Nanoparticle-delivered RNAi-based pesticide target screening for the rice pest white-backed planthopper and risk assessment for a natural predator

Vacuolar-type (H+)-ATPase (vATPase) is a conserved multi-subunit eukaryotic enzyme composed of 14 subunits that form a functional complex consisting of an ATP-hydrolytic domain (V1) and a proton-translocation domain (V0). ATP hydrolysis and subsequent H+ translocation rely heavily on a fully assembled V1/V0 complex. Since vATPase is crucial for insect survival, it is a viable molecular target for pest control. However, detailed functional analyses of the 14 subunits and their suitability for pest control have not been fully explored in a single insect species. In this study, we identified 22 vATPase subunit transcripts that correspond to 13 subunits (A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, a1, a2, c and d) in the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera, a major hemipteran pest of rice. RNAi screens using microinjection and spray-based methods revealed that the SfVHA-F, SfVHA-a2 and SfVHA-c2 subunits are critical. Furthermore, star polymer (SPc) nanoparticles were utilized to conduct spray-induced and nanoparticle-delivered gene silencing (SI-NDGS) to evaluate the pest control efficacy of RNAi targeting the SfVHA-F, SfVHA-a2 and SfVHA-c2 transcripts. Target mRNA levels and vATPase enzymatic activity were both reduced. Honeydew excreta was likewise reduced in WBPH treated with dsRNAs targeting SfVHA-F, SfVHA-a2 and SfVHA-c2. To assess the environmental safety of the nanoparticle-wrapped dsRNAs, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter, a major natural enemy of planthoppers, was also sprayed with dsRNAs targeting SfVHA-F, SfVHA-a2 and SfVHA-c2. Post-spray effects of dsSfVHA-a2 and dsSfVHA-c2 on C. lividipennis were innocuous. This study identifies SfVHA-a2 and SfVHA-c2 as promising targets for biorational control of WBPH and lays the foundation for developing environment-friendly RNAi biopesticides.

Differentiation of Polygonatum Cyrtonema Hua from Different Geographical Origins by near-Infrared Spectroscopy with Chemometrics

BACKGROUND

The identification of the geographical origin of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua is of particular importance because the quality and market value of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua from different production areas are highly variable due to differences in the growing environment and climatic conditions.

OBJECTIVE

This study utilized near-infrared spectra (NIR) of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (n = 400) to develop qualitative models for effective differentiation of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua from various regions.

METHODS

The models were produced under different conditions to distinguish the origins distinctly. Ten pre-processing methods have been used to pre-process the original spectra (OS) and to select the most optimal spectral pre-processing method. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were employed to determine appropriate models. For simplicity, the pretreated full spectrum was calculated by different wavelength selection methods, and the four most significant variables were selected as discriminant indicator variables.

RESULTS

The results show that Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua from different regions can be effectively distinguished using spectra from a series of samples analyzed by OPLS-DA. The accuracy of the OPLS-DA model is also satisfactory, with a good differentiation rate.

CONCLUSION

The study findings indicate the feasibility of using spectroscopy in combination with multivariate analysis to identify the geographical origins of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua.

HIGHLIGHTS

The utilization of near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics exhibits high efficacy in discerning the provenance of herbal medicines and foods, thereby facilitating quality assurance measures.

RNAi of yellow-y, required for normal cuticle pigmentation, impairs courtship behavior and oviposition in the German cockroach (Blattella germanica)

The insect cuticle plays a key role in maintaining the insect's physiological function and behavior. Herein, the yellow-y protein is required to produce black melanin, and is expressed in a pattern that correlates with the distribution of this pigment. However, yellow-y can also have other functions, for instance, in insect behavior, but not much is known. In this study, we have studied the yellow-y gene in one important model and pest species, namely the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), which is to our knowledge the first time reported. In essence, we identified the yellow-y gene (BgY-y) and characterized its function by using RNA interference (RNAi). Silencing of BgY-y gene led to different developmental abnormalities (body weight and wings) in both genders. Specifically, there was an abundant decrease in melanin, turning the body color in pale yellow and the cuticle softer and more transparent. Interestingly, we also observed that the knockdown of BgY-y impaired the male cockroaches to display a weaker response to female-emitted contact sex pheromones, and also that the oviposition ability was weakened in the RNAi females. This study comprehensively analyzed the biological functions of the yellow-y gene in German cockroaches from the perspectives of development, body color, courtship behavior and oviposition, and as a consequence, this may opens new avenues to explore it as a novel pest control gene.

The melanin pigment gene black mediates body pigmentation and courtship behaviour in the German cockroach Blattella germanica

Genes involved in melanin production directly impact insect pigmentation and can affect diverse physiology and behaviours. The role these genes have on sex behaviour, however, is unclear. In the present study, the crucial melanin pigment gene black was functionally characterised in an urban pest, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica. RNAi knockdown of B. germanica black (Bgblack) had no effect on survival, but did result in black pigmentation of the thoraxes, abdomens, heads, wings, legs, antennae, and cerci due to cuticular accumulation of melanin. Sex-specific variation in the pigmentation pattern was apparent, with females exhibiting darker coloration on the abdomen and thorax than males. Bgblack knockdown also resulted in wing deformation and negatively impacted the contact sex pheromone-based courtship behaviour of males. This study provides evidence for black function in multiple aspects of B. germanica biology and opens new avenues of exploration for novel pest control strategies.

RNA Interference-Screening of Potentially Lethal Gene Targets in the White-Backed Planthopper Sogatella furcifera via a Spray-Induced and Nanocarrier-Delivered Gene Silencing System

RNA interference (RNAi) is a widespread post-transcriptional silencing mechanism that targets homologous mRNA sequences for specific degradation. An RNAi-based pest management strategy is target-specific and considered a sustainable biopesticide. However, the specific genes targeted and the efficiency of the delivery methods can vary widely across species. In this study, a spray-induced and nanocarrier-delivered gene silencing (SI-NDGS) system that incorporated gene-specific dsRNAs targeting conserved genes was used to evaluate phenotypic effects in white-backed planthopper (WBPH). At 2 days postspraying, transcript levels for all target genes were significantly reduced and knockdown of two gene orthologs, hsc70-3 and PP-α, resulted in an elevated mortality (>60%) and impaired ecdysis. These results highlight the utility of the SI-NDGS system for identifying genes involved in WBPH growth and development that could be potentially exploitable as high mortality target genes to develop an alternative method for WBPH control.

Efficient nanoparticle-based CRISPR-Cas13d induced mRNA disruption of an eye pigmentation gene in the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera

The discovery of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) system has driven gene manipulation technology to a new era with applications reported in organisms that span the tree of life. The utility of CRISPR-mediated editing was further expanded to mRNA following identification of the RNA-targeting Cas13 family of smaller endonuclease proteins. Application of this family to insect research, however, has been more limited. In this study, the smallest Cas13 family member, Cas13d, and guide RNAs (gRNAs) were complexed with a versatile nanomaterial (star polycation, SPc) to generate a proof-of-concept RNA-editing platform capable of disrupting mRNA expression of the eye pigmentation gene tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (SfTO) in white-backed planthoppers (WBPHs). The resulting red-eye phenotype was present in 19.76% (with SPc) and 22.99% (without SPc) of the treatment groups and was comparable to the red-eye phenotype generated following conventional RNA interference knockdown (22.22%). Furthermore, the Cas13/gRNA phenotype manifested more quickly than RNA interference. Consistent with the expected Cas13d mechanism, SfTO transcript levels were significantly reduced. Taken together, the results indicate that the SPc-CRISPR-Cas13d/gRNA complex negatively impacted expression of the target gene. These findings confirm the utility of this novel mRNA disruption system in insects and lay the foundation for further development of these tools in the implementation of green agricultural pest management tactics.

