Effect of High Myopia and Cataract Surgery on the Correlation Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Chronic Kidney Disease

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect of high myopia and cataract surgery on the grading of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and their roles in the correlation between DR and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

METHODS

A total of 1,063 eyes of 1,063 diabetic patients were enrolled. We conducted binary and multiple multivariate regressions to analyze the ocular and systemic risk factors of DR. Based on the presence of myopia and history of cataract surgery, we divided the cases into four subgroups, namely those with high myopia, with the history of cataract surgery, with both conditions, and with neither, then determined the correlation between the stages of DR and CKD in each subgroup.

RESULTS

In the binary analysis, high myopia was identified as the protective factor for DR odds ratio (OR): 0.312 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.195-0.500, p < 0.001], whereas cataract surgery was one of the independent risk factors for DR [OR: 2.818 (95% CI: 1.507-5.273), p = 0.001]. With increased stages of DR, high myopia played an increasingly protective role [mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR), OR = 0.461, p = 0.004; moderate NPDR OR = 0.217, p = 0.003; severe NPDR, OR = 0.221, p = 0.008; proliferative DR (PDR), OR = 0.125, p = 0.001], whereas cataract surgery became a stronger risk factor, especially in PDR (mild NPDR, OR = 1.595, p = 0.259; moderate NPDR, OR = 3.955, p = 0.005; severe NPDR, OR = 6.836, p < 0.001; PDR, OR = 9.756, p < 0.001). The correlation between the stages of DR and CKD in the group with neither high myopia nor cataract surgery history was the highest among all subgroups.

CONCLUSION

High myopia was a protective factor, whereas cataract surgery is a risk factor for DR, and both factors showed stronger effects throughout the (natural disease) grading of DR. The stages of DR and CKD showed a higher correlation after adjustment of the ocular confounding factors.

Correlation Between Tic Disorders and Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Chinese Children

OBJECTIVE

To explore the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and tic disorders (TDs) in Chinese children.

METHODS

We selected 2960 children with TD and 2665 healthy controls, aged 5-14 years, from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Children's Hospital. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and degrees of vitamin D deficiency were compared between patients with TD and healthy children.

RESULTS

The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in the TD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the TD group was significantly higher than that in the control group. However, there was no correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and the severity of TD. In addition, for age-wise comparison, mean levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and its deficiency in the TD group were the most significant in children over 9 years of age.

CONCLUSION

There is a correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and TD in Chinese children, but not between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and the severity of TD. There was a correlation between age and deficiency of 25-hydroxyvitamin D; this deficiency was most pronounced among those over the age of 9 years.

Genetic characterization and clinical characteristics of bovine viral diarrhea viruses in cattle herds of Heilongjiang province, China

BACKGROUND

Heilongjiang province is the main cattle-producing area in China, and molecular epidemiological studies of bovine viral diarrhea viruses (BVDV) in cattle have not been performed in the province.

AIMS

The objective of this research was to determine the genetic and clinical characteristics of BVDV in cattle.

METHODS

Fifty-three BVDV-positive clinical samples were collected from 22 cattle farms in Heilongjiang, and the 5´-untranslated region (5´-UTR) was used to carry out a phylogenetic analysis of the viruses.

RESULTS

The similarity of the 5´-UTR sequences among these BVDVs was 84.2%-100%, and the phylogenetic analysis showed that all viruses belong to the BVDV-1 species, which is classified into five subtypes: BVDV-1b (47.17%, n=25), 1c (15.09%, n=8), 1d (16.98%, n=9), 1 m (3.77%, n=2), and 1o (16.98%, n=9). The statistical results showed that the BVDV-1b subtype had a positive correlation with gastrointestinal disease (P<0.05; 95% CI: 1.19 to 3.34). There were up to three or four BVDV-1 subtypes in some dairy cattle farms, but farms with a single subtype were prevalent (5/10).

CONCLUSION

BVDV-1b is predominant in cattle herds of Heilongjiang province, China, and shows a positive correlation with gastrointestinal disease. BVDV-1o was found for the first time in Chinese cattle, which increased the complex distribution of BVDV-1 subtypes in cattle herds of China.

