Serological Investigation into the Infected Genotypes of Patients with Japanese Encephalitis in the Coastal Provinces of China.

Objective: Genotypes (G) 1, 3, and 5 of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) have been isolated in China, but the dominant genotype circulating in Chinese coastal areas remains unknown. We searched for G5 JEV-infected cases and attempted to elucidate which JEV genotype was most closely related to human Japanese encephalitis (JE) in the coastal provinces of China. Methods: In this study, we collected serum specimens from patients with JE in three coastal provinces of China (Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shandong) from 2018 to 2020 and conducted JEV cross-neutralization tests against G1, G3, and G5. Results: Acute serum specimens from clinically reported JE cases were obtained for laboratory confirmation from hospitals in Shandong (92 patients), Zhejiang (192 patients), and Guangdong (77 patients), China, from 2018 to 2020. Seventy of the 361 serum specimens were laboratory-confirmed to be infected with JEV. Two cases were confirmed to be infected with G1 JEV, 32 with G3 JEV, and two with G5 JEV. Conclusion: G3 was the primary infection genotype among JE cases with a definite infection genotype, and the infection caused by G5 JEV was confirmed serologically in China.

Accelerated proton dissociation in an excited state induces superacidic microenvironments around graphene quantum dots.

Investigating proton transport at the interface in an excited state facilitates the mechanistic investigation and utilization of nanomaterials. However, there is a lack of suitable tools for in-situ and interfacial analysis. Here we addresses this gap by in-situ observing the proton transport of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in an excited state through reduction of magnetic resonance relaxation time. Experimental results, utilizing 0.1 mT ultra-low-field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry compatible with a light source, reveal the light-induced proton dissociation and acidity of GQDs' microenvironment in the excited state (Hammett acidity function: -13.40). Theoretical calculations demonstrate significant acidity enhancement in -OH functionalized GQDs with light induction ( p K a * = -4.62, stronger than that of H2SO4). Simulations highlight the contributions of edge and phenolic -OH groups to proton dissociation. The light-induced superacidic microenvironment of GQDs benefits functionalization and improves the catalytic performances of GQDs. Importantly, this work advances the understanding of interfacial properties of light-induced sp2-sp3 carbon nanostructure and provides a valuable tool for exploring catalyst interfaces in photocatalysis.

Distinct impulsivity profiles in subtypes of violence among community-dwelling patients with severe mental disorders: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Although only a few patients with severe mental disorders (SMD) can commit violent behaviour in the community, violent behaviour aggravates the stigma towards patients with SMD. Understanding the subtypes of violent behaviour may be beneficial for preventing violent behaviour among patients with SMD, but it has rarely been studied. METHODS: This longitudinal study investigated 1914 patients with SMD in the community at baseline, and the follow-up period ranged from February 2021 to August 2021. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version-11, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale, the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire and the MacArthur Community Violence Instrument were used at baseline. The Modified Overt Aggression Scale was used to assess the occurrence of violent behaviour (outcome) during the follow-up period. Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Latent class analysis was used to characterise the subtypes of patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour at follow-up. RESULTS: We found that 7.2% of patients with SMD presented violent behaviour within six months in the community. Younger age (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96-1.00, p = 0.016) and no economic source (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.10-2.33, p = 0.014) were risk factors for violent behaviour. Patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour could be classified into three subtypes: one class characterised by a history of violence and impulsivity, another class characterised by high levels of aggression and motor impulsivity, and the last class characterised by median cognitive impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographic factors were risk factors for violent behaviour among patients with SMD, which could eliminate the discrimination toward this group. Impulsivity played a vital role in identifying the three subtypes of patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour. These findings may be helpful for the development of a personalised violence risk management plan for patients with SMD who commit violent behaviour in the community.

Relationships between Wheat Development, Soil Properties, and Rhizosphere Mycobiota.

Wheat is a vital global food crop, yet it faces challenges in saline-alkali soils where Fusarium crown rot significantly impacts growth. Variations in wheat growth across regions are often attributed to uneven terrain. To explore these disparities, we examined well-growing and poorly growing wheat samples and their rhizosphere soils. Measurements included wheat height, root length, fresh weight, and Fusarium crown rot severity. Well-growing wheat exhibited greater height, root length, and fresh weight, with a lower Fusarium crown rot disease index compared to poorly growing wheat. Analysis of rhizosphere soil revealed higher alkalinity; lower nutrient levels; and elevated Na, K, and Ca levels in poorly growing wheat compared to well-growing wheat. High-throughput sequencing identified a higher proportion of unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in poorly growing wheat, suggesting selection for distinct fungal species under stress. FUNGuild analysis indicated a higher prevalence of pathogenic microbial communities in poorly growing wheat rhizosphere soil. This study underscores how uneven terrains in saline-alkali soils affect pH, nutrient dynamics, mineral content, wheat health, and rhizosphere fungal community structure.

