Three-Dimensional Investigations of Virus-Associated Structures in the Nuclei with White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Infection in Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has been reported to cause severe economic loss in the shrimp industry. With WSSV being a large virus still under investigation, the 3D structure of its assembly remains unclear. The current study was planned to clarify the 3D structures of WSSV infections in the cell nucleus of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). The samples from various tissues were prepared on the seventh day post-infection. The serial sections of the intestinal tissue were obtained for electron tomography after the ultrastructural screening. After 3D reconstruction, the WSSV-associated structures were further visualized, and the expressions of viral proteins were confirmed with immuno-gold labeling. While the pairs of sheet-like structures with unknown functions were observed in the nucleus, the immature virions could be recognized by the core units of nucleocapsids on a piece of the envelope. The maturation of the particle could include the elongation of core units and the filling of empty nucleocapsids with electron-dense materials. Our observations may bring to light a possible order of WSSV maturation in the cell nucleus of the crayfish, while more investigations remain necessary to visualize the detailed viral-host interactions.

Methotrexate might reduce ischemic stroke in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

AIM: To investigate the effects of hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine and methotrexate on ischemic stroke in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study included 7904 RA patients and 15 808 non-RA patients between 2000 and 2010. All of the participants were sampled from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. Using univariate analyses, these two groups of patients were compared to evaluate the differences in disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs usage and demographic variables. Cox proportional hazard models and Schoenfeld residuals test were performed to estimate the hazard ratios for ischemic stroke and proportional hazard assumptions of these drugs, respectively. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was about 53 years old, and about 70% of RA patients were women. The hazard ratio for ischemic stroke was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.10-1.34; P < 0.01) in the case group compared with the control group, and this significant difference persisted throughout the 10-year period. With respect to RA patients, while hydroxychloroquine showed an insignificant protective effect on ischemic stroke, sulfasalazine and methotrexate were found out to have inconsistent effects during these 10 years. The proportional hazard assumption test of methotrexate at > 0.5 defined daily dose (8.75 mg/week) was violated at a significant level after adjustment (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: At a dosage of > 0.5 defined daily dose, short-term methotrexate might decrease ischemic stroke risk in RA patients, while hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine were neutral.

Impact of Sjogren's syndrome on Parkinson's disease: A nationwide case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Sjogren's syndrome would have an influence on the development of Parkinson's disease. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted. Participants consisted of 7716 subjects with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease and a population of 75129 matched control subjects between 2000 and 2010. We measured the risk of Parkinson's disease in association with Sjogren's syndrome by using adjusted odds ratios. RESULTS: A total of 143 Parkinson's disease subjects (1.9%) and 893 control subjects (1.2%) suffered from Sjogren's syndrome (p < 0.001). The crude odds ratio for Parkinson's disease among subjects with Sjogren's syndrome was 1.56 (95% CI 1.30-1.86; p < 0.01). After adjustment for potential confounders which have been proposed that would increase the risk of development of Parkinson's disease, Sjogren's syndrome was found to be significantly associated with the risk of Parkinson's disease with an odds ratio of 1.37 (95% CI 1.15-1.65; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study preliminarily proposed that Sjogren's syndrome was significant associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease.

Dissipation of herbicides chlorsulfuron and imazosulfuron in the soil and the effects on the soil bacterial community.

Dissipation of Sulfonylurea herbicides has rarely been studied due to their low application dosage. In this study, two herbicides, chlorsulfuron and imazosulfuron, were applied to both Podu (Pu) and Wolylin (Wl) soils at concentrations of 10 mg kg(-1) or 50 mg kg(-1) with soils at filled water holding capacity and incubation under 30 degrees C. Changes in the soil bacterial community were examined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), whereas the residue of the herbicides was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The dissipation mechanisms of the two herbicides were both chemical and biological. The half-life of chlorsulfuron is 6.8-28.4 days and that of imazosulfuron is 6.4-14.6 days. These both dissipate faster in a more acidic soil. A higher dosage inhibited 48 % of the dissipation of the chlorsulfuron in Wl soil. However, larger differences were not observed in other treatments. The half-lives of both herbicides for 10 mg kg(-1) or 50 mg kg(-1) concentrations were less than one month. The microbial community was changed after the chlorsulfuron and imazosulfuron were spiked. Two sulfonylurea herbicides changed the soil bacterial composition after they were amended, and the change was larger with imazosulfuron under 50 mg kg(-1) of concentration.