[Exploring the factors affecting music-related quality of life in post-lingual deaf adults with cochlear implants]

Objective: To observe the feelings of listening to music and the importance of music in the daily life of post-lingual deaf adults with cochlear implants, and to explore the relevant influencing factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study. From January 2021 to August 2021,the Music-Related Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the music needs and music experiences of 63 post-lingual deaf adults who met the inclusion criteria, including 27 males and 36 females, aged (40.7±12.3) years, at the time of surgery (36.8±13.1) years, and with a preoperative hearing aid ineffective time of (3.9±5.8) years. Indicators analyzed included age, duration of ineffective preoperative hearing aid wear, preoperative music preference, duration of postoperative cochlear implant use, current hearing aid modality, and auditory rehabilitation outcomes. Whether the six factors mentioned above constituted an influence on the subjects' music listening was investigated using SPSS 25.0 statistical software. Results: All of the observations in the scale were correlated with a single factor. The two sub-dimensions of music experience section were related to the effect of auditory rehabilitation. In the importance section, the effect of auditory rehabilitation was the influential factor of the dimension of "participation importance", and the preoperative enjoyment of music was the relevant influential factor of the dimension of "perceived importance". There was a significant difference between the groups when they were grouped by the above factors (P value<0.05), while there was no statistically significance between the groups when they were grouped by other factors (P value>0.05). Conclusions: Post-lingual deaf adults show the need and attempt to listen to music after cochlear implantation. The effectiveness of auditory rehabilitation and the degree of music preference preoperatively are two important factors that influence music listening in implant recipients. Once the level of auditory communication has been restored to a certain degree, it is important to pay more attention to the needs of music for implant recipients and train them in time, especially for those with music preferences preoperatively.

[Research advances of stem cell-based tissue engineering repair materials in promoting the healing of chronic refractory wounds on the body surface]

Repairing chronic refractory wounds on the body surface is a complex medical problem involving all stages of wound healing. In recent years, stem cells (SCs) and tissue engineering (TE) have brought hope for repairing chronic refractory wounds. SCs have excellent regenerative and paracrine effects; various TE strategies have the potential to repair chronic refractory wounds on the body surface and also improve the delivery efficiency of SCs. This article reviews the pathological characteristics of chronic refractory wounds, SCs used to repair chronic refractory wounds, and SC-based TE wound repair strategies.

[An exploratory clinical study of the efficacy and safety of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the treatment of metastatic osteosarcoma]

Objective: To explore the safety and efficacy of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) extracted from tumor tissue in patients with pulmonary metastasis of osteosarcoma, the TILs were amplified in vitro to reach clinical dosage and reinfused to the patients combined with high-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2). Methods: Twelve subjects with pathologically diagnosed osteosarcoma were enrolled from December 2019 to June 20, 2021 in Shanghai General Hospital. All subjects progressed with metastasis after standard chemotherapy and failed multiple lines of treatments. Fresh tumor tissue was obtained from the metastatic site and extracted and amplified by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) workshop to produce TILs to clinical treatment dosage (10⁹-10¹¹). High-dose IL-2 (100 000-200 000 U/kg) was administered immediately after autogenous TILs infusion to promote the activation, proliferation and antitumor cytolytic activity in vivo. Adverse events (AE) were graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) standard and tumor response was assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. Results: One patient did not receive treatment due to failure in isolating TILs, total of 11 patients received a single re-infusion of autologous TILs. There were 10 males and 1 female with a median age of 19.9 years (12-33 years). Six of these patients received higher dose levels of 1.0×10¹⁰ TILs. The 11 patients were followed-up for 1 to 13 months and tolerated well. The most common adverse events reported were fever (10/11), constipation (3/11) and elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (3/11). The high incidence of fever was due to the IL-2 infusion. All patients experienced a transient drop in lymphocyte count and leukopenia leading to non-myeloid ablative lymphocyte clearance. The AE included grade 4 hematologic toxicity, including 8 cases of lymphocytopenia, 2 cases of neutropenia and 1 case of thrombocytopenia. No AE of neurotoxicity occurred. Of all the 11 patients, 9 patients got stable disease (SD) and 2 patients had progressive disease (PD). The disease control rate was 9/11. The median duration of SD was more than 4 months, and the maximum tumor volume decreased by close to 20%. Patient number 9 had sustained SD status for more than 6 months. Conclusions: TILs with in vitro expansion ability could be isolated from tumor tissues of advanced osteosarcoma patients. TILs amplified and reinfused in vitro have anti-osteosarcoma activity.

cGAS Restricts PRRSV Replication by Sensing the mtDNA to Increase the cGAMP Activity

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an RNA virus that causes great economic losses globally to the swine industry. Innate immune RNA receptors mainly sense it during infection. As a DNA sensor, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) plays an important role in sensing cytosolic DNA and activating innate immunity to induce IFN-I and establish an antiviral cellular state. In contrast, the role of innate immune DNA sensors during PRRSV infection has not been elucidated. In this study, we found that cGAS facilitates the production of IFN-β during PRRSV infection. Western blot and virus titer assays suggested that cGAS overexpression suppressed the replication of multiple PRRSV strains, while knockout of cGAS increased viral titer and nucleocapsid protein expression. Besides, our results indicated that the mitochondria were damaged during PRRSV infection and leaked mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the cytoplasm. The mtDNA in the cytoplasm co-localizes with the cGAS, and the cGAMP activity was increased when the cGAS was overexpressed during PRRSV infection. Furthermore, the cGAMP also possesses an anti-PRRSV effect. These results indicate for the first time that cGAS restricts PRRSV replication by sensing the mtDNA in the cytoplasm to increase cGAMP activity, which not only explains the molecular mechanism by which cGAS inhibits PRRSV replication but also provides research ideas for studying the role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in the process of RNA virus infection.

[Postoperative rehabilitation effect and influence factors of adult prelingual deafness with cochlear implant]

Objective: To investigate whether pre-lingual deafness adult caused by inadequate auditory compensation in childhood can benefit from cochlear implants and the related influencing factors. Methods: A total of 26 prelingual deafness as experimental group [11 males and 15 females, the age of operation was (24.5±5.7) years] and 13 postlingual deafness as control group [5 males and 8 females, the age at the time of operation was (42.2±11.4) years] were recruited. Objective assessment included hearing threshold and speech recognition rate tests while wearing cochlear implants. Subjective assessment used Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire to assess hearing-related quality of life of subjects. The changes of hearing ability in the prelingual deafness group before and after operation and the differences with the postlingual deafness group were compared, and the correlation between speech recognition ability and the age diagnosed as severe or profound deafness, the age of hearing aid invalid, and duration of wearing cochlear implant were analyzed as factor indicators. All statistical results were analyzed by SAS 9.4 software. Results: In terms of objective indicators, the speech recognition rate of pre-lingual deafness was significantly lower than that of post-lingual deafness [(35.4±28.0)% vs (80.9±8.0)%,t=7.67, P<0.001], while there was no statistical difference in hearing threshold between the two groups [(34.8±4.0) dB HL vs (33.1±3.7) dB HL, t=1.30, P>0.05]. The indicators in the subjective questionnaire showed that the prelingual deafness group was only weaker in advanced sound perception, confidence and total mean score than the post-lingual deafness group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in other aspects(P>0.05), meanwhile, all indicators of the prelingual deafness group were significantly improved compared with the preoperative level (P<0.001). There was a moderate positive correlation between the hearing quality and the speech recognition rate in the prelingual deafness group(r=0.51, P=0.008). The regression analysis showed that the invalid age of hearing aid was the exact influencing factor of speech recognition rate. Conclusions: Certain prelingual deaf adults can adapt to cochlear implants and obtain different degrees of auditory assistance. Compared with the improvement of objective auditory ability assessment, the patient who received cochlear implantation gain more improvement in auditory related quality of life subjectively. The ineffective age of preoperative hearing aid is an important factor, which needs to be aroused sufficient preoperative attention.