Efficient DIPA-CRISPR-mediated knockout of an eye pigment gene in the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera

Although CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used in insect gene editing, the need for the microinjection of preblastoderm embryos can preclude the technique being used in insect species with eggs that are small, have hard shells, and/or are difficult to collect and maintain outside of their normal environment. Such is the case with Sogatella furcifera, the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), a significant pest of Oryza sativa (rice) that oviposits inside rice stems. Egg extraction from the stem runs the risk of mechanical damage and hatching is heavily influenced by the micro-environment of the rice stem. To bypass these issues, we targeted embryos prior to oviposition via direct parental (DIPA)-CRISPR, in which Cas9 and single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) for the WBPH eye pigment gene tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase were injected into the hemocoel of adult females. Females at varying numbers of days posteclosion were evaluated to determine at what stage their oocyte might be most capable of taking up the gene-editing components. An evaluation of the offspring indicated that the highest G0 gene-edited efficacy (56.7%) occurred in females injected 2 d posteclosion, and that those mutations were heritably transmitted to the G1 generation. This study demonstrates the potential utility of DIPA-CRISPR for future gene-editing studies in non-model insect species and can facilitate the development of novel pest management applications.

[Development in diagnostic criteria for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis]

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an allergic lung disease caused by the sensitization of Aspergillus fumigatus. In recent years, the research into ABPA has progressed, the testing methods have improved and the diagnostic criteria have been continuously updated. There is no gold standard for the diagnosis of the disease. The diagnostic criteria for ABPA include predisposing diseases, fungal-related immunoassay and pathological examination. Understanding the clinical significance of ABPA diagnostic criteria may help to prevent irreversible bronchopulmonary injury, improve respiratory function and improve the prognosis of patients.

Genetic analysis of longevity and their associations with fertility traits in Holstein cattle

The increase of longevity is intended to reduce involuntary culling rates, not extend the life span, and it reflects the ability of animals to successfully cope with the environment and disease during production. Sire model, animal model and repeatability animal models were used to estimate the (co) variance components of longevity and fertility traits. Six longevity and thirteen fertility traits were analysed, including herd life (HL), productive life (PL), number of days between first calving and the end of first lactation or culling (L1); number of days between first calving and the end of the second lactation or culling (L2); number of days between first calving and the end of the third lactation or culling (L3); number of days between first calving and the end of the fourth lactation or culling (L4); age at first service, age at first calving (AFC), the interval from first to last inseminations in heifer (IFLh), conception rate of first insemination in heifer, days open (DO), calving interval, gestation length, interval from calving to first insemination (ICF), interval from first to last inseminations in cow (IFLc), conception rate of first insemination in cow, calving ease (CE), birth weight, and calf survival. The estimated heritabilities (±SE) were 0.018 (±0.003), 0.015 (±0.003), 0.049 (±0.004), 0.025 (±0.003), 0.009 (±0.002) and 0.011 (±0.002) for HL, PL, L1, L2, L3 and L4, respectively. Strong correlations were appeared in HL and PL; the genetic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were 0.998 and 0.985, respectively. There were high genetic and phenotypic correlations which were observed in L1 and L2, L2 and L3, L3 and L4, respectively. All fertility traits of heifer showed medium to high heritability, while the cow showed low heritability. All heifer fertility traits had low genetic associations with longevity traits, ranging from -0.018 (L2 and IFLh) to 0.257 (L3 and AFC). Most of the fertility traits showed negative correlations with longevity traits in different parities, and we recommend DO, ICF, IFLc and CE as indirect indicators of longevity traits in dairy cows, but we also need to take into account the differences between parities.

Two Antenna-Enriched Carboxylesterases Mediate Olfactory Responses and Degradation of Ester Volatiles in the German Cockroach Blattella germanica

Insects have evolved an extremely sensitive olfactory system that is essential for a series of physiological and behavioral activities. Some carboxylesterases (CCEs) comprise a major subfamily of odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs) playing a crucial role in odorant signal inactivation to maintain the odorant receptor sensitivity. In this study, 93 CCEs were annotated in the genome of the German cockroach Blattella germanica, a serious urban pest. Phylogenetic and digital tissue expression pattern analyses identified two antenna-enriched CCEs, BgerCCE021e3 and BgerCCE021d1, as candidate ODEs. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of BgerCCE021e3 and BgerCCE021d1 resulted in partial anosmia with experimental insects exhibiting reduced attraction to ester volatile resources and slower olfactory responses than controls. Furthermore, enzymatic conversion of geranyl acetate by crude male antennal extracts from BgerCCE021e3 and BgerCCE021d1 RNAi insects was also significantly reduced. Our results provide evidence for CCE function in German cockroach olfaction and provide a basis for further exploring behavioral inhibitors that target olfactory-related CCEs.

Functional characterization of five developmental signaling network genes in the white-backed planthopper: Potential application for pest management

BACKGROUND

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH, Sogatella furcifera) is a major rice pest that exhibits condition dependent wing dimorphisms - a macropterous (long wing) form and a brachypterous (short wing) form. Although, the gene cascade that regulates wing development and dimorphic differentiation has been largely defined, the utility of these genes as targets for pest control has yet to be fully explored.

RESULTS

Five genes typically associated with the developmental signaling network, armadillo (arm), apterous A (apA), scalloped (sd), dachs (d), and yorkie (yki) were identified from the WBPH genome and their roles in wing development assessed following RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown. At 5 days-post injection, transcript levels for all five targets were substantially decreased compared with the dsGFP control group. Among the treatment groups, those injected with dsSfarm had the most pronounced effects on transcript reduction, mortality (95 ± 3%), and incidence (45 ± 3%) of wing deformities, whereas those injected with dsSfyki had the lowest incidence (6.7 ± 4%). To assess the utility of topical RNAi for Sfarm, we used a spray-based approach that complexed a large-scale, bacteria-based double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) expression pipeline with star polycation (SPc) nanoparticles. Rice seedlings infested with third and fourth instar nymphs were sprayed with SPc-dsRNA formulations and RNAi phenotypic effects were assessed over time. At 2 days post-spray, Sfarm transcript levels decreased by 86 ± 9.5% compared with dsGFP groups, and the subsequent incidences of mortality and wing defects were elevated in the treatment group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study characterized five genes in the WBPH developmental signaling cascade, assessed their impact on survival and wing development via RNAi, and developed a nanoparticle-dsRNA spray approach for potential field control of WBPH. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Functional characterization of tyrosine melanin genes in the white-backed planthopper and utilization of a spray-based nanoparticle-wrapped dsRNA technique for pest control

As a significant pest of rice the white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera is a focus of pest management. However, traditional chemical-based control methods risk the development of pesticide resistance as well as severe ecological repercussions. Although nanoparticle-encapsulated dsRNAs provide a promising alternative method for sustainable pest management, gene targets specific to WBPH have yet to be optimized. Genes in the tyrosine-melanin pathway impact epidermal melanization and sclerotization, two processes essential for insect development and metabolism, have been proposed as good candidate targets for pest management. Seven genes (aaNAT, black, DDC, ebony, tan, TH, and yellow-y) in this group were identified from WBPH genome and functionally characterized by using RNAi for their impact on WBPH body color, development, and mortality. Knockdown of SfDDC, Sfblack, SfaaNAT, and Sftan caused cuticles to turn black, whereas Sfyellow-y and Sfebony knockdown resulted in yellow coloration. SfTH knockdown resulted in pale-colored bodies and high mortality. Additionally, an Escherichia coli expression system for large-scale dsRNA production was coupled with star polycation nanoparticles to develop a sprayable RNAi method targeting SfTH that induced high WBPH mortality rates on rice seedlings. These findings lay the groundwork for the development of large-scale dsRNA nanoparticle sprays as a WBPH control method.

Functional characterization of developmentally critical genes in the white-backed planthopper: Efficacy of nanoparticle-based dsRNA sprays for pest control

BACKGROUND

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), zinc finger homeodomain-2 (zfh-2), Abdominal-A (Abd-A), and Abdominal-B (Abd-B) regulate the growth and development of the insect abdomen. However, their potential roles in pest control have not been fully assessed. The development of insecticide resistance to multiple chemistries in the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), a major pest of rice, has prompted interest in novel pest control approaches that are ecologically friendly. Although pest management approaches based on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) have potential, their susceptibility to degradation limits large-scale field applications. These limitations, however, can be overcome with nanoparticle-dsRNA complexes that have greater environmental stability and improved cellular uptake.

