Molecular identification and functional characterization of an environmental stress responsive glutaredoxin gene ROXY1 in Quercus glauca.

Quercus glauca is a valuable natural resource with both economic and ecological values. It is one of the dominant forest tree species widely distributed in Southern China. As a perennial broadleaf plant, Q. glauca inevitably encounters numerous stresses from environment. Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are a kind of small oxidoreductases that play an important role in response to oxidative stress. CC-type GRXs also known as ROXYs are specific to land plants. In this study, we isolated a CC-type GRX gene, QgROXY1, from Q. glauca. Expression of QgROXY1 is induced by a variety of environmental stimuli. QgROXY1 protein localizes to both cytoplasm and nucleus; whereas the nucleus localized QgROXY1 could physically interact with the basic region/leucine zipper motif (bZIP) transcription factor AtTGA2 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Transgenic A. thaliana ectopically expressing QgROXY1 is hypersensitive to exogenously applied salicylic acid. Induction of plant defense gene is significantly impaired in QgROXY1 transgenic plants that results in enhanced susceptibility to infection of Botrytis cinerea pathogen, indicating the evolutionary conserved function among ROXY homologs in weedy and woody plants. This is the first described function for the ROXYs in tree plants. Through this case study, we demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of molecular technology applied to characterization of gene function in tree species.

Inhibition of perilipin 2 attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by blocking NLRP3 inflammasome activation both in vivo and in vitro.

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CI/R) usually causes neuroinflammation within the central nervous system, further prompting irreversible cerebral dysfunction. Perilipin 2 (Plin2), a lipid droplet protein, has been reported to exacerbate the pathological process in different diseases, including inflammatory responses. However, the role and mechanism of Plin2 in CI/R injury are unclear. In this study, the rat models of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by reperfusion (tMCAO/R) were established to mimic I/R injury, and we found that Plin2 was highly expressed in the ischemic penumbra of tMCAO/R rats. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Plin2 significantly decreased neurological deficit scores and reduced infarct areas in rats induced by I/R. Detailed investigation showed that Plin2 deficiency alleviated inflammation of tMCAO/R rats as evidenced by reduced secretion of proinflammatory factors and the blockade of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation. In vitro experiments showed that Plin2 expression was upregulated in mouse microglia subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). Plin2 knockdown inhibited OGD/R-induced microglia activation and the accumulation of inflammation-related factors. Taken together, this study demonstrates that lipid droplet protein Plin2 contributes to the pathologic process of CI/R damage by impacting inflammatory response and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Thus, Plin2 may provide a new therapeutic direction for CI/R injury.

[Effect of sequential sedation and analgesia in preventing delirium and withdrawal symptoms in children after ventilator weaning]. / åºè´¯é•‡ç—›é•‡é™å¯¹é¢„é˜²è¡Œæœºæ¢°é€šæ°”æ²»ç–—æ‚£å„¿æ’¤æœºåŽè°µå¦„åŠæ’¤è¯ååº”çš„æ•ˆæžœç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of sequential sedative and analgesic drugs in preventing delirium and withdrawal symptoms in children after ventilator weaning. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 61 children who were admitted and received mechanical ventilation support for ≥5 days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Dongguan Children's Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical University from December 2019 to September 2021. The children were divided into a control group (30 children with no maintenance of analgesic and sedative drugs after ventilator weaning) and an observation group (31 children with sequential sedative and analgesic drugs maintained for 48 hours after ventilator weaning). The two groups were compared in terms of the Sophia Observation Withdrawal Symptoms Scale (SOS) score, the Pediatric Delirium Scale (PD) score, the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) score, and the incidence rates of delirium or withdrawal symptoms at 24 and 72 hours after ventilator weaning. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of delirium at 24 hours and 72 hours after ventilator weaning between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly lower incidence rate of withdrawal symptoms and scores of SOS, PD, and RASS scales at 24 hours and 72 hours after ventilator weaning (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Sequential sedation and analgesia after ventilator weaning can reduce the incidence of withdrawal symptoms within 72 hours after ventilator weaning, but it cannot reduce the incidence rate of delirium.

