Molecular detection, subtyping of Blastocystis sp. in migratory birds from nature reserves in northeastern China.

Migratory birds play an important role in the cross-regional transmission of zoonotic pathogens. Assessing the presence of zoonotic pathogens carried by migratory birds is critical for disease control. However, information about Blastocystis infection in the migratory birds is very limited. Thus, we conducted this study with the aim to explore the occurrence, prevalence and subtyping of Blastocystis in four breeds of migratory birds in northeastern China. From October 2022 to April 2023, a total of 427 fresh fecal samples were obtained from four breeds of migratory birds in five nature reserves in northeastern China, and screened for Blastocystis by PCR amplification. Twenty-one (4.92 %) of the studied samples were confirmed Blastocystis-positive, and two known zoonotic subtypes ST6 and ST7 were founded, with ST7 being the major subtype. Until now, we firstly reported the infection status and subtyping of Blastocystis in the migratory Greater White-Fronted Goose, White Stork, Oriental White Stork and Bean Goose in China. More importantly, these findings present further data on the genetic diversity and transmission routes of Blastocystis and further arouse public health concerns about this organism.

Gastrodin Suppresses the Progression of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Inflammation by Regulating TLR4/NF-κB Pathway.

Elevated levels of plasma triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular risk factors, such as atherosclerosis, a primary cause of mortality. Gastrodin (Gas) is an effective polyphenol extracted from Chinese natural herbal Gastrodiae elata Blume, which has been documented to be effective against atherosclerosis. However, the related mechanisms remain largely unclear. The current investigation elucidated the involvement of Gas in the development of AS generated by a high-fat diet in mice lacking the apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE-/-). The findings of our study indicate that the administration of Gas had a beneficial effect on hyperlipidemia in mice that were given a high-fat diet and lacked the ApoE gene. Specifically, Gas supplementation resulted in a reduction in blood levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Additionally, the administration of Gas resulted in the suppression of lesions in the en face aortas of ApoE KO mice, accompanied by a modest improvement in lipid profiles. The intervention demonstrated the capacity to impede the development of atherosclerotic lesions and promote characteristics associated with plaque stability. The administration of Gas prevented inflammation in the aorta by decreasing the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1. Additionally, Gas had a mitigating effect on TLR4/NF-κB pathway components in the aorta of ApoE-/- mice. Furthermore, it has been shown that Gas has the potential to mitigate the harm caused to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by ox-LDL, perhaps via inhibiting inflammation through the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. This study shows that Gas may potentially mitigate the development of atherosclerosis via its pleiotropic effects, including improvements in lipid profiles and anti-inflammatory properties.

Risk factors for inferior vena cava filter thrombosis in traumatic fracture patients with deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity: A single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors for inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) thrombus in orthopedic trauma patients who underwent filter placement with ongoing anticoagulation in clinical settings. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from fracture patients with lower extremity acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) implanted with an IVCF admitted to Tianjin Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019. Potential risk factors, such as gender, age, diabetes, hypertension, fracture sites, thrombus location, free-floating thrombus, filter type, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and postoperative D-dimer values, were analyzed by the Chi-square test, t-test, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 662 patients were included in our study, and filter-related thrombosis was present in 67 (10.1%) patients. No significant differences were observed in age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, fracture site, free-floating thrombus, filter type, indwelling time, and postoperative D-dimer level. Thrombus location and ISS were significantly different (p < 0.05). Popliteal DVT (P-DVT) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.130, p = 0.018) and ISS (OR: 1.135, p = 0.000) were associated with filter thrombus. Patients with P-DVT were prone to a small filter thrombus (OR: 3.231, p = 0.037). From the ROC curve analysis, the diagnostic value of ISS was 24.5 and 26.5 for patients with filter and massive filter thrombus, respectively. CONCLUSION: Thrombus location and ISS were independent risk factors for filter thrombus in patients with traumatic fractures. P-DVT had a higher potential to result in a small filter thrombus and an ISS value >26.5, which was considered a significant massive filter thrombus predictor.

