mainly long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons] accounted for the major proportion of TEs, in terms of sequence length as well as element number (83.6% and 498, respectively). In addition, we show that the gene-rich sequences of wheat genome A seem to have a higher TE content than those of genomes B and D, or of barley gene-rich sequences. Moreover, among the various TE groups, MITEs were most often associated with genes: 43.1% of MITEs fell into this category. Finally, the TRIM and copia elements were shown to be the most active TEs in the wheat genome. The implications of these results for the evolution of diploid and polyploid wheat species are discussed. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Dynamics and differential proliferation of transposable elements during the evolution of the B and A genomes of wheat

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute >80% of the wheat genome but their dynamics and contribution to size variation and evolution of wheat genomes (Triticum and Aegilops species) remain unexplored. In this study, 10 genomic regions have been sequenced from wheat chromosome 3B and used to constitute, along with all publicly available genomic sequences of wheat, 1.98 Mb of sequence (from 13 BAC clones) of the wheat B genome and 3.63 Mb of sequence (from 19 BAC clones) of the wheat A genome. Analysis of TE sequence proportions (as percentages), ratios of complete to truncated copies, and estimation of insertion dates of class I retrotransposons showed that specific types of TEs have undergone waves of differential proliferation in the B and A genomes of wheat. While both genomes show similar rates and relatively ancient proliferation periods for the Athila retrotransposons, the Copia retrotransposons proliferated more recently in the A genome whereas Gypsy retrotransposon proliferation is more recent in the B genome. It was possible to estimate for the first time the proliferation periods of the abundant CACTA class II DNA transposons, relative to that of the three main retrotransposon superfamilies. Proliferation of these TEs started prior to and overlapped with that of the Athila retrotransposons in both genomes. However, they also proliferated during the same periods as Gypsy and Copia retrotransposons in the A genome, but not in the B genome. As estimated from their insertion dates and confirmed by PCR-based tracing analysis, the majority of differential proliferation of TEs in B and A genomes of wheat (87 and 83%, respectively), leading to rapid sequence divergence, occurred prior to the allotetraploidization event that brought them together in Triticum turgidum and Triticum aestivum, <0.5 million years ago. More importantly, the allotetraploidization event appears to have neither enhanced nor repressed retrotranspositions. We discuss the apparent proliferation of TEs as resulting from their insertion, removal, and/or combinations of both evolutionary forces.     

TEnest: automated chronological annotation and visualization of nested plant transposable elements

Organisms with a high density of transposable elements (TEs) exhibit nesting, with subsequent repeats found inside previously inserted elements. Nesting splits the sequence structure of TEs and makes annotation of repetitive areas challenging. We present TEnest, a repeat identification and display tool made specifically for highly repetitive genomes. TEnest identifies repetitive sequences and reconstructs separated sections to provide full-length repeats and, for long-terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, calculates age since insertion based on LTR divergence. TEnest provides a chronological insertion display to give an accurate visual representation of TE integration history showing timeline, location, and families of each TE identified, thus creating a framework from which evolutionary comparisons can be made among various regions of the genome. A database of repeats has been developed for maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare) to illustrate the potential of TEnest software. All currently finished maize bacterial artificial chromosomes totaling 29.3 Mb were analyzed with TEnest to provide a characterization of the repeat insertions. Sixty-seven percent of the maize genome was found to be made up of TEs; of these, 95% are LTR retrotransposons. The rate of solo LTR formation is shown to be dissimilar across retrotransposon families. Phylogenetic analysis of TE families reveals specific events of extreme TE proliferation, which may explain the high quantities of certain TE families found throughout the maize genome. The TEnest software package is available for use on PlantGDB under the tools section (http://www.plantgdb.org/prj/TE_nest/TE_nest.html); the source code is available from (http://wiselab.org).     

Impact of lead pollution on the status of other trace metals in blood and alterations in hepatic functions

Lead pollution and its impact on the status of four other trace elements—Fe, Zn, Br, and Rb—have been studied in the whole blood samples of different population groups employing energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. These population groups included normal, automobile workers and lead battery manufacturers. The maximum increase in the concentration of trace elements in the blood samples of automobile workers and battery manufacturers was observed for Pb, when compared with normal Pb-B levels. The effect of lead pollution had significantly reduced Zn levels in automobile workers. Fe-B levels in automobile workers had been found to be reduced significantly as compared to control, whereas in battery workers the reduction was not significant. The concentration of Br was greatly enhanced in the blood samples of automobile workers, whereas Rb-B levels were significantly higher in both the automobile and battery workers. Oral administration of lead acetate (100 mg/kg body wt) to experimental rats significantly decreased the activities of hepatic transaminases after 3 and 4 mo of treatment, whereas the activity of hepatic alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly after 4 mo of treatment. It is concluded from this study that higher Pb-B levels greatly influence the levels of other trace elements in human blood samples and also the activities of hepatic transaminases as well as alkaline phosphatase in experimental rats.     

