Seroprevalence of antibodies to classical swine fever virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in healthy pigs in Hunan Province, China

Classical swine fever (CSF) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) are responsible for major economic losses and represent a threat to the swine industry worldwide. Routine surveillance serology for CSF and PRRS viruses is critical to maintaining the health status of sow farms in Hunan Province, which is one of the top pig production provinces in China. The aim of our study was to investigate the serological statistics of CSF virus (CSFV) and PRRS virus (PRRSV) in Hunan Province. The cohort serum samples were collected from vaccinated and unvaccinated pigs. Our findings showed that the average rates of CSFV and PRRSV antibody seropositivity were 82.2% (95% CI: 80.1-84.3) and 84.8% (95% CI: 82.5-87.1), respectively, in the immunized group and that these rates were higher than those in the unvaccinated group (58.6% for CSFV and 47.8% for PRRSV). Additionally, the level of CSFV antibody in piglet serum declined gradually with age, whereas PRRSV-specific antibody level increased initially (1 to 2 weeks old) and then declined with age (2 to 4 weeks old). In summary, we investigated the difference in CSFV/PRRSV antibody levels among piglets at various weeks old (1 to 4 weeks) to further establish the duration of maternal immunity in piglets. In addition, routine monitoring of CSFV/PRRSV antibodies in immunized pigs was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of vaccination.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar NiTi and 304 stainless steel joints produced by ultrasonic welding

Superelastic NiTi alloy and 304 stainless steel (304 SS) were joined with a Cu interlayer by ultrasonic spot welding (USW) using different welding energy inputs. The surface morphology, interfacial microstructure, mechanical properties, and fracture mechanisms of the dissimilar NiTi/304 SS USWed joints were studied. The results showed that the surface oxidation intensified with increasing ultrasonic welding energy due to mutual rubbing between tools and sheets. The weld interface microstructure exhibited voids or unbonded zones at low energy inputs, while an intimate contact was established at the joining interface when applying a higher energy input of 750 J. With increasing energy input to 750 J, the weld interface shows two interfaces due to the behavior of plastic flow of Cu interlayer. The lap-shear load of the joints first increased, achieving a maximum value of ∼690 N at an energy input of 750 J, and then decreased with further increase in welding energy. Interfacial failure was observed at NiTi/Cu interface at all energy inputs, and no intermetallic compounds were found on the fracture surfaces of both the NiTi/Cu and Cu/304 SS interfaces.

Clinical study of the clinical characteristics and prognosis of 1219 cases of endometrial cancer with lymph node metastasis

To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of endometrial cancer patients with lymph node metastasis to provide a reference for lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer. The data used in this study were extracted from a tertiary hospital in Guangxi, China based on the hospital information system. 1219 patients with endometrial malignancy who were treated in our hospital. The lymph node metastasis rate was 9.8%. The metastasis rate of the abdominal aorta + pelvic lymph nodes (56.7%) was significantly higher than that of the pelvic (24.2%) or para-aortic (19.2%) lymph nodes alone. The proportion of postmenopausal patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of premenopausal patients. The proportion of patients with lymph node metastasis with vaginal and uterus involvement, HPV detection, Thinprep Cytologic Testresults, CRP level <10 ug/mL, G3 tumor grade, postoperative pathology indicating cervical invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and muscular infiltration depth > 1/2 was higher than that of patients without lymph node metastasis. The proportion of endometrial cancer patients with lymph node metastasis with CA125 ≥ 35 U/ml was higher than that of those with CA125 < 35 U/ml. The lymph node-positive rate is related to tissue differentiation, lymphangitic infiltration, cervical invasion, muscle infiltration depth > 1/2, and CA125 level. The metastasis rate of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes is higher than that of pelvic lymph nodes or para-aortic lymph nodes alone. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall survival rate among the three groups.

[An optimized protocol of meniscus cell extraction for single-cell RNA sequencing]

OBJECTIVE

To optimize the protocol of meniscus cell extraction to enhance the efficiency of cell suspension preparation and maintain a high cell viability for single-cell RNA sequencing.

