Metagenomic analysis of viral genetic diversity in respiratory samples from children with severe acute respiratory infection in China

Severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in children is thought to be mainly caused by infection with various viruses, some of which have been well characterized; however, analyses of respiratory tract viromes among children with SARI versus those without are limited. In this study, nasopharyngeal swabs from children with and without SARI (135 versus 15) were collected in China between 2008 and 2010 and subjected to multiplex metagenomic analyses using a next-generation sequencing platform. The results show that members of the Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae, Parvoviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Picornaviridae, Anelloviridae and Adenoviridae families represented the most abundant species identified (>50% genome coverage) in the respiratory tracts of children with SARI. The viral population found in the respiratory tracts of children without SARI was less diverse and mainly dominated by the Anelloviridae family with only a small proportion of common epidemic respiratory viruses. Several almost complete viral genomes were assembled, and the genetic diversity was determined among several samples based on next-generation sequencing. This research provides comprehensive mapping of the viromes of children with SARI and indicates high heterogeneity of known viruses present in the childhood respiratory tract, which may benefit the detection and prevention of respiratory disease.

Cognitive function in a middle aged cohort is related to higher quality dietary pattern 5 and 25 years earlier: the CARDIA study

BACKGROUND

Preserving cognitive function is an important public health issue. We investigated whether dietary pattern associates with cognitive function in middle-age.

METHODS

We studied 2435 participants in the community-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study of black and white men and women aged 18-30 in 1985-86 (year 0, Y0). We hypothesized that a higher A Priori Diet Quality Score, measured at Y0 and Y20, is associated with better cognitive function measured at Y25. The diet score incorporated 46 food groups (each in servings/day) as the sum of quintile ranks of food groups rated beneficial, 0 for food groups rated neutral, and reversed quintile ranks for food groups rated adverse; higher score indicated better diet quality. Y25 cognitive testing included verbal memory (Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)), psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)) and executive function (Stroop).

RESULTS

Per 10-unit higher diet score at Y20, the RAVLT was 0.32 words recalled higher, the DSST was 1.76 digits higher, and the Stroop was 1.00 seconds+errors lower (better performance) after adjusting for race, sex, age, clinic, and energy intake. Further adjustment for physical activity, smoking, education, and body mass index attenuated the association slightly. Diet score at Y0 and increase in diet score over 20 years were also positively associated with each cognitive test.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher quality dietary pattern was associated with better cognitive function 5 years and even 25 years later in apparently healthy middle-aged adults.

The deposition of Notch1 in hepatitis B virus-associated nephropathy and its role in hepatitis B virus X protein-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation and immunity disorder in renal tubular epithelial cells

Notch1 plays an important role in the regulation of immune responses and epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation (EMT). Previous studies have observed inflammatory cell infiltration and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the renal biopsies from patients with HBV-associated glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN). We hypothesized that Notch1 may be involved in the progression of HBV-GN. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of Notch1 in patients with HBV-GN. Our results showed that Notch1 was mainly distributed in renal tubules and the interstitial area, and the expression levels of Notch1 had a positive correlation with the renal tubular pathology. In this respect, we used human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) as target cells, which were transiently transfected with the hepatitis B virus X (HBx) gene using a eukaryotic vector. HBx expression resulted in significantly increased detection of Notch1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), major histocompatibility complex-II (MHC-II), CD40 and interleukin-4 (IL-4). At the same time, E-cadherin and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) expression levels were significantly inhibited. These HBx-induced phenotypes were exacerbated by upregulation of Notch1. Knock-down of Notch1 by specific shRNA caused decreases of α-SMA, MHC-II, CD40 and IL-4, and increases of E-cadherin and IFN-γ. These findings suggest that Notch1 is significantly associated with renal tubular and interstitial lesions. Notch1 can mediate HBx-induced EMT of HK-2 cells, promote HBx-induced increases in immune molecule expression and exacerbation of cytokine disorders, which may contribute to the progression of HBV-GN. Inhibitors of Notch1 signalling may be useful as new therapeutics for the treatment of HBV-GN.

Triptolide inhibits the multidrug resistance in prostate cancer cells via the downregulation of MDR1 expression

Triptolide (TPL) is a diterpenoid triepoxide derived from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii and possesses anti-tumor activity against a range of cancer cells. However, the effect of TPL on prostate cancer cells and its potential to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) have not been explored. Therefore, in this study we used prostate cancer cell line DU145 as the experimental model and established DU145/ADM cell line resistant to adriamycin (ADM). Our results showed that TPL inhibited the proliferation and induced the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of DU145 cells in a dose and time dependent manner. TPL decreased the levels of Cyclin D1 and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, and increased the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins Fas and Bax. Furthermore, we found that TPL restored the sensitivity DU145/ADM cells to ADM in a dose dependent manner, and this was accompanied by the inhibition of MDR1 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that TPL overcomes MDR in prostate cancer cells by downregulating MDR1 expression, and suggest that TPL is a promising agent for prostate cancer therapy, especially for chemoresistant prostate cancer.

Hypertonic saline reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse brain edema through inhibiting aquaporin 4 expression

INTRODUCTION

Three percent sodium chloride (NaCl) treatment has been shown to reduce brain edema and inhibited brain aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expression in bacterial meningitis induced by Escherichia coli. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main pathogenic component of E. coli. We aimed to explore the effect of 3% NaCl in mouse brain edema induced by LPS, as well as to elucidate the potential mechanisms of action.

