Search

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a critical pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Lower endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation leads to reduced endothelium-derived relaxing factor nitric oxide (NO) generation, causing and accelerating CMD. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) has been shown to reduce NO production in umbilical vein endothelial cells. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) damages endothelial cell function. However, the relationship between ox-LDL and coronary microcirculation has yet to be assessed. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), a fermentation product of the gut microbiome, could improve endothelial-dependent vasodilation in human adipose arterioles, but the effect of SCFA on coronary microcirculation is unclear. In this study, we found ox-LDL stimulated expression of ER chaperone GRP78. Further, we activated downstream PERK/eIF2a, IRE1/JNK, and ATF6 signaling pathways, decreasing eNOS phosphorylation and NO production in human cardiac microvascular endothelial. Furthermore, SCFA-propionate can inhibit ox-LDL-induced eNOS phosphorylation reduction and raise NO production; the mechanism is related to the inhibition of ER stress and downstream signaling pathways PERK/eIF2a, IRE1/JNK, and ATF6. In summary, we demonstrate that ox-LDL induced CMD by activating ER stress, propionate can effectively counteract the adverse effects of ox-LDL and protect coronary microcirculation function via inhibiting ER stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With an incidence rate as high as 46%-58%, hypoglycemia is a common complication of glycemic management among those suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). According to preclinical research, hypoglycemia episodes may impair cognition by harming neurons. However, there is still controversy regarding the clinical evidence for the relationship between hypoglycemic events and the likelihood of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, little research has been done on the dose-response association between hypoglycemia incidents and the possibility of cognitive impairment. To address these knowledge gaps, the present research intends to update the comprehension of the association among hypoglycemic events and the risk of cognitive impairment and to clarify the correlation between dose and response by incorporating the most recent investigations. Method and analysis: This work has developed a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that will examine, via a well-organized assessment of several databases, the relationship between the incidence of hypoglycemia and the probability of cognitive impairment. Observational studies investigating the connection between hypoglycemia episodes and cognitive impairment will be included. The databases that will be searched are PubMed, Web of Science, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge (CNKI), Wan Fang, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and Du Xiu. Literature from the establishment of each database to December 2023 will be included in the search. Two researchers will independently screen the studies that satisfy the requirements for both inclusion and exclusion. A third researcher will be asked to mediate any disputes. The methodological caliber of the studies included will be assessed utilizing the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) or the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal method. With regard to GRADE, which stands for Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation, the quality of the evidence will be evaluated. ROBIS Tool will be used to evaluate the risk of bias in the development of the systematic review. If the data is accessible, meta-analysis and dose-response curve analysis will be employed by Stata software. However, if the data does not allow for such analysis, a descriptive review will be performed. Discussion and conclusion: Hypoglycemic episodes may raise the likelihood of cognitive impairment, according to earlier investigations. This study will update the relevant evidence and explore the dose-response connection between hypoglycemic episodes and cognitive impairment. The results of this review will have significant effects on decision-making by individuals with diabetes, healthcare providers, and government policy institutions. Trial registration: Prospero registration number:CRD42023432352. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Protective color restoration of faded digital pathology images based on color transfer algorithm. Methods: Twenty fresh tissue samples of invasive breast cancer from the pathology department of Qingdao Central Hospital in 2021 were screened. After HE staining, HE stained sections were irradiated with sunlight to simulate natural fading, and every 7 days was a fading cycle, and a total of 8 cycles were experienced. At the end of each cycle, the sections were digitally scanned to retain clear images, and the color changes of the sections during the fading process were recorded. The color transfer algorithm was applied to restore the color of the faded images; Adobe Lightroom Classic software presented the histogram of the image color distribution; UNet++ cell recognition segmentation model was used to identify the color restored images; Natural Image Quality Evaluator (NIQE), Information Entropy (Entropy), and Average Gradient (AG) were applied to evaluate the quality of the restored images. Results: The restored image color met the diagnostic needs of pathologists. Compared with the faded images, the NIQE value decreased (P<0.05), Entropy value increased (P<0.01), and AG value increased (P<0.01). The cell recognition rate of the restored image was significantly improved. Conclusion: The color transfer algorithm can effectively repair faded pathology images, restore the color contrast between nucleus and cytoplasm, improve the image quality, meet the diagnostic needs and improve the cell recognition rate of the deep learning model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of large field of view, low cost and simple structure, the freeform optical system has extensive requirements in space exploration and other fields. However, the current machining methods for freeform are difficult to meet the requirements of optical use. Based on a developed fast servo tool (FTS) device, this paper proposes an error compensation turning method for freeforms. Firstly, the Zernike polynomial fitting method is used to reconstruct the freeform surface shape error obtained from off-line measurement, and the offset compensation is used to correct the tool path. Then, the compensation processing physical system is built to simulate the off-line compensation processing of the workpiece to verify the feasibility of compensation processing. Finally, the turning compensation processing of convex freeform aluminum mirror is carried out, and the surface accuracy of the workpiece meets the requirements of visible band. The research results have important practical significance for realizing the fast response machining of free-form surface mirror. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Median fins are thought to be ancestors of paired fins which in turn give rise to limbs in tetrapods. However, the developmental mechanisms of median fins remain largely unknown. Nonsense mutation of the T-box transcription factor eomesa in zebrafish results in a phenotype without dorsal fin. Compared to zebrafish, the common carp undergo an additional round of whole genome duplication, acquiring an extra copy of protein-coding genes. To verify the function of eomesa genes in common carp, we established a biallelic gene editing technology in this tetraploidy fish through simultaneous disruption of two homologous genes, eomesa1 and eomesa2. We targeted four sites located upstream or within the sequences encoding the T-box domain. Sanger sequencing data indicated the average knockout efficiency was around 40% at T1-T3 sites and 10% at T4 site in embryos at 24 hours post fertilization. The individual editing efficiency was high to about 80% at T1-T3 sites and low to 13.3% at T4 site in larvae at 7 days post fertilization. Among 145 mosaic F0 examined at four months old, three individuals (Mutant 1–3) showed varying degrees of maldevelopment in the dorsal fin and loss of anal fin. Genotyping showed the genomes of all three mutants were disrupted at T3 sites. The null mutation rates on the eomesa1 and eomesa2 loci were 0% and 60% in Mutant 1, 66.7% and 100% in Mutant 2, and 90% and 77.8% in Mutant 3, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated a role of eomesa in the formation and development of median fins in Oujiang color common carp and established an method that simultaneously disrupt two homologous genes with one gRNA, which would be useful in genome editing in other polyploidy fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel exonuclease, designated as MszExo I, was cloned from Methylocaldum szegediense, a moderately thermophilic methanotroph. It specifically digests single-stranded DNA in the 3' to 5' direction. The protein is composed of 479 amino acids, and it shares 47% sequence identity with E. coli Exo I. The crystal structure of MszExo I was determined to a resolution of 2.2 Å and it aligns well with that of E. coli Exo I. Comparative studies revealed that MszExo I and E. coli Exo I have similar metal ion binding affinity and similar activity at mesophilic temperatures (25-47°C). However, the optimum working temperature of MszExo I is 10°C higher, and the melting temperature is more than 4°C higher as evaluated by both thermal inactivation assays and DSC measurements. More importantly, two thermal transitions during unfolding of MszExo I were monitored by DSC while only one transition was found in E. coli Exo I. Further analyses showed that magnesium ions not only confer structural stability, but also affect the unfolding of MszExo I. MszExo I is the first reported enzyme in the DNA repair systems of moderately thermophilic bacteria, which are predicted to have more efficient DNA repair systems than mesophilic ones.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging nosocomial, opportunistic pathogen with growing clinical significance globally. A. baumannii has an exceptional ability to rapidly develop drug resistance. It is frequently responsible for ventilator-associated pneumonia in clinical settings and inflammation resulting in severe sepsis. The inflammatory response is mediated by host pattern-recognition receptors and the inflammasomes. Inflammasome activation triggers inflammatory responses, including the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, the recruitment of innate immune effectors against A. baumannii infection, and the induction programmed cell death by pyroptosis. An important knowledge gap is how variation among clinical isolates affects the host's innate response and activation of the inflammasome during A. baumannii infection. In this study, we compared nine A. baumannii strains, including clinical locally-acquired isolates, in their ability to induce activation of the inflammasome and programmed cell death in primary macrophages, epithelial lung cell line and mice. We found a variation in survival outcomes of mice and bacterial dissemination in organs among three commercially available A. baumannii strains, likely due to the differences in virulence between strains. Interestingly, we found variability among A. baumannii strains in activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, non-canonical Caspase-11 pathway, plasmatic secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and programmed cell death. Our study highlights the importance of utilising multiple bacterial strains and clinical isolates with different virulence to investigate the innate immune response to A. baumannii infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is suggested as an emerging pollutant in agricultural environment because of the increasing anthropogenic release of Se, which in turn results in phytotoxicity. The most common consequence of Se-induced toxicity in plants is oxidative injury, but how Se induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst remains unclear. In this work, histofluorescent staining was applied to monitor the dynamics of ROS and nitric oxide (NO) in the root of Brassica rapa under Se(IV) stress. Se(IV)-induced faster accumulation of NO than ROS. Both NO and ROS accumulation were positively correlated with Se(IV)-induced inhibition of root growth. The NO accumulation was nitrate reductase (NR)- and nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent while ROS accumulation was NADPH oxidase-dependent. The removal of NO by NR inhibitor, NOS inhibitor, and NO scavenger could alleviate Se(IV)-induced expression of Br_Rbohs coding for NADPH oxidase and the following ROS accumulation in roots, which further resulted in the amelioration of Se(IV)-induced oxidative injury and growth inhibition. Thus, we proposed that the endogenous NO played a toxic role in B. rapa under Se(IV) stress by triggering ROS burst. Such findings can be used to evaluate the toxic effects of Se contamination on crop plants.