[Effects of high protein diet on anthropometric indices and blood lipid in overweight and obese children: a Meta-analysis]

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a high-protein diet on anthropometric indices and blood lipid in overweight and obese children and provide evidence for their dietary management. Methods: This was a Meta-analysis. The randomized controlled trials on the effects of a high-protein diet on anthropometric indices and blood lipid in overweight and obese children published up to January 19, 2022 were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library and CNKI database, with the key words of "child" "adolescent" "obesity" "overweight" "pediatric obesity" "weight loss" "dietary protein" "dietary carbohydrate" "caloric restrict" both in English and Chinese. The quality of the included literature was evaluated according to the "risk of bias" assessment tool, which included bias from the randomization process, deviation from intended interventions, missing outcome data, measurement of the outcome and selection of the reported results. Moreover, calculated the pooled mean difference, perform heterogeneity test, and assess publication bias. Results: A total of 8 articles were selected from the retrieved 4 836 articles, all in English. The sample sizes ranged from 4 to 120. The analysis showed that the post-intervention body mass index (mean difference (MD)=-0.66, 95%CI -1.76-0.44), body mass index Z-scores (MD=-0.09, 95%CI-0.23-0.05), fat content percentage (MD=-1.07, 95%CI-2.88-0.74), high density lipoprotein (MD=0.02, 95%CI-0.02-0.06) and low density lipoprotein (MD=0.04, 95%CI-0.08-0.17) were not significantly different with those of the standard protein diet group, with P values being 0.240, 0.220, 0.250, 0.360 and 0.480, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that after excluding one study, the difference in body mass index between the short-term intervention group and control group was statistically significant (MD=-1.60, 95%CI-3.14--0.06, P=0.040). Conclusions: A short-term high-protein diet intervention seems to improve the body mass index status of overweight and obese children. Nevertheless, a high-protein diet does not affect any other selected anthropometric indices and blood lipids. More studies with large sample sizes, higher quality and comparable standard of high-protein diet are needed for further demonstration.

[Effects of temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel on wound healing of full-thickness skin defect in rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects of temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel on wound healing of full-thickness skin defect in rats. Methods: The experimental research method was used. Fifty-one no matter male or female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 7-10 weeks were selected, and two round full-thickness skin defect wounds with a diameter of 2 cm were created on the back of each rat at a distance about 1.0 cm to the spine. The rats were divided into temperature-sensitive hydrogel group, gel group, and blank control group according to the random number table, with 17 rats and 34 wounds in each group. Wounds of rats in the first two groups were applied respectively with 0.3 mL temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel and carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel immediately after injury, and the wounds of rats in blank control group received no treatment. The wounds of rats in the three groups were all covered with vaseline oil gauze. The states of temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel in wounds of rats in gel group were observed every day when the dressings were changed, and the difficulty of vaseline oil gauze removal was recorded. On the 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, the wound healing of rats in the three groups was observed and the wound healing rates were calculated. On the 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, tissue from 4 wounds of 2 rats in each group was collected for the following observation and detection. The infiltration of inflammatory cells, angiogenesis, and re-epithelialization were observed by hematoxylin eosin staining. The regeneration and remodeling of collagen fibers were observed by Masson staining, and the collagen volume fraction was calculated. The expressions of interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor β₁ (TGF-β₁), and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design, one-way analysis of variance, and Bonferroni test. Results: The carboxymethyl chitosan gel in wounds of rats in gel group was liquid gel and could flow with the body position, while the temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group was solid gel and could not flow with the body position, and the distribution of the latter was more uniform. The vaseline oil gauzes were easily removed in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group, while the vaseline oil gauzes were difficult to remove in the other two groups. On the 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, the wound granulation tissue of rats grew well in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and gel group, with no obvious infection, and two rats in blank control group died of wound infection on the 3rd and 5th day after injury. On the 7th, 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, the wound healing rates of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and gel group were significantly higher than that in blank control group (P<0.01). On the 10th day after injury, the wound healing rate of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group was significantly higher than that in gel group (P<0.05). A large number of neutrophils and lymphocytes infiltrated into the wounds of rats in the three groups on the 3rd day after injury. The infiltration of inflammatory cells was gradually reduced and the wound healed gradually in rats of temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and gel group from the 7th to 21st day after injury, and the epidermis and dermis could be seen, without hair follicles and other skin appendages. The wounds of rats in blank control group did not heal completely on 21st day after injury. From the 3rd to 10th day after injury, the newly formed collagen fibers increased gradually in the wounds of rats in the three groups. On the 14th and 21st day after injury, the collagen fibers in the wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and gel group were denser and more orderly than those in blank control group. On the 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, the collagen volume fraction of wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and gel group was significantly higher than that in blank control group (P<0.01). On the 14th day after injury, the collagen volume fraction of wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group was significantly higher than that in gel group (P<0.01). On the 3rd, 7th, and 10th day after injury, the expressions of IL-6 in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in gel group and blank control group (P<0.01), and the expressions of IL-6 in wounds of rats in gel group were significantly lower than those in blank control group (P<0.01). On the 3rd, 7th, and 10th day after injury, the expressions of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in gel group and blank control group (P<0.01). The expressions of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in gel group were significantly lower than those in blank control group on the 3rd and 7th day after injury (P<0.01), and the expression of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in gel group was significantly higher than that in blank control group on the 10th day after injury (P<0.01). On the 14th day after injury, the expression of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in gel group was significantly higher than that in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and blank control group (P<0.01). On the 21st day after injury, the expression of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group was significantly lower than that in gel group and blank control group (P<0.01), and the expression of TGF-β₁ in wounds of rats in gel group was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P<0.01). On the 7th day after injury, the expression of MMP-1 in wounds of rats in gel group was significantly higher than that in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group and blank control group (P<0.01). On the 10th, 14th, and 21st day after injury, the expressions of MMP-1 in wounds of rats in temperature-sensitive hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in gel group and blank control group (P<0.01). On the 10th day after injury, the expression of MMP-1 in wounds of rats in gel group was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P<0.01). On the 14th and 21st day after injury, the expressions of MMP-1 in wounds of rats in gel group were significantly higher than those in blank control group (P<0.01). Conclusions: Temperature-sensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel can promote the healing of full-thickness skin defect wounds in rats by increasing the expressions of IL-6, TGF-β₁, and MMP-1, regulating the wound healing environment, inhibiting inflammatory reaction, improving the strength of tissue repair, and promoting collagen synthesis or decomposition.

Mixed Transcriptome Analysis Revealed the Possible Interaction Mechanisms between Zizania latifolia and Ustilago esculenta Inducing Jiaobai Stem-Gall Formation

The smut fungus Ustilago esculenta infects Zizania latifolia and induces stem expansion to form a unique vegetable named Jiaobai. Although previous studies have demonstrated that hormonal control is essential for triggering stem swelling, the role of hormones synthesized by Z. latifolia and U. esculenta and the underlying molecular mechanism are not yet clear. To study the mechanism that triggers swollen stem formation, we analyzed the gene expression pattern of both interacting organisms during the initial trigger of culm gall formation, at which time the infective hyphae also propagated extensively and penetrated host stem cells. Transcriptional analysis indicated that abundant genes involving fungal pathogenicity and plant resistance were reprogrammed to maintain the subtle balance between the parasite and host. In addition, the expression of genes involved in auxin biosynthesis of U. esculenta obviously decreased during stem swelling, while a large number of genes related to the synthesis, metabolism and signal transduction of hormones of the host plant were stimulated and showed specific expression patterns, particularly, the expression of ZlYUCCA9 (a flavin monooxygenase, the key enzyme in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis pathway) increased significantly. Simultaneously, the content of IAA increased significantly, while the contents of cytokinin and gibberellin showed the opposite trend. We speculated that auxin produced by the host plant, rather than the fungus, triggers stem swelling. Furthermore, from the differently expressed genes, two candidate Cys2-His2 (C2H2) zinc finger proteins, GME3058_g and GME5963_g, were identified from U. esculenta, which may conduct fungus growth and infection at the initial stage of stem-gall formation.

