HIV infection increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: In order to synthesize available results regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide quantitative estimates of associated risk. METHODS: A systematic search of four scientific databases, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Scopus, was performed. The overall odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% CI was calculated via a random effects model. Sensitivity analyses and tests for publication bias were then performed. RESULTS: Of the 3046 articles retrieved, seven studies with a cumulative sample size greater than 57,000,000 were included in our analysis. A subsequent meta-analysis based on a random effects model (heterogeneity test, I2 = 99.9) revealed an association between HIV infection and IBD: OR = 2.68 (95% CI: 1.17, 6.13). The funnel plot of this meta-analysis was asymmetric (Egger's test: P = 0.01), and significant publication bias was found. Sensitivity analysis of the 3 dimensions revealed that the results of this meta-analysis were relatively stable. CONCLUSIONS: A significant correlation may exist between HIV infection and intestinal disease, and more large-scale studies are needed to draw firm conclusions. It is recommended that HIV patients be screened for intestinal diseases.

Immobilization of Actinobacillus succinogenes on nano- and micro-fiber membranes for efficient and robust production of succinic acid.

This work aimed to study the efficiency of nano- and micro- fiber membranes in immobilizing Actinobacillus succinogenes CCTCC M2012036 for succinic acid production. Among the four kinds of electrospun nanofiber membranes of cellulose acetate, chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan-PVA, the cellulose acetate nanofiber membrane-immobilized cells performed the best with a succinic acid concentration and yield to be 27.3 ± 3.5 g/L and 70.9 ± 5.8%. The cell-immobilized viscose microfiber membrane presented good reuse stability, and 17 batches of fermentation without activity loss were realized with the highest succinic acid yield of 83.20%. A microfiber membrane bioreactor was further constructed with the cell-immobilized viscose microfiber membrane to perform fermentation on a larger scale, and the concentration, yield and productivity of succinic acid were 73.20 g/L, 86.50% and 1.49 g/(L⋅h) using a fed-batch strategy, which were 124.30%, 127.60% and 124.2% of those obtained in the traditional fermenter. This study provided an approach for improving the practicality of biological succinic acid production.

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) controls growth and development and regulates proliferation and apoptosis in Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the trematode blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. The prodigious egg output of females is the main cause of the disease in definitive hosts, while the female worm relies on continuous pairing with the male worm to fuel the growth and maturation of the reproductive organs and egg production. Prohibitin, which contains the functionally interdependent PHB1 and PHB2 subunits in human and some other species, has been proposed to participate in the cell proliferation and apoptosis regulation in mammals. However, little is known about the function of PHB homolog in the growth and reproductive development of schistosomes. Here, we reported the Phb1 gene that was structurally and evolutionarily conserved in Schistosoma japonicum when compared with that of other species from Caenorhabditis elegans to human. Real-time PCR detected that SjPhb1 was highly transcribed in the vitellaria of female worms. SjPhb1 knockdown achieved through the dsRNA-mediated RNAi in vivo resulted in retarded growth, decreased pairing, and fecundity in adult worms, as well as attenuated pathogenicity or virulence of worms to their hosts. Cell proliferation and apoptosis examination found decreased cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis in SjPhb1 dsRNA-treated worms. Therefore, our study provides the first characterization of S. japonicum PHB1 and reveals its fundamental role in the regulation of growth and development of S. japonicum by specific dsRNA-mediated RNAi in vivo. Our findings prompt for a promising molecular of schistosomes that can be targeted to effectively retard the growth and development of the schistosomes.

Combined effect of cortical superficial siderosis and cerebral microbleed on short-term and long-term outcomes after intracerebral haemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cortical superficial siderosis (cSS) and cerebral microbleed (CMB) have distinct effects on intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). We aim to investigate the combined effect of cSS and CMB on outcomes after ICH. METHODS: Based on a single-centre stroke registry database, patients with spontaneous ICH who had CT scan within 48 hours after ictus and MRI subsequently were identified. Eligible patients were divided into four groups (cSS-CMB-, cSS-CMB+, cSS+CMB-, cSS+CMB+) according to cSS and CMB on susceptibility-weighted image of MRI. Primary outcomes were haematoma volume on admission and unfavourable outcome defined as modified Rankin Scale scores ≥3 at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were all-cause death, recurrence of stroke and ICH during follow-up (median follow-up 2.0 years, IQR 1.0-3.0 years). RESULTS: A total of 673 patients were identified from 1044 patients with spontaneous ICH. 131 (19.5%) had cSS and 468 (69.5%) had CMB. Patients with cSS+CMB+ had the highest rate of poor outcome at 3 months, as well as all-cause death, recurrent stroke and ICH during follow-up. In cSS- patients, CMB was associated with smaller haematoma (ß -0.13; 95% CI -0.22 to -0.03; p=0.009), but it still increased risks of recurrent ICH (OR 4.6; 95% CI 1.3 to 15.6; p=0.015) and stroke (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.0 to 4.0; p=0.049). These effects of CMB became unremarkable in the context of cSS+. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with different combinations of cSS and CMB have distinct patterns of short-term and long-term outcomes. Although CMB is related to restrained haematoma, it does not improve long-term outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04803292.

