Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) Inhibit Macrophage Efferocytosis of Apoptotic ß Cells through Binding to the Receptor for AGEs.

Pancreatic ß cell apoptosis is important in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Generally, apoptotic ß cells are phagocytosed by macrophages in a process known as "efferocytosis." Efferocytosis is critical to the resolution of inflammation and is impaired in T2DM. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are increased in T2DM, are known to suppress phagocytosis function in macrophages. In this study, we found that AGEs inhibited efferocytosis of apoptotic ß cells by primary peritoneal macrophages in C57BL/6J mice or mouse macrophage cell line Raw264.7. Mechanistically, AGEs inhibit efferocytosis by blocking Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 activity and cytoskeletal rearrangement through receptor for advanced glycation end products/ras homolog family member A/Rho kinase signaling in macrophages. Furthermore, it was observed that AGEs decreased the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors and promoted the proinflammatory ones to modulate the inflammation function of efferocytosis. Taken together, our results indicate that AGEs inhibit efferocytosis through binding to receptor for advanced glycation end products and activating ras homolog family member A/Rho kinase signaling, thereby inhibiting the anti-inflammatory function of efferocytosis.

Effects of Different Exercise Training on Physical Fitness and Technical Skills in Handball Players. A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: Akbar, S, Kim Geok, S, Bashir, M, Jazaily Bin Mohd, NN, Luo, S, and He, S. Effects of different exercise training on physical fitness and technical skills in handball players. A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 38(11): e695-e705, 2024-This review aimed to assess the effects of exercise training on handball players' performance. A thorough search was conducted in 5 online databases (ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost (SPORTDiscus), as well as on Google Scholar and other gray literature references starting on April 11, 2022. The methodological quality of the included research was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. This systematic review includes 16 studies. Eight studies received "excellent" ratings (≥6 points), 5 received "good" ratings (5 points), and 3 received "moderate" ratings (4 points). The findings showed that the most frequently examined performance factors in exercise training intervention strategies with handball players were balance ( n = 5), agility ( n = 8), speed ( n = 9), and jumping performance ( n = 10). Muscular strength ( n = 4), shooting and dribbling skill ( n = 3), and muscular endurance ( n = 4) were the second most frequently investigated performance factors. Regarding speed and agility, exercise training considerably improved the physical fitness of handball players. However, evidence related to muscular strength, shooting ability, and dribbling skills was limited. To achieve the optimum standard, handball players must have strong physical and physiological qualities. Meanwhile, no evidence was found related to the impacts of exercise training on power, endurance, flexibility, body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Regarding limitations, there is a need for more research with solid evidence to determine the impacts of exercise training interventions on athletes' performance in handball.

Investigations on incidence and relevant factors of allergies in 5725 urban pregnant women: a cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Allergic diseases are highly prevalent in the women of childbearing age. As we know, the immune system could change when pregnancy, which may affect the course of allergic diseases. Meanwhile, they also can affect the course and outcome of pregnancy. The data on incidence of allergies during pregnancy is lacking and conducting clinical trials in pregnant women was limited, therefore, we observed a prebirth cohort to supplement the relevant data and strengthen concerned research conductions. OBJECTIVE: We aim to obtain the incidence of allergies in urban pregnancy and explore the relevant factors of allergic diseases in urban pregnancy. METHODS: We design a multicenter and prospective cohort in 20 institutions above municipal level which were eligible according to the study design from 14 provinces covering all-side of China. This cohort was conducted from 13+6 weeks of gestation to 12 months postpartum and in our study, we chose the prenatal part to analyze. The outcome was developing allergies during pregnancy, which were diagnosed by clinicians according to the uniform criterion from National Health Commission. All the data was collected by electronic questionnaires through tablet computers. RESULTS: The incidence of allergic diseases in urban pregnant women was 21.0% (95%CI 20.0% ~ 22.0%). From social demography data, the history of allergies of pregnant women and their parents had statistical significance(p < 0.01); For exposure to living or working environment, house decoration for less than half a year, exposure to plush toys, disinfectants, insecticides, antihistamines, glucocorticoids, antipyretic analgesics, tocolytic agent and probiotics had statistical significance (all p < 0.05); For psychological status, self-rated depression and anxiety had statistical significance (p = 0.026;p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The incidence of allergic diseases in urban pregnant women was similar to the former study and kept a medium-high level. The history of allergies of pregnant women and their parents, house decoration time, exposure to plush toys, disinfectants, insecticides, antihistamines, glucocorticoids, antipyretic analgesics, tocolytic agents, probiotics, self-rated depression, and anxiety were relevant factors of allergic diseases during pregnancy.