[Comparison of corneal refractive power and astigmatism measured by the new anterior segment optical coherence tomographic device and Scheimpflug imaging device in age-related cataract patients]

Objective: To compare the difference and agreement of corneal refractive power and astigmatism measured by the new swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (SS-AS-OCT) device (CASIA2) and Scheimpflug imaging device (Pentacam) in age-related cataract patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 112 eyes of 112 patients with age-related cataract were examined before phacoemulsification in the Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from April to May 2020. The steep keratometry (Ks), flat keratometry (Kf), mean keratometry (Km), degree and axis of astigmatism of the corneal anterior and posterior surfaces and the total cornea were recorded. The difference in astigmatism was analyzed by the arithmetic method and the vector method. The difference of data was evaluated using Paired t test or Wilcoxon test. The agreement of data was evaluated using Bland-Altman plots. Results: The patients were 44 males and 68 females with an average age of (67±10) years. There were no statistically differences in the Ks and Km values of the corneal anterior surface between the Pentacam and the CASIA2 (both P>0.05). There was significant difference in the Kf values of the corneal anterior surface between the Pentacam and the CASIA2 [(44.24±1.73) D vs. (44.14±1.64) D; t=2.278; P<0.05]. The Ks, Kf, and Km values of the posterior surface of the cornea measured by the Pentacam and the CASIA2 were (-6.60±0.29) D vs. (-6.45±0.28) D, (-6.34±0.27) D vs. (-6.17±0.25) D, and (-6.47±0.26) D vs. (-6.31±0.25) D, respectively. The Ks, Kf, and Km values of the total cornea measured by the two instruments were (45.08±1.84) D vs. (43.94±1.64) D, (44.18±1.85) D vs. (43.02±1.64) D, and (44.63±1.82) D vs. (43.48±1.60) D, respectively. There were significant differences in the Ks, Kf, and Km values of the posterior surface of the cornea and the total cornea (t=-14.440, -13.522, -17.186, 21.016, 21.819, 22.981; all P<0.01). The degree and axis of astigmatism of the corneal anterior and posterior surfaces and the total cornea showed no statistically significant difference (all P>0.05). Vector operation results showed that the astigmatism difference vector (DV) of the Pentacam and the CASIA2 on the anterior surface of the cornea was 0.06 D@57°±0.64 D,>0.50 D in 47 eyes (41.96%). The astigmatism DV on the posterior surface of the cornea was 0.07 D@174°±0.21 D, >0.50 D in 2 eyes (1.79%). The astigmatism DV on the total cornea was 0.13 D@3°±0.69 D,>0.50 D in 59 eyes (52.68%). The results of the two devices were positively correlated (r values of the Ks, Kf, Km, and astigmatism degree on the anterior surface of the cornea were 0.970, 0.968, 0.976, and 0.697, respectively, on the posterior surface of the cornea were 0.918, 0.875, 0.925, and 0.517, respectively, and on the total cornea were 0.951, 0.955, 0.959, and 0.622, respectively; all P<0.01). Bland-Altman analysis showed that the Ks, Kf, Km, and astigmatism degree of the corneal anterior and posterior surfaces measured by the two devices were consistent, with 2.68% to 8.04% of the measured values outside 95% limits of agreement (95%LoA). The 95%LoA of the total corneal Ks, Kf, and Km between the two devices was 0.01 to 2.28 D, 0.06 to 2.27 D, and 0.10 to 2.20 D, respectively, with a wide 95%LoA range and poor consistency. Conclusions: The corneal refractive power and astigmatism measured by the CASIA2 and the Pentacam shows little difference on the anterior surface of the cornea, with good agreement. However, the refractive power results of the posterior surface of the cornea and the total cornea show great difference, suggesting that these two instruments cannot be used interchangeably in clinical practice. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 48-55).

Recombinant pseudorabies virus expressing E2 of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) protects against both virulent pseudorabies virus and CSFV

Both classical swine fever (CSF) and pseudorabies are highly contagious, economically significant diseases of swine in China. Although vaccination with the C-strain against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is widely carried out and severe outbreaks of CSF seldom occur in China, CSF is sporadic in many pig herds and novel sub-subgenotypes of CSFV endlessly emerge. Thus, new measures are needed to eradicate CSFV from Chinese farms. The emergence of a pseudorabies virus (PRV) variant also posed a new challenge for the control of swine pseudorabies. Here, the recombinant PRV strain JS-2012-ΔgE/gI-E2 expressing E2 protein of CSFV was developed by inserting the E2 expression cassette into the intergenic region between the gG and gD genes of the gE/gI-deletion PRV variant strain JS-2012-ΔgE/gI. The recombinant virus was stable when passaged in vitro. A single vaccination of JS-2012-ΔgE/gI-E2 via intramuscular injection fully protected against lethal challenges of PRV and CSFV. Vaccination of piglets with the recombinant JS-2012-ΔgE/gI-E2 in the presence of high levels of maternally derived antibodies (Abs) to PRV can provide partial protection against lethal challenge of CSFV. Vaccination of the recombinant PRV JS-2012-ΔgE/gI-E2 strain did not induce the production of Abs to the gE protein of PRV or to the CSFV proteins other than E2. Thus, JS-2012-ΔgE/gI-E2 appears to be a promising recombinant marker vaccine candidate against PRV and CSFV for the control and eradication of the PRV variant and CSFV.

Identification of two novel epitopes targeting glycoprotein E of pseudorabies virus using monoclonal antibodies

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), the agent of pseudorabies, has raised considerable attention since 2011 due to the outbreak of emerging PRV variants in China. In the present study, we obtained two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) known as 2E5 and 5C3 against the glycoprotein E (gE) of a PRV variant (JS-2012 strain). The two mAbs reacted with wild PRV but not the vaccine strain (gE-deleted virus). The 2E5 was located in ¹⁶¹RLRRE¹⁶⁵, which was conserved in almost of all PRV strains, while 5C3 in ¹⁴⁸EMGIGDY¹⁵⁴ was different from almost of all genotype I PRV, in which the 149th amino acid is methionine (M) instead of arginine (R). The two epitopes peptides located in the hydrophilic region and reacted with positive sera against genotype II PRV (JS-2012), which suggests they were likely dominant B-cell epitopes. Furthermore, the mutant peptide ¹⁴⁸ERGIGDY¹⁵⁴ (genotype I) did not react with the mAb 5C3 or positive sera against genotype II PRV (JS-2012). In conclusion, both mAb 2E5 and 5C3 could be used to identify wild PRV strains from vaccine strains, and mAb 5C3 and the epitope peptide of 5C3 might be used for epidemiological investigation to distinguish genotype II from genotype I PRV.

[Clinical comparison analysis in surgically induced astigmatism of the total, anterior and posterior cornea after 2.2-mm versus 3.0-mm clear corneal incision cataract surgery]

Objective: To compare the surgical induced astigmatism(SIA) of the total, anterior and posterior cornea between eyes with 2.2-mm and 3.0-mm clear corneal incisions in phacoemulsification. Methods: A prospective double-blind randomized controlled study was conducted on 131 patients (131 eyes) with age-related cataract from October 2017 to June 2018. They were randomized according to the random number table. Sixty-nine patients received phacoemulsification through a 2.2-mm clear corneal incision at 140 degrees; 62 patients were recruited in the control group with a 3.0-mm clear corneal incision at the same position. Lens density was graded and compared between the groups preoperatively. Total corneal refractive power (TCRP), simulated keratometry (SimK) and posterior corneal astigmatism (PCA) (Apex, 4-mm zone) were recorded through the Pentacam preoperatively and at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively. Corneal astigmatism was decomposed to vertical/horizontal (X) and oblique changes (Y) using the power vector analysis. Independent sample t test and matched t test were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 123 patients (123 eyes) completed 3 months of follow-up including 65 in the 2.2-mm group and 58 in the control group. The age of the two groups was (69±9) and (71±10) years old, and the lens density was (2.08±0.47) and (2.12±0.46) grades, respectively. Both the age and the lens density of the two groups were not statistically significant (both P>0.05). Preoperative TCRP, SimK and PCA were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). SIA was calculated using the vector analysis. Centroid SIA conducted from TCRP, SimK and PCA in the 2.2-mm group was -0.11 D@146°, -0.11 D@151° and -0.03 D@67°, respectively, at 3 months postoperatively. In the 3.0-mm group, it was -0.25 D@158°, -0.24 D@147° and -0.04 D@47°, respectively. Statistical significance was found between the two groups in the Y polar value of SIA of the anterior surface [(-0.10±0.30) vs.(-0.22±0.37) D, t=-2.133, P=0.035] and the SIA of the posterior surface [(0.24±0.16) vs. (0.19±0.12) D, t=2.009, P=0.047] at 3 months postoperatively. In the comparison of the SIA of TCRP and anterior surface, statistical significance was found in the absolute value of SIA at all the intervals in the 2.2-mm group [(0.87±0.80) vs. (0.58±0.48) D, (0.58±0.48) vs. (0.50±0.28)D, (0.57±0.37) vs. (0.47±0.28) D, t=5.102, 4.155, 3.877, all P<0.01] and at 1 week and 1 month in the 3.0-mm group [(0.82±0.57) vs. (0.58±0.41) D, (0.59±0.36) vs. (0.50±0.28) D, t=5.034, 3.919, both P<0.01]. X components of SIA(TCRP) and SIA(simk) were significantly different at 3 month postoperatively in 3.0-mm group (P<0.05). Y components of SIA(TCRP) and SIA(SimK) were significantly different at 1 week postoperatively in the 2.2-mm group[(-0.48±0.85) vs.(-0.24±0.42) D, P<0.01] and 3.0-mm group [(-0.58±0.66) vs. (-0.37±0.42) D, P<0.01]. Conclusions: Compared with the 3.0-mm incision, the 2.2-mm coaxial micro-incision cataract surgery has a lower and more stable SIA. The effect of a clear corneal incision in cataract surgery on the total cornea is more obvious than that on the anterior surface of the cornea. The difference is significant in the early stage and gradually decrease with time. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55: 495-501).

