Clinicopathological Spectrum of Cryoglobulinemic Glomerulonephritis without Evidence of Autoimmunity Disorders: A Retrospective Study from a Single Institute of China.

Background: Cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis (Cryo-GN), caused by circulating cryoglobulins, has varied etiology and clinical-pathologic manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological spectrum and outcome of patients with various Cryo-GN in China. Methods: A retrospective review of 74 Chinese patients with biopsy-proven cryoglobulin-related renal lesions in Peking University First Hospital from 2010 to 2020 was performed. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 52.9 ± 15.0 years, and the female-to-male ratio was about 2/5. For the etiology screening, serum/urine monoclonal immunoglobulin could be detected on immunofixation electrophoresis in 34% of patients, including 6 patients who had hematological malignancies. Fifty-seven percent of patients had HBV infection, far more than HCV infection (5%). Ten percent of patients had other infections, and 27% of patients were classified as essential or idiopathic. Eleven out of the 15 patients with type II cryoglobulinemia had a consistent monotype of serum monoclonal immunoglobulins and monoclonal cryoprecipitate. The clinical manifestations were similar between various types of cryoglobulinemia. Hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension, anemia, and chronic renal insufficiency were the most common features. Fifty-three percent of patients presented with nephrotic syndrome, and 32% experienced acute kidney injury. Hypocomplementemia, serum-positive rheumatoid factor activity, and skin lesions were reported in 45%, 29%, and 28% of patients, respectively. After a median of 24 months follow-up, 18 patients reached end-stage kidney disease. The clone-targeted treatment could retard the renal deterioration compared with immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusions: This was the largest single-center, clinicopathological retrospective study of Cryo-GN in China. Our data strongly support the association between monoclonal gammopathy and type II Cryo-GN. The renal responsive rate of immunosuppressant therapy is still suboptimal. The clone-targeted treatment shows promising effects in patients with type I or II Cryo-GN.

RNA sequencing uncovers the key long non-coding RNAs and potential molecular mechanism contributing to XAV939-mediated inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer.

The present study aimed to reveal the key long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the potential molecular mechanisms of XAV939 treatment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The NSCLC cell line, NCI-H1299, was cultured with 10 µM XAV939 for 12 h, and NCI-H1299 cells without XAV939 treatment were used as controls. Following RNA isolation from the two groups, RNA-sequencing was performed to detect transcript expression levels, and differentially-expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) and DE-genes (DEGs) were identified between groups and analyzed for their functions and associated pathways. The potential associations between proteins encoded by DEGs were revealed via a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Subsequently, the microRNA (miRNA/miR)-mRNA, lncRNA-miRNA and lncRNA-mRNA interactions were explored, followed by competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network construction. A total of 396 DEGs and 224 DE-lncRNAs were identified between the XAV939 and control groups. These lncRNAs were mainly enriched in pathways such as 'ferroptosis' [DEG, solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11)]. The PPI network consisted of 97 nodes and 112 interactions. Furthermore, a total of 10 noteworthy lncRNAs were revealed in the DE-lncRNA-DEG interaction. Finally, the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory association, including MIR503 host gene (MIR503HG)-miR1273c-SRY-box 4 (SOX4), was explored in the current ceRNA network. The downregulation of lncRNA MIR503HG induced by XAV939 may serve an important role in NSCLC suppression via sponging miR-1273c and regulating SOX4 expression. Furthermore, the downregulation of SLC7A11 induced by XAV939 may also inhibit the development of NSCLC via the ferroptosis pathway.

Faster and Cleaner Method to Mass Produce Nano HMX/TNT Energetic Particles for Significantly Reduced Mechanical Sensitivity.

Mechanochemical method is an environmentally friendly approach, which can facilely synthesize large-scale nano-scale HMX/TNT energetic particles. In the mechanochemical process, a large new structure was obtained by solid-state grinding of a starting physical mixture HMX and TNT in the presence of ethanol. Within the resulting nano HMX/TNT energetic particles, HMX and TNT molecules are crystallographically rearranged after IR and X-ray irradiation. The size and microstructure were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal decomposition of the energetic particles was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Simultaneously, explosive property and impact safety performance tests and analysis were conducted. Results showed that nano HMX/TNT energetic particles offer a number of advantages in comparison with raw HMX and raw TNT including decreased size, stable thermal performance, reduced sensitivity and improved explosive property after the mechanochemical technology.

Effect of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin-Gelatin Colloidal Complexes on Stability and in Vitro Digestion of Fish Oil Emulsions.

