Whole-genome DNA methylation profiling revealed epigenetic regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway involved in response to Vibrio alginolyticus infection in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas.

DNA methylation, an essential epigenetic alteration, is tightly linked to a variety of biological processes, such as immune response. To identify the epigenetic regulatory mechanism in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was conducted on C. gigas at 0 h, 6 h, and 48 h after infection with Vibrio alginolyticus. At 6 h and 48 h, a total of 11,502 and 14,196 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified (p<0.05, FDR<0.001) compared to 0 h, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were significantly enriched in various biological pathways including immunity, cytoskeleton, epigenetic modification, and metabolic processes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that transcription machinery (ko03021) is one of the most important pathways. Integrated transcriptome and methylome analyses allowed the identification of 167 and 379 DMG-related DEGs at 6 h and 48 h, respectively. These genes were significantly enriched in immune-related pathways, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway (ko04064) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway (ko04668). Interestingly, it's observed that the NF-κB pathway could be activated jointly by TNF Receptor Associated Factor 2 (TRAF2) and Baculoviral IAP Repeat Containing 3 (BIRC3, the homolog of human BIRC2) which were regulated by DNA methylation in response to the challenge posed by V. alginolyticus infection. Through this study, we provided insightful information about the epigenetic regulation of immunity-related genes in the C. gigas, which will be valuable for the understanding of the innate immune system modulation and defense mechanism against bacterial infection in invertebrates.

Mutasynthesis generates nine new pyrroindomycins.

Pyrroindomycins (PYRs) represent the only spirotetramate natural products discovered in nature, and possess potent activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Their unique structure and impressive biological activities make them attractive targets for synthesis and biosynthesis; however, the discovery and generation of new PYRs remains challenging. To date, only the initial components A and B have been reported. Herein, we report a mutasynthesis approach for the generation of nine new PYRs with varying acyl modifications on their deoxy-trisaccharide moieties. This was achieved by blocking the formation of the acyl group 1,8-dihydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole (DHPI) via gene pyrK1 inactivation and supplying chemical acyl precursors. The gene pyrK1 encodes a DUF1864 family protein that probably catalyzes the oxidative transformation of L-tryptophan to DHPI, and its deletion results in the abolishment of DHPI-containing PYRs and the accumulation of three new PYRs either without acyl modification or with DHPI replaced by benzoic acid and pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid. Capitalizing on the capacity of the ΔpyrK1 mutant to produce new PYRs, we have successfully developed a mutasynthesis strategy for the generation of six novel PYR analogs with various aromatic acid modifications on their deoxy-trisaccharide moieties, showcasing the potential for generating structurally diverse PYRs. Overall, this research contributes significantly to understanding the biosynthesis of PYRs and offers valuable perspectives on their structural diversity.

Ectopic expression of Camellia oleifera Abel. gibberellin 20-oxidase gene increased plant height and promoted secondary cell walls deposition in Arabidopsis.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Ectopic expression of Camellia oleifera Abel. gibberellin 20-oxidase 1 caused a taller phenotype, promoted secondary cell wall deposition, leaf enlargement, and early flowering, and reduced chlorophyll and anthocyanin accumulation and seed enlargement phenotype in Arabidopsis. Plant height and secondary cell wall (SCW) deposition are important plant traits. Gibberellins (GAs) play important roles in regulating plant height and SCWs deposition. Gibberellin 20-oxidase (GA20ox) is an important enzyme involved in GA biosynthesis. In the present study, we identified a GA synthesis gene in Camellia oleifera. The total length of the CoGA20ox1 gene sequence was 1146 bp, encoding 381 amino acids. Transgenic plants with CoGA20ox1 had a taller phenotype; a seed enlargement phenotype; promoted SCWs deposition, leaf enlargement, and early flowering; and reduced chlorophyll and anthocyanin accumulation. Genetic analysis showed that the mutant ga20ox1-3 Arabidopsis partially rescued the phenotype of CoGA20ox1 overexpression plants. The results showed that CoGA20ox1 participates in the growth and development of C. oleifera. The morphological changes in CoGA20ox1 overexpressed plants provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of GA biosynthesis and analysis of the molecular mechanism in C. oleifera.

Switchable and Highly Robust Ultralong Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from Polymer-Based Transparent Films with Three-Dimensional Covalent Networks for Erasable Light Printing.