Selenium (Se) has been becoming an emerging pollutant causing severe phytotoxicity, which the biochemical mechanism is rarely known. Although hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been suggested as an important exogenous regulator modulating plant physiological adaptions in response to heavy metal stress, whether and how the endogenous H2S regulates Se-induce phytotoxicity remains unclear. In this work, a self-developed specific fluorescent probe (WSP-1) was applied to track endogenous H2S in situ in the roots of Brassica rapa under Se(IV) stress. Se(IV)-induced root growth stunt was closely correlated with the inhibition of endogenous H2S generation in root tips. Se(IV) stress dampened the expression of most LCD and DCD homologues in the roots of B. rapa. By using various specific fluorescent probes for bio-imaging root tips in situ, we found that the increase in endogenous H2S by the application of H2S donor NaHS could significantly alleviate Se(IV)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-accumulation, oxidative impairment, and cell death in root tips, which further resulted in the recovery of root growth under Se(IV) stress. However, dampening the endogenous H2S could block the alleviated effect of NaHS on Se(IV)-induced phytotoxicity. Finally, the increase in endogenous H2S resulted in the enhancement of glutathione (GSH) in Se(IV)-treated roots, which may share the similar molecular mechanism for the dominant role of H2S in removing ROS by activating GSH biosynthesis in mammals. Altogether, these data provide the first direct evidences confirming the pivotal role of endogenous H2S in modulating Se(IV)-induced phytotoxicity in roots.

Industrial transformation (IT) is the inevitable course for the sustainable development of resource-based cities, while digital inclusive finance (DIF) provides essential capital elements for industrial transformation. Based on the panel data of 115 resource-based cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper discusses the influence mechanism of digital inclusive finance on industrial transformation from the perspectives of the optimization of industrial structure (OIS) and the rationalization of industrial structure (RIS). The empirical results show that digital inclusive finance has a positive effect on both the optimization of industrial structure and the rationalization of industrial structure. Digital inclusive finance influences industrial transformation through residents' income and technological innovation. In addition, in the analysis of income gap and innovation gap, low-income regions have a better effect on the industrial transformation of industrial structure optimization, while high-income regions have a better effect in manufacturing upgrading, thus resulting in a more significant effect of industrial transformation on the rationalization of industrial structure. Obviously, the development of high-innovation regions has relative advantages with more channels for industrial transformation, which have significant effect of industrial transformation. Therefore, it is necessary to provide differentiated reform on the basis of unified development reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Bronchiectasis is characterized by an irreversible dilatation of bronchi and is associated with lung fibrosis. MMP-1 polymorphism may alter its transcriptional activity, and differentially modulate bronchial destruction and lung fibrosis. DESIGN: To investigate the association of MMP-1 polymorphisms with disease severity in non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis patients, 51 normal subjects and 113 patients with bronchiectasis were studied. The associations between MMP-1 polymorphisms, lung function, and disease severity evaluated by high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) were analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of MMP-1(-1607G) allele was significantly higher in patients with bronchiectasis than normal subjects (70.8% vs 45.1%, p

Foodborne diseases have become a serious havoc, where antimicrobial resistance is throwing significant challenges on daily basis. With the increase of drug-resistant bacteria and food-borne infection associated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, new and effective strategies were needed to control the emergence of vibriosis. Lytic bacteriophages come up as a promising way to resist the pathogenic population in various applications. In this study, a V. parahaemolyticus specific phage vB_VpS_PG28 was isolated from sewage in the seafood market. Results showed vB_VpS_PG28, is strictly a lytic bacteriophage and has a relatively large burst size of 103 plaque-forming units per infected cell. Comparative genomic and bioinformatic analyses proved that vB_VpS_PG28 is a new bacteriophage that had a homologous relation with Vibrio phages of family Siphoviridae, especially with phage VH2_2019, but transmission electron microscopy of vB_VpS_PG28 morphology characterized its morphology is similar to that of Myoviridae family. In silico analysis indicated that the vB_VpS_PG28 genome consists of 82712 bp (48.08% GC content) encoding 114 putative ORFs without tRNA,and any gene associated with resistance or virulence factors has not been found. The bacteriophage in the present study has shown significant outcomes in order to control bacterial growth under in vitro conditions. Thus, we are suggesting a beneficiary agent against foodborne pathogens. Further, to ensure the safe usage of phage oral toxicity testing is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand gesture recognition tasks based on surface electromyography (sEMG) are vital in human-computer interaction, speech detection, robot control, and rehabilitation applications. However, existing models, whether traditional machine learnings (ML) or other state-of-the-arts, are limited in the number of movements. Targeting a large number of gesture classes, more data features such as temporal information should be persisted as much as possible. In the field of sEMG-based recognitions, the recurrent convolutional neural network (RCNN) is an advanced method due to the sequential characteristic of sEMG signals. However, the invariance of the pooling layer damages important temporal information. In the all convolutional neural network (ACNN), because of the feature-mixing convolution operation, a same output can be received from completely different inputs. This paper proposes a concatenate feature fusion (CFF) strategy and a novel concatenate feature fusion recurrent convolutional neural network (CFF-RCNN). In CFF-RCNN, a max-pooling layer and a 2-stride convolutional layer are concatenated together to replace the conventional simple dimensionality reduction layer. The featurewise pooling operation serves as a signal amplitude detector without using any parameter. The feature-mixing convolution operation calculates the contextual information. Complete evaluations are made on both the accuracy and convergence speed of the CFF-RCNN. Experiments are conducted using three sEMG benchmark databases named DB1, DB2 and DB4 from the NinaPro database. With more than 50 gestures, the classification accuracies of the CFF-RCNN are 88.87% on DB1, 99.51% on DB2, and 99.29% on DB4. These accuracies are the highest compared with reported accuracies of machine learnings and other state-of-the-art methods. To achieve accuracies of 86%, 99% and 98% for the RCNN, the training time are 2353.686 s, 816.173 s and 731.771 s, respectively. However, for the CFF-RCNN to reach the same accuracies, it needs only 1727.415 s, 542.245 s and 576.734 s, corresponding to a reduction of 26.61%, 33.56% and 21.19% in training time. We concluded that the CFF-RCNN is an improved method when classifying a large number of hand gestures. The CFF strategy significantly improved model performance with higher accuracy and faster convergence as compared to traditional RCNN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dalbergia Odorifera (DO) has been widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseasesinclinical. However, the effective substances and possible mechanisms of DO are still unclear. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking were used toelucidate the effective substances and active mechanisms of DO in treating ischemic stroke (IS). 544 DO-related targets from 29 bioactive components and 344 IS-related targets were collected, among them, 71 overlapping common targets were got. Enrichment analysis showed that 12 components were the possible bioactive components in DO, which regulating 9 important signaling pathways in 3 biological processes including 'oxidative stress' (KEGG:04151, KEGG:04068, KEGG:04915), 'inflammatory response'(KEGG:04668, KEGG:04064) and 'vascular endothelial function regulation'(KEGG:04066, KEGG:04370). Among these, 5 bioactive components with degree≥20 among the 12 potential bioactive components were selected to be docked with the top5 core targets using AutodockVina software. According to the results of molecular docking, the binding sites of core target protein AKT1 and MOL002974, MOL002975, and MOL002914 were 9, 8, and 6, respectively, and they contained 2, 1, and 0 threonine residues, respectively. And some binding sites were consistent, which may be the reason for the similarities and differences between the docking results of the 3 core bioactive components. The results of in vitro experiments showed that OGD/R could inhibit cell survival and AKT phosphorylation which were reversed by the 3 core bioactive components. Among them, MOL002974 (butein) had a slightly better effect. Therefore, the protective effect of MOL002974 (butein) against cerebral ischemia was further evaluated in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by detecting neurological score, cerebral