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Resistivity logs are commonly used to distinguish oil and water reservoirs. However, the complex hydrocarbon accumulation pattern in the study area leads to complex wettability, which significantly affects the resistivity as well as the density and neutron logs and causes difficulties in fluid-type identification. To understand the resistivity characteristics and accurately identify the fluid types, resistivity experiments of core samples selected by the density and neutron logs were performed. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was simultaneously measured to determine the rock wettability. Instead of the conventional “aged” method for restoring the original wettability, a new set of experimental procedures was developed for obtaining resistivity and NMR T2 spectra of samples with wettability as close as possible to that of the original reservoir. Specially, samples with and without oil washing were measured separately, and a simple correction method for the resistivity index was proposed. Moreover, the difference in the water salinity of different wells was considered. The results find that the resistivity index of samples drilled from possible oil-wet reservoirs indicated by the “abnormal” density and neutron responses varied from 2.807 to 5.388, whereas that of possible water-wet reservoirs was less than 2.0. The T2 spectra at different states confirmed the wettability of the samples. The resistivity index versus saturation ( I r –S w) curves of oil-wet rocks were nearly straight lines other than the theoretical concave lines in double-logarithmic coordinates. Oil washing changed the rock wettability to varying degrees. Furthermore, the resistivity log responses of the reservoirs were accurately interpreted using the experimental data. The resistivity was simultaneously affected by the salinity, wettability, and saturation. Finally, based on the factors affecting the reservoir resistivity, fluid identification plots were established for reservoirs with different wettabilities. The agreement rates of identification using the crossplots and oil test were more than 90%.

High CXCL16 levels during acute cardiovascular events increase long-term mortality. However, the mechanistic role of CXCL16 in myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. Here we investigated the role of CXCL16 in mice with MI injury. CXCL16 deficiency increased the survival of mice after MI injury, and inactivation of CXCL16 resulted in improved cardiac function and decreased infarct size. Hearts from CXCL16 inactive mice exhibited decreased infiltration of Ly6Chigh monocytes. In addition, CXCL16 promoted the macrophage expression of CCL4 and CCL5. Both CCL4 and CCL5 stimulated Ly6Chigh monocyte migration, and CXCL16 inactive mice had a reduced expression of CCL4 and CCL5 in the heart after MI. Mechanistically, CXCL16 promoted CCL4 and CCL5 expression by activating the NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Anti-CXCL16 neutralizing Ab administration inhibited Ly6Chigh monocyte infiltration and improved cardiac function after MI. Additionally, anti-CCL4 and anti-CCL5 neutralizing Ab administration inhibited Ly6Chigh monocyte infiltration and improved cardiac function after MI. Thus, CXCL16 aggravated cardiac injury in MI mice by facilitating Ly6Chigh monocyte infiltration.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an environmentally friendly, energy efficient, and low cost water purification technique in comparison with other conventional techniques, and it has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Here, we use biomass byproduct okara as the starting material to fabricate a boron and nitrogen codoped hierarchically porous carbon (BNC) with ultrahigh heteroatom contents and abundant in-plane nanoholes for CDI application. With the interconnected hierarchical porous structure, the BNC not only exhibits a large surface area (647.0 m

Cancer patients are associated with an elevated risk of suicide. This study aims to investigate the suicide rates and identify risk factors for suicide among patients with malignant intracranial tumors (MITs).Patients diagnosed with MITs during the years of 1975-2015 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Suicide rates and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated. Cox regression analyses were used to identified risk factors for suicide among MIT patients.Among 115,668 patients with MITs collected from the SEER program, 99 committed suicide. The rate of suicide was 23.02 per 100,000 person-years, and SMR of suicide was 1.90. Diagnosis in recent era (years 2000-2015, SMR = 2.01), male gender (SMR = 1.78), older age (60-79 years, SMR = 3.54), white race (SMR = 1.86), married persons (SMR = 2.31), living in rural areas (SMR = 2.50), history of other malignancy (SMR = 3.81), diagnosis of glioblastoma (SMR = 4.05) and supratentorial location (SMR = 2.45) were associated with an increased incidence of suicide. In addition, the risk of suicide increased significantly within the first year after diagnosis (SMR = 13.04). Multivariate Cox regressions showed that older age, male sex, and supratentorial location were independent risk factors for suicide.The suicide mortality among patients with MITs steadily elevated in the past decades. Male sex, older age, and supratentorial location were significantly associated with risk of suicide, especially within the first year following diagnosis. Healthcare providers should early identify and effectively intervene with MIT patients at risk.