RESULTS

In this study, at 5 days post-injection, transcripts for the four gene targets were reduced relative to controls and all of the experimental groups exhibited significant phenotypic defects and increased mortality. To evaluate the potential of these gene targets for field applications, a nanocarrier-dsRNA spray delivery system was assessed for RNAi efficacy. At 11 days post-spray, significant phenotypic defects and increased mortality were observed in all experimental groups.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, the results confirm the suitability of the target genes (SfEGFR, Sfzfh-2, SfAbd-A, and SfAbd-B) for pest management and demonstrate the efficacy of the nanocarrier spray system for inducing RNAi-mediated knockdown. As such, the study lays the foundation for the further development and optimization of this technology for large-scale field applications. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Application status of CFD technology in occupational hazard control]

In the process of occupational hazard management, computational fluid dynamics technology can be used to reflect the distribution pattern of occupational hazards in the production process, so as to quickly and accurately guide the formulation of occupational disease prevention and control programs. This paper summarizes and analyzes the current research results on the prevention and control of occupational hazards in workplaces through computational fluid dynamics technology, and describes the application of these research results in the process of occupational disease prevention and control. On this basis, this paper presents the problems and application limitations of existing research and points out the future key research directions, which are of great reference value for guiding further systematic and in-depth research on simulation, experimentation and management of occupational hazards that can cause occupational diseases.

Improvements in Brazed-Joint Properties of Silicon Nitride and Titanium Alloys Using Laser-Induced Microscale Rice Leaf Structures

Si₃N₄ ceramics with a microscale rice leaf structure (MRLS) and titanium alloy were connected via brazing, and the influence of the surface microstructure on the ceramic connection was analyzed. MRLS fabrication is an efficient and high-degree-of-freedom method that can be used to change a material's surface morphology and wettability. The MRLS was obtained at a laser power of 110 W, with line spacings of 100 and 50 μm. The laser-treated surface included nanoparticles and micro particles, exhibiting a coral-like structure after agglomeration. When the MRLS was used to braze the titanium alloy, no defects were observed at the brazing interface, and the formation was excellent. Throughout the brazed joint, the MRLS remained intact and formed a strong metallurgical bond with the brazing filler metal. A finite element analysis was performed to study the cross-sectional morphology after joint fracture; from the load-time curve, it was found that the MRLS on the surface not only helped improve the mechanical occlusion and brazing area at the interface, but also helped generate compressive stress on the Si₃N₄ side. Crack propagation was hindered, thereby increasing the joint strength.

[Feasibility analysis of CT angiography derived computational fluid dynamics in evaluating intracranial artery stenosis]

A retrospective study was performed on 8 patients, including 7 males and 1 female, aged 47 to 77 (59±3) years, with intracranial artery stenosis in General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command from November 2018 to May 2019, who underwent CT angiography (CTA), digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment. Three-dimensional (3D) prototyping models of intracranial artery based on image data of CTA was constructed and the hemodynamic parameters were obtained using computational fluid dynamics methods. The results showed that CT-FFR value was 0.59±0.18, and invasive FFR value was 0.60±0.22, from which we propased that noninvasive hemodynamic analyses can be used to evaluate the physiological significance of intracranial arterial stenosis.

[Survival analysis of unexpected small cell lung cancer following surgery]

Objective: To investigate the survival and influencing factors of unexpected small cell lung cancer following surgery. Methods: We respectively reviewed the clinical characters of 104 patients who underwent surgical treatment and be proved as small cell lung cancer by pathology between January 2000 to October 2020 in Chinese PLA General Hospital. Overall survival (OS) of patients was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: Of 104 patients, 27 cases showed central lesions, and other 77 showed peripheral nodules. The margin of nodules was smooth in 42 cases on CT imaging. The median OS was 34.3 months and 5-year OS rate was 45.8%. Postoperative 5-year OS rates for patients were 52.1%, 45.4%, and 27.8% for clinical stages Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. Univariate analyses identified the age, surgical access, surgical approach, N stage, TNM stage and vascular cancer emboli were associated with OS (P<0.05). The N stage was an independent factor for the OS of patients (P<0.05). Conclusions: Patients with unexpected SCLC, including Ⅰ, Ⅱ and part ⅢA stage have favorable outcome and can benefit from surgery and systemic postoperative treatment. Standard lobectomy plus systemic lymph node dissection is commended.

[Effects of NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis on olfaction dysfunction in allergic rhinitis]

Objective: To explore the relationship between NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and olfactory dysfunction (OD) in allergic rhinitis (AR), and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of CY-09, a selective NLRP3 inhibitor for OD. Methods: An AR mouse model was established with ovalbumin, and the olfactory function of AR mice was detected by the buried food pellet test. Mice with OD were intraperitoneally injected with CY-09 or saline. The activation of microglia and astrocytes in olfactory bulb was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression level of pyroptosis associated protein was detected by Western blot. The level of pyroptosis associated proinflammatory factor mRNA was determined by real-time PCR. SPSS 24.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: After the test, ovalbumin successfully established AR mice model, in which 52.5% (21/40) of them showed OD. The number of activated microglia and astroglia in olfactory bulb tissue in OD group were more than those in non-OD group (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) was significantly increased in the olfactory bulb of the OD group (all P<0.05). CY-09 could significantly reduce the level of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β and IL-18 expression, and inhibite the activation of microglia and astrocytes in the olfactory bulb tissues (all P<0.05). Conclusion: NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis is closely related to the OD associated with AR. CY-09 could improve the olfactory function in AR mice, which may be related to blocking the NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis.

[Predictive diagnostic value of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps]

Objective: To compare the value of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-(OH)D3) with other clinical parameters in the prediction and diagnosis of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP). Methods: Eligible chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) patients and healthy subjects in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January to April of 2021 were included for this study. The age, gender, past history and other basic characteristics of all subjects were recorded. The CRSwNP patients were classified into ECRSwNP and non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (nECRSwNP) endotypes by the percentage of tissue eosinophils. Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels measurements were performed in all subjects. Paranasal sinus CT scans, blood eosinophil counts, and determination of total immunoglobulin E (total IgE), Th1/Th2 plasma cytokines and nasal nitric oxide (nNO) levels were performed before surgery. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the related factors of ECRSwNP. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was used to evaluate the predictive potential of the clinical parameters. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven CRSwNP patients and 40 healthy subjects were recruited, including 74 males and 93 females of the patients, with the age of (38.73±13.05) years. In patients with ECRSwNP, serum 25-(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower than those in nECRSwNP patients ((26.14±4.58) ng/ml vs (35.71±7.86) ng/ml, t=-8.564, P<0.01). The prevalence of asthma, prevalence of allergic rhinitis, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, total IgE levels, nNO levels and CT scores ratio for ethmoid sinus and maxillary sinus (E/M ratio) of ECRSwNP patients were significantly higher than those in nECRSwNP patients (all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in Th1/Th2 cytokines levels between the histological types of CRSwNP (all P>0.05). Among the predictive indicators, 25-(OH)D3 had the highest predictive value, with ROC area under curve (AUC) value of 0.882. The best cut-off point of 28.5 ng/ml for 25-(OH)D3 demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.871 and a specificity of 0.762 for ECRSwNP. Conclusion: Measurement of serum 25-(OH)D3 level may be used as an effective method to distinguish between ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP.

Genome-wide scanning for CHD1L gene in papillary thyroid carcinoma complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) represents the most common subtype of thyroid cancer (TC). This study was set out to explore the potential effect of CHD1L on PTC and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

We searched for T2DM susceptibility genes through the GWAS database and obtained T2DM-related differentially expressed gene from the GEO database. The expression and clinical data of TC and normal samples were collated from the TCGA database. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was subsequently applied to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the CHD1L for the diagnosis of PTC. The MCP-counter package in R language was then utilized to generate immune cell score to evaluate the relationship between CHD1L expression and immune cells. Then, we performed functional enrichment analysis of co-expressed genes and DEGs to determine significantly enriched GO terms and KEGG to predict the potential functions of CHD1L in PTC samples and T2DM adipose tissue.

