Serum Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 Levels Predict Cardiovascular Events in Patients Undergoing Incident Peritoneal Dialysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Biomarkers are urgently required to identify peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients at risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) for CV events in patients undergoing incident PD. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, incident PD patients were enrolled. Blood samples to measure sST2 levels were obtained before PD catheter implantation. The patients underwent a standard peritoneal equilibration test (PET) after initiation of PD for 4-6 weeks. The sST2 levels in both serum and dialysate were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CV events were recorded during the follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 137 patients were enrolled. During the follow-up period of 17.3 months, 49 (35.76%) patients experienced CV events. When patients were dichotomized based on the median values and the calculated cutoff values of sST2, the higher sST2 group had 2.980- and 3.048-fold increased risks of CV events, respectively, when compared with the lower sST2 group. Moreover, the prognostic value of sST2 remained significant as a continuous variable (per 1 standard deviation increase, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.037, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.010-1.066, p = 0.008). N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were found to indicate a higher risk only when dichotomized based on the calculated cutoff values. Furthermore, serum sST2 and NT-proBNP levels simultaneously above the calculated cutoff values were associated with a higher risk of CV events (HR = 3.398, 95% CI 1.813-6.367, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Baseline serum sST2 level is an independent predictor of the risk of CV events in patients receiving incident PD, and in combination with NT-proBNP level, it can provide a more accurate predictive value.

Clinical, Imaging Characteristics and Outcome of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Caused by Structural Vascular Lesions.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical, imaging, and outcome characteristics of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) caused by structural vascular lesions. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from a prospective observational cohort study of patients with spontaneous ICH admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between May 2016 and April 2021. Good outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale score of 0-3 at 3 months. The clinical and imaging characteristics were compared between primary ICH and ICH caused by structural vascular lesions. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to test the associations of etiology with clinical outcome. RESULTS: All patients enrolled in this study were Asian. Compared with patients with primary ICH, those with structural vascular lesions were younger (48 vs. 62 years, P < 0.001), had a lower incidence of hypertension (26.4% vs. 81.7%, P < 0.001) and diabetes (7.4% vs. 16.2%, P = 0.003), and had mostly lobar hemorrhages (49.1% vs. 22.8%). ICH from structural vascular lesions had smaller baseline hematoma volume (8.4 ml vs. 13.8 ml, P = 0.010), had lower mortality rate at 30 days and 3 months (5.8% vs. 12.0%, P = 0.020; 6.7% vs. 14.8%, P = 0.007), and are associated with better functional outcome at 3 months (88% vs.70.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with primary ICH, ICH due to vascular lesions has smaller hematoma volume and less severe neurological deficit at presentation and better functional outcomes.

Clinical and imaging predictors of dysphagia and swallowing ability recovery in acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Dysphagia is one of the most common complications of acute ischemic stroke, and prediction of dysphagia is crucial for post-stroke treatment. We aimed to identify predictors of dysphagia and swallowing function recovery following ischemic stroke and to investigate dysphagia-associated lesion location. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke confirmed on diffusion-weighted imaging. All patients received swallowing evaluation within 48 h after admission. Follow-up oral intake ability was measured on 7 and 30 days after stroke onset. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping was performed to determine locations associated with dysphagia. RESULTS: Of 126 patients included in the final analysis, 23 patients (18.3%) were classified as initial dysphagia. The presence of facial palsy (P = 0.008) and larger white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume (P = 0.003) was associated with initial dysphagia. Initial risk of aspiration assessed by Any2 score (P = 0.001) at baseline was identified as independent predictor for dysphagia at day 7. Patients with higher Any2 score (P < 0.001), aphasia (P = 0.013), and larger WMH volume (P = 0.010) were less likely to have a full swallowing function recovery at 1 month. Acute infarcts in right corona radiata and right superior longitudinal fasciculus were correlated with impaired recovery of swallowing ability at 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: Initial risk of aspiration was identified as risk factor for short-term and long-term dysphagia. Aphasia and larger WMH volume were revealed to be significant predictors for swallowing function recovery at 1 month. Right corona radiata was identified as an essential brain area for dysphagia.

