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Background: Immune dysfunction is one of the mechanisms to promote polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Various immune cells have been reported to be involved in the development of PCOS. Meanwhile, the disturbance of metabolism is closely related to PCOS. The aim of this study is to explore the association of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) with the metabolic dysfunction in PCOS. Methods: 68 PCOS patients and 40 controls were recruited in this study and we collected the peripheral blood of participants' during their follicular phase. The frequencies of MAIT cells and MDSCs were determined by flow cytometry after being stained with different monoclonal antibodies. And the concentrations of cytokines were determined by ELISA. Results: Compared to controls with normal metabolism, the frequency of MDSCs, CD8+MAIT cells and CD38+CD8+MAIT cells were significantly decreased in PCOS patients with normal metabolism, however, proportion of CD4+MAIT cells exhibited a noticeable increase. Similar results of CD8+MAIT, CD38+CD8+MAIT cells and reduced expression of IL-17 were observed in PCOS patients with metabolic dysfunction as compared to controls with metabolic disorders. PCOS patients with excessive testosterone levels displayed significantly decreased levels of CD8+MAIT, CD38+CD8+MAIT cells, MDSCs and Mo-MDSCs as compared to PCOS patients with normal testosterone concentrations. PCOS patients with abnormal weight showed a lower level and activation of CD8+MAIT cells. On the contrary, they displayed an enrichment of CD4+MAIT cells. PCOS patients with glucose metabolic disorder displayed a remarkable dysregulation of MDSCs and Mo-MDSCs. MDSCs were positively correlated with MAIT cells. Negative correlations between the frequency of CD8+MAIT cells, CD38+CD8+MAIT cells and body mass index were revealed. CD4+MAIT cells positively correlated with BMI. Mo-MDSCs were found to be negatively related to the levels of 2hour plasma glucose and HOMA-IR index. Conclusion: The impairment of CD8+MAIT cells and MDSCs is involved in the metabolic dysfunction of PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background P24 protein is the major core protein of HIV virus particle and has been suggested as a specific target for antiviral strategies. Recombinant p24 protein with natural antigenic activity would be useful for various studies, such as diagnostic reagents and multi-component HIV vaccine development. The aim of this study was to express and purify the p24 protein in soluble form in E.coli. Results According to the sequence of the p24 gene, a pair of primers was designed, and the target sequence of 700 bp was amplified using PCR. The PCR product was cloned into pQE30 vector, generating the recombinant plasmid pQE30-p24. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the His-tagged recombinant p24 protein was highly expressed in soluble form after induction in E. coli strain BL21. The recombinant protein was purified by nickel affinity chromatography and used to react with HIV infected sera. The results showed that the recombinant p24 protein could specifically react with the HIV infected sera. To study the immunogenicity of this soluble recombinant p24 protein, it was used to immunize mice for the preparation of polyclonal antibody. Subsequent ELISA and Western-Blot analysis demonstrated that the p24 protein had proper immunogenicity in inducing mice to produce HIV p24 specific antibodies. Conclusion In this work, we report the high level soluble expression of HIV-1 p24 protein in E. coli. This soluble recombinant p24 protein specifically react with HIV infected sera and elicit HIV p24 specific antibodies in mice, indicating this soluble recombinant p24 protein could be a promising reagent for HIV diagnosis.

Abstract Background T4 phage is a model species that has contributed broadly to our understanding of molecular biology. T4 DNA replication and packaging share various mechanisms with human double-stranded DNA viruses such as herpes virus. The literature indicates that T4-like phage genomes have permuted terminal sequences, and are generated by a DNA terminase in a sequence-independent manner; Methods genomic DNA of T4-like bacteriophage IME08 was subjected to high throughput sequencing, and the read sequences with extraordinarily high occurrences were analyzed; Results we demonstrate that both the 5' and 3' termini of the IME08 genome starts with base G or A. The presence of a consensus sequence TTGGA|G around the breakpoint of the high frequency read sequences suggests that the terminase cuts the branched pre-genome in a sequence-preferred manner. Our analysis also shows that terminal cleavage is asymmetric, with one end cut at a consensus sequence, and the other end generated randomly. The sequence-preferred cleavage may produce sticky-ends, but with each end being packaged with different efficiencies; Conclusions this study illustrates how high throughput sequencing can be used to probe replication and packaging mechanisms in bacteriophages and/or viruses.