Vaccination with a Brucella ghost developed through a double inactivation strategy provides protection in Guinea pigs and cattle.

Vaccination can prevent and control animal brucellosis. Currently, live attenuated vaccines are extensively used to prevent Brucella infection. However, traditional vaccines such as live attenuated vaccines are associated with biological safety risks for both humans and animals. The bacterial ghost (BG) is a new form of vaccine with great prospects. However, bacterial cells cannot be completely inactivated by biological lysis, conferring a safety risk associated with the vaccine. In this study, we developed a Brucella abortus A19 bacterial ghost (A19BG) through a double inactivation strategy with sequential biological lysis and hydrogen peroxide treatment. This strategy resulted in 100% inactivation of Brucella, such that viable bacterial cells were not detected even at an ultrahigh concentration of 1010 colony-forming units/mL. Furthermore, A19BG had a typical BG morphology and good genetic stability. Moreover, it did not induce adverse reactions in guinea pigs. The levels of antibodies, interferon-γ, interleukin-4, and CD4+ T cells in guinea pigs inoculated with the A19BG vaccine were similar to those inoculated with the existing A19 vaccine. Immunization with A19BG conferred a similar level of protection with that of A19 against Brucella melitensis M28 in both guinea pigs and cattle. In conclusion, the combination of biological lysis and H2O2-mediated inactivation is a safe and effective strategy that can serve as a reference for the preparation of BG vaccines.

Combined immunization with inactivated vaccine reduces the dose of live B. abortus A19 vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Brucella spp. is an important zoonotic pathogen responsible for brucellosis in humans and animals. Brucella abortus A19 strain is a widespread vaccine in China. However, it has a drawback of residual virulence in animals and humans. METHODS: In this study, the BALB/c mice were inoculated with either 100 µL PBS(control group, C group), 109 CFU/mL inactivated B. abortus A19 strain (I group), 105 CFU/mL (low-dose group, L group) 106 CFU/mL live B. abortus A19 strain (high-dose group, H group), or 105 CFU/mL live B. abortus A19 strain combined with 109 CFU/mL inactivated B. abortus A19 strain (LI group). Mice were challenged with B. abortus strain 2308 at 7 week post vaccination. Subsequently, the immune and protective efficacy of the vaccines were evaluated by measuring splenic bacterial burden, spleen weight, serum IgG, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4) percentage of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells of mice via bacterial isolation, weighing, ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: The splenic bacterial burden and spleen weight of the mice in group LI were mostly equivalent to the mice of group H. Moreover, Brucella-specific serum IgG, IFN-γ, IL-4, and the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of the LI group mice were similar to those of the H group. In the subsequent challenge test, both vaccines conferred protective immunity to wild-type (WT) 2308 strain. In addition, the levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in these mice were similar to those of the mice in the H group. CONCLUSIONS: Combined immunization with low dose live vaccine and inactivated vaccine allowed to reduce the live B. abortus A19 vaccine, dose with an equivalent protection of the high-dose live vaccine.

The 1H T1 dispersion curve of fentanyl citrate to identify NQR parameters.

We report the 1H T1 dispersion curve between 0 and 5 â€‹MHz for the synthetic opioid fentanyl citrate (C28H36N2O8). The structures in the curve can be used to estimate the 14N nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) frequencies of the material. Density functional theory predictions of the NQR parameters of several fentanyl citrate compounds are also reported. The predictions for the aniline nitrogen are consistent with structures in the observed T1 data. To help interpret the fentanyl citrate results the T1 dispersion curve for the explosive ammonium nitrate is also presented.

Outbreak of piglet diarrhea associated with a new reassortant porcine rotavirus B.