The Association between Serum Chemerin and Peritoneal Membrane Transport Function in Patients Undergoing Incident Peritoneal Dialysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Some biomarkers in drained dialyzate or peritoneal membrane have been found related to the dialyzate/plasma ratio of creatinine at 4 h (D/P Cr) in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). But so far, there is no report on serum markers. Some biomarkers are associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Chemerin is a multifunctional chemoattractant adipokine which plays important roles in inflammation, adipogenesis, and metabolism. We intended to investigate the role of chemerin in the peritoneal membrane transport function and CVDs in incident PD patients. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in our PD center. The patients underwent initial standardized peritoneal equilibration test after PD for 4-6 weeks. Level of serum chemerin was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The patients' CVDs were recorded during the follow-up period. RESULTS: 151 eligible patients with a mean age of 46.59 ± 13.52 years were enrolled, and the median duration of PD was 25.0 months. The median concentration of serum chemerin was 29.09 ng/mL. Baseline D/P Cr was positively correlated with serum chemerin (r = 0.244, p = 0.003). The multivariate analyses revealed that serum chemerin (p = 0.002), age (p = 0.041), albumin (p = 0.000), and high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.022) were independent factors of D/P Cr. The serum chemerin level was significantly higher in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients than that of patients without DM (36.45 ng/mL vs. 27.37 ng/mL, p = 0.000), and there was a significant statistical difference in CVDs between the high chemerin group (≥29.09 ng/mL) and low chemerin group (<29.09 ng/mL) (42 vs. 21%, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Serum chemerin has a positive correlation with baseline D/P Cr in incident PD patients. It may be a biomarker that can predict the baseline transport function of the peritoneal membrane, and serum chemerin may be a risk factor of CVDs for incident PD patients. Multicenter studies with a larger sample size are warranted in the future.

Christianson syndrome: A novel splicing variant of SLC9A6 causes exon skipping in a Chinese boy and a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Variants in the endosomal solute carrier family 9 member A6 (SLC9A6)/(Na+ ,K+ )/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6) gene have been linked to epilepsy, speech loss, truncal ataxia, hyperkinesia, and postnatal microcephaly. METHODS: In the present study, we evaluated genetic alterations in a 3-year-old Chinese boy displayed features of epilepsy, psychomotor retardation, microcephaly, low body weight, difficulty in feeding, excessive movement, attention loss, ataxia, and cerebellar atrophy and his healthy family using WES method. The identified variant was further confirmed by Sanger sequencing method. Finally, minigene assays were used to verify whether the novel SLC9A6 intronic variant influenced the normal splicing of mRNA. RESULTS: We identified a novel hemizygous splicing variant [NM_001042537.1: c.1463-1G>A] in SLC9A6 by trio-based exome sequencing. The minigene expression in vitro confirmed the splicing variant altered a consensus splice acceptor site of SLC9A6 intron 11, resulting in skipping over exon 12. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding extends the catalog of pathogenic intronic variants affecting SLC9A6 pre-mRNA splicing and provides a basis for the genetic diagnosis of CS.

Scion-to-Rootstock Mobile Transcription Factor CmHY5 Positively Modulates the Nitrate Uptake Capacity of Melon Scion Grafted on Squash Rootstock.