infarction volume and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. The results indicated that MOL002974 (butein) could significantly improve the neurological score of rats, decrease cerebral infarction volume, and inhibit the level of LDH in the cerebral tissue and serum in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, network pharmacology and molecular docking predicate the possible effective substances and mechanisms of DO in treating IS. And the results are verified by the in vitro and in vivo experiments. This research reveals the possible effective substances from DO and its active mechanisms for treating IS and provides a new direction for the secondary development of DO for treating IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of urbanization has had a dramatic impact on the economy, society and environment in China. In this context, the coordination relationship between population urbanization and land urbanization is essential for achieving sustainable urbanization. Based on the statistical data from 2007–2017 in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB), this paper established the multi-dimensional coordination evaluation (MDCE) model by using the speed coordination evaluation (SCE) model, the level consistency evaluation (LCE) model, the entropy method and the space matching evaluation (SME) model to evaluate the coordination relationship between population urbanization and land urbanization from the speed-level-space perspective. The results showed that from 2007 to 2017: 1) the development speed of population urbanization and land urbanization in the YEB were more and more coordinated, and the speed of population urbanization lagged behind that of land urbanization. In addition, the overall development speed of the 11 provinces declined, and most of them were characterized by excessive development of land urbanization. 2) the development level of population urbanization and land urbanization in the YEB were all high, but the development level of population urbanization was lower than that of land urbanization. Further, the development level of the 11 provinces remained stable and high, and continuously improved. 3) the space matching of population urbanization and land urbanization in the YEB had a high degree of coordination, and the space matching degree of population urbanization was higher than that of land urbanization. Moreover, the space matching of most provinces in the region had declined, but the change was small. Finally, this paper proposes the policy recommendations on the coordinated development of population and land urbanization at the institutional, market and management levels to achieve coordinated and sustainable urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various items of roll molds are popularly used to fabricate different kinds of optical films for optoelectronic information and other new and high-tech fields, while the fabrication and evaluation of optical microstructures on a cylindrical roller surface is more difficult than ecumenically manufactured products. In this study, the machinability of microstructures on the roll based on a fast tool servo (FTS) system is investigated. First, the flexible hinge holder for a FTS is designed and its structural parameters are optimized with finite-element analysis and fatigue reliability theory. The tool radius compensation algorithm for complicated microstructures is then deduced based on the surface fitting and bilinear interpolation algorithm of discrete data. Meanwhile, the evaluation index and method are proposed by the medium section method. Finally, a machining test of aspheric arrays on a cylindrical aluminum surface is carried out, and the high quality of the microstructure indicates that the proposed method is able to be used to fabricate optical microstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific information extraction is a crucial step for understanding scientific publications. In this paper, we focus on scientific keyphrase extraction, which aims to identify keyphrases from scientific articles and classify them into predefined categories. We present a neural network based approach for this task, which employs the bidirectional long short-memory (LSTM) to represent the sentences in the article. On top of the bidirectional LSTM layer in our neural model, conditional random field (CRF) is used to predict the label sequence for the whole sentence. Considering the expensive annotated data for supervised learning methods, we introduce self-training method into our neural model to leverage the unlabeled articles. Experimental results on the ScienceIE corpus and ACL keyphrase corpus show that our neural model achieves promising performance without any hand-designed features and external knowledge resources. Furthermore, it efficiently incorporates the unlabeled data and achieve competitive performance compared with previous state-of-the-art systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variation and population structure may reflect important information for invasion success of exotic plant species and thus help improve management of invasive plants. Spartina alterniflora is an invasive plant that is a major threat to the economy and environment of the coastal regions in China. We analyzed the genetic structure and diversity of six populations of S. alterniflora differing in invasion histories in Guangxi, China. A total of 176 individuals from the six populations produced 348 AFLP fragments. The average heterozygosity was significantly lower than in the native population. And genetic bottlenecks were also detected in most populations. Standardized FST statistics (Φpt = 0.015) and AMOVA results indicated weak genetic differentiation. Genetic admixture and obviously isolation by distance indicated populations in Guangxi come from a pre-admixed population by a single introduction. High phenotypic variations of S. alterniflora in Guangxi influenced by soil salinity and temperature might be an important reason for the successful invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) is a blood-sucking ectoparasite that is parasitic primarily on sheep. It is widely distributed in different geographical regions worldwide. In China, it has been mainly found in Xinjiang, Gansu, and Tibet in recent years. In addition to causing direct damage to the animal hosts, M. ovinus also carries pathogens and serves as a vector for disease transmission. Border disease virus (BDV) is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA pestivirus that mainly infects and causes border disease (BD) in sheep and goats worldwide. Since 2012, this disease has been reported in 4 provinces in China. In the present study, we investigated the presence of BDV in M. ovinus from Xinjiang and Gansu. Frozen M. ovinus collected during 2017 and 2018 from Xinjiang and Gansu and preserved in our laboratory were studied. First, total RNA of M. ovinus was extracted, followed by reverse transcription, PCR (RT-PCR) amplification of the 5′-UTR of BDV, and sequencing of the amplified products. Finally, the sequencing results were analyzed using DNAStar, MEGA 5.0 molecular biology software, and the BLAST online platform. The results from RT-PCR and sequencing analyses showed that among the samples included in the study, only the M. ovinus collected from Qinghe County in Alta, Xinjiang in 2018 tested positive for BDV. BLAST analysis showed that the viral strain with the most similar nucleotide identity to the sequence of the China/BDV/2018 fragment was the goat-derived BDV strain AH12-02 collected in Anhui, China, in 2012. A phylogenetic-tree analysis showed the strain to exhibit a BDV-3 genotype. This is the first report globally on BDV detected in M. ovinus and is also the first report of BDV discovered in Xinjiang, China. This study reconfirms the presence of BDV in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argasid ticks (Acari: Argasidae) carry and transmit a variety of pathogens of animals and humans, including viruses, bacteria and parasites. There are several studies reporting ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and associated tick-borne pathogens in Xinjiang, China. However, little is known about the argasid ticks and argasid tick-associated pathogens in this area. In this study, a total of 3829 adult argasid ticks infesting livestock were collected at 12 sampling sites of 10 counties in the Peripheral Oases, which carry 90% of the livestock and humans population, around the Tarim Basin (southern Xinjiang) from 2013 to 2016. Tick specimens were identified to two species from different genera by morphology and sequences of mitochondrial 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA were derived to confirm the species designation. The results showed that the dominant argasid ticks infesting livestock in southern Xinjiang were Ornithodoros lahorensis (87.86%, 3364/3829). Ornithodoros lahorensis was distributed widely and were collected from 10 counties of southern Xinjiang. Argas japonicus was collected from Xinjiang for the first time. In addition, we screened these ticks for tick-associated pathogens and showed the presence of DNA sequences of Rickettsia spp. of Spotted fever group and Anaplasma spp. in the argasid ticks. This finding suggests the potential role for Argas japonicus as a vector of pathogens to livestock and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine drug use behavior of clients attending Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) programs and its relationship with the clients’ social network characteristics. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Four MMT clinics in Kunming, Yunnan province, China. Participants: 324 consecutive MMT clients. Measurements: A structured, self-completed questionnaire on background characteristics and existing social network. Current drug use was assessed by urine test for opiate metabolites. Analysis: The association between client's social network characteristics and their own current drug use behavior is analysed using multiple logistic regression adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) are obtained to give the strength of the associations. Findings: MMT clients were more likely to concurrently use heroin while attending MMT if their social network had any of the following characteristics: more than half of the members were older than them (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00,1.06), any member had a high level of influence on them (AOR = 6.47, 95% CI = 2.86,14.65) and any member joined them in using drugs (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.04,3.63). Having a social network member who could provide emotional support (AOR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.03,0.35), having a spouse and/or child in their social network (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.24,0.81) and having a social network member with a high level of closeness (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09,0.90) were associated with a decreased odds of heroin use. Conclusion: Social networks who could provide MMT clients with emotional support and a close relationship were significant factors for reducing the risk of concurrent drug use among clients attending MMT clinics in Kunming, China. Behavioral interventions should address the role of family and social network members in providing support to these clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense, is an important commercial aquaculture resource in China. In order to overwinter, M. nipponense displays decreased physiological activity and less consumption of energy. Sudden warming would trigger molting and cause an extensive death, resulting in huge economic losses. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study the molting mechanism of oriental river prawns. Molt-inhibiting hormone gene (MIH) plays a major role in regulating molting in crustaceans. In this study, a full length MIH cDNA of M. nipponense (Mn-MIH) was cloned from the eyestalk. The total length of the Mn-MIH was 925 bp, encoding a protein of 119 amino acids. Tissue distribution analysis showed that Mn-MIH was highly expressed in the eyestalk, and that it had relatively low expression in gill, ovary, and abdominal ganglion. Mn-MIH was detected in all developmental stages, and changed regularly in line with the molting cycle of the embryo and larva. Mn-MIH varied in response to the molting cycle, suggesting that Mn-MIH negatively regulates ecdysteroidogenesis. Mn-MIH inhibition by RNAi resulted in a significant acceleration of molting cycles in both males and females, confirming the inhibitory role of MIH in molting. After long-term RNAi males, but not females had significant weight gain, confirming that Mn-MIH plays an important role in growth of M. nipponense. Our work contributes to a better understanding of the role of Mn-MIH in crustacean molting and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant expansins are proteins involved in cell wall loosening, plant growth, and development, as well as in response to plant diseases and other stresses. In this study, we identified 128 expansin coding sequences from the wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome. These sequences belong to 45 homoeologous copies of TaEXPs, including 26 TaEXPAs, 15 TaEXPBs and four TaEXLAs. No TaEXLB was identified. Gene expression and sub-expression profiles revealed that most of the TaEXPs were expressed either only in root tissues or in multiple organs. Real-time qPCR analysis showed that many TaEXPs were differentially expressed in four different tissues of the two wheat cultivars—the cold-sensitive ‘Chinese Spring (CS)’ and the cold-tolerant ‘Dongnongdongmai 1 (D1)’ cultivars. Our results suggest that the differential expression of TaEXPs could be related to low-temperature tolerance or sensitivity of different wheat cultivars. Our study expands our knowledge on wheat expansins and sheds new light on the functions of expansins in plant development and stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst topography is formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks, such as limestone and dolomite. In soils of such a landform, excessive contents of exchangeable calcium seriously limit the growth of vegetations. Researches have proved that rhizosphere microorganisms and endophytes help host plants to adapt to various adverse environments. The adaptive capacity of plants that grow in adverse environment with salt, drought, thermal and heavy metal stresses partially or completely comes from symbiotic microorganisms. By using the high-throughput amplicon sequencing, the bacterial community structures in soil with high calcium contents and roots and leaves of Cochlearia henryi that is commonly seen in karst area were analyzed. The bacteria community structures in these three compartments showed obvious differences. This indicates that C. henryi, which is adaptive to high calcium stress, selectively co-exists with specific bacteria. Although the bacteria community structures in these three compartments differed significantly, there were 73 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared by karst soils as well as roots and leaves of C. henryi. The phylogenetic diversity of these 73 OTUs differed significantly from that of overall OTUs detected. There were also obvious differences in KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways and abundance values between the 73 OTUs and overall bacterial communities. A large number of OTUs shared by the karst soils, roots and leaves of C. henryi had close genetic relationship with known stress-resistant bacterial strains. Our results showed that the functional bacteria can be predicted by exploring core bacteria, bacteria shared by soils, adaptable plant roots and leaves. This information will potentially accelerate studies on natural microbial communities which can promote the adaptive capacity of host plants to high calcium stress, and will be valuable for finding microbial strains for field application in karst topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have found that herpesviruses are associated with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). However, these findings are controversial. This meta-analysis was aimed at clarifying the association between herpesviruses and AgP. Methods: We identified eligible case–control studies evaluating the association between herpesviruses and AgP from PubMed and Embase databases in October 2015. Original data were extracted and quality assessment was done. Overall odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Random-effects model was determined. The stability was evaluated by sensitivity analysis. Finally, Egger’s funnel plot was used to investigate the publication bias. Results: Twelve case-control studies involving 322 patients and 342 controls were included in the present meta-analysis. The included case-control studies were assessed as high quality. The quantitative synthesis results for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) showed significance (10 studies: p = 0.0008, OR = 6.11, 95% CI = 2.13–17.51); nevertheless, evidence of publication bias for EBV was considerable (EBV: Egger’s test, p<0.001). Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) had significant association with AgP (12 studies for HCMV: p = 0.009, OR = 3.63, 95% CI = 2.15–6.13; 4 studies for HSV-1: p<0.001, OR = 19.19, 95% CI = 4.16–79.06). Sensitivity analyses showed the results yielded consistency, and no significant publication bias was observed for HCMV. The association between Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and AgP was inconclusive (2 studies: p = 0.20, OR = 3.46, 95% CI = 0.51–23.51). Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that HCMV and HSV-1 are significantly associated with AgP. However, due to the heterogeneity among studies these conclusions should be cautiously interpreted. There is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusion between EBV, HSV-2 and AgP based on the currently limited data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rumex patientia L. is consumed as a green vegetable in several parts of the world, and can withstand extremely low temperatures (-35°C). However, little or no available genomic data for this species has been reported to date. Here, we used Illumina Hiseq technology for transcriptome assembly in R. patientia under normal and cold conditions to evaluate how it responds to cold stress. Results: After an in-depth RNA-Seq analysis, 115,589 unigenes were produced from the assembled transcripts. Based on similarity search analysis with seven databases, we obtained and annotated 60,157 assembled unigenes to at least one database. In total, 1,179 unigenes that were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including up-regulated (925) and down-regulated ones (254), were successfully assigned GO annotations and classified into three major metabolic pathways. Ribosome, carbon metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and biosynthesis of amino acids were the most highly enriched pathways according to KEGG analysis. Overall, 66 up-regulated genes were identified as putatively involved in the response to cold stress, including members of MYB, AP2/ERF, CBF, Znf, bZIP, NAC and COR families. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this investigation was the first to provide a cold-responsive (COR) transcriptome assembly in R. patientia. A large number of potential COR genes were identified, suggesting that this species is suitable for cultivation in northern China. In summary, these data provide valuable information for future research and genomic studies in R. patientia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal infrastructure is a fundamental facility for the normal operation and development of an urban city and is of significance for the stable progress of sustainable urbanization around the world, especially in developing countries. Based on the municipal infrastructure data of the prefecture-level cities in China, municipal infrastructure development is assessed comprehensively using a FA (factor analysis) model, and then the stochastic model STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology) is examined to investigate key factors that influence municipal infrastructure of cities in various stages of urbanization and economy. This study indicates that the municipal infrastructure development in urban China demonstrates typical characteristics of regional differentiation, in line with the economic development pattern. Municipal infrastructure development in cities is primarily influenced by income, industrialization and investment. For China and similar developing countries under transformation, national public investment remains the primary driving force of economy as well as the key influencing factor of municipal infrastructure. Contribution from urbanization and the relative consumption level, and the tertiary industry is still scanty, which is a crux issue for many developing countries under transformation. With economic growth and the transformation requirements, the influence of the conventional factors such as public investment and industrialization on municipal infrastructure development would be expected to decline, meanwhile, other factors like the consumption and tertiary industry driven model and the innovation society can become key contributors to municipal infrastructure sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanobubbles (NBs) opened a new field of ultrasound imaging. There is still no practical method to control the diameter of bubbles. In this study, we developed a new method to control the size by incorporating of silicon hybrid lipids into the bubble membrane. The range of particle size of resulting NBs is between 523.02 ± 46.45 to 857.18 ± 82.90, smaller than the conventional microbubbles. The size of resulting NBs increased with the decrease in amount of silicon hybrid lipids, indicating the diameter of NBs can be regulated through modulating the ratio of silicon hybrid lipids in the bubble shell. Typical harmonic signals could be detected. The in vitro and in vivo ultrasound imaging experiments demonstrated these silicon-modified NBs had significantly improved ultrasound contrast enhancement abilities. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that these NBs had no obvious cytotoxicity to the 293 cell line at the tested bubble concentration. Our results showed that the novel NBs could use as nanoscale ultrasound contrast agents, providing the foundation for NBs in future applications including contrast-enhanced imaging and drug/gene delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess whether CT imaging using an ultra-high-resolution CT (UHRCT) scan with a small scan field of view (FOV) provides higher image quality and helps to reduce the follow-up period compared with a conventional high-resolution CT (CHRCT) scan. We identified patients with at least one pulmonary nodule at our hospital from July 2015 to November 2015. CHRCT and UHRCT scans were conducted in all enrolled patients. Three experienced radiologists evaluated the image quality using a 5-point score and made diagnoses. The paired images were displayed side by side in a random manner and annotations of scan information were removed. The following parameters including image quality, diagnostic confidence of radiologists, follow-up recommendations and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. A total of 52 patients (62 nodules) were included in this study. UHRCT scan provides a better image quality regarding the margin of nodules and solid internal component compared to that of CHRCT (P < 0.05). Readers have higher diagnostic confidence based on the UHRCT images than of CHRCT images (P<0.05). The follow-up recommendations were significantly different between UHRCT and CHRCT images (P<0.05). Compared with the surgical pathological findings, UHRCT had a relative higher diagnostic accuracy than CHRCT (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the UHRCT prototype scanner provides a better image quality of subsolid nodules compared to CHRCT and contributes significantly to reduce the patients' follow-up period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant viruses are mostly transmitted by sucking insects via their piercing behaviors, which may differ due to host plant species and their developmental stages. We characterized the transmission of a fijivirus, southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV), by the planthopper vector Sogatella furcifera Horváth (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), between rice and corn plants of varying developmental stages. SRBSDV was transmitted from infected rice to uninfected corn plants as efficiently as its transmission between rice plants, while was acquired by S. furcifera nymphs at a much lower rate from infected corn plants than from infected rice plants. We also recorded a high mortality of S. furcifera nymphs on corn plants. It is evident that young stages of both the virus donor and recipient plants added to the transmission efficiency of SRBSDV from rice to corn plants. Feeding behaviors of the vector recorded by electrical penetration graph showed that phloem sap ingestion, the behavioral event that is linked with plant virus acquisition, was impaired on corn plants, which accounts for the high mortality of and low virus acquisition by S. furcifera nymphs on corn plants. Our results reveal an asymmetric spread of SRBSDV between its two host plants and the underlying behavioral mechanism, which is of significance for assessing SRBSDV transmission risks and field epidemiology, and for developing integrated management approaches for SRBSDV disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Respiratory symptoms are often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although the role of multichannel intraluminal impedance–pH (MII-pH) monitoring in GERD is clear, little is known regarding the characteristics of patients with respiratory symptoms based on MII-pH monitoring and anti-reflux therapy. We evaluated a cohort of GERD patients to identify the MII-pH parameters of GERD-related respiratory symptoms and to assess the anti-reflux therapy outcomes. Methods: We undertook a prospective study of patients who were referred for GERD evaluation from January 2011 to January 2012. One hundred ninety-five patients underwent MII-pH monitoring and esophageal manometry, and one hundred sixty-five patients underwent invasive anti-reflux therapy that included laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication (LTF) and the Stretta procedure. The patient characteristics and MII-pH parameters were analyzed, and the symptom scores were assessed at baseline and at 1- and 3-year follow-up evaluations. Results: Of the 195 patients, 96 (49.2%) exhibited respiratory symptoms and significantly more reflux episodes (70.7±29.3) than patients without respiratory symptoms (64.7±24.4, p = 0.044) based on the MII-pH monitoring results. Moreover, the group of patients with respiratory symptoms exhibited more proximal reflux episodes (35.2±21.3) than the non-respiratory symptomatic group (28.3±17.9, p = 0.013). One hundred twenty-five patients following the Stretta procedure (n = 60, 31 with respiratory symptoms) or LTF (n = 65, 35 with respiratory symptoms) completed the designated 3-year follow-up period and were included in the final analysis. The symptom scores after anti-reflux therapy all decreased relative to the corresponding baseline values (p<0.05), and there were no significant differences in the control of respiration between the Stretta procedure and LTF (p>0.05). However, LTF significantly reduced the recurrence (re-operation) rate compared with the Stretta procedure (0 vs. 19.4%, p = 0.006). Conclusions: MII-pH monitoring effectively detected respiratory-related predictive parameters, including total/proximal reflux episodes and symptom correlations. We found that GERD patients with respiratory symptoms exhibited more proximal and total reflux episodes but not more acid-related episodes, as determined by MII-pH monitoring. Thus, such monitoring could be useful for diagnosing atypical GERD patients with respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, LTF exhibited a more significant effect on controlling typical symptoms in all GERD patients and reducing the recurrence rate than the Stretta procedure in patients with respiratory symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated administrations of anti-cancer drugs to patients often induce drug resistance. P-glycoprotein (Pgp) facilitates an efficient drug efflux, preventing cellular accumulation of drugs and causing multi-drug resistance (MDR). In this study, we developed a gold-paclitaxel nanoconjugate system to overcome MDR. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were conjugated with β-cyclodextrin enclosing paclitaxel (PTX) molecules and PEG molecules. GNP conjugates were effectively endocytosed by both drug-sensitive human lung cancer H460 cells and Pgp-overexpressed drug-resistant H460PTX cells. Compared with PTX, PGNPs did not induce the Pgp overexpression in drug-sensitive H460 cells after long-term treatment and also avoided being pumped out of cells by overexpressed Pgp molecules in H460PTX with a 17-fold lower EC50 compared to PTX. Fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry further confirmed that fluorescent labeled PGNPs (f-PGNPs) maintained a high cellular PTX level in both H460 and H460PTX cells. These results demonstrated that nano-drug conjugates were able to avoid the development of drug resistance in sensitive cells and evade Pgp-mediated drug resistance and to maintain a high cytotoxicity in drug-resistant cancer cells. These findings exemplify a powerful nanotechnological approach to the long-lasting issue of chemotherapy-induced drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a genetically diverse complex with multiple cryptic species, and some are the most destructive invasive pests of many ornamentals and crops worldwide. Encarsia sophia is an autoparasitoid wasp that demonstrated high efficiency as bio-control agent of whiteflies. However, the immune mechanism of B. tabaci parasitization by E. sophia is unknown. In order to investigate immune response of B. tabaci to E. Sophia parasitization, the transcriptome of E. sophia parasitized B. tabaci nymph was sequenced by Illumina sequencing. De novo assembly generated 393,063 unigenes with average length of 616 bp, in which 46,406 unigenes (15.8% of all unigenes) were successfully mapped. Parasitization by E. sophia had significant effects on the transcriptome profile of B. tabaci nymph. A total of 1482 genes were significantly differentially expressed, of which 852 genes were up-regulated and 630 genes were down-regulated. These genes were mainly involved in immune response, development, metabolism and host signaling pathways. At least 52 genes were found to be involved in the host immune response, 33 genes were involved in the development process, and 29 genes were involved in host metabolism. Taken together, the assembled and annotated transcriptome sequences provided a valuable genomic resource for further understanding the molecular mechanism of immune response of B. tabaci parasitization by E. sophia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is the most prevalent aquaculture species in China. The sexual precocity in this species has received considerable attention in recent years because more and more individuals matured at a small size, which devalues the commercial production. In this study, we developed deep-coverage transcriptomic sequencing data for the ovaries of sexually precocious and normal sexually mature M. nipponense using next-generation RNA sequencing technology and attempted to provide the first insight into the molecular regulatory mechanism of sexual precocity in this species. Results: A total of 63,336 unigenes were produced from the ovarian cDNA libraries of sexually precocious and normal sexually mature M. nipponense using Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Through BLASTX searches against the NR, STRING, Pfam, Swissprot and KEGG databases, 15,134 unigenes were annotated, accounting for 23.89% of the total unigenes. 5,195 and 3,227 matched unigenes were categorized by GO and COG analysis respectively. 15,908 unigenes were consequently mapped into 332 KEGG pathways, and many reproduction-related pathways and genes were identified. Moreover, 26,008 SSRs were identified from 18,133 unigenes. 80,529 and 80,516 SNPs were yielded from ovarian libraries of sexually precocious and normal sexually mature prawn, respectively, and 29,851 potential SNPs between these two groups were also predicted. After comparing the ovarian libraries of sexually precocious and normal sexually mature prawn, 549 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 9 key DEGs that may be related to sexual precocity of M. nipponense were identified. 20 DEGs were selected for validation by quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) and 19 DEGs show consistent expression between QPCR and RNAseq-based differential expression analysis datasets. Conclusion: This is the first report on the large-scale RNA sequencing of ovaries of sexually precocious and normal sexually mature M. nipponense. The annotated transcriptome data will provide fundamental support for future research into the reproduction biology of M. nipponense. The large number of candidate SNPs and SSRs detected in this study could be used as genetic markers for population genetics and functional genomics in this species. More importantly, many DEGs, especially nine key DEGs between sexually precocious and normal sexually mature prawns were identified, which will dramatically improve understanding of molecular regulatory mechanism of sexual precocity of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between adiposity measures and plasma concentration of high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin. Methods: In a Chinese sample (n = 1081), we performed measurements of anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). We defined overweight and obesity as a body mass index between 24 and 27.4 kg/m² and ≥ 27.5 kg/m², respectively, and central obesity as a waist circumference ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 80 cm in women. Plasma HMW adiponectin concentration was measured by the ELISA method. Results: Plasma HMW adiponectin concentration was significantly (P < 0.0001) higher in women (n = 677, 2.47 μg/mL) than men (n = 404, 1.58 μg/mL) and correlated with advancing age in men (r = 0.28) and women (r = 0.29). In adjusted analyses, it was lower in the presence of overweight (n = 159, 1.26 μg/mL in men and n = 227, 2.15μg/mL in women) and obesity (n = 60, 1.31 μg/mL and n = 82, 2.10 μg/mL, respectively) than normal weight subjects (n = 185, 2.07μg/mL and n = 368, 2.94 μg/mL, respectively) and in the presence of central obesity (n = 106, 1.28 μg/mL and n = 331, 2.12 μg/mL, respectively) than subjects with a normal waist circumference (n = 298, 1.74 μg/mL and n = 346, 2.74 μg/mL, respectively). In multiple regression analyses stratified for gender, adjusted for confounders and considered separately each of the adiposity measures, all adiposity measures were significantly (r -0.18 to -0.31, P < 0.001) associated with plasma HMW adiponectin concentration. However, in further stratified and adjusted regression analyses considered stepwise all adiposity measures, only waist-to-hip ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with plasma HMW adiponectin concentration in men (r = -0.10) and women (r = -0.15). Conclusions: Anthropometric measures of obesity, such as waist-to-hip ratio, but not BIA measures, are independently associated with plasma adiponectin concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Numerous studies have investigated the associations between herpesviruses and chronic periodontitis; however, the results remain controversial. To derive a more precise estimation, a meta-analysis on all available studies was performed to identify the association between herpesviruses and chronic periodontitis. Methods: A computerized literature search was conducted in December 2014 to identify eligible case-control studies from the PUBMED and EMBASE databases according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the association between herpesviruses and risk of chronic periodontitis. A fixed or random effects model was determined based on a heterogeneity test. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate stability and reliability. Publication bias was investigated using the Begg rank correlation test and Egger's funnel plot. Results: Ten eligible studies were included to investigate the association between Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and chronic periodontitis. The results showed that EBV has a significant association with chronic periodontitis compared with periodontally healthy group (OR = 5.74, 95% CI = 2.53–13.00, P<0.001). The association between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and chronic periodontitis was analyzed in 10 studies. The pooled result showed that HCMV also has a significant association with chronic periodontitis (OR = 3.59, 95% CI = 1.41–9.16, P = 0.007). Similar results were found in the sensitivity analyses. No significant publication bias was observed. Two eligible studies were included to investigate the association between herpes simplex virus (HSV) and chronic periodontitis risk. The association between HSV and chronic periodontitis was inconclusive (OR = 2.81 95% CI = 0.95–8.27, P = 0.06). Only one included study investigated the association between human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) and chronic periodontitis risk (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.21–4.86). Conclusion: The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that two members of the herpesvirus family, EBV and HCMV, are significantly associated with chronic periodontitis. There is insufficient evidence to support associations between HSV, HHV-7 and chronic periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The human heart consists of several cell types with distinct lineage origins. Interactions between these cardiac progenitors are very important for heart formation. The muscle segment homeobox gene family plays a key role in the cell morphogenesis and growth, controlled cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, but the relationships between the genetic abnormalities and CHD phenotypes still remain largely unknown. The aim of this work was to evaluate variations in MSX1 and MSX2 for their possible associations with CHD. Methods: We sequenced the MSX1 and MSX2 genes for 300 Chinese Han CHD patients and 400 normal controls and identified the variations. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 19.0). The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test of the population was carried out using the online software OEGE. Results: Six variations rs4647952, rs2048152, rs4242182, rs61739543, rs111542301 and rs3087539 were identified in the MSX2 gene, but the genetic heterozygosity of those SNPs was very low. In contrast, the genetic heterozygosity of two variations rs3821949 near the 5’UTR and rs12532 within 3’UTR of the MSX1 gene was considerably high. Statistical analyses showed that rs3821949 and rs12532 were associated with the risk of CHD (specifically VSD). Conclusions: The SNPs rs3821949 and rs12532 in the MSX1 gene were associated with CHD in Chinese Han populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advent of targeted therapy for cancer treatment has brought about a paradigm shift in the clinical management of human malignancies. Agents such as erlotinib used for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer or imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia, for instance, lead to rapid tumor responses. Unfortunately, however, resistance often emerges and renders these agents ineffective after a variable amount of time. The FDA-approved dosing schedules for these drugs were not designed to optimally prevent the emergence of resistance. To this end, we have previously utilized evolutionary mathematical modeling of treatment responses to elucidate the dosing schedules best able to prevent or delay the onset of resistance. Here we expand on our approaches by taking into account dose-dependent mutation rates at which resistant cells emerge. The relationship between the serum drug concentration and the rate at which resistance mutations arise can lead to non-intuitive results about the best dose administration strategies to prevent or delay the emergence of resistance. Methods: We used mathematical modeling, available clinical trial data, and different considerations of the relationship between mutation rate and drug concentration to predict the effectiveness of different dosing strategies. Results: We designed several distinct measures to interrogate the effects of different treatment dosing strategies and found that a low-dose continuous strategy coupled with high-dose pulses leads to the maximal delay until clinically observable resistance. Furthermore, the response to treatment is robust against different assumptions of the mutation rate as a function of drug concentration. Conclusions: For new and existing targeted drugs, our methodology can be employed to compare the effectiveness of different dose administration schedules and investigate the influence of changing mutation rates on outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nodal/TGF signaling pathway has an important effect at early stages of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in directing them to develop into different embryonic lineages. SMAD3 is a key intracellular messenger regulating factor in the Nodal/TGF signaling pathway, playing important roles in embryonic and, particularly, cardiovascular system development. The aim of this work was to find evidence on whether SMAD3 variations might be associated with ventricular septal defects (VSD) or other congenital heart diseases (CHD). Methods: We sequenced the SMAD3 gene for 372 Chinese Han CHD patients including 176 VSD patients and evaluated SNP rs2289263, which is located before the 5’UTR sequence of the gene. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 13.0). The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test of the population was carried out using the online software OEGE. Results: Three heterozygous variants in SMAD3 gene, rs2289263, rs35874463 and rs17228212, were identified. Statistical analyses showed that the rs2289263 variant located before the 5’UTR sequence of SMAD3 gene was associated with the risk of VSD (P value=0.013 <0.05). Conclusions: The SNP rs2289263 in the SMAD3 gene is associated with VSD in Chinese Han populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) and the risk factors associated with AGV implantation failure in a population of Chinese patients with refractory glaucoma. Method: In total, 79 eyes with refractory glaucoma from 79 patients treated in our institution from November 2007 to November 2010 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The demographic data, preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressures (IOPs), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), number of anti-glaucoma medications used, completed and qualified surgery success rates and postoperative complications were recorded to evaluate the outcomes of AGV implantation. Factors that were associated with implant failure were determined using Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Principle Findings: The average follow-up time was 12.7±5.8 months (mean±SD). We observed a significant reduction in the mean IOP from 39.9±12.6 mm Hg before surgery to 19.3±9.6 mm Hg at the final follow-up. The complete success rate was 59.5%, and the qualified success rate was 83.5%. The number of previous surgeries was negatively correlated with qualified success rate (P<0.05, OR=0.736, 95% CI 0.547-0.99). Patients with previous trabeculectomy were more likely to use multiple anti-glaucoma drugs to control IOP (P<0.01). The primary complication was determined to be a flat anterior chamber (AC). Conclusion: AGV implantation was safe and effective for the management of refractory glaucoma. Patients with a greater number of previous surgeries were more likely to experience surgical failure, and patients with previous trabeculectomy were more likely to use multiple anti-glaucoma drugs to control postoperative IOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shugan Jianpi Zhixie therapy (SJZT) has been widely used to treat diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), but the results are still controversial. A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials was performed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of SJZT for IBS-D. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, the Chinese Biomedical Literature database and the Wanfang database were searched up to June 2014 with no language restrictions. Summary estimates, including 95% confidence intervals (CI), were calculated for global symptom improvement, abdominal pain improvement, and Symptom Severity Scale (BSS) score. Results: Seven trials (N=954) were included. The overall risk of bias assessment was low. SJZT showed significant improvement for global symptom compared to placebo (RR 1.61; 95% CI 1.24, 2.10; P =0.0004; therapeutic gain = 33.0%; number needed to treat (NNT) = 3.0). SJZT was significantly more likely to reduce overall BSS score (SMD –0.67; 95% CI –0.94, –0.40; P < 0.00001) and improve abdominal pain (RR 4.34; 95% CI 2.64, 7.14; P < 0.00001) than placebo. The adverse events of SJZT were no different from those of placebo. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that SJZT is an effective and safe therapy option for patients with IBS-D. However, due to the high clinical heterogeneity and small sample size of the included trials, further standardized preparation, large-scale and rigorously designed trials are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The metallic green beetle, Anomala corpulenta (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), is a destructive pest in agriculture and horticulture throughout Asia, including China. Olfaction plays a crucial role in the survival and reproduction of A. corpulenta. As a non-model species, A. corpulenta is poorly understood, and information regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying olfaction in A. corpulenta and other scarab species is scant. Methodology/Principle Findings: We assembled separate antennal transcriptome for male and female A. corpulenta using Illumina sequencing technology. The relative abundance of transcripts with gene ontology annotations, including those related to olfaction in males and females was highly similar. Transcripts encoding 15 putative odorant binding proteins, five chemosensory proteins, one sensory neuron membrane protein, 43 odorant receptors, eight gustatory receptors, and five ionotropic receptors were identified. The sequences of all of these chemosensory-related transcripts were confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and direct DNA sequencing. The expression patterns of 54 putative chemosensory genes were analyzed using quantitative real time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Antenna-specific expression was detected for many of these genes, suggesting that they may have important functions in semiochemical detection. Conclusions: The identification of a large number of chemosensory proteins provides a major resource for the study of the molecular mechanism of odorant detection in A. corpulenta and its chemical ecology. The genes identified, especially those that were expressed at high levels in the antennae may represent novel molecular targets for the development of population control strategies based on the manipulation of chemoreception-driven behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SAD), locating in the plastid stroma, is an important fatty acid biosynthetic enzyme in higher plants. SAD catalyzes desaturation of stearoyl-ACP to oleyl-ACP and plays a key role in determining the homeostasis between saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids, which is an important player in cold acclimation in plants. Here, four new full-length cDNA of SADs (ScoSAD, SaSAD, ScaSAD and StSAD) were cloned from four Solanum species, Solanum commersonii, S. acaule, S. cardiophyllum and S. tuberosum, respectively. The ORF of the four SADs were 1182 bp in length, encoding 393 amino acids. A sequence alignment indicated 13 amino acids varied among the SADs of three wild species. Further analysis showed that the freezing tolerance and cold acclimation capacity of S. commersonii are