Brucella abortus is a gram-negative intracellular parasite bacteria that causes serious health hazards in humans and animals. The type IV secretion system (T4SS), encoded by the virB promoter, has been identified as an important virulence factor for Brucella abortus, but its impact on Brucella abortus A19 remains unclear. In this study, the T4SS of Brucella abortus A19 was inactivated by deletion of the virB promoter, resulting in a mutant strain A19ΔvirB. Real-time PCR and western blotting analysis demonstrated that T4SS-related proteins were not expressed after virB promoter deletion. Moreover, the survival rate of A19 in high-salt and strong acidic environments decreased after virB promoter deletion. Compared to the parental strain A19, the A19ΔvirB mutant strain showed reduced growth rate in TSB, decreased invasion ability to macrophages and dendritic cells, and reduced virulence of the mutant strain in macrophages, dendritic cells, and mice. In addition, the A19ΔvirB mutant strain showed enhanced autophagy in macrophages and dendritic cells compared with A19, and the A19ΔvirB mutant strain was able to upregulate IL-6 and downregulate IL-10 in macrophages. These data help us to better understand the T4SS of the A19 vaccine strain and contribute to our efforts to improve Brucella vaccines.

Background: In recent years, two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) has been increasingly used to detect left ventricular myocardial ischemia with high accuracy for a reliable and comprehensive assessment of myocardial function by myocardial strain analysis. The present study aimed to assess whether the longitudinal strain (LS) bull’s eye plot could accurately detect left ventricular myocardial ischemia in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) patients. Methods: A total of 28 HoHF patients, who underwent 2D-STE and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), were classified into two groups as diagnosed by MPI for myocardial ischemia. The myocardial ischemia score by MPI, LS bull’s-eye plot, and strain parameters were analyzed and compared. Results: Among the 28 HoFH patients, MPI detected 30.77% and 2D-STE showed 30.19% ischemic segments in 13 and 15 HoFH patients with myocardial ischemia, respectively. All segmental LSs in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) perfusion territory were significantly decreased in patients with myocardial ischemia. The diagnostic capability of 2D-STE for myocardial ischemia was 85.29%, 95.34%, and 93.91% for sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, respectively. Conclusion: Left ventricular LS bull’s-eye plot can assist rapid and accurate evaluation of myocardial ischemia in HoFH patients. The myocardial ischemia is mainly distributed in the LAD perfusion territory in these patients.

Aim: This study explored new immunoadjuvants with stronger immune activity to enhance therapeutic effects against leukemia. Materials & methods: Whole blood and bone marrow of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and healthy volunteers were collected. Isolated mononuclear cells were treated with two newly designed CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, CpG sequence 13 and 19, and known CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and analyzed via flow cytometry. Results: CpG Seq 13 and 19 possess strong immune activation and enhance the proliferation, degranulation and cytotoxicity of T cells. They also inhibit AML cell proliferation. When CpG Seq 13/19 are combined with anti-OX40 antibodies, the cytotoxicity of T cells on AML cells are further enhanced. Conclusion: CpG Seq 13 and 19 are strong immune adjuvant candidates for AML treatment.

Background This case report describes the clinical process of a shepherd who suffered brucellosis-related endocarditis (BE) and spondylitis (BS) and was infected with Brucella melitensis biovar 3 (B. melitensis biovar 3). Case presentation A 55-year-old male patient was admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University on October 11, 2018, due to over 3 months of intermittent fever, back pain, and heart trouble. The Rose Bengal Plate test was positive, the standard agglutination test titer for brucellosis was 1/800, and the blood culture was positive for B. melitensis biovar 3. Three instances of transthoracic echocardiography examination at days 1, 25, and 376 after admission to the hospital and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) checks at days 5 and 38 revealed that the size of the vegetation on the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve increased from 0.7 × 1.4 cm to 1.2 × 1.5 cm and that the left atrium and ventricle were enlarged. The MRI and CT results showed hyperplasia of the second and third vertebra, a cold abscess formed on both sides of the psoas major muscles, and the vertebra hyperplasia became aggravated at a later time point. The patient’s situation deteriorated, and heart failure was discovered on October 22, 2019. At the moment of submission of this manuscript, the patient remains in bed at home because of severe debility caused by brucellosis. Conclusions This is the first reported case of endocarditis combined with spondylitis caused by B. melitensis biovar 3 in a shepherd. Brucellosis infection can cause work-power losses because of misdiagnosis or a lack of proper treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for a successful outcome.