Incident Angle Sensing and Adaptive Control of Scattering by Intelligent Metasurface.

The passive sensing and active control of electromagnetic (EM) waves have always been attractive in electronic and information areas, especially during the intelligent era. Here a new method is presented to achieve the angle sensing of incident wave and adaptive control of backward scattering using the intelligent metasurface. The proposed unit cells have the ability to dynamically manipulate the receiving and reflection of the EM energy respectively. The angle sensing of incident waves can be actualized using the method of compressive sensing based on multiple receiving patterns, which are generated by randomly switching the receiving and reflection states of the unit cells. Afterward, the customized performances of backward scattering waves according to the cognitive incident angle can be realized by controlling the programmable reflective phases of unit cells correspondingly. One prototype composed of the metasurface and the module for sensing and adaptive feedback control is fabricated. The whole intelligent metasurface with customizing the function of retro-reflection or low scattering is measured without human intervention and the good results acquired can verify the validity of the proposed concept and design.

Recreational ball games are effective in improving social communication impairments among preschoolers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a multi-arm controlled study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the effects of two 12-week training intervention experimental ball games combined with standard behavioral rehabilitation against a control group solely utilizing standard behavioral rehabilitation on social communication impairments (SCI) in preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHODS: A multi-arm controlled study design was implemented, involving 41 children diagnosed with ASD (mean age: 4.99 ± 0.76 years). 41 participants were randomized assigned to two experimental groups and a control group, The experimental group carried out ball combination training program group (BCTP) and mini-basketball training program group (MBTP) on the basis of routine behavioral rehabilitation, which underwent 12-week training interventions 5 times a week. The control group (n = 14) received only standard behavioral rehabilitation. Evaluations were conducted before and after interventions using the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2). RESULTS: The results suggest that both 12-week interventions, BCTP, and MBTP, led to significant improvements in social communication impairment among children with ASD (p < 0.05). Despite enhancing the overall scores on the SRS-2, these interventions displayed varying impacts across different sub-dimensions. BCTP primarily exhibited significant enhancements in social awareness and behavior pattern (p < 0.05), whereas MBTP significantly improved social cognition and social communication (p < 0.05). Both interventions showed slight improvements in social motivation. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of recreational ball games has showed to be effective in decreasing the impairment levels of children with ASD, while the control group experienced a worsening of outcomes. This suggests that irrespective of the specific ball game strategy employed, both can be employed on a weekly basis to complement standard behavioral rehabilitation and enhance the ability to improve the quality of life for children diagnosed with ASD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is retrospectively registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900024973;August 5, 2019).

Chiral inversion induced by aromatic interactions in short peptide assembly.

Although hydrophobic interactions provide the main driving force for initial peptide aggregation, their role in regulating suprastructure handedness of higher-order architectures remains largely unknown. We here interrogate the effects of hydrophobic amino acids on handedness at various assembly stages of peptide amphiphiles. Our studies reveal that relative to aliphatic side chains, aromatic side chains set the twisting directions of single ß-strands due to their strong steric repulsion to the backbone, and upon packing into multi-stranded ß-sheets, the side-chain aromatic interactions between strands form the aromatic ladders with a directional preference. This ordering not only leads to parallel ß-sheet arrangements but also induces the chiral flipping over of single ß-strands within a ß-sheet. In contrast, the lack of orientational hydrophobic interactions in the assembly of aliphatic peptides implies no chiral inversion upon packing into ß-sheets. This study opens an avenue to harness peptide aggregates with targeted handedness via aromatic side-chain interactions.

The attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders in China.