similar to S. acaule and their SAD amino acid sequences were identical but differed from that of S. cardiophyllum, which is sensitive to freezing. Furthermore, the sequence alignments between StSAD and ScoSAD indicated that only 7 different amino acids at residues were found in SAD of S. tuberosum (Zhongshu8) against the protein sequence of ScoSAD. A phylogenetic analysis showed the three wild potato species had the closest genetic relationship with the SAD of S. lycopersicum and Nicotiana tomentosiformis but not S. tuberosum. The SAD gene from S. commersonii (ScoSAD) was cloned into multiple sites of the pBI121 plant binary vector and transformed into the cultivated potato variety Zhongshu 8. A freeze tolerance analysis showed overexpression of the ScoSAD gene in transgenic plants significantly enhanced freeze tolerance in cv. Zhongshu 8 and increased their linoleic acid content, suggesting that linoleic acid likely plays a key role in improving freeze tolerance in potato plants. This study provided some new insights into how SAD regulates in the freezing tolerance and cold acclimation in potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By suppressing neuronal apoptosis, Icariin is a potential therapeutic drug for neuronal degenerative diseases. The molecular mechanisms of Icariin anti-apoptotic functions are still largely unclear. In this report, we found that Icariin induces the expression of Synoviolin, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchoring E3 ubiquitin ligase that functions as a suppressor of ER stress-induced apoptosis. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 1 (NFE2L1) is responsible for Icariin-mediated Synoviolin gene expression. Mutation of the NFE2L1-binding sites in a distal region of the Synoviolin promoter abolished Icariin-induced Synoviolin promoter activity, and knockdown of NFE2L1 expression prevented Icariin-stimulated Synoviolin expression. More importantly, Icariin protected ER stress-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells in a Synoviolin-dependent manner. Therefore, our study reveals Icariin-induced Synoviolin expression through NFE2L1 as a previously unappreciated molecular mechanism underlying the neuronal protective function of Icariin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether self-rated health status (SRH) and subjective health complaints (SHC) of urban Chinese women are associated with their health-promoting lifestyles (HPL). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 8142 eligible Chinese participants between 2012 and 2013. Demographic and SHC data were collected. Each subject completed the SRH questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). Correlation and binary regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of SRH and SHC with HPL. Results: Both SRH and HPL of urban Chinese women were moderate. The most common complaints were fatigue (1972, 24.2%), eye discomfort (1571, 19.3%), and insomnia (1542, 18.9%). Teachers, highly educated subjects and elderly women had lower SRH scores, while college students and married women had better HPL. All items of HPLP-II were positively correlated with SRH (r = 0.127-0.533, P = 0.000) and negatively correlated with SHC to a significant extent (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40-11.37). Conclusions: Aspects of HPL, particularly stress management and spiritual growth, are associated with higher SRH and lower SHC ratings among urban Chinese women. Physical activity and health responsibility are additionally related to reduced fatigue and nervousness. We believe that these findings will be instrumental in encouraging researchers and urban women to adopt better health-promoting lifestyles with different priorities in their daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) has been becoming an emerging pollutant causing severe phytotoxicity, which the biochemical mechanism is rarely known. Although hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been suggested as an important exogenous regulator modulating plant physiological adaptions in response to heavy metal stress, whether and how the endogenous H2S regulates Se-induce phytotoxicity remains unclear. In this work, a self-developed specific fluorescent probe (WSP-1) was applied to track endogenous H2S in situ in the roots of Brassica rapa under Se(IV) stress. Se(IV)-induced root growth stunt was closely correlated with the inhibition of endogenous H2S generation in root tips. Se(IV) stress dampened the expression of most LCD and DCD homologues in the roots of B. rapa. By using various specific fluorescent probes for bio-imaging root tips in situ, we found that the increase in endogenous H2S by the application of H2S donor NaHS could significantly alleviate Se(IV)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-accumulation, oxidative impairment, and cell death in root tips, which further resulted in the recovery of root growth under Se(IV) stress. However, dampening the endogenous H2S could block the alleviated effect of NaHS on Se(IV)-induced phytotoxicity. Finally, the increase in endogenous H2S resulted in the enhancement of glutathione (GSH) in Se(IV)-treated roots, which may share the similar molecular mechanism for the dominant role of H2S in removing ROS by activating GSH biosynthesis in mammals. Altogether, these data provide the first direct evidences confirming the pivotal role of endogenous H2S in modulating Se(IV)-induced phytotoxicity in roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is suggested as an emerging pollutant in agricultural environment because of the increasing anthropogenic release of Se, which in turn results in phytotoxicity. The most common consequence of Se-induced toxicity in plants is oxidative injury, but how Se induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst remains unclear. In this work, histofluorescent staining was applied to monitor the dynamics of ROS and nitric oxide (NO) in the root of Brassica rapa under Se(IV) stress. Se(IV)-induced faster accumulation of NO than ROS. Both NO and ROS accumulation were positively correlated with Se(IV)-induced inhibition of root growth. The NO accumulation was nitrate reductase (NR)- and nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent while ROS accumulation was NADPH oxidase-dependent. The removal of NO by NR inhibitor, NOS inhibitor, and NO scavenger could alleviate Se(IV)-induced expression of Br_Rbohs coding for NADPH oxidase and the following ROS accumulation in roots, which further resulted in the amelioration of Se(IV)-induced oxidative injury and growth inhibition. Thus, we proposed that the endogenous NO played a toxic role in B. rapa under Se(IV) stress by triggering ROS burst. Such findings can be used to evaluate the toxic effects of Se contamination on crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Easily screening markers for early detection of chronic heart failure (CHF) are lacking. We identified twenty differently expressed proteins including orosomucoid 1(ORM1) in urine between patients with CHF and normal controls by proteomic methods. Bioinformatics analyses suggested ORM1 could be used for further analysis. After verification by western blotting, the urinary levels of ORM1 were quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by correcting for creatinine expression. The ORM1-Cr was significantly elevated in CHF patients than normal controls (6498.83±4300.21 versus 2102.26±1069.24 ng/mg). Furthermore, a Spearman analysis indicated that the urinary ORM1 levels had a high positive correlation with the classification of CHF, and the multivariate analysis suggested that the urinary ORM1 content was associated with the plasma amino-terminal pro- brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (OR: 2.106, 95% CI: 1.213–3.524, P = 0.002) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (OR: 3.019, 95% CI: 1.329–4.721, P<0.001). In addition, receiving operating curve (ROC) analyses suggested that an optimum cut-off value of 2484.98 ng/mg with 90.91% sensitivity and 85.48% specificity, respectively, could be used for the diagnosis of CHF. To sum up, our findings indicate that ORM1 could be a potential novel urinary biomarker for the early detection of CHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nodal/TGF-Lefty signaling pathway has important effects at early stages of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in directing them to differentiate into different embryonic lineages. LEFTY, one of transforming growth factors in the Nodal/TGF-Lefty signaling pathway, plays an important role in the development of heart. The aim of this work was to find evidence on whether Lefty variations are associated with congenital heart diseases (CHD). Methods: We sequenced the Lefty gene for 230 Chinese Han CHD patients and evaluated SNPs rs2295418, rs360057 and g.G169A, which are located within the translated regions of the genes. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 13.0). The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test of the population was carried out using online software OEGE, and multiple-sequence alignments of LEFTY proteins were carried out using the Vector NTI software. Results: Two heterozygous variants in Lefty1 gene, g.G169A and g.A1035C, and one heterozygous variant in Lefty2 gene, g.C925A, were identified. Statistical analyses showed that the rs2295418 (g.C925A) variant in Lefty2 gene was obviously associated with the risk of CHD (P value = 0.016<0.05). The genotype frequency of rs360057 (g.A1035C) variant in Lefty1 gene was associated with the risk of CHD (P value = 0.007<0.05), but the allele frequency was not (P value = 0.317>0.05). Conclusions: The SNP rs2295418 in the Lefty2 gene is associated with CHD in Chinese Han populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]