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Circular RNA (circRNA) abnormal expression and regulation are involved in the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors. However, the role of circRNAs still remains unknown in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). In the present study, the differential circRNA expression profile of GISTs was screened by human circRNAs chip and verified by qRT-PCR. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed using the cytoHubba plugin based on the Cytoscape software. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to explore circRNA functions. Six significantly differential circRNAs were also verified in 20 pairs of GISTs and adjacent tissues by qRT-PCR. The result showed that a total of 543 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified in GISTs, of which 242 were up-regulated and 301 were down-regulated. Additionally, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network contained six circRNAs, 30 miRNAs, and 308 mRNAs, and the targeted mRNAs were associated with "regulation of biological process," "intracellular organelle," "protein binding," and enriched in Wnt signaling pathway. Furthermore, qRT-PCR demonstrated that hsa&#95;circRNA&#95;061346, hsa&#95;circRNA&#95;103114, and hsa&#95;circRNA&#95;103870 were significantly up-regulated in GISTs ( n = 20), and hsa&#95; circRNA&#95;405324, hsa&#95;circRNA&#95;406821, and hsa&#95;circRNA&#95;000361 were dramatically down-regulated in GISTs ( n = 20). In addition, all of these circRNAs were shown to have high diagnostic values, and most of them were significantly associated with tumor size, mitotic figure, and malignant degrees in GISTs ( P < 0.05). Therefore, we concluded that circRNAs were abnormally expressed in GISTs, and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network plays an important role in the occurrence and development of GISTs. Also, the identified six candidate circRNAs might be critical circRNAs and may present as potential diagnostic biomarkers for GISTs., (Copyright © 2020 Zou, Cao, Tang, Shu, Zuo and Zhang.)

Purpose: The ability to accurately quantify immunohistochemically labeled retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) on wholemounts is an important histopathological determinant in experimental retinal research. Traditionally, this has been performed by manual or semi-automated counting of RGCs. Here, we describe an automated software that accurately and efficiently counts immunolabeled RGCs with the ability to batch process images and perform whole-retinal analysis to permit isodensity map generation., Methods: Retinal wholemounts from control rat eyes, and eyes subjected to either chronic ocular hypertension or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced excitotoxicity, were labeled by immunohistochemistry for two different RGC-specific markers, Brn3a and RNA-binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS). For feasibility of manual counting, images were sampled from predefined retinal sectors, totaling 160 images for Brn3a and 144 images for RBPMS. The automated program was initially calibrated for each antibody prior to batch analysis to ensure adequate cell capture. Blinded manual RGC counts were performed by three independent observers., Results: The automated counts of RGCs labeled for Brn3a and RBPMS closely matched manual counts. The automated script accurately quantified both physiological and damaged retinas. Efficiency in counting labeled RGC wholemount images is accelerated 40-fold with the automated software. Whole-retinal analysis was demonstrated with integrated retinal isodensity map generation., Conclusions: This automated cell counting software dramatically accelerates data acquisition while maintaining accurate RGC counts across different immunolabels, methods of injury, and spatial heterogeneity of RGC loss. This software likely has potential for wider application., Translational Relevance: This study provides a valuable tool for preclinical RGC neuroprotection studies that facilitates the translation of neuroprotection to the clinic., Competing Interests: Disclosure: C. Guymer, None; L. Damp, None; G. Chidlow, None; J. Wood, None; Y.F. Tang, None; R. Casson, None, (Copyright 2020 The Authors.)

Background and Objectives: Incidence rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) depend upon infection control policy and practices, and the effectiveness of the implementation of antibiotic stewardship. Amongst intensive care unit (ICU) patients with HAIs, a substantial number of pathogens were reported to be multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB). However, impacts of ICU HAIs due to MDRB (MDRB-HAIs) remain understudied. Our study aimed to evaluate the negative impacts of MRDB-HAIs versus HAIs due to non-MDRB (non-MRDB-HAIs)., Methods: Among 60,317 adult patients admitted at ICUs of a 2680-bed medical centre in Taiwan between January 2010 and December 2017, 279 pairs of propensity-score matched MRDB-HAI and non-MRDB-HAI were analyzed., Principal Findings: Between the MDRB-HAI group and the non-MDRB-HAI group, significant differences were found in overall hospital costs, costs of medical and nursing services, medication, and rooms/beds, and in ICU length-of-stay (LOS). As compared with the non-MDRB-HAI group, the mean of the overall hospital costs of patients in the MDRB-HAI group was increased by 26%; for categorized expenditures, the mean of costs of medical and nursing services of patients in the MDRB-HAI group was increased by 8%, of medication by 26.9%, of rooms/beds by 10.3%. The mean ICU LOS in the MDRB-HAI group was increased by 13%. Mortality rates in both groups did not significantly differ., Conclusions: These data clearly demonstrate more negative impacts of MDRB-HAIs in ICUs. The quantified financial burdens will be helpful for hospital/government policymakers in allocating resources to mitigate MDRB-HAIs in ICUs; in case of need for clarification/verification of the medico-economic burdens of MDRB-HAIs in different healthcare systems, this study provides a model to facilitate the evaluations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to regulate the development and progression of various cancers. However, the expression and function of circRNAs in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remain largely unknown. This study is aimed to investigate the potential roles of circEIF3I in PTC and elucidate the functional mechanism. We found that the expression of circEIF3I was significantly upregulated in PTC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. CircEIF3I expression was positively associated with tumor size, TNM stage and metastasis. CircEIF3I knockdown remarkably suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of PTC cells. Mechanistically, circEIF3I promoted KIF2A expression through competitively interacting with miR-149. In conclusion, circEIF3I upregulation in PTC tissues facilitates KIF2A expression by inhibiting miR-149, leading to malignant progression of PTC. This study suggested circEIF3I/miR-149/KIF2A axis might be a potential therapeutic target., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2020.)

Watson for Oncology (WFO) is a artificial intelligence clinical decision-support system with evidence-based treatment options for oncologists. WFO has been gradually used in China, but limited reports on whether WFO is suitable for Chinese patients. This study aims to investigate the concordance of treatment options between WFO and real clinical practice for Cervical cancer patients retrospectively. We retrospectively enrolled 300 cases of cervical cancer patients. WFO provides treatment options for 246 supported cases. Real clinical practice were defined as concordant if treatment options were designated "recommended" or "for consideration" by WFO. Concordance of treatment option between WFO and real clinical practice was analyzed statistically. The treatment concordance between WFO and real clinical practice occurred in 72.8% (179/246) of cervical cancer cases. Logistic regression analysis showed that rural registration residences, advanced age, poor ECOG performance status, stages II-IV disease have a remarkable impact on consistency. The main reasons attributed to the 27.2% (67/246) of the discordant cases were the substitution of nedaplatin for cisplatin, reimbursement plan of bevacizumab, surgical preference, and absence of neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies recommendations. WFO recommendations were in 72.8% of concordant with real clinical practice for cervical cancer patients in China. However, several localization and individual factors limit its wider application. So, WFO could be an essential tool but it cannot currently replace oncologists. To be rapidly and fully apply to cervical cancer patients in China, accelerate localization and improvement were needed for WFO., (Copyright © 2020 Zou, Tang, Liu, Ma and Hu.)