Background: Few studies have explored the associated factors of attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders and especially explore the association between psychiatric clinical practice and these attitudes. Methods: A total of 1324 nonpsychiatric nurses and students majoring in nursing were recruited through an online questionnaire from December 2021 to March 2022 in Sichuan Province, China. Demographic information, personal care experience, psychiatric nursing education and the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) were collected. A higher score indicates a stigmatizing attitude in the authoritarianism and social restrictiveness (SR) subscales and a positive attitude in the benevolence and community mental health ideology (CMHI) subscales. Multivariate linear regression was employed to analyze associated factors of attitudes towards mental disorders, and hierarchical linear regression was used to analyze the association between psychiatric clinical practice and the attitudes towards mental disorders. Results: Under the control of confounders, high education level, long residence in urban and personal care experience were positively correlated with score of authoritarianism and SR (p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with score of benevolence (p < 0.05). Long residence in urban and personal care experience were negatively correlated with score of CMHI (p < 0.05). Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for demographic information, psychiatric clinical practice was associated with lower score of benevolence (B = -0.09, 95%CI = -0.17 ~ -0.003, p = 0.043) and CMHI (B = -0.09, 95%CI = -0.17 ~ -0.01, p = 0.027), but the initial associations between psychiatric clinical practice and authoritarianism, SR disappeared. Conclusions: High education level, long residence in urban, personal care experience and the psychiatric clinical practice were associated with the discrimination of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders. Further exploring practical strategies to optimize the psychiatric clinical practice experience of nonpsychiatric nurses could help improve their attitudes towards mental disorders.

Isolation, characterization, and pathogenicity of Fusarium species causing crown rot of wheat.

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is one of the most important soilborne diseases affecting wheat production. To investigate the diversity of the pathogens causing this disease, 199 diseased wheat samples were collected from 13 cities in Shandong province. In total, 468 isolates were obtained, and from these isolates, 11 Fusarium species were identified based on phylogenetic analyses with the translation elongation factor-1α (TEF-1α), RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene sequences. Of these Fusarium isolates, 283 were identified as Fusarium pseudograminearum and the remaining isolates were identified as Fusarium graminearum (n = 113), Fusarium sinensis (n = 28), Fusarium acuminatum (n = 18), Fusarium incarnatum (n = 13), Fusarium ipomoeae (n = 5), Fusarium flocciferum (n = 3), Fusarium proliferatum (n = 2), Fusarium asiaticum (n = 1), Fusarium culmorum (n = 1), and Fusarium oxysporum (n = 1), suggesting that F. pseudograminearum is the dominant pathogen of FCR of wheat in Shandong province. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that all 11 Fusarium species could cause typical symptoms of FCR on wheat seedlings. The results of the study indicate that a greater diversity of Fusarium species can cause FCR of wheat in Shandong province than that has been previously reported. This is the first report in the world of Fusarium incarnatum, Fusarium ipomoeae, and Fusarium flocciferum as pathogens causing FCR in wheat.

Histone H3 N-Terminal Lysine Acetylation Governs Fungal Growth, Conidiation, and Pathogenicity through Regulating Gene Expression in Fusarium pseudograminearum.

The acetylation of histone lysine residues regulates multiple life processes, including growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity in filamentous pathogenic fungi. However, the specific function of each lysine residue at the N-terminus of histone H3 in phytopathogenic fungi remains unclear. In this study, we mutated the N-terminal lysine residues of histone H3 in Fusarium pseudograminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium crown rot of wheat in China, which also produces deoxynivalenol (DON) toxins harmful to humans and animals. Our findings reveal that all the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants are vital for vegetative growth and conidiation. Additionally, FpH3K14 regulates the pathogen's sensitivity to various stresses and fungicides. Despite the slowed growth of the FpH3K9R and FpH3K23R mutants, their pathogenicity towards wheat stems and heads remains unchanged. However, the FpH3K9R mutant produces more DON. Furthermore, the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants exhibit significantly reduced virulence, with the FpH3K18R mutant producing minimal DON. In the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants, there are 1863, 1400, 1688, and 1806 downregulated genes, respectively, compared to the wild type. These downregulated genes include many that are crucial for growth, conidiation, pathogenicity, and DON production, as well as some essential genes. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicates that genes downregulated in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants are enriched for ribosome biogenesis, rRNA processing, and rRNA metabolic process. This suggests that the translation machinery is abnormal in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants. Overall, our findings suggest that H3 N-terminal lysine residues are involved in regulating the expression of genes with important functions and are critical for fungal development and pathogenicity.

Introgression of chromosome 5P from Agropyron cristatum enhances grain weight in a wheat background.

