Identification of TNFA influencing MDD risk and clinical features in Han Chinese.

OBJECTIVE: Our recent genetic-neuroimaging study observed that the rs1799724 polymorphism within the TNFA gene encoding TNF-α selectively affects the anatomy of visual cortex in patients with MDD. In this study, we hypothesized that TNFA is risk factor to MDD, and TNFA rs1799724 polymorphism may be a susceptibility locus for this disorder and its clinical features. METHODS: We enrolled 807 MDD samples and 822 healthy volunteers in Eastern China. There were 104 drug-naïve first episode MDD patients recruited. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression -17 (HRSD-17) and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were performed to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms and cognitive function, respectively. RESULTS: Patients with MDD have higher levels of TNFA than healthy controls (F = 20.78, P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in genotype or allele distributions of the rs1799724 polymorphism between the MDD and control groups. MDD patients with T/T or T/C genotypes of rs1799724 polymorphism have higher somatic factor and total scores of HAMD than those with C/C genotype. The patients with T/T or T/C genotypes have significantly higher TNFA mRNA levels than those with C/C genotype (F = 4.91, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Our findings supported that TNFA may have an important role in the pathophysiology of MDD. Although SNP rs1799724 is not an etiological factor for MDD in Han Chinese, this SNP may be associated with somatic symptom in patients with MDD.

Omega-3 fatty acids ameliorate cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia patients with metabolic syndrome.

Our previous study showed that metabolic abnormalities reduced the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and deteriorated cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia. Inflammation may play a key role in this process. Omega-3 fatty acids have been documented to ameliorate inflammation. Therefore, we hypothesized that omega-3 fatty acids may be of value in enhancing BDNF levels and improving cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia with metabolic syndrome (MetS). We recruited 80 patients with both schizophrenia and MetS who received long-term olanzapine monotherapy. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The patients were randomly assigned to the OMG-3 group (n = 40) or the placebo group (n = 40). Of the 80 patients who consented to the study, 72 completed this 12-week RCT. The primary outcome was the changes from baseline to 12 weeks in clinical characteristics and the levels of BDNF, CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α. There was a significant correlation between omega-3 fatty acid treatment and enhanced delayed memory factor in the RBANS assessment (Fgroup×time = 6.82; df = 1, 66; P = 0.01) when the patients completed this study. Along with cognitive improvement, omega-3 fatty acids enhanced BDNF (Fgroup×time = 4.93; df = 1, 66; P = 0.03) and reduced CRP (Fgroup×time = 17.11; df = 1, 66; P < 0.01), IL-6 (Fgroup×time = 9.71; df = 1, 66; P < 0.004) and TNF-α (Fgroup×time = 6.71; df = 1, 66; P = 0.012) levels after 12 weeks of treatment. The changes in BDNF levels are negatively correlated with the changes in TNF-α levels (r = -0.37, P = 0.03) but not with the changes in CRP and IL-6 levels. Our findings provide suggestive evidence that omega-3 fatty acids have beneficial effects on cognitive function in patients with MetS, which is paralleled by enhanced BDNF levels.

Genetic polymorphisms identify in species/biovars of Brucella isolated in China between 1953 and 2013 by MLST.

BACKGROUND: Brucellosis incidence in China is divided into three stages: high incidence (1950s-1960s), decline (1970s-1980s), and re-emergence (1990s-2010s). At the re-emergence stage, Brucellosis incidence grew exponentially and spread to all 32 provinces. We describe the magnitude and the etiological distribution changes in mainland China by genotyping data and emphasize its recent reemergence. We also provide the genetic diversity and molecular epidemiological characteristics of Brucella. RESULTS: From a total of 206 Brucella isolates, 19 MLST genotypes (STs) were identified and 13 new STs(ST71-83)were found. MLST grouped the population into three clusters. B. melitensis, B. abortus and B. suis were grouped into cluster 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The predominant genotype in the first cluster by MLST, remained unchanged during the three stages. However, the proportion of genotypes in the three stages had changed. More isolates were clustered in ST8 at the re-emergence stage. STs71-74, which were not found in the two former stages, appeared at the re-emergence stage. CONCLUSIONS: The changing molecular epidemiology of brucellosis improve our understanding of apparent geographic expansion from the historically affected north of China to southern provinces in recent reemergence.