Background: High glutaminase (GLS;EC3.5.1.2) activity is an important pathophysiological phenomenon in tumorigenesis and metabolic disease. Insight into the metabolic consequences of high GLS activity contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiology of both oncogenic pathways and inborn errors of glutamate metabolism. Glutaminase catalyzes the conversion of glutamine into glutamate, thereby interconnecting many metabolic pathways., Methods: We developed a HEK293-based cell-model that enables tuning of GLS activity by combining the expression of a hypermorphic GLS variant with incremental GLS inhibition. The metabolic consequences of increasing GLS activity were studied by metabolic profiling using Direct-Infusion High-Resolution Mass-Spectrometry (DI-HRMS)., Results and Conclusions: Of 12,437 detected features [m/z], 109 features corresponding to endogenously relevant metabolites were significantly affected by high GLS activity. As expected, these included strongly decreased glutamine and increased glutamate levels. Additionally, increased levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates with a truncation of the TCA cycle at the level of citrate were detected as well as increased metabolites of transamination reactions, proline and ornithine synthesis and GABA metabolism. Levels of asparagine and nucleotide metabolites showed the same dependence on GLS activity as glutamine. Of the nucleotides, especially metabolites of the pyrimidine thymine metabolism were negatively impacted by high GLS activity, which is remarkable since their synthesis depend both on aspartate (product of glutamate) and glutamine levels. Metabolites of the glutathione synthesizing γ-glutamyl-cycle were either decreased or unaffected., General Significance: By providing a metabolic fingerprint of increasing GLS activity, this study shows the large impact of high glutaminase activity on the cellular metabolome., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Macrophages within tissues display a strong plastic ability in respond to environmental cues in both physiologic influences and disease. However, the macrophage phenotype and its distribution in the bone marrow biopsies (BMB) samples of human acute leukemia (AL) remain poorly understood. In this study, 97 BMB samples of patients with acute leukemia and 30 iron-deficiency anemias (IDA) as control group were evaluated with immunohistochemistry. In comparison with controls, the counts of CD68 + , CD163 + , and CD206 + macrophages were remarkably increased in BMB samples of acute leukemia (P < 0.01), as well as their infiltration density was roaring up-regulation (P < 0.01). The expression levels of CD68 + , CD163 + , and CD206 + macrophages were decreased in patients with complete remission, but there still existed statistically significant contrast to the control group (P < 0.01). The ratios of the CD163-positive cells or CD206-positive cells to CD68-positive cells were most prevalent in the BMB samples of human acute leukemia compared with the control group (P < 0.01), which support that macrophages were polarized to M2 macrophages.

Purpose: To report the outcomes of eyes receiving surgical management for traumatic macular holes. To describe the preoperative and postoperative optical coherence tomography features of traumatic macular holes and to explore associations between preoperative clinical and optical coherence tomography features, and visual outcome., Methods: Retrospective study of patients undergoing vitrectomy for traumatic macular hole and entered into the Australian and New Zealand Society of Retinal Specialists surgical registry. Preoperative clinical data, surgical details, and 3-month postoperative outcomes were recorded prospectively. Longer-term outcomes at 12 months were requested retrospectively, as were preoperative and postoperative optical coherence tomography scans., Results: Hole closure was achieved in 91% (21/23) of patients with a single procedure. The average preoperative visual acuity was 20/120. At 3 months postoperatively, the mean visual acuity had improved to 20/70 (P < 0.001), 11/23 (48%) of eyes improved ≥15 letters, and the number of eyes with 20/40 acuity or better increased from 1/23 to 7/23. Eyes with worse visual outcomes (visual acuity < 20/80) had larger holes, worse preoperative acuity, and a greater extent of preoperative ellipsoid band attenuation than those with better postoperative visual acuity., Conclusion: Eyes receiving surgical management for traumatic macular hole achieved good anatomical results and approximately half had a substantial improvement in acuity. Ellipsoid band attenuation on preoperative optical coherence tomography and worse preoperative acuity were associated with poorer visual outcomes.

We present the synthesis of enantiomerically pure ( S )-α-methyl-serine methyl ester hydrochloride from 2-methyl-3-((4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl)oxy)propanal and di- p -chlorobenzyl azodicarboxylate via asymmetrically catalyzed amination with naphthylalanine derivative catalyst. The application of the organocatalyst of D-3-(1-Naphthyl)-alanine is the key step in the synthesis and ensures the product is obtained with high levels of stereocontrol.

Background: Gut microbes can contribute to their hosts in food digestion, nutrient absorption, and inhibiting the growth of pathogens. However, only limited studies have focused on the gut microbiota of freshwater snails. Pomacea canaliculata is considered one of the worst invasive alien species in the world. Elucidating the diversity and composition of the microbiota in the gut of P. canaliculata snails may be helpful for better understanding the widespread invasion of this snail species. In this study, the buccal masses, stomachs, and intestines were isolated from seven P. canaliculata snails. The diversity and composition of the microbiota in the three gut sections were then investigated based on high-throughput Illumina sequencing targeting the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene., Results: The diversity of the microbiota was highest in the intestine but lowest in the buccal mass. A total of 29 phyla and 111 genera of bacteria were identified in all of the samples. In general, Ochrobactrum, a genus of putative cellulose-degrading bacteria, was the most abundant (overall relative abundance: 13.6%), followed by Sediminibacterium (9.7%), Desulfovibrio (7.8%), an unclassified genus in the family Aeromonadaceae (5.4%), and Cloacibacterium (5.4%). The composition of the microbiota was diverse among the different gut sections. Ochrobactrum (relative abundance: 23.15% ± 7.92%) and Sediminibacterium (16.95 ± 5.70%) were most abundant in the stomach, an unclassified genus in the family Porphyromonadaceae (14.28 ± 7.29%) and Leptotrichia (8.70 ± 4.46%) were highest in the buccal mass, and two genera in the families Aeromonadaceae (7.55 ± 4.53%) and Mollicutes (13.47 ± 13.03%) were highest in the intestine., Conclusions: The diversity and composition of the microbiome vary among different gut sections of P. canaliculata snails. Putative cellulose-degrading bacteria are enriched in the gut of P. canaliculata.

Objective: To examine the results of surgical treatment for endograft infection after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEAVR). Methods: Clinical data of 7 patients underwent surgical treatment for endograft infection after TEAVR at Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, the Navy Medical University between January 2016 and December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 6 males and 1 female, aging (51.5±16.7) years (range: 25 to 68 years). The origin of the aortic disease was descending aortic aneurysm in 5 cases, and Stanford B aortic dissection in 2 cases. Abdominal aorta below the level of the diaphragm was not involved in all patients. Two patients received "chimney technology" for left subclavian artery procedures. Time to infection was 5(3) months ( M ( Q(R) )) (range: 1 to 24 months). Aortic endograft infection was diagnosed with a combination of microbiology (positive blood cultures, except one with mycotic), radiological evidence and clinical evidence of sepsis. Two patients suffered from aorto-esophageal fistula received emergency surgery, others were treated with elective surgery. Extra-anatomic prosthetic graft bypass was used for reconstruction of aorta, infected endogarft and aorta was removed, sac drainage was performed. Aorto-esophageal fistula was procedured according to the degree of lesions. All patients received antibiotics with specialist advice for 6 to 8 weeks. Results: One patient died due to septic shock. In the follow-time (range: 6 to 24 months), 1 patient suffered from thoracic infection in 3 months after surgery, an other patient got iliac abscess after a month. Conclusions: Endograft infection after TEAVR is high risk but may be curative. Appropriate selection of patients for infected endograft explantation could get a satisfied results.

Phosphorus is an essential life element, which can affect the activities and functions of denitrifiers. Both nirK and nirS genes can code nitrite reductase; however, it remains unclear whether nirK - and nirS -containing denitrifers respond differentially to changes in the availability of phosphorus in paddy soil. In this study, P-deficient paddy soil was used to grow rice plants. Three phosphorus levels established by applying P fertilizer at a rate of 0 mg·kg -1 (CK), 15 mg·kg -1 (P1), and 30 mg·kg -1 (P2), respectively. The abundance and community structure of nirK - and nirS - containing denitrifers were determined using quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing techniques. Results indicated that nirK - and nirS -containing communities responded differentially to changes in the P levels. The nirS -containing communities are more sensitive to the changes in P in both rhizosphere and bulk soil samples. In addition, the abundance of nirS genes was 2-3 times higher in the P2 treatment than in the CK treatment. Furthermore, the nirS community structure is also clearly differed from the CK treatment. However, P addition only induced partial modification of the community structure and abundance of nirK -containing denitrifiers. Moreover, compared to the bulk soil with each phosphorus level, the nirS community structure in the rhizosphere soil changed significantly; however, only the P2 treatment induced significant increases in the abundance of the nirS gene. In contrast, no significant differences in the abundance and composition of nirK -containing denitrifers were detected between rhizosphere and bulk soils under different phosphorus levels. Collectively, application of phosphate fertilizer in P-deficient paddy soil could significantly increase the abundance of nirK - and nirS -containing denitrifiers, changing their community structures, with nirS -type showing a greater sensitivity than nirK -type denitrifiers. In comparison, the denitrifying communities in the rhizosphere were more sensitive to variable P levels than that in the bulk soil. Compared to bulk soils, rice growth shifted the community structure of nirS - and nirK -containing denitrifiers in rhizosphere soils at each level of P, but failed to induce significant changes in their abundance (except for P2) that could cause a significant increase in nirS abundance. These results could provide a theoretical basis for exploring the effects of fertilization on soil denitrification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common disturbing complication of intra-articular fractures. Its prevention and treatment are still difficult as its pathogenesis is unclear. It was reported that PDGFRα + muscle cells in skeletal muscle may participate in the formation of HO; however, the specific mechanism is still unknown. This study investigated the function of miR-19b-3p in osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα + muscle cells. MiR-19b-3p was upregulated during PDGFRα + muscle cell osteogenic differentiation. The exogenous expression of miR-19b-3p led to an increase in osteogenic marker gene transcription and translation during the osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα + muscle cells. Furthermore, both alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining increased in miR-19b-3p mimic transfected cells. Over-expression of miR-19b-3p led to the down-regulation of gene of phosphate and tension homology deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN). Additionally, the dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PTEN was a direct target of miR-19b-3p. The increase of osteocalcin, osteopontin, and Runt-related transcription factor 2 protein levels induced by ectopic miR-19b-3p expression could be partially reversed by PTEN over-expression. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR-19b-3p may be a promising target in inhibiting PDGFRα + muscle cell osteogenic differentiation and treatment of HO., (© 2019 International Federation for Cell Biology.)