KEY MESSAGE: A grain weight locus from Agropyron cristatum chromosome 5P increases grain weight in different wheat backgrounds and is localized to 5PL (bin 7-12). Thousand-grain weight is an important trait in wheat breeding, with a narrow genetic basis being the main factor limiting improvement. Agropyron cristatum, a wild relative of wheat, harbors many desirable genes for wheat improvement. Here, we found that the introduction of the 5P chromosome from A. cristatum into wheat significantly increased the thousand-grain weight by 2.55-7.10 g, and grain length was the main contributor to grain weight. An increase in grain weight was demonstrated in two commercial wheat varieties, indicating that the grain weight locus was not affected by the wheat background. To identify the chromosome segment harboring the grain weight locus, three A. cristatum 5P deletion lines, two wheat-A. cristatum 5P translocation lines and genetic populations of these lines were used to evaluate agronomic traits. We found that the translocation lines harboring the long arm of A. cristatum chromosome 5P (5PL) exhibited high grain weight and grain length, and the genetic locus associated with increased grain weight was mapped to 5PL (bin 7-12). An increase in grain weight did not adversely affect other agronomic traits in translocation line 5PT2, which is a valuable germplasm resource. Overall, we identified a grain weight locus from chromosome 5PL and provided valuable germplasm for improving wheat grain weight.

Ultrathin and Self-Supporting MOF/COF-Based Composite Membranes for Hydrogen Separation and Purification from Coke Oven Gas.

Coke oven gas (COG) is considered to be one of the most likely raw materials for large-scale H2 production in the near or medium term, with membrane separation technologies standing out from traditional technologies due to their less energy-intensive structures as well as simple operation and occupation. Based on the "MOF-in/on-COF" pore modification strategy, the COF membrane (named the PBD membrane) and ZIF-67 were used as assembly elements to design advanced molecular sieving membranes for hydrogen separation. The composition and microstructure of membranes before and after ZIF-67 loading as well as ZIF-67-in-PBD membranes under different preparation conditions (metal ion concentration, metal-ligand ratio, and reaction time) were investigated by various characterizations to reveal the synthesis regularity and microstructure regulation. Furthermore, H2/CH4 separation performances and separation mechanisms were also analyzed and compared. Finally, a dense, continuous, ultrathin, and self-supporting ZIF-67-in-PBD membrane with a Co2+ concentration of 0.02 mol/L, a metal-ligand ratio of 1:4, and a reaction time of 6 h exhibited the largest specific surface area, micropore proportion, and the best H2/CH4 separation selectivity (α = 33.48), which was significantly higher than the Robeson upper limit and was in a leading position among reported MOF membranes. The separation mechanism was mainly size screening, and adsorption selectivity also contributed a little.

Interaction among homeodomain transcription factors mediates ethylene biosynthesis during pear fruit ripening.

Fruit ripening is manipulated by the plant phytohormone ethylene in climacteric fruits. While the transcription factors (TFs) involved in ethylene biosynthesis and fruit ripening have been extensively studied in tomato, their identification in pear remains limited. In this study, we identified and characterized a HOMEODOMAIN TF, PbHB.G7.2, through transcriptome analysis. PbHB.G7.2 could directly bind to the promoter of the ethylene biosynthetic gene, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (PbACS1b), thereby enhancing its activity and resulting in increased ethylene production during pear fruit ripening. Yeast-two-hybrid screening revealed that PbHB.G7.2 interacted with PbHB.G1 and PbHB.G2.1. Notably, these interactions disrupted the transcriptional activation of PbHB.G7.2. Interestingly, PbHB.G1 and PbHB.G2.1 also bind to the PbACS1b promoter, albeit different regions from those bound by PbHB.G7.2. Moreover, the regions of PbHB.G1 and PbHB.G2.1 involved in their interaction with PbHB.G7.2 differ from the regions responsible for binding to the PbACS1b promoter. Nonetheless, these interactions also disrupt the transcriptional activation of PbHB.G1 and PbHB.G2.1. These findings offer a new mechanism of ethylene biosynthesis during climacteric fruit ripening.