METHODS

We compared the efficiency of the routine cell extraction methods (short-time digestion and long-time digestion) and the optimized protocol for obtaining meniscus cell suspensions by evaluating the cell number obtained and the cell viability. Single-cell RNA sequencing datasets were analyzed to evaluate the stability of the cell suspension prepared using the optimized protocol. The reliability of the optimized protocol was assessed by comparing the single-cell RNA sequencing dataset obtained by the optimized protocol with published single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of the meniscus.

RESULTS

The optimized protocol harvested a greater number of cells (over 1×10⁵) than the routine protocols. The cell suspension prepared with the optimized protocol showed a cell viability higher than 80%, the highest among the 3 methods. Analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets showed that the ratio of the mitochondrial genes was below 20% in over 80% of the cells. CD34⁺ cells, MCAM⁺ cells and COL1A1⁺ cells were identified in the datasets. Comparison with the publish datasets showed that the optimized protocol was capable of harvesting COL3A1⁺, COL1A1⁺, MYLK⁺, BMP2⁺, CD93⁺ and CDK1⁺ cells.

CONCLUSION

Single-cell suspension prepared from the meniscus can be stably obtained using the optimized protocol for single-cell RNA sequencing using the 10× Genomics platform.

[Surface modification of titanium implant with hBMP-2/hIGF-1 for promoting biocompatibility and osteogenesis]

OBJECTIVE

To prepare the human bone morphogenetic protein-2(hBMP-2)/human insulin-like growth factor-1(hIGF-1)coating titanium(Ti)and assess its performance as a dental implant material.

METHODS

hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 were coated to the smooth surface of a Ti plate, and its efficacy for promoting bone formation and bone integration was compared with a pristine Ti plate.The surface characteristics of the metal samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and by contact angle measurement.MG63 cells were seeded on the surface of the Ti plates, and MTT assay and alizarin red staining was used to examine the cell proliferation and formation of calcified nodules, respectively.Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)secretion of the cells was examined with ELISA, and cellular expressions of osteocalcin and osteopontin were detected with Western blotting for assessing osteogenesis.

RESULTS

SEM examination showed that the surface of Ti with hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 coating presented with a radial pattern resembling snowflakes.The contact angles of non-coated Ti, hBMP-2-coated Ti, hIGF-1-coated, and hBMP-2/-hIGF-1-coated Ti samples were 83.2°, 54°, 56° and 54°, respectively.Compared with the non-coated Ti plate, the surface-modified Ti samples showed a significantly smaller contact angle (P=0.032, 0.029, and 0.028), indicating a good hydrophilicity of the samples.MTT assay showed that MG63 cells grew well on the surface of the coated Ti plates.The hBMP-2/IGF-1 coating significantly induced cellular secretion of ALP(P=0.021, 0.014)and obviously promoted osteogenesis of MG63 cells (P < 0.05).Western blotting results showed that hBMP-2/IGF-1 coating significantly enhanced the expressions of osteocalcin and osteopontin in the seeded cells (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

hBMP-2 and hIGF-1 coating of Ti material can promote osteogenesis of the cells seeded on its surface to improve the performance of such Ti material as dental implants.

LncRNA INHBA-AS1 promotes cell growth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by sponging miR-143-3p

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "LncRNA INHBA-AS1 promotes cell growth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by sponging miR-143-3p, by W.-Q. Ma, J. Chen, W. Fang, X.-Q. Yang, A. Zhu, D. Zhang, H.-L. Zhong, B. Yang, Z. Luo, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (4): 1821-1828-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202002_20360-PMID: 32141551" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20360.

Gender and age differences in the association between sleep characteristics and fasting glucose levels in Chinese adults

AIM

The present study examined the associations between night-time sleep duration, midday napping duration and bedtime, and fasting glucose levels, and whether or not such associations are dependent on gender and age.

