Molecular-phylogenetic analyses of Babesia and Theileria species from small mammals and their ticks in northern China suggest new reservoirs of bovine and equine piroplasms.

Babesia and Theileria species (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida) are tick-borne protozoan parasites that can cause mild to severe infection in humans, wildlife, livestock and companion animals. To date, reports on the molecular study of piroplasms from wild living small mammals and their ticks are still limited, especially in Asia. This study encompassed an extensive survey involving 907 liver samples and 145 ixodid ticks from 16 different species of small mammals (Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Eulipotyphla). These were collected in 13 cities and counties in northern China. DNA extracts from these samples were screened for the presence of piroplasm 18S rRNA gene. Samples that tested positive were further evaluated for other genetic markers of piroplasms, including the cox1 gene and the ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region. Several piroplasm species were identified, including Babesia sp. tavsan2, Babesia occultans, Theileria sp. Xinjiang, Theileria equi, and Theileria sp. Kalecik. Among these, Theileria sp. Xinjiang was shown to be the most prevalent. Importantly, Babesia sp. tavsan2 was identified in the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus from the Yarkand hare and Theileria sp. Kalecik in Hyalomma asiaticum from the long-eared hedgehog, in line with the detection of these pathogens in tissue samples of the relevant hosts. This study further disclosed the presence of DNA from B. occultans and T. equi, typically found in cattle and horses respectively, with an additional discovery in small mammals. Moreover, Theileria sp. Kalecik, which was first detected in small-sized mammals, and Babesia sp. tavsan2, were both reported for the first time in China.

Visceral Leishmaniasis: A Case Confirmed by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing from Northwestern China.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar. It is characterized by prolonged intermittent fever, anemia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and skin darkening. VL is primarily endemic in regions, such as Brazil, East Africa, and India. However, Northern Xinjiang, which is located in northwestern China, is considered a low-incidence area for VL, contributing to its status as a neglected infectious disease. In this report, we present a case of VL caused by Leishmania donovani that was diagnosed using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). This case underscores the diagnostic value of mNGS, particularly in regions with low incidence of VL.

Bartonella, Blechomonas and Trypanosoma in fleas from the long-tailed ground squirrel (Spermophilus undulatus) in northwestern China.

Fleas are known to be vectors for a variety of pathogens in veterinary medicine. However, no information is available on the presence of Bartonella and Trypanosomatidae in fleas of the long-tailed ground squirrel (LTGR, Spermophilus undulatus). The present study shows detection of these pathogens in LTGR fleas. During 2022-2023, a total of 396 fleas were collected from 91 LTGRs in 4 alpine regions of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwestern China) and grouped into 54 flea pools. Flea species were identified according to morphological characteristics and molecular data. In addition, all flea samples were analyzed for Bartonella with amplification and sequencing of a 380-bp part of the gltA gene and Trypanosomatidae with targeting the 18S rRNA (850-bp) and gGAPDH (820-bp) genes. The flea species included Frontopsylla elatoides elatoides (203), Neopsylla mana (49), and Citellophilus tesquorum dzetysuensis (144). Of 54 flea pools, seven (12.96%) tested positive for Bartonella, and three (5.56%) were positive for Trypanosomatidae. Based on BLASTn and phylogenetic analyses, i) Bartonella washoensis in F. elatoides elatoides and C. tesquorum dzetysuensis, and Bartonella rochalimae in F. elatoides elatoides were identified. Interestingly, a new haplotype within the species Ba. washoensis was discovered in C. tesquorum dzetysuensis; and ii) Blechomonas luni was confirmed in C. tesquorum dzetysuensis and Trypanosoma otospermophili in F. elatoides elatoides. Two Bartonella species and two Trypanosomatidae members were discovered for the first time in fleas from LTGRs. This study broadens our understanding of the geographic distribution and potential vectors for Bartonella and Trypanosomatidae.

Anaplasma bovis and Bartonella spp. in Libyan Jirds (Meriones libycus) from China.

Anaplasma bovis (1), Bartonella krasnovii (3), and Bartonella sp. (17) were detected in 80 Libyan jirds (Meriones libycus) from China. These findings extend the known host and geographic ranges of these pathogens, with neither A. bovis nor B. krasnovii previously confirmed in Libyan jirds.

Typhoon disaster state information extraction for Chinese texts.

Typhoon disasters undergo a complex evolutionary process influenced by temporal changes, and investigating this process constitutes the central focus of geographical research. As a key node within the typhoon disaster process, the state serves as the foundation for gauging the dynamics of the disaster. The majority of current approaches to disaster information extraction rely on event extraction methods to acquire fundamental elements, including disaster-causing factors, disaster-bearing bodies, disaster-pregnant environment and the extent of damage. Due to the dispersion of various disaster information and the diversity of time and space, it is a challenge for supporting the analysis of the typhoon disaster process. In this paper, a typhoon disaster state information extraction (TDSIE) method for Chinese texts is proposed, which aims to facilitate the systematic integration of fragmented typhoon disaster information. First, the integration of part-of-speech tagging with spatio-temporal information extraction is employed to achieve the tagging of typhoon disaster texts. Second, within the framework of spatio-temporal semantic units, the typhoon disaster semantic vector is constructed to facilitate the identification of information elements of typhoon disaster states. Third, co-referential state information fusion is performed based on spatio-temporal cues. Experimental analysis, conducted using online news as the data source, reveals that the TDSIE achieves precision and recall rates consistently surpassing 85%. The typhoon disaster state information derived from the TDSIE allows for the analysis of spatio-temporal patterns, evolutionary characteristics, and activity modes of typhoon disasters across various scales. Therefore, TDSIE serves as valuable support for investigating the inherent process properties of typhoon disasters.