CCT8 recovers WTp53-suppressed cell cycle evolution and EMT to promote colorectal cancer progression

LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) is a metastasis-related protein reported to enhance tumor progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. The chaperonin protein containing TCP1 (CCT) is a cellular molecular chaperone complex, which is necessary for the correct folding of many proteins. It contains eight subunits, CCT1-8. CCT8 is overexpressed in many cancers, however, studies on CCT8 are limited and its role on CRC development and progression remains elusive. In this study, we confirmed that CCT8 and LASP1 can interact with each other and express positively in CRC cells. CCT8 could recover the ability of LASP1 to promote the invasion of CRC; CCT8 could significantly promote the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of colorectal cells in vivo and in vitro. Mechanically, CCT8 inhibited the entry of WTp53 into the nucleus, and there was a negative correlation between the expression of CCT8 and the nuclear expression of WTp53 in clinical colorectal tissues. CCT8 promoted the cell cycle evolution and EMT progression of CRC by inhibiting the entry of WTp53 into the nucleus. Clinically, CCT8 was highly expressed in CRC. More importantly, the overall survival of CRC patients with high expression of CCT8 was worse than that of patients with low expression of CCT8. These findings indicate that as LASP1-modulated proteins, CCT8 plays a key role in promoting the progression of colorectal cancer, which provides a potential target for clinical intervention in patients with colorectal cancer.

Genome-wide investigation of the AP2/ERF gene family in ginger: evolution and expression profiling during development and abiotic stresses

BACKGROUND

AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) constitute one of the largest TF families in plants, which play crucial roles in plant metabolism, growth, and development as well as biotic and abiotic stresses responses. Although the AP2/ERF family has been thoroughly identified in many plant species and several AP2/ERF TFs have been functionally characterized, little is known about this family in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), an important affinal drug and diet vegetable. Recent completion of the ginger genome sequencing provides an opportunity to investigate the expression profiles of AP2/ERF genes in ginger on a genome-wide basis.

RESULTS

A total of 163 AP2/ERF genes were obtained in the Z.officinale genome and renamed according to the chromosomal distribution of the ZoAP2/ERF genes. Phylogenetic analysis divided them into three subfamilies, of which 35 belonged to the AP2 subfamily, 120 to ERF, three to RAV, and five to Sololist, respectively, which is in accordance with the number of conserved domains and gene structure analysis. A total of 10 motifs were detected in ZoAP2/ERF genes, and some of the unique motifs were found to be important for the function of ZoAP2/ERF genes. The chromosomal localization, gene structure, and conserved protein motif analyses, as well as the characterization of gene duplication events provided deep insight into the evolutionary features of these ZoAP2/ERF genes. The expression profiles derived from the RNA-seq data and quantitative reserve transcription (qRT-PCR) analysis of ZoAP2/ERFs during development and responses to abiotic stresses were investigated in ginger.

CONCLUSION

A comprehensive analysis of the AP2/ERF gene expression patterns in various tissues by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR showed that they played an important role in the growth and development of ginger, and genes that might regulate rhizome and flower development were preliminary identified. In additionally, the ZoAP2/ERF family genes that responded to abiotic stresses were also identified. This study is the first time to identify the ZoAP2/ERF family, which contributes to research on evolutionary characteristics and better understanding the molecular basis for development and abiotic stress response, as well as further functional characterization of ZoAP2/ERF genes with an aim of ginger crop improvement.

Inheritance of physico-chemical properties and ROS generation by carbon quantum dots derived from pyrolytically carbonized bacterial sources