We evaluated whether the number of myocardial infarction (MI) segments connected to the papillary muscle (PM), as assessed using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), predicts whether moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) improves after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to guide the choice of surgical strategy.A total of 54 patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) complicated with moderate IMR who underwent isolated CABG were selected continuously in this retrospective study at Beijing Anzhen Hospital. All patients underwent preoperative LGE. The patients were divided into the IMR improved group (37 patients) and the unimproved group (17 patients) according to 1-year postoperative echocardiography. The factors associated with no IMR improvement after isolated CABG were analyzed. There was no trial registration and no publication of the study protocol.The number of MI segments connected to PM was an independent risk factor for no IMR improvement after isolated CABG [odds ratio 4.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.93-9.98; P0.001]. The optimal receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve cut-off value for no IMR improvement was ≥2 (sensitivity: 82.4%; specificity: 83.8%). Follow-up at 1-5 years (median, 2.8 years) showed that the incidences of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (5.4%In patients with CHD complicated with moderate IMR, the number of MI segments connected to PM is an independent risk factor for no IMR improvement after isolated CABG. Mitral valve surgery should be performed simultaneously with CABG in patients with ≥2 MI segments connected to the PM.

Brucella is a genus of Gram-negative intracellular pathogens that cause animal and human diseases. Brucella survival and replication inside immune cells is critical for the establishment of chronic infections. Protein modifications by small ubiquitin-related modifier proteins and the NF-κB pathway are involved in many cellular activities, playing major roles in regulating protein function that is essential for pathogenic bacteria during infection. However, the relationship between them in the intracellular survival of Brucella is still largely unknown. We demonstrated that Brucella abortus 2308 infection can activate the expression of small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 proteins in a time-dependent manner. We found the production of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and the transcription of NF-κB/p65 were promoted by overexpression and inhibited by interference of small ubiquitin-related modifier-2. In addition, we showed that small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 can inhibit intracellular survival of Brucella abortus 2308 by regulating activation of the NF-κB pathway. Taken together, this work shows that small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 modification of NF-κB2/p65 is essential for the survival of Brucella abortus 2308 inside macrophages. This work may help to unravel the pathogenic mechanisms of Brucella infections.

Objectives Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) has a high mortality rate. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) triggers both harmful and beneficial effects in numerous physiological systems. The effects of IH on TAD development were explored in a mouse model. Methods β-Aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN) was used to induce TAD in C57BL/6 mice. Three week old male mice were treated with 1 g/kg/day BAPN in drinking water for four weeks and simultaneously subjected to IH (n = 30) (21%–5% O2, 90 s/cycle, 10 h/day, IH + BAPN group) or normoxia (n = 30) (21% O2, 24 h/day, BAPN group). Human VSMCs (HUASMCs) exposed to IH (30 min, 5% O2)/re-oxygenation (30 min, 21% O2) cycles with a maximum of 60 min/cycle to detect the effect of IH on HIF-1α and LOX via HIF-1α-siRNA. Results It was found that BAPN administration significantly increased the lumen size and wall thickness of aortas compared with the normal group, but was significantly reversed by IH exposure. Additionally, IH exposure significantly increased the survival rate of BAPN induced TAD (70% vs. 40%). Furthermore, IH exposure reduced BAPN induced elastin breaks and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells. IH exposure also reversed BAPN induced upregulation of inflammation and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed that IH inhibited inflammation and ECM degradation related genes interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, cathepsin S (Cat S), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), but upregulated the ECM synthesis related genes lysyl oxidase (LOX) and collagen type I alpha2 (Col1a2) compared with the BAPN group. In vitro results suggest that IH promotes the expression of LOX via HIF-1α. Conclusions The results suggest that IH alleviates BAPN induced TAD in C57BL/6 mice.