Nucleocapsid protein of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus antagonizes the antiviral activity of TRIM25 by interfering with TRIM25-mediated RIG-I ubiquitination

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is caused by PRRS virus (PRRSV), and is characterized by respiratory diseases in piglet and reproductive disorders in sow. Identification of sustainable and effective measures to mitigate PRRSV transmission is a pressing problem. The nucleocapsid (N) protein of PRRSV plays a crucial role in inhibiting host innate immunity during PRRSV infection. In the current study, a new host-restricted factor, tripartite motif protein 25 (TRIM25), was identified as an inhibitor of PRRSV replication. Co-immunoprecipitation assay indicated that the PRRSV N protein interferes with TRIM25-RIG-I interactions by competitively interacting with TRIM25. Furthermore, N protein inhibits the expression of TRIM25 and TRIM25-mediated RIG-I ubiquitination to suppress interferon β production. Furthermore, with increasing TRIM25 expression, the inhibitory effect of N protein on the ubiquitination of RIG-I diminished. These results indicate for the first time that TRIM25 inhibits PRRSV replication and that the N protein antagonizes the antiviral activity by interfering with TRIM25-mediated RIG-I ubiquitination. This not only provides a theoretical basis for the development of drugs to control PRRSV replication, but also better explains the mechanism through which the PRRSV N protein inhibits innate immune responses of the host.

MOV10 inhibits replication of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus by retaining viral nucleocapsid protein in the cytoplasm of Marc-145 cells

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been a major threat to global industrial pig farming ever since its emergence in the late 1980s. Identification of sustainable and effective control measures against PRRSV transmission is a pressing problem. The nucleocapsid (N) protein of PRRSV is specifically localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of virus-infected cells which is important for PRRSV replication. In the current study, a new host restricted factor, Moloney leukemia virus 10-like protein (MOV10), was identified as an inhibitor of PRRSV replication. N protein levels and viral replication were significantly reduced in Marc-145 cells stably overexpressing MOV10 compared with those in wild-type Marc-145 cells. Adsorption experiments revealed that MOV10 did not affect the attachment and internalization of PRRSV. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence co-localization analyses showed that MOV10 interacted and co-localized with the PRRSV N protein in the cytoplasm. Notably, MOV10 affected the distribution of N protein in the cytoplasm and nucleus, leading to the retention of N protein in the former. Taken together, these findings demonstrate for the first time that MOV10 inhibits PRRSV replication by restricting the nuclear import of N protein. These observations have great implications for the development of anti-PRRSV drugs and provide new insight into the role of N protein in PRRSV biology.

The emergence of a highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus with additional 120aa deletion in Nsp2 region in Jiangxi, China

Highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (HP-PRRS), which emerged in China in 2006, was characterized by high fever, high morbidity and high mortality. The causative agent of the disease was a highly pathogenic variant of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (also called HP-PRRSV), which has a discontinuous deletion of 1 + 29 amino acids (aa) in the Nsp2 coding region, compared to classical PRRSV. In 2014, fattened pigs on a pig farm in Jiangxi Province suffered from clinical symptoms of high fever, dyspnoea and death. A PRRSV, termed JX2014T2, was isolated from samples of the dead pigs. Genomic analysis of the isolated PRRSV indicated that the genome of the virus was 14,960 bp in length and belonged to the North American genotype. In the Nsp2-coding region, there was a discontinuous deletion of 1 + 29 aa, similar to HP-PRRSV; however, an additional continuous deletion of 120 amino acids between aa 628 and 747 was found. Further analysis of the pathogenicity of PRRSV JX2014T2 was performed in piglets, and the results indicated that all infected piglets suffered from typical clinical symptoms of PRRS, such as high fever, cough, mental depression, anorexia, dyspnoea and palpebral swelling and died within 15 days postinfection (dpi). This demonstrated that the newly isolated PRRSV JX2014T2 strain containing an additional deletion of 120 aa is highly pathogenic to piglets, suggesting that a highly pathogenic variant with new genetic features is circulating in China.

[Relationship between coronary tortuosity and coronary microvascular disease]

Objective: To explore the relationship between coronary tortuosity and coronary microvascular disease (CMVD). Methods: Patients with typical angina symptoms and without serious coronary artery stenosis by coronary angiography were enrolled from June 2014 to December 2016, and CMVD was diagnosed by single photon emission tomography (SPECT). According to the SPECT results, patients were divided to the CMVD group and non-CMVD group. The baseline clinical characteristics, results of coronary angiography were compared between the two groups. The logistic analysis was used to analyze the relationship between coronary tortuosity and CMVD. Result: A total of 117 cases were enrolled, with 69 cases in the CMVD group and 48 cases in the non-CMVD group. No differences were found in gender distribution, age, hypertension, lipid abnormality, hyperuricemia and uses of statins between the two groups (all P>0.05). Incidence of diabetes (78.26%(54/69) vs. 35.42% (17/48) , P<0.05), hs-CRP ((4.29±2.15)mmol/L vs. (2.63±1.20)mmol/L, P<0.001), LDL-C ((2.98±0.96)mmol/L vs. (2.52±0.83)mmol/L, P=0.008) and homocysteine ((13.7±5.61)mmol/L vs. (11.5±4.38)mmol/L, P=0.025) levels were higher in the CMVD group than in the non-CMVD group. The data derived from echocardiographic examination were similar between the two groups. The Corrected TIMI frame counts were higher in the CMVD group than in non-CMVD group (LAD: 31.56±4.92 vs. 27.31±3.75, LCX: 29.47±4.18 vs. 26.62±3.19, RCA: 29.09±5.05 vs. 26.24±3.28, all P<0.001). The incidences of coronary atherosclerosis (76.81% (53/69) vs. 27.08% (13/48) , P<0.001) and coronary tortuosity ( (60.87% (42/69) vs. 33.33% (16/48) , P=0.035) were also higher in the CMVD group than in non-CMVD group. Logistic analysis found that coronary tortuosity (OR=6.111, 95%CI 2.707-13.794, P<0.001), diabetes (OR=6.565, 95%CI 2.883-14.948, P<0.001) and coronary atherosclerosis (OR=8.918, 95%CI 3.822-20.808, P<0.001) were independent risk factors of CMVD. Conclusion: Coronary tortuosity, diabetes and coronary atherosclerosis are related to CMVD in this patient cohort.

Monoclonal Antibody Against HA Protein of the European Avian-Like H1N1 Swine Influenza Virus

The purified whole-virus proteins derived from A/swine/Shanghai/1/2014 (H1N1) (SH1) were chosen to immunize BALB/c mice to prepare the monoclonal antibody (MAb) against hemagglutinin (HA) protein of an European avian-like (EA) H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV). After cloning three times by limiting dilution, one strain of hybridoma cells named 3C7 secreting anti-HA protein MAb was obtained by hybridoma technique. The results of indirect immunofluorescence assay and western blot analyses showed that the MAb 3C7 specifically reacted with the HA protein of EA H1N1 SIV. This work indicated that the MAb 3C7 would be a valuable tool as a specific diagnostic reagent for SIV epidemiological surveys and identification of HA protein epitopes of the EA H1N1 SIVs in the future.

