Promising novel biomarkers and therapy targets: The application of cell-free seminal nucleotides in male reproduction research

Liquid biopsy has the advantage of diagnosing diseases in a non-invasive manner. Seminal plasma contains secretions from the bilateral testes, epididymides, seminal vesicles, bulbourethral glands, and the prostate. These organs are relatively small and contain delicate tubes that are prone to damage by invasive diagnosis. Cell-free seminal nucleic acids test is a newly emerged item in liquid biopsy. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of all known cell-free DNA and cell-free RNAs (mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, piRNA, YRNA, tsRNA, etc.) and discuss their roles as biomarker candidates in liquid biopsy. With great advantages, including high stability, sensitivity, representability, and non-invasiveness, cell-free DNA/RNAs may be developed as promising biomarkers for the screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up of diseases in semen-secreting organs. Moreover, RNAs in semen may participate in important processes, including sperm maturation, early embryo development, and transgenerational disease inheritance, which may be developed as potential treatment targets for future clinical use.

[Drug Knowledge of Middle School Students in HIV-prone Areas of Liangshan]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate drug knowledge of middle school students in HIV prone areas in Liangshan of Sichuan Province.

METHODS

Students were randomly selected from the middle schools located in the HIV prone areas in Liangshan. A questionnaire survey was conducted. Drug knowledge of the respondents and associated factors were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 10 749 respondents,10.1% had wrong knowledge about drugs. The respondents of male gender and minority ethnicity in the region and those who were in a lower grade,had poor academic records,more sisters,and a schoolmate taking drugs,and lived in a family with HIV infected member were more likely to had poor drug knowledge. By contrast,the respondents who had a peasant father,lived with both parents,resided in a city or township,self-rated in the middle and low 1/3 of wealth,lived in a community with >50% school attendance,and had a family member taking drugs were less likely to have wrong drug knowledge.

CONCLUSION

Middle school students in the HIV prone areas in Liangshan have poor drug knowledge. Socioeconomic factors influence the drug knowledge of students,which require systematic interventions.

[Investigation of molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in department of critical care medicine]

Objective: To investigate the feature of antimicrobial resistance, homology and other molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) in Department of Critical Care Medicine(ICU). Methods: From October 2010 to December 2011, 149 strains of MRSA were collected and identified through sputum culture of patients from 10 ICUs of 10 teaching hospitals distributed in 9 chinese central city of China. Susceptibility testing to 18 kinds of antibiotic was performed, the method of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyze the homology, and the technique of multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) was used to identify the sequence type (ST). Results: Antibiotic susceptibility testing implied that vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid are 100% sensitive to collected 149 strains of MRSA. Cotrimoxazole resistance rate is about 0-11.1%. Rifampicin resistant rate was less than 25% in 2 hospitals; the resistance rate of gentamicin and moxifloxacin were more than 80% besides of 50% to70% in 3 hospitals; beta lactam resistant rate was 100%. In 149 strains of MRSA, the main types of PFGE were J (28.9%), C (19.5%), G (10.7%), F (8%)types. J, C, G types mainly distributed in the North, while the F type only distributed in the Guiyang region. The MLST type: 8 ST types were determined ultimately. In which, was dominated by ST-239(67 strains, 45%), distributed in the South and North; followed by ST-5 (54 strains, 36.2%), mainly in the Northeast region (χ²=26.42, P<0.01). Conclusions: Vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid are 100% sensitive drugs to MRSA in ICU; Higher regional homology for MRSA were observed and it is probably that homologic disseminated infection exited in ICU. It is necessary to enhance continuous monitoring and take effective nosocomial infection control action to avoid MRSA homologic outbreak.

[Experts consensus on the management of the right heart function in critically ill patients]