Background Brucellosis, a zoonosis of public health and economic importance globally. Vaccination is the most efficient way to prevent the infection. Many protein antigens have been selected as diagnostic antigens recently, whereas, the exact mechanisms at the early stage of immune response are remain unknown. In this study, four Brucella melitensis cellular proteins were cloned, and the expressed recombinant proteins were purified. The expression of several cytokine genes (IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12p40, and TNF-α) was analyzed in a murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) and murine dendritic cells line(DCs) after stimulation with the recombinant proteins. Two apoptosis-related genes, Bax and Bcl-2, were also included in the analysis to find out the adverse effects of the proteins on the cells. Results Each protein induced a different pattern of cytokine expression depending on the antigen dose and cell type. The expression of Th1-type cytokine genes (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12p40), Th2-type cytokine genes (IL-10 and IL-4), and IFN-β were induced with all of the proteins in RAW264.7 and DCs. The expression of apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Bcl-2) was also induced with most of the proteins in RAW264.7 and DCs. Specifically, the expression of two apoptosis-related genes was not altered with OMP25 protein treatment in DCs; prpA, wadC, and RomA can induce apoptosis-related gene expression both in RAW264.7 cell and DCs. Conclusions These results suggest that the four recombinant antigens of B. melitensis can induce pro- or anti- inflammatory cytokine genes at the mRNA level and these changes should be confirmed at the protein level. OMP25 might be a promising antigen for developing a vaccine, but the immunogenicity needs to be further assessed in vivo.

While recent research on the cultivation of EFL learners’ cultural awareness in senior high school has highlighted the pedagogical coping strategies based on culture teaching phenomena, theory-driven culture teaching practice has been under-explored. Informed by the theory of intercultural Third Space, this paper reports how to guide senior high school students to construct intercultural Third Space, so as to enhance their cultural awareness and intercultural critical thinking competence from the three-dimensional perspective of attitude, cognition, and behaviour, through a teaching case in the four stages of attitude cultivation, knowledge construction, simulated communication, and critical reflection. The study indicates that the concept of intercultural Third Space can theoretically make up for the deficiency of culture teaching in Chinese senior high school English class and practically provide teaching design support for classroom instruction.

The Shone’s complex, defined as a constellation of parachute mitral valve (PMV), supravalvular ring of the left atrium, subaortic stenosis, and aorta coarctation, is a rare entity, which more commonly occurs in its incomplete form. We report the case of a 28-year-old female patient who presented for chest congestion and palpitation with history of congenital mitral valve malformation. Echocardiography revealed the coexistence of PMV, aortic coarctation with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), and ventricular septum defect (VSD). The patient then received surgical intervention. The diagnosis of Shone’s complex with BAV and VSD made by echocardiography were confirmed later at surgery.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a high-risk aortic disease. Mouse models are usually used to explore the pathological progression of TAAD. In our studies, we performed bioinformatics analysis on a microarray dataset (GSE36778) and verified experiments to define the integrated hub genes of TAAD in three different mouse models. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses, and histological and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT–PCR) experiments were used in our study. First, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and twelve common differentially expressed genes were found. Second, genes related to the cell cycle and inflammation were enriched by using GO and PPI. We focused on filtering and validating eighteen hub genes that were upregulated. Then, expression data from human ascending aortic tissues in the GSE153434 dataset were also used to verify our findings. These results indicated that cell cycle-related genes participate in the pathological mechanism of TAAD and provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of TAAD.

Aims: To determine the agreement between two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE) and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in left ventricular (LV) function [including end-systolic volume (LVESV), end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and ejection fraction (LVEF)] in chronic total occlusion (CTO) patients.Methods: Eighty-eight CTO patients were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent 2DTTE and CMR within 1 week. The correlation and agreement of LVEF, LVESV, and LVEDV as measured by 2DTTE and CMR were assessed using Pearson correlation, Kappa analysis, and Bland–Altman method.Results: The mean age of patients enrolled was 57 ± 10 years. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.71, 0.90, and 0.80, respectively, all P < 0.001) and a moderately strong agreement (Kappa = 0.62, P < 0.001) between the two modalities in measurement of LV function. The agreement in patients with EF ≧50% was better than in those with an EF r = 0.84, 0.96, and 0.87, respectively) and smaller biases in LV function measurement.Conclusions: The difference in measurement between 2DTTE and CMR should be noticed in CTO patients with EF