RESULTS

From two genes (ABCB9, CHD1L) were identified to be DEGs (p < 1 * 10^-5) that exerted effects on survival (HR > 1, p < 0.05) in PTC and served as T2DM susceptibility genes. The gene expression matrix-based scoring of immunocytes suggested that PTC samples with high and low CHD1L expression presented with significant differences in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The enrichment analysis of CHD1L co-expressed genes and DEGs suggested that CHD1L was involved in multiple pathways to regulate the development of PTC. Among them, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection, salmonella infection and TNF signaling pathways were highlighted as the three most relevant pathways. GSEA analysis, employed to analyze the genome dataset of PTC samples and T2DM adipose tissue presenting with high and low expression groups of CHD1L, suggests that these differential genes are related to chemokine signaling pathway, leukocyte transendothelial migration and TCELL receptor signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

CHD1L may potentially serve as an early diagnostic biomarker for PTC, and a target of immunotherapy for PTC and T2DM.

Two carboxylesterase genes in Plutella xylostella associated with sex pheromones and plant volatiles degradation

BACKGROUND

Carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCEs) are thought to play a pivotal role in the degradation of sex pheromones and plant-derived odorants in insects, but their exact biochemistry and physiological functions remain unclear.

RESULTS

In this study, two paralogous antennae-enriched CCEs from Plutella xylostella (PxylCCE16a and 16c) were identified and functionally characterized. High-purity protein preparations of active recombinant PxylCCE16a and 16c have been obtained from Sf9 insect cells by Ni²⁺ affinity purification. Our results revealed that the purified recombinant PxylCCE016c is able to degrade two sex pheromone components Z9-14:Ac and Z11-16:Ac at 27.64 ± 0.79% and 24.40 ± 3.07%, respectively, while PxylCCE016a presented relatively lower activity. Additionally, a similar difference in activity was measured in plant-derived odorants. Furthermore, both CCEs displayed obvious preferences for the two sex pheromone components, especially on Z11-16:Ac (K_m values are in the range 7.82-45.06 μmol L^-1 ) which much lower than plant odorants (K_m values are in the range 1290-4030 μmol L^-1 ). Furthermore, the activity of the two newly identified CCEs is pH-dependent. The activity at pH 6.5 is obviously higher than that at pH 5.0. Interestingly, only PxylCCE016c can be inhibited by a common esterase inhibitor triphenyl phosphate (TPP) with LC₅₀ of 1570 ± 520 μmol L^-1 .

CONCLUSION

PxylCCE16c plays a more essential role in odorant degradation than PxylCCE16a. Moreover, the current study provides novel potential pesticide targets for the notorious moth Plutella xylostella. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Silencing the odorant coreceptor (Orco) disrupts sex pheromonal communication and feeding responses in Blattella germanica: toward an alternative target for controlling insect-transmitted human diseases

BACKGROUND

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is one of the most severe pests of urban and rural areas. High-throughput genetic screening approaches indicate that the olfactory system of this pest is extremely powerful because it has an extensive array of olfactory receptor genes compared with many other insect species. Several of these genes have been identified previously, but their functions have not yet been characterized.

RESULTS

This study describes the sequence of five transcriptomes of B. germanica adult male antennae, female antennae, maxillary palps, legs, and fifth-instar nymph antennae to investigate expression patterns of odorant receptors (ORs). Approximately 90% of ORs were found to be the most highly expressed genes in adult or nymph antennae. Additionally, every OR requires an odorant co-receptor (Orco) to become fully functional, and this was selected and successfully inhibited by injection of the corresponding double-stranded (ds)RNA targeting the Orco. A strong RNA interference (RNAi) effect was observed in which > 75% of Orco messenger RNA (mRNA) was clearly suppressed after 72 h of treatment. Olfactory behavioral assays showed that Orco-impaired B. germanica respond more slowly and show less attraction to one volatile sex pheromone and food resources compared with a control group.

CONCLUSION

The results show that Orco plays a pivotal role in both sex pheromone and food-seeking olfactory processes, and provide an alternative genetic technique for controlling this urban pest species by olfactory disruption. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Dietary Lactobacillus casei can be used to influence intraepithelial lymphocyte migration and modulate mucosal immunity in chicks

1. The role of probiotics in modulating intestinal mucosal immunity in chicks was investigated by measuring migration of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) and cytokine signals in chicks fed on a diet supplemented with the Lactobacillus casei compared with those of chicks fed on an unsupplemented diet.2. Increased numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) were detected in the ileal epithelium at d 3 and d 7 after feeding a diet containing 10⁸ CFU/g L. casei.3. Greater expression of chemokine genes for C-C motif chemokine ligand 3, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12, C-C motif chemokine receptor 5, and C-C motif chemokine receptor 9 were detected in the ileum on d 3, suggesting a greater number of IEL was associated with lymphocyte migration through the chemokine signalling pathway.4. After IEL migration, cell proliferation was evident in mucosal epithelial cells on d 14. Evidence of immune responses induced in the ileum from d 3-21 after feeding the diet containing L. casei was shown by the significant (P < 0.05) differences in transforming growth factor-β, secretory immunoglobulin A, interferon-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-4, and interleukin-10.5. These results indicated that feeding L. casei helps guide IEL migration and modulates intestinal mucosal immunity.

A candidate aldehyde oxidase in the antennae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is potentially involved in the degradation of pheromones, plant-derived volatiles and the detoxification of xenobiotics

Insect antennae play a fundamental role in perceiving and recognizing a broad spectrum of conventional semiochemicals and host plant-derived odors. As such, genes that are tightly associated with the antennae are thought to have olfactory-related roles related to signal transduction mechanisms. Several mechanisms suggest that enzymatic inactivation could contribute to the signal termination process, such as odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs). To date, a few ODEs have been identified and characterized in detail in insect herbivores, but little is known about aldehyde oxidases (AOXs); moreover, direct in vivo experimental evidence is needed. AOXs are a major family of metabolic enzymes that oxidize a variety of aromatic aldehydes, and they may also play a significant role in detoxification and degradation of environmental chemical cues. Here, we report on the identification and characterization of a novel cDNA encoding the putative odorant-degrading enzyme, PxylAOX3, from the antennae of the diamondback moth, (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). The purified recombinant protein showed a wide-range of substrate zymography oxidizing both sex pheromone compounds as well as plant-derived aldehydes with distinct activities. Our data suggest PxylAOX3 might be involved in the degradation of many structurally diverse aldehyde odorants. Furthermore, PxylAOX3 could participate in olfactory neuron protection by inactivation of redundant odorants and xenobiotic detoxification, making it a potential target for pesticide development as well.

Expression, Affinity, and Functional Characterization of the Specific Binding of Two Putative Pheromone-Binding Proteins in the Omnivorous German Cockroach Blattella germanica

The German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) is an important pest in medical, veterinary, and public health. Studies on the olfaction mechanism of hemimetabolous insects have rarely been reported, especially in cockroaches. Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) play a vital role in insect sex pheromone recognition, which solubilize and carry the hydrophobic pheromonal compounds through the antennal lymph to receptors. In this study, two potential PBPs (BgerOBP26 and BgerOBP40) were identified on the basis of their biased expression in male antennae using tissue transcriptome data and verified by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction approach. We then expressed and purified the two identified odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) using the Escherichia coli expression system and affinity purification. In vitro binding studies showed that the two OBPs display stronger binding affinities to the female volatile sex pheromone blattellaquinone than to its analogues and contact sex pheromone components. Finally, three-dimensional modeling of the two OBPs and dock conformation with sex pheromone molecules showed BgerOBP26 has a larger odorant cavity and more conservative active amino acid residues than BgerOBP40. These results illuminated the binding characteristics of potential PBPs of B. germanica, which could lay the groundwork for improved understanding of many aspects of the chemical ecology of B. germanica. Moreover, this information complements the understanding of the olfactory molecular mechanism in cockroaches and provides potential gene targets for B. germanica control.