Bacteria are frequently used in industrial processes and nutrient supplementation to restore a healthy human microflora, but use of live bacteria is often troublesome. Here, we hypothesize that bacterially-derived carbon-quantum-dots obtained through pyrolytic carbonization inherit physico-chemical properties from probiotic and pathogenic source-bacteria. Carbon-quantum-dots carbonized at reaction-temperatures below 200 ​°C had negligible quantum-yields, while temperatures above 220 ​°C yielded poor water-suspendability. Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy demonstrated preservation of amide absorption bands in carbon-quantum-dots derived at intermediate temperatures. X-ray photoelectron-spectroscopy indicated that the at%N in carbon-quantum-dots increased with increasing amounts of protein in source-bacterial surfaces. Carbonization transformed hydrocarbon-like bacterial surface compounds into heterocyclic aromatic-carbon structures, evidenced by a broad infrared absorption band (920-900 ​cm⁻¹) and the presence of carbon in C–C functionalities of carbon-quantum-dots. The chemical composition of bacterially-derived carbon-quantum-dots could be explained by the degradation temperatures of main bacterial cell surface compounds. All carbon-quantum-dots generated reactive-oxygen-species, most notably those derived from probiotic lactobacilli, carrying a high amount of surface protein. Concluding, amide functionalities in carbon-quantum-dots are inherited from surface proteins of source-bacteria, controlling reactive-oxygen-species generation. This paves the way for applications of bacterially-derived carbon-quantum-dots in which reactive-oxygen-species generation is essential, instead of hard-to-use live bacteria, such as in food supplementation or probiotic-assisted antibiotic therapy.

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Pyrolytic carbonization of bacteria between 200°C and 220°C yields water-suspendable CQDs.

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Bacterially-derived CQDs inherit amide functionalities from bacterial cell surface proteins.

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Hydrocarbon-like bacterial surface compounds give heterocyclic aromatic-carbon structures in bacterially-derived CQDs.

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Bacterially-derived CQDs possess graphitic nitrogen.

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Zeta potentials of CQDs relate with nitrogen occurrence in CQDs.

The role of AcPGIP in the kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) response to Botrytis cinerea

Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) is rich in nutritional and medicinal value. However, the organism responsible for grey mould, Botrytis cinerea, causes great economic losses and food safety problems to the kiwifruit industry. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying postharvest kiwifruit responses to B. cinerea is important for preventing grey mould decay and enhancing resistance breeding. Kiwifruit cv. 'Hongyang' was used as experimental material. The AcPGIP gene was cloned and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) was used to explore the function of the polygalacturonase inhibiting protein (PGIP) gene in kiwifruit resistance to B. cinerea. Virus-induced silencing of AcPGIP resulted in enhanced susceptibility of kiwifruit to B. cinerea. Antioxidant enzymes, secondary metabolites and endogenous hormones were analysed to investigate kiwifruit responses to B. cinerea infection. Kiwifruit effectively activated antioxidant enzymes and secondary metabolite production in response to B. cinerea, which significantly increased Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin 3 (GA3) and abscisic acid (ABA) content relative to those in uninfected fruit. Silencing of AcPGIP enabled kiwifruit to quickly activate hormone-signaling pathways through an alternative mechanism to trigger defence responses against B. cinerea infection. These results expand our understanding of the regulatory mechanism for disease resistance in kiwifruit; further, they provide gene-resource reserves for molecular breeding of kiwifruit for disease resistance.

The emerging roles of neutrophil extracellular traps in wound healing

Delayed wound healing causes problems for many patients both physically and psychologically, contributing to pain, economic burden, loss of function, and even amputation. Although many factors affect the wound healing process, abnormally prolonged or augmented inflammation in the wound site is a common cause of poor wound healing. Excessive neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation during this phase may amplify inflammation and hinder wound healing. However, the roles of NETs in wound healing are still unclear. Herein, we briefly introduce NET formation and discuss the possible NET-related mechanisms in wound healing. We conclude with a discussion of current studies, focusing on the roles of NETs in diabetic and normoglycemic wounds and the effectiveness of NET-targeting treatments in wound healing.

[Combined autologous fascia transplantation with autologous fascia and fat injection into the vocal fold for sulcus vocalis]