Brucella are serious intracellular pathogens that parasitize macrophages and cause persistent infection in humans and animals. Although macrophages are an important bridge between natural and acquired immunity, their role in Brucella infection is not completely clear. Recently, studies have reported that Brucella can induce macrophage polarization, although the specific molecular mechanism involved is not known. Therefore, in the current study the replication ability of Brucella melitensis strain M5 (Brucella M5) was examined as well as its macrophage polarization and cytokine production, in a host. The role of Signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 (STAT6) in macrophage polarization induced by Brucella infection was also investigated. The results showed that Brucella M5 survived in vivo for a prolonged period of time and caused damage to the spleen and uterus tissues. The expression of type M2 cytokines was induced after Brucella M5 infection. Immunohistochemistry showed that STAT6 was upregulated in spleen and uterus tissues. At the cellular level, Brucella M5 induced macrophagetransformation from M1 to M2-type during the later stage of infection. When STAT6 was silenced, the polarization of M2-type was inhibited, and the intracellular survival rate of Brucella decreased significantly. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that STAT6 is the key factor regulates M2 polarization of macrophages and promotes the intracellular survival of Brucella in the late stage of infection and provides an explanation of the mechanism responsible for persistent Brucella infection.

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease, which seriously endangers animal husbandry in China. Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) are full-time antigen presenting cells (APC) that play an important role in the interaction between pathogens and host immunity. DCs were stimulated with Brucella major outer membrane proteins (OMPs: OMP10, OMP19, OMP25, BP26 and OMP31) and Brucella mutants (Δ omp10, Δ omp19, Δ omp25, Δ bp26, Δ omp31) to examine effects on DC maturity and antigen presentation. Brucella OMP10, OMP19 and BP26; Brucella mutants Δ omp10, Δ omp19, Δ omp25, Δ bp26, Δ omp31 and Brucella RB51 induced DC maturation and antigen presentation efficiency in mice, activated proliferation of T lymphocytes, and decreased apoptosis, which helped the host recognize antigens and eliminate pathogens. However, B. abortus 2308 evaded the host immune function and established chronic infection by maintaining a balance between intracellular replication and inducing apoptosis, thus reducing DC maturation and antigen presentation to T cells. Toll-like receptor (TLR) -mediated signaling pathways were involved in the DC maturation and antigen presentation induced by Brucella OMPs. These results enhance understanding of Brucella pathogenesis and the host protective immune response mechanism and lay the foundation for the rational design of Brucella vaccines.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Clinical and laboratory data of the patient with Brucella endocarditis and spondylitis.

Brucella is a genus of Gram-negative intracellular pathogens that cause animal and human diseases. Brucella survival and replication inside immune cells is critical for the establishment of chronic infections. Protein modifications by small ubiquitin-related modifier proteins and the NF-κB pathway are involved in many cellular activities, playing major roles in regulating protein function that is essential for pathogenic bacteria during infection. However, the relationship between them in the intracellular survival of Brucella is still largely unknown. We demonstrated that Brucella abortus 2308 infection can activate the expression of small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 proteins in a time-dependent manner. We found the production of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and the transcription of NF-κB/p65 were promoted by overexpression and inhibited by interference of small ubiquitin-related modifier-2. In addition, we showed that small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 can inhibit intracellular survival of Brucella abortus 2308 by regulating activation of the NF-κB pathway. Taken together, this work shows that small ubiquitin-related modifier-2 modification of NF-κB2/p65 is essential for the survival of Brucella abortus 2308 inside macrophages. This work may help to unravel the pathogenic mechanisms of Brucella infections.