[The long-term benefits of cochlear implantation for children and their families]

Objective:To study the auditory language ability of children with artificial cochlea after entering normal schools as well as the school life conditions and to evaluate the long-term comprehensive benefits of surgery on children along with their families. Method:The questionnaire was designed referring to the categories of auditory performance (CAP), the speech intelligibility rating (SIR), and family burden scale of diseases (FBS), with the questions involving four aspects of the general conditions, the auditory language ability, the school life conditions and the family conditions. Altogether 50 families were participated. Children who had applied artificial cochlea for at least two years and studied in normal schools were selected as the studying objects. The follow-up questionnaire was conducted on the parents. The differences were compared in the auditory language ability and the school life conditions, grouped by gender, age at surgery, parents' educational level, residence, service time of artificial cochlea and parent-child time in general. Meanwhile, the differences of 15 family conditions were compared before and after surgery. Result:The variable factors were of no obvious statistical significance in the comparison among groups of the auditory language ability (P>0.05); In the comparison of the school life conditions, there were significant differences in the number of making friends when grouped by parent-child time (P<0.05), there wes no statistical significance in the comparison among groups of the remaining various factors (P>0.05); In the comparison of family conditions before and after surgery, the rest of the indexes were of significant differences (P<0.05), there was no significant differences in the economic burden and social time of parents (P>0.05). Family conditions improved evidently after surgery. Conclusiont:Under the circumstances of different variable factors, after 2 years of rehabilitation, children are able to acquire better auditory language ability, and adjust themselves to the school life, finishing their studies, still there is a deficiency in the aspect of organizational competence in comparison to age-matched children. In addition, with children's recovery and attending schools, parents' mental stress is significantly reduced, family life returns to normal, and family atmosphere becomes harmonious. Not only can the artificial cochlea help rid children of disability, but also it can be of obvious benefits to their families.

[The progress and prospect of application of genetic testing technology-based gene detection technology in the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary cancer]

Hereditary cancer is caused by specific pathogenic gene mutations. Early detection and early intervention are the most effective ways to prevent and control hereditary cancer. High-throughput sequencing based genetic testing technology (NGS) breaks through the restrictions of pedigree analysis, provide a convenient and efficient method to detect and diagnose hereditary cancer. Here, we introduce the mechanism of hereditary cancer, summarize, discuss and prospect the application of NGS and other genetic tests in the diagnosis of hereditary retinoblastoma, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, hereditary colorectal cancer and other complex and rare hereditary tumors.

[The comparation of fusion targeting biopsy and systematic biopsy in the clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis]

Objective: To systematically compare the differences in the detection rate of prostate cancer with fusion targeting biopsy and systemic biopsy. Methods: A computer-based search of PubMed, Medline, China Biomedical Literature Database and Wanfang database (from the beginning of establishment of library to October 2016) on the detection rate of prostate cancer by fusion targeting biopsy and systemic biopsy was performed manually.The inclusion and exclusion criteria were formulated by 2 reviewers, and the data were extracted and evaluated respectively. RevMan5.3 software was used to analyze the detection rate of prostate cancer by two biopsy methods. Results: A total of 15 related clinical studies were included, 5 337 cases were enrolled in the study, including 2 667 cases of targeted fusion biopsy and 2 670 cases of routine systemic biopsy. The results showed that the overall detection rate of prostate cancer in targeting fusion biopsy was significantly higher than that of conventional systemic biopsy (OR=1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30, P=0.007). The detection rates of prostate cancer with different risk grades by two biopsy methods were conducted. We found that targeted fusion biopsy had a significant advantage compared with conventional system biopsy (OR=1.37, 95% CI 1.19-1.58, P<0.05) in middle and high risk prostate cancer with Gleason ≥ 7 points. In low-risk prostate cancer patients with Gleason score <7, the detection rate of prostate cancer by targeted fusion biopsy was lower (OR=0.76, 95% CI 0.65-0.89, P<0.05) than that of conventional systemic biopsy. Conclusions: Targeted fusion biopsy was significantly better than systemic biopsy in the overall detection rate of prostate cancer and the detection rate of the middle and high risk prostate cancer with Gleason ≥7 points. However, systemic biopsy performed better in patients with Gleason<7 points of low-risk prostate cancer.

Autofluorescence of collagen fibres in scar

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Autofluorescence has become an important factor associated with diagnosis and treatment of many diseases.

METHODS

Full thickness skin grafts and scar biopsies were obtained from five volunteers. The normal skin or scar tissue paraffin-wax sections were stained with HE and the autofluorescence of collagen fibres was viewed under fluorescence microscopy.

RESULTS

In normal skin, the autofluorescence was showed in dermis, specifically in collagen fibres. There was very weak autofluorescence in epidermis. The spectrum was excited at 488 nm and the peak value of autofluorescence was significantly different between reticular layer (169.24±9.18) and papillar layer of dermis (103.91±15.23). In scar tissue, the autofluorescence was showed in collagen fibres and the peak value was 176.71±20.69. The structure of collagen fibres in normal skin or scar tissue was different in loose degree, thickness, boundle size, and morphology by their autofluorescence.

CONCLUSION

The different peak value of autofluorescence between scar and normal skin may due to the different density of collagen fibtes in them. This study may provide us a simple and effective assessment indicator and method for diagnosis and treatment of scar.

Effects of vitamin D or its analogues on the mortality of patients with chronic kidney disease: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this study was to assess whether vitamin D (VD) treatment alters the overall all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials without language restriction, until the publication date of 22 February 2016. All related literatures that compared VD treatment with non-VD treatment and reported the mortality of patients with CKD (including those undergoing dialysis) were identified. Pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by using the random- and fixed-effects models. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that used the intention-to-treat principle and observational studies (OSs) were analysed separately. For this study, 38 studies involving 223 429 patients (17 RCTs, n=1819 and 21 OSs, n=221610) were included. In the OSs, VD treatment was significantly associated with reductions in both all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities; however, such significant association was not found in the RCTs. The existing RCTs do not provide sufficient or precise evidence that VD supplementation affects the mortality of patients with CKD, although subsets of patients that could potentially benefit from VD treatment can be identified by using the existing data from the RCTs. Nevertheless, large-size RCTs are needed in the future to assess any potential differences in survival prospectively.

A novel M2e-multiple antigenic peptide providing heterologous protection in mice

Swine influenza viruses (SwIVs) cause considerable morbidity and mortality in domestic pigs, resulting in a significant economic burden. Moreover, pigs have been considered to be a possible mixing vessel in which novel strains loom. Here, we developed and evaluated a novel M2e-multiple antigenic peptide (M2e-MAP) as a supplemental antigen for inactivated H3N2 vaccine to provide cross-protection against two main subtypes of SwIVs, H1N1 and H3N2. The novel tetra-branched MAP was constructed by fusing four copies of M2e to one copy of foreign T helper cell epitopes. A high-yield reassortant H3N2 virus was generated by plasmid based reverse genetics. The efficacy of the novel H3N2 inactivated vaccines with or without M2e-MAP supplementation was evaluated in a mouse model. M2e-MAP conjugated vaccine induced strong antibody responses in mice. Complete protection against the heterologous swine H1N1 virus was observed in mice vaccinated with M2e-MAP combined vaccine. Moreover, this novel peptide confers protection against lethal challenge of A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1). Taken together, our results suggest the combined immunization of reassortant inactivated H3N2 vaccine and the novel M2e-MAP provided cross-protection against swine and human viruses and may serve as a promising approach for influenza vaccine development.

Proliferation and differentiation of human osteoblasts from a type 2 diabetic patient in vitro

We investigated the proliferation and differentiation potential of human osteoblasts from a type 2 diabetic patient in vitro. Human osteoblasts were obtained from a healthy subject and a type 2 diabetic patient and were cultured in vitro using the tissue explant adherent method. Differences in cell morphology were observed under a phase contrast microscope. The osteogenic differentiation capacity was evaluated by alizarin red staining, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, and detection of bone Gla-protein (BGP) and Col-1. Expression of Runx-2 and Col-1 was detected using RT-PCR and western blot. Our data indicated that alveolar bone osteoblasts from the type 2 diabetic patient exhibited poorer growth, smaller calcium nodule formation, slower proliferation, and lower ALP, BGP, and Col-1 concentrations in the cell culture supernatant, as compared to control cells (P < 0.05). Combined, our study indicated that alveolar bone osteoblasts from a type 2 diabetic patient exhibited slower proliferation and decreased differentiation, as compared to healthy control, when cultured in vitro.