To establish the experts consensus on the right heart function management in critically ill patients. The panel of consensus was composed of 30 experts in critical care medicine who are all members of Critical Hemodynamic Therapy Collaboration Group (CHTC Group). Each statement was assessed based on the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) principle. Then the Delphi method was adopted by 52 experts to reassess all the statements. (1) Right heart function is prone to be affected in critically illness, which will result in a auto-exaggerated vicious cycle. (2) Right heart function management is a key step of the hemodynamic therapy in critically ill patients. (3) Fluid resuscitation means the process of fluid therapy through rapid adjustment of intravascular volume aiming to improve tissue perfusion. Reversed fluid resuscitation means reducing volume. (4) The right ventricle afterload should be taken into consideration when using stroke volume variation (SVV) or pulse pressure variation (PPV) to assess fluid responsiveness.(5)Volume overload alone could lead to septal displacement and damage the diastolic function of the left ventricle. (6) The Starling curve of the right ventricle is not the same as the one applied to the left ventricle,the judgement of the different states for the right ventricle is the key of volume management. (7) The alteration of right heart function has its own characteristics, volume assessment and adjustment is an important part of the treatment of right ventricular dysfunction (8) Right ventricular enlargement is the prerequisite for increased cardiac output during reversed fluid resuscitation; Nonetheless, right heart enlargement does not mandate reversed fluid resuscitation.(9)Increased pulmonary vascular resistance induced by a variety of factors could affect right heart function by obstructing the blood flow. (10) When pulmonary hypertension was detected in clinical scenario, the differentiation of critical care-related pulmonary hypertension should be a priority. (11) Attention should be paid to the change of right heart function before and after implementation of mechanical ventilation and adjustment of ventilator parameter. (12) The pulmonary arterial pressure should be monitored timingly when dealing with critical care-related pulmonary hypertension accompanied with circulatory failure.(13) The elevation of pulmonary aterial pressure should be taken into account in critical patients with acute right heart dysfunction. (14) Prone position ventilation is an important measure to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance when treating acute respiratory distress syndrome patients accompanied with acute cor pulmonale. (15) Attention should be paid to right ventricle-pulmonary artery coupling during the management of right heart function. (16) Right ventricular diastolic function is more prone to be affected in critically ill patients, the application of critical ultrasound is more conducive to quantitative assessment of right ventricular diastolic function. (17) As one of the parameters to assess the filling pressure of right heart, central venous pressure can be used to assess right heart diastolic function. (18). The early and prominent manifestation of non-focal cardiac tamponade is right ventricular diastolic involvement, the elevated right atrial pressure should be noticed. (19) The effect of increased intrathoracic pressure on right heart diastolic function should be valued. (20) Ttricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is an important parameter that reflects right ventricular systolic function, and it is recommended as a general indicator of critically ill patient. (21) Circulation management with right heart protection as the core strategy is the key point of the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome. (22) Right heart function involvement after cardiac surgery is very common and should be highly valued. (23) Right ventricular dysfunction should not be considered as a routine excuse for maintaining higher central venous pressure. (24) When left ventricular dilation, attention should be paid to the effect of left ventricle on right ventricular diastolic function. (25) The impact of left ventricular function should be excluded when the contractility of the right ventricle is decreased. (26) When the right heart load increases acutely, the shunt between the left and right heart should be monitored. (27) Attention should be paid to the increase of central venous pressure caused by right ventricular dysfunction and its influence on microcirculation blood flow. (28) When the vasoactive drugs was used to reduce the pressure of pulmonary circulation, different effects on pulmonary and systemic circulation should be evaluated. (29) Right atrial pressure is an important factor affecting venous return. Attention should be paid to the influence of the pressure composition of the right atrium on the venous return. (30) Attention should be paid to the role of the right ventricle in the acute pulmonary edema. (31) Monitoring the difference between the mean systemic filling pressure and the right atrial pressure is helpful to determine whether the infusion increases the venous return. (32) Venous return resistance is often considered to be a insignificant factor that affects venous return, but attention should be paid to the effect of the specific pathophysiological status, such as intrathoracic hypertension, intra-abdominal hypertension and so on. Consensus can promote right heart function management in critically ill patients, optimize hemodynamic therapy, and even affect prognosis.

Randomized controlled study of efficacy and safety of drotaverine hydrochloride in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of drotaverine hydrochloride (DHC) in Chinese patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

METHODS

Totally, 144 patients with IBS were included and randomly divided into treatment group and placebo group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients received either DHC or placebo 80-mg tablet, 3 times daily for a total of 4 weeks. The primary outcome included abdominal pain, measured by the visual analog scale (VAS), and weekly stool frequency. The secondary outcomes were measured by the Bristol scale, and the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36), as well as the adverse events recorded during the treatment period. All those outcomes were measured at the end of 4-week treatment.

RESULTS

The total and different types of IBS in VAS, stool frequency, and Bristol score were significantly better in the treatment group than those in the placebo group at the end of 4-week treatment. However, no significant difference was found in quality of life, measured by SF-36 scale between 2 groups. Additionally, no serious and significant differences in adverse events were found in and between both groups.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that DHC has promising efficacy to enhance symptoms of IBS in Chinese population.

QTL analysis for rice grain length and fine mapping of an identified QTL with stable and major effects

Grain length in rice plays an important role in determining rice appearance, milling, cooking and eating quality. In this study, the genetic basis of grain length was dissected into six main-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and twelve pairs of epistatic QTLs. The stability of these QTLs was evaluated in four environments using an F7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross between a Japonica variety, Asominori, and an Indica variety, IR24. Moreover, chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) harboring each of the six main-effect QTLs were used to evaluate gene action of QTLs across eight environments. A major QTL denoted as qGL-3a, was found to express stably not only in the isogenic background of Asominori but also in the recombinant background of Asominori and IR24 under multiple environments. The IR24 allele at qGL-3a has a positive effect on grain length. Based on the test of advanced backcross progenies, qGL-3a was dissected as a single Mendelian factor, i.e., long rice grain was controlled by a recessive gene gl-3. High-resolution genetic and physical maps were further constructed for fine mapping gl-3 by using 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers designed using sequence information from seven BAC/PAC clones and a BC4F2 population consisting of 2,068 individuals. Consequently, the gl-3 gene was narrowed down to a candidate genomic region of 87.5 kb long defined by SSR markers RMw357 and RMw353 on chromosome 3, which provides a basis for map-based cloning of this gene and for marker-aided QTL pyramiding in rice quality breeding.