[Effect of MTHFR gene on the schizophrenia and its cognitive function].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of MTHFR gene on schizophrenia and its cognitive function. METHODS: We recruited 254 schizophrenia patients with stable condition, 339 healthy controls for genetic analysis and 72 healthy controls for cognitive evaluation. The repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) was used for cognitive measurement. PCR-RFLP technique was carried out to genotype 677C/T polymorphism. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in genotypic or allelic frequencies of the 677C/T polymorphism between the case and control groups (P> 0.05). In the RBANS, patients had higher scores of immediate memory, visuospatial skill, language, attention, delayed memory and total scores than healthy controls (P< 0.01); Patients with different genotypes of 677C/T polymorphism had significant differences in the scores of immediate memory, attention and total scores (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results did not provide evidence for MTHFR gene conferring susceptibility to schizophrenia. However, there was a significant association between the MTHFR gene and cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia, especially in immediate memory and attention.

Seroprevalence and risk factors for bovine brucellosis in domestic yaks (Bos grunniens) in Tibet, China.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in three counties (Damxung, Maizhokunggar and Yadong) in Tibet in April and May 2015. A total of 1,523 yaks owned by 181 herders were randomly selected and blood sampled. Sera were tested using the rose bengal test (RBT) and a competitive immune-enzymatic assay (C-ELISA) and the test results interpreted in parallel. The individual yak prevalence was 2.8% (95% CI 2.0-3.7) with a herd prevalence of 18.2% (95% CI 12.9-24.6). At the individual level, two predictor variables, age and production system, were significantly associated with seropositivity by a binary logistic regression analysis. The odds of Brucella infection were significantly higher in older Yaks (3-5 years old, OR = 4.51; 95% CI 1.53-19.29; ≥6 years old, OR = 3.89; 95% CI 1.23-17.21) compared to those of younger yaks (≤2 years old). The odds of seropositivity for yaks managed under an agro-pastoral production system were 2.9 (95% CI 1.48-5.86) times higher compared to those managed under a pastoral production system. At the herd level, an association between the infection with Brucella and a history of abortions in the herd was observed (OR = 4.98, 95% CI 1.48-16.62). Surprisingly, vaccination was not associated with a lower level of infection (p = 0.49 and p = 0.99 for individual and herd level data, respectively). The results of the survey indicate that bovine brucellosis is endemic among the yak population in the plateau region of China, and the risk factors identified in the study should be considered in the epidemiology of the disease and when developing control programs for the disease.

Comparative genomic analysis between newly sequenced Brucella suis Vaccine Strain S2 and the Virulent Brucella suis Strain 1330.

BACKGROUND: Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Brucella infection. In the late fifties, Brucella suis vaccine strain S2 with reduced virulence was obtained by serial transfer of a virulent B. suis biovar 1 strain in China. It has been widely used for vaccination in China since 1971. Until now, the mechanisms underlie virulence attenuation of S2 are still unknown. RESULTS: In this paper, the whole genome sequencing of S2 was carried out by Illumina Hiseq2000 sequencing method. We further performed the comparative genomic analysis to find out the differences between S2 and the virulent Brucella suis strain 1330. We found premature stops in outer membrane autotransporter omaA and eryD genes. Single mutations were found in phosphatidylcholine synthase, phosphorglucosamine mutase, pyruvate kinase and FliF, which have been reported to be related to the virulence of Brucella or other bacteria. Of the other different proteins between S2 and 1330, such as Omp2b, periplasmic sugar-binding protein, and oligopeptide ABC transporter, no definitive implications related to bacterial virulence were found, which await further investigation. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented here provided the rational basis for designing Brucella vaccines that could be used in other strains.

High seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in dairy cattle in China.

Coxiella burnetii is the agent of Q fever, a zoonosis which occurs worldwide. As there is little reliable data on the organism in China, we investigated C. burnetii infections in dairy cattle herds around the country. Opportunistic whole blood samples were collected from 1140 dairy cattle in 19 herds, and antibodies to phase I and II C. burnetii antigens were detected using commercial ELISA kits. Seropositive cattle (381/1140, 33 %) were detected in 13 of the 15 surveyed provinces and in 16 of the 19 herds (84 %) studied. Our data indicates C. burnetii is widespread in China and that animal and human health workers should be aware of the possibility of Q fever infection in their patients.

Evaluation of comprehensive early warning for higher education institutions' cloud model of simulated enterprise management cockpit.