Development of monoclonal antibodies specifically recognizing the endogenous sterile alpha motif and HD domain 1 protein in porcine cell lines

The sterile alpha motif and HD domain 1 (SAMHD1) protein has been identified as a novel innate immunity restriction factor that participates in processes crucial to the viral life cycle. In the present study, we describe a procedure to generate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against porcine SAMHD1 and investigate its characteristics to analyze the expression of endogenous SAMHD1. The open reading frame of porcine SAMHD1 was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pCold-TF DNA to construct a recombinant plasmid pcold-pSAMHD1 and induce expression of recombinant porcine SAMHD1 protein by IPTG in Escherichia coli Rosetta. The purified recombinant porcine SAMHD1 protein was used to prepare MAbs of SAMHD1. After subcloning five times hybridoma cell clones expressing SAMHD1, MAbs were generated. Western blot analysis and indirect immunofluorescence assay showed that the overexpressed porcine SAMHD1 in 293T cells and endogenous SAMHD1 protein in porcine cell lines could be specifically recognized by the MAbs produced in this study. In conclusion, specific MAbs of porcine SAMHD1 are reported, and these MAbs provide a valuable tool for further studies of SAMHD1-mediated signaling in virus-infected cells to elucidate the underlying antiviral mechanism.

[Isolation and identification of Mn oxidizing bacterium Aminobacter sp. H1 and its oxidation mechanism]

A bacterium with high manganese oxidizing activity was isolated from a biological manganese removal filter and named as H1. Based on its characteristics and the analysis of 16S rDNA sequence, the strain H1 belonged to the genus Aminobacter sp. and its manganese oxidizing ability had never been reported. In this paper, the microbiologic properties of the strain H1, the manganese oxidation mechanisms and characteristics of biogenic manganese oxides were investigated. The results showed that the maximal tolerant Mn concentration of strain H1 was 50 mmol x L(-1), and Mn(II) could be completely removed by strain H1 when the concentration was lower than 10 mmol x L(-1). Strain H1 could oxidize Mn2+ by both the production of manganese oxidizing activity factor and alkaline metabolites during growth, which were synthesized in the cell and then secreted into extracellular culture medium. During the oxidation process, the intermediate of soluble Mn(III) was detected. SEM showed that the biogenic manganese oxides were amorphous and poorly-crystalline, and it closely combined with bacteria. The components of the biogenic manganese oxides produced by strain H1 were identified as MnCO3, MnOOH, Mn3O4 and MnO2 by XRD, XPS and SEM-EDX.

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in porcine alveolar macrophages infected with virulent/attenuated strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

The highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) is still a serious threat to the swine industry. However, the pathogenic mechanism of HP-PRRSV remains unclear. We infected host porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) with the virulent HuN4 strain and the attenuated HuN4-F112 strain and then utilized fluorescent two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) to screen for intracellular proteins that were differentially expressed in host cells infected with the two strains. There were 153 proteins with significant different expression (P<0.01) observed, 42 of which were subjected to mass spectrometry, and 24 proteins were identified. PAM cells infected with the virulent strain showed upregulated expression of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), heat shock protein beta-1 (HSPB1), and proteasome subunit alpha type 6 (PSMA6), which were downregulated in cells infected with the attenuated strain. The upregulation of PKM2 provides sufficient energy for viral replication, and the upregulation of HSPB1 inhibits host cell apoptosis and therefore facilitates mass replication of the virulent strain, while the upregulation of PSMA6 facilitates the evasion of immune surveillance by the virus. Studying on those molecules mentioned above may be able to help us to understand some unrevealed details of HP-PRRSV infection, and then help us to decrease its threat to the swine industry in the future.

Photocatalytic conversion of gaseous ethylbenzene on lanthanum-doped titanium dioxide nanotubes

The photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) make it an attractive material for environmental remediation. In the present study, lanthanum (La(3+))-doped TiO2 nanotubes with excellent photocatalytic activity were fabricated by a combination of sol-gel method and hydrothermal technique. The optimal preparation parameters were determined by the structural characterization using a range of methods and the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous ethylbenzene (EB). Compared with pure TiO₂ nanoparticles, 1.2%-La(3+)-doped - titania nanotubes (1.2%-La(3+)-TNTs) exhibited higher activity under 254 nm UV for conversion of EB. The initial EB concentrations and relative humidity (RH) obviously influenced the photocatalytic activity of 1.2%-La(3+)-TNTs. Kinetic analysis showed that surface adsorption and surface reaction controlled the rate-determining step for RH of 40-50% and >80%, respectively. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to analyze the intermediates generated in the conversion of EB, allowing a tentative decomposition pathway to be proposed. The prepared photocatalyst exhibited enhanced EB conversion compared with undoped TiO₂, and showed a promise for the decomposition of recalcitrant compounds before subsequent biopurification.

[Study on using NSP2 protein of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HuN4-F112) to express E2 neutralizing epitope of classical swine fever virus]

Establishment of recombinant porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) with co-expression E2 Epitope of Classical Swine Fever virus (CSFV) is a crucial step to develop a genetic engineered vaccine against PRRSV and CSFV. Reverse genetic manipulation could be adopted as a com monly used technique. In this study, we focus on using nonessential regions of NSP2 (aa480-532 and aa508-532) as viral vector to express E2 Epitope of CSFV. A neutralizing epitope of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) E2 protein was inserted into the two nonessential region of nsp2 by the method of mutant PCR, basing on the infectious clone of HuN4-F112 vaccine strain. The co-expressed full-length cDNA clones (psk-HuN4-F112-delta508-532 + E2 and psk-HuN4-F112-delta480-532 + E2) were assembled by cloning and splice of the gene fragments. The completely assembled full-length cDNA clones were confirmed by sequence and Swa I enzyme digestion. Capped RNAs were transcribed in vitro from a full-length cDNA clone of the viral genome and transfected into BHK-21 cells by liposome to acquire the rescued virus. The rescued recombinant viruses were passaged on MARC-145 cells. The successfully rescued viruses were tested by RT-PCR, digestion, and genome sequence. The results showed that these rescued viruses could be distinguished from the parental virus (HuN4-F112) with the mutant genetic marker (Mlu I enzyme site of virual genome at 14 667nt was created by synonymous mutation) and the inserted nsp2 gene region. The results of IFA showed that the inserted E2 epitope could be expressed by the recombinant viruses and the E2 epitope gene was stable during the viral serial passage. The results of plaque assay and viral growth curve showed that the recovery viruses possessed similar characterses of viral growth to those of the parental virus. In summary, the full-length infectious cDNA clones containing the marker gene were constructed and the marker recombinant viruses were rescued. The results suggested that these stable infectious clones could be used as an important tool for development of novel vaccine against PRRSV.

Comparison of the antiviral effects of entecavir and adefovir dipivoxil in chronic HBV infection: a randomized control trial

AIMS

The purpose of this study is to compare the antiviral efficacy of entecavir (ETV) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) at various time points during the treatment.

METHODS

A randomized, controlled, open-label study was designed to analyze the kinetics of HBeAg seroconversion, HBV DNA level, and liver and renal functions in 72 ETV-treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 66 ADV-treated CHB patients. The data was collected every 12 weeks up to 96 weeks after drug administration.

RESULTS

The negative rate of HBeAg seroconversion was significantly increased at 24 weeks in ETV-treated patients, whereas in ADV-treated patients, these changes were not significant. The serum HBV DNA levels were significantly decreased from 24 weeks in both ETV- and ADV-treated patients. Other than ETV showing significantly decreased levels of HBV DNA at 24 weeks when compared with ADV, there was no difference in virological response between two treatments at any other time points. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total bilirubin (TBIL) levels were significantly decreased 12 weeks after either ETV- or ADV-treated patients without differences between two treatments. The urea nitrogen levels were in normal range and there was no difference between two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that both ETV and ADV could be used as monotherapy for nucleotide-naive patients, but ETV has displayed potential efficacy in HBeAg seroconversion.

Identification of nonessential regions of the nsp2 protein of an attenuated vaccine strain (HuN4-F112) of highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus for replication in marc-145 cell

Background

The regions in the middle of nonstructural protein 2 (nsp2) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) have been shown to be nonessential for PRRSV replication, and these nonessential regions are different in various viral strains.

Finding

In this study, the nonessential regions of the nsp2 of an attenuated vaccine strain (HuN4-F112) of highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus were identified based on an infectious cDNA clone of HuN4-F112. The results demonstrated that the segments of nsp2 [amino acids (aa) 480 to 667] tolerated deletions. Characterization of the mutants demonstrated that those with small deletions did not affect the viral growth on Marc-145 cells, but deletion of these regions led to earlier PRRSV replication increased (before 36 h after infectious in vitro).

Conclusion

The functional roles of nsp2 variable middle region for PRRSV HuN4-F112 replication have been identified. Our results also suggested that none-essential region might be an ideal insertion region to express foreign gene in PRRSV genome.

