Chromosomal microarray analysis of 410 Han Chinese patients with autism spectrum disorder or unexplained intellectual disability and developmental delay

Copy number variants (CNVs) are recognized as a crucial genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), the first-tier diagnostic test for individuals with NDDs, has been utilized to detect CNVs in clinical practice, but most reports are still from populations of European ancestry. To contribute more worldwide clinical genomics data, we investigated the genetic etiology of 410 Han Chinese patients with NDDs (151 with autism and 259 with unexplained intellectual disability (ID) and developmental delay (DD)) using CMA (Affymetrix) after G-banding karyotyping. Among all the NDD patients, 109 (26.6%) carried clinically relevant CNVs or uniparental disomies (UPDs), and 8 (2.0%) had aneuploidies (6 with trisomy 21 syndrome, 1 with 47,XXY, 1 with 47,XYY). In total, we found 129 clinically relevant CNVs and UPDs, including 32 CNVs in 30 ASD patients, and 92 CNVs and 5 UPDs in 79 ID/DD cases. When excluding the eight patients with aneuploidies, the diagnostic yield of pathogenic and likely pathogenic CNVs and UPDs was 20.9% for all NDDs (84/402), 3.3% in ASD (5/151), and 31.5% in ID/DD (79/251). When aneuploidies were included, the diagnostic yield increased to 22.4% for all NDDs (92/410), and 33.6% for ID/DD (87/259). We identified a de novo CNV in 14.9% (60/402) of subjects with NDDs. Interestingly, a higher diagnostic yield was observed in females (31.3%, 40/128) compared to males (16.1%, 44/274) for all NDDs (P = 4.8 × 10−4), suggesting that a female protective mechanism exists for deleterious CNVs and UPDs.

Association of Serum Biomarkers with Post-Thrombolytic Early Neurological Improvement in Stroke: A Comprehensive Protein Microarray Analysis From INTRECIS Study

Objective Early neurological improvement (ENI) after intravenous thrombolysis is associated with favorable outcome, but associated serum biomarkers were not fully determined. We aimed to investigate the issue in a prospective cohort. Methods In INTRECIS study, five centers were designed to consecutively collect the blood sample from enrolled patients. Enrolled patients with ENI and without ENI were matched by propensity score matching with the ratio of 1:1. Preset 49 biomarkers were measured by protein microarray analysis. Enrichment of Gene Ontology and pathway, and protein-protein interaction network were analyzed in the identified biomarkers. Results Of 358 patients, 19 occurred ENI, who were assigned as ENI group, while 19 matched patients without ENI were assigned as Non ENI group. A total of 9 biomarkers were found different, among which levels of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL)-23, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)-12, insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-6, interleukin (IL)-5, lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor (LYVE)-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, suppression of tumorigenicity (ST)-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were higher in ENI group, compared with those in Non ENI group. Interpretation: Our finding indicated that pretreatment serum CCL-23, CXCL-12, IGFBP-6, IL-5, LYVE-1, PAI-1, PDGF-AA, ST-2, and TNF-α levels were associated with post-thrombolytic ENI in ischemic stroke. The role of these biomarkers warrant further investigation. Registration-URL : https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02854592.

Identification and Validation of Novel Serum Autoantibodies Biomarkers for Staging Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Aim: Liver fibrosis monitoring is essential in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, less robust, noninvasive diagnostic methods for staging liver fibrosis, other than liver biopsy, are available. Our previous study demonstrated a panel of cellular proteins recognized by autoantibodies that may have potential value in discrimination of CHB and liver cirrhosis. We aim to assess the diagnostic value of these serum autoantibodies for staging liver fibrosis.Methods: Candidate autoantigens were screened and assessed by microarray analysis in 96 healthy controls and 227 CHB patients with pre-treatment biopsy-proven METAVIR fibrosis score, comprising 69, 115, and 43 cases with S0-1, S2-3, and S4 stages, respectively. Autoantibodies with potential diagnostic value for staging liver fibrosis were verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic curve was conducted to evaluate autoantibody performance.Results: Microarray analysis identified autoantigens CENPF, ACY1, HSPA6, and ENO1 with potential diagnostic value for liver fibrosis staging, among which CENPF and ACY1 were validated using ELISA. CENPF and ACY1 autoantibodies had area under the curve values of 0.746 and 0.685, 58.14 and 74.42% sensitivity, and 88.41 and 60.87% specificity, respectively, for discriminating liver fibrosis stages S4 and S0-1. The prevalence of CENPF and ACY1 autoantibodies was not correlated with age, sex or level of inflammation.Conclusions: Autoimmune responses may be elicited during progression of liver fibrosis, and serum autoantibodies may be a valuable biomarker for staging liver fibrosis deserving of further study.

Hsa_Circular RNA_0001013 Exerts Oncogenice Effects in Gastric Cancer Via the microRNA-136/TWSG1 Axis

Background：Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most principle malignant cancers in the digestive system. Moreover, the critical role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been identified in GC development. Methods：In this context, the purpose of research was to explore the regulatory mechanism circ_0001013, a novel circRNAs predicted by our research, in GC. The differential circRNAs and related mechanism in GC were predicted by microarray analysis. Circ_0001013, miR-136, and TWSG1 expression in GC clinical samples and cells was detected by RT-qPCR. The relationship among circ_0001013, miR-136, and TWSG was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter assay, biotin coupled probe pull-down assay, and biotin coupled miRNA capture. After gain- and loss-of-function assays in GC cells, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle and apoptosis were measured by EdU assay, scratch test, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry respectively. The effect of circ_0001013 on tumor growth was detected by xenograft tumor in nude mice. Results ：Microarray analysis predicted a novel circRNA, circ_0001013, was upregulated in GC, which was confirmed by RT-qPCR detection in GC tissues and cells. Besides, miR-136 was downregulated but TWSG1 was highly expressed in GC tissues. Mechanically, circ_0001013 could bind to miR-136, and miR-136 negatively targeted TWSG1 in GC cells. Silencing circ_0001013 or TWSG1 or overexpressing miR-136 decreased GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle arrest and accelerated cell apoptosis. Circ_0001013 silencing decreased TWSG1 expression and inhibited transplanted tumor growth in nude mice. Conclusion：Circ_0001013 elevated TWSG1 expression by binding to miR-136, thereby exerting oncogenic effect in GC.