Objective: To assess voice outcomes after surgical technique for typeⅡ and type Ⅲ sulcus vocalis. Methods: The data of 39 cases of bilateral type Ⅱ-Ⅲ sulcus vocalis were collected and analyzed retrospectively. There were 29 patients with bilateral type Ⅲ sulcus vocalis, and 10 patients with type Ⅲ on one side and typeⅡon the contralateral vocal cord. All of vocal cords were applied autologous anterior rectus sheath fascia transplant, and 68 sides of vocal cords with type Ⅲ sulcus vocalis were also applied autologous fascia and fat injection. Two male patients, whose results from transplant and injection were not satisfied, were carried out cricothyroid myotomy one year after surgery. Subjective and objective voice evaluations were performed before and after operation. Results: One patient was found mild adhesion on the middle part of vocal cords, and all the other 38 patients recovered well and there were no complications. During 5-6 weeks after surgery, breathy voice was the feather. Then vocal quality and glottal closure were gradually improved and became steady in 12 months. It showed that all the subjective and objective parameters, except for fundamental frequency, were significantly improved (P<0.05), and obvious improvement was achieved in glottal closures and mucosal waves in 35 patients. Three patients obtained no significant vocal quality improvement after transplant and injection surgery, and two male patients of them achieved improvement in mucosal waves and MPT after bilateral cricothyroid muscle amputations. One patient, who was revealed with mild adhesion, achieved a satisfied result after adhesion separation and suture. All the patients who originally had feelings of fatigue and voice discontinuity during phonation gained significant improvement postoperatively. Steady function with no complications was observed during the 36 months (up to 5 years in 20 patients) follow-up period. Conclusions: Autologous fascia transplantation combined fascia and fat injcetion can lead to excellent long-term results, and it is a good treatment option for pathologic sulcus vocalis. Cricothyroid muscle amputations can reduce the tension, and may improve vibration property of the vocal fold in patients with pathological sulcus vocalis.

Improved Retinal Microcirculation After Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease

Background: Microcirculatory changes in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients undergoing cardiac surgery are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the changes of retinal microcirculation in CHD patients after cardiac surgery by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and explore the association between retinal microcirculation and surgical outcome.

Methods: This prospective observational study consisted of 71 CHD patients aged ≥6 years undergoing cardiac surgery including 19 cyanotic CHD (CCHD) and 52 acyanotic CHD (ACHD). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to measure vessel density (VD) and capillary density (CD) of radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) and peripapillary, VD of superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Transthoracic echocardiography was conducted to measure macrocirculation.

Results: In CCHD patients, VD and CD of RPC and peripapillary increased postoperatively (all P < 0.05). In ACHD patients, VD of peripapillary, CD of RPC and peripapillary, and RNFL thickness increased postoperatively (all P < 0.05). VD of SCP and DCP, and GCC thickness did not change significantly in CHD patients after surgery. Lower preoperative retinal microvascular density was associated with longer cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and postoperative length of stay (PLOS). No correlation was found between microcirculatory and macrohemodynamic parameters (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Improved retinal microcirculation was observed after congenital cardiac surgery and impaired preoperative retinal microvasculature was associated with prolonged CPB time and PLOS, which might provide potential information about the outcome of congenital cardiac surgery.

Precision of orthodontic cephalometric measurements on ultra low dose-low dose CBCT reconstructed cephalograms

Objectives

To analyze differences in variation of orthodontic diagnostic measurements on lateral cephalograms reconstructed from ultra low dose-low dose (ULD-LD) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans (RLC) as compared to variation of measurements on standard lateral cephalograms (SLC), and to determine if it is justifiable to replace a traditional orthodontic image set for an ULD-LD CBCT with a reconstructed lateral cephalogram.

Material and methods

ULD-LD CBCT images and SLCs were made of forty-three dry human skulls. From the ULD-LD CBCT dataset, a lateral cephalogram was reconstructed (RLC). Cephalometric landmarks (13 skeletal and 7 dental) were identified on both SLC and RLC twice in two sessions by two calibrated observers. Thirteen cephalometric variables were calculated. Variations of measurements, expressed as standard deviations of the 4 measurements on SLC and RLC, were analyzed using a paired sample t-test. Differences in the number of observations deviating ≥ 2.0 mm or degrees from the grand mean between SLC and RLC were analyzed using a McNemar test.

Results

Mean SDs for 7 out of 13 variables were significantly smaller for SLCs than those for RLCs, but differences were small. For 9 out of 13 variables, there was no significant difference between SLC and RLC for the number of measurements outside the range of 2 mm or degrees.

Conclusions

Based on the lower radiation dose and the small differences in variation in cephalometric measurements on reconstructed LC compared to standard dose LC, ULD-LD CBCT with reconstructed LC should be considered for orthodontic diagnostic purposes.

