ObjectiveType 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing in young adults, and greater adiposity is considered a major risk factor. However, whether there is an association between obesity and diabetes and how ...this might be impacted by age is not clear. Therefore, we investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and diabetes across a wide range of age groups (20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–60, 60–70 and ≥70 years old).DesignWe performed a retrospective cohort study using healthy screening programme data.SettingA total of 211 833 adult Chinese persons >20 years old across 32 sites and 11 cities in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Changzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, Nantong) were selected for the study; these persons were free of diabetes at baseline.Primary and secondary outcome measuresFasting plasma glucose levels were measured and information regarding the history of diabetes was collected at each visit. Diabetes was diagnosed as fasting plasma glucose ≥7.00 mmol/L and/or self-reported diabetes. Patients were censored at the date of diagnosis or the final visit, whichever came first.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 3.1 years, 4174 of the 211 833 participants developed diabetes, with an age-adjusted incidence rate of 7.35 per 1000 persons. The risk of incident diabetes increased proportionally with increasing baseline BMI values, with a 23% increased risk of incident diabetes with each kg/m2 increase in BMI (95% CI 1.22 to 1.24). Across all age groups, there was a linear association between BMI and the risk of incident diabetes, although there was a stronger association between BMI and incident diabetes in the younger age groups (age×BMI interaction, p<0.0001).ConclusionsAn increased BMI is also independently associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes in young adults and the effects of BMI on incident diabetes were accentuated in younger adults.
Background
Molecular subtyping of triple‐negative breast cancers (TNBCs) via gene expression profiling is essential for understanding the molecular essence of this heterogeneous disease and for ...guiding individualized treatment. We aim to devise a clinically practical method based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the molecular subtyping of TNBCs.
Materials and Methods
By analyzing the RNA sequencing data on TNBCs from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) (n = 360) and The Cancer Genome Atlas data set (n = 158), we determined markers that can identify specific molecular subtypes. We performed immunohistochemical staining on tumor sections of 210 TNBCs from FUSCC, established an IHC‐based classifier, and applied it to another two cohorts (n = 183 and 214).
Results
We selected androgen receptor (AR), CD8, FOXC1, and DCLK1 as immunohistochemical markers and classified TNBCs into five subtypes based on the staining results: (a) IHC‐based luminal androgen receptor (IHC‐LAR; AR‐positive +), (b) IHC‐based immunomodulatory (IHC‐IM; AR‐negative −, CD8+), (c) IHC‐based basal‐like immune‐suppressed (IHC‐BLIS; AR−, CD8−, FOXC1+), (d) IHC‐based mesenchymal (IHC‐MES; AR−, CD8−, FOXC1−, DCLK1+), and (e) IHC‐based unclassifiable (AR−, CD8−, FOXC1−, DCLK1−). The κ statistic indicated substantial agreement between the IHC‐based classification and mRNA‐based classification. Multivariate survival analysis suggested that our IHC‐based classification was an independent prognostic factor for relapse‐free survival. Transcriptomic data and pathological observations implied potential treatment strategies for different subtypes. The IHC‐LAR subtype showed relative activation of HER2 pathway. The IHC‐IM subtype tended to exhibit an immune‐inflamed phenotype characterized by the infiltration of CD8+ T cells into tumor parenchyma. The IHC‐BLIS subtype showed high expression of a VEGF signature. The IHC‐MES subtype displayed activation of JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Conclusion
We developed an IHC‐based approach to classify TNBCs into molecular subtypes. This IHC‐based classification can provide additional information for prognostic evaluation. It allows for subgrouping of TNBC patients in clinical trials and evaluating the efficacy of targeted therapies within certain subtypes.
Implications for Practice
An immunohistochemistry (IHC)‐based classification approach was developed for triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC), which exhibited substantial agreement with the mRNA expression‐based classification. This IHC‐based classification (a) allows for subgrouping of TNBC patients in large clinical trials and evaluating the efficacy of targeted therapies within certain subtypes, (b) will contribute to the practical application of subtype‐specific treatment for patients with TNBC, and (c) can provide additional information beyond traditional prognostic factors in relapse prediction.
