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Introduction: Liver disease related to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) may temper the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in China. Limited data exist on their prevalence in HIV-positive Chinese. A multi-centre, cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and disease characteristics of HBV and HCV co-infection in HIV-positive patients across 12 provinces. Methods: HIV-positive ART-naive patients were recruited from two parent cohorts established during November 2008-January 2010 and August 2012-September 2014. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen and HCV antibody (anti-HCV) status were retrieved from parent databases at the visit prior to ART initiation. HBV DNA was then determined in HBsAg + patients. HCV RNA was quantified in anti-HCV+ patients. Aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and the fibrosis-4 (FIB4) were calculated. Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis, as appropriate. Results: Of 1944 HIV-positive patients, 186 (9.5%) were HIV-HBV co-infected and 161 (8.3%) were HIV-HCV co-infected. The highest HIV-HBV prevalence (14.5%) was in Eastern China while the highest HIV-HCV prevalence was in the Central region (28.2%). HIV-HBV patients had lower median CD4 + T cell count (205 cells/[micro]L) than either HIV monoinfected (242 cells/[micro]L, P = 0.01) or HIV-HCV patients (274 cells/[micro]L, P =0.001). Moderate-to-significant liver disease was present in >65% of the HIV-HCV, ~35% of the HIV-HBV and ~20% of the HIV monoinfected patients. Independent associations with moderate-to-significant liver disease based on APRI included HBV (Odds ratio, OR 2.37, P < 0.001), HCV (OR 9.64, P Conclusions: HBV and HCV prevalence is high in HIV-positive Chinese and differs by geographic region. HBV and HCV co-infection and HIV monoinfection are risks for moderate-to-significant liver disease. Only HIV-HBV is associated with greater HIV-related immunosuppression. Incorporating screening and management of hepatitis virus infections into Chinese HIV programmes is needed. Keywords: HIV; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; co-infection; prevalence; liver disease; CD4 + T cell count., Introduction In the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART), liver disease from hepatitis virus co-infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the HIV-positive population in North America and [...]

Abstract Background In a previous screen to identify differentially expressed genes associated with embryonic development, the porcine PNAS-4 gene had been found. Considering differentially expressed genes in early stages of muscle development are potential candidate genes to improve meat quality and production efficiency, we determined how porcine PNAS-4 gene regulates meat production. Therefore, this gene has been sequenced, expression analyzed and associated with meat production traits. Results We cloned the full-length cDNA of porcine PNAS-4 gene encoding a protein of 194 amino acids which was expressed in the Golgi complex. This gene was mapped to chromosome 10, q11–16, in a region of conserved synteny with human chromosome 1 where the human homologous gene was localized. Real-time PCR revealed that PNAS-4 mRNA was widely expressed with highest expression levels in skeletal muscle followed by lymph, liver and other tissues, and showed a down-regulated expression pattern during prenatal development while a up-regulated expression pattern after weaning. Association analysis revealed that allele C of SNP A1813C was prevalent in Chinese indigenous breeds whereas A was dominant allele in Landrace and Large White, and the pigs with homozygous CC had a higher fat content than those of the pigs with other genotypes (P < 0.05). Conclusion Porcine PNAS-4 protein tagged with green fluorescent protein accumulated in the Golgi complex, and its mRNA showed a widespread expression across many tissues and organs in pigs. It may be an important factor affecting the meat production efficiency, because its down-regulated expression pattern during early embryogenesis suggests involvement in increase of muscle fiber number. In addition, the SNP A1813C associated with fat traits might be a genetic marker for molecular-assisted selection in animal breeding.

