Intestinal acetate and butyrate availability is associated with glucose metabolism in healthy individuals.

Animal studies suggest that short-chain fatty acids acetate and butyrate are key players in the gut-brain axis and may affect insulin sensitivity. We investigated the association of intestinal acetate and butyrate availability (measured by butyryl-coenzyme A transferase (ButCoA) gene amount) with insulin sensitivity and secretion in healthy subjects from the HELIUS cohort study from the highest 15% (N = 30) and the lowest 15% (N = 30) intestinal ButCoA gene amount. The groups did not differ in insulin sensitivity or secretion.

Integrative study of EZH2 mutational status, copy number, protein expression and H3K27 trimethylation in AML/MDS patients.

Background: Mutations in the EZH2 gene are recurrently found in patients with myeloid neoplasms and are associated with a poor prognosis. We aimed to characterize genetic and epigenetic alterations of EZH2 in 58 patients (51 with acute myeloid leukemia and 7 with myelodysplastic or myeloproliferative neoplasms) by integrating data on EZH2 mutational status, co-occurring mutations, and EZH2 copy number status with EZH2 protein expression, histone H3K27 trimethylation, and EZH2 promoter methylation.

Results: EZH2 was mutated in 6/51 acute myeloid leukemia patients (12%) and 7/7 patients with other myeloid neoplasms.

Thiosquaramide-Based Supramolecular Polymers: Aromaticity Gain in a Switched Mode of Self-Assembly.

Despite a growing understanding of factors that drive monomer self-assembly to form supramolecular polymers, the effects of aromaticity gain have been largely ignored. Herein, we document the aromaticity gain in two different self-assembly modes of squaramide-based bolaamphiphiles. Importantly, O → S substitution in squaramide synthons resulted in supramolecular polymers with increased fiber flexibility and lower degrees of polymerization.

Monosomal karyotype and chromosome 17p loss or TP53 mutations in decitabine-treated patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

TP53 aberrations reportedly predict favorable responses to decitabine (DAC) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We evaluated clinical features and outcomes associated with chromosome 17p loss or TP53 gene mutations in older, unfit DAC-treated AML patients in a phase II trial. Of 178 patients, 25 had loss of 17p in metaphase cytogenetics; 24 of these had a complex (CK+) and 21 a monosomal karyotype (MK+).