One of the most common promoters of the initiation and growth of the tumor is an immune disturbance. Numerous immune cells and inflammatory factors play a role in the tumor‐immune microenvironment. However, few studies have investigated the correlation between these immunological events and clinical consequences in cervical cancer. We measured the levels of numerous inflammatory mediators and frequencies of regulatory T cells (Tregs), myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in peripheral blood (PB) of cervical cancer patients. Cervical cancer patients showed elevated production of interleukin (IL)‐18 and plasma C‐C chemokine ligand (CCL) 3/5. Meanwhile, an accumulation of C‐C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) monocytic (Mo)‐MDSCs and Tregs was observed. The cervical cancer group displayed increased frequencies of CD8+, CD4+ and highly activated CD38+CD8+MAIT cells, and reduction of double‐negative (DN) and PD1(CD279+) DN MAIT cells. Importantly, it was demonstrated that MAIT cells were positively related to Mo‐MDSCs. Furthermore, an elevated concentration of PD1(CD279+) DN MAIT cells was significantly related to increased progression‐free survival of patients with cervical cancer. In conclusion, our study suggests that the combined action of Mo‐MDSCs and MAIT cells might be associated with the progression of cervical cancer, and the frequency of DN MAIT cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was associated with the survival benefit of patients. What's new?: There is increasing evidence showing the importance of a dysfunctional host immune response in cervical cancer progression. The underlying mechanisms and their clinical relevance remain to be clarified, however. Here, the authors reveal a complex association between chronic inflammation, myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and disease progression in cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Patients showed an accumulation of CCL2/3/5, IL‐18, monocytic MDSCs, and MAIT cells. Moreover, the combined action of monocytic MDSCs and MAIT cells was related to progression of cervical cancer, while high levels of CD4‐CD8‐ MAIT cells might have a protective role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fructose is an important platform compound for the production of chemicals and renewable fuels. Here, the CeO2/ATP catalysts were developed for glucose isomerization in water. The effects of CeO2 loading, glucose concentration and the catalyst dosage to glucose ratio on the activity for the reaction were investigated. Glucose was easily transformed over ATP in the presence of CeO2, and the 10 % CeO2/ATP catalyst exhibited a good fructose yield of 36.4 %. Meanwhile, the reaction activity of glucose was affected by glucose concentration and the catalyst dosage to glucose ratio, and more fructose would be generated at lower glucose concentration, wherein the highest yield of fructose was obtained 39.2 % at 5 % of glucose solution with the catalyst dosage to glucose ratio of 0.1. In addition, the characterization resultsrevealed that CeO2 had a positive interaction with ATP on the adjustment of its structural properties and the amount and distribution of basic sites, and therefore facilitated glucose isomerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Setting a production target for a two-stage production–pollutant control system can provide guidance for the system to achieve efficient performance in its future production. The existing studies have succeeded in targeting but have missed the consideration of coordination between the adjustments for the two stages' input and output metrics. In this article, we propose an approach to address this problem using a non-parametric method: data envelopment analysis. First, we use the leader–follower analysis from game theory to propose slacks-based measure models for production target setting in situations where a dominance relationship exists between the two stages of the systems. Based on the results generated by the leader–follower models, we define each stage's dissatisfaction degree with the set targets. Further, considering the coordination between the adjustments of the two stages' inputs and outputs, we incorporate the bargaining game theory to propose a model which can generate the set of coordinated adjustments that is a bargaining solution taking account of both the dissatisfaction degrees of the two stages. The properties of the solution generated by the bargaining model feature fairness, which makes the target setting result coordinated between each system's two stages. Finally, the proposed approaches are applied and tested in an empirical study of 30 provincial regions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the effects of triptolide on immune function and tumor cell proliferation in patients with cervical cancer. Methods: Sixty-two patients with cervical cancer admitted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North College between July 2015 and April 2018 were randomly divided into the control group (n=31) and the observation group (n=31). All patients received routine treatment after laparoscopy, while those in the observation group received additional triptolide. The treatment efficacy, serum immune cells, inflammatory factors and the levels of cyclinD1, estrogen receptor α (ERα ) were observed and compared between the two groups. Results: The total remission rate of the patients in the observation group was 87.10%, significantly higher than 61.29% in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes in the two groups increased significantly, with more obvious increase in the observation group than that in the control group (P<0.01). The levels of CD8+ and programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) T lymphocytes in the two groups decreased significantly after treatment, with a more obvious decrease in observation group than that in control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the two groups decreased, and those in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the positive expression rate of cyclinD1 decreased and the positive expression rate of ER α increased in both groups (all P<0.05), with no significant difference between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: On the basis of routine surgical treatment, triptolide can effectively improve the immune function, reduce the inflammatory response, inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and regulate the expression of cancer-related factors in patients with cervical cancer, which has a certain therapeutic effect on cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In search of efficient salt-tolerant phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), we conducted a survey of PSB that naturally colonize the rhizosphere of peanuts in Xinjiang, China, a typical inland saline area. A total of 23 PSB were isolated, which included 12 Bacillus strains, three Acinetobacter strains, two Pseudomonas strains, two Brevibacillus, and one strain of Gordonia terrae, Chryseobacterium lathyri, Ensifer sesbaniae, and Paenibacillus illinoisensis. All PSB have high potential for dissolving calcium phosphate [Ca3(PO4)2] within the range of 65–496 mg·L−1, but relatively weak ability to dissolve AlPO4 in amounts ranging from 0.4 to 11.4 mg·L−1, FePO4 ranging from 0.1 to 5.5 mg·L−1, and lecithin ranging from 2.1 to 10.3 mg·L−1. The maximum tolerance for pH is 10, and the maximum tolerance for Na2CO3 is 50 mm. Six isolates that can grow under the condition of 1.5 M NaCl (YMX5, YMX11, TPMX5, TPMX16, TPMX18, and TPMX19) were selected to determine their ability to dissolve Ca3(PO4)2 and tolerate pH changes. This study characterized salt-tolerant PSB isolates that can be used as bioinoculants to protect plants against salt stress. In addition, we describe the phosphate-solubilizing ability of Gordonia terrae at high NaCl concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]