Involvement of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ompW Gene in Confrontation of Environmental Pressure.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes porcine pleuropneumonia. The function of the outer membrane protein W gene (ompW) of A. pleuropneumoniae has not been evaluated. Thus a deletion mutant of ompW, ΔompW, was constructed to explore the effect of ompW gene deletion on bacterial growth, biofilm formation, bacterial morphology, oxidative tolerance, susceptibility to antibiotics, and the expression of ribosome synthesis and ABC transporter related genes. Results showed that the ompW gene deletion did not affect biofilm formation and the growth of A. pleuropneumoniae but did affect bacterial morphology during steady growth, oxidative tolerance, and bacterial susceptibility to polymyxin B, kanamycin, and penicillin. The ompW gene deletion also affected the expression of ribosome synthesis and ABC transporter related genes. These results suggested that ompW may regulate the biological phenotype of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Effect of fluid load on the prognosis of children with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy. / ä¸åŒæ¶²ä½“è´Ÿè·çŠ¶æ€å¯¹æŒç»­è‚¾æ›¿ä»£æ²»ç–—è„“æ¯’ç—‡ç›¸å ³æ€¥æ€§è‚¾æŸä¼¤æ‚£å„¿é¢„åŽçš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of fluid load on the prognosis of children with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). METHODS: A total of 121 children who underwent CRRT for sepsis-associated AKI from August 2018 to March 2021 were enrolled in the retrospective study. According to the fluid load from admission or disease progression to CRRT, they were divided into three groups: low fluid load (fluid load: <5%; n=35), high fluid load (fluid load: 5% - <10%; n=35), and fluid overload (fluid load: ≥10%; n=51). Baseline data and clinical biochemical data before CRRT were collected for comparison and analysis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was used for comparison of 28-day survival between groups. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the influencing factors for the prognosis of the children. RESULTS: The survival analysis showed that the fluid overload group had a significantly higher 28-day mortality rate than the low fluid load and high fluid load groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that an increase in fluid overload volume was a risk factor for increased 28-day mortality in the fluid overload group, while earlier initiation of CRRT was a protective factor (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fluid overload before CRRT may increase the mortality in children with sepsis-associated AKI, and CRRT should be performed for these children as early as possible.

Anti-inflammatory activity of arctigenin against PCV2 infection in a mouse model.

Arctigenin (ACT) is a novel anti-inflammatory lignan extracted from Arctium lappa L, a herb commonly used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism whereby ACT inhibits PCV2 infection-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in vitro and in vivo. We observed that in PCV2 infection+ACT treated PK-15 cells, proinflammatory cytokine production was significantly reduced, compared to the PCV2-infected cells. The transfection and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that ACT suppressed NF-κB signalling pathway activation following PCV2 infection in PK-15 cells. Furthermore, western blotting demonstrated that ACT suppressed the NF-κB signal pathway in PCV2 infection-stimulated PK-15 cells by inhibiting the translocation of p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and IκBα phosphorylation. BALB/c mice were used as a model to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of ACT in vivo. We found that the BALB/c mice inoculated with PCV2 infection + ACT treated showed a significant reduction of proinflammatory cytokine production in serum, lung and spleen tissue, compared to the PCV2-infected mice. Western blotting confirmed that ACT suppressed the NF-κB signal pathway in PCV2-infected mice by inhibiting the translocation of p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and IκBα phosphorylation in lung tissue. Our studies first demonstrate that ACT inhibits PCV2 infection-induced proinflammatory cytokine production by suppressing the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB in vitro and in vivo. These results will help further develop ACT as a Traditional Chinese herbal medicine remedy in the treatment of porcine circovirus-associated diseases.

Optimisation of the Conversion and Extraction of Arctigenin From Fructus arctii Into Arctiin Using Fungi.