Clinical characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying bladder cancer in individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with spinal cord injury have a relatively high risk for bladder cancer and often complicated with bladder cancer in advanced stages, and the degree of aggressiveness of malignancy is high. Most of the literature is based on disease clinical features while, our study reviews the clinical characteristics and molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury patients with bladder cancer, so that it might help clinicians better recognize and manage these patients. METHOD: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Embase, using retrieval type like ("Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction" OR "Spinal cord injury" OR "Spinal Cord Trauma") AND ("bladder cancer" OR "bladder neoplasm" OR "bladder carcinoma" OR "Urinary Bladder Neoplasms" OR "Bladder Tumor"). In Web of Science, the retrieval type was searched as "Topic", and in PubMed and Embase, as "All Field". The methodological quality of eligible studies and their risk of bias were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. This article is registered in PROSPERO with the CBD number: CRD42024508514. RESULT: In WOS, we searched 219 related papers, in PubMed, 122 and in Embase, 363. Thus, a total of 254 articles were included after passing the screening, within a time range between 1960 and 2023. A comprehensive analysis of the data showed that the mortality and incidence rates of bladder cancer in spinal cord injury patients were higher than that of the general population, and the most frequent pathological type was squamous cell carcinoma. In parallel to long-term urinary tract infection and indwelling catheterization, the role of molecules such as NO, MiR 1949 and Rb 1. was found to be crucial pathogenetically. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the risk of bladder cancer in SCI patients, comprehensively addressing the clinical characteristics and related molecular mechanisms. However, given that there are few studies on the molecular mechanisms of bladder cancer in spinal cord injury, further research is needed to expand the understanding of the disease.

Continuous quality improvement project to reduce the downtime of medical linear accelerators: A case study at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital.

Objective: To analyse and continually improve existing issues in the quality improvement process of medical linear accelerators (LINACs) and enhance the quality control management of LINACs. Methods: Data were collected from eight LINACs (sourced from three manufacturers) at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital using Excel diaries between January 2019 and December 2020. The data description and analysis were performed using the analytic hierarchy process, SPSSAU and Excel software, and mean-time-to-repair (MTTR)/mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) metrics. Continuous quality improvement was executed using the quality control circle (QCC) quality management method. Results: After quality improvement, the risk frequency of 'LINAC down' events decreased by 43.63% and downtime was reduced by 40.45%. The weight of downtime risk improved by 73.69%. The MTTR recovery value increased by 31.90%, and MTBF reliability increased by 2.97 h. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed quality improvement measures could effectively decrease the frequency and duration of downtimes, consequently extending the normal operational time of LINACs. Conclusion: Transitioning from instant repair to preventative maintenance can enhance the operational efficiency of equipment and yield economic benefits for hospitals. The QCC method and the event risk evaluation model are effective in reducing the downtime of LINACs and improving their quality control management.

Enhancing Surface Hydroxyl Group Modulation on Carbon Nitride Boosts the Effectiveness of Photodynamic Treatment for Brain Glioma.

The effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in treating brain gliomas is limited by the solubility of photosensitizers and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), both of which are influenced by the concentration of photosensitizers and catalyst active sites. In this study, we developed a controllable surface hydroxyl concentration for the photosensitizer CN11 to address its poor water solubility issue and enhance PDT efficacy in tumor treatment. Compared to pure g-C3N4 (CN), CN11 exhibited 4.6 times higher hydrogen peroxide production under visible light, increased incidence of the n → π* electron transition, and provided more available reaction sites for cytotoxic ROS generation. These findings resulted in a 2.43-fold increase in photodynamic treatment efficacy against brain glioma cells. Furthermore, in vivo experiments conducted on mice demonstrated that CN11 could be excreted through normal cell metabolism with low cytotoxicity and high biosafety, effectively achieving complete eradication of tumor cells.

The combined effect of handgrip strength and obesity phenotype on the risk of stroke in Chinese middle-aged and elderly: A cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of handgrip strength (HGS) and obesity phenotype on the risk of stroke in Chinese middle-aged and elderly people. METHODS: The data was used from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Middle-aged and older adults who participated in surveys between 2011 and 2018 were included in the study. They were divided into 4 different types of obesity phenotypes based on obesity and metabolic status: metabolically healthy non-overweight/obesity (MHNO), metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO), metabolically abnormal non-overweight/obesity (MANO), and metabolically abnormal overweight/obesity (MAO). The HGS level was divided into low and high groups according to the median values. Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the joint effect of HGS and obesity phenotype on the risk of stroke among participants. RESULTS: A total of 7904 participants aged 58.89±9.08 years were included in this study. After adjusting for potential confounders, high HGS&MHO (HR=1.86, 95 % CI=1.12-3.09), high HGS&MANO (HR=2.01, 95 %CI=1.42-2.86), high HGS&MAO (HR=2.01, 95 % CI=1.37-2.93), low HGS&MHNO (HR=1.57, 95 % CI=1.00-2.46), low HGS&MHO (HR=2.09, 95 % CI=1.29-3.38), low HGS&MANO (HR=2.02, 95 % CI=1.35-3.03), and low HGS&MAO (HR=2.48, 95 % CI=1.72-3.58) group had significantly higher risks of stroke than the high HGS&MHNO group. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of metabolically unhealthy and low HGS can synergistically increase the risk of stroke in Chinese middle-aged and elderly people.