This paper investigated the anisotropic permeability of columnar jointed rock masses at Baihetan hydropower station in Southwest China. Discrete element analysis is conducted to evaluate the hydraulic Representative Elemental Volume (REV) size of jointed rock masses. It is found to be 5m×5m and it is seven times of the column length. Research shows that permeability tensor of the jointed rocks exists. The maximum principle permeability is 3.47 × 10−14 m2 and the minimum principle permeability is 1.39 × 10−14 m2. The direction of maximum principle permeability is 72 degrees anticlockwise from the positive x-axis direction, which is along the same direction of the column length. A continuum hydro-mechanical coupling analysis is carried out on water infill of a tailrace tunnel in columnar basalt. An equivalent anisotropic mechanical model is applied in the numerical simulation. Anisotropic deformation and anisotropic permeability characteristics are investigated under the condition that the angle between maximum principle stress axis and maximum principle permeability axis is 72 degrees. Results show that anisotropic seepage field has an effort on anisotropic deformation field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megalobrama amblycephala is one of the most economically important freshwater fish in China, and the bacterial septicemia caused by Aeromonas hydrophila is a serious threat to the breeding industry of M. amblycephala. Unfortunately, the characterization of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in response to A. hydrophila infection has not been performed in M. amblycephala. To better understand the biological significance of lncRNA in the immune system, we identified two lncRNA, named MSTRG.5748.1 and MSTRG.7894.1, as playing critical roles in the antibacterial response of M. amblycephala. After separating the nucleus and cytoplasm of the hepatocytes from M. amblycephala , cellular localization of MSTRG.5748.1 and MSTRG.7894.1 was performed to predict their functions. The results showed that MSTRG.5748.1 was mainly expressed in the nucleus, suggesting that its functions are mostly to regulate the expression of downstream genes through epistasis and transcription. MSTRG.7894.1 existed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, which indicated that it has many regulatory modes. qPCR analysis showed that MSTRG.5748.1 and MSTRG.7894.1 were expressed in the immune-related organs of M. amblycephala , and significantly changed in the liver after A. hydrophila infection. RNA-seq analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in antigen processing and presentation via MHC class I, RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathway, and IFN-related pathway, and a large number of pathway-related genes were significantly regulated after lncRNA overexpression in muscle cell of M. amblycephala. Overexpression of MSTRG.5748.1 and MSTRG.7894.1 significantly inhibited the expression of STING and IFN , significantly upregulated muscle cell viability, and promoted cell proliferation by targeting STING and IFN. • lncRNA were significantly induced by bacterial infection in immune tissues. • lncRNA regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines and antibacterial genes. • lncRNA can promote cell proliferation, and reducing cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to present a digital image processing (DIP)-based discrete element method (DEM) for the analysis of heterogeneous geomaterials. Taking a soil and rock mixture as an example, the direct shear test is used to illustrate the application of this method. The numerical result is validated by the laboratory experiment and implies its feasibility in the analysis of heterogeneous geomaterials.Design/methodology/approach This method has two major steps. Based on a modification of the connected-component labeling algorithm, a novel vectorization method, which can transform the digital photos to vectorized geometry automatically, is proposed first. Then, a simple yet effective method for the generation of heterogeneous DEM models is presented using the simulation of simplicity technique.Findings DIP-DEM method is a feasible approach for the analysis of mechanical behavior of heterogeneous material. For soil and rock mixtures (SRM), the horizantal deformation at peak shear point becomes larger with the normal stress. Compared with pure soil, the rock aggregates mainly improve the friction angle of SRM.Originality/value As a universal method taking advantage of both DIP and DEM, this method has broad application prospects in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The altered granite gneiss is a special rock with loosely-structured and well-developed pores and cavities. The microstructure and mineral composition of the rock were analysed by SEM-EDS and creep triaxial tests were carried out and the axial and lateral deformations over time were discussed. Both the axial and the lateral creep curves show the typical three distinct creep stages (decay creep, steady state creep, accelerated creep). At a low stress level, the axial creep strain is unnoticeable, and only when loaded at a high stress level will the creep strain increase at an increasing rate until the rock specimen fails. The lateral creep strain is smaller than the axial creep strain, but the creep rate (dε/dt) in the lateral direction is higher than that in the axial direction at all stress levels. The failure pattern, which is affected by many factors, shows a shear failure with rather broken and rough failure surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]