Background: Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease, which seriously endangers animal husbandry in China. Bone marrow- derived dendritic cells ( DCs ) are professional antigen presenting cells (APC) that play an important role in the interaction between pathogens and host immunity. Because of that DCs play an irreplaceable role in the initiation and orientation of the acquired immune response, establishing the model of interaction between Brucella and DCs may be more suitable than the traditional macrophage model for understanding the relationship between the pathogenic mechanism of Brucella and the specific immune response of the infected host. In this study, DCs were isolated from BALB/C female mice and stimulated with Brucella major outer membrane proteins (OMPs: OMP10, OMP19, OMP25, BP26 and OMP31) or brucella mutants (Δ omp10 , Δ omp19 , Δ omp25 , Δ bp26 , Δ omp31 ) to examine their effects on DC maturity and antigen presentation.Results: Brucella OMP10, OMP19, BP26, brucella mutants Δ omp10 , Δ omp19 , Δ omp25 , Δ bp26 , Δ omp31 and Brucella RB51 induced DC maturation and antigen presentation efficiency in mice, activated proliferation of T lymphocytes, and decreased apoptosis, which helped the host recognize antigens and eliminate pathogens. However, Brucella 2308 evaded the host immune function and established chronic infection by maintaining a balance between intracellular replication and inducing apoptosis, thus reducing DC maturation and antigen presentation to T cells. Toll-like receptor (TLR) -mediated signaling pathways were involved in the DC maturation and antigen presentation induced by Brucella OMPs. Conclusion: These results enhance understanding of Brucella pathogenesis and the host protective immune response mechanism and lay the foundation for the rational design of Brucella vaccines.

The FMDV VP1 protein has different structures which could decrease or increase the immune response. We undertook a meta-analysis to evaluate the protective effect of VP1 on the FMDV. A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wan fang DATA was conducted up to April 2020. Experimental studies involving the VP1 protection effect on FMDV were included. Extracted data were analyzed using Rev-Man 5.3 software. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the heterogeneity among the documents. The fixed-effect model was used for meta-analysis to find the combined effect value and 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the differences in the combined values of model effects, and the inverted funnel chart method was used to assess the publication bias of the included literature. A total of 12 articles were included for meta-analysis. The results of showed that VP1 had a protective effect on FMDV [MH = -0.66, 95% CI = (−0.75, -0.56), P < 0.00001]. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were robust. The funnel graph method showed that the published literature had a small publication bias and met the requirements of this study. It is necessary to study the epitopes of VP1 to produce new vaccines. VP1 could protect animals from FMDV attacks. It is necessary to study the VP1 protein and its epitopes and use it as a new vaccine and diagnostic product.

Background: To determine the agreement between two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE) and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in left ventricular (LV) function in CTO patients: including end-systolic volume (LVESV), end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and ejection fraction (LVEF).Methods: Eighty-eight CTO patients were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent 2DTTE and CMR within one week of each other. The correlation and agreement of LVEF, LVESV and LVEDV as measured by 2DTTE and CMR were assessed using Pearson correlation, Kappa analysis and Bland-Altman method. Results: The mean age of patients enrolled was 57 ± 10 years. There was a strong correlation (r=0.71, 0.90 and 0.80, respectively, all PConclusions: The difference in measurement between 2DTTE and CMR should be noticed in CTO patients with EFTrial registration: Retrospectively registered

The balance between Th17 cells and T regulatory (Treg) cells has emerged as a prominent factor in regulating cancer development. However, the effect of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) on the differentiation of Treg/Th17 cells has not been well studied. We sought here to explore the function of CpG ODNs in the differentiation of Tregs and Th17 cells in vitro and in vivo.Mouse spleen cells were cultured with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies in vitro. Tregs and Th17 cell differentiation was induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and interleukin (IL)-2, or TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-23, respectively. Then cells were treated with two CpG ODNs, CpG 1982, or CpG 1826. FBL-3-inoculated C57Bl/6 mice were treated with CpG 1826, tumor vaccine, or combination of CpG 1826 and tumor vaccine. After treatment, spleen cells and serum were isolated, and Tregs/Th17 cells were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma-t (RORγt), IL-10, and IL-17 mRNA was measured by real-time PCR, and protein levels were measured by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The frequency of Treg cells increased significantly (p0.05) in the FBL-3-inoculated leukemia mouse model compared with control mice, whereas the frequency of Th17 cells did not change. Median survival of mice after treatment with CpG 1826 and tumor vaccine was significantly prolonged compared with that of control mice (p0.05). The frequency of induced Treg cells decreased after treatment with CpG 1826, whereas the frequency of Th17 cells induced by cytokines in vitro and in the murine leukemia model increased following treatment with CpG 1826. Furthermore, after treatment with CpG 1826, the mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3 and IL-10 decreased significantly both in vitro and in vivo (p0.05), whereas those of RORγt and IL-17 increased significantly (p0.05).CpG 1826 may inhibit the differentiation of Treg cells induced by cytokines, promote the differentiation of Th17 cells in vitro and in murine leukemia models, and prolong the median survival of mice with leukemia.