Stable expression of foreign gene in nonessential region of nonstructural protein 2 (nsp2) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: applications for marker vaccine design

The nonstructural protein 2 (nsp2) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been shown to be highly heterogeneous and variable among PRRSV strains and some sequences in the middle region of the nsp2 are not essential to viral replication. Recent studies have attempted to insert foreign genes in the nsp2 nonessential regions but the foreign genes were not stably expressed by recombinant viruses in vitro. In the present study, we first constructed an infectious cDNA clone with deletion of 75 nucleotides (25 amino acids) in the nsp2 region (rHuN4-F112-Δ508-532) of the attenuated vaccine virus HuN4-F112 derived from a highly pathogenic PRRSV HuN4 and then inserted a gene fragment encoding a immunodominant B-cell epitope (49 amino acids) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) nucleoprotein (NP) in-frame into the deletion site. The viable recombinant virus was rescued from the full-length cDNA infectious clone in vitro. The engineered viruses rescued from the cDNA clone indicated that the deletions of 75 nucleotides and insertion of NDV NP gene in the nsp2 region did not affect viral replication; they had similar growth kinetics to its parental virus. The inserting gene could be expressed consistently when the recombinant virus was passaged up to twenty times in cell cultures as determined by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and genomic sequencing. To investigate the potential application of the NDV NP gene-inserted PRRSV as a marker vaccine, piglets were immunized with the recombinant virus and then challenged with lethal dose of highly pathogenic PRRSV. The immunized piglets produced specific antibodies against both the NDV NP and PRRSV, and lacked antibodies against the deleted 25aa nsp2 epitope. After challenge, all immunized piglets were protected from clinical disease or death, while all piglets in control group died (5/5) by ten days post challenge. The results of the present study indicated that the recombinant PRRSV (rHuN4-F112-Δ508-532) could be used as a potential marker vaccine against PRRS.

[Investigation of effect and process of nitric oxide removal in rotating drum biofilter coupled with absorption by Fe(II) (EDTA)]

In order to accelerate the NO removal efficiency, a novel and effective system was developed for the complete treatment of NO from flue gases. The system features NO absorption by Fe(II) (EDTA) and biological denitrification in a rotating drum biofilter (RDB) so as to promote biological reduction. The experimental results show that a moderate amount of Fe(II) (EDTA) was added to the nutrient solution to improve the mass transfer efficiency of NO from gas to liquid, with the concomitant formation of nitrosyl complex Fe(II) (EDTA)-NO. Under the experimental conditions of rotational speed was at 0.5 r x min(-1), EBRT of 57.7 s, temperature was at 30 degrees C, pH was 7-8, with the increasing concentration of Fe(II) (EDTA) was from 0 mg x L(-1) to 500 mg x L(-1), the NO removal efficiency was improved from 61.1% to 97.6%, and the elimination capacity was from 16.2 g (m3 x h)(-1) to 26.7 g (m3 x h)(-1). In order to simulate the denitrifying process of waste gas containing NO by using RDB coupled with Fe(II) (EDTA) absorption, a tie-in equation of NO removal and the Fe(II) (EDTA) concentration added in RDB was established. The experimental NO removal efficiency change tendency agrees fairly with that predicted by the proposed equation.

Treatment of gaseous alpha-pinene by a combined system containing photo oxidation and aerobic biotrickling filtration

Biofiltration of hydrophobic and/or recalcitrant volatile pollutants is intrinsically limited. In the present study, a combined ultraviolet-biotrickling filter (UV-BTF) was developed to improve the removal of these compounds, and a single BTF as the control was operated under the same conditions. The experimental results showed that the UV-BTF provided higher removal efficiencies than the single BTF at an inlet concentration range of 600-1500 mg m(-3) under shorter residence times. The maximum elimination capacities (ECs) obtained were 94.2 mg m(-3)h(-1) and 44 mg m(-3)h(-1) in the combined UV-BTF and single BTF, respectively. The mass ratio of carbon dioxide produced to α-pinene removed in the UV-BTF was approximately 2.74, which was much higher than that of the single BTF (1.99). Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis indicated that there was more complicated microbial community in the UV-BTF than that in the single BTF. In addition, we investigated the effect of starvation or stagnation on re-acclimation and removal performance from an engineering standpoint. The results showed that the combined UV-BTF could deal with fluctuating conditions or periods without any flow (air or liquid) supply much better than the single BTF.

Prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors in Northeastern China

AIM

To investigate the prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors in the Northeastern Chinese city of Dehui.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study involving random sampling methods generated 3598 completed questionnaires by permanent residents of Dehui. Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that were significantly associated with obesity.

RESULTS

Based on the 2000 WHO diagnostic criterion regarding populations in the Asia-Pacific region, the prevalence of obesity was 37.71% (34.77% of females; 41.11% of males). Elevated body mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD)-associated conditions (P<0.05), and increased prevalence of abnormally high transaminase levels (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated the following variables were associated with obesity: increased age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.02), high total cholesterol (TC) (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03-1.54), high triglycerides (TG) (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16-1.64), hypertension (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.39-1.90), fatty liver (OR: 2.91, 95% CI: 2.41-3.49), living in an urban setting (OR: 2.84, 95% CI: 2.39-3.38), and advanced education (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.40).

CONCLUSIONS

Obesity is prevalent among the adult population in Northeastern China and is significantly associated with CVD risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, as well as transaminase abnormalities.

Development of a yeast strain for xylitol production without hydrolysate detoxification as part of the integration of co-product generation within the lignocellulosic ethanol process

The present study verified an applicable technology of xylitol bioconversion as part of the integration of co-product generation within second-generation bioethanol processes. A newly isolated yeast strain, Candida tropicalis JH030, was shown to have a capacity for xylitol production from hemicellulosic hydrolysate without detoxification. The yeast gives a promising xylitol yield of 0.71 g(p) g(s)(-1) from non-detoxified rice straw hydrolysate that had been prepared by the dilute acid pretreatment under severe conditions. The yeast's capacity was also found to be practicable with various other raw materials, such as sugarcane bagasse, silvergrass, napiergrass and pineapple peel. The lack of a need to hydrolysate detoxification enhances the potential of this newly isolated yeast for xylitol production and this, in turn, has the capacity to improve economics of lignocellulosic ethanol production.

Comparative genomic analysis of five pairs of virulent parental/attenuated vaccine strains of PRRSV

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), the causative agent of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, is responsible for serious disease in pigs resulting in substantial economic losses in the porcine industry. An attenuated vaccine strain, HuN4-F112, was obtained by passaging virulent PRRSV strain HuN4 on Marc-145 cells (for 112 passages), and the full-genomic sequence was determined. To understand the molecular basis of attenuation of PRRSV, we compared and analyzed the genomic sequences of HuN4/HuN4-F112, together with those of other four virulent parental/attenuated vaccine strains. Among the 19 PRRSV proteins, two (NSP6 and NSP8) were highly conserved, without any mutations and considered irrelative to attenuation. The mutation rates of envelope-associated structural proteins were obviously higher than those of most non-structural proteins. It is interesting that the gene of the smallest structural protein, E protein, had the highest mutation rate among all of the structural genes analyzed, and also harbored a highly variable region. Our results indicate that determinants of PRRSV attenuation are multigenic products of both non-structural and structural genes. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that the envelope-associated structural proteins (including E and GP2-GP5 proteins) may play a significant role. These findings contribute towards our understanding of PRRSV attenuation and will provide an important clue for further study.

Direct VUV photodegradation of gaseous α-pinene in a spiral quartz reactor: intermediates, mechanism, and toxicity/biodegradability assessment

Photodegradation of gaseous α-pinene by a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) in a spiral reactor was investigated under various gaseous reaction media and residence time, and their respective effects on types and biodegradability of the intermediates were studied. Analysis of carbon amounts showed that about 33% and 43% of total carbon were converted to soluble organic carbon in the air medium with a relative humidity (RH) of 35-40% at empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 18 and 45 s. Based on the identified intermediates by GC/MS and IC, a photodegradation pathway was proposed by the combined roles of photolysis, OH. photooxidation and O₃ photooxidation. Biodegradability to active sludge, toxicity to Chlorella vulgaris and 96-well microplates showed that α-pinene could be largely converted to more biodegradable and less toxic compounds through photodegradation in the air reaction medium with a RH of 35-40% at an EBRT of 18s, in which the initial concentration was 600 mg m⁻³. Therefore, VUV photodegradation could be applied as an effective pre-treatment method for detoxification and biodegradability improvement under the optimized photodegradation conditions. Such results supported the potential use of VUV photodegradation to improve the removal capacity of conventional biological treatments for hydrophobic and poorly biodegradable compounds.