In this work, an efficient polymer-based organic afterglow system, which shows reversible photochromism, switchable ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP), and prominent water and chemical resistance simultaneously, has been developed for the first time. By doping phenoxazine (PXZ) and 10-ethyl-10H-phenoxazine (PXZEt) into epoxy polymers, the resulting PXZ@EP-0.25 % and PXZEt@EP-0.25 % films show unique photoactivated UOP properties, with phosphorescence quantum yields and lifetimes up to 10.8 % and 845 ms, respectively. It is found that the steady-state luminescence and UOP of PXZ@EP-0.25 % are switchable by light irradiation and thermal annealing. Moreover, the doped films can still produce conspicuous UOP after soaking in water, strong acid and base, and organic solvents for more than two weeks, exhibiting outstanding water and chemical resistance. Inspired by these exciting results, the PXZ@EP-0.25 % has been successfully exploited as an erasable transparent film for light printing.

Color-Tunable Dual-Mode Organic Afterglow from Classical Aggregation-Caused Quenching Compounds for White-Light-Manipulated Anti-Counterfeiting.

Color-tunable dual-mode organic afterglow excited by ultraviolet (UV) and white light was achieved from classical aggregation-caused quenching compounds for the first time. Specifically, two luminescent systems, which could produce significant organic afterglow composed of persistent thermally activated delayed fluorescence and ultralong organic phosphorescence under ambient conditions, were constructed by doping fluorescein sodium and calcein sodium into aluminum sulfate. Their lifetimes surpassed 600 ms, and the dopant concentrations were as low as 5×10-6  wt %. Moreover, the persistent luminescence colors of the materials could be tuned from blue to green and then to yellow by simply varying the concentrations of guest compounds or the temperature in the range of 260-340 K. Inspired by these exciting results, the afterglow materials were used for UV- and white-light-manipulated anti-counterfeiting and preparation of elastomers with different colors of persistent luminescence.

A telerehabilitation programme in post-discharge COVID-19 patients (TERECO): a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate superiority of a telerehabilitation programme for COVID-19 (TERECO) over no rehabilitation with regard to exercise capacity, lower limb muscle strength (LMS), pulmonary function, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and dyspnoea. DESIGN: Parallel-group randomised controlled trial with 1:1 block randomisation. SETTING: Three major hospitals from Jiangsu and Hubei provinces, China. PARTICIPANTS: 120 formerly hospitalised COVID-19 survivors with remaining dyspnoea complaints were randomised with 61 allocated to control and 59 to TERECO. INTERVENTION: Unsupervised home-based 6-week exercise programme comprising breathing control and thoracic expansion, aerobic exercise and LMS exercise, delivered via smartphone, and remotely monitored with heart rate telemetry. OUTCOMES: Primary outcome was 6 min walking distance (6MWD) in metres. Secondary outcomes were squat time in seconds; pulmonary function assessed by spirometry; HRQOL measured with Short Form Health Survey-12 (SF-12) and mMRC-dyspnoea. Outcomes were assessed at 6 weeks (post-treatment) and 28 weeks (follow-up). RESULTS: Adjusted between-group difference in change in 6MWD was 65.45 m (95% CI 43.8 to 87.1; p<0.001) at post-treatment and 68.62 m (95% CI 46.39 to 90.85; p<0.001) at follow-up. Treatment effects for LMS were 20.12 s (95% CI 12.34 to 27.9; p<0.001) post-treatment and 22.23 s (95% CI 14.24 to 30.21; p<0.001) at follow-up. No group differences were found for lung function except post-treatment maximum voluntary ventilation. Increase in SF-12 physical component was greater in the TERECO group with treatment effects estimated as 3.79 (95% CI 1.24 to 6.35; p=0.004) at post-treatment and 2.69 (95% CI 0.06 to 5.32; p=0.045) at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrated superiority of TERECO over no rehabilitation for 6MWD, LMS, and physical HRQOL. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000031834.

Analysis of Camellia oleifera transcriptome reveals key pathways and hub genes involved during different photoperiods.