This article describes an immunohistochemistry‐based approach to classification of triple‐negative breast cancers into molecular subtypes for purposes of the translation of TNBC molecular classification into clinical practice.
We report acute antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 285 patients with COVID-19. Within 19 days after symptom onset, 100% of patients tested positive for antiviral immunoglobulin-G (IgG). ...Seroconversion for IgG and IgM occurred simultaneously or sequentially. Both IgG and IgM titers plateaued within 6 days after seroconversion. Serological testing may be helpful for the diagnosis of suspected patients with negative RT-PCR results and for the identification of asymptomatic infections.
Ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (I/RI) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The molecular basis underlying I/RI‐induced renal pathogenesis and measures to prevent or reverse this pathologic ...process remains to be resolved. Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is reported to have protective roles of myocardial infarction as well as in several other I/R related disorders. Herein we present evidence that FGF2 exhibits robust protective effect against renal histological and functional damages in a rat I/RI model. FGF2 treatment greatly alleviated I/R‐induced acute renal dysfunction and largely blunted I/R‐induced elevation in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and also the number of TUNEL‐positive tubular cells in the kidney. Mechanistically, FGF2 substantially ameliorated renal I/RI by mitigating several mitochondria damaging parameters including pro‐apoptotic alteration of Bcl2/Bax expression, caspase‐3 activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and KATP channel integrity. Of note, the protective effect of FGF2 was significantly compromised by the KATP channel blocker 5‐HD. Interestingly, I/RI alone resulted in mild activation of FGFR, whereas FGF2 treatment led to more robust receptor activation. More significantly, post‐I/RI administration of FGF2 also exhibited robust protection against I/RI by reducing cell apoptosis, inhibiting the release of damage‐associated molecular pattern molecule HMBG1 and activation of its downstream inflammatory cytokines such as IL‐1α, IL‐6 and TNF α. Taken together, our data suggest that FGF2 offers effective protection against I/RI and improves animal survival by attenuating mitochondrial damage and HMGB1‐mediated inflammatory response. Therefore, FGF2 has the potential to be used for the prevention and treatment of I/RI‐induced AKI.
Macroautophagy/autophagy deficit induces intracellular MAPT/tau accumulation, the hallmark pathology in Alzheimer disease (AD) and other tauopathies; however, the reverse role of MAPT accumulation in ...autophagy and neurodegeneration is not clear. Here, we found that overexpression of human wild-type full-length MAPT, which models MAPT pathologies as seen in sporadic AD patients, induced autophagy deficits via repression of autophagosome-lysosome fusion leading to significantly increased LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3)-II and SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) protein levels with autophagosome accumulation. At the molecular level, intracellular MAPT aggregation inhibited expression of IST1 (IST1 factor associated with ESCRT-III), a positive modulator for the formation of ESCRT (the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) complex that is required for autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Upregulating IST1 in human MAPT transgenic mice attenuated autophagy deficit with reduced MAPT aggregation and ameliorated synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions, while downregulating IST1 per se induced autophagy deficit with impaired synapse and cognitive function in naïve mice. IST1 can facilitate association of CHMP2B (charged multivesicular body protein 2B) and CHMP4B/SNF7-2 to form ESCRT-III complex, while lack of IST1 impeded the complex formation. Finally, we demonstrate that MAPT accumulation suppresses IST1 transcription with the mechanisms involving the ANP32A-regulated mask of histone acetylation. Our findings suggest that the AD-like MAPT accumulation can repress autophagosome-lysosome fusion by deregulating ANP32A-INHAT-IST1-ESCRT-III pathway, which also reveals a vicious cycle of MAPT accumulation and autophagy deficit in the chronic course of AD neurodegeneration.Abbreviations: AAV: adeno-associated virus; Aβ: β-amyloid; aCSF: artificial cerebrospinal fluid; AD: Alzheimer disease; ANP32A: acidic nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family member A; ATG: autophagy related; AVs: autophagic vacuoles; CEBPB: CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta; CHMP: charged multivesicular body protein; DMEM: Dulbecco's modified eagle's medium; EBSS: Earle's balanced salt solution; EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor; ESCRT: endosomal sorting complex required for transport; fEPSPs: field excitatory postsynaptic potentials; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GSK3B: glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta; HAT: histone acetyl transferase; HDAC: histone deacetylase; INHAT: inhibitor of histone acetyl transferase; IST1: IST1 factor associated with ESCRT-III; LAMP2: lysosomal associated membrane protein 2; LTP: long-term potentiation; MAP1LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAPT/tau: microtubule associated protein tau; MVB: multivesicular bodies; MWM: Morris water maze; PBS: phosphate-buffered saline solution; RAB7: member RAS oncogene family; SNAREs: soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1