卡瑞利珠单抗联合卡培他滨用于一线治疗复发转移鼻咽癌患者维持治疗疗效及对患者免疫功能的影响

摘要 目的：探讨卡瑞利珠单抗联合卡培他滨用于一线治疗复发转移鼻咽癌（NPC）患者维持治疗的疗效及对患者免疫功能的影响。方法：选取2020年1月至2022年1月钦州市第一人民医院收治的80例复发转移NPC患者,按照随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,每组各40例。两组均接受吉西他滨联合顺铂化疗,对照组化疗后接受卡瑞利珠单抗单药维持治疗至1年,观察组化疗后接受卡瑞利珠单抗联合卡培他滨维持治疗至1年。比较两组疗效,不良反应,治疗前后B淋巴细胞亚群和自然杀伤（NK）细胞所占百分比的差异。结果：观察组客观缓解率（ORR）、疾病控制率（DCR）高于对照组（P＜0.05）。两组治疗后外周血CD5⁺B细胞、CD5⁺CD19⁺ B细胞、CD3^-CD56⁺NK细胞占比降低（P＜0.05）,但观察组治疗后外周血CD5⁺B细胞、CD5⁺CD19⁺ B细胞、CD3^-CD56⁺NK细胞占比高于对照组（P＜0.05）。两组Ⅲ度以上不良反应发生率比较差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。结论：卡瑞利珠单抗联合卡培他滨一线维持治疗复发转移NPC可提高临床疗效,减轻对细胞免疫功能的影响,且安全可靠。     

Current Status of Cancer Care for Young Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Jakarta,Indonesia

Background

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic in Indonesia and 20% of the patients are diagnosed before the age of 31. This study evaluates presentation and treatment outcome of young patients in Jakarta, in a tertiary referral centre.

Methods

Forty-nine patients under the age of 31, diagnosed with NPC between July 2004 and January 2007, were evaluated. Baseline data included histological type, stage of disease and presenting symptoms. We intended to follow all patients after diagnosis to reveal treatment outcome and overall survival (OS).

Results

All but two patients had advanced stage disease (94%), 7 (14%) had distant metastasis. The median interval between start of complaints and diagnosis was 9 months. Forty-two patients were planned for curative intent treatment. Eleven patients (26%) never started treatment, 2 patients did not complete treatment and 3 patients did not return after finishing treatment. Four patients died before radiation could start. Three patients died within 4 months after treatment. Nine patients (21%) had a complete response. Due to the high number of patients who were lost to follow-up (LFU), OS was analyzed as follows: a best-case (patients censored at last contact) and a worst-case scenario (assuming that patients who did not finish treatment or had disease at last contact would have died). The 2-year OS for patients without distant metastases was 39–71%.

Conclusion

Treatment outcome for young patients with NPC in this institute was poor. Improvement can be achieved when NPC is diagnosed at an earlier stage and when there is better treatment compliance.     

Wake up of transposable elements following Drosophila simulans worldwide colonization.

Transposable elements (TEs) make up around 10%-15% of the Drosophila melanogaster genome, but its sibling species Drosophila simulans carries only one third as many such repeat sequences. We do not, however, have an overall view of copy numbers of the various classes of TEs (long terminal repeat [LTR] retrotransposons, non-LTR retrotransposons, and transposons) in genomes of natural populations of both species. We analyzed 34 elements in individuals from various natural populations of these species. We show that D. melanogaster has higher average chromosomal insertion site numbers per genome than D. simulans for all TEs except five. The LTR retrotransposons gypsy, ZAM, and 1731 and the transposon bari-1 present similar low copy numbers in both species. The transposon hobo has a large number of insertion sites, with significantly more sites in D. simulans. High variation between populations in number of insertion sites of some elements of D. simulans suggests that these elements can invade the genome of the entire species starting from a local population. We propose that TEs in the D. simulans genome are being awakened and amplified as they had been a long time ago in D. melanogaster.     