Clinical relevance

ULD-LD CBCT with reconstructed LC should be considered for orthodontic purposes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00784-021-04127-9.

Study of the Structure and Properties of ZnS Utilized in a Fluorescence Biosensor

ZnS materials have been widely used in fluorescence biosensors to characterize different types of stem cells due to their excellent fluorescence effect. In this study, ZnS was prepared by vulcanizing nano-Zn particles synthesized using a DC arc plasma. The composition and structure of the ZnS materials were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and their functional group information and optical properties were investigated by using IR spectrophotometry and UV-vis spectrophotometry. It has been found that the synthesized materials consist of Zn, cubic ZnS, and hexagonal ZnS according to the vulcanization parameters. Crystalline ZnS was gradually transformed from a cubic to a hexagonal structure, and the cycling properties first increase, then decrease with increasing sulfurization temperature. There is an optimal curing temperature giving the best cycling performance and specific capacity: the material sulfurized thereat mainly consists of cubic β-ZnS phase with a small quantity of Zn and hexagonal α-ZnS. The cubic phase ZnS has better conductivity than hexagonal ZnS, as evinced by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The ZnS (as prepared) shows board absorption, which can be used in fluorescence biosensors in cell imaging systems.

Haplotype-resolved genome of diploid ginger (Zingiber officinale) and its unique gingerol biosynthetic pathway

Ginger (Zingiber officinale), the type species of Zingiberaceae, is one of the most widespread medicinal plants and spices. Here, we report a high-quality, chromosome-scale reference genome of ginger 'Zhugen', a traditionally cultivated ginger in Southwest China used as a fresh vegetable, assembled from PacBio long reads, Illumina short reads, and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) reads. The ginger genome was phased into two haplotypes, haplotype 1 (1.53 Gb with a contig N50 of 4.68 M) and haplotype 0 (1.51 Gb with a contig N50 of 5.28 M). Homologous ginger chromosomes maintained excellent gene pair collinearity. In 17,226 pairs of allelic genes, 11.9% exhibited differential expression between alleles. Based on the results of ginger genome sequencing, transcriptome analysis, and metabolomic analysis, we proposed a backbone biosynthetic pathway of gingerol analogs, which consists of 12 enzymatic gene families, PAL, C4H, 4CL, CST, C3'H, C3OMT, CCOMT, CSE, PKS, AOR, DHN, and DHT. These analyses also identified the likely transcription factor networks that regulate the synthesis of gingerol analogs. Overall, this study serves as an excellent resource for further research on ginger biology and breeding, lays a foundation for a better understanding of ginger evolution, and presents an intact biosynthetic pathway for species-specific gingerol biosynthesis.

[Characteristics and clinical significance of wideband tympanometry of otitis media with effusion in young children]

Objective: To study the characteristics of wideband tympanometry(WBT) and its application value in the diagnosis of otitis media with effusion(OME) in young children. Methods: We compared wideband acoustic energy absorbance(EA) under peak pressure in young children with OME(190 ears) and healthy control subjects(121 ears) from Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine between January 2018 and June 2020. Both groups were divided into three groups, 1-6 months, 7-36 months and 37-72 months. SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used to analyze and compare the EA parameters between OME children of different months and the control group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of WBT in young children with OME. Results: There were significant differences in EA among three OME groups from 500 Hz to 2 000 Hz(P<0.05).Compared with the control groups, EA of 1-6 m OME group decreased significantly below 4 000 Hz(P<0.05), EA of 7-36 m OME group decreased significantly at 545-1 600 Hz(P<0.05), EA of 37-72 m OME group decreased significantly above 545 Hz(P<0.05).ROC curve indicated that EA at 1 000 Hz had the greatest diagnostic value (AUC was 0.890), followed by 1 500 Hz and the range of 500-2 000 Hz (AUC was 0.883 and 0.881, respectively).EA at 1 000 Hz with a cutoff value of 0.55 had the best diagnostic sensitivity of 90.8%, which was higher than conventional tympanometry (85.8%). The maximum AUC (0.932) could be obtained by combining EA, peak pressure and admittance amplitude of 226 Hz tympanometry as predictors. Conclusions: EA is significantly decreased in young children with OME. Compared with the conventional single frequency tympanometry, WBT is more accurate in the diagnosis of OME in young children, and the prediction accuracy would be better if combined with 226 Hz tympanometry.