Stability of QTLs for rice grain dimension and endosperm chalkiness characteristics across eight environments

Rice appearance quality, including traits specifying grain dimension and endosperm chalkiness, represents a major problem in many rice-producing areas of the world. In this study, the genetic basis of six appearance quality traits of milled rice was dissected into quantitative trait loci (QTL) main effects, and the stability of these QTLs was assessed in a population of 66 chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) across eight environments. The CSSLs showed transgressive segregation for many of the traits, and significant correlations were detected among most of the traits. Twenty-two QTLs were identified on eight chromosomes, and numerous QTLs affecting related traits were mapped in the same regions, probably reflecting pleiotropic effects. Nine QTLs, namely qGL-1,qGL-3, qGW-5,qLWR-3, qLWR-5,qPGWC-8, qPGWC-9, qACE-8, and qDEC-8, were consistently detected across the eight environments. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis showed that genotype (G) x environment (E) interaction was significant for all six traits, with the first three iPCA terms accounting for over 80% of the G x E variance. Both D(I) values and the iPCA1-iPCA2 biplots showed that the CSSLs harboring the nine QTL alleles were more stable than those carrying any of the additional 13 QTL alleles, thereby confirming their environmental stability and pointing to their appropriateness as targets for marker-assisted selection for high-quality rice varieties.

QTL detection for eating quality of cooked rice in a population of chromosome segment substitution lines

The genetic mechanism underlying six palatability properties of cooked rice and three physico-chemical traits was dissected in 66 BC(3)F(2) chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs), using a complete linkage map in three successive years. The CSSLs showed transgressive segregation for all traits studied. Significant correlation was detected among most palatability traits. A total of 25 QTLs for the nine traits were identified on nine chromosomes, and many QTLs affecting different quality traits were mapped in the same regions. Six QTLs--qLT-8 for luster, qTD-6 and qTD-8 for tenderness, qIVOE-6 and qIVOE-8 for integrated value of organoleptic evaluation, and qAC-8 for amylose content--were repeatedly detected across the 3 years. Phenotypic values were significantly different between the recurrent parent, cultivar Asominori, and the CSSLs harboring any of the six QTL alleles across the three environments, indicating that these six QTLs were non-environment-specific and could be used for marker-assisted selection in rice quality improvement.

Lymphomas with follicular and monocytoid B-cell components. Evidence for a common clonal origin from follicle center cells

We investigated the clonal relationship between follicular center cell and monocytoid B-cell components of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by isolating the components and comparing the nucleotide sequences of the complementarity-determining region (CDR)3 of the rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene. Paraffin blocks from 4 cases with amplifiable DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were identified. Multiple representative cell clusters of the 2 components were obtained by microdissection, and the IgH CDR3 was amplified using a seminested PCR. Most of the PCR products obtained from both tumor components in each case had identical lengths when analyzed with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and identical migratory patterns on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). These findings indicate sequence identity of the IgH CDR3 of both tumor components. Sequence analysis showed that point mutations were responsible for bands from the same case that had nonidentical migratory patterns by DGGE. The components in each of the 4 cases studied have the same clonal origin. Intraclonal sequence variations in the IgH gene were observed in 2 cases, consistent with the presence of continued somatic hypermutation after establishment of the clone. The expression of CD10 and bcl-2, as well as the detection of bcl-2 rearrangements in 2 cases, indicate that these lymphomas are of follicular center cell origin.

Bacterial scavengase p20 is structurally and functionally related to peroxiredoxins

Scavengase p20 was recently identified as a novel family of bacterial antioxidant enzymes possessing thioredoxin-linked thiol peroxidase activity. In this study, the Escherichia coli gene coding for scavengase p20 was isolated from three different strains and the nucleotide sequence was determined. Multiple alignment of amino acid sequence revealed that a previously unidentified Cys-61 is most conserved among all bacterial p20 scavengases and corresponds to the active site in the well-characterized peroxiredoxins. Phylogenetic analysis further supported that scavengase p20 is a novel subfamily of peroxiredoxins. Site-directed mutagenesis studies demonstrated that Cys-61 is indispensable for the antioxidant activities of scavengase p20. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that the p20 scavengases are structurally and functionally related to peroxiredoxins.

Scavengase p20: a novel family of bacterial antioxidant enzymes

A novel antioxidant enzyme designated scavengase p20 was identified in various pathogenic bacteria through database searching for sequences strikingly homologous to a recently discovered Escherichia coli thiol peroxidase p20. The direct biochemical evidence for the existence of scavengase p20 in Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori was provided by protein microsequencing and by in vitro assays for antioxidant activities. Overlapping genes encoding scavengase p20 and superoxide dismutase were recognized in H. pylori and their functional implications are discussed.