BACKGROUND: Camellia oleifera Abel. (C. oleifera) is an important traditional woody species in China that produces edible oil. However, the current literature lacks a proper understanding of C. oleifera's ability to adapt to different photoperiods. RESULTS: Our results indicate that the photoperiod can significantly impact flowering time in C. oleifera. We grew a total of nine samples under the short day condition (SD), middle day condition (MD) and long day condition (LD). Transcriptome analysis yielded 66.94 Gb of high-quality clean reads, with an average of over 6.73 Gb of reads for per sample. Following assembly, a total of 120,080 transcripts were obtained and 94,979 unigenes annotated. A total of 3475 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the SD_MD, SD_LD, and MD_LD gene sets. Moreover, WGCNA identified ten gene modules. Genes in pink module (92 genes) were positively correlated with SD, and negatively correlated with both MD and LD. Genes in the magenta module (42 genes) were positively correlated with MD and negatively correlated with both LD and SD. Finally, genes in the yellow module (1758 genes) were positively correlated with both SD and MD, but negatively correlated with LD. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that genes in the pink, magenta, and yellow modules were involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and circadian rhythm pathways. Additionally, eight hub genes (GI, AP2, WRKY65, SCR, SHR, PHR1, ERF106, and SCL3) were obtained through network analysis. The hub genes had high connectivity with other photoperiod-sensitive DEGs. The expression levels of hub genes were verified by qRT-PCR analysis. CONCLUSION: An increase in light duration promotes earlier flowering of C. oleifera. Flavonoid biosynthesis, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, and circadian rhythm pathways may function in the photoperiodic flowering pathway of C. oleifera. We also identified eight hub genes that may play a role in this pathway. Ultimately, this work contributes to our understanding of the photoperiodic flowering pathway of C. oleifera and further informs molecular breeding programs on the plant's photoperiodic sensitivity.

Efficient and Color-Tunable Dual-Mode Afterglow from Large-Area and Flexible Polymer-Based Transparent Films for Anti-Counterfeiting and Information Encryption.

It remains a great challenge to develop polymer-based materials with efficient and color-tunable organic afterglow. Two indolocarbazole derivatives IaCzA and IbCzA have been synthesized and doped into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrices. It is found that the resulting films can produce unique dual-mode afterglow, which is composed of persistent thermally activated delayed fluorescence and ultralong organic phosphorescence. Besides, the IbCzA-doped PVA film exhibits intense blue afterglow with Φafterglow and τafterglow up to 19.8 % and 1.81 s, respectively, representing state-of-the-art dual-mode organic afterglow performance. Moreover, our reported film has high flexibility, excellent transparency, and large-area producibility; and the afterglow color of the film can be linearly tuned by temperature. Inspired by these distinctive properties, the PVA doped with IbCzA was employed as temperature-sensitive security ink for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption.

Preclinical Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution and Primary Safety Evaluation of a Novel Curcumin Analogue H10 Suspension, a Potential 17ß Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 3 Inhibitor.

17ß Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17ß-HSD3) is the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of testosterone, which is an attractive therapeutic target for prostate cancer (PCa). H10, a novel curcumin analogue, was identified as a potential 17ß-HSD3 inhibitor. The pharmacokinetic study of H10 in rats were performed by intraperitoneal (i.p.), intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) administration. In addition, the inhibitory effects of H10 against liver CYP3A4 were investigated in vitro using human liver microsomes (HLMs). The acute and chronic toxicological characteristics were characterized using single-dose and 30 d administration. All the mice were alive after i.p. H10 with dose of no more than 100 mg/kg which are nearly the maximum solubility in acute toxicity test. The pharmacokinetic characteristics of H10 fitted with linear dynamics model after single dose. Furthermore, H10 could bioaccumulate in testis, which was the target organ of 17ß-HSD3 inhibitor. H10 distributed highest in spleen, and then in liver both after single and multiple i.p. administration. Moreover, H10 showed weak inhibition towards liver CYP3A4, and did not cause significant changes in aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels after treated with H10 for continuously 30 d. Taken together, these preclinical characteristics laid the foundation for further clinical studies of H10.

Prognosis of ß-adrenergic blockade therapy on septic shock and sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

PURPOSE: ß-adrenoceptor antagonist (ß-blocker) may have potential in the treatment of septic shock and sepsis. However, the relevant research findings are still controversial. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of ß-blocker in patients with septic shock and sepsis. The primary sources of the reviewed studies through August 2018, with restriction on the language of English, were Pubmed and Embase. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included to evaluate the efficacy of ß-blocker in the treatment of septic shock and sepsis. Meta analysis was performed using a random effect model. Two researchers independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies related to 5 original RCTs were qualified for inclusion in this systematic review and meta-analysis with a total of 363 patients with sepsis and/or septic shock. ß-blocker was associated with a significantly decreased 28-day mortality compared to usual treatment group as the control (RR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.48, 0.74; P < 0.00001). Heart rate in ß-blocker was significantly lower than that in the standard care group (SMD = -2.01, 95%CI: -3.03, -0.98; P = 0001). CONCLUSION: ß-blocker of esmolol is safe and effective in improving 28-day mortality and controlling ventricular rate in patients with sepsis after fluid resuscitation, and has no significant adverse effect on tissue perfusion.