Inhibition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans by phosphorus-containing compounds in model fly ash

Waste incineration is a preferred method in China to dispose the municipal solid waste, but controlling the production of highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans effectively during incineration is both challenging and imperative. In this study, the suppression of PCDD/Fs by various phosphorus-containing compounds was explored, and the mechanisms responsible for the inhibition were studied in detail. The experiments took place in a lab-scale vertical tubular reactor at 350 °C under a simulated flue gas (12 vol% O₂ in N₂ flow), and both the off-gases and residues were collected for PCDD/Fs analysis. The scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize the reaction residues. The experimental results revealed that NH₄H₂PO₄ and (NH₄)₂·HPO₄ showed the highest inhibitory effect (57.2% and 57.3%, respectively) on the PCDD/Fs formation, followed by CaHPO₄ with inhibition efficiency of 39.1%. In contrast, KH₂PO₄ and K₂HPO₄ barely inhibited the generation of the PCDD/Fs. The inhibitory effect of NH₄H₂PO₄ and (NH₄)₂·HPO₄ was similar to that of nitrogen-based inhibitors. At the same time, it was proven that the inhibitory activity of CaHPO₄ might be due to the reaction of it with Cu²⁺ forming stable compounds.

[Clinical characteristics analysis of 1 808 rheumatism in-patients with oral candidiasis]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of oral candidiasis (OC) in in-patients with rheumatism, in order to provide theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of OC in rheumatism patients. Methods: One thousand eight hundred and eight in-patients were recruited in the Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2017 to December 2017. The patients included 607 males and 1 201 females. Their average age was (49.5±15.5) years old with a ranging from 14 to 81 years. According to occurrence of OC or not, the patients were divided into OC group and non-OC group. The differences of general data, primary diseases, laboratory examinations, usage of glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant therapy were compared between the two groups, and the risk factors of OC occurrence were analyzed. Results: Two hundred and sixty-nine patients had OC and 1 539 patients had no OC. Age [(54.9±14.7) years], duration of illness [(9.4±4.4) years] and hospital stay [(15.3±5.7) d] in OC group were significantly longer than those in non-OC group. OC incidence in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD) [17.40% (193/1 109)] was higher than that in non-CTD patients [10.87% (75/699)] (P<0.001). OC most likely occurred in patients with such CTD as Sjögren syndrome (SS) and Behcet syndrome. OC incidence in non-CTD patients with osteoarthritis (OA) was highest. The salivary flow rate in OC group [(0.65±0.45) ml/min] was significantly lower than that in non-OC group [(0.78± 0.39) ml/min] (t=2.394, P=0.017). There was no statistical differences in other laboratory examinations between the two groups, including white blood cells (WBC), lymphocyte, platelet count, liver function, renal function, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin A, C(3), C(4) and so on. OC incidence in patients using prednisone≥15 mg/d [17.16% (133/775)] was higher than that in patients using prednisone<15 mg/d [12.53% (94/750)] and patients not using prednisone [14.84% (42/283)] (P<0.05). The incidence of OC in patients with immunosuppressant therapy [16.11% (226/1 403)] was statistically higher than that in non-immunosuppressant patients [10.62% (43/405)] (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors of OC occurrence included primary diseases (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), duration of illness (P=0.001) and duration of hospitalization (P=0.002). Conclusions: OC occurred commonly in rheumatism in-patients, especially in elder patients, patients with long duration of illness and hospital stay. OC incidence in CTD patients is significantly higher than that in non-CTD patients. Glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant therapy might significantly reduce the anti-fungal immunity of the patients.

Evolution and functional analysis of odorant-binding proteins in three rice planthoppers: Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, and Laodelphax striatellus

BACKGROUND

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, and the small brown planthopper (SBPH) Laodelphax striatellus are three notorious rice pests that cause annual losses in rice yield through sap-sucking and virus transmission. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are crucial olfactory genes involved in host-seeking behavior.

RESULTS

We discovered the presence of 12, 12, and 16 OBPs in WBPH, BPH, and SBPH, respectively, including two novel OBPs in BPH and seven novel OBPs in SBPH. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most of these OBPs have homologous genes, and one group (SfurOBP11, NlugOBP8, and LstrOBP2) show a slower evolution rate and are more conserved. Further, in vitro binding studies demonstrated that the three OBPs have similar binding affinities for some rice plant volatiles. Finally, RNA interference (RNAi) successfully inhibited the mRNA expression of the three OBPs, and in vivo behavioral tests showed that the OBP-deficient rice planthoppers were partly anosmic and lost some of their ability to locate rice plants.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate the crucial role of the rice planthopper OBP genes in seeking rice plants. This information complements the current genetic resources for the development of RNAi-based transgenic rice and other pest management technologies. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mechanisms of Toxicity and Cardiotoxicity of Alcohol Extract from Root, Stem and Leaf of Chloranthus Serratus

Abstract

Objective To compare the differences of cardiotoxicity of alcohol extract from root, stem and leaf of Chloranthus serratus in the rats, and discuss preliminarily its mechanism of toxicity. Methods Rats were randomly divided into four groups: blank, root alcohol, stem alcohol and leaf alcohol, with 8 in each group. After 14 days of continuous intragastric administration, the body mass change curves were drawn. The cardiac coefficient was calculated. The contents of creatine kinase （CK）, creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）, lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase （α-HBDH） as well as the content changes of oxidative stress indexes - total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA） in the serum of rats were detected. The cardiac pathomorphology changes in the rats were observed. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule （ICAM-1） and heme oxygenase （HO-1） in myocardial tissue was detected. Results Body mass growth rate： stem alcohol group was the smallest, followed by leaf alcohol group. The difference of cardiac coefficient of every group had no statistical significance （P>0.05）. The myocardial tissues of stem alcohol group suffered the most serious damage, followed by the leaf alcohol group. The contents of CK, CK-MB, LDH and α-HBDH in stem alcohol group increased （P<0.05）. The increase of MDA content and decrease of T-SOD content in stem alcohol group had statistical significance compared with the blank group and root alcohol group, while the leaf alcohol group only had statistical significance in the decrease of T-SOD content compared with the blank group （P<0.05）. The positive expression of ICAM-1 enhanced and the expression of HO-1 protein decreased in every group after the intervention of different extracts. The change trend was stem alcohol > leaf alcohol > root alcohol group. Conclusion The alcohol extract from the stem has the highest cardiotoxicity, followed by the leaf extract, and its mechanism of toxicity may be related to oxidative stress.

Phosphorylation of AKT serine/threonine kinase and abundance of milk protein synthesis gene networks in mammary tissue in response to supply of methionine in periparturient Holstein cows

The main objective was to evaluate the effect of increasing the supply of Met around parturition on abundance and phosphorylation of insulin- and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-related signaling proteins along with mRNA abundance of milk protein and fat synthesis-related genes in postpartal mammary tissue. A basal control diet (control) or the basal diet plus ethyl-cellulose rumen-protected Met (0.9 g/kg of dry matter intake; Mepron, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH, Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany) were fed (n = 30 cows/diet) from d -28 to 60 relative to parturition. Mammary tissue and blood plasma were harvested from the same cows (n = 5/diet) in the control and Met groups at d 21 postpartum for mRNA, protein, and AA analysis. Increasing the supply of Met led to greater milk protein percentage and milk yield along with greater ratio of phosphorylated (p-)AKT to total AKT. The ratio of p-mTORC1 to total mTORC1 did not differ, but ratio of p-RPS6 to total ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) was lower in response to Met supply. These responses were associated with greater mRNA abundance of the signaling proteins Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1). Greater Met supply also upregulated mRNA abundance of high-affinity cationic (SLC7A1) and sodium-coupled AA transporters (SLC38A1, SLC38A2); leucyl-tRNA (LARS), valyl-tRNA (VARS), and isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases (IARS); glucose transport solute carrier family 2 member 3 (SLC2A1); glucose transport solute carrier family 2 member 3 (SLC2A3); and casein α-s1 (CSN1S1). The mRNA abundance of components of the unfolded protein response, such as x-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), were upregulated, and protein phosphatase 1, regulatory subunit 15A (PPP1R15A) was downregulated in response to greater Met supply. Overall, the data suggest that increased dry matter intake, greater phosphorylation status of AKT, upregulation of glucose and AA transporters, and transcripts of tRNases in response to enhanced Met supply might have compensated for a reduction in ribosome biogenesis due to a lower ratio of p-RPS6 to total RPS6. Together, these cellular responses constitute a mechanism whereby Met supply can regulate milk protein synthesis in early lactation.