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) was reported to reduce ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in kidney and brain tissues. Thus, we aimed to study the role and mechanism of Dex in cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and apoptosis. First, I/R injury models were established. Six groups were assigned after different treatments: sham, I/R, I/R+Dex, I/R+2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2) (HIF-1α inhibitor), I/R+CoCl 2 (HIF-1α activator), and I/R+Dex+CoCl 2 groups. Neurological function, cerebral infarction volume, survival, and apoptosis of brain cells were then analyzed. Besides, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of HIF-1α, BCL-2[B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2] adenovirus E1B interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2), BCL2[B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2] associated X (Bax), and cleaved-caspase3 proteins in brain tissues. I/R rats showed cerebral infarction, increased neurological function score, number of terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells and HIF-1α-positive cells as well as decreased neurons. Inhibition of HIF-1α can reduce the apoptosis induced by I/R, and overexpression of HIF-1α can aggravate apoptosis in brain tissue of I/R rats. Furthermore, activation of HIF-1α expression blocks the inhibitory effect of Dex on neuronal apoptosis in I/R rats. Dex may inhibit the neuronal apoptosis of I/R rats by inhibiting the HIF-1α pathway and then improve the cerebral I/R injury in rats., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

We investigated the variation of denitrifying communities in rice rhizosphere at tillering and booting stages in comparison with bulk soils with a pot experiment. The techniques of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to measure the abundance and community composition of denitrifiers (narG and nosZ), respectively. The results showed that the potential denitrification activity in the rhizosphere at tillering stage was significantly lower than bulk soils. No significant difference was detected between the rhizosphere and bulk soils at booting stage. The abundance of both narG- and nosZ-containing denitrifying bacteria was significantly higher in rhizosphere than in bulk soils at both tillering and booting stages. In comparison with narG-containing community, community composition and diversity of nosZ-containing bacteria were more sensitive to rice growth. In conclusion, the exudates of rice could induce significantly more denitrifying bacteria in rhizosphere, whose denitrifying activities were related to growth stage of rice. At the period with strong growth, the secretion of roots showed clear restriction to the functions of rhizospheric denitrifiers compared to booting stage.

Objective: To investigate the effect of minimally invasive mini-incision and instrumented reduction combined with interlocking intramedullary nailing in the treatment of patients with multi-segment fracture of complex femoral shaft., Methods: From January 2013 to January 2016, 32 patients with multiple fractures segments of femoral shaft were treated with instrumentation-assisted reduction combined with interlocking intramedullary nailing, including 22 males and 10 females with an average age of 45 years old ranging 17 to 68 years old. The time from injured to operation was 5 to 10 days with an average of 7 days. After admission, routine tibial tubercle or supracondylar bone traction was performed. The patient's general condition was evaluated, the operation time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. According to Thorsen femoral fracture morphology evaluation criteria and Hohl knee function evaluation of postoperative efficacy, postoperative fracture healing, complications and postoperative recovery of limb function were observed., Results: All patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months with an average of 12 months. The operative time ranged from 48 to 76 minutes with an average of 67 min. The intraoperative blood loss was 150 to 400 ml with an average of 220 ml. The surgical incisions all achieved grade A healing. The fractures reached the clinical standard of healing. The fracture healing time ranged from 4.2 to 10.8 months with an average of 5.7 months. There were no nonunion, incision infection and internal fixation fracture, failure and other complications. According to Thorsen femoral fracture morphology evaluation criteria, the result was excellent in 28 cases, good in 3 cases, fair in 1 case. According to Hohl knee function evaluation criteria, the result was excellent in 30 cases, good in 2 cases., Conclusions: Instrument-assisted reduction combined with interlocking intramedullary nail fixation is a safe and effective method for the treatment of complex femoral shaft fractures. It has advantages of small trauma, fixed fixation, quick recovery, early postoperative functional exercise., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© 2018 by the China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Press.)

Background: Preoperative hypoxemia is a frequent complication of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). The aim of the present study was to determine which factors were associated with hypoxemia., Methods: A series of data were collected in a statistical analysis to evaluate preoperative hypoxemia in patients with ATAAD. After retrospectively analyzing data for 172 patients, we identified the risk factors for preoperative hypoxemia. Hypoxemia was defined by an arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO 2 /FiO 2 ) ratio of 200 or lower. Subsequent to identifying the patient population, a prospective study was conducted using ulinastatin as a preoperative intervention. The ulinastatin group received ulinastatin at a total dose of 300,000 units prior to surgery. All the pertinent factors were investigated through univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis., Results: The factors associated with preoperative hypoxemia in ATAAD comprised the following: body mass index (BMI) ≥25; white blood cell count (WBC) and neutrophil counts; levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, and interleukin-6 (IL-6); ATAAD involving the celiac trunk, renal artery, or mesenteric artery. Logistic regression analysis showed that CRP and IL-6 levels were independent predictive factors. We found that ulinastatin effectively could improve oxygenation, since compared to the control group the oxygenation in the ulinastatin group was significantly improved., Conclusions: Systemic inflammatory reactions played a vital role in preoperative hypoxemia after the onset of ATAAD. The oxygenation of the patient could be improved significantly by inhibiting the inflammatory response prior to surgery., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

ZnO nano-clips with better monodispersion were prepared successfully using zinc acetate hydrate (Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O) as Zn source and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent by a simple solution-based route-polyol process. The effect of solution concentration on the formation of ZnO nano-clips has been investigated deeply. We first prove that the 0.01 M Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O can react with EG without added water or alkaline, producing ZnO nano-clips with polycrystalline wurtzite structure at 170 °C. As-synthesized ZnO nano-clips contain a lot of aggregated nanocrystals (~ 5 to 15 nm) with high specific surface area of 88 m 2 /g. The shapes of ZnO nano-clips basically keep constant with improved crystallinity after annealing at 400-600 °C. The lower solution concentration and slight amount of H 2 O play a decisive role in ZnO nano-clip formation. When the solution concentration is ≤ 0.0125 M, the complexing and polymerization reactions between Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG predominate, mainly elaborating ZnO nano-clips. When the solution concentration is ≥ 0.015 M, the alcoholysis and polycondensation reactions of Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG become dominant, leading to ZnO particle formation with spherical and elliptical shapes. The possible growth mechanism based on a competition between complexing and alcoholysis of Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG has been proposed.

Many studies have examined the interaction between CYP1A1 MspI gene polymorphism and smoking for the risk of lung cancer risk in Chinese, but their results have been inconsistent. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to ascertain this issue. PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid and other Chinese databases were searched to include all the relevant studies. Smoking status was categorised as 'smokers' and 'non-smokers.' The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed or random effect model. Subgroup analyses according to ethnicity, source of control and geographical location were also conducted. This meta-analysis identified 13 studies containing 2248 lung cases and 3079 controls. Overall, a significant association between lung cancer and the variants of CYP1A1 MspI was found among smokers (type B and type C combined vs. type A: OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.15-3.11, P = 0.000 for heterogeneity), whereas not found among non-smokers. Similar to the overall results, stratified analyses showed that the increased risk of lung cancer was observed in population-based studies and north China among smokers (OR = 1.65, 95%CI = 1.03-2.66; OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.14-3.53). Our meta-analysis showed that there was an interaction between the CYP1A1 MspI and smoking on the risk of lung cancer in the Chinese population., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The present study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of four-dimensional CT angiography (4D-CTA) in the diagnosis of arterial erectile dysfunction (ED) using 320-detector row dynamic volume CT. Arterial ED patients attributed to arterial insufficiency were enrolled. To induce penile erection, an intracavernous injection (ICI) of corpus cavernosum with a vasoactive drug was administered. Patients were assigned into the erection hardness score (EHS) 1/2 group or EHS 3/4 group. Color duplex Doppler ultrasound (CDDU) was used to analyze blood flow spectrum. Each patient was examined using 4D-CTA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of 4D-CTA in arterial ED. According to Irwin Goldstein, the EHS 3/4 group ( n =38) had a shorter course of ED and low proportion with history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes than the EHS 1/2 group ( n =35). The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistant index (RI) in the EHS 3/4 group were lower than those of the EHS 1/2 group. 4D-CTA showed there were a total of 35 cases in the EHS 1/2 group (two cases missed) and 38 cases in the EHS 3/4 group (seven cases misdiagnosed). Using 4D-CTA to diagnose arterial ED, the area under the ROC curve yielded a value of 0.879, with a specificity of 93.9% and a sensitivity of 82.5%. These findings indicated that 4D-CTA using 320-detector row dynamic volume CT is a promising and reliable utility in diagnosing arterial ED., (© 2017 The Author(s).)