Rotavirus B (RVB) is a causative agent leading to acute viral gastroenteritis diarrhea in both children and young animals, and has been commonly detected in piglets. In order to determine the causative agent of diarrheal outbreak occurring in December 2022 in piglets from a pig herd in Luoyang, Henan province of China, four common viral pathogens causing piglet diarrhea-three coronaviruses and rotavirus A (RVA) were first tested and found negative, therefore metagenomic sequencing was performed to explore other potential pathogens in the diarrheal samples. Unexpectedly, the most abundant viral reads mapped to RVB, and were de novo assembled to complete 11 viral gene segments. Sequence comparisons revealed that 5 gene segments encoding VP1, VP2, VP3, NSP3 and NSP4 of RVB strain designated as HNLY-2022 are most closely related to RVB strains derived from herbivores with low nucleotide similarities of 65.7-75.3%, and the remaining segments were relatively close to porcine RVB strains with the VP4 gene segment showing very low nucleotide identity (65.0%) with reference strains, indicating HNLY-2022 is a new reassortant RVB strain. Based on the previously proposed genotype classification criterion, the genotype constellation of RVB strain HNLY-2022 is G6-P[6]-I4-R6-C6-M6-A7-N5-T7-E5-H4 with more than half of the genotypes (P[6], R6, C6, M6, T7 and E5) newly reported. Therefore, the new reassortant RVB strain is the likely causative agent for the diarrheal outbreak of piglets occurred in China and more epidemiological studies should be conducted to monitor the spread of this newly identified porcine RVB strain.

Molecular epizootiology of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

Rapid evolution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the bottleneck for effective prevention and control of PRRS. Thus, understanding the prevalence and genetic background of PRRSV strains in swine-producing regions is important for disease prevention and control. However, there is only limited information about the epizootiological situation of PRRS in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. In this study, blood or lung tissue samples were collected from 1,411 PRRS-suspected weaned pigs from 9 pig farms in Changji, Shihezi, and Wujiaqu cities between 2020 and 2022. The samples were first tested by RT-quantitative PCR, yielding a PRRSV-2 positive rate of 53.6%. Subsequently, 36 PRRSV strains were isolated through initial adaptation in bone marrow-derived macrophages followed by propagation in grivet monkey Marc-145 cells. Furthermore, 28 PRRSV-positive samples and 20 cell-adapted viruses were selected for high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to obtain the entire PRRSV genome sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of the ORF5 gene of the PRRSV strains identified in this study grouped into sub-lineages 1.8 and 8.7 the former being the dominant strain currently circulating in Xinjiang. However, the NSP2 proteins of the Xinjiang PRRSV strains shared the same deletion patterns as sub-lineage 1.8 prototype strain NADC30 with the exception of 4 strains carrying 2-3 additional amino acid deletions. Further analysis confirmed that recombination events had occurred in 27 of 37 PRRSVs obtained here with the parental strains belonging to sub-lineages 1.8 and 8.7, lineages 3 and 5, with the recombination events having occurred most frequently in the 5' and 3' termini of ORF1a and 5' terminus of ORF1b.

Effect of Taichi Chuan on health-related physical fitness in adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Taichi Chuan was previously shown to benefit physical health, but the results were inconsistent. The main reason is that the mechanism is not clear and may be interpreted differently. In this systematic review, we analyzed the data obtained from various randomized controlled trials to identify the effectiveness of Taichi Chuan and the mechanism by which it improves the physical health of adults. METHODS: We systematically searched various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, CNKI, Wan-Fang, and VPCS, and obtained 1448 articles for review. The articles were selected following the PICO eligibility criteria. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to interpret the results of the different studies. RESULTS: We included 16 studies in the systematic review. Six of them were of very high quality, ten were of acceptable quality. Overall, the results showed that Taichi Chuan is beneficial to physical fitness, but not all indices supported this statement. Specifically, the effects were significant on Balance (ES = - 0.33; P = 0.02), BMI (ES = - 0.83; P < 0.00001), body fat (ES = - 0.45; P < 0.00001), and vital capacity (ES = 23.39; P = 0.01). However, there were no significant effects on systolic blood pressure (ES = 0.07; P = 0.94) and diastolic blood pressure (ES = 0.03; P = 0.97). CONCLUSION: We found sufficient high-quality evidence to suggest that Taichi Chuan affects balance, BMI, body fat, vital capacity, and flexibility (sit-reach) in adults. The mechanism can be explained by low posture (balance) and moderate intensity of Taichi Chuan. However, no study has explained how to maintain concentration while keeping a dynamic low posture, which made it difficult to validate the finding that Taichi Chuan can reduce sympathetic tension under stress. In this study, we assumed that relaxation methods, which work on the central nervous system that links the body and the mind, might be the key explanation. However, further studies based on scientific, replicable methods need to be performed to confirm our findings.