The Polysaccharides from Pinellia ternata and Their Derivatives: Preparation, Structure Characteristics, and Activities in Vitro.

Three polysaccharides, PTC, PTH, and PTB, were extracted from Pinellia ternata using three different extraction conditions: room temperature water, hot water, and 2 % Na2CO3 solution. PTC and PTH were composed of rhamnose, glucose, galactose, mannose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, and arabinose, which combine to form complex structures. PTB was composed solely of glucose and rhamnose. Further analysis indicated that PTC and PTB exhibited triple-helix structures. PTC showed the highest scavenging capacity against DPPH, superoxide anion, and hydroxyl radicals, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 1004.1, 1584.1, and 1584.1 µg/mL, respectively. Additionally, PTC, PTH, and PTB were subjected to sulfation, phosphorylation, and selenization, resulting in the production of nine derivates. The distinctive absorptive bands of these derivates were determined through infrared spectroscopy. Selenized and sulfated derivates have shown significant antitumor and immunoenhancing properties. Our findings revealed that at 400 µg/mL, the inhibition rate of selenated PTB on HeLa cells was 54.2 % and that on HepG2 cells was 43.1 %. Additionally, selenized PTC displayed significant immunoenhancing activity, with a proliferation rate of 63.7 % at 400 µg/mL in RAW264.7 cells. These results provide valuable evidence supporting the consideration of polysaccharides from Pinellia ternata as a potential candidate for the development of antineoplastic drugs.

Recognition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by macrophage Toll-like receptor and its role in autophagy.

BACKGROUND: The pathogen responsible for tuberculosis is called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its interaction with macrophages has a significant impact on the onset and progression of the disease. METHODS: The respiratory pathway allows Mycobacterium tuberculosis to enter the body's lungs where it battles immune cells before being infected latently or actively. In the progress of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis activates the body's immune system and creates inflammatory factors, which cause tissue inflammation to infiltrate and the creation of granulomas, which seriously harms the body. Toll-like receptors of macrophage can mediate host recognition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, initiate immune responses, and participate in macrophage autophagy. New host-directed therapeutic approaches targeting autophagy for drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis have emerged, providing new ideas for the effective treatment of tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: In-depth understanding of the mechanisms by which macrophage autophagy interacts with intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as the study of potent and specific autophagy-regulating molecules, will lead to much-needed advances in drug discovery and vaccine design, which will improve the prevention and treatment of human tuberculosis.

Development of a High-throughput Sequencing Platform for Detection of Viral Encephalitis Pathogens Based on Amplicon Sequencing.

Objective: Viral encephalitis is an infectious disease severely affecting human health. It is caused by a wide variety of viral pathogens, including herpes viruses, flaviviruses, enteroviruses, and other viruses. The laboratory diagnosis of viral encephalitis is a worldwide challenge. Recently, high-throughput sequencing technology has provided new tools for diagnosing central nervous system infections. Thus, In this study, we established a multipathogen detection platform for viral encephalitis based on amplicon sequencing. Methods: We designed nine pairs of specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for the 12 viruses by reviewing the relevant literature. The detection ability of the primers was verified by software simulation and the detection of known positive samples. Amplicon sequencing was used to validate the samples, and consistency was compared with Sanger sequencing. Results: The results showed that the target sequences of various pathogens were obtained at a coverage depth level greater than 20×, and the sequence lengths were consistent with the sizes of the predicted amplicons. The sequences were verified using the National Center for Biotechnology Information BLAST, and all results were consistent with the results of Sanger sequencing. Conclusion: Amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing technology is feasible as a supplementary method for the pathogenic detection of viral encephalitis. It is also a useful tool for the high-volume screening of clinical samples.