Retrievable inferior vena cava filter to prevent pulmonary embolism in patients with fractures and deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of inserting a retrievable inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with bone fractures and acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) before major orthopedic surgery. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with fractures and acute DVT who underwent IVCF insertion were analyzed. The patients were divided into above-knee DVT (AKDVT), popliteal vein thrombosis (PVT), and below-knee DVT (BKDVT) groups. RESULTS: An IVCF was successfully implanted in 964 patients, among whom 929 were followed up (335, 470, and 124 in AKDVT, PVT, and BKDVT groups, respectively). There was no significant difference in the incidence of filter thrombosis among the groups (11.04%, 11.70%, and 8.06%, respectively). No symptomatic PE occurred during follow-up. The mean filter indwelling time was 18.4 ± 4.3 days, and the total filter removal rate was 76.87%. There was no significant difference in the rate of filter implantation, retrieval, complications, or mortality among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Retrievable filters can effectively prevent PE before orthopedic surgery in patients with fractures and acute DVT of the lower limbs. AKDVT more readily forms a ≥1-cm thrombus in the IVCF than does BKDVT, and PVT more readily forms a <1-cm thrombus than does AKDVT.

Adaptation of the Gut Microbiota of Amur Tigers to a Special Diet.

The microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract play important roles in many host physiological processes, including the absorption and metabolism of nutrients and immune function. The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a threatened species. Efforts are underway to breed Amur tigers under artificial settings to preserve this rare species. To maximize the imitation of the diet that this species consumes in the wild, the diet in the present study was composed of a variety of raw meats and was administered with regular fasting. In view of the important roles that the microbiota play in the host, in the present study, the microbiota of Amur tigers at three different ages were investigated. The results showed that the microbial diversity and richness decreased with age. Principal coordinate analysis showed significant differences among the three age groups. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of effect size (LEfSe) demonstrated the enrichment of the genus unclassified_f__Ruminococcaceae, genus Coprococcus_1, genus Ruminococcus__gauvreauii_group, family unclassified_o__Clostridiales and genus unclassified_o__Clostridiales in the JB group (1- year old) and the enrichment of the genus Catenisphaera in the AB group (over 4-year old). The results of the present study demonstrated the adaptation of the microbiota in captive Amur tigers to a diet similar to the one they consume in the wild. Furthermore, these results may reflect the microbiota of wild Amur tigers to a certain extent.

Isolation and identification of tiger parvovirus in captive siberian tigers and phylogenetic analysis of VP2 gene.

To better understand the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of parvovirus, this study reports the isolation and characterization of a tiger parvovirus (TPV) named CHJL-Siberian Tiger-01/2017 from a captive Siberian tiger in Jilin Province, China. A phylogenetic tree based on the full-length VP2 nucleotide sequence was constructed using the isolated strain in this study and 56 reference strains. The results showed that all the parvoviruses can be grouped into two large branches: the canine parvovirus (CPV) branch and the feline parvovirus (FPV) branch. FPV strains comprised TPVs, FPVs, blue fox parvoviruses (BFPVs), mink enteritis viruses (MEVs), and raccoon feline parvoviruses (RFPVs), and CPV strains comprised CPVs and raccoon dog parvoviruses (RDPVs). RFPVs are also often very closely related to those sampled from other carnivorous species, and raccoons may represent conduits for parvovirus transmission to other hosts. The results of amino acid changes in the VP2 protein of the isolated strain showed that amino acid Ile 101 was mutated to Thr (I 101T). Taken together, a field TPV strain CHJL-Siberian Tiger-01/2017 was isolated, which may be suitable for future studies on FPV infection, replication and vaccine development. This study provided new important findings about the evolution of parvovirus infection in tigers.

Isolation and identification of feline herpesvirus type 1 from a South China tiger in China.

In 2012, an FHV-1-like virus was isolated from a tiger that presented with clinical signs of sialorrhea, sneezing and purulent rhinorrhea. Isolation was performed with the FK81 cell line, and the virus was identified by PCR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the phylogenetic analysis of the partial thymidine kinase (TK) and glycoprotein B (gB) genes. A total of 253 bp of the TK gene and 566 bp of the gB gene were amplified from the trachea of the tiger by PCR/RT-PCR method. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate belonged to the same cluster with other FHV-1 strains obtained from GenBank. Herpes-like viruses with an envelope and diameters of approximately 200 nm were observed in the culture supernatants of FK81 cells inoculated with samples from the tiger. The FHV-1 infection was confirmed by an animal challenge experiment in a cat model. Our finding extends the host range of FHV-1 and has implications for FHV-1 infection and South China tiger conservation.