Association between hypertension and cutaneous melanoma,and the effect of aspirin: extended follow-up of a large randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThe association between hypertension and melanoma is unclear, and previous analyses of data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study demonstrated a reduced number of invasive melanoma events amongst aspirin-exposed hypertensive individuals.MethodsData from the ASPREE study which included (1) the intervention period with a median follow-up of 4.7 years, and (2) the observational period with an additional 2 years follow-up, were combined for this analysis. Logistic regression analyses examined the association between baseline hypertension and treatment status and past melanoma history. Survival analyses examined the association between hypertension and melanoma risk, and the effect of aspirin across hypertension groups. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare incidence across groups.Results19,114 participants (median age of 74 years) were randomised to daily 100 mg aspirin or placebo. At baseline, hypertension and past melanoma history were recorded in 14,195 and 685 individuals, respectively. After adjustment for confounders, hypertension was significantly associated with past melanoma history (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.11–1.62). In a prospective analysis, baseline hypertension was not associated with melanoma risk. However, aspirin was associated with a reduced risk of incident melanoma amongst individuals with uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg; HR=0.63, 95%CI 0.44–0.89), but not in those with controlled hypertension (HR=1.04, 95%CI 0.74–1.46).ConclusionOur results support a reduced melanoma incidence amongst individuals with uncontrolled hypertension exposed to aspirin. Additional studies are required to confirm these findings.     

Development of the post-natal growth plate requires intraflagellar transport proteins

In the post-natal growth plate, chondrocytes are arranged in columns parallel to the long axis of the bone. Chondrocytes divide perpendicular to this axis and then move into position one on top of another in a process called "rotation" that maintains columnar organization. Primary cilia are non-motile microtubule base appendages extending from the surface of almost all vertebrate cells. Primary cilia were described on chondrocytes almost 40 years ago but the function of these structures in cartilage biology is not known. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is the process by which primary cilia are generated and maintained. This study tested the hypothesis that IFT plays an important role in post-natal skeletal development. Kif3a, a subunit of the Kinesin II motor complex, that is required for intraflagellar transport and the formation of cilia, was deleted in mouse chondrocytes via Col2a-Cre-mediated recombination. Disruption of IFT resulted in subsequent depletion of cilia and post-natal dwarfism due to premature loss of the growth plate likely a result of reduced proliferation and accelerated hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes. Cell shape and columnar orientation in the growth plate were also disrupted suggesting a defect in the process of rotation. Alterations in chondrocyte rotation were accompanied by disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and alterations in the localization of activated FAK to focal adhesion-like structures on chondrocytes. This is the first report indicating a role for IFT and primary cilia in the development of the post-natal growth plate. The results suggest a model in which IFT/cilia act to maintain the columnar organization of the growth plate via the process of chondrocyte rotation.     

A switch in the cellular basis of skeletogenesis in late-stage sea urchin larvae

Primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) are solely responsible for the skeletogenesis during early larval development of the sea urchin, but the cells responsible for late larval and adult skeletal formation are not clear. To investigate the origin of larval and adult skeletogenic cells, I first performed transplantation experiments in Pseudocentrotus depressus and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, which have different skeletal phenotypes. When P. depressus PMCs were transplanted into H. pulcherrimus embryos, the donor phenotype was observed only in the early larval stage, whereas when secondary mesenchyme cells (SMCs) were transplanted, the donor phenotype was observed in late and metamorphic larvae. Second, a reporter construct driven by the spicule matrix protein 50 (SM50) promoter was introduced into fertilized eggs and their PMCs/SMCs were transplanted. In the resultant 6-armed pluteus, green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression was observed in both PMC and SMC transplantations, suggesting SMC participation in late skeletogenesis. Third, transplanted PMCs or SMCs tagged with GFP were analyzed by PCR in the transgenic chimeras. As a result, SMCs were detected in both larval and adult stages, but GFP from PMCs was undetectable after metamorphosis. Thus, it appears that SMCs participate in skeletogenesis in late development and that PMCs disappear in the adult sea urchin, suggesting that the skeletogenesis may pass from PMCs to SMCs during the late larval stage.     

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy modelling of anaerobic digestion of primary sedimentation sludge

Modelling of anaerobic digestion systems is difficult because their performance is complex and varies significantly with influent characteristics and operational conditions. In this study, Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) were used for modelling of anaerobic digestion system of primary sludge of Kayseri municipal WasteWater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Effluent Volatile Solid (VS) and methane yield were predicted by the ANFIS. Two stage models were performed. In the first stage, effluent VS concentration was predicted using pH, VS concentration, flowrate of pre-thickened sludge and temperature of the influent as input parameters. In the second stage, effluent VS concentration in addition to first stage input parameters were used as input parameters to predict methane yield. The low Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and high Index of agreement (IA) values were obtained with subtractive clustering method of a first order Sugeno type inference. The model performance was evaluated with statistical parameters. According to statistical evaluations, the models satisfactorily predict effluent VS concentration and methane yield.     

The impact of a malaria elimination initiative on school outcomes: Evidence from Southern Mozambique

Despite the significant improvements achieved over the last ten years, primary education attainment in Mozambique is still low. Potential reasons acting from the demand perspective include ill health, among other factors. In Mozambique, ill health is still largely linked to malaria, which is a leading cause of outpatient contacts, hospital admissions and death, particularly among under-five and school-aged children. Despite this, in Mozambique and more generally, in malaria endemic countries, the identification and measurement of how improved malaria indicators may contribute to better school outcomes remains largely unknown. In particular, there is a low understanding of the extent to which better health translates immediately into school indicators, such as absenteeism and grades. In this study, we exploit the first year of a malaria elimination initiative implemented in Magude district (Southern Mozambique) that started in 2015, as a quasi-experiment to estimate the impact of malaria on selected primary school outcomes. While malaria was not eliminated, its incidence drastically dropped. We use as control a neighbouring district (Manhiça) with similar socio-economic and epidemiological characteristics. By employing a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach, we examine whether the positive health shock translated into improved school outcomes. Using information from school registers, we generated a dataset on school attendance and grades for 9,848 primary-school students from 9 schools (4 in the treated district and 5 in the control district). In our main specification, a repeated cross-section analysis, we find that the elimination initiative led to a 28% decrease in school absenteeism and a 2% increase in students’ grades. Our results are robust across different specifications, including a panel DiD individual fixed effects estimate on a sub-sample of students. These findings provide evidence on the negative impact of malaria on primary education attainment and suggest remarkable economic benefits consequent to its elimination.     