The cross-disciplinary virtually simulated platform for enterprise management in universities' new business courses is an initiative practical framework based on scenario-driven tasks. However, there is a prominent conflict between the rapid operating cycle of simulation enterprises plus their fierce competitions and the strategic demand for real-time analysis for operational data. Based on such demand, this study takes the development method of the simulated enterprise management cockpit from Guangzhou Huashang College as an example. It adopts the combined weighting method based on cloud models to determine indicator weights, then qualitative and quantitative data analyses are conducted from five aspects: "business, finance and operation", "customer management and marketing", "internal operational objectives", "product development strategy", along with "team building and management". This approach achieves a comprehensive evaluation and early warning of the enterprise management process. Specifically, the subjective weights are determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process, while the objective weights by the entropy weight method, finally verified by cloud model evaluation of its overall indicator performance. The design can evaluate the comprehensive performance of enterprise management indicators and students' activity participation through the cloud-based application and the digital cockpit, so as to fully presents the enterprise's overall management level, along with judgement of whether it is reasonable through pointers in different colors. In addition, apparent indicator-related characteristics are also utilized to assess future decision-making directions. Finally, this comprehensive approach can timely optimize operation strategies and facilitate budget allocation for future development.

Characterization of Streptococcus suis isolates from slaughter swine.

The characterization of 61 Streptococcus suis strains isolated from Chinese slaughter pigs was investigated. S. suis serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, and 1/2 were found in the isolates by serum agglutination. Of all the prevalent serotypes, S. suis serotype 7 is the most predominant circulating in Chinese slaughter pigs. The virulence-associated genes profile and multilocus sequence typing scheme of the isolates were analyzed. The mrp-/epf-/sly- virulence-associated genes type is the most prevalent in the isolates from slaughter pigs. It is the first time to find S. suis serotypes 7 and 9 isolates with epf. The serotypes 7 and 9 isolates with mrp and/or epf genes did not express MRP and/or EF in the present research. Thirteen new ST types were identified for the first time. ST1 complex and ST27 complex of S. suis are prevalent in China. This paper supplied information to understand the characteristics, such as capsular serotypes, virulence factors, and gene backgrounds of S. suis carried by slaughter pigs.

4-Dimethyl-amino-N'-(4-nitro-benzyl-idene)benzohydrazide methanol monosolvate.

In the title compound, C(16)H(16)N(4)O(3)·CH(3)OH, the aromatic rings form a dihedral angle of 0.4 (2)°. The nitro group is twisted from the attached benzene ring by 7.5 (2)°. In the crystal, N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link alternating hydrazone and methanol mol-ecules into chains in [100]. The crystal packing exhibits π-π inter-actions between aromatic rings from neighbouring chains [centroid-centroid distances = 3.734 (3) and 3.903 (3) Å].

[The influence of laser plasma effects on the characteristics of thin film damage].

Optical components with higher surface quality and higher damage threshold requirement are necessary in high-energy/power laser system, which strongly depends on the performance of optical thin films. The damage morphologies on the surface of the HfO2/SiO2 anti-reflection film, caused by focused laser pulses, were investigated in the present paper. The studies revealed that the shock wave formed with the expansion of laser plasma, and its velocity and pressure decease rapidly with the radius. The spectrum of laser plasma, recorded by EEP2000 spectrometer, shows that the wavelength of laser plasma radiation is shorter than incident laser, which will increase the probability of multi-photon absorption; the photon energy in deep ultraviolet region, higher than the band gap of HfO2, can be absorbed directly. The ionization effect of laser plasma can easily induce film damage. The combination of shock wave and ionization effect determines the damage morphology of films. In the case of laser pulse focused on the film surface, the radiation and shock wave effects are the highest, not only the film is removed, but also the quartz substrate is broken-down. When the focus point is away from the film surface to a certain distance, the radiation of laser plasma and shock wave decrease rapidly, as a result, no damage can be found except that the thin-film can be peeled away from the substrate.

[Study on characteristics of laser ablation in KTP crystal and its influence on the Raman spectroscopy].

The research and development of the KTP crystal with high threshold is of very importance for its application in high-energy laser systems. Ablation characteristics in KTP crystal as well as their influence on the Raman spectroscopy were studied by UV laser with high repetition frequency. The research results show that the laser plasma effects are the main reasons for the damage in the KTP crystal. The inverse bremsstrahlung absorption effect can increase the deposition of the laser pulse energy greatly; the ionization effect can make the crystal dislocated completely; shock wave effect can push away the mixture of melted, vaporized and ionized materials and cause cracks in the pit. Through investigation and comparison of the Raman spectroscopy before and after the laser ablation, it was found that the distribution characteristics of Raman peaks are almost the same, suggesting that the basic structures of KTP crystal do not change. But almost all the Raman characteristic peaks' R1R values have changed and the widths are broadened, which means that the crystalline degree has been decreased. The Raman peaks of TiO6 and PO4 oxygen polyhedron shift to the lower wave number, which indicates that bonding force becomes weaker and the KTP crystal can be damaged easily.