A bipartite begomovirus isolate GD was isolated from Lycianthes biflora plants showing yellow mosaic symptoms in Nanxiong, Guangdong Province, China. The apparently full-length DNA-A and DNA-B viral components were cloned after enrichment of circular DNA by rolling circle amplification, restriction digestion, cloning, and DNA sequencing. The DNA-A component (2752nt, KT582302) shares highest (80.2%) nucleotide (nt) sequence identity with tomato leaf curl Sulawesi virus [Indonesia-Sulawesi-Langowan F101-2006] (ToLCSuV- [ID-Sul -LanF09-06], FJ237618), reported in Indonesia as causing yellow leaf curl disease of chilli pepper. The DNA-B component (2704nt, KT582303) shares highest (76.3%) nt sequence identity with pepper yellow leaf curl Indonesia virus-[Indonesia-tomato2-2005] (PepYLCIV-[ID-Tom2-05 AB213599) reported in Indonesia, and associated with yellow leaf curl disease in tomato. Based on the ICTV guidelines for begomoviral species demarcation, the virus is a new, previously undescribed bipartite begomovirus species for which the name "Lycianthes yellow mosaic virus" is proposed.

The present study aims to investigate and compare the diagnostic and prognostic value of cavernosography with 320-row dynamic volume computed tomography (DVCT) versus conventional cavernosography in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by venous leakage. A total of 174 patients diagnosed with ED were enrolled and received cavernosography with 320-row DVCT (DVCT group) and conventional cavernosography scans (control group) respectively. The diagnosis, complications, and prognosis of patients were evaluated. The DVCT group provided high-resolution images with less processing and testing time, as well as lowered radiological agent and contrast agent compared with the control group. In the DVCT group, 89 patients who were diagnosed with venous ED had six various venous leakage, namely superficial venous leakage, profundus venous leakage, the mixed type, cavernosal venous leakage, crural venous leakage, and also venous leakage between the penis and urethra cavernosum (9, 21, 32, 6, 18, and 3 cases respectively). Similarly, 74 patients out of the 81 who suffered from venous ED were classified to have superficial venous leakage (11), profundus venous leakage (14), the mixed type venous leakage (26), and middle venous leakage (23). Six out of 25 patients in the DVCT group, had improvements in ED while the remaining 19 achieved full erectile function recovery with no penile fibrosis and erectile pain. Cavernosography with 320-row DVCT is a reliable system that can be used to diagnose ED caused by venous leakage. This is especially useful in accurately determining the type of venous and allows for a better prognosis and direction of treatment., (© 2017 The Author(s).)

The aim of this study is to explore the value of unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), gadobenate dimeglumine injection (Gd-BOPTA)-enhanced MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the diagnosis of intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC). Totally 59 IMCC patients who underwent Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRIs were recruited. The time-signal intensity curves and lesion periphery enhancement rates of the IMCC and liver parenchyma was drawn using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI showed that the peripheries of 30 lesions in the arterial phase exhibited irregular ring enhancement. However, lesions in the portal and delayed phases (which were gradually filled with a contrast agent), presented a patchy or latticed enhancement. Twenty-two lesions in the arterial and delayed phases exhibited uneven mild/moderate patchy enhancements with a progressive and centripetal lesion. Five lesions emerged from the arterial phase without any significant enhancement and had only gradual enhancement during the delayed phase. The remaining 2 lesions had a decreased mild enhancement, presented comparatively high signals and the lesion center had visible small spotted low signals. The DWI signals displayed a slightly high or high unevenness. Some lesion peripheries had a high signal but lesion centers displayed a relatively low or slightly low signal and irregular patches. There were significant differences between the ADC values of the lesion edge, lesion center and liver parenchyma. The IMCC detection rates of the Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI and DWI were higher than those of the unenhanced MRI. Our study demonstrated that both the Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI and DWI had higher accuracies rates than an unenhanced MRI. Furthermore, the hepatobiliary phase of IMCC plays an important role in the diagnosis and identification of IMCC constituents.

Fertilizer applications have important effects on soil microbial abundance and community structure. In this study, total soil microbial DNA and RNA were directly extracted from paddy soils of N0 (control treatment, no nitrogen fertilizer), NPK (balanced fertilization), NPK+LS (balanced fertilization with additional 3.0 t·hm -2 rice straw incorporation) and NPK+HS (balanced fertilization with additional 6.0 t·hm -2 rice straw incorporation) treatments in a long-term fertilization experiment of double rice cropping system in Changsha County, Hunan Province. Soil bacteria community structures were evaluated by analyzing the 16S rRNA gene fragments at DNA and cDNA levels with Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) and quantitative PCR techniques. Balancing fertilization with chemical fertilizers and rice straw incorporation significantly changed the composition of bulk (DNA-based) and potentially active (mRNA-based) soil bacterial community as shown in T-RFLP profiles, and also reduced the bulk soil microbial diversity, but not the potentially active ones, as compared with the control treatment. The DNA-based abundance of 16S rRNA gene was on average 377 times as many as the m-RNA based population size. Compared to N0,balanced fertilization with rice straw incorporation (NPK+LS and NPK+HS) increased the bulk and active copy numbers of 16S rRNA gene, but not for balanced fertilization (NPK). The abundance and microbial community structure were not significantly different between the NPK+LS and NPK+HS treatments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil ammonium was the key environmental factor determining the bulk and active soil microbial community structure among the treatments. In conclusion, the effect of fertilization on soil microbial abundance and community structure could be indicated at both DNA and cDNA levels; the cDNA information could better reflect the adaptability of bacterial community to the environmental stress.

Background and Aim of the Study: To compare four risk scores with regard to their validity to predict in-hospital mortality after heart valve surgery in a multicenter patient population of China., Materials and Methods: From January 2009 to December 2012, data from 12,412 consecutive patients older than 16 years who underwent heart valve surgery at four cardiac surgical centers were collected and scored according to the EuroSCORE II, Ambler risk score, NYC risk score, and STS risk score. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to the types of valve procedures, and the performance of the four risk scores for each group was assessed. Calibration was assessed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) test. Discrimination was tested by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve., Results: Observed mortality was 2.09% overall. The EuroSCORE II, Ambler score, and NYC score overpredicted observed mortality (Hosmer-Lemeshow: P = 0.002, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.0001, respectively) and the STS score underpredicted observed mortality (Hosmer-Lemeshow: P = 0.001). The discriminative power in the entire cohort for in-hospital mortality was highest for the STS score (0.735), followed by the EuroSCORE II score (0.704), NYC score (0.693), and Ambler score (0.674). Meanwhile, the STS score and EuroSCORE II give an accurate prediction in patients undergoing single valve surgery compared with the Ambler score and NYC score. However, all four risk scores give an imprecise prediction in patients undergoing multiple valve surgery., Conclusions: Both the STS score and Euroscore II, especially the STS score, were suitable for individual operative risk in Chinese patients undergoing single valve surgery compared with the Ambler score and NYC score, however, all four risk scores were not suitable for prediction in Chinese patients undergoing multiple valve surgery. Therefore, the creation of a new model which accurately predicts outcomes in patients undergoing multiple valve surgery is possibly required in China., (Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the application value of Toshiba 320-row dynamic volumetric CT angiography in the diagnosis of venous erectile dysfunction (VED)., Methods: We enrolled in this study 33 patients diagnosed with ED by audiovisual sexual stimulation screening in the outpatient department. Penile erection was induced in the patients by injection of 2 mg phentolamine plus 30 mg papaverine into the corpus cavernosum, followed by that of contrast agent of iobitridol through the vein and corpus cavernosum successively. Then 320-row dynamic volumetric CT angiography was performed and the images of the corpus cavernosum in the arterial and venous phases were collected and processed., Results: Different degrees of abnormal venous drainage were observed in 29 of the patients, including 7 cases (24.1%) of back deep venous leakage, 6 cases (20.7%) of foot venous leakage, 3 cases (10.3%) of dorsal superficial venous leakage, 1 case (3.5%) of intervertebral venous leakage, 2 cases (6.9%) of cavernous venous leakage, and 10 cases (34.5%) of mixed venous leakage. Ten of the patients underwent surgery, dorsal deep penile vein ligation in 2 cases, dorsal deep vein embedding plus foot vein ligation in 4, and foot vein ligation in the other 4. Eight of the patients were followed up for 3－12 months post-operatively, during which 2 achieved obvious erectile improvement, while the other 6 gained normal penile erection., Conclusions: Toshiba 320-row dynamic volumetric CT angiography is a reliable method for the diagnosis of VED, which displays the precise location of venous leakage for clinical treatment, with the advantages of clearer images, lower doses of contrast agent and radiation, and faster examination than X-ray penile angiography.