Prevalence and factors associated with hepatitis C among pregnant women in China: a cross-sectional study.

Pregnant women infected with HCV should be given attention due to their special physiological stage and the effect on offspring health. To examine the prevalence of HCV infection among pregnant women in part of China and explore relevant factors during pregnancy, a cross-sectional study was conducted in four maternal and children health care institutions (MCHC) in Guangdong, Hunan and Chongqing. Pregnant women who were delivered, induced or spontaneous abortion were included and relevant information was collected through the Hospital Information System. Results showed that the prevalence of HCV among pregnant women in four MCHCs was 0.11% (95% CI 0.09-0.13%). Age, occupations, regions, syphilis-infection, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), and placenta previa were significant factors (all P < 0.05). Age and syphilis-infection were positively correlated with HCV infection (Z = 3.41, P = 0.0006; OR = 18.16, 95% CI 9.34-35.29). HCV and HBV infection were risk factors of ICP (OR = 4.18, 95% CI 2.18-8.04; OR = 2.59, 95% CI 2.31-2.89). Our study indicates that the prevalence of HCV among pregnant women in the three provinces(city) was low compared with the general population in China. Older age and syphilis-infection increased the risk of HCV infection during pregnancy. HCV infection was a risk factor of ICP. Generally, we need keep a watchful eye on HCV infection and relevant factors mentioned above during pregnancy in clinic, especially those also infected with syphilis. HCV testing based on risk factors is recommended in antenatal care and obstetrics.

Mechanism and inhibition of abnormal chromatographic behavior of serotype type a inactivated foot and mouth disease virus in high-performance size-exclusion chromatography.

High-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) has been developed for the rapid and quantitative analysis of inactivated foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) and adopted by regulatory agencies and vaccine manufacturers. However, strong non-specific adsorption of type A/AKT III FMDV was found on some batches of TSK G4000 SWXL column, which significantly affected the analysis accuracy. The adsorption mechanism was studied by investigating the charge and hydrophobicity of A/AKT III FMDV and another serotype O/Mya 98, as well as several model proteins, by zeta potential and hydrophobic interaction chromatography analysis. Adsorption was related to both the FMDV strain and column lots. Some specific amino acids residues on the A/AKT III FMDV surface may strongly interact with the column if the silica-based stationary phase was not completely diol-modified. Several amino acids and chaotropic salts were screened as additives in the mobile phase to suppress the non-specific adsorption of AKT III FMDV in HPSEC analysis. Results showed that adding 0.4 M of arginine (Arg), lysine (Lys), NaClO4, or NaSCN achieved 100% FMDV recovery and normal retention time. Suppression of interaction between FMDV and the backbone of the silica matrix through competitive binding with residues of FMDV or the matrix is considered as the main mechanism by which these four additives act as suppressors. The addition of Arg, NaClO4, or NaSCN led to an apparent decrease in the thermal dissociation temperature Tm of FMDV, whereas Lys slightly increased viral stability. Finally, the mobile phase comprising 0.4 M Lys was screened as optimum that allowed accurate quantification of both two serotypes of FMDV according to method validation; particularly, a relative standard deviation (RSD) < 5% was achieved for AKT III FMDV using three different lots of columns.

Proteomic and Antibody Profiles Reveal Antigenic Composition and Signatures of Bacterial Ghost Vaccine of Brucella abortus A19.

