[Association between polymorphism of CASP and NOX3 with risk of noise-induced hearing loss].

Objective: To explore the effect of gene polymorphism on workers suffering from noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) . Methods: In May 2019, a case-control study was conducted to select noise exposed workers in five factories in Zhejiang Province from 2017 to 2018. The average hearing threshold of binaural high frequency (3, 4, 6 kHz) was >25 dB (A) as the NIHL group, and the hearing threshold of any language frequency (0.5, 1, 2 kHz) was ≤25 dB (A) as the non NIHL group, with 307 people in each group. The general demographic data, occupational history, pure tone audiometry results and oral swab mucosal samples of noise exposed workers were collected, and the DNA of oral mucosal cells was extracted. The relationship between genetic risk score (GRS) and NIHL was analyzed, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were genotyped, the relationship between genotype and NIHL was analyzed by logistic regression, and the relationship between haplotype and NIHL was analyzed by R language. Results: After adjusting for gender, age, education and working years, the risk of NIHL among workers carrying cysteine-aspartic acid protease 3 gene (CASP3) rs1049216 recessive model GG genotype, rs6948 recessive model TT genotype, NADPH oxidase 3 gene (NOX3) rs12195525 additive model GT genotype and dominant model TT+GT genotype decreased (P<0.05) , the risk of disease was higher in workers with AA genotype carrying cysteine-aspartic acid protease 7 gene (CASP7) rs12415607 additive model (P<0.05) . There was a strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) relationship between rs1049216 and rs6948 (D'>0.8) . Haplotype AT and GG composed of rs1049216-rs6948 increased the risk of NIHL (P<0.05) . The risk of NIHL increased with the increase of GRS (OR=2.69, P<0.05) . Conclusion: Genotype polymorphisms at rs1049216 and rs6948 (CASP3) , rs12195525 (NOX3) , rs12415607 (CASP7) may be associated with susceptibility to NIHL.

Early detection of acute radiation-induced lung injury with multi-section CT perfusion imaging: An initial experience.

AIM: To explore the value of 64-section computed tomography (CT) perfusion imaging (CTPI) in the early diagnosis of acute radiation-induced lung injury (ARILI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with oesophageal cancers or malignant thymomas received postoperative radiation therapy with a 60-62 Gy dose and underwent CTPI at pre- and post-radiation therapy time points (week 0, week 4, week 8, and week 12 respectively). The CTPI values were prospectively compared and analysed in order to evaluate the diagnostic utility of CTPI in the early diagnosis of ARILI. RESULTS: Eighteen cases (18/51) of ARILI were diagnosed. The mean values of relative regional blood flow (rrBF), relative regional volume (rrBV), and relative regional permeability surface (rrPS) in the ARILI group were correspondingly higher than those of the non-ARILI group. At week 4, rrBF, rrBV, and rrPS in the ARILI group were significantly higher than those at pre-radiation (each p < 0.05). In the non-ARILI group, rrBF and rrBV were higher than those at pre-radiation (each p < 0.05); however, rrPS was not statistically different from that of pre-irradiation. Applying the diagnostic threshold value of rrPS = 1.22, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of CTPI for early diagnosis of ARILI were better than those of CT. CONCLUSION: CTPI metrics may reflect haemodynamic changes in the post-irradiation lung and can detect cases of early ARILI that appear normal at CT. CTPI is a promising technique for early diagnosis of ARILI.

Antifouling and antibacterial compounds from the gorgonians Subergorgia suberosa and Scripearia gracillis.

In this study, we investigated the potential antilarval and antibacterial activity of secondary metabolites of the gorgonians Subergorgia suberosa and Scripearia gracillis from the South China Sea. Fresh specimens of these two gorgonian corals were collected from a shallow reef in Sanya Bay of Hainan Island and extracted with different solvents. Antilarval activity of the chemical extracts and pure compounds was evaluated in settlement inhibition assays with laboratory-reared Balanus amphitrite and Bugula neritina larvae, while antibacterial activity was assessed with disc diffusion bioassay on growth inhibition of 15 marine bacterial species. Using bioassay-guided procedures, we purified and identified nine compounds. The most potent metabolites produced by these gorgonian corals were subergorgic acid and pregn-4-ene-3, 20-dione extracted from S. suberosa. Our results show that the gorgonian coral S. suberosa and S. gracillis can produce potent anti-fouling compounds that deserve further exploration.

Antifouling properties of 10beta-formamidokalihinol-A and kalihinol A isolated from the marine sponge Acanthella cavernosa.

Many soft-bodied sessile marine invertebrates such as sponges and soft corals defend themselves against fouling directly through the production of antifouling compounds, or indirectly through regulating the epibiotic microbes that affect larval settlement. In this study, 10beta-formamidokalihinol-A and kalihinol A were isolated and purified from the marine sponge Acanthella cavernosa (Dendy). The results indicated that both compounds inhibited the growth of bacteria isolated from the natural environment whereas kalihinol A suppressed larval settlement of a major fouling polychaete, Hydroides elegans with an EC50 of 0.5 microg ml(-1). Kalihinol A was incorporated in Phytagel that was exposed to the bacterial consortia in natural seawater for biofilm formation. Biofilms that developed on the Phytagel surfaces were analysed for bacterial abundance and bacterial species composition using a DNA fingerprinting technique, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The results showed that kalihinol A only slightly reduced bacterial abundance (t-test, p = 0.0497), but modified the bacterial species composition of the biofilms. Inhibition of H. elegans larval settlement was observed when biofilms developed under the influence of kalihinol A were exposed to larvae, suggesting that compounds like kalihinol A from the sponge A. cavernosa may change bacterial community composition on the sponge surface, which in turn, modulates larval settlement of fouling organisms.