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BackgroundConsumer-generated content, such as postings on social media websites, can serve as an ideal source of information for studying health care from a consumer’s perspective. However, consumer-generated content on health care topics often contains spelling errors, which, if not corrected, will be obstacles for downstream computer-based text analysis. ObjectiveIn this study, we proposed a framework with a spelling correction system designed for consumer-generated content and a novel ontology-based evaluation system which was used to efficiently assess the correction quality. Additionally, we emphasized the importance of context sensitivity in the correction process, and demonstrated why correction methods designed for electronic medical records (EMRs) failed to perform well with consumer-generated content. MethodsFirst, we developed our spelling correction system based on Google Spell Checker. The system processed postings acquired from MedHelp, a biomedical bulletin board system (BBS), and saved misspelled words (eg, sertaline) and corresponding corrected words (eg, sertraline) into two separate sets. Second, to reduce the number of words needing manual examination in the evaluation process, we respectively matched the words in the two sets with terms in two biomedical ontologies: RxNorm and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT). The ratio of words which could be matched and appropriately corrected was used to evaluate the correction system’s overall performance. Third, we categorized the misspelled words according to the types of spelling errors. Finally, we calculated the ratio of abbreviations in the postings, which remarkably differed between EMRs and consumer-generated content and could largely influence the overall performance of spelling checkers. ResultsAn uncorrected word and the corresponding corrected word was called a spelling pair, and the two words in the spelling pair were its members. In our study, there were 271 spelling pairs detected, among which 58 (21.4%) pairs had one or two members matched in the selected ontologies. The ratio of appropriate correction in the 271 overall spelling errors was 85.2% (231/271). The ratio of that in the 58 spelling pairs was 86% (50/58), close to the overall ratio. We also found that linguistic errors took up 31.4% (85/271) of all errors detected, and only 0.98% (210/21,358) of words in the postings were abbreviations, which was much lower than the ratio in the EMRs (33.6%). ConclusionsWe conclude that our system can accurately correct spelling errors in consumer-generated content. Context sensitivity is indispensable in the correction process. Additionally, it can be confirmed that consumer-generated content differs from EMRs in that consumers seldom use abbreviations. Also, the evaluation method, taking advantage of biomedical ontology, can effectively estimate the accuracy of the correction system and reduce manual examination time.

Background: Cholecystokinin (CCK) is implicated in the regulation of nociceptive sensitivity of primary afferent neurons. Nevertheless, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Methods: Using patch clamp recording, western blot analysis, immunofluorescent labelling, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, adenovirus-mediated shRNA knockdown and animal behaviour tests, we studied the effects of CCK-8 on the sensory neuronal excitability and peripheral pain sensitivity mediated by A-type K+ channels. Results: CCK-8 reversibly and concentration-dependently decreased A-type K+ channel (IA) in small-sized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons through the activation of CCK type B receptor (CCK-BR), while the sustained delayed rectifier K+ current was unaffected. The intracellular subunit of CCK-BR coimmunoprecipitated with Gαo. Blocking G-protein signaling with pertussis toxin or by the intracellular application of anti-Gβ antibody reversed the inhibitory effects of CCK-8. Antagonism of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) but not of its common downstream target Akts abolished the CCK-BR-mediated IA response. CCK-8 application significantly activated JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase. Antagonism of either JNK or c-Src prevented the CCK-BR-mediated IA decrease, whereas c-Src inhibition attenuated the CCK-8-induced p-JNK activation. Application of CCK-8 enhanced the action potential firing rate of DRG neurons and elicited mechanical and thermal pain hypersensitivity in mice. These effects were mediated by CCK-BR and were occluded by IA blockade. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that CCK-8 attenuated IA through CCK-BR that is coupled to the Gβγ-dependent PI3K and c-Src-mediated JNK pathways, thereby enhancing the sensory neuronal excitability in DRG neurons and peripheral pain sensitivity in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetradium ruticarpum , previously and commonly known as Evodia rutaecarpa , is a tree that produces a fruit which is one of the most important traditional Chinese medicine herbs in China (Zhao et al. 2015). In July 2019, an investigation of diseases of T. ruticarpum was conducted in the farmland of Ruichang County (29.68° N, 115.65° E), Jiujiang City, China. An unknown fruit rot disease was observed and the incidence rate was estimated to be 60% to 70% within a 5,000 m 2 area. The early symptoms appeared as small circular to irregular dark brown or black spots on the fruit, which gradually coalesced to a light brown-to-black discoloration and caused fruit rot. To identify the causal agent of the disease, 10 diseased fruits were collected and surface disinfected with 2% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, 70% ethanol for 30 s, rinsed in sterile water and dried on filter paper. Tissues from non-symptomatic tissue as well as from the margin between healthy and affected edge were incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25±1°C (12 h light/dark) with 90% relative humidity for 5 days. The colonies were brown to black with abundant whitish margins. Conidiophores were brown and measured 20.40 - 43.10×1.30 - 4.20 μm (25.47 × 2.35 µm on average, n=50). Conidia produced in single or branched chains, were obclavate or ovoid, approximately 9.90 - 32.80×6.50 - 14.50 μm (28.75×12.57 µm on average, n=50) with 2 to 5 transverse septa and 0 to 3 longitudinal septa. The colonies were consistent with Alternaria alternata (Simmons 2007). For molecular identification, the f partial internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) genes, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) and Alternaria major allergen (Alt a1) gene of the isolate were amplified using primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), GDF/GDR (Templeton et al. 1992), EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999) and Alt-for/Alt-rev (Hong et al. 2005). Sequence data showed 100% homology to A. alternata (GenBank accessions No.MN625176.1 (570/570 bp), MK683866.1 (618/618 bp), MK637432.1 (281/281 bp), KT315515.1 (488/488 bp)), respectively and the sequence data were deposited into GenBank with accession numbers MN897753 (ITS), MT041998 (gapdh), MT041999 (TEF), and MT042000 (Alt a1). Based on both morphological and molecular characteristics, the pathogen was identified as A. alternata . To confirm pathogenicity, 10 μl of a spore suspension (1.0 × 10 6 conidia/ml) obtained from 5-day-old PDA cultures of the strain were inoculated on 20 wounded (using sterile needle) and 20 nonwounded healthy T. ruticarpum fruits previously disinfected in 75% ethanol. Control fruits including 20 wounded fruits and 20 nonwounded fruits were inoculated with sterilized water. All fruits were incubated at 25±1°C (12 h light/dark) with 90% relative humidity. Four days later, all the wounded and non-wounded fruits showed the initial symptoms of black rot which was similar to that observed in the field, while the wounded and nonwounded fruits treated with sterile water remained healthy. The same pathogen was again isolated from the inoculated fruits. The pathogenicity experiment was repeated three times with the same results. As far as we know, this is the first report of A. alternata causing fruits rot on T. ruticarpum in China, and the identification of the pathogen will provide useful information for developing effective control strategies.