Objective: To summarize the results and methods of left subclavian artery revascularization by stented trunk fenestration for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection., Methods: Clinical data of 67 patients (54 male and 13 female, mean age of (50±10) years) underwent surgical treatment of left subclavian artery fenestration for acute Stanford A aortic dissection in Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical College between September 2008 and December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. The origin of the left subclavian artery was in the true lumen and no dissection existed near the artery's starting. There were 18 cases of Marfan's syndrome. Preoperative echocardiography showed moderate to severe aortic regurgitation in 10 cases, and mitral regurgitation in 3 cases. Electrocardiogram showed myocardial ischemia in 5 cases. Three patients had acute impaired renal function. All the patients received total arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation. Left subclavian artery revascularization was performed by stented trunk fenestration as follows: firstly, stented elephant trunk was implanted to completely cover the left subclavian artery, then part of stented trunk's polyester lining was removed which is located at the origin of left subclavian artery. Aortic root procedures included aortic valve replacement in 2 cases, Bentall procedure in 21 cases and aortic valve sparing in 44 cases. Three patients received mitral valve repair and 6 patients received coronary artery bypass grafting., Results: The cardiopulmonary bypass time, cross-clamp time, and circulatory arrest time were (179±32) minutes, (112±25) minutes, and (26±10) minutes, respectively. The in-hospital mortality was 7.5% (5/67): 2 patients died of multiple organ failure, 1 patient died of acute renal failure and another 2 patients died of severe infection shock. Two patients required reexploration for root bleeding. Transient neurology dysfunction developed in 6 patients. Six patients received tracheotomy and prolonged ventilation due to pulmonary infection. All patients discharged from the hospital were followed up for 1 to 5 years. During long-term follow-up, the survival rate was 100% and 89.8% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. CT angiography was performed once per year after discharged. The left subclavian artery perfusion was good. No dissection or anastomosis leakage was identified in any case. Stroke and left limb ischemia did not develope., Conclusion: For acute Stanford type A aortic dissection whose origin of the left subclavian artery is in the true lumen and no dissection existed near the artery's starting, the left subclavian artery revascularization by stented trunk fenestration technique during total arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation is reliable and effective.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy that has a poor prognosis because there is lack of methods for early diagnosis. We aimed to utilize two serum long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), uc001ncr and AX800134, to diagnose hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive HCC., Methods: lncRNA microarrays were utilized to measure the differential expression of lncRNAs between tumor tissues and corresponding non-tumor tissues in HBV-positive hapatocellular carcinoma. uc001ncr and AX800134 were selected as candidate lncRNAs and detected in three independent cohorts containing a total of 684 participants (healthy individuals and chronic HBV patients and HBV-positive HCC patients) who were recruited between March 2011 and December 2012. A logistic regression model was constructed using a training cohort (n = 353) and validated using an independent cohort (n = 181). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was utilized to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy., Results: We determined that a panel based on the expression of uc001ncr and AX800134 accurately diagnosed HBV-positive HCC (AUC values of 0.9494 and 0.9491 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively). The diagnostic performance of the panel remained high in patients with AFP≤400 ng/ml (AUC values of 0.9371 and 0.9527 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively). The panel also diagnosed early HCC (AUC values of 0.9450 and 0.9564 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively)., Conclusion: Our results indicated that the serum expression of uc001ncr and AX800134 has potential as novel potential biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC, especially in patients with AFP≤400 ng/ml or early-stage disease (BCLC 0+A).

The characteristics of patients with recurrent bacteraemia caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae (EK) are rarely described. Flomoxef belongs to the cephamycins group and demonstrates in vitro activity against ESBL-producing organisms. Whether flomoxef may be used for the treatment of such infections remains controversial. This retrospective case-control study enrolled adult patients who had bacteraemia caused by ESBL-EK during 2005-2011. Case patients were those who had more than one episode of ESBL-EK bacteraemia. Controls were those who were matched for age and interval time of blood sampling and had only one episode of ESBL-EK bacteraemia with subsequent bacteraemia episodes caused by other non-ESBL-EK bacteria. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and microbiologic profiles of the initial and subsequent ESBL-EK isolates were analysed. During the study period, 424 patients were found to have at least one positive blood culture after the first ESBL-EK bacteraemia episode, and 67 (15.8%) had a second episode of ESBL-EK bacteraemia. Bacteraemia resulting from vascular catheter-related infection (odds ratio, 3.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-8.05), and definitive therapy with flomoxef (odds ratio, 2.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-8.15) were both independent risk factors for the recurrence. Among the 56 patients with available ESBL-EK isolates for analysis, 38 (67.8%) were infected by genetically similar strains. In three of these 38 recurrent ESBL-EK bacteraemia cases caused by an identical strain, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of carbapenem for the subsequent K. pneumoniae isolates were fourfold or higher than the initial isolates. Recurrent bacteraemia was not uncommon in our patients with ESBL-EK bacteraemia, and most of the episodes were caused by identical strains., (Copyright © 2015 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study compared treatment outcomes of adult patients with bacteraemia due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-EK) receiving flomoxef versus those receiving a carbapenem as definitive therapy. In propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, case patients receiving flomoxef shown to be active in vitro against ESBL-EK were matched with controls who received a carbapenem. The primary endpoint was 30-day crude mortality. The flomoxef group had statistically significantly higher sepsis-related mortality (27.3% vs. 10.5%) and 30-day mortality (28.8% vs. 12.8%) than the carbapenem group. Of the bacteraemic episodes caused by isolates with a MICflomoxef of ≤1 mg/L, sepsis-related mortality rates were similar between the two treatment groups (8.7% vs. 6.4%; P=0.73). The sepsis-related mortality rate of the flomoxef group increased to 29.6% and 50.0% of episodes caused by isolates with a MICflomoxef of 2-4 mg/L and 8 mg/L, respectively, which was significantly higher than the carbapenem group (12.3%). In the PSM analysis of 86 case-control pairs infected with strains with a MICflomoxef of 2-8 mg/L, case patients had a significantly higher 30-day mortality rate (38.4% vs. 18.6%). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that flomoxef therapy for isolates with a MICflomoxef of 2-8 mg/L, concurrent pneumonia or urosepsis, and a Pitt bacteraemia score ≥4 were independently associated with 30-day mortality. Definitive flomoxef therapy appears to be inferior to carbapenems in treating ESBL-EK bacteraemia, particularly for isolates with a MICflomoxef of 2-8 mg/L, even though the currently suggested MIC breakpoint of flomoxef is ≤8 mg/L., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.)

In the title structure, [Cd(C5H2N5)2(C3H7NO)2] n or [Cd(adci)2(DMF)2] n , the Cd(2+) ion is located on a twofold rotation axis and is six-coordinated in a CdN4O2 manner by four imidazole N atoms of four symmetry-related 2-amino-4,5-di-cyano-imidazolate (adci) anions in the equatorial plane and by two O atoms of symmetry-related N,N-di-methyl-formamide (DMF) ligands in axial positions. The adci(-) anions bridge adjacent Cd(2+) ions [shortest Cd⋯Cd separation = 6.733 (3) Å] into a layered coordination polymer extending parallel to (001). The primary amino group and the non-coordinating cyano groups of adci(-) anions are involved in hydrogen-bonding inter-actions with DMF ligands to stabilize the crystal structure.