[Clinical evaluation of gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated though cholecystostomy tube]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, feasibility and safety of treatment of gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated through cholecystostomy tube. Methods: The clinical data of 17 patients with gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated through cholecystostomy tube from January 2012 to December 2016 was analyzed retrospectively. Results: Seventeen patients were successfully treated with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder (PTGD), and 88.2% (15/17) patients had clinical symptom relief. There was no complication happened after PTGD and fistula expansion. All the stones were removed and there was 11.7% (2/17) of gallbladder bleeding, 5.9% (1/17) of pancreatitis, and 5.9% (1/17) of hyperamylasemia after stones extraction. The patients had gone through an average treatment period of 87.8±16.0 days, hospitalization of 5.5±0.6 times and 43.3±4.5 days, cost of 60.0±8.0 thousand, 6.9±0.9 operations, 1.4±0.6 stone extraction operations with the average time of 58.4±21.2 min. The duodenal papillary balloon dilatation rate was 82.4% (14/17). Conclusion: The treatment through cholecystostomy tube is an effective, safe and feasible technique for gallbladder and common bile duct stones. However, there are many shortcomings such as long treatment cycle, large number of hospitalization and operations, difficult operation and high cost.

Binding affinity characterization of an antennae-enriched chemosensory protein from the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), with host plant volatiles

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera is a notorious rice pest in Asia. Olfaction is crucial for the WBPH to seek and locate rice plants. However, its mechanism is still not fully understood. Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are some of the important olfactory-related proteins. In this study, we first used a bacterial system to successfully express the recombinant, antennae-enriched protein SfurCSP5. Further, competitive fluorescence binding assays with 86 candidate ligands, including some known rice plant volatiles, showed that SfurCSP5 has high affinities for 2-tridecanone, 2-pentadecanone, and β-ionone, which are known to be present in volatile mixtures that can attract rice planthoppers, and produced Ki values of 4.89, 4.09, and 1.39 μmol/L, respectively. Additionally, homology modeling of the protein structure of SfurCSP5 showed that it possesses five α-helixes (α-1, α-2, α-3, α-4, and α-5), which is a non-typical feature of the insect CSPs. Finally, ligand docking results revealed that Leu-44, Ile-64, Phe-90, Trp-98, and Phe-101 are five hydrophobic residues that interact with all of the ligands, indicating their key involvement in the binding of SfurCSP5. Our study lays the foundation for an understanding of the olfaction mechanism of rice planthoppers.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 antioxidant response element pathways protect bovine mammary epithelial cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in vitro

The experiment was conducted to determine the role of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like factor 2 (NFE2L2, formerly Nrf2) antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway in protecting bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress injury. An NFE2L2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference or a pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2 plasmid fragment was transfected to independently downregulate or upregulate expression of NFE2L2. Isolated BMEC in triplicate were exposed to H₂O₂ (600 μM) for 6 h to induce oxidative stress before transient transfection with scrambled siRNA, NFE2L2-siRNA, pCMV6-XL5, and pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and necrosis rates, antioxidant enzyme activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production, protein and mRNA expression of NFE2L2 and downstream target genes, and fluorescence activity of ARE were measured. The results revealed that compared with the control, BMEC transfected with NFE2L2-siRNA3 had proliferation rates that were 9 or 65% lower without or with H₂O₂, respectively. These cells also had apoptosis and necrosis rates that were 27 and 3.5 times greater with H₂O₂ compared with the control group, respectively. In contrast, transfected pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2 had proliferation rates that were 64.3% greater or 17% lower without or with H₂O₂ compared with the control group, respectively. Apoptosis rates were 1.8 times lower with H₂O₂ compared with the control. In addition, compared with the control, production of ROS and MDA and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) increased markedly in cells transfected with pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2 and without H₂O₂. However, compared with the control, production of ROS and MDA and activity of CAT and GSH-Px increased markedly, whereas activities of SOD and GST decreased in cells transfected with pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2 and incubated with H₂O₂. Compared with the control, cells transfected with NFE2L2-siRNA3 with or without H₂O₂ had lower production of ROS and MDA and activity of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, and GST. Cells transfected with pCMV6-XL5-NFE2L2 with or without H₂O₂ had markedly higher protein and mRNA expression of NFE2L2, heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX-1), NADH quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, and glutamyl cystine ligase modulatory subunit compared with the control incubations. Cells transfected with NFE2L2-siRNA3 without or with H₂O₂ had markedly lower protein and mRNA expression of NFE2L2, HMOX-1, NADH quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutamyl cystine ligase modulatory subunit, and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit compared with the control incubations. In addition, expression of HMOX-1 was 5.3-fold greater with H₂O₂ compared with the control. Overall, results indicate that NFE2L2 plays an important role in the NFE2L2-ARE pathway via the control of HMOX-1. The relevant mechanisms in vivo merit further study.

Targeting of interleukin (IL)-17A inhibits PDL1 expression in tumor cells and induces anticancer immunity in an estrogen receptor-negative murine model of breast cancer

The expression of IL-17A and programmed death ligand 1 (PDL1) is increased in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. IL-17A promotes tumor cell survival and invasiveness and inhibits the antitumor immune response. The PDL1-PD1 (programmed death protein 1) signaling pathway promotes escape from immune surveillance in tumor cells. The pro-tumor properties of IL-17A and PDL1 in various cancers have been previously examined; however, the relationship and roles of IL-17A and PDL1 in ER-negative breast cancer have not been evaluated. Therefore, we assessed whether IL-17A promotes PDL1 expression in tumor cells and whether targeting of IL-17A could inhibit ER-negative breast cancer progression in a murine model. Our study revealed that IL-17A promoted PDL1 expression in human and mouse cells. In the murine cancer model, targeting of IL-17A inhibited PDL1 expression in the tumor microenvironment, decreased the percentage of Treg cells in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and promoted CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to secrete interferon gamma. More importantly, treatment with combined anti-IL-17A and anti-PDL1 antibodies enhanced antitumor effects in favor of tumor eradication. Thus, our study established a pro-tumor role of IL-17A in promoting tumor immune escape and supports the development of a novel cytokine immunotherapy against breast cancer.

Practical Experiences and Lessons of Medical Response to Major Disasters in China

Introduction

The construction of a medical emergency response system for disasters, which plays an important role in medical emergency response to multiple catastrophic events, has been sped up in China since the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. However, the implementation process has also exposed some problems, particularly the disaster relief system.

Methods

In this review, we summarised and analysed emergency medical rescue efforts after major disasters in China in recent years, including 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, 2010 Yushu earthquake, ‘7.23’ Yongwen major railway line accident and 2013 Lushan earthquake.

Results

Critically wounded persons after Wenchuan and Lushan earthquake were managed according to the “four centralised strategies of care”, namely casualties, experts, resources and patients, which were designed to make the best use of limited resources. The collection of disaster response resources was not the sooner the better. The vulnerability and anti-disaster capacity of quake-hit zone and the degree of matching between critical elements of a response system and its supporting systems should be considered. The training of rescue teams in rural and high-altitude areas should be strengthened. Non-government organisations, the government and the public should join together to deal with the disaster.

Conclusions

In this paper, we evaluate the disaster relief systems in China through a retrospective analysis of medical practice of catastrophic events in recent years. This review suggests that there are a lot of experiences and lessons on how to prepare and respond to disasters in China, especially those in plateau mountain region and those considering emergency responses to catastrophic events. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2015;22:270-280)

Evaluation of the Revised Trauma Score in Predicting Outcomes of Trauma Patients

Introduction

The revised trauma score (RTS) was developed more than 20 years ago. Few studies investigated its usefulness in predicting trauma outcomes. This is especially true for the weighted version of RTS (RTS-w). The aim of this study was to test the predicting power of RTS-w for the trauma outcomes including mortality, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), hospital length of stay and ICU length of stay through a comparison with Injury Severity Score (ISS).

Methods

Descriptive data, variables related to the trauma scores and outcomes were collected. The statistical performance of RTS-w and ISS in predicting the trauma outcomes using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval and p value were calculated. The Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-squared statistic was performed to measure its calibration.

