Search

Yan Han,1,2 Yue-Ping Yin,1,2 Wen-Qi Xu,1,2 Xiao-Yu Zhu,1,2 Shao-Chun Chen,1,2 Xiu-Qin Dai,1,2 Li-Gang Yang,3,4 Bang-Yong Zhu,5 Na Zhong,6 Wen-Ling Cao,7 Xiao-Hui Zhang,3,4 Zhi-Zhou Wu,8 Liu-Feng Yuan,9 Zhong-Jie Zheng,10 Jun Liu,11 Xiang-Sheng Chen1,2 1Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2National Center for STD Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Guangdong Provincial Dermatology Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 5Institute of Dermatology, Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China; 6Hainan Provincial Center for STD/Skin Disease Control and Prevention, Haikou, Hainan, People’s Republic of China; 7Guangzhou Institute of Dermatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 8Jiangmen Dermatology Hospital, Jiangmen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 9Beijing Ditan Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 10Tianjin Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 11Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USACorrespondence: Yue-Ping YinInstitute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing 210042, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 258 547 8024Email yinyp@ncstdlc.orgPurpose: Injectable ceftriaxone and oral cefixime are the last agents effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In vitro antimicrobial-susceptibility testing (AST) is done to identify the most efficacious antibiotic needed to combat the infection in that particular individual. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Kirby–Bauer (KB) disk-diffusion tests can detect N. gonorrhoeae isolates that have decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime for appropriate clinical management.Methods: A total of 1,633 consecutive clinical isolates of N. gonorrhoeae were collected from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017 from seven dermatology clinics located in five provinces in China. Consistency between KB disk-diffusion tests and the agar-dilution method, as well as sensitivity of the KB test for detecting N. gonorrhoeae isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime, were determined using 1,306 clinical isolates that had been recovered to complete agar-dilution AST.Results: The prevalence of isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime was 12.1% (198 of 1,633) and 12.7% (208 of 1,633), respectively, using KB disk-diffusion tests. The prevalence of isolates with decreased susceptibility was 9.9% (129 of 1,306) for ceftriaxone and 9.9% (129 of 1,305) for cefixime using agar-dilution AST. The categorical agreement of these two methods was 80.9% for both ceftriaxone and cefixime. Compared to agar-dilution AST, the sensitivity of the KB test for detecting N. gonorrhoeae isolates with decreased susceptibility was 22.5% (29 of 129) for ceftriaxone and 29.5% (38 of 129) for cefixime, and its specificity 87.3% (1,028 of 1,177) for ceftriaxone and 86.7% (1,018 of 1,176) for cefixime.Conclusion: Although KB tests are easy to carry out in clinical practice, their ability to detect cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhoea strains is limited. This method is not an appropriate selection for screening cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhoea strains in clinical practice in China.Keywords: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Kirby–Bauer disk-diffusion tests, agar-dilution method, susceptibility, screen

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prominent clinical problem. There are calls for multi-modal interventions.Methods: We assessed the feasibility of delivering patient education integrated with acupuncture for relief of CRF in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with breast cancer survivors using usual care as control. Social cognitive and integrative medicine theories guided integration of patient education with acupuncture into a coherent treatment protocol. The intervention consisted of two parts. First, patients were taught to improve self-care by optimizing exercise routines, improving nutrition, implementing some additional evidence-based cognitive behavioral techniques such as stress management in four weekly 50-minute sessions. Second, patients received eight weekly 50-minute acupuncture sessions. The pre-specified primary outcome, CRF, was assessed with the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). Secondary outcomes included three dimensions of cognitive impairment assessed with the FACT-COGv2.Results: Due to difficulties in recruitment, we tried several methods that led to the development of a tailored recruitment strategy: we enlisted oncologists into the core research team and recruited patients completing treatment from oncology waiting rooms. Compared to usual care control, the intervention was associated with a 2.38-point decline in fatigue as measured by the BFI (90% Confidence Interval from 0.586 to 5.014; p

Contents This study was conducted to determine the effect of immunization with inhibin DNA vaccine delivered by attenuated Salmonella choleraesuis on ovarian responses and fertility in cross-bred buffaloes. A total of 134 cross-bred buffaloes were divided into four groups: groups T1 ( n = 34), T2 ( n = 35) and T3 ( n = 31) were nasal immunized twice a day with 10 ml of 1 × 1010 CFU/ml of the C501 (pVAX-asd-IS) vaccine for 5, 3 and 1 day, respectively. Group C ( n = 34) was nasal immunized with 10 ml PBS for 5 days. All animals were immunized twice with an interval of 14 days and administered with 200 μg of a GnRH analogue on day 28, 0.5 mg PGF2α on day 35 and 200 μg of the same GnRH analogue on day 37. TAI was performed at 18 and 24 hr after the second GnRH treatment. Fourteen days after primary immunization, C501 (pVAX-asd-IS) elicited significant immune responses, and anti-inhibin IgG antibody titres in group T1 were significantly higher ( p < .01) than groups T3 and C. After the second GnRH treatment, the growth speed of the dominant follicles in group T1 was significantly faster ( p < .05) than groups T3 and C. The number and diameter of large follicles (≥10 mm) as well as ovulatory follicles in group T1 were the greatest in all groups, resulting in a greater conception rate in buffaloes with positive anti-inhibin antibodies. These results demonstrate that immunization with the C501 (pVAX-asd-IS) vaccine, coupled with the Ovsynch protocol, could be used as an alternative approach to improve reproductive performance in cross-bred buffaloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Expanding HIV testing is important among individuals at increased risk for sexual HIV transmission in China, but little is known about prior HIV testing experiences among sexually transmitted disease (STD) patients.Methods: This cross-sectional study of 1792 outpatients from 6 public STD clinics in Guangdong Province recorded detailed information about ever having been tested for HIV infection in addition to sociodemographic variables, health seeking, clinical STD history, and HIV stigma using a validated survey instrument.Results: A total of 456 (25.4%) of the STD patients in this sample had ever been tested for HIV infection. STD patients who were male, had higher income, more education, were at City A and City C, received STD services at public facilities, had used intravenous drugs, and had a history of an STD were more likely to ever receive an HIV test in multivariate analysis. Low perceived HIV risk was the most common reason for not receiving an HIV test. Only 7.7% of the sample reported fear of discrimination or loss of face as influencing their lack of HIV testing.Conclusion: Incomplete prior HIV screening among STD patients in China suggests the need for broadening HIV testing opportunities at STD clinics and similar clinical settings attended by those with increased sexual risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doxorubicin has been used extensively as a potent anticancer agent, but its clinical use is limited by its cardiotoxicity. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we tested whether NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) mediates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities and myocyte autophagy, resulting in cardiac atrophy and dysfunction in doxorubicin-induced heart failure. Nox2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were randomly assigned to receive a single injection of doxorubicin (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline. WT doxorubicin mice exhibited the decreases in survival rate, left ventricular (LV) wall thickness and LV fractional shortening and the increase in the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio 1 week after the injections. These alterations were attenuated in Nox2 KO doxorubicin mice. In WT doxorubicin mice, myocardial oxidative stress was increased, myocardial noradrenergic nerve fibers were reduced, myocardial expression of PGP9.5, GAP43, tyrosine hydroxylase and norepinephrine transporter was decreased, and these changes were prevented in Nox2 KO doxorubicin mice. Myocyte autophagy was increased and myocyte size was decreased in WT doxorubicin mice, but not in Nox2 KO doxorubicin mice. Nox2 mediates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities and myocyte autophagy-both of which contribute to cardiac atrophy and failure after doxorubicin treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Doxorubicin is widely used for the treatment of human cancer, but its clinical use is limited by a cumulative dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. However, the mechanism of doxorubicin-induced cardiac atrophy and failure remains to be fully understood. In this study, we tested whether the specific NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) inhibitor GSK2795039 attenuates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities and myocyte autophagy, leading to the amelioration of cardiac atrophy and dysfunction in chronic doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Mice were randomized to receive saline, doxorubicin (2.5 mg/kg, every other day, 6 times) or doxorubicin plus GSK2795039 (2.5 mg/kg, twice a day, 9 weeks). Left ventricular (LV) total wall thickness and LV ejection fraction were decreased in doxorubicin-treated mice compared with saline-treated mice and the decreases were prevented by the treatment of the specific Nox2 inhibitor GSK2795039. The ratio of total heart weight to tibia length and myocyte cross-sectional area were decreased in doxorubicin-treated mice, and the decreases were attenuated by the GSK2795039 treatment. In doxorubicin-treated mice, myocardial Nox2 and 4-hydroxynonenal levels were increased, myocardial expression of GAP43, tyrosine hydroxylase and norepinephrine transporter, markers of sympathetic nerve terminals, was decreased, and these changes were prevented by the GSK2795039 treatment. The ratio of LC3 II/I, a marker of autophagy, and Atg5, Atg12 and Atg12-Atg5 conjugate proteins were increased in doxorubicin-treated mice, and the increases were attenuated by the GSK2795039 treatment. These findings suggest that inhibition of Nox2 by GSK2795039 attenuates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities and myocyte autophagy, thereby ameliorating cardiac atrophy and dysfunction after chronic doxorubicin treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rapid identification of organisms is essential for many biological and medical disciplines, from understanding basic ecosystem processes, disease diagnosis, to the detection of invasive pests. CRISPR-based diagnostics offers a novel and rapid alternative to other identification methods and can revolutionize our ability to detect organisms with high accuracy. Here we describe a CRISPR-based diagnostic developed with the universal cytochrome-oxidase 1 gene (CO1). The CO1 gene is the most sequenced gene among Animalia, and therefore our approach can be adopted to detect nearly any animal. We tested the approach on three difficult-to-identify moth species (Keiferia lycopersicella, Phthorimaea absoluta and Scrobipalpa atriplicella) that are major invasive pests globally. We designed an assay that combines recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with CRISPR for signal generation. Our approach has a much higher sensitivity than real-time PCR assays and achieved 100% accuracy for identification of all three species, with a detection limit of up to 120 fM for P. absoluta and 400 fM for the other two species. Our approach does not require a sophisticated laboratory, reduces the risk of cross-contamination, and can be completed in less than 1 h. This work serves as a proof of concept that has the potential to revolutionize animal detection and monitoring., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dysregulation of lipid metabolism has emerged as a central component of many neurodegenerative diseases. Variants of the lipid transport protein, apolipoprotein E (APOE), modulate risk and resilience in several neurodegenerative diseases including late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Allelic variants of the gene, APOE, alter the lipid metabolism of cells and tissues and have been broadly associated with several other cellular and systemic phenotypes. Targeting APOE-associated metabolic pathways may offer opportunities to alter disease-related phenotypes and consequently, attenuate disease risk and impart resilience to multiple neurodegenerative diseases. We review the molecular, cellular, and tissue-level alterations to lipid metabolism that arise from different APOE isoforms. These changes in lipid metabolism could help to elucidate disease mechanisms and tune neurodegenerative disease risk and resilience., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Bedding materials are important for suckling buffalo calves. Treated dung has been used as a bedding material for dairy cows but the lack of an appropriate safety assessment limits its application. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of treated dung (TD) as a bedding material for suckling calves by comparing TD with rice husk (RH) and rice straw (RS) bedding materials. The TD was prepared through high-temperature composting by Bacillus subtilis. Thirty-three newborn suckling buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis, 40.06 ± 5.79 kg) were randomly divided into 3 bedding material groups (TD, RH, and RS) and bedded with 1 of the 3 bedding materials for 60 d. We compared cost, moisture content, bacterial counts, and microbial composition of the 3 bedding materials, and investigated growth performance, health status, behavior, rumen fermentation, and blood parameters of bedded calves. The results showed that TD contained the fewest gram-negative bacteria and coliforms on d 1 and 30 and the lowest relative abundance of Staphylococcus throughout the experiment. The RH and TD bedding materials had the lowest cost. Calves in the TD and RS groups showed a higher dry matter intake, and final body weight and average daily gain in the TD and RS groups tended to be higher than in the RH group. Calves in the TD and RS groups had a lower disease incidence (diarrhea and fever), fewer antibiotic treatments, and lower fecal score than calves in the RH group. Higher contents of IgG, IgA, and IgM were observed in calves of the TD and RS groups than in calves of the RH group on d 10, indicating higher immune ability in TD and RS groups. Furthermore, TD bedding increased the butyric acid content in the calf's rumen, whereas RS bedding increased the acetate content, which might be attributed to the longer time and higher frequency of eating bedding material in the RS group. Considering all of the above indicators, we concluded that TD is the optimal bedding material for calves based on economics, bacterial count, microbial diversity, growth performance, and health status. Our findings provide a valuable reference for bedding material choice and calf farming., (The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. and Fass Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

CRISPR-Cas-based diagnostics have the potential to elevate nucleic acid detection. CRISPR-Cas systems can be combined with a pre-amplification step in a one-pot reaction to simplify the workflow and reduce carryover contamination. Here, we report an engineered Cas12b with improved thermostability that falls within the optimal temperature range (60°C-65°C) of reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). Using de novo structural analyses, we introduce mutations to wild-type BrCas12b to tighten its hydrophobic cores, thereby enhancing thermostability. The one-pot detection assay utilizing the engineered BrCas12b, called SPLENDID (single-pot LAMP-mediated engineered BrCas12b for nucleic acid detection of infectious diseases), exhibits robust trans-cleavage activity up to 67°C in a one-pot setting. We validate SPLENDID clinically in 80 serum samples for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 66 saliva samples for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with high specificity and accuracy. We obtain results in as little as 20 min, and with the extraction process, the entire assay can be performed within an hour., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests L.T.N., S.R.R., and P.K.J. are listed as inventors on the patent applications related to the content of this work. P.K.J. is a co-founder of Genable Biosciences, LLC, Par Biosciences, LLC, and CRISPR, LLC., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this letter, a sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality microsecond-pulse 766.699 nm Ti:sapphire laser pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser is demonstrated. At an incident pump energy of 824 mJ, the maximum output energy of 132.5 mJ at 766.699 nm with linewidth of 0.66 pm and a pulse width of 100 µs is achieved at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest pulse energy at 766.699 nm with pulse width of hundred micro-seconds for a Ti:sapphire laser. The beam quality factor M 2 is measured to be 1.21. It could be precisely tuned from 766.623 to 766.755 nm with a tuning resolution of 0.8 pm. The wavelength stability is measured to be less than ±0.7 pm over 30 min. The sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality Ti:sapphire laser at 766.699 nm can be used to create a polychromatic laser guide star together with a home-made 589 nm laser in the mesospheric sodium and potassium layer for the tip-tilt correction resulting in the near-diffraction limited imagery on a large telescope.