It is generally recognized that the root uptake capacity of grafted plants strongly depends on the rootstocks' well-developed root system. However, we found that grafted plants showed different nitrate uptake capacities when different varieties of oriental melon scion were grafted onto the same squash rootstock, suggesting that the scion regulated the nitrate uptake capacity of the rootstock root. In this study, we estimated the nitrate uptake capacity of grafted plants with the different oriental melon varieties' seedlings grafted onto the same squash rootstocks. The results indicated a significant difference in the nitrate uptake rate and activity of two heterologous grafting plants. We also showed a significant difference in CmoNRT2.1 expression in the roots of two grafting combinations and verified the positive regulation of nitrate uptake by CmoNRT2.1 expression. In addition, the two varieties of oriental melon scion had highly significant differences in CmHY5 expression, which was transported to the rootstock and positively induced CmoHY5-1 and CmoHY5-2 expression in the rootstock roots. Meanwhile, CmHY5 could positively regulate CmoNRT2.1 expression in the rootstock roots. Furthermore, CmoHY5-1 and CmoHY5-2 also positively regulated CmoNRT2.1 expression, respectively, and CmoHY5-1 dominated the positive regulation of CmoNRT2.1, while CmHY5 could interact with CmoHY5-1 and CmoHY5-2, respectively, to jointly regulate CmoNRT2.1 expression. The oriental melon scion regulated the nitrate uptake capacity of the melon/squash grafting plant roots, and the higher expression of CmHY5 in the oriental melon scion leaves, the more substantial the nitrate uptake capacity of squash rootstock roots.

The Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome in IgA Nephropathy.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerular disease worldwide today. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a polyprotein complex and an important participant in inflammation. Accumulating studies have shown that the NLRP3 inflammasome participates in a variety of kidney diseases, including IgAN. This review focuses on the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in IgAN and summarizes multiple involved pathways, which may provide novel treatments for IgAN treatment.

Extracellular vesicles derived from miR-199a-5p-modified adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate immune thrombocytopenia by inhibiting T helper 17 differentiation.

The abnormal differentiation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells is considered a vital promoter of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) progression. Therefore, this study investigated the role of miR-199a-5p in Th17 differentiation and determined whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from miR-199a-5p-modified adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) could relieve ITP by inhibiting Th17 differentiation. The miR-199a-5p level was lessened in the spleen tissues of mice with ITP, while the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) expression and the population of Th17 in CD4+T cells were boosted. Functionally, miR-199a-5p overexpression lowered IL-17 secretion and the proportion of Th17/CD4+T cells. Further investigation showed that miR-199a-5p directly targeted STAT3 mRNA, and negatively modulated its expression. STAT3 overexpression was found to facilitate Th17 differentiation, which was subsequently abolished by miR-199a-5p overexpression. EVs isolated from miR-199a-5p-modified ADSCs (miR-199a-5p-EVs) highly expressed miR-199a-5p and could restrain CD4+T cells polarized toward a Th17 phenotype in vitro. Administering of miR-199a-5p-EVs elevated platelet counts and decreased the proportion of Th17/CD4+T cells in mice with ITP. Taken together, EVs derived from miR-199a-5p-modified ADSCs vividly repressed Th17 differentiation by transferring miR-199a-5p to CD4+T cells, thus ameliorating experimental ITP.

Molecular typing and epidemiologic profiles of human metapneumovirus infection among children with severe acute respiratory infection in Huzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the important pathogens in infant respiratory tract infection. However, the molecular epidemiology of hMPV among children < 14 years of age hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) is unclear. We investigated the hMPV infection status and genotypes of children hospitalized with SARI from January 2016 to December 2020 in Huzhou, China. METHODS: A nasopharyngeal flocked swab, nasal wash, or nasopharyngeal swab/or opharyngeal swab combination sample was collected from children with SARI in Huzhou from January 2016 to December 2020. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect hMPV RNA. The hMPV F gene was amplified and sequenced, followed by analysis using MEGA software (ver. 7.0). Epidemiological data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS (ver. 22.0) software. RESULTS: A total of 1133 children with SARI were recruited from 2016 to 2020. Among them, 56 (4.94%) were positive for hMPV-RNA. Children < 5 years of age accounted for 85.71% of the positive cases. The hMPV incidence was high in spring and winter, especially in December and January to March. Phylogenetic analysis of the F-gene sequences of 28 hMPV strains showed that the A1, B1, and B2 genotypes were prevalent in Huzhou, and the dominant hMPV genotype varied according to surveillance year. CONCLUSIONS: HMPV is an important respiratory pathogen in children in Huzhou, with a high incidence in winter and spring in children < 5 years of age. In this study, genotypes A1, B1, and B2 were the most prevalent.