METHODS

Three percent NaCl was used to treat cerebral edema induced by LPS in mice in vivo. Brain water content, IL-1β, TNFα, immunoglobulin G (IgG), AQP4 mRNA and protein were measured in brain tissues. IL-1β, 3% NaCl and calphostin C (a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C) were used to treat the primary astrocytes in vitro. AQP4 mRNA and protein were measured in astrocytes. Differences in various groups were determined by one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Three percent NaCl attenuated the increase of brain water content, IL-1β, TNFα, IgG, AQP4 mRNA and protein in brain tissues induced by LPS. Three percent NaCl inhibited the increase of AQP4 mRNA and protein in astrocytes induced by IL-1β in vitro. Calphostin C blocked the decrease of AQP4 mRNA and protein in astrocytes induced by 3% NaCl in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Osmotherapy with 3% NaCl ameliorated LPS-induced cerebral edema in vivo. In addition to its osmotic force, 3% NaCl exerted anti-edema effects possibly through down-regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNFα) and inhibiting the expression of AQP4 induced by proinflammatory cytokines. Three percent NaCl attenuated the expression of AQP4 through activation of protein kinase C in astrocytes.

Expression patterns of human DAB2IP protein in fetal tissues

Human DOC-2/DAB2-interacting protein (DAB2IP) is encoded by a tumor suppressor gene and a newly recognized member of the Ras-GTPase-activating family. DAB2IP is a critical component of many signal transduction pathways mediated by Ras and tumor necrosis factors including apoptosis pathways, and it is involved in the formation of many types of tumors. DAB2IP participates in regulation of gene expression and pluripotency of cells. It has been reported that DAB2IP was expressed in different tumor tissues. Little information is available concerning the expression levels of DAB2IP in normal tissues and cells, however, and no studies of its expression patterns during the development of human embryos have been reported. We examined the expression of DAB2IP during human embryonic development to understand better DAB2IP functions. Human fetuses, weeks 9 to 38, and a newborn were obtained from miscarriages or stillbirths. Tissues were embedded in paraffin to construct arrays that were stained immunohistochemically. The DAB2IP-positive cells were identified and scored based on both the percentage of stained cells and their staining intensities. DAB2IP was expressed in most fetal tissues examined. DAB2IP was expressed primarily in cell cytoplasm throughout the fetal development. The expression levels varied among tissues and different gestational ages. Virtually no expression was observed in the cerebrum, parotid gland, thymus, thyroid gland and spleen. Expression was much greater in the adrenal gland and pancreas; weakly to moderately strong in the endocardium, stomach, kidney, testis and small intestine; and lower in liver, trachea, skin, ovary and endometrium. Its expression in the lung, esophagus and bladder were much weaker to absent.

Analysis of an ultra-compact wavelength filter based on hybrid plasmonic waveguide structure

In this letter, we propose and analyze an ultra-compact wavelength filter on silicon-based hybrid plasmonic waveguides, which confines light in a nanometeric silica dioxide layer between the silicon substrate and metal cap. The filter consists of a stub structure coupled to a straight waveguide. The three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to calculate the spectral responses of such devices. Similar resonant behaviors are obtained since those devices are based on two-dimensional Metal-Insulator-Metal waveguide structure. Results also show that by adding stubs and tuning the distance between stubs can further improve the device's performance and shape the spectral response to some extent.

Moxifloxacin monotherapy for treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin monotherapy for treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections. PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to retrieve randomised controlled trials (RCTs) compared moxifloxacin monotherapy with other antibiotics in the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections from January 1999 to July 2011. A meta-analysis of all included randomised controlled trials was performed. Four randomised controlled trials including a total of 2444 patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections were included for meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that the moxifloxacin was associated with similar clinical cure rate (four RCTs, 1934 patients, OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.61, 1.04, p = 0.09), bacteriological success rates (four RCTs, 1484 patients, OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.59, 1.05, p = 0.11) and mortality (four RCTs, 2227 patients, OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.45, 1.83, p = 0.79) compared with the control group. The overall incidence of adverse events of moxifloxacin was significantly higher than that in the control group (three RCTs, 1367 patients, OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.63, p = 0.008), although the incidence of drug-related adverse events (three RCTs, 1601 patients, OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.69, 1.85, p = 0.63) and serious adverse events (three RCTs, 1815 patients, OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.59, 2.60, p = 0.58) were similar between the compared treatment groups. Moxifloxacin is an effective and relatively safe option for the treatment of patients with intra-abdominal infections. Moxifloxacin monotherapy has similar efficacy to combination therapy.

Hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplantation: three case reports

OBJECTIVE

To explore the surgical techniques of hepatic artery reconstruction in liver transplantation (OLT) and the choice of treatment for hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT).

METHODS

We analyzed hepatic artery reconstructions based on 234 cadaveric donor liver transplantations and seven living related liver transplantations from April 2003 to February 2009. Anastomosis time was compared between the groups with respect to vascular caliber. Interventional thrombolysis or early thrombectomy and hepatic artery reconstruction was implemented in three HAT cases.

RESULTS

The hepatic artery anastomoses for vessels less than 3 mm in diameter (n = 78) required 33.6 ± 21.3 minutes which were significantly greater compared with those for vessels more than 3 mm in diameter (n = 163; 19.4 ± 7.4 minutes). Among two patients (0.83%) who developed early HAT within the first week after the operation, one was successfully treated by interventional thrombolysis, but the other required an urgent conduit between the aorta and the graft after attempted thrombolysis. Only one patient (0.41%) displayed a delayed HAT without special management, but recovered liver function upon follow-up.

DISCUSSION

Early detection and proper revascularization measures can yield satisfactory results after HAT.