A modified method for elastic properties of nanowires based on surface effect.

In this paper, a modified method for predicting surface effect parameters based on experimental data is developed using the surface effect theory. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanowires with diameters in a range of 100 nm - 320 nm are manufactured by electrospinning. The data of the effective elastic moduli of PAN nanowire varying with diameters are obtained by experimenting with contact atomic-force microscopy (C-AFM). It was found that the effective Young's modulus of nanowires increased with the diameter of the nanowires decreases. The validity of the method in this paper are confirmed by comparing with the existing work. By taking into account the effect of surface energy on the bending, the deviation of the prediction of surface effect parameters in the existing work is solved. The current results will also be useful for predicting nanowire surface effect parameters and be helpful for the design of nanostructures and nanodevices related to nanowires.

Transcriptomic Analyses of Camellia oleifera 'Huaxin' Leaf Reveal Candidate Genes Related to Long-Term Cold Stress.

'Huaxin' is a new high-yielding timber cultivar of Camellia oleifera of high economic value, and has been widely cultivated in the red soil hilly region of Hunan Province of the People´s Republic of China in recent years. However, its quality and production are severely affected by low temperatures during flowering. To find genes related to cold tolerance and further explore new candidategenes for chilling-tolerance, Illumina NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technology was used to perform transcriptomic analyses of C. oleifera 'Huaxin' leaves under long-term cold stress. Nine cDNA libraries were sequenced, and 58.31 Gb high-quality clean reads were obtained with an average of 5.92 Gb reads for each sample. A total of 191,150 transcripts were obtained after assembly. Among them, 100,703 unigenes were generated, and 44,610 unigenes were annotated. In total, 1564 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified both in the A_B and A_C gene sets. In the current study, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed, andrevealed a group of cold-responsive genes related to hormone regulation, photosynthesis, membrane systems, and osmoregulation; these genes encoded many key proteins in plant biological processes, such as serine/threonine-protein kinase (STPK), transcription factors (TFs), fatty acid desaturase (FAD), lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs), soluble sugars synthetases, and flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes. Some physiological indicators of C. oleifera 'Huaxin' were determined under three temperature conditions, and the results were consistent with the molecular sequencing. In addition, the expression levels of 12 DEGs were verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In summary, the results of DEGs analysis together with qRT-PCR tests contribute to the understanding of cold tolerance and further exploring new candidate genes for chilling-tolerance in molecular breeding programs of C. oleifera 'Huaxin'.

Transforming brain signals related to value evaluation and self-control into behavioral choices.

The processes involved in value evaluation and self-control are critical when making behavioral choices. However, the evidence linking these two types of processes to behavioral choices in intertemporal decision-making remains elusive. As the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) have been associated with these two processes, we focused on these three regions. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging during a delayed discounting task (DDT) using a relatively large sample size, three independent samples. We evaluated how much information about a specific choice could be decoded from local patterns in each brain area using multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA). To investigate the relationship between the dlPFC and vmPFC/striatum regions, we performed a psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis. In Experiment I, we found that the vmPFC and dlPFC, but not the striatum, could determine choices in healthy participants. Furthermore, we found that the dlPFC showed significant functional connectivity with the vmPFC, but not the striatum, when making decisions. These results could be replicated in Experiment II with an independent sample of healthy participants. In Experiment III, the choice-decoding accuracy in the vmPFC and dlPFC was lower in patients with addiction (smokers and participants with Internet gaming disorder) than in healthy participants, and decoding accuracy in the dlPFC was related to impulsivity in addicts. Taken together, our findings may provide neural evidence supporting the hypothesis that value evaluation and self-control processes both guide the intertemporal choices, and might provide potential neural targets for the diagnosis and treatment of impulsivity-related brain disorders.

Consolidated bioprocessing for cellulosic ethanol conversion by cellulase-xylanase cell-surfaced yeast consortium.