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease that causes great economic losses. Vaccine immunisation is the main strategy for the prevention and control of brucellosis. Although live attenuated vaccines play important roles in the prevention of this disease, they also have several limitations, such as residual virulence and difficulty in the differentiation of immunisation and infection. We developed and evaluated a new bacterial ghost vaccine of Brucella abortus A19 by a new double inactivation method. The results showed that the bacterial ghost vaccine of Brucella represents a more safe and efficient vaccine for brucellosis. We further characterised the antigenic components and signatures of the vaccine candidate A19BG. Here, we utilised a mass spectrometry-based label-free relative quantitative proteomics approach to investigate the global proteomics changes in A19BGs compared to its parental A19. The proteomic analysis identified 2014 proteins, 1116 of which were differentially expressed compared with those in A19. The common immunological proteins of OMPs (Bcsp31, Omp25, Omp10, Omp19, Omp28, and Omp2a), HSPs (DnaK, GroS, and GroL), and SodC were enriched in the proteome of A19BG. By protein micro array-based antibody profiling, significant differences were observed between A19BG and A19 immune response, and a number of signature immunogenic proteins were identified. Two of these proteins, the BMEII0032 and BMEI0892 proteins were significantly different (P < 0.01) in distinguishing between A19 and A19BG immune sera and were identified as differential diagnostic antigens for the A19BG vaccine candidate. In conclusion, using comparative proteomics and antibody profiling, protein components and signature antigens were identified for the ghost vaccine candidate A19BG, which are valuable for further developing the vaccine and its monitoring assays.

Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis of a Genetic Marked Brucella Vaccine A19ΔvirB12 for Cattle.

Brucella abortus is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes severe economic loss to husbandry and poses a threat to human health. The B. abortus A19 live vaccine has been extensively used to prevent bovine brucellosis in China. However, it is difficult to distinguish the serological response induced by A19 from that induced by natural infection. In this study, a novel genetically marked vaccine, A19ΔvirB12, was generated and evaluated. The results indicated that A19ΔvirB12 was able to provide effective protection against B. abortus 2308 (S2308) challenge in mice. Furthermore, the safety and protective efficacy of A19ΔvirB12 have been confirmed in natural host cattle. Additionally, the VirB12 protein allowed for serological differentiation between the S2308 challenge/natural infection and A19ΔvirB12 vaccination. However, previous studies have found that the accuracy of the serological detection based on VirB12 needs to be improved. Therefore, we attempted to identify potential supplementary antigens with differential diagnostic functions by combining label-free quantitative proteomics and protein chip technology. Twenty-six proteins identified only in S2308 were screened; among them, five proteins were considered as potential supplementary antigens. Thus, the accuracy of the differential diagnosis between A19ΔvirB12 immunization and field infection may be improved through multi-antigen detection. In addition, we explored the possible attenuation factors of Brucella vaccine strain. Nine virulence factors were downregulated in A19ΔvirB12. The downregulation pathways of A19ΔvirB12 were significantly enriched in quorum sensing, ATP-binding cassette transporter, and metabolism. Several proteins related to cell division were significantly downregulated, while some proteins involved in transcription were upregulated in S2308. In conclusion, our results contribute to the control and eradication of brucellosis and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the attenuation of A19ΔvirB12.

Interferon Inducing Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Vaccine Candidate Protected Piglets from HP-PRRSV Challenge and Evoke a Higher Level of Neutralizing Antibodies Response.