The quantum confinement in atomic scale and the presence of interlayer coupling in multilayer make the electronic and optical properties of 2D materials (2DMs) be dependent on the layer number (N) ...from monolayer to multilayer. Optical properties of 2DMs have been widely probed by several optical techniques, such as optical contrast, Rayleigh scattering, Raman spectroscopy, optical absorption, photoluminescence, and second harmonic generation. Here, it is reviewed how optical properties of several typical 2DMs (e.g., monolayer and multilayer graphenes, transition metal dichalcogenides) probed by these optical techniques significantly depend on N. Further, it has been demonstrated how these optical techniques service as fast and nondestructive approaches for N counting or thickness determination of these typical 2DM flakes. The corresponding approaches can be extended to the whole 2DM family produced by micromechanical exfoliations, chemical‐vapor‐deposition growth, or transfer processes on various substrates, which bridges the gap between the characterization and international standardization for thickness determination of 2DM flakes.
Optical properties of 2D materials, such as optical contrast, Rayleigh scattering, Raman spectroscopy, optical absorption, photoluminescence, and second harmonic generation, are dependent on the layer number. Here, we demonstrate how these optical techniques serve as fast and nondestructive approaches for layer number counting or thickness determination of these typical 2D material flakes.
Despite wide applications of bimetallic electrocatalysis in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) owing to their superior performance, the origin of the improved performance remains elusive. The underlying ...mechanism was explored by designing and synthesizing a series of stable metal–organic frameworks (MOFs: NNU‐21–24) based on trinuclear metal carboxylate clusters and tridentate carboxylate ligands. Among the examined stable MOFs, NNU‐23 exhibits the best OER performance; particularly, compared with monometallic MOFs, all the bimetallic MOFs display improved OER activity. DFT calculations and experimental results demonstrate that introduction of the second metal atom can improve the activity of the original atom. The proposed model of bimetallic electrocatalysts affecting their OER performance can facilitate design of efficient bimetallic catalysts for energy storage and conversion, and investigation of the related catalytic mechanisms.
An iron atom in an Fe3 cluster is replaced by a second metal to form Fe2M clusters, which can serve as nodes to bridge with organic ligands and construct stable bimetallic MOFs. The introduction of the second metal atom can improve the activity of the original atom and thus improve the oxygen evolution reaction performance of electrocatalysts.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive malignancy with extremely skewed ethnic and geographic distributions. Increasing evidence indicates that targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME) ...represents a promising therapeutic approach in NPC, highlighting an urgent need to deepen the understanding of the complex NPC TME. Here, we generated single-cell transcriptome profiles for 7581 malignant cells and 40,285 immune cells from fifteen primary NPC tumors and one normal sample. We revealed malignant signatures capturing intratumoral transcriptional heterogeneity and predicting aggressiveness of malignant cells. Diverse immune cell subtypes were identified, including novel subtypes such as CLEC9A
dendritic cells (DCs). We further revealed transcriptional regulators underlying immune cell diversity, and cell-cell interaction analyses highlighted promising immunotherapeutic targets in NPC. Moreover, we established the immune subtype-specific signatures, and demonstrated that the signatures of macrophages, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), CLEC9A
DCs, natural killer (NK) cells, and plasma cells were significantly associated with improved survival outcomes in NPC. Taken together, our findings represent a unique resource providing in-depth insights into the cellular heterogeneity of NPC TME and highlight potential biomarkers for anticancer treatment and risk stratification, laying a new foundation for precision therapies in NPC.