Search

Background Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is gaining significance for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with sexual difficulties being a crucial yet frequently neglected component of HRQoL, especially in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Aim The study sought to assess the levels of sexual difficulties and explore the associations between sexual difficulties, mental health, and HRQoL in HIV-positive MSM. Methods A cohort of 475 HIV-positive MSM was studied from January 2017 to December 2021. Sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle data were collected. Participants were divided based on Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) scores into 2 groups: those with sexual difficulties and a control group without difficulties. Outcomes Psychological symptoms were evaluated by the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), HRQoL was accessed via 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and sexual function was assessed using the ASEX. We also employed path analysis to unveil latent mechanisms, alongside multivariate analysis to identify independent factors, and aimed to elucidate the interplay among sexual function, HRQoL, and mental health in HIV-positive MSM. Results A total of 391 HIV-positive MSM were enrolled in the control group and 84 in the sexual difficulties group. The control group had significantly higher physical HRQoL (P =.004) and mental HRQoL (P =.045). In addition, SCL-90 scores were higher in the sexual difficulties group (P =.001). Multivariate analyses that indicated regular exercise (odds ratio, 0.553; P =.024) and alcohol consumption (odds ratio, 1.780; P =.033) were independent factors associated with sexual difficulties. The proportion of alcohol consumption in the sexual difficulties group was significantly higher (P =.003). ASEX scores increased gradually with increasing frequency of alcohol consumption (P =.031). Results from structural equation model showed a negative association between HRQoL and ASEX scores (β = −0.13, P  < .001) and SCL-90 scores (β = −0.40, P  < .001). Clinical Implications HIV-positive MSM experiencing sexual difficulties exhibited lower HRQoL and worse mental health, with independent associations identified for regular exercise and alcohol consumption in relation to sexual difficulties. Strengths and Limitations Our research has pioneered in demonstrating that HRQoL mediates the relationship between sexual difficulties and psychological symptoms among HIV-positive MSM undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy. We found the protective factor associated with sexual difficulties was regular exercise while the risk factor was alcohol consumption. However, the data were collected only from China, and it is still unclear how HRQoL changes after intervention. Conclusion Routine follow-up for people living with HIV should encompass an investigation into sexual function, emphasizing the need for timely assessment and intervention, particularly in HIV-positive MSM with identified risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important metabolite which functions in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, its role in plant defense and how it is regulated are largely unknown. Here, we report a detailed analysis of GABA induction during the resistance response to Pseudomonas syringae in Arabidopsis thaliana. While searching for the mechanism underlying the pathogen‐responsive mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MPK)3/MPK6 signaling cascade in plant immunity, we found that activation of MPK3/MPK6 greatly induced GABA biosynthesis, which is dependent on the glutamate decarboxylase genes GAD1 and GAD4. Inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst) and Pst‐avrRpt2 expressing the avrRpt2 effector gene induced GAD1 and GAD4 gene expression and increased the levels of GABA. Genetic evidence revealed that GAD1, GAD2, and GAD4 play important roles in both GABA biosynthesis and plant resistance in response to Pst‐avrRpt2 infection. The gad1/2/4 triple and gad1/2/4/5 quadruple mutants, in which the GABA levels were extremely low, were more susceptible to both Pst and Pst‐avrRpt2. Functional loss of MPK3/MPK6, or their upstream MKK4/MKK5, or their downstream substrate WRKY33 suppressed the induction of GAD1 and GAD4 expression after Pst‐avrRpt2 treatment. Our findings shed light on both the regulation and role of GABA in the plant immunity to a bacterial pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth and development rely on sugar transport between source and sink cells and between different organelles. The plastid-localized sugar transporter GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE TRANSLOCATER1 (GPT1) is an essential gene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Using a partially rescued gpt1 mutant and cell-specific RNAi suppression of GPT1, we demonstrated that GPT1 is essential to the function of the embryo suspensor and the development of the embryo. GPT1 showed a dynamic expression/accumulation pattern during embryogenesis. Inhibition of GPT1 accumulation via RNAi using a suspensor-specific promoter resulted in embryos and seedlings with defects similar to auxin mutants. Loss of function of GPT1 in the suspensor also led to abnormal/ectopic cell division in the lower part of the suspensor, which gave rise to an ectopic embryo, resulting in twin embryos in some seeds. Furthermore, loss of function of GPT1 resulted in vacuolar localization of PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) and altered DR5 auxin activity. Proper localization of PIN1 on the plasma membrane is essential to polar auxin transport and distribution, a key determinant of pattern formation during embryogenesis. Our findings suggest that the function of GPT1 in the embryo suspensor is linked to sugar and/or hormone distribution between the embryo proper and the maternal tissues, and is important for maintenance of suspensor identity and function during embryogenesis., (© American Society of Plant Biologists 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