METHODS

This study was a cross-sectional analysis of 172,901 adults aged≥40 years living in mainland China. Sleep duration was obtained by self-reports of bedtime at night, waking-up time the next morning and average napping duration at midday. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG)≥7.0mmol/L was defined as hyperglycaemia. Independent associations between night-time sleep duration, midday naptime duration and bedtime with hyperglycaemia were evaluated using regression models.

RESULTS

Compared with night-time sleep durations of 6-7.9h, both short (<6h) and long (≥8h) night-time sleep durations were significantly associated with an increased risk of hyperglycaemia in women [odds ratio (OR): 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.29 and OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.08-1.21, respectively], and revealed a U-shaped distribution of risk in women and no significant association in men. Long midday nap durations (≥1h) were significantly but weakly associated with hyperglycaemia (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.09) compared with no napping without interactions from gender or age, whereas the association between bedtime and fasting glucose levels did vary according to gender and age.

CONCLUSION

Night-time sleep duration, midday napping duration and bedtime were all independently associated with the risk of hyperglycaemia, and some of the associations between these sleep characteristics and hyperglycaemia were gender- and age-dependent.

Crystallographic and calorimetric analysis on Pleurotus ostreatus lectin and its sugar complexes - promiscuous binding driven by geometry

Carbohydrate recognition is established as a property of lectins and implicated in many functions including immunity and defense against pathogens. Many lectins are characterized and proposed for various applications owing to the above said recognition. The crystal structure of a lectin from Pleurotus ostreatus has been determined and shown to be calcium dependent. The overall structure is a tandem repeat of two β-jelly roll domains, a new fold for lectins. The calcium dependence of sugar binding is analyzed in-detail through isothermal titration calorimetry. The serendipitous observation of malonate and glycerol, the intentional N-Acetyl-D-galactosamine, D-Galactose and L-Rhamnose binding to Pleurotus ostreatus lectin by Ca²⁺ coordination revealed that the binding site is promiscuous. Among these sugars, Rhamnose binding found to be thermodynamically most favourable. In all these structures, a vicinal diol motif, one at axial and the other at equatorial positions could be established as a specific requirement for binding. Interestingly, when compared with other calcium mediated lectin structures; this geometric requirement is found conserved. This observation could lead to the conclusion that lectins are not 'molecule specific' but 'geometry specific' so that any molecule not necessarily a sugar may be recognized by this lectin if the geometry exists.

Involvement of nitrogen in storage root growth and related gene expression in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Nitrogen (N) could affect storage root growth and development of sweet potato. To manage external N concentration fluctuations, plants have developed a wide range of strategies, such as growth changes and gene expression. Five sweet potato cultivars were used to analyse the functions of N in regulating storage root growth. Growth responses and physiological indicators were measured to determine the physiological changes regulated by different N concentrations. Expression profiles of related genes were analysed via microarray hybridization data and qRT-PCR analysis to reveal the molecular mechanisms of storage root growth regulated by different N concentrations. The growth responses and physiological indicators of the five cultivars were changed by N concentration. The root fresh weight of two of the sweet potato cultivars, SS19 and GS87, was higher under low N concentrations compared with the other cultivars. SS19 and GS87 were found to be having greater tolerance to low N concentration. The expression of N metabolism and storage root growth related genes was regulated by N concentration in sweet potato. These results reveal that N significantly regulated storage root growth. SS19 and GS87 were more tolerant to low N concentration and produced greater storage root yield (at 30 days). Furthermore, several N response genes were involved in both N metabolism and storage root growth.

Quantum Rotation Sensing with Dual Sagnac Interferometers in an Atom-Optical Waveguide

We describe a Sagnac interferometer suitable for rotation sensing, implemented using an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a harmonic magnetic trap. The atom wave packets are split and recombined by standing-wave Bragg lasers, and the trapping potential steers the packets along circular trajectories with a radius of 0.2 mm. Two conjugate interferometers are implemented simultaneously to provide common-mode rejection of noise and to isolate the rotation signal. With interference visibilities of about 50%, we achieve a rotation sensitivity comparable to Earth's rate in about 10 min of operation. Gyroscope operation was demonstrated by rotating the optical table on which the experiment was performed.