Pesticides and risk assessment in Shanghai fruit and raw eaten vegetables.

A database of 392 pesticides established by an Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem Q/Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer (UPLC-Q/Orbitrap-HRMS) was used to screen multiple residues of pesticides in fruit and raw eaten vegetables from planting farms in Shanghai. Risk assessment was conducted with the screened results of the determined pesticides as to evaluate food safety. In 95% of the samples, one or more pesticides had a content below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) as set in the national Chinese standard. The co-occurrence of multi-residues of pesticides was more severe in peach and muskmelon, when compared with other food. All hazard index values of different groups were in the range of 0.19% to 12.3%, demonstrating that chronic dietary risk of studied fruits and raw eaten vegetables is low and the studied food samples were safe for human consumption in terms of these detected pesticides.

Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of Schistosoma japonicum Derived From SCID Mice and BALB/c Mice: Clues to the Abnormality in Parasite Growth and Development.

Schistosomiasis, caused by the parasitic flatworms called schistosomes, remains one of the most prevailing parasitic diseases in the world. The prodigious oviposition of female worms after maturity is the main driver of pathology due to infection, yet our understanding about the regulation of development and reproduction of schistosomes is limited. Here, we comparatively profiled the transcriptome of Schistosoma japonicum recovered from SCID and BALB/c mice, which were collected 35 days post-infection, when prominent morphological abnormalities could be observed in schistosomes from SCID mice, by performing RNA-seq analysis. Of the 11,183 identified genes, 62 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 39 upregulated and 23 downregulated messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were found in male worms from SCID mice (S_M) vs. male worms from BALB/c mice (B_M), and 240 DEGs with 152 upregulated and 88 downregulated mRNAs were found in female worms from SCID mice (S_F) vs. female worms from BALB/c mice (B_F). We also tested nine DEGs with a relatively higher expression abundance in the gonads of the worms (ovary, vitellaria, or testis), suggesting their potential biological significance in the development and reproduction of the parasites. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that GO terms such as "microtubule-based process," "multicellular organismal development," and "Rho protein signal transduction" were significantly enriched in the DEGs in S_F vs. B_F, whereas GO terms such as "oxidation-reduction process," "response to stress," and "response to DNA damage stimulus" were significantly enriched in the DEGs in S_M vs. B_M. These results revealed that the differential expression of some important genes might contribute to the morphological abnormalities of worms in SCID mice. Furthermore, we selected one DEG, the mitochondrial prohibitin complex protein 1 (Phb1), to perform double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) in vivo targeting the worms in BALB/c mice, and we found that it was essential for the growth and reproductive development of both male and female S. japonicum worms. Taken together, these results provided a wealth of information on the differential gene expression profiles of schistosomes from SCID mice when compared with those from BALB/c mice, which were potentially involved in regulating the growth and development of schistosomes. These findings contributed to an understanding of parasite biology and provided a rich resource for the exploitation of antischistosomal intervention targets.

Potential hepatic and renal toxicity induced by the biflavonoids from Ginkgo biloba.

Evidence continues to grow on potential health risks associated with Ginkgo biloba and its constituents. While biflavonoid is a subclass of the flavonoid family in Ginkgo biloba with a plenty of pharmacological properties, the potential toxicological effects of biflavonoids remains largely unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo toxicological effects of the biflavonoids from Ginkgo biloba (i.e., amentoflavone, sciadopitysin, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin, and bilobetin). In the in vitro cytotoxicity test, the five biflavonoids all reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner in human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) and human normal hepatocytes (L-02), indicating they might have potential liver and kidney toxicity. In the in vivo experiments, after intragastrical administration of these biflavonoids at 20 mg·kg-1·d-1 for 7 days, serum biochemical analysis and histopathological examinations were performed. The activity of alkaline phosphatase was significantly increased after all the biflavonoid administrations and widespread hydropic degeneration of hepatocytes was observed in ginkgetin or bilobetin-treated mice. Moreover, the five biflavonoids all induced acute kidney injury in treated mice and the main pathological lesions were confirmed to the tubule, glomeruli, and interstitium injuries. As the in vitro and in vivo results suggested that these biflavonoids may be more toxic to the kidney than the liver, we further detected the mechanism of biflavonoids-induced nephrotoxicity. The increased TUNEL-positive cells were detected in kidney tissues of biflavonoids-treated mice, accompanied by elevated expression of proapoptotic protein BAX and unchanged levels of antiapoptotic protein BCL-2, indicating apoptosis was involved in biflavonoids-induced nephrotoxicity. Taken together, our results suggested that the five biflavonoids from Ginkgo biloba may have potential hepatic and renal toxicity and more attentions should be paid to ensure Ginkgo biloba preparations safety.