[Cloning and analysis of the conserved regions in the capsular polysaccharides synthesis locus of Streptococcus suis].

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the function and gene phylogenetic relationship of the conserved regions in capsular polysaccharides synthesis (CPS) locus, METHODS: based on the CPS locus sequence of Streptococcus suis serotype 1, 2, 7 and 9 and the results to the cross-hybridization experiments, the CPS locus of Streptococcus suis was hypothesized as cassette-like structure which is similar to Streptococcus pneumoniae. PCR, sequencing and southern blotting was used to certify the hypothesis. RESULTS: The CPS locus of Streptococcus suis was cassette-like structure. The 5'-end of the CPS locus contained 4 regulatory genes which are highly similar in all the serotypes. The flanking genes of the CPS locus are conservative. The flanking gene aroA, which is at the downstream to the CPS locus, was selected as the objective gene to develop the PCR to amplify the serotype-specific regions. The orfY, orfX, cpsA, cpsB, cpsC, cpsD and aroA are conserved with high sequence identity in different serotypes.

[Construction of EF-G knockdown strain of Mycobacterium smegmatis and drug resistance analysis].

As the only translational factor that plays a critical role in two translational processes (elongation and ribosome regeneration), GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G) is a potential target for antimicrobial agents. Both Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis have two EF-G homologous coding genes, MsmEFG1 (MSMEG_1400) and MsmEFG2 (MSMEG_6535), fusA1 (Rv0684) and fusA2 (Rv0120c), respectively. MsmEFG1 (MSMEG_1400) and fusA1 (Rv0684) were identified as essential genes for bacterial growth by gene mutation library and bioinformatic analysis. To investigate the biological function and characteristics of EF-G in mycobacterium, two induced EF-G knockdown strains (Msm-ΔEFG1(KD) and Msm-ΔEFG2(KD)) from Mycobacterium smegmatis were constructed by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference (CRISPRi) technique. EF-G2 knockdown had no effect on bacterial growth, while EF-G1 knockdown significantly retarded the growth of mycobacterium, weakened the film-forming ability, changed the colony morphology, and increased the length of mycobacterium. It was speculated that EF-G might be involved in the division of bacteria. Minimal inhibitory concentration assay showed that inhibition of EF-G1 expression enhanced the sensitivity of mycobacterium to rifampicin, isoniazid, erythromycin, fucidic acid, capreomycin and other antibacterial agents, suggesting that EF-G1 might be a potential target for screening anti-tuberculosis drugs in the future.

The impact of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the environment on one health approach.

Tuberculosis caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) has become one of the leading causes of death in humans and animals. Current research suggests that the transmission of MTBC in the environment indirectly transmit to humans and animals with subsequent impact on their wellbeing. Therefore, it is of great significance to take One Health approach for understanding the role of MTBC in not only the interfaces of humans and animals, but also environment, including soil, water, pasture, air, and dust, etc., in response to the MTBC infection. In this review, we present the evidence of MTBC transmission from environment, as well as detection and control strategies in this interface, seeking to provide academic leads for the global goal of End Tuberculosis Strategy under multidisciplinary and multisectoral collaborations.

Genomic analysis of diversity, biogeography, and drug resistance in Mycobacterium bovis.

Mycobacterium bovis is the cause of bovine tuberculosis, and it can also cause disease in humans, with symptoms similar to those caused by M. tuberculosis. However, our understanding of its genomic diversity, biogeography, and drug resistance remains incomplete. We performed a comparative and phylogenetic analysis of 3228 M. bovis genomes from 24 countries. Following drug susceptibility testing, we applied a bacterial genome-wide association study to capture associations between genomic variation and drug resistance in 74 newly isolated strains from China. The data show that the cattle-adapted M. bovis were divided into six lineages with a strong phylogeographical population structure. Lineages 1 and 6 are the most widespread globally, while others show a strong geographical restriction. Note that 17.39% of M. bovis isolates were resistant to at least one drug in China. Furthermore, we identify genomic variations associated with an increased risk of resistance acquisition. This study furthers our knowledge of M. bovis diversity, biogeography, and drug resistance and will facilitate more deeply informed genomic tracking and surveillance to minimize its threat to human health, as a cause of zoonotic tuberculosis.

