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Cyclophilin D (CypD) is regulated during the innate immune response of insects. However, the mechanism by which CypD is activated under innate immunosuppression is not understood. Microplitis bicoloratus bracovirus (MbBV), a symbiotic virus in the parasitoid wasp, Microplitis bicoloratus, suppresses innate immunity in parasitized Spodoptera litura. Here, we demonstrate that MbBV promotes the CypD acetylation of S. litura, resulting in an immunosuppressive phenotype characterized by increased apoptosis of hemocytes and MbBV-infected cells. Under MbBV infection, the inhibition of CypD acetylation significantly rescued the apoptotic cells induced by MbBV, and the point-mutant fusion proteins of CypDK125R-V5 were deacetylated. The CypD-V5 fusion proteins were acetylated in MbBV-infected cells. Deacetylation of CypDK125R-V5 can also suppress the MbBV-induced increase in apoptosis. These results indicate that CypD is involved in the MbBV-suppressed innate immune response via the CypD-acetylation pathway and S. litura CypD is acetylated on K125.

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by limited airflow due to pulmonary and alveolar abnormalities from exposure to cigarette smoke (CS). Current therapeutic drugs are limited and the development of novel treatments to prevent disease progression is challenging. Isoforskolin (ISOF) from the plant Coleus forskohlii is an effective activator of adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms. Previously we found ISOF could attenuate acute lung injury in animal models, while the effect of ISOF on COPD has not been elucidated. Purpose In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ISOF on COPD and reveal its potential mechanisms. Methods A rat model of COPD was established by long-term exposure to CS, then the rats were orally administered with ISOF (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg). The pulmonary function, lung morphology, inflammatory cells and cytokines in serum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were evaluated. Transcriptomics, proteomics and network pharmacology analysis were utilized to identify potential mechanisms of ISOF. Droplet digital PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of AC1-10 in donor lung tissues. AC activation was determined in recombinant human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells stably expressing human AC isoforms. In addition, ISOF caused trachea relaxation ex vivo were assessed in isolated trachea rings from guinea pigs. Results ISOF significantly ameliorated pathological damage of lung tissue and improved pulmonary function in COPD rats. ISOF treatment decreased the number of inflammatory cells in peripheral blood, and also the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum and BALF. Consistent with omics-based analyses, ISOF markedly downregulated the mTOR level in lung tissue. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that ISOF treatment reduced the ratio of Th17/Treg cells in peripheral blood. Furthermore, the expression levels of AC1 and AC2 are relatively higher than other AC isoforms in normal lung tissues, and ISOF could potently activate AC1 and AC2 in vitro and significantly relax isolated guinea pig trachea. Conclusion Collectively, our studies suggest that ISOF exerts its anti-COPD effect by improving lung function, anti-inflammation and trachea relaxation, which may be related to AC activation, mTOR signaling and Th17/Treg balance.

Background Ischemic stroke (IS) is a serious global health burden. In order to improve our understanding of the risk factors associated with IS, we investigated the combined effect of the methylation of five genes related to the metabolism of homocysteine on developing IS. Methods Quantitative methylation‐specific PCR was used to measure the levels of promoter methylation in hypertensive and stroke patients. The cutoff value calculated by the maximum Youden index was used to classify the levels of gene methylation as hypomethylation and hypermethylation. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between gene methylation and IS. Results The methylation levels of the genes encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1 [MTHFD1], cystathionine β‐synthase [CBS], and dihydrofolate reductase [DHFR] in hypertensive patients were higher than those in stroke patients (all p, A significant linear relationship between the number of elevated biomarkers and the risk of stroke.

Although many methods have been reported, plasmid construction compromises transformant efficiency (number of transformants per ng of DNAs) with plasmid accuracy (rate of scarless plasmids). An efficient method is two-step PCR serving DNA amplification. An accurate method is ExnaseII cloning serving homology recombination (HR). We combine DNA amplification and HR to develop an intra-molecular HR by amplifying plasmid DNAs to contain homology 5&prime, and 3&prime, terminus and recombining the plasmid DNAs in vitro. An example was to construct plasmid pET20b-AdD. The generality was checked by constructing plasmid pET21a-AdD and pET22b-AdD in parallel. The DNAs having 30-bp homology arms were optimal for intra-molecular HR, and transformation of which created 14.2 transformants/ng and 90% scarless plasmids, more than the two-step PCR and the ExnaseII cloning. Transformant efficiency correlated with the component of nicked circular plasmid DNAs of HR products, indicating nick modification in vivo leads to scar plasmids.