Bursts of transposable elements as an evolutionary driving force

A burst of transposable elements (TEs) is a massive outbreak that may cause radical genomic rebuilding. This phenomenon has been reported in connection with the formation of taxonomic groups and species and has therefore been associated with major evolutionary events in the past. Over the past few years, several research groups have discovered recent stress‐induced bursts of different TEs. The events for which bursts of TEs have been recorded include domestication, polyploidy, changes in mating systems, interspecific and intergeneric hybridization and abiotic stress. Cases involving abiotic stress, particularly bursts of TEs in natural populations driven by environmental change, are of special interest because this phenomenon may underlie micro‐ and macro‐evolutionary events and ultimately support the maintenance and generation of biological diversity. This study reviews the known cases of bursts of TEs and their possible consequences, with particular emphasis on the speciation process.     

Effects of Aluminum Exposure on Bone Mineral Density,Mineral, and Trace Elements in Rats

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of aluminum (Al) exposure on bone mineral elements, trace elements, and bone mineral density (BMD) in rats. One hundred Wistar rats were divided randomly into two groups. Experimental rats were given drinking water containing aluminum chloride (AlCl₃, 430 mg Al³⁺/L), whereas control rats were given distilled water for up to 150 days. Ten rats were sacrificed in each group every 30 days. The levels of Al, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), boron (B), and strontium (Sr) in bone and the BMD of femur were measured. Al-treated rats showed lower deposition of Ca, P, and Mg compared with control rats. Levels of trace elements (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Se, B, and Sr) were significantly lower in the Al-treated group than in the control group from day 60, and the BMD of the femur metaphysis in the Al-treated group was significantly lower than in the control group on days 120 and 150. These findings indicate that long-term Al exposure reduces the levels of mineral and trace elements in bone. As a result, bone loss was induced (particularly in cancellous bone).     

苄星青霉素与头孢曲松钠联合治疗早期梅毒的疗效比较

目的:观察苄星青霉素与头孢曲松钠联合应用治疗早期梅毒的临床疗效及血清学变化。方法:113例早期梅毒患者,随机分成苄星青霉素联合头孢曲松钠治疗组(A组)58例和苄星青霉素单一治疗组(B组)55例。结果:A组有效随访例数为55例;B组有效随访数为52例。1周内皮损消退率,A组为89.7%(35/39),B组为64.9%(24/37)。3个月TRUST阴转率,A组为40.0%(22/55),B组为21.2%(11/52),二组差异有统计学意义(x2=4.451,P=0.039)。6个月TRUST阴转率,A组为67.3%(37/55),B组为42.3%(22/52),二组差异有统计学意义(x2=6.735,P=0.012)。9个月TRUST阴转率,A组为90.9%(50/55),B组为73.1%(38/52),二组差异有统计学意义(x2=5.820,P=0.022)。12个月TRUST阴转率,A组为94.5%(52/55),B组为82.7%(43/52),二组差异无统计学意义(x2=3.771,P=0.068)。血清固定率,A组为1.8%(1/55),B组为9.6%(5/52)。结论:苄星青霉素联合头孢曲松钠治疗早期梅毒效果较单一使用苄星青霉素显著,表现在皮损消退时间快、梅毒血清阴转时间缩短,血清固定率降低。     

Transposable elements and the epigenetic regulation of the genome

Overlapping epigenetic mechanisms have evolved in eukaryotic cells to silence the expression and mobility of transposable elements (TEs). Owing to their ability to recruit the silencing machinery, TEs have served as building blocks for epigenetic phenomena, both at the level of single genes and across larger chromosomal regions. Important progress has been made recently in understanding these silencing mechanisms. In addition, new insights have been gained into how this silencing has been co-opted to serve essential functions in 'host' cells, highlighting the importance of TEs in the epigenetic regulation of the genome.     

The effect of transposable elements on phenotypic variation: insights from plants to humans

Transposable elements (TEs), originally discovered in maize as controlling elements, are the main components of most eukaryotic genomes. TEs have been regarded as deleterious genomic parasites due to their ability to undergo massive amplification. However, TEs can regulate gene expression and alter phenotypes. Also, emerging findings demonstrate that TEs can establish and rewire gene regulatory networks by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the key roles of TEs in fine-tuning the regulation of gene expression leading to phenotypic plasticity in plants and humans, and the implications for adaption and natural selection.