Low shear stress inhibits endothelial mitophagy via caveolin-1/miR-7-5p/SQSTM1 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mitophagy plays a crucial role in mitochondrial homeostasis and is closely associated with endothelial function. However, the mechanism underlying low blood flow shear stress (SS), detrimental cellular stress, regulating endothelial mitophagy is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether low SS inhibits endothelial mitophagy via caveolin-1 (Cav-1)/miR-7-5p/Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) signaling pathway. METHODS: Low SS in vivo modeling was induced using a perivascular SS modifier implanted in the carotid artery of mice. In vitro modeling, low and physiological SS (4 and 15 dyn/cm2, respectively) were exerted on human aortic endothelial cells using a parallel plate chamber system. RESULTS: Compared with physiological SS, low SS significantly inhibited endothelial mitophagy shown by down-regulation of SQSTM1, PINK1, Parkin, and LC 3II expressions. Deficient mitophagy deteriorated mitochondrial dynamics shown by up-regulation of Mfn1 and Fis1 expression and led to decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential. Cav-1 plays a bridging role in the process of low SS inhibiting mitophagy. The up-regulated miR-7-5p expression induced by low SS was suppressed after Cav-1 was silenced. The results of dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-7-5p targeted inhibiting the SQSTM1 gene. Oxidative stress reaction shown by the elevation of reactive oxygen species and O2●- and endothelial dysfunction by the decrease in nitric oxide and the increase in macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 were associated with the low SS inhibiting endothelial mitophagy process. CONCLUSIONS: Cav-1/miR-7-5p/SQSTM1 signaling pathway was the mechanism underlying low SS inhibiting endothelial mitophagy that involves mitochondrial homeostasis impairment and endothelial dysfunction.

Excessive Visit-to-Visit Small and Dense Low-Density Lipoproteins Elevate Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Progression Risk in the Elderly.

Objective: Small and dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) elevation may be among the most sensitive early biomarkers for nascent cardiovascular disease. This study, therefore, investigated the association between visit-to-visit changes in sdLDL and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) progression in older individuals, and the influence of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on this association. Methods: Between April 2007 and July 2009, 1,143 participants ≥60 years old were recruited from the Shandong region of China, and sdLDL was measured at baseline and at each follow-up visit. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunes, microbleeds, and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVSs) were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. The APOE genotype was determined and participants were stratified as ε4-positive or ε4-negative. Results: During an average follow-up of 86.0 months, 225 participants (19.7%) developed WMH progression, 193 (16.9%) lacune progression, 170 (14.9%) microbleed progression, and 185 (16.2%) EPVS progression. Compared with patients in the first (lowest) tertile of visit-to-visit mean sdLDL, those in the second and third tertiles demonstrated significantly greater risks of WMH progression (53.5 and 105.3% higher), lacune progression (53.3 and 60.8%), microbleed progression (47.2 and 127.6%), and EPVS progression (54.0 and 135.0%) after adjustment for confounders (all adjusted P values for trends <0.001). Compared with patients in the first tertile of visit-to-visit sdLDL SD, those in the second and third tertiles also demonstrated significantly greater risks of WMH progression (49.9% and 143.6%), lacune progression (75.3 and 178.0%), microbleed progression (12.7 and 64.7%), and EPVS progression (41.7 and 114.6%) after adjustment (all P < 0.001). There were significant and positive visit-to-visit mean sdLDL × visit-to-visit sdLDL SD, visit-to-visit mean sdLD×ε4-positive, visit-to-visit sdLDL SD×ε4-positive, and visit-to-visit mean sdLDL×visit-to-visit sdLDL SD×ε4-positive interactions influencing CSVD progression after confounder adjustment (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Large and variable visit-to-visit changes in sdLDL are independent predictors of aggressive CSVD progression, and this association is strongly influenced by APOE ε4 allele genotype.

A novel NAD(H)-dependent 3alpha-HSDH with enhanced activity by magnesium or manganese ions.

3α-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSDH) plays a crucial role in the metabolism of sex hormones and bile acids. In this study, we heterologously expressed and characterized a novel 3α-HSDH (named Sa 3α-HSDH). Substrate specificity tests showed that Sa 3α-HSDH could catalyze Glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA) and Glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) with catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) 40.815 and 14.616 s-1 mM-1, respectively. Sa 3α-HSDH is NAD(H) dependent according to the results of coenzyme screening, and one of mesophilic enzymes with optimum temperature 40 °C. Additionally, Sa 3α-HSDH displayed the highest activity at pH 8.5. In this study, effect of metal ions on activity was investigated, and the results showed Mn2+ (10 mM) and Mg2+ (50 mM) could significantly enhance the activity by nearly 140% and 100%, respectively. Fe2+, Cu2+, Fe3+ and K+ could enhance the activity of Sa 3α-HSDH at different levels. Meanwhile, Na+ only displayed activity-declining effect. The three-dimensional structure of Sa 3α-HSDH was predicted and displayed the well-conserved α/ß folding patterns (Rossman-fold) with a central ß-sheet. These results indicated that Sa 3α-HSDH would contribute to the quantitative determination of serum total bile acids and associated bioconversion.