Background No previous study has evaluated disability in older persons according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework guidelines. We conducted a more comprehensive investigation of disability and associated factors among older adults receiving home-based care in rural Dongguan, a city in the central Guangdong Province of Southern China. Methods A total of 819 individuals aged ≥60 years were recruited from Dongguan home-based care system of via a two-stage selection process. We interviewed participants and assessed their ability level using the Ability Assessment for Older Adults, which defined by a combination of activity of daily living, sensory perception, mental status and social involvement. Conditional probability and Logistic regression approaches were used to assess the strength of association between each pair of conditions. Factors significantly associated with disability were identified via χ2 tests and multinomial ordinal logistic regression. Results Of the 819 included participants (mean age 87 ±4.7 years), 75.5% were female, 76.7% had any disability, and 62.3% had a mild disability. The occurrence of any deficits significantly increased the likelihood of the co-occurrence of other deficits (odds ratio [OR] > 1, P

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third-most deadly disease in the world and will be a major healthcare problem for decades to come. Its etiology is mainly related to the exposure to cigarette smoke and poisonous gases, and the infections of viruses including COVID-19 induce acute exacerbation of COPD, which may cause death in patients. Few advances have been made in COPD pathological mechanism, and the current clinical treatment strategies focus on both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory interventions;but with limited clinical therapeutic agents, COPD therapies still lack more drugs especially those that antagonize COPD-specific inflammatory responses. We review the COPD clinically applied drugs, and the progress of research on new drugs and related novel targets, including β 2 agonists and anti-muscarinic drugs for airway diastole, glucocorticoids and phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors for anti-inflammatory, protease inhibitors, emerging antioxidants, adhesion factor inhibitors, growth factor antagonists, adenylate cyclase agonists, chemokine antagonists, etc. We thus provide insights on the COPD new drugs research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Nano Life is the property of World Scientific Publishing Company and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many studies have focused on the processing mechanism of sound directions in the human brain, however, as far as we know, it remains unclear whether the representations of sounds from different directions are different. In the present study, 28 subjects were scanned while listening to sounds from different directions. We used the whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) analysis to explore which brain regions had significant changes. Our results revealed that sounds from different directions affected the FC in the widely distributed regions. Importantly, all regions showed significant differences in FC between the central and eccentric directions, while few regions showed a difference between the left and right directions. These findings revealed the differences in the representations of sounds from different directions.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of Berberine on glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and identify potential factors may modifying the hypoglycemic effect. We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database to identify randomized controlled trials that investigated the effect of Berberine. We calculated weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Twenty-eight studies were identified for analysis, with a total of 2,313 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The pool data showed that Berberine treatment was associated with a better reduction on FPG (WMD = -0.54 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.77 to -0.30), PPG (WMD = -0.94 mmol/L, 95% CI: -1.27 to -0.61), and HbA1c (WMD = -0.54 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.93 to -0.15) than control groups. Subgroup-analyses indicated that effects of Berberine on blood glucose became unremarkable as the treatment lasted more than 90 days, the daily dosage more than 2 g/d and patients aged more than 60 years. The efficiency of Berberine combined with hypoglycaemics is better than either Berberine or hypoglycaemic alone. The dosage and treatment duration of Berberine and patients' age may modify the effect.

Background While vaccination remains the most effective method to control hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 5–10% of recipients exhibit non-responsiveness to the HB vaccine. Immunological analysis of strong, weak or absent protective antibody responses to the HB vaccine should provide insights into the mechanisms that contribute to non-responsiveness. Results We investigated the potential involvement of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells in the immune response to HB vaccine, and associations between the miR-17–92 cluster and Tfh cells. We recruited 12 adults who had completed the HB vaccination course during childhood. Following a booster dose of HB vaccine, hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) titers, percentage of PD-1+ICOS+ circulating Tfh (cTfh) and plasma cells, and expression of miR-17–92 were assessed at baseline (before immunization) and after vaccination on days 7 and 14. Notably, the HBsAb level gradually increased after HB vaccination while the proportion of PD-1+ICOS+ cTfh cells was significantly increased on day 7 relative to baseline, so as plasma cells. Expression of miR-18a and miR-17 within the miR-17–92 cluster and HBsAb titers in CD4+ T cells were positively correlated with the PD-1+ICOS+ cTfh cells proportions after HB vaccination. Conclusions The increase in HBsAb titers was positively associated with expression of all the components of the miR-17–92 cluster except miR-19a. Our findings indicate that the miR-17–92 cluster contributes to antibody production, and miR-18a and miR-17 are involved in Tfh cells differentiation after HB vaccination.