Diversity of glpK Gene and Its Effect on Drug Sensitivity in Mycobacterium bovis.

Background: Glycerol kinase (glpK) is essential for the first step of glycerol catabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, Mycobacterium bovis has been known to grow poorly in glycerol media because of a base insertion in the glpK gene. Methods: We analyzed the glpK gene sequences of 60 clinical M. bovis isolates, and determined the minimum inhibitory concentration of 14 drugs by microdilution method to evaluate the effect of frameshift mutations on drug sensitivity. The effect of M. bovis growth rate on its drug sensitivity was investigated using bacteria grown on glycerol or pyruvate. Results: A total of 44 (73.33%) clinical M. bovis isolates have frameshift mutations in a homopolymeric tract of 7 cytosines in the glpK gene. 15.00% M. bovis isolates showed phenotypic drug resistance. Glycerol metabolism-deficient M. bovis showed reduced susceptibility to 9 out of 14 tested drugs. Mutations in the glpK gene can lead to impaired growth in glycerol-based media, while the minimal inhibitory concentration values of slow-growing M. bovis were higher. Conclusion: Mutations in the glpK gene can lead to slowed growth and reduced susceptibility to drugs in M. bovis, which may contribute to the emergence of drug-resistant M. bovis and pose a threat to human health owing to the zoonotic capacity of M. bovis.

[The influence of laser plasma effects on the characteristics of silicon surface damage].

Silicon is the basic material for electro-photonic detectors, so the studies of the laser induced damage of silicon are of great significance in laser detecting and military applications. The damage characters of silicon under high intensity nanosecond laser pulses were investigated in the present paper. The results show that laser plasma has thermal effect, shock effect and spectral radiation effect, etc. These comprehensive effects combined together determinate the damage characters. By thermal effects and shock effects of laser plasma, the material is being melt, vaporized, ionized and pushed out at the laser irradiated area. In this way, the pit can be formed and the cooled ejected effluents are radially distributed. The silicon was melt at the bottom of the pit and the temperature was modulated by the intensity of the incident laser, which interfered with scattering laser simultaneously. The periodic heat distribution generates the period stripes. N, O and Si characteristic spectrum in the laser plasma prove that the colored film is the mixture of SiOx:SiNy which were sprayed out from laser plasma under repetitive laser pulses.

[Bacterial capsular polysaccharide--a review].

The study on bacterial capsular polysaccharide is deeper with the development of the molecular biology, saccharide chemistry and immunology. Not only the character and structure of bacterial capsular polysaccharide was researched, but also the genes related to the synthesis, regulation and pathogenicity. This review focuses on the chemical structure, synthesis genes, mechanisms of the diversity, synthesis regulation, function, pathogenicity and application of the bacterial capsular polysaccharide. The research hot spots are also summarized to supply the basic theory and threads to study and apply bacterial capsular polysaccharide.

Common variants in CREB1 gene confer risk for bipolar disorder in Han Chinese.

Recently, we have identified involvement of the gene encoding cAMP responsive element-binding 1 (CREB1) in risk of BD in European ancestry. CREB1 has significant genetic diversity between Europeans and Chinese, thereby resulting in diverged CREB1 genetic backgrounds. In this study, we aimed to determine whether CREB1 confers susceptibility to BD and cognitive dysfunction in Han Chinese. We recruited 572 patients with BD and 611 healthy controls for genetic study. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used for cognitive evaluation. SNP rs10932201 and rs3770704 within CREB1 were genotyped. The frequency of the G allele of rs10932201 was significantly greater in BD patients (41.8 %) than that in control subjects (37.2 %), with P = 0.02, corrected P = 0.04. There were significant differences in the scores of RBANS attention and total scores between the patients with different genotypes of rs10932201 polymorphism (P = 0.002 and 0.003, corrected P = 0.012 and 0.018, respectively). Post-hoc comparisons showed that rs10932201 G/G or G/A carriers had lower RBANS attention and total scores than those with A/A carriers (P = 0.002 and 0.004, P = 0.002 and 0.006, respectively). We observed a significant association between the rs10932201 and CREB1 expression in intralobular white matter (P = 0.037). Carriers with G allele have significantly lower levels of CREB1 expression in intralobular white matter than those without G allele. In conclusion, this study identified a novel BD risk SNP rs10932201 in Han Chinese and this SNP may be a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in patients with BD.