The colloidal complexes composed of grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP) and gelatin (GLT), as natural antioxidants to improve stability and inhibit lipid oxidation in menhaden fish oil emulsions, were evaluated. The interactions between GSP and GLT, and the chemical structures of GSP/GLT self-assembled colloidal complexes, were characterized by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), circular dichroism (CD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) studies. Fish oil was emulsified with GLT to obtain an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion. After formation of the emulsion, GLT was fixed by GSP to obtain the GSP/GLT colloidal complexes stabilized fish oil emulsion. Menhaden oil emulsified by GSP/GLT(0.4 wt %) colloidal complexes yielded an emulsion with smaller particles and higher emulsion stability as compared to its GLT emulsified counterpart. The GSP/GLT colloidal complexes inhibited the lipid oxidation in fish oil emulsions more effectively than free GLT because the emulsified fish oil was surrounded by the antioxidant GSP/GLT colloidal complexes. The digestion rate of the fish oil emulsified with the GSP/GLT colloidal complexes was reduced as compared to that emulsified with free GLT. The extent of free fatty acids released from the GSP/GLT complexes stabilized fish oil emulsions was 63.3% under simulated digestion condition, indicating that the fish oil emulsion was considerably hydrolyzed with lipase.

Preparation and characterization of dexamethasone-immobilized chitosan scaffold.

Chitosan film (CSF), 2-dimensional scaffold, was modified with dexamethasone (DEX) in the present work via amino-alcohol forming reaction between amino group of chitosan and carbonyl group of DEX. Successful immobilization was identified by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and, the immobilized amounts were determined by weighting methods (WM) and integrated area analysis method (AM) of HPLC. For experiments of cell culture of osteogenic differentiation, our results showed that DEX immobilization has more efficiency than the other group (such as both groups of CSF and CSF with free DEX, CSF/fDEX), which was demonstrated as indicated by cell image analysis and ALP activity assay. The results show, as AD-MSCs cultured on DEX-CSF, its shape of cell transformed to polygonal or cubical. The ALP activity assay indicates that of DEX-CSF increase about 3.5 folds than that of CSF's. The results suggest that immobilization of DEX can make chitosan scaffolds to induce differentiation of AD-MSCs toward osteoblastic lineage for bone tissue engineering application.

Computational multiple steady states for enzymatic esterification of ethanol and oleic acid in an isothermal CSTR.

The capacity of complex biochemical reaction networks (consisting of 11 coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations) to show multiple steady states, was investigated. The system involved esterification of ethanol and oleic acid by lipase in an isothermal continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The Deficiency One Algorithm and the Subnetwork Analysis were applied to determine the steady state multiplicity. A set of rate constants and two corresponding steady states are computed. The phenomena of bistability, hysteresis and bifurcation are discussed. Moreover, the capacity of steady state multiplicity is extended to the family of the studied reaction networks.

Enzymatic grafting of carboxyl groups on to chitosan--to confer on chitosan the property of a cationic dye adsorbent.

Chitosan (CTS) is a good adsorbent for dyes but lacks the ability to adsorb cationic dyes. In this study, chitosan was modified to possess the ability to adsorb cationic dyes from water. Four kinds of phenol derivatives: 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (BA), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DBA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-acetic acid (PA), hydrocaffeic acid (CA) were used individually as substrates of tyrosinase to graft onto chitosan. FTIR analysis provided supporting evidence of phenol derivatives being grafted. The grafting amounts of these phenol derivatives onto chitosan were examined by the adsorption of an anionic dye (amaranth) and reached a plateau value. The final contents of carboxyl groups in chitosan (mmol carboxyl groups per kg chitosan) were measured as 46.36 for BA, 70.32 for DBA, 106.44 for PA, and 113.15 for CA. These modified chitosans were used in experiments on uptake of the cationic dyes crystal violet (CV) and bismarck brown Y (BB) by a batch adsorption technique at pH 7 for CV and at pH 9 for BB and 30 degrees C. Langmuir type adsorption was found, and the maximum adsorption capacities for both dyes were increased with the following order CTS-CA>CTS-PA>CTS-DBA>CTS-BA.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Systemic Scleroderma / 대한피부과학회지

In one case of advanced systemic scleroderma hyperbaric oxygen therapy was performed. The treatrnent were given in an one-man pressure chamber (made in Korea) at a pressure of 2. 5 atmospheres absolute pressure (AT.A). The pressure was increased in 5-7 minutes, kept constant for 1.5 hours and lowered in 5--7 minutes. After 16 weeks of the treatment, regression of the skin contraction was achieved, together with improved mobility of the joints and healing of ulceration.

A Case of Syringocystadenoma Papilliferus / 대한피부과학회지

A case of nevus syringocystadenoma papilliferus which resembles eclinically as nevus sebaceus in 17 year-old female is presented. The histopathological examination revealed characteristic features of the disease.