Now many researches have been studying the optimization between throughput/energy consuming and delay with a couple of independent input flows in network coding (NC). However, the implementation of network coding (NC) requires a thorough investigation of its impact on relevant queueing systems which little work focuses on. In this paper, the scenario with three independent Poisson input flows based on our previous work about the pdf with two independent Poisson input flows., and one output flow is considered. The asynchronous NC-based strategy is that a new arrival evicts a head packet holding in its queue when waiting for another packet from the other flow to encode. The three flows are divided into two parts for getting the probability density function (pdf) of the output flow. The pdf for the output flow which contains both coded and uncoded packets is derived. Besides, the statistic characteristics of this strategy are analyzed. These results are verified by numerical simulations.

Despite high 1-dose vaccination coverage, breakthrough varicella infections still occur. Therefore, 2-dose vaccination is recommended to enhance the immune response to the virus. However, the reported incremental vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 2-dose vaccination varies widely among studies.To determine the overall effectiveness, immunogenicity and safety of one vs. two-dose varicella vaccination, we searched five databases for articles published during 1995-2017.The incremental VE/efficacy of 2-dose vaccination was 79% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 56%-90%) in randomized controlled trials，63% (95% CI: 36%-79%) in cohort studies and 81% (95% CI: 65%-90%) in case-control studies. Regarding immunogenicity, the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) of geometric mean titer (GMT) and the pooled relative risk (RR) of seroconversion for 2-dose vs. 1-dose vaccine were 562.44 (95% CI: 471.78-653.10) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02-1.04), respectively. Children who received second dose vaccination were at increased risk of grade 3 redness (RR: 4.93, 95% CI: 1.89 - 12.87) and swelling of any intensity (RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.08 - 1.66).Two-dose varicella vaccination resulted in higher levels of immunogenicity and provided superior protection than 1-dose vaccination. Safety profiles showed 2-dose vaccination was well tolerated but the incidence of grade 3 redness and of any intensity was significantly higher.

English language copy of questionnaire and interview guides. (DOC 106 kb)

The larvicidal activity of the crude petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, chloroform and ethanol extracts of Amorpha fruticosa seeds was individually assayed for toxicity against the early fourth-instar larva of the mosquito, Culex pipiens pallens after 24 h exposure. Of the tested extracts, the ethanol one exhibited the highest larvicidal activity (LC50 = 22.69 mg/L). Amorphigenin (8'-hydroxyrotenone), a rotenoid compound which exhibits a strong larvicidal activity with LC50 and LC90 values of 4.29 and 11.27 mg/L, respectively, was isolated from the ethanol extract by column chromatograpy. Its structure was elucidated by 1H-NMR, UV and IR spectral data. Furthermore, investigation of amorphigenin’s effects on mitochondrial complex I activity and protein synthesis in C. pipiens pallens larvae reveals that amorphigenin decreases mitochondrial complex I activities to 65.73% at 10.45 μmol/L, compared to the control, when NADH were used as the substrate. Meanwhile, amorphigenin at 10.45 μmol/L also caused a 1.98-fold decrease in protein content, compared to the control larvae treated with acetone only.

Network coding (NC) has potential to improve the wireless network performance compared with a routing network in a two-relay network. Now most of researches focus on the performance analysis with the same length data packet in NC. However, our previous work has proved that the length of packets would affect the network coding performance and energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a new strategy of network coding based on packet length to improve the network coding gain. The strategy is that the smaller packets in the same waiting queue is bunding to a large one base on the asynchronous network coding, and the larger one would replace the old packets and then be coded with the other waiting queue. Our work showed that the new asynchronous network coding would improve the network coding gain of NC and reduce the effect of packet length in NC.