Fructus arctii is commonly used in Chinese medicine, and arctiin and arctigenin are its main active ingredients. Arctiin has low bioavailability in the human body and needs to be converted into arctigenin by intestinal microbes before it can be absorbed into the blood. Arctigenin has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumour effects and its development has important value. In this study, we used external microbial fermentation with Aspergillus awamori and Trichoderma reesei to process and convert arctiin from F. arctii powder into arctigenin, hence increasing its bioavailability. We developed a fermentation process by optimising the carbon and nitrogen source/ratio, fermentation time, pH, liquid volume, inoculation volume, and substrate solid-liquid ratio. This allowed for an arctiin conversion rate of 99.84%, and the dissolution rate of the final product was 95.74%, with a loss rate as low as 4.26%. After the fermentation of F. arctii powder, the average yield of arctigenin is 19.51 mg/g. Crude fermented F. arctii extract was purified by silica gel column chromatography, and we observed an arctigenin purity of 99.33%. Our technique effectively converts arctiin and extracts arctigenin from F. arctii and provides a solid basis for further development and industrialisation.

[Diagnosis value of MRI in acute rotator interval injury].

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical application of 1.5 T MRI in acute rotator interval injury. METHODS: Totally 160 patients with acute rotator cuff tear by clinical diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed by MRI examination and arthroscopy from March 2016 to February 2019, including 122 males and 38 females, aged from 22 to 71 years old with an average of (42.35±3.48) years old. Based on the results of arthroscopy as the gold standard, the shape and signal changes of rotator cuff, rotator interval, peripheral bursa, bone and soft tissue were observed by MRI on axial, oblique coronal and oblique sagittal imagese. RESULTS: The direct MRI signs of acute rotator interval injury displayed thickening, diminution, distortion, interruption of the coracohumeral ligament and superior glenohumeral ligament complex with highsignal intensity on fat-suppression by proton weighted sequence. The indirect MRI signs displayed rotator cuff, peripheral bone and soft tissue injury. The consistency of the results between the two methods was quite satisfactory (Kappa=0.85), and the concordance rate of the two methods has statistically significant (Z=10.75, P<0.00). There was no statistical difference in the inconsistent parts between two methods (χ2= 0.400, P>0.05). The true positive rate, true negative rate, false positive rate and false negative rate of MRI diagnosis of rotator interval injury were 93.75%, 91.30%, 94.74%, 5.26%, 8.70% respectively. CONCLUSION: MRI could clearly display acute rotator interval, and could accurately diagnose acute rotator interval injury, which provide more accurate imaging basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Pharmacokinetics of Arctigenin and Fructus Arctii Powder in Piglets.

Fructus arctii, also known as great power seed, is the dried fruit of Arctium lappa of the family Compositae. It is a commonly used veterinary herbal medicine, and arctigenin is the main active ingredient. The aim of this study was to characterize the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of arctigenin and Fructus arctii powder in piglets. These data were used to provide a theoretical reference for the development and clinical use of new veterinary drugs. Sixteen healthy piglets (mean weight 30.0 ± 5.0 kg) were divided into two groups. One group was administered 2.0 mg/kg body weight (bw) arctigenin intravenously, and the other was administered 1.0 g/kg.bw Fructus arctii powder by gavage. Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava at different time points, and the concentration of arctigenin in the plasma of the piglets was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Arctigenin conformed to a two-compartment model with no absorption, and the main pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: distribution half-life (t 1/2α)-0.166 ± 0.022 h; elimination half-life (t 1/2ß)-3.161 ± 0.296 h; apparent volume of distribution (V d)-0.231 ± 0.033 L/kg; clearance rate (CLb)-0.057 ± 0.003 L/(h.kg); and area under the curve (AUC)-1.189 ± 0.057 g.h/mL. The pharmacokinetic parameters of arctigenin following oral administration of the Fructus arctii powder were as follows: absorption half-life (t 1/2ka)-0.274 ± 0.102 h, t 1/2α-1.435 ± 0.725 h, t 1/2ß-63.467 ± 29.115 h, V d-1.680 ± 0.402 L/kg, CLb-0.076 ± 0.028 L/(h kg), peak time (t max)-0.853 ± 0.211 h, peak concentration (C max)-0.430 ± 0.035 g/mL, and AUC-14.672 ± 4.813 g/mL. These results indicated that intravenous arctigenin was sparingly distributed in tissues. In contrast, orally administered Fructus arctii powder was rapidly absorbed, more widely distributed, and more slowly eliminated than the intravenous arctigenin, which may indicate its sustained pharmacological effects.