Green waxes, adhesives and lubricants

General characteristics of waxes, adhesives and lubricants as well as the recent fundamental investigations on their physical and mechanical behaviour are introduced. The current R&D status for new type/generation of waxes, adhesives and lubricants from natural products is reviewed, with an emphasis on their tribological applications. In particular, some crucial issues and challenges relating to technological improvement and materials development are discussed. Based on the current predicted shortage of energy resources and environmental concerns, prospective research on the development of green waxes, adhesives and lubricants is suggested.

Epidemiological Investigation of Metabolic Syndrome and Analysis of Relevant Factors in North-Eastern China

This epidemiological study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated risk factors in Chinese subjects from Dehui in northeastern China. Using a random sampling method, a questionnaire was completed by 3785 permanent residents aged 18-72 years and relevant clinical data were collected from each subject. Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome. Based on the International Diabetes Federation definition, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 22.4%, which is higher than that of the general Chinese population. Metabolic syndrome occurred more frequently in females and the prevalence gradually increased with age. Living in an urban setting and being female, > 50 years old, overweight, having total cholesterol ≥ 5.18 mmol/l, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥ 3.1 mmol/l, and a fatty liver were significant risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.

An attenuated live vaccine based on highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) protects piglets against HP-PRRS

Porcine infections with highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) cause significant morbidity and mortality and currently there are no effective vaccines for disease prevention. An attenuated strain, HuN4-F112, was obtained by passaging the HP-PRRSV HuN4 on Marc-145 cells (112th-passage). PRRSV-free pigs were inoculated intramuscularly with HuN4-F112 (10(2.0), 10(3.0), 10(4.0), 10(5.0) and 10(6.0) TCID(50) for groups 1-5, respectively). The groups 3-5 could resist the lethal challenge and did not show any obvious changes in body temperature nor clinical signs throughout the experiment, the pathological lesions were milder and the gained weight at a greater rate (P<0.05), compared to group 1 and control. Sequence analysis of the HuN4 passages showed a conserved epitope in GP5 protein was mutated ((196)QWGRL/P(200)-->(196)RWGRL/P(200)), as a result the monoclonal antibody could not recognize the HuN4-F112 any more. These results suggested that the HuN4-F112 could protect piglets from lethal challenge and might be a candidate vaccine against the HP-PRRSV.

[Comparison of biological phosphorus removal between different systems using O2, NO3(-) and NO2(-) as electron acceptors]

By parallel operation of three phosphorus removal systems (SBR) using different electron acceptors of O2, NO3(-) and NO2(-), process characteristics and inherent competition mechanism of microorganisms were discussed. Although NO2(-) had no direct inhibition on anoxic phosphorus uptake after the DPAO cultivation, system performance was still much lower than that with NO3(-) as electron acceptor. And it ultimately resulted from the washout of the group of DPAO (DPAO5) that lacked the ability to denitrify NO2(-) and the enhanced GAO growth in the system. Being the efficient electron acceptor, NO3(-) or O2 supplying SBRs removed phosphorus smoothly and comparatively, in viewpoint of stiochoimetry and constitution of functional bacteria. In all three test systems, mass of GAO was present to exhaust limited organics with PAO population. Moreover, total PAO could be divided into 6 distinct groups, i.e., PO, PN, Pn, PNn, PON and PONn, based on the abilities of utilizing different electron acceptors. And facultative PAO of PON and PONn were found as the main contributors for the phosphorus removal. The higher ratio they accounted in sludge, the more capacity the system possessed to remove phosphorus, i.e., SBR0 > SBRn5 > SBRn3.

Monoclonal antibodies and conserved antigenic epitopes in the C terminus of GP5 protein of the North American type porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Glycoprotein 5 (GP5) is the major glycoprotein of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). In this study, the gene encoding rtGP5, lacking signal peptide sequence, was expressed as GST-fusion protein in E. coli. Fifteen monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against rtGP5 were developed and used to probe a series of GP5 peptides by ELISA, in which two MAbs specifically recognized the epitope GP5EP3 (146-156aa), four recognized GP5EP5 (164-180aa) and nine recognized GP5EP7 (192-200aa). After precise analysis by sequential deletion of the terminal amino acid residues, the three minimal epitopes (R(152)LYRWR(156), E(169)GHLIDLKRV(178) and Q(196)WGRL(200)) were determined, which were highly conserved among the North American type isolates, with the exception of one amino acid mutation (L(200) to P(200)). Mutational analysis showed that the mutant (Q(196)WGRP(200)) could be recognized by four of nine anti-GP5EP7 MAbs, indicating Q(196)WGRP(200) was also one minimal epitope. Western blot analysis showed that GP5EP5 and GP5EP7 (L(200) or P(200)) could be recognized by PRRSV-positive sera of CH-1a and/or BJ-4, suggesting GP5EP5 and GP5EP7 (L(200) or P(200)) were antigenic epitopes in the PRRSV-infected pigs. MAbs against GP5EP3, GP5EP5, and GP5EP7 could react with MARC-145 cells infected with the North American type isolates from China in IFA. However, very interestingly, when the highly pathogenic PRRSV, represented by HUN4, was passaged in MARC-145 cells, MAbs against GP5EP7 did not react with HUN4-F20-HUN4-F112 (20-112th passage virus), where Q(196)WGRL(200) had mutated to R(196)WGRL(200). Due to no mutations observed in GP5EP3 and GP5EP5, MAbs against GP5EP3 and GP5EP5 could recognize HUN4-F20-HUN4-F112. All the results herein might deepen the understanding of the antigen structure of in the C terminus of GP5 and facilitate the development of diagnostic antigens of the North American type PRRSV in China.

[Theoretical analysis and experimental research of ozone gas mass transfer efficiency in activated sludge]

Based on theoretical analysis, a mathematic model was primarily set up to describe the relationship between the ozone mass transfer efficiency (U) and the systematic factors, including sludge concentration, input gas concentration, mixed liquor height h, observed gas velocity u(obs) and the bubble diameter d. By different experimental design, furthermore, the contribution of these factors for transfer efficiency was investigated respectively. The results show that the mixed liquor height h and bubble diameter d impacted the mass transfer efficiency of ozone more significantly, as compared to the other factors of sludge concentration, input gas concentration and observed gas velocity u(obs). When mixed liquor height h was 0.2 m, the ozone gas utilization U was only 0.45; when h was 0.8 m, U increased to 0.883; when h was 1.4, U was almost up to 1. The U and h show strong index relationship. For mixed liquor with h 0.8 m, when bubble diameter d decreased from 0.007 5 to 0.005, U increased from 0.89 to 0.96, and, for mixed liquor with h 0.6 m, similar increase from 0.8 to 0.93 was observed. According to the acquired experimental data, a quantitative expression among mass transfer efficiency U, mixed liquor height h and mean bubble diameter d, with R2 equal to 0.861 6, was finally obtained, as a reference tool for project design.

Monitoring imaging of lesions induced by high intensity focused ultrasound based on differential ultrasonic attenuation and integrated backscatter estimation

We investigated the feasibility of two monitoring imaging methods to visualize and evaluate the high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) induced lesions in vitro during and after their formation, which were based on differential ultrasonic parameter estimation. Firstly, ultrasonic attenuation slope of tissue sample was estimated based on the spectral analysis of ultrasound RF backscattered signals. The differential attenuation slope maps were acquired, which were interpreted as the differences between the pretreatment image and those obtained in different stages during HIFU therapy. Secondly, ultrasonic integrated backscatter (IBS), defined as the frequency average of the backscatter transfer function over the useful bandwidth, was proposed quantitatively to evaluate the extent of lesions with the same RF signals as the first method. Differential IBS maps were also acquired to visualize temporal evolution of lesion formation. It was found in pig liver in vitro that more precise definition of the treated area was obtained from the differential IBS images than from differential attenuation slope images. Dramatic increase in both attenuation and IBS value was observed during the therapy, which may be related to dramatic enhancement of cavitation due to boiling and accompanying tissue damage. Two methods to obtain one differential image were compared and the cumulative differential image was found to be able to eliminate noises and artifacts to some extent, which was the cumulation of a series of differential images acquired from the differences between the temporally adjacent RF data frames. Moreover, we presented a bidirectional color code for identification of the artifacts due to tissue movements caused by HIFU radiation force. We conclude that cumulative differential IBS images have the potential to monitor the formation of HIFU-induced lesions.