It is known that multiple genetic variants can affect immune responses to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. A case-control study was undertaken to examine the possible association of low responsiveness to the HBV vaccine in a Chinese population with genetic polymorphisms in integrin subunit alpha L, CD58, tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 15, C-C motif chemokine ligand 15, transforming growth factor beta 3, and B-cell lymphoma 6 protein. The copy numbers of these six genes were detected in 129 low responders, 129 middle responders and 129 high responders to HBV vaccination. There were no significant differences in the copy numbers of these six genes between the groups. Thus, these findings indicated that the copy number variations of these genes may not be the reason for the low responsiveness to the HBV vaccine in a Chinese population.

Our intent is to examine the predictive role of Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) on mortality of patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN). Based on the CCI score, the severity of comorbidity was categorized into three grades: mild, with CCI scores of 1–2; moderate, with CCI scores of 3–4; and severe, with CCI scores ≥5. Factors influencing mortality and differences between groups stratified by CCI were determined by logistical regression analysis and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The impact of CCI on mortality was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier analysis. A total of 533 patients with type 2 DN were enrolled in this study, all of them had comorbidity (CCI score >1), and 44.7% (238/533) died. The mortality increased with CCI scores: 21.0% (50/238) patients with CCI scores of 1–2, 56.7% (135/238) patients with CCI scores of 3–4, and 22.3% (53/238) patients with CCI scores ≥5. Logistical regression analysis showed that CCI scores, hemoglobin, and serum albumin were the potential predictors of mortality (P

This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Rehmannia glutinosa acteosides used in combination with the angiotensin receptor blocker irbesartan to treat primary chronic glomerulonephritis. A total of 479 patients diagnosed with primary chronic glomerulonephritis were recruited from outpatient clinics and were randomly assigned to the treatment group (Rehmannia glutinosa acteosides, two 200-mg capsules, bid; and irbesartan, one 150-mg tablet, qd) or the control group (irbesartan, one 150-mg tablet, qd). The primary outcome was 24-h urinary protein. Secondary outcome measures included blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, erythrocyturia, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase and electrolytes. After 8 weeks of treatment, the treatment group showed a mean reduction in 24-h proteinuria of 36.42% compared to baseline, which was significantly higher than the mean reduction from baseline of 27.97% in the control group (P = 0.0278).Adverse drug reactions occurred at a similarly low rate in the treatment group (0.4%) and control group (1.2%, P = 0.3724). In the treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis, the combination of Rehmannia glutinosa acteosides and irbesartan can reduce proteinuria more effectively than irbesartan alone.

Background ROOT UV-B SENSITIVE (RUS) genes exist in most eukaryotic organisms, and encode proteins that contain a DUF647 (domain of unknown function 647). Although the RUS genes are known to play essential roles in Arabidopsis seedling development, their precise functions are not well understood in other plants, including rice. Findings In this study, six OsRUS genes were cloned from rice root and leaf cDNA libraries. Our analysis showed that the sequence and open reading frame of cloned OsRUS3 cDNA differs from the predictions reported in the RAP-DB and RGAP databases. Public microarray, MPSS, and EST databases were used to analyze the expression profiles of the six OsRUS genes. Expression profiles for all OsRUS genes at different rice developmental stages were also analyzed by qRT-PCR. The signal peptide, GPI-anchor, transmembrane domain and subcellular localization of OsRUS proteins were predicted by various bioinformatics tools. Furthermore OsRUS1 was determined to be localized to the chloroplast by a protoplast experiment. Conclusions All the characterization of the OsRUS family generated from this study will provide a crucial foundation from which to further dissect how OsRUS genes function in rice development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12284-016-0127-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Booster influenza vaccination has been recommended for patients with chronic renal disease in order to enhance the immune response to the influenza vaccine; however, the efficacy of a booster influenza vaccination is a matter of controversy. Therefore, we made a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy in patients with hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and renal transplant recipient (RT). The sero-protection rate was used as a serologic parameter to describe the immune response to the vaccine. Statistical analysis was performed to calculate the pooled rate difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The pooled RD for the H1N1, H3N2 and B influenza vaccines was 0.02 (95% CI: -0.02-0.06), 0.05 (95% CI: -0.01-0.11), 0.04 (95% CI: -0.02-0.10), respectively. We concluded that a booster dose of the influenza vaccine did not effectively enhance immunogenicity. Therefore, a booster dose of vaccine is not recommended for patients with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplant recipients.