术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH与原发性肝癌患者手术切除术后早期复发的关系研究

摘要 目的：研究术前三叶因子1（TFF1）、热休克蛋白70（HSP70）、天冬氨酸-天冬酰胺β羟化酶（ASPH）与原发性肝癌（PHC）患者手术切除术后早期复发的关系。方法：选取2018年1月～2019年12月我院收治的83例PHC患者,均行手术切除治疗,术后均随访2年,根据是否复发分为复发组49例以及未复发组34例。比较两组术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH水平差异,收集患者基线资料,采用多因素Logistic回归分析PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发的危险因素,采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH水平预测PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发的效能。结果：复发组术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH水平均高于未复发组（P＜0.05）。复发组肿瘤直径≥5 cm、肿瘤数目为多发、有血管侵犯的患者比例高于未复发组（P＜0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示：肿瘤直径≥5 cm、多发肿瘤、血管侵犯及术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH高水平是PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发的危险因素（均OR＞1,P＜0.05）。ROC曲线分析结果显示：术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH联合检测预测PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发的曲线下面积为0.815,明显高于上述三项指标单独检测的0.704、0.713、0.707。结论：术前TFF1、HSP70、ASPH与PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发密切相关,联合检测三项指标水平可能有助于预测PHC患者手术切除术后早期复发。     

树鼩原代皮肤成纤维细胞的分离培养技术

建立稳定的树鼩(Tupaiabelangeri)皮肤成纤维细胞的体外培养体系,可为有关此类细胞的实验和疾病树鼩细胞模型提供技术支持。取树鼩大腿内侧皮肤用组织块贴壁法和胶原酶Ⅰ消化法分离皮肤细胞,胰蛋白酶差别消化法纯化细胞;用MEM(10%FBS)完全培养基和含低血清生长添加物(LSGS)的培养基培养细胞;免疫荧光和蛋白印迹法鉴定细胞,并测定细胞的生长、冻存和复苏特性。经树鼩皮肤细胞分离效果比较,胶原酶消化法比组织块贴壁法更适合用于树鼩原代皮肤细胞分离;对分离及冻存复苏后细胞生长状况观察比较发现,添加了LSGS的MEM培养基更利于细胞存活、生长;细胞形态观察、免疫荧光和蛋白印迹检测鉴定所分离的细胞为树鼩皮肤成纤维细胞。成功建立了树鼩原代皮肤细胞的分离、纯化方法,并优化了该细胞的培养条件。     

树鼩原代小胶质细胞的分离培养、纯化与鉴定

本文旨在建立树鼩(Tupaia belangeri)小胶质细胞原代培养及纯化的方法,为利用新型实验动物树鼩进行相关研究工作提供实验材料。将新生树鼩大脑皮质机械分离,皮质组织块用胰蛋白酶消化后制成细胞悬液;培养9～10 d后,分别采用直立手拍法、温和胰酶消化法以及恒温振荡法分离纯化树鼩小胶质细胞,通过差速贴壁进一步纯化。荧光显微镜下,利用小胶质细胞的特异性标记物CD11b抗体进行鉴定。结果显示,小胶质细胞分离培养第3天时呈静息状态,表现为梭形、杆状、分支状等不规则形态。细胞免疫荧光CD11b呈阳性。不同纯化方法细胞免疫荧光并计数显示,直立手拍法所获得的细胞产量明显高于恒温振荡法(P 0.05),细胞阳性率( 96%)明显高于温和胰酶消化法( 90%,P 0.05)。直立手拍法可获得产量及纯度高的树鼩原代小胶质细胞。     

Widening the antimicrobial spectrum of esters of bicyclic amines: In vitro effect on gram-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae and gram-negative non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae biofilms

Antibiotic resistance is a global current threat of increasing importance. Moreover, biofilms represent a medical challenge since the inherent antibiotic resistance of their producers demands the use of high doses of antibiotics over prolonged periods. Frequently, these therapeutic measures fail, contributing to bacterial persistence, therefore demanding the development of novel antimicrobials. Esters of bicyclic amines (EBAs), which are strong inhibitors of Streptococcus pneumoniae growth, were initially designed as inhibitors of pneumococcal choline-binding proteins on the basis of their structural analogy to the choline residues in the cell wall. However, instead of mimicking the characteristic cell chaining phenotype caused by exogenously added choline on planktonic cultures of pneumococcal cells, EBAs showed an unexpected lytic activity. In this work we demonstrate that EBAs display a second, and even more important, function as cell membrane destabilizers. We then assayed the inhibitory and disintegrating activity of these molecules on pneumococcal biofilms. The selected compound (EBA 31) produced the highest effect on S. pneumoniae (encapsulated and non-encapsulated) biofilms at very low concentrations. EBA 31 was also effective on mixed biofilms of non-encapsulated S. pneumoniae plus non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, two pathogens frequently forming a self-produced biofilm in the human nasopharynx. These results support the role of EBAs as a promising alternative for the development of novel, broad-range antimicrobial drugs encompassing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens.