Responses of soil and rhizosphere microbial communities to Cd-hyperaccumulating willows and Cd contamination.

BACKGROUND: The pollution of soil by heavy metals, particularly Cd, is constitutes a critical international environmental concern. Willow species are renowned for their efficacy in the phytoremediation of heavy metals owing to their high Cd absorption rate and rapid growth. However, the mechanisms underlying microbial regulation for high- and low-accumulating willow species remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the responses of soil and rhizosphere microbial communities to high- and low-Cd-accumulating willows and Cd contamination. We analyzed soil properties were analyzed in bulk soil (SM) and rhizosphere soil (RM) planted with high-accumulating (H) and low-accumulating (L) willow species. RESULTS: Rhizosphere soil for different willow species had more NH4+ than that of bulk soil, and RM-H soil had more than RM-L had. The available phosphorus content was greater in hyper-accumulated species than it was in lower-accumulated species, especially in RM-H. Genome sequencing of bacterial and fungal communities showed that RM-L exhibited the highest bacterial diversity, whereas RM-H displayed the greatest richness than the other groups. SM-L exhibited the highest diversity and richness of fungal communities. Ralstonia emerged as the predominant bacterium in RM-H, whereas Basidiomycota and Cercozoa were the most enriched fungi in SM-H. Annotation of the N and C metabolism pathways revealed differential patterns: expression levels of NRT2, NarB, nirA, nirD, nrfA, and nosZ were highest in RM-H, demonstrating the effects of NO3-and N on the high accumulation of Cd in RM-H. The annotated genes associated with C metabolism indicated a preference for the tricarboxylic pathway in RM-H, whereas the hydroxypropionate-hydroxybutyrate cycle was implicated in C sequestration in SM-L. CONCLUSIONS: These contribute to elucidation of the mechanism underlying high Cd accumulation in willows, particularly in respect of the roles of microbes and N and C utilization. This will provide valuable insights for repairing polluted soil using N and employing organic acids to improve heavy metal remediation efficiency.

Integrin-Linked Kinase in the Development of Gastric Tumors Induced by Helicobacter pylori: Regulation and Prevention Potential.

BACKGROUND: Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is crucial in solid tumors by regulating the Hippo-Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) pathway. This study aimed to uncover how Helicobacter pylori influences ILK levels and its role in regulating YAP during H. pylori-induced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GES-1 cells with stable Ilk knockdown and overexpression and a mouse carcinogenesis model for H. pylori infection were constructed. And ILK, the phosphorylated mammalian STE20-like protein kinase 1 (MST1), large tumor suppressor 1 (LATS1; S909, T1079), and YAP (S109, S127) were detected in cells, and mice by western blotting, as well as fluorescence intensity of YAP were assayed by immunofluorescence. YAP downstream genes Igfbp4 and Ctgf, the pathological changes and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß), and nitric oxide (NO) levels in mice gastric tissues were detected by real-time PCR, H&E, and ELISA assays. RESULTS: In this study, stable Ilk knockdown cells exhibited significantly higher phosphorylated levels of MST1, LATS1, and YAP, as well as increased YAP in the nuclei of GES-1 cells. Conversely, cells with Ilk overexpression showed opposite results. H. pylori infection led to decreased ILK levels in gastric epithelial cells but increased ILK levels in gastric cancer cell lines (MGC803, SGC7901) and gastric cancer tissues in mice. Treatment with the ILK inhibitor OST-T315 elevated the phosphorylated MST, LATS1, and YAP levels, and inhibited the mRNA levels of Igfbp4 and Ctgf at 44, 48 week-aged mice. OST-T315 also reduced the release of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and NO, as well as the progression of gastric cancer caused by H. pylori and N-Nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) treatment. CONCLUSION: Upon initiation of gastric tumorigenesis signals, H. pylori increases ILK levels and suppresses Hippo signaling, thereby promoting YAP activation and gastric cancer progression. ILK can serve as a potential prevention target to impede H. pylori-induced gastric cancer.

Liver autotransplantation and atrial reconstruction on a patient with multiorgan alveolar echinococcosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) primarily affects the liver and potentially spreads to other organs. Managing recurrent AE poses significant challenges, especially when it involves critical structures and multiple major organs. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 59-year-old female with recurrent AE affecting the liver, heart, and lungs following two previous hepatectomies, the hepatic lesions persisted, adhering to major veins, and imaging revealed additional diaphragmatic, cardiac, and pulmonary involvement. The ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ELRA), first in human combined with right atrium (RA) reconstruction were performed utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass, and repairs of the pericardium and diaphragm. This approach aimed to offer a potentially curative solution for lesions previously considered inoperable without requiring a donor organ or immunosuppressants. The patient encountered multiple serious complications, including atrial fibrillation, deteriorated liver function, severe pulmonary infection, respiratory failure, and acute kidney injury (AKI). These complications necessitated intensive intraoperative and postoperative care, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive management strategy in such complicated high-risk surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: The multidisciplinary collaboration in this case proved effective and yielded significant therapeutic outcomes for a rare case of advanced hepatic, cardiac, and pulmonary AE. The combined approach of ELRA and RA reconstruction under extracorporeal circulation demonstrated distinct advantages of ELRA in treating complex HAE. Meanwhile, assessing diaphragm function during the perioperative period, especially in patients at high risk of developing pulmonary complications and undergoing diaphragmectomy is vital to promote optimal postoperative recovery. For multi-resistant infection, it is imperative to take all possible measures to mitigate the risk of AKI if vancomycin administration is deemed necessary.

Neural signatures of second language proficiency in narrative processing.