Objective: To observe the clinical significance of nitric oxide (NO) and 8-isoprostane (8-isoPG) changes in exhaled breath condensate ( EBC) of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients after treated by Qingfei Decoction (QD)., Methods: Totally 48 ARDS patients receiving mechanical ventilation were equally assigned to the QD treatment group and the control group by random digit table. EBC specimens were collected by modified Ecoscreen breath condensate collector (German JAEGER Company) on the first day and the fifth day after confirmed diagnosis of ARDS. Concentrations of NO and 8-isoPG in EBC were measured by ELISA. The oxygenation index and APACHE II scores were recorded at the same time., Results: (1) The fatality rate in the QD treatment group was lower than that in the control group (8.3% vs 37.5%, P < 0.05). (2) After treatment NO and 8-isoPG concentrations in EBC were lower in the QD treatment group (34.49 ± 5.67 µmol/L, 30.09 ± 7.89 ng/L) than in the control group (39.78 ± 9.27 µmol/L, 35.65 ± 8.90 ng/L; P < 0.05). (3) After treatment improved oxygenation index value was higher in the QD treatment group than in the control group (120.88 ± 35.16 vs 101.50 ± 37.70, P < 0.05). After treatment APACHEII scores was lower in the QD treatment group than in the control group (6.21 ± 3.51 vs 10. 26 ± 4.33, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Treatment of ARDS patients by QD was favorable in controlling inflammation, alleviating lung injury, and improving clinical efficacy.

Objective: To identify differentially expressed genes associated with motion sickness (MS) susceptibility in the rat caudal vestibular nucleus., Methods: We identified MS susceptible (MSS) and insusceptible (inMSS) rats by quantifying rotation-induced MS symptoms: defecation and spontaneous locomotion activity. Microarray analysis was used to screen differentially expressed genes in the caudal vestibular nucleus (CVN) after rotation. Plasma stress hormones were identified by radioimmunoassay. Candidate genes were selected by bioinformatics analysis and the microarray results were verified by real-time quantitative-PCR (RT-qPCR) methods. By using Elvax implantation, receptor antagonists or recombinant adenovirus targeting the candidate genes were applied to the CVN to evaluate their contribution to MS susceptibility variability. Validity of gene expression manipulation was verified by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis., Results: A total of 304 transcripts were differentially expressed in the MSS group compared with the inMSS group. RT-qPCR analysis verified the expression pattern of candidate genes, including nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAchR) α3 subunit, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 (5-HT4R), tachykinin neurokinin-1 (NK1R), γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR) α6 subunit, olfactory receptor 81 (Olr81) and homology 2 domain-containing transforming protein 1 (Shc1). In MSS animals, the nAchR antagonist mecamylamine significantly alleviated rotation-induced MS symptoms and the plasma β-endorphin response. The NK1R antagonist CP99994 and Olr81 knock-down were effective for the defecation response, while the 5-HT4R antagonist RS39604 and Shc1 over-expression showed no therapeutic effect. In inMSS animals, rotation-induced changes in spontaneous locomotion activity and the plasma β-endorphin level occurred in the presence of the GABAAR antagonist gabazine., Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the variability of the CVN gene expression profile after motion stimulation might be a putative molecular basis for individual differences in MS susceptibility and provide information for the development of new therapeutic strategies for MSS individuals.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a unique subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome caused by an underlying plasma cell disorder (PCD). The occurrence of AITL with POEMS syndrome has rarely been reported in the literature. The current study presents the case of a 53-year-old male who presented with a rapidly proliferative lymph node on the left neck, which was identified as an AITL on biopsy. The patient also exhibited the complications of polyneuropathy, M-proteinemia, hepatosplenomegaly, left ventricular hypertrophy, endocrinopathy and skin changes, and was therefore diagnosed with POEMS syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report a case of AITL with POEMS syndrome. The findings in this case suggest that the aberrant clones of B cells can also be caused by AITL.

Phytochemical investigation of the twigs of Morus notabilis led to the isolation and characterization of two new flavonoids, notabilisin F (1) and notabilisin G (2). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis.

In September 2013, tall morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) plants showing vein yellowing and leaf curl symptoms typical of a begomovirus infection were observed in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, China. Total nucleic acids were extracted from a symptomatic plant using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Rolling circle amplification (RCA) was conducted using TempliPhi kit (GE Healthcare) to recover the genome of a putative begomovirus. Digestion of the RCA product with PstI yielded a ~2.8 kbp DNA fragment suggestive of a monomerized begomoviral genome. The fragment was cloned and sequenced and the sequence was deposited in GenBank under accession no. KF769447. SDTv1.0 (species demarcation tool) analysis revealed that the putative begomovirus showed 98.5 and 92.0% nucleotide sequence identity with Sweet potato leaf curl Georgia virus (SPLCGV)-[China:Hebei:2011] (GenBank Accession No. JX448368) and SPLCGV-[US:Geo:16] (AF326775), respectively. The virus contained six ORFs, which encoded proteins showing 96.5 to 100% and 90.6 to 95.6% amino acid sequence identity with their counterparts of SPLCGV-[China:Hebei:2011] and SPLCGV-[US:Geo:16], respectively. Thus, the virus should be considered as an isolate of SPLCGV-[China:Hebei:2011]. Tall glory morning in a nearby field (which covers an area of 3 square kilometers) was surveyed and 70 to 100% of plants were found showing symptoms reminiscent of begomoviral infection. Total nucleic acid was extracted from 13 randomly selected (10 symptomatic and 3 healthy) plants and used as templates for PCR with a pair of specific primers (5'-CGCAGCCTTTCCACACTATC-3'/5'-AAAACAGTTTGGGCTCGGTC-3') designed according to the sequence described above. Positive results were obtained for all of the symptomatic, but none of the healthy-looking tall morning glory plants. SPLCGV (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) was reported to infect sweet potato (I. batatas) in the United States (4), India (2), and China (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of SPLCGV infecting tall morning glory in China. Also, it is the first report of a geminivirus in Hubei, a province of central China. Whereas the finding of SPLCGV in sweet potato (3) may be a result of vegetative propagation of this crop, the detection of SPLCGV in tall morning glory, an annual plant, raises the possibility that this virus is transmissible and is spreading in China. References: (1) B. Muhire et al. Arch. Virol. 158:1411, 2013. (2) G. Prasanth and V. Hegde. Plant Dis. 92:311, 2008. (3) Y. Qin et al. Plant Dis. 97:1388, 2013. (4) R. A. Valverde and D. L. Gutierrez. Rev. Mex. Fitopatol. 21:128, 2003.

Background: Conventional methods of screening for Hirschsprung disease (HD) in newborns (barium enema, BE; anorectal manometry, ARM; rectal suction biopsy, RSB) have limitations and/or are invasive. High-resolution anorectal manometry (HR-ARM) is a minimally invasive technique that has potential to overcome most of these limitations, but normative data and performance characteristics have not been reported in newborns. The aims of our study were to assess anorectal sphincter metrics including resting pressure (RP), anal canal length (ACL), and rectoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR) in healthy and asymptomatic newborns, and to explore the role of HR-ARM in the diagnosis of HD using these normal parameters., Methods: All procedures were performed using solid state HR-ARM equipment (Medical Measurement Systems, Enchede, The Netherland) by a single operator. In the first phase, 180 asymptomatic newborns (term newborns 95, preterm newborns 85) were studied, and anal RP, ACL, and RAIR were measured. In the second phase, 16 newborns with clinical manifestations of HD were studied (9 of whom had histopathologic confirmation), and parameters compared to asymptomatic newborns., Key Results: Normative RP values were higher in term newborns compared with preterm newborns (p < 0.05), and correlated with age. Progressive maturation of the anal sphincter was evident with chronologic age, both in preterm and term newborns. RAIR was present in all normal subjects. Using absent RAIR as indicative of HD, HR-ARM had a sensitivity 89% and specificity of 83% compared to RSB; these performance characteristics were better than BE (sensitivity 78%, specificity 17%), with significantly higher diagnostic accuracy (80% vs 53%, respectively, p = 0.009)., Conclusions & Inferences: Anorectal sphincter pressure progressively matures with incremental increase in RP during the first months of life. HR-ARM is an effective and safe method that complements the diagnosis of HD in newborns., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Two monopartite begomoviruses were isolated from Pouzolzia zeylanica (L.) Benn. plants showing yellow mosaic symptoms in Gaoyao, Guangdong Province, China (GD1) and in Phu Tho, Vietnam (VN), respectively. A comparison of the complete genome sequence of GD1 (2,739 nucleotides [nt]) with VN (2,741 nt) indicated that they shared 86.2 % nt sequence identity. GD1 and VN shared the highest nucleotide sequence identity at 86.7 % and 91.4 % respectively, with isolate TY01 of pouzolzia golden mosaic virus (PGMV-TY01), another begomovirus isolated from P. zeylanica. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that GD1, VN, and PGMV-TY01 were members of a distinct begomovirus clade. Based on the ICTV guidelines for begomoviral species demarcation, GD1 belongs to a new begomovirus species, for which the name Pouzolzia yellow mosaic virus is proposed. Likewise, VN represents a previously unreported strain of PGMV. Recombination analysis predicted that VN was a recombinant between PGMV-TY01 and ageratum yellow vein China virus isolate G13 (AYVCNV-G13), and that PGMV-TY01 and VN were likely the parents of GD1 through recombination with allamanda leaf curl virus isolate G10 (AlLCV-G10), a begomovirus endemic to Guangdong Province of China.