Results

A total of 3323 patients were enrolled in the study. RTS-w was significantly better than ISS in predicting mortality of trauma patients (AUC: 0.934 vs.0.880, p<0.0001). However, for the other three outcomes, i.e. admission to ICU, hospital length of stay and intensive care unit length of stay, the performance of RTS-w was inferior to ISS.

Conclusions

The RTS-w is a better predictor of mortality than ISS. But its ability to predict other trauma outcomes is not as good as ISS. More studies are needed to identify the predictive ability of RTS-w for the outcomes other than mortality. Besides, updating the coefficients of the formula may make RTS-w more accurate.

[Evaluation of a high-intensity fluorescent fluorophage method for diagnosis of drug-resistance in tuberculosis]

Objective: To evaluate the high-intensity green fluorescent protein fluorophage Φ(2)GFP10 method for drug susceptibility testing of tuberculosis for isoniazid(INH), rifampin(RIF), and streptomycin(SM). Methods: A total of 128 clinical M. tuberculosis strains were isolated from patients with suspected drug-resistant tuberculosis visiting Beijing Chest Hospital (Beijing, China) from April to June 2014.All of the isolates were tested by the phage assay, while conventional drug susceptibility tests were performing on Lwenstein-Jensen culture medium as reference. Results: The sensitivities of Φ(2)GFP10 assay for INH, RIF, and SM resistance detection were 100.0%, 98.1%(53/54), and 92.6%(50/54), respectively, while their specificities were 84.8%(56/66), 91.9%(68/74), and 91.9%(68/74), respectively. The agreement between the phage assay and the conventional assay for detecting INH, RIF, and SM resistance was 0.92, 0.95 and 0.92, respectively. The Φ(2) GFP10-phage assay could be done within 2 days for RIF and SM, and 3 days for INH. Conclusions: The Φ(2)GFP10-phage method for drug susceptibility test is very sensitive and specific. The method has the potential to be a valuable, rapid and economical screening method for detecting drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Ribosomal Protein RPS9 in Echinococcus granulosus

Ribosomal protein S9 (RPS9) is an essential functional gene that participates in DNA repair and developmental regulations. A sequence homolog of RPS9 has been found to be upregulated in the protoscoleces (PSCs) of Echinococcus granulosus treated with artemisinin. However, E. granulosus RPS9 (EgRPS9) has not been identified before. In the present study, the 657-base pair (bp) cDNA encoding EgRPS9 was cloned. Amino acid sequence analysis showed that EgRPS9 was similar to the RSP9 proteins from Schistosoma japonicum (SjRPS9, 86%) and Schistosoma mansoni (SmRPS9, 79%). Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that EgRPS9, SmRPS9, and SjRPS9 were clustered together. We detected the EgRPS9 gene and protein expression in PSCs exposed to artesunate (AS) which displayed a dose-dependent reduction in PSC viability for 24 hr. The results showed that the EgRPS9 ratio of the 10-μM AS-treated ( P < 0.01) and 40-μM AS-treated ( P < 0.05) groups were increased from that of the control group. In addition, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the AS-treated groups increased in a dose-dependent manner compared to the level in the control group. In conclusion, the expression of EgRPS9 could be induced by ROS and might participate in the oxidative damage-based anti-parasite mechanism of AS treatment.

[Value of integrated pancreatic and biliary stents for prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis]

Objective: To investigate the value of integrated pancreatic and biliary stents for prevention of post-Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis. Methods: The clinical data of patients whom had pancreatic stents for prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis from December 2013 to October 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical effect and complication were compared between straight pancreatic stents group and integrated pancreatic and biliary stents group. Results: A total of 214 patients had pancreatic stents for prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis. Among them, 139 of the patients received a straight pancreatic stents with the average operation time of 62.1±9.8 min and 75 patients received the integrated pancreatic and biliary stents with the average operation time of 67.2±12.7 min. The average operation time was statistically significantly different (P=0.001). Straight stents group was found to have higher incidence of pancreatic stents proximal migration and spontaneous abscission than integrated pancreatic and biliary stents group (8.6% vs 0, P=0.009; 12.9% vs 1.3%, P=0.004). There was no significant difference in the incidence of acute pancreatitis or hyperamylasemia between the two groups (3.6% vs 2.7%, P=1.000; 5.0% vs 4.0%, P=1.000). A total of 123 patients in the straight stents group received a second ERCP to remove the pancreatic stents in 1 to 8 weeks after ERCP, and 2 patients had acute pancreatitis and 3 patients had high amylase, while there was no complication happened after the remove of integrated pancreatic and biliary stents in one week after ERCP. Conclusion: The clinical effect of integrated pancreatic and biliary stents for the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis is better than straight pancreatic stents.

Association Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in DNA Polymerase Kappa Gene and Breast Cancer Risk in Chinese Han Population: A STROBE-Compliant Observational Study

DNA polymerases are responsible for ensuring stability of the genome and avoiding genotoxicity caused by a variety of factors during DNA replication. Consequently, these proteins have been associated with an increased cancer risk. DNA polymerase kappa (POLK) is a specialized DNA polymerase involved in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) that allows DNA synthesis over the damaged DNA. Recently, some studies investigated relationships between POLK polymorphisms and cancer risk, but the role of POLK genetic variants in breast cancer (BC) remains to be defined. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of POLK polymorphisms on BC risk.We used the Sequenom MassARRAY method to genotype 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in POLK (rs3213801, rs10077427, and rs5744533), in order to determine the genotypes of 560 BC patients and 583 controls. The association of genotypes and BC was assessed by computing the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) from logistic regression analyses.We found a statistically significant difference between patient and control groups in the POLK rs10077427 genotypic groups, excluding the recessive model. A positive correlation was also found between positive progesterone receptor (PR) status, higher Ki67 index, and rs10077427 polymorphism. For rs5744533 polymorphism, the codominant, dominant, and allele models frequencies were significantly higher in BC patients compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, our results indicated that rs5744533 SNP has a protective role in the postmenopausal women. However, we failed to find any associations between rs3213801 polymorphism and susceptibility to BC.Our results indicate that POLK polymorphisms may influence the risk of developing BC, and, because of this, may serve as a prognostic biomarker among Chinese women.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for Osmanthus fragrans (Oleaceae) using 454 sequencing technology

Osmanthus fragrans (Oleaceae) is an evergreen shrub or small tree that grows in south China. In this study, Roche 454 FLX+ sequencing combined with the magnetic bead enrichment method was used to isolate microsatellite markers from the genome of O. fragrans. A total of 1471 microsatellites that contained enough flanking sequences for primer pair design were identified from 89,633 raw sequencing reads. One hundred primer pairs were randomly chosen to test primer amplification efficiency. Among these tested primer pairs, 20 yielded polymorphic amplification products across 16 individuals from the Albus, Luteus, and Aurantiacus groups. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 6, with an average of 3.7. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.813, with an average of 0.460. Shannon's information index ranged from 0.463 to 1.707, with an average of 0.975. Six loci (Of 05, Of 06, Of 08, Of 12, Of 15, and Of 19) deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05), which was due to an excess of homozygotes or heterozygotes. Nine pairs of loci (Of 01 and Of 05; Of 04 and Of 05; Of 01 and Of 06; Of 04 and Of 12; Of 02 and Of 13; Of 04 and Of 13; Of 12 and Of 13; Of 04 and Of 19; Of 05 and Of 19) showed significant linkage disequilibrium, which indicated significant allelic association between the loci. This set of microsatellite markers will be valuable for molecular marker-assisted breeding in O. fragrans.

Long-term Effectiveness of Antiepileptic Drug Monotherapy in Partial Epileptic Patients: A 7-year Study in an Epilepsy Center in China

BACKGROUND

It is important to choose an appropriate antiepileptic drug (AED) to manage partial epilepsy. Traditional AEDs, such as carbamazepine (CBZ) and valproate (VPA), have been proven to have good therapeutic effects. However, in recent years, a variety of new AEDs have increasingly been used as first-line treatments for partial epilepsy. As the studies regarding the effectiveness of new drugs and comparisons between new AEDs and traditional AEDs are few, it is determined that these are areas in need of further research. Accordingly, this study investigated the long-term effectiveness of six AEDs used as monotherapy in patients with partial epilepsy.