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) strategy was developed to construct a cell-surface displayed consortium for heterologously expressing functional lignocellulytic enzymes. The reaction system composed of two engineered yeast strains: Y5/XynII-XylA (co-displaying two types of xylanases) and Y5/EG-CBH-BGL (co-displaying three types of cellulases). The immobilization of recombinant fusion proteins and their cell-surface accessibility of were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. The feasibility of consolidated bioprocessing by using pretreated corn stover (CS) as substrate for direct bioconversion was further investigated, and the synergistic activity and proximity effect between cellulases and xylanases on lignocelluloses degradation were also discussed in this work. Without any commercial enzyme addition, the combined yeast consortium produced 1.61 g/L ethanol which achieved 64.7% of the theoretical ethanol yield during 144 h from steam-exploded CS. The results indicated that the assembly of cellulases and xylanases using a synthetic consortium capable of combined displaying lignocellulytic enzymes is a promising approach for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation to ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass.

Transient and Persistent Room-Temperature Mechanoluminescence from a White-Light-Emitting AIEgen with Tricolor Emission Switching Triggered by Light.

Persistent luminescence from purely organic materials is basically triggered by light and electricity, which largely confines its practical applications. A purely organic AIEgen exhibits not only persistent photoluminescence, but also transient and persistent room-temperature mechanoluminescence. By simply turning on and off a UV lamp, tricolor emission switching between blue, white, and yellow was achieved. The data from single-crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculation suggest that mechanism of the observed persistent mechanoluminescence (pML) is correlated with the strong spin-orbit coupling of the bromine atom, as well as the formation of H-aggregates and restriction of intramolecular motions in noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. These results outline a fundamental principle for the development of new pML materials, providing an important step forward in expanding the application scope of persistent luminescence.

A Mechanism Study Underlying the Protective Effects of Cyclosporine-A on Lung Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

AIM: This study is aimed at validating the hypothesis that administration of cyclosporine-A (CsA) would be protective in lung ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and in exploring the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Rabbits were divided into 4 groups: the control, sham operation, I/R, and I/R with CsA treatment. Flow cytometry was used to measure the mitochondrial membrane potential. Laser scanning confocal microscope was used to analyze mitochondrion permeability transition pore (MPTP). The apoptotic cell was detected by the TUNEL staining. Western blot was performed to analyze the protein expression levels. RESULTS: CsA not only attenuated the histopathologic alterations in lung and mitochondria after I/R injury, but also attenuated I/R injury through increasing MPP and inhibiting MPTP opening. Besides, CsA attenuated I/R injury through suppressing the release of cytochrome-c (CytC), inhibiting cell apoptosis and decreasing the expression levels of cyclophilin-D (Cyp-D), adenine nucleotide translocase 1 (ANT1) and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1). Finally, we found that Cyp-D knockdown inhibits I/R injury-induced MPTP opening and cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Our study found that the protective role of CsA on lung I/R injury depends on the inhibition of MPTP and CytC release, suppression of the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and the expressions of apoptotic-related proteins, as well as the decreased expression levels of ANT1 and VDAC1.

Correlation of an interleukin-4 gene polymorphism with susceptibility to severe enterovirus 71 infection in Chinese children.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has caused many outbreaks of diseases among children worldwide since it was first reported in 1974, but its mechanism of pathogenesis remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate the possible association of the IL-4 -589C/T gene polymorphism with severity of EV71 infection in Chinese children. The IL-4 -589C/T gene polymorphism was detected in EV71-infected subjects (n = 185), including those with mild cases (n = 102) and severe cases (n = 83) as well as healthy controls (n = 234), using an improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technique. The plasma levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The presence of the CC genotype (p = 0.022) and the C allele (OR, 2.1; 95 % CI, 1.3-3.6; p = 0.004) was significantly higher in severe cases. Furthermore, the CC genotype and C allele were also more frequently found in cases of EV71 encephalitis (p < 0.05). The plasma levels of IL-4 of the CC (7.9 ± 1.3 pg/mL, p < 0.001) and CT genotype (6.8 ± 2.1 pg/mL, p < 0.01) were significantly elevated compared to those of the TT genotype, but the plasma levels of IFN-γ and the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio were significantly lower for the CC and CT genotypes than for the TT genotype (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the IL-4 -589C allele could be a susceptibility factor in the development of EV71 disease in Chinese children.