Detection and perfect fitting of 13.2 dB squeezed vacuum states by considering green-light-induced infrared absorption.

We report on a high-level squeezed vacuum state with maximum quantum noise reduction of 13.2 dB directly detected at the pump power of 180 mW. The pump power dependence of the squeezing factor is experimentally exhibited. When considering only loss and phase fluctuation, the fitting results have a large deviation from the measurement value near the threshold. By integrating green-light-induced infrared absorption (GLIIRA) loss, the squeezing factor can be perfectly fitted in the whole pump power range. The result indicates that GLIIRA loss should be thoroughly considered and quantified in the generation of high-level squeezed states.

Detection of stably bright squeezed light with the quantum noise reduction of 12.6 dB by mutually compensating the phase fluctuations.

We present a mutual compensation scheme of three phase fluctuations, originating from the residual amplitude modulation (RAM) in the phase modulation process, in the bright squeezed light generation system. The influence of the RAM on each locking loop is harmonized by using one electro-optic modulator (EOM), and the direction of the phase fluctuation is manipulated by positioning the photodetector (PD) that extracts the error signal before or after the optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Therefore a bright squeezed light with non-classical noise reduction of π is obtained. By fitting the squeezing and antisqueezing measurement results, we confirm that the total phase fluctuation of the system is around 3.1 mrad. The fluctuation of the noise suppression is 0.2 dB for 3 h.

Dependence of measured audio-band squeezing level on local oscillator intensity noise.

We investigate the dependence of the measured squeezing level on the local oscillator (LO) intensity noise. The theoretical results indicate that it produces a large measurement error with the increase of the LO intensity noise, but the measurement error has immunity to the product P of the common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) with the LO intensity noise. According to the investigation results and the LO intensity noise, we employ a detector with the CMRR of 67 dB to detect the quantum noise at audio frequencies, the product P of the CMRR with the LO intensity noise is 20 dB below the shot noise limit (SNL), which can induce the measurement error of 0.1 dB for 10 dB of squeezing. Finally, the squeezing level measured at 15.2 kHz is 9.9 ± 0.2 dB. The influence of the intensity noise of the LO, and the electronic noise of the detector is subtracted, the inferred squeezing level is approximately 10.2 ± 0.2 dB. It is extremely important to quantify the requirements of the CMRR of the detector for measuring the squeezing at audio frequency and inferring the real squeezing level.

Determination of blue-light-induced infrared absorption based on mode-matching efficiency in an optical parametric oscillator.

Non-classical squeezed states of light at a compatible atomic wavelength have a potential application in quantum information protocols for quantum states delaying or storaging. An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) is the most effective method for generating this squeezed state. However, it is a challege for the nonlinear interaction in PPKTP crystal at the D1 line of rubidium atomic, due to a strong blue-light-induced infrared absorption (BLIIRA). In this paper, we report an indirect measurement method for the BLIIRA through measuring the mode-matching efficiency in an optical parametric oscillator. In contrast to previous works, our method is not limited by the absolute power variation induced from the change of frequency conversion loss and the impedance matching originated from the change of absorption loss. Therefore, the measurement process is performed at the phase-matching condition. The measured results show that BLIIRA coefficient is quadratic dependence of blue light intensity below 1 kW per square centimeter in our PPKTP device, which will provide important basis for optimizing squeezed state generation at 795 nm.

Characterization of a reassortant H11N9 subtype avian influenza virus isolated from bean goose along the East Asian-Australian flyway.

During the surveillance of avian influenza viruses in the Dongxi Lake wetland of Hubei in 2015-2016, an H11N9 avian influenza virus was isolated from a bean goose (Anser fabalis). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the HA gene of this isolate belongs to the North American lineage; however, the NA and the internal genes of the isolate were generated from the Eurasian lineage. This strain had reduced pathogenicity in mice and was capable of replication in the mouse lung without prior adaptation. This is the first report detecting H11N9 subtype influenza virus from migratory birds in central China. These findings highlight the transmission of avian influenza virus along the East Asian-Australian flyway and the need for continuing surveillance in central China.