Doxorubicin (DOX), which is widely used for the treatment of cancer, induces cardiomyopathy associated with NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species. GSK2795039 is a novel small molecular NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) inhibitor. In this study, we investigated whether GSK2795039 prevents receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1)-RIP3-mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL)-mediated cardiomyocyte necroptosis in DOX-induced heart failure through NADPH oxidase inhibition. Eight-week old mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, GSK2795039, DOX and DOX plus GSK2795039. H9C2 cardiomyocytes were treated with DOX and GSK2795039. In DOX-treated mice, the survival rate was reduced, left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimension was increased and LV fractional shortening was decreased, and these alterations were attenuated by the GSK2795039 treatment. GSK2795039 inhibited not only myocardial NADPH oxidase subunit gp91phox (Nox2) protein, but also p22phox, p47phox and p67phox proteins and prevented oxidative stress 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels in DOX-treated mice. RIP3 protein and phosphorylated RIP1 (p-RIP1), p-RIP3 and p-MLKL proteins, reflective of their respective kinase activities, markers of necroptosis, were markedly increased in DOX-treated mice, and the increases were prevented by GSK2795039. GSK2795039 prevented the increases in serum lactate dehydrogenase and myocardial fibrosis in DOX-treated mice. Similarly, in DOX-treated cardiomyocytes, GSK2795039 improved cell viability, attenuated apoptosis and necrosis and prevented the increases in p-RIP1, p-RIP3 and p-MLKL expression. In conclusion, GSK2795039 prevents RIP1-RIP3-MLKL-mediated cardiomyocyte necroptosis through inhibition of NADPH oxidase-derived oxidative stress, leading to the improvement of myocardial remodeling and function in DOX-induced heart failure. These findings suggest that GSK2795039 may have implications for the treatment of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Toll and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play essential roles in the innate immunity of Drosophila and mammals. Recent studies have revealed the presence of Toll-mediated immune signaling pathways in shrimp. However, the recognition and activation mechanism of Toll signaling pathways in crustaceans remain poorly understood due to the absence of key recognition molecules, such as peptidoglycan recognition proteins. Here, a novel MD2-related lipid-recognition (ML) member named Pv ML1 was characterized in Penaeus vannamei . We found that Pv ML1 shared a similar 3D structure with human MD2 that could specifically recognize lipopolysaccharides (LPS) participating in LPS-mediated TLR4 signaling. PvML1 was highly expressed in hemocytes and remarkably upregulated after Vibrio parahemolyticus challenge. Furthermore, the binding and agglutinating assays showed that Pv ML1 possessed strong binding activities to LPS and its key portion lipid A as well as Vibrio cells, and the binding of Pv ML1 with bacterial cells led to the agglutination of bacteria, suggesting Pv ML1 may act as a potential pathogen recognition protein upon interaction with LPS. Besides, coating V. parahemolyticus with recombinant Pv ML1 promoted bacterial clearance in vivo and increased the survival rate of bacterium-challenged shrimp. This result was further confirmed by RNAi experiments. The knockdown of PvML1 remarkably suppressed the clearance of bacteria in hemolymph and decreased the survival rate of infected shrimp. Meanwhile, the silencing of PvML1 severely impaired the expression of a few antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These results demonstrated the significant correlation of bacterial clearance mediated by Pv ML1 with the AMP expression. Interestingly, we found that Pv ML1 interacted with the extracellular region of Pv Toll2, which had been previously shown to participate in bacterial clearance by regulating AMP expression. Taken together, the proposed antibacterial model mediated by Pv ML1 might be described as follows. Pv ML1 acted as a potential recognition receptor for Gram-negative bacteria by binding to LPS, and then it activated Pv Toll2-mediated signaling pathway by interacting with Pv Toll2 to eliminate invading bacteria through producing specific AMPs. This study provided new insights into the recognition and activation mechanism of Toll signaling pathways of invertebrates and the defense functions of ML members., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wang, Yang, Feng, Yao, Li, Zhou, Fang, Chen and Li.)