Comparison of Psychological Distress and Demand Induced by COVID-19 during the Lockdown Period in Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis: A Cross-Section Study in a Tertiary Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, it has spread rapidly and widely, bringing great psychological pressure to the public. In order to prevent the epidemic, traffic lockdown was required in many areas of China, which led to inconvenience of treatment for dialysis patients. This study was conducted to explore the psychological distress and the psychological demand induced by CO-VID-19 in the patients undergoing dialysis and compare the difference between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients during the traffic lockdown period. METHODS: Questionnaires were given to the dialysis patients in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The Impact of Event Scale (IES) was used to investigate the patients' trauma-related distress in response to COVID-19. RESULTS: 232 eligible respondents were enrolled in this cross-section study, consisting of 156 PD patients and 76 HD patients. The median IES score for all the enrolled patients was 8.00 (2.00-19.00), which belonged to the subclinical dimension of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). HD patients had a significant higher IES score than PD patients (11.50 vs. 8.00) (p < 0.05). HD patients already got more psychological support from the medical staff. According to IES scores, 22.4% HD patients and 13.4% PD patients were classified as having moderate or severe PTSS, which need psychological support (p < 0.05). But more patients of both groups considered psychological support was necessary (HD: 50%, PD: 45.5%) (p > 0.05). In the multivariate regression analysis, we found that dialysis vintage, the impact of COVID-19 on the severity of illness and daily life, and confidence in overcoming the disease contributed to IES score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HD patients had more severe trauma-related stress symptoms than PD patients. When major public healthy events occurred, careful psychological estimate and sufficient psychological support should be provided to the dialysis patients, especially to the HD patients.

NisI Maturation and Its Influence on Nisin Resistance in Lactococcus lactis.

NisI confers immunity against nisin, with high substrate specificity to prevent a suicidal effect in nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strains. However, the NisI maturation process as well as its influence on nisin resistance has not been characterized. Here, we report the roles of lipoprotein signal peptidase II (Lsp) and prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) in NisI maturation and nisin resistance of L. lactis F44. We found that the resistance of nisin of an Lsp-deficient mutant remarkably decreased, while no significant differences in growth were observed. We demonstrated that Lsp could cleave signal peptide of NisI precursor in vitro Moreover, diacylglyceryl modification of NisI catalyzed by Lgt played a decisive role in attachment of NisI on the cell envelope, while it exhibited no effects on cleavage of the signal peptides of NisI precursor. The dissociation constant (KD ) for the interaction between nisin and NisI exhibited a 2.8-fold increase compared with that between nisin and pre-NisI with signal peptide by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, providing evidence that Lsp-catalyzed signal peptide cleavage was critical for the immune activity of NisI. Our study revealed the process of NisI maturation in L. lactis and presented a potential strategy to enhance industrial nisin production.IMPORTANCE Nisin, a safe and natural antimicrobial peptide, has a long and impressive history as a food preservative and is also considered a novel candidate to alleviate the increasingly serious threat of antibiotic resistance. Nisin is produced by certain L. lactis strains. The nisin immunity protein NisI, a membrane-bound lipoprotein, is expressed by nisin producers to avoid suicidal action. Here, we report the roles of Lsp and Lgt in NisI maturation and nisin resistance of L. lactis F44. The results verified the importance of Lsp to NisI-conferred immunity and Lgt to localization. Our study revealed the process of NisI maturation in L. lactis and presented a potential strategy to enhance industrial nisin production.

Molecular epidemiology and changes in genotype diversity of norovirus infections in acute gastroenteritis patients in Huzhou, China, 2018.