Reduction of zero baseline drift of the Pound-Drever-Hall error signal with a wedged electro-optical crystal for squeezed state generation.

We report an electro-optic modulator (EOM) with a wedged MgO: LiNbO3 as the modulation crystal to reduce the zero baseline drift (ZBD) of the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) error signal. When the input linear polarization is not along the modulation direction, the wedged design can separate the two orthogonal polarizations in space after the EOM and eliminate the interference between the carrier and the two orthogonal sidebands. Therefore, the residual amplitude modulation (RAM) of phase modulation process caused by the input polarization misalignment and the etalon effect can be significantly reduced. The noise power spectrum of phase-modulated light with wedged crystal EOM is suppressed from -24 to -69 dBm, which is much lower than that with conventional EOM. The peak-to-peak value of the ZBD of the PDH error signal is reduced effectively to +70/-50 ppm during the 10 h, which meets the requirements for stable squeezed light generation.

[Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of a Highly Pathogenic H5N2 Avian Influenza Virus Isolated from Duck].

In 2016,routine influenza virus surveillance was conducted in the live poultry markets of Wuhan, Hubei Province. An H5N2 subtype avian influenza virus(AIV)was isolated from ducks in Wuhan. The entire genome of this virus isolate was sequenced,and molecular phylogenetic analysis performed. The results indicated that the HA gene belonged to clade 2.3.4.4and contained multiple basic amino acids at the cleavage site, which is characteristic of highly pathogenic AIV. Sequence alignment revealed that the isolate shared a high degree of homology with different H5 subtype AIVs isolated from waterfowl in southern China in recent years. This isolate was likely a natural reassortant from different subtype AIVs. This study provides epidemiological evidence of influenza evolution. Continuation of molecular epidemiology studies of H5 subtype influenza viruses in live poultry markets is important for understanding their role in the variation and evolution of highly pathogenic AIVs and their potential hazardous effects on human health. Furthermore, this information is important for strengthening comprehensive AIV surveillance and control measures.

Complete Genome Sequences of an H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Isolated from Pigeon in China in 2012.

An avian influenza virus strain, A/pigeon/Hubei/RP25/2012 (H5N1), was isolated from pigeons in Hubei province, China. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the HA gene belongs to clade 2.3.4 and the other internal genes present different recombination events. Information about the strain provides basic research data for epidemiological evidences for revealing influenza evolution.

Comparative study of the frequency-doubling performance on ring and linear cavity at short wavelength region.

We theoretically and experimentally perform a comparative study on performance of the linear standing-wave cavity and ring cavity for external cavity frequency doubling at the wavelength from 795 nm to 397.5 nm. The two cavities show obvious differences of the thermal effect of nonlinear crystal, cavity sensitivity, and maximum output power. The results show that ring cavity as the external enhancement cavity is a better choice than standing-wave cavity at short wavelength region. At last, a 397.5 nm violet laser with 408 mW corresponding to an input power of 992 mW is obtained by using the ring cavity, considering the original mode-matching efficiency of 98% between the 795 nm laser and frequency doubling cavity, the conversion efficiency is 41.9%.

A bootstrapped, low-noise, and high-gain photodetector for shot noise measurement.

We presented a low-noise, high-gain photodetector based on the bootstrap structure and the L-C (inductance and capacitance) combination. Electronic characteristics of the photodetector, including electronic noise, gain and frequency response, and dynamic range, were verified through a single-frequency Nd:YVO4 laser at 1064 nm with coherent output. The measured shot noise of 50 µW laser was 13 dB above the electronic noise at the analysis frequency of 2 MHz, and 10 dB at 3 MHz. And a maximum clearance of 28 dB at 2 MHz was achieved when 1.52 mW laser was illuminated. In addition, the photodetector showed excellent linearities for both DC and AC amplifications in the laser power range between 12.5 µW and 1.52 mW.