Type traits (TTs) can contribute to breeding animals with good economic traits such as production, longevity, fertility, and profitability. Dairy buffaloes are the second largest source of milk supply in the world, and their TTs should be taken into consideration in future dairy buffalo breeding programmes. However, the relationship between TTs and milk production traits in buffalo remains largely unknown. The study aimed to establish an early selection method for buffaloes with desirable milk performance by TTs. Using 1 908 records from 678 buffaloes, the relationship between TTs and milk production traits was analysed and the optimal growth curves of TTs related to milk production traits were constructed. We examined the correlations between 45 TTs (33 body structural, 12 udder and teat morphological traits) and three milk production traits (milk yield (MY), milk fat percentage (MF), and milk protein percentage (MP)). The results showed that the highest correlation was found between MY and udder circumference (r = 0.438), teat length (r = -0.380) or heart girth (r = -0.341). The teat distance and teat circumference exhibited a significant negative correlation with MF and MP. Rump length was the only trait that had a significant positive correlation with milk production traits, suggesting that milk performance could be comprehensively improved by including rump length in the selection procedure. Notably, we found that high milk production traits was obtained from the buffaloes with short teats (<6 cm), small heart girth (<200 cm), large udder circumference (>104 cm), long rump (>39 cm), and small distance between teats. Moreover, an early selection method for buffaloes with excellent milk performance was developed based on the non-linear models. Brody model exhibited the best fitting effect for heart girth and rump length, while the Logistic model displayed the best fitting effect for teat length. Our findings provide theoretical basis for the early selection of buffaloes with desirable milk performance., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Titanium oxo clusters (TOCs) with accurate molecular structures have potential applications in photocatalysis, such as photocatalytic degradation, hydrogen production, and water oxidation. The hydrolytic stability and light absorption ability of TOCs have important impacts on photocatalysis, where the selection of peripheral organic ligands plays a significant role. In this regard, salicylhydroxamic acid (abbreviated as H 3 L) attracts our attention, acting as a ligand for its multidentate and dye-functional features, which can increase the hydrolytic stability and broaden light absorption for TOCs. Herein, two TOCs were solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized using H 3 L, formulated as [Ti 8 (μ 2 -O) 2 (μ 3 -O) 2 (O i Pr) 12 (L) 4 ]·2CH 3 CN ( 1 ) and [Ti 16 (μ 2 -O) 10 (μ 3 -O) 4 (PhCOO) 14 (L) 6 (HL) 2 ]·4CH 3 CN·2 i PrOH ( 2 ). Complex 2 was obtained by adding excessive benzoic acid over the reaction system of 1 , resulting in enhanced hydrolytic stability via the replacement of all alkoxy ligands by multidentate ligands for protection. Interestingly, for the first time, the "three-in-one" structural building mode with {Ti 6 } + {Ti 4 } + {Ti 6 } by the common subunits in 2 was observed among all reported TOCs. Moreover, complex 2 can strongly absorb visible light reaching up to 700 nm and exhibit obvious activity for the photodegradation of methyl orange.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections are prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. However, compared to syphilis and HIV, the testing rate for chlamydia and gonorrhea remains low. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility for conducting rapid nucleic acid test for chlamydia and gonorrhea in MSM community-based organizations (CBO)., Method: We recruited our participants through an MSM CBO where free HV and syphilis testing were routinely provided. We collected data including social-demographic background, sexual history, chlamydia and gonorrhea testing history, and reasons for accepting this on-site rapid testing. Urine and/or anorectal swab samples were collected and tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea on-site and the testing results were delivered in about 1.5 h. Positive cases received on-site free treatment., Results: From August 2020 to October 2020, 634 MSM visited the CBO for syphilis and HIV testing and 158 (158/634, 24.9%) accepted the on-site chlamydia and gonorrhea rapid test, 135 were finally enrolled. The positive rate fo chlamydia was 16.3% (22/135) and 3.0% (4/135) for gonorrhea, respectively. Only 19.3% participants had previously undergone chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and 68.9% (93/135) participants reported that they had heard of gonorrhea, 47.4% (64/135) had heard of chlamydia. The main reason for testing was "free for charge" (66.2%), followed by "convenient, 'shorter waiting time" (45.2%) and "had high-risk sexual behavior recently" (16.3%)., Conclusions: This pilot study showed that the chlamydia and gonorrhea infection rate remains high among MSM, while the testing rate was low. On-site rapid testing is feasible and potentially preferred by MSM., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Clinical mastitis (CM) is one of the most common diseases of dairy cows globally, has a complex aetiology and recurs easily. Staphylococcus aureus is a frequently isolated pathogen responsible for bovine mastitis and remains difficult to eradicate., Material and Methods: To characterise the transcriptional profiles of dairy cows infected by S. aureus , we performed an RNA-seq analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes in lactating Chinese Holstein dairy cows with CM and did the same with healthy cows' samples as controls., Results: A total of 4,286 genes were detected in the CM cases infected with S. aureus which were differentially expressed compared to the controls, 3,085 of which were upregulated, the remainder being downregulated. Notably, we observed that some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) had strong protein-protein interaction. Of these, six downregulated DEGs ( AKR1C4 , PTGS2 , HNMT , EPHX2 , CMBL , and IDH1 ) were involved in the metabolic pathway, while eight upregulated DEGs ( VWF , GP9 , MYLK , GP6 , F2RL3 , ITGB3 , GP5 , and PRKG1 ) were associated with the platelet activation pathway., Conclusion: The transcriptome dataset of CM cases would be a valuable resource for clinical guidance on anti-inflammatory medication and for deeper understanding of the biological processes of CM response to S. aureus infection, and it would enable us to identify specific genes for diagnostic markers and possibly for targeted therapy., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Conflict of Interests Statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article., (© 2022 W. Wang et al. published by Sciendo.)

In cardiac myocytes in vitro, hydrogen peroxide induces autophagic cell death and necroptosis. Oxidative stress, myocyte autophagy and necroptosis coexist in heart failure (HF). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that excessive oxidative stress mediates pathological autophagy and necroptosis in myocytes in pressure overload-induced HF. HF was produced by chronic pressure overload induced by abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) in rats. Rats with AAC or sham operation were randomised to orally receive an antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or placebo for 4 weeks. Echocardiography was performed for the assessments of left ventricular (LV) structure and function. AAC rats exhibited decreased LV fractional shortening (FS) at 4 weeks after surgery. NAC treatment attenuated decreased LV FS in AAC rats. In AAC rats, myocardial level of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine assessed by immunohistochemical staining, indicative of oxidative stress, was increased, LC3 II protein, a marker of autophagy, Beclin1 protein and Atg4b, Atg5, Atg7 and Atg12 mRNA expression were markedly increased, RIP1, RIP3 and MLKL expression, indicative of necroptosis, was increased, and all of the alterations in AAC rats were prevented by the NAC treatment. NAC treatment also attenuated myocyte cross-sectional area and myocardial fibrosis in AAC rats. In conclusion, NAC treatment prevented the increases in oxidative stress, myocyte autophagy and necroptosis and the decrease in LV systolic function in pressure overload-induced HF. These findings suggest that enhanced oxidative stress mediates pathological autophagy and necroptosis in myocytes, leading to LV systolic dysfunction, and antioxidants may be of value to prevent HF through the inhibition of excessive autophagy and necroptosis., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Testis is the primary organ of the male reproductive tract in mammals that plays a substantial role in spermatogenesis. Improvement of our knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms in testicular development and spermatogenesis will be reflected in producing spermatozoa of superior fertility. Evidence showed that N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) plays a dynamic role in post-transcription gene expression regulation and is strongly associated with production traits. However, the role of m6A in bovine testis has not been investigated yet. In this study, we conducted MeRIP-Seq analysis to explore the expression profiles of the m6A and its potential mechanism underlying spermatogenesis in nine bovine testes at three developmental stages (prepuberty, puberty and postpuberty). The experimental animals with triplicate in each stage were chosen based on their semen volume and sperm motility except for the prepuberty bulls and used for testes collection. By applying MeRIP-Seq analysis, a total of 8,774 m6A peaks and 6,206 m6A genes among the studied groups were identified. All the detected peaks were found to be mainly enriched in the coding region and 3'- untranslated regions. The cross-analysis of m6A and mRNA expression exhibited 502 genes with concomitant changes in the mRNA expression and m6A modification. Notably, 30 candidate genes were located in the largest network of protein-protein interactions. Interestingly, four key node genes ( PLK4, PTEN, EGR1 , and PSME4 ) were associated with the regulation of mammal testis development and spermatogenesis. This study is the first to present a map of RNA m6A modification in bovine testes at distinct ages, and provides new insights into m6A topology and related molecular mechanisms underlying bovine spermatogenesis, and establishes a basis for further studies on spermatogenesis in mammals., Competing Interests: T-tY was employed by Henan Dairy Herd Improvement Co., Ltd., Y-yG was employed by Henan Dingyuan Cattle Breeding Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liu, Ma, Yue, Wang, Qi, Li, Lin, Rushdi, Gao, Fu, Li, Gao, Yang, Han and Deng.)

Penaeus vannamei is the most economically important species of shrimp cultured worldwide. Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an emerging pathogen that severely affects the growth and development of shrimps. In this study, the transcriptome differences between EHP-infected and uninfected shrimp were investigated through next-generation sequencing. The unigenes were assembled with the reads from all the four libraries. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of intestines and hepatopancreas were analyzed. There were 2,884 DEGs in the intestines and 2,096 DEGs in the hepatopancreas. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs were significantly enriched in signaling pathways associated with nutritional energy metabolism and mobilizing autoimmunity. Moreover, the results suggested the downregulation of key genes in energy synthesis pathways contributed greatly to shrimp growth retardation; the upregulation of immune-related genes enhanced the resistance of shrimp against EHP infection. This study provided identified genes and pathways associated with EHP infection revealing the molecular mechanisms of growth retardation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mongolians have a long history of using prescriptions, which can be classified into four stages as follows: the germination and experience accumulation stage before the 13 th century, the theoretical formation stage from the 13 th to 16 th century, the rapid development stage from the 17 th to 20 th century, and the leaping development stage from the mid-20 th century to the present. The prescriptions from the ancient classical or representative medical books have always been used by Mongolian physicians for generations, and they are still in use due to the definite curative effects. In 2008, the Notice on Issuing the Supplementary Provisions to the Registration and Management of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) described that China has attached more importance to the excavation and development of classical prescriptions. As stipulated in the Law of the People's Republic of China on Traditional Chinese Medicine, the classical prescriptions should be those available in ancient TCM classics and still in wide use, with exact curative effects, distinct features, and obvious advantages. This paper expounded the historical formation and development of classical prescriptions in Mongo-lian medicine, introduced the five most influential ancient medical books revealing the formation and development of these classic prescriptions, and traced the origin of such classical prescriptions as Wenguanmu Siwei Decoction, Shouzhangshen Bawei Decoction, Jianghuang Siwei Decoction and summarized the origin, development history and characteristics of classical prescriptions in Mongolian medicine, aiming to provide a reference for their further research and development.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor 1 signaling exerts cardioprotective effects including inhibition of myocyte apoptosis. However, little is known about the effect of S1P treatment on myocyte autophagy after myocardial infarction (MI). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that S1P induces myocyte autophagy through inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), leading to improvement of left ventricular (LV) function after MI. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent MI or sham operation. The animals were randomized to receive S1P (50 μg/kg/day, i.p.) or placebo for one week. H9C2 cardiomyocytes cultured in serum- and glucose-deficient medium were treated with or without S1P for 3 h. MI rats exhibited an increase in LV end-diastolic dimension (EDD) and decreases in LV fractional shortening (FS) and the maximal rate of LV pressure rise (+dP/dt). S1P treatment attenuated the increase in LV EDD and decreases in LV FS and +dP/dt. In the MI placebo group, the LC3 II/I ratio, a marker of autophagy, was increased, and increased further by S1P treatment. S1P also enhanced the autophagy-related proteins Atg4b and Atg5 after MI. Similarly, in cultured cardiomyocytes, autophagy was increased under glucose and serum deprivation, and increased further by S1P treatment. The effect of S1P on myocyte autophagy was associated with mTOR inhibition after MI or in cultured cardiomyocytes under glucose and serum deprivation. S1P treatment prevents LV remodeling, enhances myocyte autophagy and inhibits mTOR activity after MI. These findings suggest that S1P treatment induces myocyte autophagy through mTOR inhibition, leading to the attenuation of LV dysfunction after MI., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The efficacy of cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) as adjuvant therapy in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) remains controversial. This study aims to update and determine cranberry effects as adjuvant therapy on the recurrence rate of UTIs in susceptible groups. According to PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a literature search in Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from their inception dates to June 2021. We included articles with data on the incidence of UTIs in susceptible populations using cranberry-containing products. We then conducted a trial sequential analysis to control the risk of type I and type II errors. This