Genetic polymorphism of CCL2-2518, CXCL10-201, IL8+781 and susceptibility to severity of Enterovirus-71 infection in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between CCL2-2518A/G, CXCL10-201A/G, and IL8+781C/T gene polymorphism and severity of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection in a Chinese population. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to compare the distribution of genotype and genetic frequency of the CCL2-2518A/G, CXCL10-201A/G, and IL8+781C/T gene polymorphisms among EV71-infected patients (n = 186), including mild cases (n = 103), severe cases (n = 83) and healthy control subjects (n = 233) with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and analyzed the relationship between the CCL2-2518A/G, CXCL10-201A/G, and IL8+781C/T gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to EV71 infection. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the distribution of genotype CCL2-2518A/G, CXCL10-201A/G, and IL8+781C/T between the healthy control group and EV71-infected patients. However, three SNPs were associated with severity of EV71 infection: the G allele (genotypes AG or GG) in the CCL2-2518A/G (OR 2.34, 95 % CI 1.50-3.65, P < 0.001), the A allele (genotypes AA or AG) in the CXCL10-201A/G (OR 3.60, 95 % CI 1.73-7.47, P < 0.001), and the C allele (genotypes CC or CT) in the IL8+781C/T (OR 2.63, 95 % CI 1.67-4.13, P < 0.001) were more frequent in patients with severe EV71 infection. No significant difference was observed between EV71 encephalitis and severe cases. At the same time, there were significant differences in fever days, WBC, CRP and BG concentration, and CCL2, CXCL10 and IL-8 levels according to the three SNPs among 186 EV71-infected patients, but no significant differences were observed in gender, age, ALT, AST, CK-MB, and CSF evaluations. CONCLUSION: The G carrier of the CCL2-2518A/G, the A carrier of the CXCL10-201A/G, and the C carrier of the IL8+781C/T were found to be associated with severity of EV71 infection, and could be susceptibility factors in the development of EV71 infection in the Chinese population.

Genetic polymorphism of CCL2-2510 and susceptibility to enterovirus 71 encephalitis in a Chinese population.

The study was performed in 36 Chinese patients with enterovirus 71 (EV71) encephalitis and 141 patients with EV71-related hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) without encephalitis. Genotyping was done by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Patients with EV71 encephalitis had a significantly higher frequency of the CCL2-2510GG genotypes when compared to patients with EV71-related HFMD without encephalitis (66.7% vs. 41.8%, p=0.028). The frequency of CCL2-2510G alleles was also significantly higher among the patients with EV71 encephalitis than among patients with EV71-related HFMD without encephalitis (79.2% vs. 64.9%, OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.1-3.8, P=0.023). Significant differences were found in gender, age, fever days, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, blood glucose concentration, and CCL2 level among genotypes of CCL2-2510A/G in EV71-infected patients, but no significant differences were found in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, or creatine kinase myocardial isozyme levels or in cerebrospinal fluid evaluations (except monocytes) in patients with EV71 encephalitis. These findings suggest that the CCL2-2510G allele is associated with susceptibility to EV71 encephalitis in Chinese patients.

[Clinical analysis of total aortic arch reconstruction with a novel individualized combined branched stent grafting technique for patients with Stanford A aortic dissection].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between total aortic arch reconstruction with a individualized combined branched stent grafting technique and total aortic arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation for patients with Stanford A aortic dissection. METHODS: Totally 44 patients with Stanford A aortic dissection treated with surgical treatment from January 2007 to July 2013 were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 22) patients were treated by total arch replacement with stented elephant trunk procedure. Group B (n = 22) patients received individualized combined branched stent grafting technique. Age, gender and disease severity were similar between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Echocardiography and aortic CT angiography were performed pre-operation and at 1 month after operation. RESULTS: Operation was successful in all 44 patients. Cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross clamp time, circulation arrest time and duration of ventilator assisted breathing were significantly longer, postoperative drainage volume and blood transfusion volume were significantly larger and hospitalization cost was significantly higher in group A patients compared those in group B patients (t = 2.791 to 43.465, all P < 0.05). One month after operation, the maximum internal diameter of aorta was smaller than pre-operation in both group A ((33 ± 1) mm vs. (45 ± 6) mm, t = 10.076, P = 0.000) and group B ((33 ± 2) mm vs. (45 ± 8) mm, t = 5.979, P = 0.000) . Left ventricular ejection fraction had no significant difference before and 1 month after operation in both groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The total aortic arch reconstruction with individualized combined branched stent grafting technique is technically easier, shortens the operation time, reduces the blood transfusion volume compared to the classical aortic arch operation.