[Real-world data studies of medical products in the context of special healthcare policy: study designs and key considerations]

Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Area is the only administrative area in China where the pilot application of real-world data is performed. Based on the special healthcare policy in Boao Lecheng, conducting real-world data study to provide real-world evidence for the clinical evaluations and approvals of innovated medical products has become an important field that supports the reform of China's evaluation and approval system of medical products. Trustworthy real-world evidence needs to rely on both high-quality real-world data and reasonable and rigorous study designs. Based on the real-world data research guidelines and specifications issued by relevant academic research and regulatory authorities both at home and abroad, combined with the special policy environment of Boao Lecheng and previous practice experience, this paper summarizes the study designs of real world data in Boao Lecheng and discusses the key considerations of different study design in the context of special healthcare policies in Boao Lecheng in order to provide reference for the further study of real-world data.

[Immune regulatory effect of tacrolimus in patients with severe aplastic anemia and in murine model]

Objective: To investigate the immunomodulatory effect of tacrolimus in severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Methods: Patients diagnosed with SAA at the Department of Hematology, General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from June 2015 to January 2018 were enrolled. CD8⁺T cells were sorted by immunomagnetic separation from peripheral blood of SAA patients. MTT method was used to detect the proliferation of CD8⁺T cells. The SAA mouse model was established by total body irradiation (TBI) and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). There were 10 normal controls without pretreatment, 10 rats in TBI group, 15 rats received TBI and DLI. The expression of perforin and granzyme in CD8⁺T cells and the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺cells in peripheral circulation were measured by flow cytometry. The level of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in medium supernatant of cultured CD8⁺T cells was tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SAA mouse model was established to study the recovery of hemogram and survival time after treatment. Results: A total of 16 SAA patients were enrolled, and there were 10 males and 6 females, with a median age of 35 (22-49) years. Tacrolimus inhibited the proliferation of CD8⁺T cells when IL-2 concentration was 20.0,200.0 and 2 000.0 U/ml (P<0.05). The expression of perforin in CD8⁺T cells of SAA patients treated with tacrolimus was significantly lower than that in blank control group and IL-2 group [(2.25±0.76)%, (6.70±0.82)% vs (9.10±1.90)%,all P<0.05]. The level of IFN-γ in CD8⁺T cells group after applying tacrolimus was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P<0.05). After 10 days of administration, the peripheral blood hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC) and platelet (PLT) counts of SAA mice in tacrolimus group were all higher than those in SAA group (all P<0.05). The expression of perforin in CD8⁺T cells in tacrolimus group was significantly lower than that in SAA group [(18. 39±6.65) vs (29. 99±9.83),P<0.05]. The median survival time of SAA group was 18.6 days, and the 90 day survival rate was 0. The median survival time of tacrolimus group was 44.6 days, and the 90 day survival rate was 80%. The survival time of SAA mice in tacrolimus group was significantly longer than that in SAA group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The immunomodulatory effect of tacrolimus in SAA is similar to CsA. It has an immunosupressive effect on CD8⁺T lymphocyte.

Cellular uptake of chitosan and its role in antifungal action against Penicillium expansum

Chitosan has wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity but knowledge of its antifungal mechanism is still incomplete. In this study, transcriptome of Penicillium expansum upon chitosan treatment was analyzed by RNA-Seq. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that endocytosis as well as other physiological pathways was regulated by chitosan treatment. Clathrin adaptor protein mu-subunit (PeCAM) gene, which encodes a protein associated with clathrin-dependent endocytosis, was up-regulated after chitosan treatment. Deletion of PeCAM resulted in changes of conidial, hyphal and colonial morphology. Confocal microscopy images of the distribution of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled chitosan confirmed cellular internalization of chitosan. However, deletion of PeCAM almost completely blocked uptake of chitosan into fungal cells and ΔPeCAM mutant exhibited less sensitivity to chitosan compared with wild type, suggesting that chitosan uptake is mediated by clathrin-dependent endocytosis and internalized chitosan also plays an important role in its antifungal activity. Collectively, our results provide a new insight into the antifungal mechanism of chitosan.