meta-analysis included 23 trials with 3979 participants. We found that cranberry-based products intake can significantly reduce the incidence of UTIs in susceptible populations (risk ratio (RR) = 0.70; 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.59 ~ 0.83; P<0.01). We identified a relative risk reduction of 32%, 45% and 51% in women with recurrent UTIs (RR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.56 ~ 0.81), children (RR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31 ~ 0.97) and patients using indwelling catheters (RR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.33 ~ 0.73). Meanwhile, a relative risk reduction of 35% in people who use cranberry juice compared with those who use cranberry capsule or tablet was observed in the subgroup analysis (RR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.54 ~ 0.77). The TSA result for the effects of cranberry intake and the decreased risk of UTIs in susceptible groups indicated that the effects were conclusive. In conclusion, our meta-analysis demonstrates that cranberry supplementation significantly reduced the risk of developing UTIs in susceptible populations. Cranberry can be considered as adjuvant therapy for preventing UTIs in susceptible populations. However, given the limitations of the included studies in this meta-analysis, the conclusion should be interpreted with caution., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) causes urogenital tract infections and is associated with reproductive morbidity. Although MG has been reported across many regions and population groups, it is not yet routinely tested for in China. Our study contributes to current research by reporting the prevalence and correlates of MG infection in patients attending a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in Guangdong from Jan 2017-May 2018., Methods: Urethral (from 489 men) and endo-cervical (from 189 women) samples, blood samples, and patient histories (via questionnaires) were collected. Doctors clinically diagnosed anogenital warts (GW) during the examination (n = 678). The presence of MG was evaluated using an in-house via polymerase chain reaction protocol. We also tested all participants for herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), syphilis and HIV. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate factors associated with MG., Results: MG was detected in 7.2% (49/678) of the patients (men, 7.4%; women, 6.9%). The MG positivity rate was 14.2% among symptomatic patients, and 5.6% for asymptomatic patients, respectively. Only 36.7% (18/49) Mg positive patients were symptomatic. Among the MG-infected patients, 10.2% were co-infected with CT, 6.1% with NG, 8.2% with HSV-2, 4.1% with syphilis and 22.4% with GW. Presentation with clinical symptoms was significantly associated with MG infection [OR = 2.52 (2.03-3.13)]. In our analysis, MG was not associated with other STIs., Conclusions: MG is a relatively common infection among individuals attending an STI clinic in Guangdong Province. Routine testing of symptomatic patients may be necessary, and more epidemiological studies are needed to provide evidence for future testing guidelines.

Background: We conducted an observational study to determine whether patients with syphilis who do not demonstrate serological cure or lack of seroreversion in nontreponemal (NT) antibody titers after initial therapy benefit from re-treatment and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis., Methods: We enrolled patients with syphilis from sexually transmitted disease clinics in Guangzhou, China, who had persistent NT titers after therapy. Serological nonresponse was defined as a <4-fold decline in baseline NT titers after therapy. Lack of seroreversion was defined as demonstrating a ≥4-fold NT titer decline but without seroreversion to negative, or having persistent low-level titers (i.e., 1:1-1:2) after therapy. After consent, we abstracted medical record data regarding syphilis diagnoses, initial and re-treatment regimens, and serological outcomes. Nontreponemal titers were obtained from participants at enrollment and follow-up. We evaluated CSF findings among a subgroup of participants relative to re-treatment., Results: From March 2012 to February 2016, we enrolled 135 HIV-negative patients with syphilis with persistent NT titers after initial therapy. Among 116 participants with ≥12 months of follow-up, 60 (52%) received re-treatment of syphilis. Overall, there were no significant differences in serological response between those who were re-treated and those who were not among serological nonresponders (29% vs. 27%; P = 1.0) or among participants without seroconversion (41% vs. 37%; P = 0.8). Of 60 participants who underwent CSF analyses, 8 (13%) had CSF abnormalities, but only 2 (3%) met the neurosyphilis criteria after re-treatment., Conclusions: Most HIV-negative patients with syphilis who have serological nonresponse or lack of seroreversion after therapy do not benefit from re-treatment in the short term, and neurosyphilis is uncommon., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. This work was supported by the National Institute of Health's Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01 AI-26756, U19 AI-144177) and through research funds provided by Connecticut Children, and the Bureau of Science and Information Technology of Guangzhou Municipality (201704020219)., (Copyright © 2020 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. All rights reserved.)

Reduced nerve growth factor (NGF) is associated with cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation in heart failure (HF) which is characterized by increased oxidative stress. Apocynin is considered an antioxidant agent which inhibits NADPH oxidase activity and improves reactive oxygen species scavenging. However, it is unclear whether apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, leading to improvement of cardiac function in HF. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, contributing to amelioration of myocardial apoptosis and failure. Rabbits with myocardial infarction (MI) or sham operation were randomly assigned to receive apocynin or placebo for 4 weeks. MI rabbits exhibited left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and elevation in oxidative stress, as evidenced by a decreased reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio and an increased 4-hydroxynonenal expression, and reduction in NGF and NGF receptor tyrosine kinase A (TrKA) expression in the remote non-infarcted myocardium. Apocynin treatment ameliorated LV dysfunction, reduced oxidative stress, prevented decreases in NGF and TrKA expression and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis after MI. In cultured H9C2 cardiomyocytes, hypoxia or hydrogen peroxide decreased NGF expression, and apocynin normalized hypoxia-induced reduction of NGF. Recombinant NGF attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Apocynin prevented hypoxia-induced apoptosis, and the suppressive effect of apocynin on apoptosis was abolished by NGF receptor TrKA inhibitor K252a. We concluded that apocynin prevented reduced myocardial NGF, leading to attenuation of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and LV remodelling and dysfunction in HF after MI. These findings suggest that strategies to prevent NGF reduction by inhibition of oxidative stress may be of value in amelioration of LV dysfunction in HF., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Bacterial and viral infection is a common cause of pneumonia, respiratory failure, and even acute respiratory distress syndrome. Increasing evidence indicates that red blood cells (RBCs) may contribute to immune response and inflammation. However, the precise molecular mechanisms that link RBC and hemolysis to the development and progression of inflammatory pathologies are not entirely understood. In this study, we used bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to mimic an infectious hemolysis and found that RBCs dynamically regulated cell aggregation between immune cells and human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC). When RBCs were treated with LPS, integrin α4β1 was increased and was accompanied by cytokines and chemokines release (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, CXCL12, CCL5, CCL7 and CCL4). Upon α4β1 elevation, RBCs not only facilitated mature monocyte derived dendritic cell (mo-DCs) adhesion but also promoted HLMVEC aggregation. Furthermore, co-culture of the supernatant of LPS pre-treated RBCs with mo-DCs could promote naïve CD4 T cell proliferation. Notably, the filtered culture from LPS-lysed RBCs further promoted mo-DCs migration in a concentration dependent manner. From a therapeutic perspective, cyclic peptide inhibitor of integrin α4β1 combined with methylprednisolone (α4β1/Methrol) remarkably blocked RBCs aggregation to mo-DCs, HLMVEC, or mo-DCs and HLMVEC mixture. Moreover, α4β1/Methrol dramatically reduced mo-DCs migration up-regulated glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper in mo-DCs, and ultimately reversed immune cell dysfunction induced by hemolysis. Taken together, these results indicate that integrin α4β1 on RBCs could mediate cell-cell interaction for adaptive immunity through influencing cell adhesion, migration, and T cell proliferation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Lou, Yan, Yang, Fan, Cho, Xiao and Li.)