We investigate the potential association of miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G polymorphisms and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A matched case-control study of 152 cases and 304 controls were conducted. The miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G genotypes were analyzed using duplex polymerase chain reaction with restricted fragment length polymorphism. HCC patients were more likely to be smokers and drinkers, have hepatitis B and C virus infections, and a family history of cancer. The miR-149 CC genotype was associated with a reduced risk of HCC, while the miR-499 GG genotype was associated with an increased risk of HCC. However, we did not find that the miR-149 CC and miR-499 GG genotypes were associated with risk of HCC, and no interaction was found between miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G polymorphisms and hepatitis B virus infection. In conclusion, the miRNA-149C>T and miR-499A>G polymorphisms were found to play an important role for HCC risk in China. This finding could be useful in identifying people at high risk for the disease for early intervention.

Wild tomato mosaic virus (WTMV), a potyvirus, has been reported in Laichau, Vietnam, infecting Solanum torvum (wild tomato) in 2008 (3), and Kanchanaburi, Thailand, infecting Capsicum spp. in 2013 (KF250353). In mid-May 2013, Nicotiana tabacum showing yellowing, mosaic, and/or ringspot symptoms were found in natural tobacco fields of Nanxiong, Guangdong Province, China. Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves and reverse transcribed with M4T (5'-GTTTTCCCAGTCACGAC (T) 15 -3') as the 3' anchoring primer (1). The cDNA was used as template in a PCR assay using primers M4: 5'-GTTTTCCCAGTCACGAC-3' and Sprimer: 5'-GGXAAYAAYAGYGGXCAZCC-3', which amplifies a region comprising part of the NIb protein gene, the entire coat protein (CP) gene and the 3' nontranslated region (UTR) of a potyvirus (1). A ~1,700-bp product was amplified from the cDNA derived from three of the five diseased plants. The product (KF639967) showed 87% and 84% nucleotide sequence identities with those of WTMV isolates KAN and Laichau, respectively. The CP deduced from the sequence of the product shared 87% and 86% nucleotide and 94% and 93% amino acid sequence identities with those of WTMV isolates KAN and Laichau, respectively. The 3'-UTR of the putative virus shared 93% and 92% nucleotide sequence identities to those of WTMV isolates KAN and Laichau, respectively. Thus, according to the molecular criteria for potyvirus species demarcation (2), the virus we identified should be an isolate of WTMV (isolate GD1). One of the diseased samples was homogenized in 0.1 mol/liter phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and used to inoculate the potyvirus to healthy, two to four leaf-stage Capsicum annuum L., N. tabacum, and N. benthamiana. The inoculated, as well as mock-treated plants, which were inoculated only with phosphate buffer, were grown in soil under 12 h day/12 h night at 25°C. All inoculated N. tabacum and N. benthamiana plants developed yellowing and mosaic symptoms by 14 days post inoculation (dpi). For N. benthamiana, the symptom became very severe by 21 dpi and some diseased plants died prematurely. About 10% of inoculated C. annuum L. developed very mild veinal chlorosis 18 dpi. Cloning and sequencing experiments showed that all the symptomatic plants tested were WTMV positive, but Cucumber mosaic virus, Tobacco mosaic virus, and Tobacco etch virus negative. To our knowledge, this is the first report of WTMV in China. Also, it is the first report that WTMV infects Nicotiana spp. Although further experiments are needed to definitively attribute the disease observed in the field to WTMV, our results indicate that WTMV, which forms a monophyletic clade with a number of other potyviruses infecting Solanaceae species in phylogenetic analysis, is widely distributed, or is spreading in Southeast Asia. It may pose a threat to Solanaceae species cultivation in this region. References: (1) Chen et al. Arch. Virol. 146:757, 2001. (2) Adams et al. Arch. Virol. 150:459, 2005. (3) Ha et al. Arch. Virol. 153:25, 2008.

This study determined the in-use effects of dry-fast and traditional hand-washing surgical scrubs among operating room staff members. This is a static group comparison study with purposive sampling. A total of 156 staff members were recruited in an operating room in a medical center located in southern Taiwan. The participants were divided into traditional and dry-fast hand-washing groups. Microbial counts were measured right after the two groups finished surgical scrubbing and at the completion of surgery. The results showed that the use of dry-fast antisepsis has a better persistent effect (P = 0.001), more nurses chose dry-fast antisepsis than surgeons (P = 0.012), and the post-operation number of colonies for nurses was significantly higher than that for surgeons (P = 0.003). Operating room nurses are long-term and frequent users of antibacterial agents, and their requirement of skin protection is higher. The dry-fast technique has the advantage of being less irritating to the skin and less time consuming; therefore, brush-free and dry-fast antisepsis is recommended., (© 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Tomato yellow leaf curl Kanchanaburi virus (TYLCKaV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) reported to infect tomato and eggplant in Thailand and Vietnam (1,2). In April 2013, eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) plants exhibiting yellow mosaic symptoms were found in a suburb of Vientiane, Laos. Three symptomatic samples were collected. Total DNA was extracted from leaves by the CTAB method, and used as template for PCR using the degenerate primer pair AV494/CoPR (3). The PCR results suggested that the plants were infected by a begomovirus. The begomoviral genome was amplified by rolling circle amplification (RCA) with TempliPhi kit (GE Healthcare) following the manufacturer's protocol. RCA product was digested with the endonucleases BamH I, EcoR I, Hind III, Kpn I, Pst I, and Xba I, respectively. The fragments about 2.1 kbp (with Pst I digestion) and 1.5 kbp (with Xba I digestion) in size were cloned and sequenced. The sequence of the 2.1-kbp fragment showed similarity with begomovirus DNA-A component. A pair of primers for amplification of the full-length DNA-A, AF (5'-CTTCATCGTTTCTCAGCATCAT-3') and AR (5'-CACTTGCACACGATCTCTAAGA-3') were designed from the 2.1-kbp sequence. The full-length DNA-A was 2,752 nucleotides and encoded six putative ORFs (GenBank Accession No. KF218820). The sequence of the 1.5-kbp fragment shared similarity with begomoviruses DNA-B. The begomoviral circular DNA-B was amplified using the pair of primers BF (5'-GTAACAGCCGAAGTGCACG-3') and BR (5'-AATGGAGAGACACCAGTCTGCC-3') designed from the 1.5-kbp sequence. PCR yielded a product of expected size (~1.4 kbp). The full-length DNA-B sequence was obtained by assembling the two sequences. The DNA-B was 2,734 nucleotides and encoded two putative ORFs (GenBank Accession No. KF218821). The sequences of DNA-A and DNA-B of isolate Laos shared the highest nucleotide sequences identities at 99.0% and 98.0% with those of TYLCKaV-[TH:Kan 1:01] (AF511529), and [TH:Kan 2:Egg:01] (AF511527), respectively. The results indicated that the virus associated with eggplant yellow mosaic disease was an isolate of TYLCKaV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this begomovirus in Laos. Our results indicate that this virus may be spreading in Southeast Asia and scientists there should be aware of this virus when developing begomovirus-resistant varieties of tomato or eggplant. References: (1) S. K. Green et al. Plant Dis. 87:446, 2003. (2) C. Ha et al. J. Gen. Virol. 89:312, 2008.(3) Z. F. He et al. Arch. Virol. 154:1199, 2009.