METHODS

This is a retrospective, long-term observational study. Patients with partial epilepsy who received monotherapy with one of six AEDs, namely, CBZ, VPA, topiramate (TPM), oxcarbazepine (OXC), lamotrigine (LTG), or levetiracetam (LEV), were identified and followed up from May 2007 to October 2014, and time to first seizure after treatment, 12-month remission rate, retention rate, reasons for treatment discontinuation, and adverse effects were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 789 patients were enrolled. The median time of follow-up was 56.95 months. CBZ exhibited the best time to first seizure, with a median time to first seizure of 36.06 months (95% confidential interval: 30.64-44.07). CBZ exhibited the highest 12-month remission rate (85.55%), which was significantly higher than those of TPM (69.38%, P = 0.006), LTG (70.79%, P = 0.001), LEV (72.54%, P = 0.005), and VPA (73.33%, P = 0.002). CBZ, OXC, and LEV had the best retention rate, followed by LTG, TPM, and VPA. Overall, adverse effects occurred in 45.87% of patients, and the most common adverse effects were memory problems (8.09%), rashes (7.76%), abnormal hepatic function (6.24%), and drowsiness (6.24%).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that CBZ, OXC, and LEV are relatively effective in managing focal epilepsy as measured by time to first seizure, 12-month remission rate, and retention rate.

Expression of Ras-related protein 25 predicts chemotherapy resistance and prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Ras-related protein 25 (Rab25) is involved in many human malignancies. However, its role in chemotherapy response and prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between Rab25 and chemotherapy sensitivity and prognosis in NSCLC. Rab25 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in 324 advanced NSCLC patients. Its correlations with clinical features were analyzed. Sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP) was compared between DDP-sensitive A549 and DDP-resistant A549/DDP cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Rab25 was used for in vitro experiments. Patients with positive Rab25 expression had a significantly lower chemotherapy response rate (P = 0.004) and poorer overall survival (OS, P = 0.0012) than those with negative Rab25 expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that Rab25 expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.016). Moreover, Rab25 expression was significantly higher in A549/DDP cells than in A549 cells. Knockdown of Rab25 by siRNA suppressed cell migration and invasion. Cisplatin resistance in A549/DDP cells was also partially reversed by Rab25 silencing. Rab25 expression is a potential prognostic index for advanced NSCLC patients and its inhibition may improve chemosensitization in NSCLC treatment.

De Novo Assembly of the Donkey White Blood Cell Transcriptome and a Comparative Analysis of Phenotype-Associated Genes between Donkeys and Horses

Prior to the mechanization of agriculture and labor-intensive tasks, humans used donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) for farm work and packing. However, as mechanization increased, donkeys have been increasingly raised for meat, milk, and fur in China. To maintain the development of the donkey industry, breeding programs should focus on traits related to these new uses. Compared to conventional marker-assisted breeding plans, genome- and transcriptome-based selection methods are more efficient and effective. To analyze the coding genes of the donkey genome, we assembled the transcriptome of donkey white blood cells de novo. Using transcriptomic deep-sequencing data, we identified 264,714 distinct donkey unigenes and predicted 38,949 protein fragments. We annotated the donkey unigenes by BLAST searches against the non-redundant (NR) protein database. We also compared the donkey protein sequences with those of the horse (E. caballus) and wild horse (E. przewalskii), and linked the donkey protein fragments with mammalian phenotypes. As the outer ear size of donkeys and horses are obviously different, we compared the outer ear size-associated proteins in donkeys and horses. We identified three ear size-associated proteins, HIC1, PRKRA, and KMT2A, with sequence differences among the donkey, horse, and wild horse loci. Since the donkey genome sequence has not been released, the de novo assembled donkey transcriptome is helpful for preliminary investigations of donkey cultivars and for genetic improvement.

Yeast CUP1 protects HeLa cells against copper-induced stress

As an essential trace element, copper can be toxic in mammalian cells when present in excess. Metallothioneins (MTs) are small, cysteine-rich proteins that avidly bind copper and thus play an important role in detoxification. YeastCUP1 is a member of the MT gene family. The aim of this study was to determine whether yeast CUP1 could bind copper effectively and protect cells against copper stress. In this study,CUP1 expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR, and copper content was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated using the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay. Cellular viability was detected using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and the cell cycle distribution of CUP1 was analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The data indicated that overexpression of yeast CUP1 in HeLa cells played a protective role against copper-induced stress, leading to increased cellular viability (P<0.05) and decreased ROS production (P<0.05). It was also observed that overexpression of yeast CUP1 reduced the percentage of G1 cells and increased the percentage of S cells, which suggested that it contributed to cell viability. We found that overexpression of yeast CUP1 protected HeLa cells against copper stress. These results offer useful data to elucidate the mechanism of the MT gene on copper metabolism in mammalian cells.

PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism contributes to gastric and bladder cancer risk

Background

Previous studies suggested genetic variations in PSCA (prostate stem cell antigen) may confer the susceptibility of cancer. Many case–control studies have reported the relationship between PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism and cancer, especially gastric cancer and bladder cancer. However, the results are inconsistent. This meta-analysis is aimed at evaluating the association of rs2294008 polymorphism with cancer risk.

Methods

The databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for related publications. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of the associations. Fixed models were used when heterogeneity among studies was not detected, otherwise the random model was used.

Results

Twenty-six studies from 24 articles with 30,050 multiple cancer cases and 51,670 controls were pooled into this meta-analysis. The results showed that the rs2294008 polymorphism was associated with increased cancer risk in any genetic model (T vs C, OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.28; TT vs CC, OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.14–1.62; TC vs CC, OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.17–1.44; TT + TC vs CC, OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.18–1.49; TT vs TC + CC, OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02–1.30). In stratified analysis by cancer type, we found that the T allele had a significant high risk of gastric and bladder cancer, but not in other cancers. In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, increased cancer risk was found in both Asians and Caucasians.

Conclusion

Our study suggested that the PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism is a risk factor for cancer, especially in gastric and bladder cancer.

Cloning and functional identification of a novel BCA3 splice

The human breast cancer-associated gene (BCA3) was first discovered in breast and prostate cancer cells lines. In vivo studies have shown that BCA3 is mainly expressed in breast tumor cells and not in normal breast and prostate tissues. To date, 3 splice variants of BCA3 have been reported: a double-absent variant lacking exon 3 and exon 5 (BCA3-1), an exon 3-absent variant (BCA3-2), and full-length BCA3. In this study, we investigated whether a novel BCA3 splice variant exists that lacks only the exon 5-encoding sequence. BCA3 variant splices were subcloned and sequenced using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The preliminary biological functions of the splices were identified using confocal microscopy and a luciferase assay. The absence of exon 3 and exon 5 influenced the subcellular localization of BCA3 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB)-dependent gene expression. Exon 3 and exon 5 of BCA3 may function together to provide a nuclear localization signal or transport sequence to enter the nucleus, and exon 3 may contain specific sequence(s) or domain(s) that influence the NF-κB signal cascade. The discovery of novel BCA3 splicing indicates a new cancer research area, which may increase the understanding of cancer generation and development.

Current evidence on the relationship between rs1256049 polymorphism in estrogen receptor-β gene and cancer risk

Previous studies have suggested that estrogen receptor-β (ESR2) rs1256049 polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of cancer. However, the results are inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the rs1256049 polymorphism and cancer risk. PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), were searched for eligible studies. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the strength of association. 22 studies including 22,994 cases and 30,514 controls were identified. There was no significant association between rs1256049 and cancer risk in the overall population. Stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed that the rs1256049 polymorphism was associated with cancer risk in Caucasians (A vs. G: OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.01-1.16; GA vs. GG: OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02-1.18; AA+GA vs. GG: OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.02-1.17), but not in Asians. Further subgroup analysis by cancer type indicated that the rs1256049 polymorphism may contribute to prostate cancer risk (AA vs. GG: OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.02-1.96; AA vs. GG+GA: OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.10-2.10), whereas negative results were obtained for breast cancer in any genetic model. This meta-analysis suggested that the ESR2 rs1256049 polymorphism is a candidate gene polymorphism for cancer susceptibility in Caucasians, especially in prostate cancer.