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), a member of FGF family, binds with FGF receptors (FGFR) to initiate biological functions in various somatic cells. However, little is known regarding the role of FGF2/FGFR on oocyte meiosis. In this study, we investigated expression patterns and functions of FGF2/FGFR during in vitro maturation (IVM) of mouse cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). Among four FGFRs, Ffgr1 was the most abundant in COCs. The transcripts for Fgf2 and Ffgr1 in COCs increased during IVM. Ffgr1 was present in oocytes and cumulus cells, while Fgf2 was present in only cumulus cells. Treatment of COCs with the selective FGFR inhibitor SU5402 blocked oocyte meiotic progression and downregulated expression of Bmp15 and Gdf9. In contrast, supplement of FGF2 promoted oocyte meiotic progression and upregulated Bmp15 and Gdf9 expression. Inhibition of FGFR with SU5402 reduced cumulus expansion and expressions of Ptx3, Has2 and Tnfaip6. Treatment with FGF2 increased Ptx3 and Has2 expression. Inhibition of FGFR had no effect on meiotic progression of denuded oocytes (DOs). However, co-culture of DOs with COCs or supplementation with FGF2 promoted meiotic progression of DOs. Inhibition of FGF2/FGFR signaling also downregulated Ffgr1 expression, while supplemental FGF2 upregulated Fgfr1 expression. Furthermore, inhibition of FGFR in COCs interrupted the c-Mos/MAPK pathway and maturation-promoting factor (MPF), as indicated by downregulation of oocyte c-mos and Ccnb1 transcripts, respectively. Overall, this study suggests that FGF2 produced by cumulus cells, activates a FGF2/FGFR autocrine/paracrine loop within COCs to regulate cumulus expansion and oocyte meiosis. These findings reveal a novel role for FGF2/FGFR signaling during in vitro maturation of COCs.

Objective: To estimate the potential effects of an intense sex work crackdown on syphilis transmission in Guangdong Province, China., Methods: We developed a deterministic compartmental model of syphilis transmission among female sex workers (FSW) and their male clients in Guangdong Province, China. We based model assumptions on census data and scientific literature, and we fitted the model to sentinel surveillance estimates of syphilis prevalence (positive results in both treponemal and non-treponemal tests) among FSW between 2009 and 2013. We estimated the impact of an intense sex work crackdown in 2014 by comparing the number of new syphilis infections between 2014 and 2020 in crackdown versus basecase (no crackdown) scenarios. In modelling scenarios, we examined main crackdown mechanisms of impact, including changed number of FSW engaging in sex work, reduction of weekly transactions, condom usage rate and syphilis diagnosis rate., Results: In the basecase, predicted syphilis prevalence in FSW decreased from 2% in 2014 to 0.4% in 2020. In crackdown scenarios, syphilis incidence was predicted to transiently decrease and then to rebound relative to basecase levels a few years later. Shorter crackdowns led to higher, faster rebounds., Conclusions: Short-term intense crackdowns may exacerbate syphilis transmission among FSW and further marginalise an already vulnerable group. This study provides a quantitative, infection-related basis for changing sex work policies to reduce harms., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Kikuchi's disease (KD) is a rare form of necrotizing lymphadenitis that rarely occurs in association with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in children., Patient Concerns: We report the case of a 4-year-5-month-old boy who suffered from fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, splenomegaly, low NK cell activity., Diagnoses: A diagnosis of KD with HLH was made based on the results of biopsy of cervical lymph node and HLH-2004 trial guidelines., Interventions: The patient was treated with corticosteroids, cyclosporine, etoposide, continuous hemodiafiltration (HDF), and plasma exchange (PE)., Outcomes: He showed a complete response to therapy, and his condition gradually improved. He was discharged on day 45 after admission due to his good recovery status., Conclusion: HLH can be associated with KD, especially in childhood, and may have an aggressive clinical course. Continuous HDF and PE and chemotherapy should be reserved for those patients who fail to respond to IVIG and corticosteroids., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) XIST is one of the genes that exists in different types of cancers. Earlier researches showed that XIST can advance the progression of colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, the potential molecular mechanism of XIST in combination with miR-93-5p has not been explored in colorectal cancer., Methods: We performed qRT-PCR to explore the level of XIST. And a serious experiments in vitro and in vivo were performed to explore the function of XIST. The relationship between XIST/HIF-1A and miR-93-5p was confirmed by RIP and dual-luciferase assays., Results: In the present research, our team demonstrated the upregulation of XIST expression, which was related to tumor progression, and the downregulation of miR-93-5p in cells and tissues of colorectal cancer. XIST is the competitive endogenous RNA of miR-93-5p to promote HIF-1A, and then the upregulated AXL level facilitates the EMT process, migration, and proliferation of colorectal cancer. At last, we proved that XIST enhanced the in vivo and in vitro activities of colorectal cancer by regulating AXL signaling., Conclusion: In summary, the above results indicate that XIST promotes colorectal cancer tumorigenesis by regulating miR-93-5p/HIF-1A/AXL signaling pathway, which will supply a novel perspective to diagnose and treat colorectal cancer disease., (© 2020 The Authors. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat is a kind of popular instant food easily contaminated by microbes, which is one of the causes of foodborne diseases. This study analyzes the possible sources of RTE food bacterial contamination during processing and subsequent selling., Method: Samples of eight kinds of RTE meat were collected from four supermarkets in Nanjing, China. The knives, chopping boards, trays(containers of food), clamps, air, water, and hands of the sales staff were sampled, and the enumeration of aerobic plate count and total coliforms and pathogenic bacteria was performed., Results: The survey revealed that poor hygienic levels was the causes that RTE meat products were contaminated by bacteria at different levels. With regard to pathogen, the incidences of Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were 4.2% and 2.1%, respectively. These results also revealed that the bacterial contamination of RTE food was caused by the air, as well as clamps, chopping boards, knives, trays, and hands of the operators. The total number of aerobic colonies were positively correlated with the amount of RTE food in one pot ( r  = .87728, p  = .0217), and negatively correlated with the maximum temperature in the center of the meat ( r  = -.81633, p  = .0475)., Conclusion: The high number of bacteria in RTE foods indicates potential food safety risks and the need to improve the health of supermarket sales staff. The most important thing is to determine how to raise hygiene awareness of employees through food safety education. Meanwhile, a comprehensive set of regulations on hand cleaning and disinfection should be developed to facilitate public health and reduce foodborne illness caused by the consumption of RTE food., Competing