Although widespread administration of attenuated porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccines has been implemented since they first became commercially available two decades ago, PRRSV infection prevalence in swine herds remains high. The limited success of PRRSV vaccines is partly due to the well-established fact that a given vaccine strain confers only partial or no protection against heterologous strains. In our past work, A2MC2-P90, a novel PRRSV vaccine candidate that induced a type I IFNs response in vitro, conferred complete protection against challenge with genetically heterologous PRRSV strains. Here we assessed the ability of the PRRSV vaccine candidate A2MC2-P90 to protect piglets against the HP-PRRSV challenge and compared its efficacy to that of a licensed HP-PRRSV-specific vaccine (TJM-F92) assessed in parallel. A2MC2-P90 provided vaccinated piglets with 100% protection from a lethal challenge with extremely virulent HP-PRRSV-XJA1, while 100% mortality was observed for unvaccinated piglets by day 21 post-challenge. Notably, comparison of partial sequence (GP5) of XJA1 to A2MC2-P90 suggested there was only 88.7% homology. When comparing post-HP-PRRSV challenge responses between piglets administered A2AMC2-P90 versus those immunized with licensed vaccine TJM-F92, A2MC2-P90-vaccinated piglets rapidly developed a stronger protective humoral immune response, as evidenced by much higher titers of neutralizing antibodies, more rapid clearance of viremia and less nasal virus shedding. In conclusion, our data suggest that this novel vaccine candidate A2MC2-P90 has improved protection spectrum against heterologous HP-PRRSV strains.

Virulence evaluation of classical swine fever virus subgenotype 2.1 and 2.2 isolates circulating in China.

Classical swine fever (CSF) remains an important pig disease in China, where it usually presents with mild or atypical clinical manifestations, with large scale outbreaks rarely seen. This has led to speculation about the possible circulation of viral strains of low virulence. To investigate this possibility, five field isolates within the predominant genotype 2 (2.1b, 2.1c, 2.1 h and 2.2) were evaluated and compared by experimental infection of naturally farrowed but colostrum-deprived piglets. All infected piglets displayed clinical signs, including persistent high fever, depression, anorexia, dyspnea, conjunctivitis, constipation, and hesitant gait. Typical pathological lesions, including pulmonary edema, hemorrhagic or cellulosic exudation, and swelling and hemorrhage of lymph nodes, were observed. Viremia and Erns protein expression in the blood of all infected animals were detectable from 3 to 5 days post infection (DPI), their presence correlating with the onset of fever, clinical signs and leukopenia. E2 antibody did not develop in any of the field CSFV-infected piglets during the disease course, while Erns antibody was detectable in 4-56% of infected animals at various time points. Mortalities ranged from 20 to 80% within 21 DPI, progressing to 100% by 43 DPI. Based on clinical scores and fatalities within 21 DPI, 2 of the 5 field isolates were classified as of moderate virulence and 3 of high virulence; i.e., no field isolates of low virulence were identified. The study has provided data supporting the use of these isolates as challenge viruses to evaluate the efficacy of current CSF vaccines.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Grey Treepie, Dendrocitta formosae (Aves: Corvidae).

We report the complete mitochondrial genome of Dendrocitta formosae. The genome is a closed circular molecule of 16,875 bp, with all genes exhibiting typical avian gene arrangement. The overall base composition of this species' mitogenome is 24.33% T, 30.49% C, 30.17% A, and 15.01% G. The A + T content is 54.50%. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitogenome of 12 species conducted using the neighbour-joining method and kimura 2-parameter model suggested that the mitogenome of D. formosae was the closest to that of Pyrrhocorax graculus and P. pyrrhocorax. The results could aid future studies on Dendrocitta and Pyrrhocorax molecular evolution and phylogeny.

Commercial E2 subunit vaccine provides full protection to pigs against lethal challenge with 4 strains of classical swine fever virus genotype 2.

Classical swine fever (CSF) still threatens the swine industry in China, with genotype 2 isolates of CSFV dominating the epizootics. In 2018 the first E2 subunit marker vaccine against CSFV (Tian Wen Jing, TWJ-E2®), containing a baculovirus-expressed E2 glycoprotein of a genotype 1.1 vaccine strain, was officially licensed in China and commercialized. To evaluate the cross-protective efficacy of TWJ-E2 against different virulent genotype 2 Chinese field isolates (2.1b, 2.1c, 2.1 h, and 2.2), 4-week-old pigs were immunized with the TWJ-E2 vaccine according to the manufacturer's instructions and then challenged with genotype 2 strains. A group vaccinated with the conventional C-strain vaccine was included for comparison. TWJ-E2 vaccinated pigs developed higher levels of E2 and neutralizing antibodies than those receiving the commercial C-strain vaccine. All TWJ-E2 and C-strain vaccinated pigs survived challenge without development of fever, clinical signs or pathological lesions. In contrast, all unvaccinated control pigs displayed severe CSF disease with 40-100% mortalities by 24 days post challenge. None of the TWJ-E2 and C-strain vaccinated pigs developed viremia, viral shedding from tonsils, Erns protein in the sera, or viral RNA loads in different tissues after challenge, all of which were detected in the challenged unvaccinated controls. We conclude that vaccination of young pigs with TWJ-E2 provides complete immune protection against genotypically heterologous CSFVs and prevents viral shedding after challenge, with an efficacy at least comparable to that elicited by the conventional C-strain vaccine.