Norovirus is an important causative agent of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, affecting people of all ages. Stool samples collected from patients with clinical symptoms of acute gastroenteritis in all age groups at the diarrhea outpatient department of the First People's Hospital in Huzhou were analyzed to gain insight into the prevalence and genetic characteristics of norovirus. From January to December 2018, a total of 551 specimens were screened for norovirus by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR was used for genomic amplification and sequencing of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and capsid gene of the positive samples. Genotypes of norovirus were assigned using the norovirus Noronet typing tool and phylogenetic analysis. About 100 (18.1%) specimens were identified as norovirus positive. GII genogroup was the main genogroup identified (83.0%; 83/100). About 42 (42.0%) samples were successfully sequenced and genotyped by RT-PCR. Since one of the samples was dual infection, so we got 43 virus finally. Nine norovirus GII genotypes and four norovirus GI genotypes were detected in Huzhou during our research period. The main two norovirus GII genotypes were GII.2[P16] (54.8%; 23/43) and GII.17[P17] (11.9%; 5/43). We characterized the molecular epidemiology of norovirus infection in acute gastroenteritis patients during 2018. GII genogroup was the main genogroup identified. The dominance norovirus genotype circulating in the population of Huzhou was GII.2[P16] in 2018.

An increasing prevalence of non-GII.4 norovirus genotypes in acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in Huzhou, China, 2014-2018.

Since 2014, novel non-GII.4 norovirus (NoV) genotypes continue to be reported as the main cause of outbreaks worldwide. In this study, we analyzed the epidemiological and genetic features of NoV outbreaks from July 2014 to June 2018 in Huzhou, China. A total of 450 stool samples collected from 51 AGE outbreaks were tested for NoVs by real-time RT PCR. Partial polymerase and capsid sequences of NoV-positive samples were amplified and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. NoVs were found to be responsible of 84.3% of AGE outbreaks in Huzhou over the past 5 years. Most NoV outbreaks were reported in the cool months (November-March) and occurred in primary schools and kindergartens. Changes in the diversity of genotypes and the distribution of predominant types were observed in recent years. At least eight genotypes were identified, and 91.9% of the genotyped outbreaks were caused by non-GII.4 strains. The top three circulating genotypes during the study period were GII.2[P16], GII.3[P12], and GII.17[P17]. The predominant NoV genotypes in outbreaks have changed from GII.4 variants to GII.17[P17] in 2014-2015, GII.3[P12] in 2015-2016, and then GII.2[P16] in 2016-2018. Non-GII.4 NoVs play an increasingly important role in outbreaks in Huzhou. Continuous surveillance is needed to monitor the emergence of novel NoV strains and help control NoV outbreaks in the next epidemic season.

Uneven development within China: Implications for interprovincial energy, water and arable land requirements.

Owing to uneven development and unbalanced resource endowments within China, ensuring reliable energy, water and food supply is a core challenge to regional socio-economic development. This study makes a first attempt to examine and compare demand-driven energy, water and arable land (E-W-L) resource outsourcings within China based on the latest multi-regional input-output model. Results show that interprovincial trade reallocated 73.4%, 33.9% and 38.1% of the national total E-W-L resource inputs in 2012, respectively. Investment was the dominant final demand category for driving energy requirements, while consumption was the leading final demand category for water and arable land requirements. Important provincial regions and critical transmission sectors for the trade of embodied E-W-L resources are identified. Substantial E-W-L resources were transferred from the central and western regions to the eastern regions. Especially, Inner Mongolia was the top interregional net exporter of embodied energy, while Jiangsu topped the net importer list. Regarding virtual water transfer, Xinjiang and Shandong were the biggest interregional net exporters and net importers, respectively, while Heilongjiang and Guangdong stood out in the net trade of embodied arable land. Owing to the impact of interprovincial trade, the resource occupancy levels of the eastern developed area were much higher than those of the northeastern, central and western areas. The imbalances in the levels of socio-economic development amongst provincial regions are mirrored by their patterns of E-W-L uses and related trade transfer. Understanding the synchronal outsourcings of E-W-L resource requirements provides important implications for targeted resource management in Chinese interprovincial supply chains.

PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition and anti-CTLA-4 whole tumor cell vaccination counter adaptive immune resistance: A mouse neuroblastoma model that mimics human disease.

