GMI, a fungal immunomodulatory protein, ameliorates SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein-induced inflammation in macrophages via inhibition of MAPK pathway.

Clinically, COVID-19 is often accompanied by a severe immune response (cytokine storm) which produces a large number of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12, and consequently causes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). GMI is a type of fungal immunomodulatory protein that is cloned from Ganoderma microsporum and acts as modulating immunocyte for various inflammatory diseases. This study identifies GMI as a potential anti-inflammatory agent and determines the effects of GMI on the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine secretion. Functional studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein induces inflammatory process in murine macrophages RAW264.7 and MH-S cells and in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated human THP-1 cells. GMI exhibits a strong inhibitory effect for SARS-CoV-2-E-induced pro-inflammatory mediators, including NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12 in macrophages. GMI reduces SARS-CoV-2-E-induced intracellular inflammatory molecules, such as iNOS and COX-2, and inhibits SARS-CoV-2-E-stimulated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and P38. GMI also downregulates pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in lung tissue and serum after the mice inhale SARS-CoV-2-E protein. In conclusion, this study shows that GMI acts as an agent to alleviate SARS-CoV-2-E-induced inflammation.

Newly Emerging Pest in China, Rhynchaenusmaculosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Morphology and Molecular Identification with DNA Barcoding.

The oak flea weevil, Rhynchaenusmaculosus Yang et Zhang 1991, is a newly emerging pest that severely damages oak (genus Quercus) in China. The first R. maculosus outbreak occurred in 2020 and caused spectacular damage to all oak forests in Jilin province, northeast China. The lack of key morphological characters complicates the identification of this native pest, especially in larva and pupa stages. This is problematic because quick and accurate species identification is crucial for early monitoring and intervention during outbreaks. Here, we provided the first detailed morphological description of R. maculosus at four life stages. Additionally, we used DNA barcodes from larva and pupa specimens collected from three remote locations for molecular identification. The average pairwise divergence of all sequences in this study was 0.51%, well below the 2% to 3% (K-2-parameter) threshold set for one species. All sample sequences matched the R. maculosus morphospecies (KX657706.1 and KX657707.1), with 99.23% to 100% (sequence identity, E value: 0.00) matching success. The tree based on barcodes placed the specimens into the Rhynchaenus group, and the phylogenetic relationship between 62 sequences (30 samples and 32 from GeneBank) had high congruence with the morphospecies taxa. The traditional DNA barcodes were successfully transformed into quick response codes with larger coding capacity for information storage. The results showed that DNA barcoding is reliable for R. maculosus identification. The integration of molecular and morphology-based methods contributes to accurate species identification of this newly emerging oak pest.

Impact of reduced left ventricular function on repairing acute type A aortic dissection: Outcome and risk factors analysis from a single institutional experience.

Preoperative left ventricular dysfunction is a risk factor for postoperative mortality and morbidity in cardiovascular surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass, including thoracic aortic surgery. Using a retrospective study design, this study aimed to clarify the short- and mid-term outcomes of patients who underwent acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) repair with reduced left ventricular function.Between July 2007 and February 2018, a total of 510 adult patients underwent surgical repair of ATAAD in a single institution. The patients were classified as having left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% (low EF group, n = 86, 16.9%) and LVEF ≥50% (normal group, n = 424, 83.1%) according to transesophageal echocardiographic assessment at the operating room. Preoperative demographics, surgical information, and postoperative complication were compared between the two groups. Three-year survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier actuarial method. Serial echocardiographic evaluations were performed at 1, 2, and 3 years postoperation.Demographics, comorbidities, and surgical procedures were generally homogenous between the 2 groups, except for a lower rate of aortic arch replacement in the low EF group. The averaged LVEFs were 44.3 ±â€Š2.5% and 65.8 ±â€Š6.6% among the low EF and normal groups, respectively. The patients with low EF had higher in-hospital mortality (23.3% versus 13.9%, P = .025) compared with the normal group. Multivariate analysis revealed that intraoperative myocardial failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was an in-hospital mortality predictor (odds ratio, 16.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.23-234.32; P = .034), as was preoperative serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL. For patients who survived to discharge, the 3-year cumulative survival rates were 77.8% and 82.1% in the low EF and normal groups, respectively (P = .522). The serial echocardiograms revealed no postoperative deterioration of LVEF during the 3-year follow-up.Even with a more conservative aortic repair procedure, the patients with preoperative left ventricular dysfunction are at higher surgical risk for in-hospital mortality. However, once such patients are able to survive to discharge, the midterm outcome can still be promising.

Piezoelectric Actuated Phase Shifter Based on External Laser Interferometer: Design, Control and Experimental Validation.

To improve the phase-shifting accuracy, this paper presents a novel integrated framework for design, control and experimental validation of the piezoelectric actuated phase shifter with a trade-off between accuracy and cost. The piezoelectric actuators with built-in sensors are adopted to drive the double parallel four-bar linkage flexure hinge-based mechanisms. Three mechanisms form the tripod structure of the assembled phase shifter. Then, a semi-closed loop controller with inner feedback and outer feedforward loops via the external laser interferometer is developed for accurate positioning of the phase shifter. Finally, experiments related with travel range, step response, linearity and repeatability are carried out. The linearity error is 0.21% and the repeatability error of 10 µ m displacement is 3 nm. The results clearly demonstrate the good performance of the developed phase shifter and the feasibility of the proposed integrated framework.