The results of this study show a reliable and feasible candidates selection and prognostic criteria of LT in HCC patients.

A single missense mutation was identified in a novel, highly conserved zinc-finger gene, ZCD2, in three consanguineous families of Jordanian descent with Wolfram syndrome (WFS). It had been shown that these families did not have mutations in the WFS1 gene (WFS1) but were mapped to the WFS2 locus at 4q22-25. A G-->C transversion at nucleotide 109 predicts an amino acid change from glutamic acid to glutamine (E37Q). Although the amino acid is conserved and the mutation is nonsynonymous, the pathogenesis for the disorder is because the mutation also causes aberrant splicing. The mutation was found to disrupt messenger RNA splicing by eliminating exon 2, and it results in the introduction of a premature stop codon. Mutations in WFS1 have also been found to cause low-frequency nonsyndromic hearing loss, progressive hearing loss, and isolated optic atrophy associated with hearing loss. Screening of 377 probands with hearing loss did not identify mutations in the WFS2 gene. The WFS1-encoded protein, Wolframin, is known to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum and plays a role in calcium homeostasis. The ZCD2-encoded protein, ERIS (endoplasmic reticulum intermembrane small protein), is also shown to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum but does not interact directly with Wolframin. Lymphoblastoid cells from affected individuals show a significantly greater rise in intracellular calcium when stimulated with thapsigargin, compared with controls, although no difference was observed in resting concentrations of intracellular calcium.

An appropriate beta cell mass is pivotal for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Both insulin and IGF-1 are important in regulation of beta cell growth and function (reviewed in ref. 2). To define the roles of these hormones directly, we created a mouse model lacking functional receptors for both insulin and IGF-1 only in beta cells (betaDKO), as the hormones have overlapping mechanisms of action and activate common downstream proteins. Notably, betaDKO mice were born with a normal complement of islet cells, but 3 weeks after birth, they developed diabetes, in contrast to mild phenotypes observed in single mutants. Normoglycemic 2-week-old betaDKO mice manifest reduced beta cell mass, reduced expression of phosphorylated Akt and the transcription factor MafA, increased apoptosis in islets and severely compromised beta cell function. Analyses of compound knockouts showed a dominant role for insulin signaling in regulating beta cell mass. Together, these data provide compelling genetic evidence that insulin and IGF-I-dependent pathways are not critical for development of beta cells but that a loss of action of these hormones in beta cells leads to diabetes. We propose that therapeutic improvement of insulin and IGF-I signaling in beta cells might protect against type 2 diabetes.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread globally outside China. We aimed to investigate the role of peripheral blood eosinophil (EOS) as a marker in the course of the virus infection to improve the efficiency of diagnosis and evaluation of COVID‐19 patients. Methods 227 pneumonia patients who visited the fever clinics in Shanghai General Hospital and 97 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients admitted to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center were involved in a retrospective research study. Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic data were collected. The trend of EOS level in COVID‐19 patients and comparison among patients with different severity were summarized. Results The majority of COVID‐19 patients (71.7%) had a decrease in circulating EOS counts, which was significantly more frequent than other types of pneumonia patients. EOS counts had good value for COVID‐19 prediction, even higher when combined with neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio. Patients with low EOS counts at admission were more likely to have fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath, with more lesions in chest CT and radiographic aggravation, and longer length of hospital stay and course of disease than those with normal EOS counts. Circulating EOS level gradually increased over the time, and was synchronous with the improvement in chest CT (12 days vs 13 days, P = .07), later than that of body temperature (12 days vs 10 days, P = .014), but earlier than that of the negative conversion of nucleic acid assays (12 days vs 17 days, P = .001). Conclusion Peripheral blood EOS counts may be an effective and efficient indicator in diagnosis, Evaluation, and prognosis monitoring of COVID‐19 patients.