BACKGROUND: Adaptive immune resistance induces an immunosuppressive tumor environment that enables immune evasion. This phenomenon results in tumor escape with progression and metastasis. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressed on tumors is thought to inhibit tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) through programmed cell death 1 (PD1), enabling adaptive immune resistance. This study investigates the role of PD-L1 in both mouse and human neuroblastoma immunity. The consequence of PD-L1 inhibition is characterized in the context of an established whole tumor cell vaccine. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A mouse model of neuroblastoma was investigated using an Id2 knockdown whole cell vaccine in combination with checkpoint inhibition. We show that immunogenic mouse neuroblastoma acquires adaptive immune resistance by up-regulating PD-L1 expression, whereas PD-L1 is of lesser consequence in nonimmunogenic neuroblastoma tumors. Combining PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with whole tumor cell/anti-CTLA-4 vaccination enhanced tumor cell killing, cured mice with established tumors, and induced long-term immune memory (6 months). From an evaluation of patient neuroblastoma tumors, we found that the inflammatory environment of the mouse neuroblastoma mimicked human disease in which PD-L1 expression was associated directly with TILs and lower-risk tumors. High-risk patient tumors were lacking both TILs and PD-L1 expression. Although a correlation in immunity seems to exist between the mouse model and human findings, the mouse tumor model is induced and not spontaneously occurring, and furthermore, the number of both mouse and human correlates is limited. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the role PD-L1 plays in neuroblastoma's resistance to immunity and defines the nonredundant effect of combination checkpoint inhibition with vaccine therapy in a mouse model. High-risk, nonimmunogenic human tumors display both diminished PD-L1 expression and adaptive immune resistance. Paradoxically, high-risk tumors may be more responsive to effective vaccine therapy because of their apparent lack of adaptive immune resistance.

Emergence of norovirus GII.P16-GII.2 strains in patients with acute gastroenteritis in Huzhou, China, 2016-2017.

BACKGROUND: In late 2016, an uncommon recombinant NoV genotype called GII.P16-GII.2 caused a sharp increase in outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in different countries of Asia and Europe, including China. However, we did not observe a drastic increase in sporadic norovirus cases in the winter of 2016 in Huzhou. Therefore, we investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of NoVs in the sporadic acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases from January 2016 to December 2017 in Huzhou City, Zhejiang, China. METHODS: From January 2016 to December 2017, a total of 1001 specimens collected from patients with AGE were screened for NoV by real-time RT-PCR. Partial sequences of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and capsid gene of the positive samples were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. Genotypes of NoV were confirmed by online NoV typing tool and phylogenetic analysis. Complete VP1 sequences of GII.P16-GII.2 strains detected in this study were further obtained and subjected into sequence analysis. RESULTS: In total, 204 (20.4%) specimens were identified as NoV-positive. GII genogroup accounted for most of the NoV-infected cases (98.0%, 200/204). NoV infection was found in all age groups tested (< 5, 5-15, 16-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and >60 years), with the 5-15 year age group having the highest detection rate (17/49, 34.7%). Higher activity of NoV infection could be seen in winter-spring season. The predominant NoV genotypes have changed from GII.Pe-GII.4 Sydney2012 and GII.P17-GII.17 in 2016 to GII.P16-GII.2, GII.Pe-GII.4 Sydney2012 and GII.P17-GII.17 in 2017. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 2016-2017 GII.P16-GII.2 strains were most closely related to Japan 2010-2012 cluster in VP1 region and no common mutations were found in the amino acids of the HBGA-binding sites and the predicted epitopes. CONCLUSIONS: We report the emergence of GII.P16-GII.2 strains and characterize the molecular epidemiological patterns NoV infection between January 2016 and December 2017 in Huzhou. The predominant genotypes of NoV during our study period are diverse. VP1 amino acid sequences of 2016-2017 GII.P16-GII.2 strains remain static after one year of circulation.