Identification of epigenetic regulators in the estrogen signaling pathway via siRNA screening

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant disease among women across the globe. Notably, estrogen signaling plays a vital role in the progression of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Therefore, targeting epigenetic regulators is a promising therapy for cancer. To identify epigenetic regulators, we conducted a siRNA screening targeting 140 epigenetic genes by which 32 positive and 15 negative regulators of estrogen signaling were obtained. The protein-protein interaction network of the candidate genes was constructed and the topological parameters of the network were calculated. As a result, the top 10 genes with higher MCC (Maximal Clique Centrality) scores were considered as hub genes. Notably, the hub genes all belong to polycomb group genes. The transcription levels of the above genes were compared between breast cancer and normal tissues using the UALCAN database. Then, the survival analysis of the hub genes was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter online database. Lastly, the effect of hub genes on MCF-7 cell proliferation and ER target gene expression were investigated. These results indicate that PcG genes regulate estrogen signaling and breast cancer development.

Sequential occurrence of different subtypes of nonpuerperal mastitis in contralateral breasts: a report of two cases

BACKGROUND

Nonpuerperal mastitis (NPM) is a nonspecific chronic inflammation in the breast. The two most common pathologic subtypes are idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) and plasma cell mastitis (PCM). The cause of NPM is unknown, and the recurrence rate is high; however, the sequential development of two different pathologic subtypes of NPM in contralateral breasts of the same patient is rare.

CASE SUMMARY

Two women who were in their 30 s and with a history of childbearing had an inflammatory mass in one breast, which was identified as PCM by core needle biopsy. However, 1 year after treatment, IGM occurred in the contralateral breast. Histopathologic results after the surgery confirmed both diagnoses. New-onset PCM in both patients was successfully treated with local extended surgical resection and antibiotics combined with incision and drainage. The IGM that developed in the contralateral breast after 1 year was treated with local extended surgical resection and oral steroids. No signs of NPM recurrence were observed in either breast after a follow-up period of more than 1 year.

CONCLUSION

Because recurrence after NPM treatment often occurs in the affected breast, the contralateral breast, which does not often exhibit morbidity factors, is often ignored during treatment follow-up. However, our cases suggest that patients with the occurrence of NPM in one breast should undergo long-term follow-up of the contralateral breast by close monitoring. NPM recurrence should also be considered when there is pain, redness, and swelling in the contralateral breast.

Analysis and comparison of key proteins in Maiwa yak and bovine milk using high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Yak milk is an essential and predominant food resource for Tibetan people for subsistence purposes and to combat altitude-induced challenges. Due to its unique qualities, yak milk has recently been gaining broader attention from consumers across China as well in other parts of the world. One of the key characteristics of yak milk is the protein content, which is about 40 to 60% higher than that of native bovine milk. In this work, a sensitive and reproducible high-throughput analytical method was developed employing both ultra high-performance liquid chromatography Orbitrap (Thermo Fisher Scientific) high-resolution accurate mass spectroscopy (UHPLC-HRAM-MS) and UHPLC coupled with triple quadrupole tandem MS (UHPLC-QqQ-MS) to simultaneously analyze 8 milk proteins. A total of 15 Maiwa yak milk samples and 15 bovine milk samples were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using targeted proteomics and compared for α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, α_S1-casein, α_S2-casein, β-casein, κ-casein, lactoferrin, and osteopontin. Peptides of β-lactoglobulin were used to specifically distinguish yak and bovine milk. The results showed that this novel detection method could quantitatively detect these major and minor milk proteins with >0.99 linear correlation coefficient and a recovery rate between 90 and 120%, with relative standard deviations typically less than 10%. The data revealed that yak milk not only had higher overall milk protein content than bovine milk but higher lactoferrin and osteopontin contents as well. The lactoferrin content of yak milk was about 30% higher than that of bovine milk, and the osteopontin content of yak milk was nearly twice that of bovine milk. The application of this method demonstrates that UHPLC-HRAM-MS and UHPLC-QqQ-MS are suitable for high-throughput qualitative and quantitative analysis of major and minor proteins of yak and bovine milk.