We established a system for the simultaneous extraction and cleaning of 99 veterinary drugs from food by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole electrostatic field-orbital trap-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). The system is based on the supported liquid-liquid extraction technology through one-off pretreatment, which covers the common eight categories of physical and chemical properties, and the extraction and purification of 99 different veterinary drug residues. At the same time, the one-step multi residue screening of 99 veterinary drug residues has been realized using HRMS. The results showed that the method was suitable for extraction from milk, pork, and fish. The 99 veterinary drugs showed a good linear relationship in the concentration range of 0.001-0.1 μg/mL, the limit of quantification was 0.5-20.0 μg/kg, the average recoveries were 60%-120%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were not more than 15%. The pre-processing and instrumental analysis of this method have high detection efficiency, strong maneuver ability, and strong compatibility with different physical and chemical compounds. Moreover, the detection limit can meet all the objects of the test and greatly reduce the detection cost.

Purpose: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is an important immune checkpoint of T cells response and plays a critical role in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between PD-1 polymorphisms and susceptibility and disease progression of chronic HBV infection., Methods: In this case-control study, 299 cases with chronic HBV infection comprised of 99 asymptomatic carriers (ASCs), 96 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 104 patients with HBV-related acute on chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) were enrolled. A total of 82 spontaneously recovered subjects were enrolled as controls. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PD-1 , including PD-1.1, PD-1.5, and PD-1.9 were analyzed by Sequenom MassARRAY system., Results: The frequency of PD1.1 AA genotype was found to be significantly higher in the chronic HBV infection group compared with spontaneously recovered group (27.1% vs. 18.3%, P =0.049), and the frequency of PD-1.5 TT genotype and allele T were both significantly lower in chronic HBV infection group compared with spontaneously recovered group (genotype: 4.7% vs. 9.8%, P =0.04; allele: 22.1% vs. 30.5%, P =0.025). The frequency of haplotype GTC ( PD-1.1 G, PD-1.5 T, PD-1.9 C) was significantly lower in patients with chronic HBV infection compared with spontaneous recovery cases ( P =0.026). No significant differences were found in the genotype distributions of the three SNPs among the different clinical types of chronic HBV infection ( P >0.53)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that PD1 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to chronic HBV infection in the Chinese population. Future studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnic populations are required to validate our findings., (© 2017 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Though it is widely known that hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the underlying mechanisms are not entirely clear. In recent years, metastasis associated with lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), which is an oncogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), has been proved to be associated with many kinds of tumors, including liver cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that MALAT1 was involved in the HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis. Firstly, we found that expression of MALAT1 was strongly up-regulated in HCC tissues and was directly proportional to the expression of HBx. Moreover, in HBx transfected LO2 and HepG2 cells, MALAT1 was also up-regulated compared with non-transfected cells. Then, we observed up-regulated MALAT1 in HepG2 cells could promote cell invasion and migration, whereas knockdown of MALAT1 in HBx-expressing hepatic cells (HepG2-HBx) resulted in a markedly inhibition of cell invasion and migration both in vitro and in vivo . To further obtain a deeper understanding of the effect of MALAT1, we took latent transforming growth factor β-binding protein 3 (LTBP3) into account by using several assays such as RNA interference, luciferase, transwell and wound healing. Results showed that MALAT1 could promote tumor growth and metastasis by activating LTBP3, which could also be up-regulated by HBx. Meanwhile, the similar results were detected in nude mice. These findings could demonstrate an important mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis through the signaling of HBx-MALAT1/LTBP3 axis, and may give a potential target for treatment of HCC., Competing Interests: None.