Detection and differentiation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by multiplexed real-time PCR.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common and important pathogen that causes human gastroenteritis worldwide. A rapid, sensitive, and specific assay is urgently required for detection and differentiation of V. parahaemolyticus strains. We designed three sets of primers and probes using groEL and two virulence genes (tdh and trh) from V. parahaemolyticus, and developed a multiplex real-time PCR protocol. The sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex assay was evaluated by environmental and clinical specimens of V. parahaemolyticus. The multiplex PCR response system and annealing temperature were optimized. The detection limits of the multiplex real-time PCR were 104 and 105 CFU/mL (or CFU/g) in pure cultures and spiked oysters, respectively. The multiplex real-time PCR specifically detected and differentiated V. parahaemolyticus from 35 Vibrio strains and 11 other bacterial strains. Moreover, this method can detect and distinguish virulent from nonvirulent strains, with no cross-reactivity observed in the bacteria tested. This newly established multiplex real-time PCR assay offers rapid, specific, and reliable detection of the total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains, which is very useful during outbreaks and sporadic cases caused by V. parahaemolyticus infection.

Clinical and molecular analyses of norovirus-associated sporadic acute gastroenteritis: the emergence of GII.17 over GII.4, Huzhou, China, 2015.

BACKGROUND: Noroviruses (NoVs) are the most common cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in all age groups worldwide. The NoVs circulating in Huzhou over the past 7 years were predominantly GII.4 genotypes. In the winter of 2014-2015, a novel variant of NoV GII.17 emerged and became predominant. We report the epidemiological patterns and genetic characteristics of NoV after the appearance of GII.17 in Huzhou City, Zhejiang, China. METHODS: Between January and December 2015, 746 stool specimens collected from patients with acute gastroenteritis were screened for NoV. Real-time RT-PCR (qPCR) was performed for NoV detection. RT-PCR was used for genomic amplification and sequencing. Genogroups and genotypes were assigned using an online NoV typing tool ( http://www.rivm.nl/mpf/norovirus/typingtool ). Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using MEGA (ver. 6.06). RESULTS: In total, 196 (26.3%) specimens were identified as NoV-positive. NoV infection was found in all age groups tested (≤5, 6-15, 16-40, 41-60, and ≥60 years), with the 16-40-year age group having the highest detection rate (117/196, 59.7%). Of the 196 NoV-positive specimens, 191 (97.5%) viruses belonged to GII, and 4 (2.0%) to GI; one sample showed GI and GII co-infection. Overall, 117 (59.7%) viruses were sequenced, and new GII.P17/GII.17 variants were the dominant genotype, accounting for 75.2%, followed by GII.Pe/GII.4 Sydney 2012 strains (11.11%). AGE patients infected with the GII.P17/GII.17 genotypes almost all had abdominal pain and watery stools. CONCLUSIONS: We report the epidemiological patterns and genetic characteristics of the emergence GII.17 over the GII.4 in Huzhou between January and December 2015. After the emergence of GII.17 in October 2014, it steadily replaced the previously circulating GII.4 Sydney 2012 strain, and continued to be dominant in 2015.

Quantitative proteomics reveals an altered cystic fibrosis in vitro bronchial epithelial secretome.

Alterations in epithelial secretions and mucociliary clearance contribute to chronic bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, but whether CF lungs are unchanged in the absence of infection remains controversial. A proteomic comparison of airway secretions from subjects with CF and control subjects shows alterations in key biological processes, including immune response and proteolytic activity, but it is unclear if these are due to mutant CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and/or chronic infection. We hypothesized that the CF lung apical secretome is altered under constitutive conditions in the absence of inflammatory cells and pathogens. To test this, we performed quantitative proteomics of in vitro apical secretions from air-liquid interface cultures of three life-extended CF (ΔF508/ΔF508) and three non-CF human bronchial epithelial cells after labeling of CF cells by stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture. Mass spectrometry analysis identified and quantitated 666 proteins across samples, of which 70 exhibited differential enrichment or depletion in CF secretions (±1.5-fold change; P < 0.05). The key molecular functions were innate immunity (24%), cytoskeleton/extracellular matrix organization (24%), and protease/antiprotease activity (17%). Oxidative proteins and classical complement pathway proteins that are altered in CF secretions in vivo were not altered in vitro. Specific differentially increased proteins-MUC5AC and MUC5B mucins, fibronectin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9-were validated by antibody-based assays. Overall, the in vitro CF secretome data are indicative of a constitutive airway epithelium with altered innate immunity, suggesting that downstream consequences of mutant CFTR set the stage for chronic inflammation and infection in CF airways.