Interests: All authors have contributed significantly to the manuscript and declare that the work is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere. None of the authors have any financial disclosure or conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Lysin motif (LysM)-containing proteins function as pattern-recognition receptors in plants to recognize different N-acetylglucosamine-containing ligands, thereby triggering specific defense responses against pathogens. However, the biological functions of these proteins in animals remain unclear. In this study, we characterized a novel LysM protein, designated as SpLysMD3, in mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The cDNA sequence of SpLysMD3 had 1058 bp with an open reading frame of 840 bp encoding a protein with 279 amino acid residues. The deduced protein contained a LysM domain and a transmembrane region. SpLysMD3 was highly expressed in gills, intestine, muscle, and hemocytes and upregulated after challenges with bacteria, suggesting that it may be involved in antibacterial defense. Binding assay showed that SpLysMD3 possessed specific binding activities to all tested microorganisms as well as bacterial cell wall components lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN), indicating that SpLysMD3 was an important LPS- and PGN-binding protein in mud crab. Bacterial clearance assay revealed that coating bacteria with SpLysMD3 accelerated bacterial clearance in vivo. The promotion of bacterial clearance by SpLysMD3 was further determined by using SpLysMD3-silenced crabs injected with S. aureus or V. parahemolyticus. Silencing SpLysMD3 dramatically suppressed the bacterial clearance. Meanwhile, knockdown of SpLysMD3 also severely impaired the expression of a specific set of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); moreover, SpLysMD3 overexpression can enhance the promoter activity of SpALF2. These results suggested that SpLysMD3 affected bacterial clearance by regulating AMPs. Collectively, all the results demonstrated that SpLysMD3 may function as a potential receptor involved in innate immunity by binding to LPS and PGN and by regulating AMPs to eliminate invading pathogen. This study provided new insights into the biological functions of LysM proteins in animals and the mechanisms underlying the antibacterial activity of crustaceans., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD2)-related lipid-recognition (ML) proteins display diverse biological functions in host immunity and lipid metabolism by interacting with different lipids. Human MD2, an indispensable accessory protein in TLR4 signaling pathway, specifically recognizes lipopolysaccharides (LPS), thereby leading to the activation of TLR4 signaling pathway to produce many effectors that participate in inflammatory and immuneresponses against Gram-negative bacteria. Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) pathways are first characterized in Drosophila and are reportedly present in crustaceans, but the recognition and activation mechanism of these signaling pathways in crustaceans remains unclear. In the present study, a novel ML protein was characterized in mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) and designated as SpMD2. The complete SpMD2 cDNA sequence is 1114 bp long with a 465 bp open reading frame; it encodes a protein that contains 154 amino acids (aa). In the deduced protein, a signal peptide (1-21 aa residues) and a ML domain (43-151 aa residues) were predicted. SpMD2 shared a similar three-dimensional structure and a close evolutionary relationship with human MD2. SpMD2 was highly expressed in gills, hemocytes, intestine, and hepatopancreas and was upregulated in gills and hemocytes after challenges with bacteria, thereby suggesting its involvement in antibacterial defense. Western blot assay showed that SpMD2 possesses strong binding activities to different bacteria and two fungi. ELISA demonstrated that SpMD2 exhibits binding abilities to LPS, lipid A, peptidoglycan (PGN), and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Its binding ability to LPS and lipid A were stronger than to PGN or LTA, implying that SpMD2 was an important LPS-binding protein in mud crab. Bacterial clearance assay revealed that the pre-incubation of Vibrio parahemolyticus with SpMD2 facilitates bacterial clearance in vivo and that knockdown of SpMD2 dramatically suppresses the bacterial clearance and decreases the expression of several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Furthermore, SpMD2 overexpression could enhance the promoter activity of SpALF2. These results revealed that SpMD2 affects bacterial clearance by regulating AMPs. Thus, by binding to LPS and by regulating AMPs, SpMD2 may function as a potential receptor, which is involved in the recognition and activation of a certain immune signaling pathway against Gram-negative bacteria. This study provides new insights into the diverse functions of ML proteins and into the antibacterial mechanisms of crustaceans., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexually transmissible infections, sexual health services for MSM in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remain under-resourced and are poorly understood. A scoping review of literature on MSM sexual health in LMIC was conducted in order to identify key clinical services and gaps in knowledge. Three databases were searched, in addition to hand-reviewing key journals and bulletins, to identify literature with a focus on MSM sexual health. Key services related to providing care to MSM in LMIC that emerged from our review are described. These services include creation of safe and confidential clinic environments, HIV testing services, behavioural interventions, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and STI services. Compared with high-income settings, major differences in LMIC include lack of diagnostic technology, unfavourable legal environments and lack of funding for MSM health. Innovative approaches to healthcare delivery, such as harnessing mobile technology, self-testing and crowdsourcing interventions, can improve health services among MSM in LMIC. There are gaps in the evidence about how best to provide sexual health services for MSM in LMIC settings. Implementation research and scale-up of existing biomedical and behavioural interventions, such as HIV/STI testing services, PrEP and early antiretroviral initiation are urgently needed in LMIC.

1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is an important gaseous plant growth regulator. For its application as a gaseous pesticide, the plants with 1-MCP α-cyclodextrin microcapsule granules need to be enclosed in a sealed chamber. To provide a new spray formulation of 1-MCP for open environment application, herein, a novel 1-MCP microcapsule oil dispersion (1-MCP/MCOD) was prepared and characterized. It was found that 1-MCP could stay at higher concentrations for more than 36 hours during the controlled release experiment, and the SEM experiment showed good deposition of the 1-MCP/MCOD spray solution. In addition, the apple harvest application experiments showed that 1-MCP/MCOD could effectively prevent fruit drop at 3 μL L -1 in an open environment. These results not only supply a new 1-MCP/MCOD kind of formulation for the flexible application of the 1-MCP gas in an open environment, but also show that this microcapsule oil dispersion formulation has significant potential in gaseous pesticide applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)