A novel endoscopic visible full-thickness cryoablation device on stomach

Cryoablation has been used for the treatment of various sorts of solid visceral tumors, but few are reported on gastric tumor via endoscope, in terms of accurate control of ablation site, freezing depth and effective temperature. Thus, we developed a novel device, which could perform accurate cryoablation on the stomach via endoscope. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the device on porcine stomach. Results showed that the novel device could provide direct view of the operation space, allowing accurate and safe ablation of the stomach. Three minutes cryoablation caused a transmural, 1 cm radius gastric lesion. On serosal side, the temperature dropped to -64.2 °C, -34.1 °C, 26.1 °C at the center, 1 cm and 2 cm from center, respectively. Histopathology revealed acute ruptured cells with damaged glands in mucosa, partial disruption in muscularis propria and serosal slight exudation. Three months later, scar formed with complete recovery of gastric structure. No active bleeding or perforation of stomach, nor injury or adhesion of adjacent organs was observed. This endoscopic cryoablation device allowed safe, full-thickness cryoablation with effective temperature, which may provide an alternative treatment for gastric tumor.

LncRNA INHBA-AS1 promotes cell growth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by sponging miR-143-3p

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the progression of tumorigenesis. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a disease widely widespread all over the world. The aim of this study was to identify how lncRNA INHBA-AS1 functions in the progression of OSCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LncRNA INHBA-AS1 expression in both OSCC cells and 48 paired tissue samples was detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). The function of INHBA-AS1 was identified by the transwell assay, wound healing assay, and proliferation assay in vitro. Meanwhile, the role of INHBA-AS1 was investigated through tumor formation assay in vivo. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored by the luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation assay (RIP).

RESULTS

INHBA-AS1 was highly expressed in OSCC tissues when compared with adjacent tissue samples. The proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC cells were significantly inhibited after the knockdown of INHBA-AS1 in vitro. Meanwhile, the knockdown of INHBA-AS1 remarkably inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Besides, miR-143-3p was down-regulated after the knockdown of INHBA-AS1 in vitro. The expression of miR-143-3p was negatively correlated with the expression of INHBA-AS1 in OSCC tissues. In addition, miR-143-3p was directly targeted by INHBA-AS1.

CONCLUSIONS

The knockdown of INHBA-AS1 repressed cell migration, invasion, and proliferation in OSCC by sponging miR-143-3p, which might offer a new therapeutic intervention for OSCC patients.

PHLPP2 is a novel biomarker and epigenetic target for the treatment of vitamin C in pancreatic cancer

Epigenetic dysregulations are closely associated with the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is one of the most aggressive malignancies and currently has limited treatment options. Vitamin C (VC), an epigenetic mediator, exerts antitumor effects on several types of cancer. However, the clinical application of VC is limited, particularly in PDAC. Thus, to investigate the antitumor effects and explore the potential clinical application of VC in PDAC, the survival of patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were analyzed, and proliferation, apoptosis and migration assays were performed in the present study. It was first established that high expression levels of the sodium‑dependent VC transporter 2, a critical VC transporter, predicted a good prognosis in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. It was further confirmed that VC directly inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and suppressed migration of human pancreatic cancer cells. Global 5‑hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) content was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer cells following VC treatment, predominantly relying on ten‑eleven translocation 2. Furthermore, VC could specifically increase 5hmC levels at the promotor region on PH domain leucine‑rich repeat protein phosphatase 2 (PHLPP2) and enhance PHLPP2 expression levels. When PHLPP2 expression levels were knocked down, VC was able to partially overcome the inhibition of pancreatic cancer cells. These results illustrated a novel and precise mechanism of action of epigenetic alterations that underly the inhibition of VC in pancreatic cancer, and emphasized that PHLPP2 may be a new biomarker and epigenetic target for the clinical treatment of VC in PDAC.