Optimal adjuvant therapy for resected hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review with network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Major adjuvant therapies (ATs) for resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) include chemotherapy, internal radiation therapy (IRT), interferon therapy (IFNT) and immunotherapy but the optimum regimen remains inconclusive. We aim to compare these therapies in terms of patient survival and recurrence rates. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases for randomized trials comparing the above four therapies until 31 March 2014. We estimated the HRs for survival and ORs for overall recurrence among different therapies. Toxic effects were also evaluated. RESULTS: Fourteen eligible articles were included. IFNT improved 5-year survival greatly (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.01-3.81, P = 0.034), whereas chemotherapy (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.03-2.02), IRT (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.02-3.33) and immunotherapy (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.05-9.12) all provided a poorer survival outcome after 1-year. Similarly, for 5-year survival rates, although differing, IRT did not provide a significant improvement in survival (HR 1.38, 95% CI 0.34-5.19) compared with IFNT. Chemotherapy (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.18-1.14) and immunotherapy (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.17-1.59) did not appear to provide benefit over IFNT. Chemotherapy was ranked the worst in overall recurrence (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.18-5.38) and most likely to cause toxic effects. CONCLUSIONS: IFNT was the most efficacious AT regimen both for short and long term survivals. Immunotherapy and IFNT were the most two effective in preventing overall relapse for resected HCC.

Systematic review with network meta-analysis: adjuvant chemotherapy for resected colorectal liver metastases.

There are 5 major adjuvant chemotherapies (ACTs) for hepatic metastases for colorectal cancer; however, the optimal treatment regimen remains inconclusive. Here, we aim to compare these therapies in terms of patient survival rate, intrahepatic recurrence rate, and adverse events.Different databases were searched for controlled trials up to June 30, 2014. The pooled hazards ratios for death and odds ratios (ORs) for intrahepatic recurrence and adverse events were estimated. A mean ranking and the probability of optimal therapeutic regime was obtained for each treatment analyzed in the network meta-analysis.Eleven eligible articles were included. Systemic chemotherapy (SCT) was ranked the most efficacious intervention among ACTs in both 1-year and 5-year survival; however, no statistical difference could be determined. Combination of bevacizumab (BEV) and hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) plus SCT was the most effective in preventing intrahepatic recurrence when compared with HAI alone (OR 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01-131.12), SCT (OR 2.37, 95% CI 0.03-234.16), HAI plus SCT (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.03-35.30), SCT plus irinotecan (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.00-278.14) and observation alone (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.01-59.53). BEV and HAI plus SCT provided the least survival benefit after both 1 and 5 years compared with remaining therapies, and also was ranked the regiment with the least favorable adverse event profile among ACTs.SCT may be the most efficacious intervention, however, the potential benefit should be carefully considered with the regime's associated toxicities. Combination of BEV and HAI plus SCT was effective in preventing intrahepatic relapse but was associated with the highest risk for adverse events in patients with resected hepatic metastases for colorectal cancer.

Heterovalent-Doping-Enabled Efficient Dopant Luminescence and Controllable Electronic Impurity Via a New Strategy of Preparing II-VI Nanocrystals.

Substitutional heterovalent doping represents an effective method to control the optical and electronic properties of nanocrystals (NCs). Highly monodisperse II-VI NCs with deep substitutional dopants are presented. The NCs exhibit stable, dominant, and strong dopant fluorescence, and control over n- and p-type electronic impurities is achieved. Large-scale, bottom-up superlattices of the NCs will speed up their application in electronic devices.