Four ardeemin derivatives, 5-N-acetylardeemin (1), 5-N-acetyl-15bβ-hydroxyardeemin (2), 5-N-acetyl-15b-didehydroardeemin (3), and 5-N-acetyl-16α-hydroxyardeemin (4), were isolated from the fermentation broth of an endophytic Aspergillus fumigatus SPS-02 associated with Artemisia annua L. The structures of these metabolites were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic data, including 1D-, 2D-NMR and MS. In vitro chemosensitization assay indicated that these ardeemins had different activities of reversing the multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype in three cancer cell lines, leukemia doxorubicin resistant cell K562/DOX, human lung adenocarcinoma cis-platin-resistant cell A549/DDP, and ovarian cancer cisplatin-resistant cell SK-OV-S/DDP. Compound 4 exhibited the strongest MDR reversing effect at 5 μM concentration in K562/DOX and A549/DDP cell lines 5.2±0.18-fold, 8.2±0.23-fold, respectively, while compound 2 had the highest reversal capacity in SK-OV-S/DDP cell line with 10.8±0.28 fold. Preliminary investigation of their structureactivity relationship suggested that a OH group at C(15b) or C(16) in ardeemin plays a key role in reversing the MDR effect. It is the first report on ardeemin analogs from endophytic A. fumigatus with reversal effects on MDR cancer cell lines K562/DOX, A549/DDP and SK-OV-S/DDP., (Copyright © 2014 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.)

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important crop in China. In 2013, diseased potatoes exhibiting blackleg and soft rot symptoms were found in the winter potato growing areas of Huizhou city, Guangdong Province, China, with an incidence of approximately 20%. Initially, the stem bases of infected plants blackened and this symptom spread upward. Later, foliage of the diseased plants became yellow and the stem rotted with vascular discoloration. Twenty diseased plants with typical black leg symptoms were collected from a 10-ha potato field with approximately 60,000 potato plants per hectare. A bacterium with small, irregular, round, fluidal, white colonies was isolated from the vascular tissue of all diseased plants on nutrient agar at 26°C for 2 days. Ten strains were randomly selected for pathogenicity assays. Potato plants (cv. Favorita) at the five- to six-leaf stage were inoculated by injecting their stems with 1 ml of each strain in a bacterial suspension (3 × 10 8 CFU/ml). The inoculated potato plants were incubated at 16 to 21°C and 65 to 85% humidity, and exhibited the same symptoms as the diseased potato plants in the field by 3 to 5 days post inoculation (dpi). The bacterium was reisolated from the diseased tissue (stem) of the inoculated potato plants and produced characteristic pits on crystal violet pectate medium (1). The bacterium utilized a-methyl glucoside, glucose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose, raffinose, melibiose, and citrate, but not d-arabitol, sorbitol, or malonate. The bacteria also gave a positive reaction for catalase and production of reducing substances from sucrose, but gave a negative reaction for oxidase, production of phosphatase, and indole. Using the universal bacterial 16S rDNA primer set, 27f/1541R (4), 1,400-bp fragments were amplified from the 10 strains. The sequences of the 10 fragments (GenBank Accessions KC695819 to KC695828) were identical and had 100% sequence identity with 16S rDNA of Pectobacterium atrosepticum CFBP 1526 (JN600332). Further, the 438-bp and 690-bp fragments were respectively amplified from all 10 strains with the P. atrosepticum-specific primers Y45/Y46 (3) and ECA1f/ECA2r (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of potato blackleg disease caused by P. atrosepticum (formerly named as Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica) in Guangdong Province, China. References: (1) D. Cupples et al. Phytopathology 64:468, 1974. (2) S. H. De Boer et al. Phytopathology 85:854, 1995. (3) D. Frenchon et al. Potato Research 41:63, 1995. (4) M. Horita et al. J. Gen. Plant Pathol. 70:278, 2004.

Aim: To characterize the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Chinese intravenous drug users (IDUs)., Methods: A total of 432 adult IDUs (95 women and 337 men) in Shanghai were included in the study. The third-generation Elecsys Anti-HCV assay (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Sandhofer Strasse 116, D-68305, Mannheim, Germany) was used to screen for antibodies against HCV. The RIBA strip, a supplemental anti-HCV test with high specificity, was performed on all of the samples that tested positive during the initial screening. All of the anti-HCV positive samples were analyzed with a Cobas TaqMan 48 Analyzer (Roche Diagnostics) for direct detection of HCV RNA. All of the HCV RNA-positive samples were sequenced for genotype determination., Results: The preliminary screening identified 262 (60.6%) subjects who were seropositive for HCV. Of the 62 females and 200 males seropositive subjects, 16 (16.7%) and 65 (19.3%), respectively, were confirmed by RIBA, yielding an overall HCV seropositive rate of 18.8%. Four female (6.5%) and 14 male (7.0%) subjects tested positive for HCV RNA, indicating an active infection rate of 4.2% for the entire study population. The 18 HCV RNA-positive serum samples were genotyped. Seven individuals were genotype 1b, and four were genotype 1a. One individual each was infected with genotypes 2a, 2b and 3a. Four subjects were co-infected with multiple strains: two with genotypes 1a and 2a, and two with genotypes 1b and 2a. The active infection rate among HCV-seropositive individuals was 22.2%, which was significantly lower than most estimates., Conclusion: The prevalence of HCV is relatively low among IDUs in Shanghai, with a spontaneous recovery rate much higher than previous estimates.

The complete genome sequence of a monopartite begomovirus isolate TY01 was obtained from diseased Pouzolzia zeylanica plants exhibiting golden mosaic symptoms in Baise, Guangxi Province, China. It consisted of 2723 nucleotides (nt) and encoded two ORFs (CP and AV2) in the virion-sense DNA and five ORFs (AC1-AC5) in the complementary-sense DNA. Compared with the DNA-A sequences of other begomoviruses, it has the highest (78.5 %) nucleotide sequence identity with ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV) isolate AFSP6D from Thailand, which is less than the 89 % identity in the complete genome that has been defined as the threshold value for demarcation of species in the genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae. Phylogenetic analysis showed that TY01 was grouped in a separate clade from the other 28 begomovirus isolates. These results indicate that isolate TY01 is a member of a novel Begomovirus species, for which the name "Pouzolzia golden mosaic virus" (PGMV) is proposed.

Background: Better depicting the relationship between antibiotic consumption and evolutionary healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) may help highlight the importance of antibiotic stewardship., Methodology/principal Findings: The correlations between antibiotic consumption and MDR-GNB HAIs at a 2,700-bed primary care and tertiary referral center in Taiwan between 2002 and 2009 were assessed. MDR-GNB HAI referred to a HAI caused by MDR-Enterobacteriaceae, MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa or MDR-Acinetobacter spp. Consumptions of individual antibiotics and MDR-GNB HAI series were first evaluated for trend over time. When a trend was significant, the presence or absence of associations between the selected clinically meaningful antibiotic resistance and antibiotic consumption was further explored using cross-correlation analyses. Significant major findings included (i) increased consumptions of extended-spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems, aminopenicillins/β-lactamase inhibitors, piperacillin/tazobactam, and fluoroquinolones, (ii) decreased consumptions of non-extended-spectrum cephalosporins, natural penicillins, aminopenicillins, ureidopenicillin and aminoglycosides, and (iii) decreasing trend in the incidence of the overall HAIs, stable trends in GNB HAIs and MDR-GNB HAIs throughout the study period, and increasing trend in HAIs caused by carbapenem-resistant (CR) Acinetobacter spp. since 2006. HAIs due to CR-Acinetobacter spp. was found to positively correlate with the consumptions of carbapenems, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, aminopenicillins/β-lactamase inhibitors, piperacillin/tazobactam and fluoroquinolones, and negatively correlate with the consumptions of non-extended-spectrum cephalosporins, penicillins and aminoglycosides. No significant association was found between the increased use of piperacilllin/tazobactam and increasing HAIs due to CR-Acinetobacter spp., Conclusions: The trend in overall HAIs decreased and trends in GNB HAIs and MDR-GNB HAIs remained stable over time suggesting that the infection control practice was effective during the study period, and the escalating HAIs due to CR- Acinetobacter spp. were driven by consumptions of broad-spectrum antibiotics other than piperacillin/tazobactam. Our data underscore the importance of antibiotic stewardship in the improvement of the trend of HAIs caused by Acinetobacter spp.