Transmembrane domains of OsRUSs predicted by bioinformatics tools. (DOCX 14Â kb)

The sequence of cloned OsRUS3 cDNA. (DOCX 15Â kb)

Primers for qRT-PCR of OsRUS genes. (DOCX 15Â kb)

Primers for cloning of 6 OsRUS cDNAs. (DOCX 16Â kb)

The expression profiles of OsRUS genes from NCBI EST database. (DOCX 14Â kb)

The expression profiles of OsRUS genes from the MPSS database. (DOCX 15Â kb)

Materials and methods. (DOCX 27Â kb)

A novel varactor tunable dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) using stub-loaded stepped-impedance resonators is proposed in this letter. Compared with the traditional tunable filters, the source-load coupling and T-shape stub-loaded lines are employed in this design. The proposed BPF architecture has the advantages of high selectivity and less control voltages. In the overall tuning range, the proposed filter is designed with 5–6 transmission zeros and more than 30 dB rejection between the two passbands. Meanwhile, only one control voltage is needed for each passband. A prototype of this filter is fabricated and measured. The measurement results show great agreement with simulated results, which show that the first passband can be tuned in a frequency range from 0.8 to 1.02 GHz, and the second passband varies from 2.02 to 2.48 GHz.

Single fed low profile cavity backed crossed slot antennas for dual frequency dual linear polarization and circular polarization applications are first presented in this paper. By employing the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technique in the antenna designs, the low profile backed cavity structure can be realized by using only a single layer of low cost printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. A single grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) is employed as the feeding element to excite the TE 120 and TE 210 modes in the SIW cavity. A crossed slot structure is used as the radiating element in order to radiate the desired dual linearly or circularly polarized wave. From the measurement results, it is seen that these novel antennas retain the advantages of conventional metallic cavity backed antennas, including high gain, high front-to-back ratio (FTBR), and low cross polarization level (CPL). Furthermore, the proposed antennas also possess the advantages of low profile, light weight, low fabrication cost, and easy integration with planar circuits.

Previous studies in our laboratory found that the extract from seeds of Amorpha fruticosa in the Leguminosae family had lethal effects against mosquito larvae, and an insecticidal compound amorphigenin was isolated. In this study, the inhibitory effects of amorphigenin against the mitochondrial complex I of Culex pipiens pallens (Diptera: Culicidae) were investigated and compared with that of rotenone. The results showed that amorphigenin and rotenone can decrease the mitochondrial complex I activity both in vivo and in vitro as the in vivo IC50 values (the inhibitor concentrations leading to 50% of the enzyme activity lost) were determined to be 2.4329 and 2.5232 μmol/L, respectively, while the in vitro IC50 values were 2.8592 and 3.1375 μmol/L, respectively. Both amorphigenin and rotenone were shown to be reversible and mixed-I type inhibitors of the mitochondrial complex I of Cx. pipiens pallens, indicating that amorphigenin and rotenone inhibited the enzyme activity not only by binding with the free enzyme but also with the enzyme-substrate complex, and the values of KI and KIS for amorphigenin were determined to be 20.58 and 87.55 μM, respectively, while the values for rotenone were 14.04 and 69.23 μM, respectively.

In recent years, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis has become the commonest cause of the nephrotic syndrome seen in adults. Secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is observed when glomerular workload is increased. We report a case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with nephrotic syndrome secondary to high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC). Our case points out that for patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, who presented with nephrotic syndrome secondary to HAPC, treatments for HAPC are crucial for the reduction of proteinuria and renal protection instead of glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive drugs.

A simple method of gain improvement for the cavity backed slot antenna based on the substrate integrated waveguide technique has been presented in this article. By using dual slot at the cavity edges to substitute a single slot at the cavity center as the radiating element, gain of the cavity backed slot antenna has been improved about 1.7 dB whereas its total size is little reduced. The proposed antenna has high radiation performance and keeps the advantages low profile, easy integration, and low cost fabrication. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52:2767–2769, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25582

The aim of this study was to understand the characteristics of blood pressure (BP) variability in subjects with diabetic nephropathy (DN), and identify the probable predictors affecting BP variability. Fifty-one chronic kidney disease (CKD)-hypertensive patients without diabetes (NDN group) and sixty type 2 diabetic patients with overt DN (DN group) were enrolled in this study. The values of short-term BP variability were obtained from 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). Variance analysis or nonparametric analysis revealed that 24-h systolic BP variability and nighttime systolic BP variability of the DN group were significantly higher than those of the NDN group [(12.23±3.66) vs. (10.74±3.83) mmHg, P