Making sense of speech in a second language relies on multiple abilities. Differences in brain activity related to proficiency in language tasks have often been attributed to processing demands. However, during naturalistic narrative comprehension, listeners at different proficiency levels may form different representations of the same speech. We hypothesized that the intersubject synchronization of these representations could be used to measure second-language proficiency. Using a searchlight-shared response model, we found highly proficient participants showed synchronization in regions similar to those of native speakers, including in the default mode network and the lateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast, participants with low proficiency showed more synchronization in auditory cortex and word-level semantic processing areas in the temporal lobe. Moderate proficiency showed the greatest neural diversity, suggesting lower consistency in the source of this partial proficiency. Based on these synchronization differences, we were able to classify the proficiency level or predict behavioral performance on an independent English test in held-out participants, suggesting the identified neural systems represented proficiency-sensitive information that was generalizable to other individuals. These findings suggest higher second-language proficiency leads to more native-like neural processing of naturalistic language, including in systems beyond the cognitive control network or the core language network.

A Multiplex Recombinase-Aided qPCR Assay for Highly Sensitive and Rapid Detection of khe, blaKPC -2, and blaNDM -1 Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish a highly sensitive and rapid single-tube, two-stage, multiplex recombinase-aided qPCR (mRAP) assay to specifically detect the khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: mRAP was carried out in a qPCR instrument within 1 h. The analytical sensitivities of mRAP for khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes were tested using recombinant plasmids and dilutions of reference strains. A total of 137 clinical isolates and 86 sputum samples were used to validate the clinical performance of mRAP. RESULTS: mRAP achieved the sensitivities of 10, 8, and 14 copies/reaction for khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes, respectively, superior to qPCR. The Kappa value of qPCR and mRAP for detecting khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes was 1, 0.855, and 1, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: mRAP is a rapid and highly sensitive assay for potential clinical identification of khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes in K. pneumoniae.

Genotyping and traceability analysis of norovirus in Yantai between 2017 and 2019.

To investigate the diversity and evolution of noroviruses in Yantai in recent years, this study focused on the coat protein regions of norovirus-positive samples with nucleic acid detection (cycle threshold) values below 30 between 2017 and 2019. A total of 81 sequences were obtained for genotyping. Initially, a high-throughput sequencing approach was established to perform the whole-genome sequencing of multiple typical diarrheal strains. Using bioinformatics software such as BEAST, recombinant variant analysis was performed for each genotype of the norovirus strains, and genetic evolutionary analysis was conducted for the dominant strain GII.4, as well as the rare variant GII.21. The results showed that there were multiple genotypes such as GI.3, GI.6, GI.7, GII.1, GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.6, GII.13, GII.17, GII.21, and GIX.1 in the positive samples of norovirus from 2017 to 2019. GII.4 is characterized by diverse genotypes, with new changes in antigenic epitopes occurring during the course of the epidemic. This may have led to the emergence of a new pandemic. This suggests a need to strengthen surveillance. The results of this study suggest that attention should be paid to the predominant genotypes prevalent in neighboring countries and regions, and the safety supervision of imported food should be strengthened to aid in the prevention and control of related viruses.

Zero-Dimensional Hybrid Antimony Chloride with Near-Unity Broad-Band Orange-Red Emission toward Solid-State Lighting.

Zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid metal halides are attractive owing to their distinctive structure as well as photoluminescence (PL) characteristics. To discover 0D hybrid metal halides with high photoluminescence quantum yield and good stability is of great significance for white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Herein, a novel hybrid antimony chloride (CTP)2SbCl5 is synthesized, which shows a bright broad-band orange-red emission peaking at 620 nm under the low energy excitation (365 nm), achieving an excellent photoluminescence quantum yield of 96.8%. In addition, (CTP)2SbCl5 shows an additional emission peaking at 470 nm when excited at high energy (323 nm). PL spectra and density functional theory results demonstrate that the observed dual-band emission originates from the singlet and triplet self-trapped excitons confined in isolated [SbCl5]2- square pyramids. Moreover, (CTP)2SbCl5 presents relatively superior air stability, and the PL intensity still maintains 78% of the initial PL intensity when exposed to the air for above 2 weeks. Benefiting from high-efficiency PL emission and good stability of (CTP)2SbCl5, a stable warm white LED device with a 92.3% color rendering index was prepared by coating blue phosphor BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+, green (Sr,Ba)2SiO4:Eu2+, and orange-red (CTP)2SbCl5 on a 365 nm LED chip. This work provides an efficient luminescent material and also demonstrates the potential application of 0D hybrid antimony chloride in solid-state lighting.

Collateral circulation caused by end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE), as a benign parasitic disease with malignant infiltrative activity, grows slowly in the liver, allowing sufficient time for collateral vessels to emerge in the process of vascular occlusion. METHODS: The portal vein (PV), hepatic vein and hepatic artery were observed by enhanced CT and the inferior vena cava (IVC) by angiography, respectively. Analysis of the anatomical characteristics of the collateral vessels helped to look into the pattern and characteristics of vascular collateralization caused by this specific etiology. RESULTS: 33, 5, 12 and 1 patients were included in the formation of collateral vessels in PV, hepatic vein, IVC and hepatic artery, respectively. PV collateral vessels were divided into two categories according to different pathways: type I: portal -portal venous pathway (13 cases) and type II: type I incorporates a portal-systemic circulation pathway (20 cases). Hepatic vein (HV) collateral vessels fell into short hepatic veins. The patients with IVC collateral presented with both vertebral and lumbar venous varices. Hepatic artery collateral vessels emanating from the celiac trunk maintains blood supply to the healthy side of the liver. CONCLUSIONS: Due to its special biological nature, HAE exhibited unique collateral vessels that were rarely seen in other diseases. An in-depth study would be of great help to improve our understanding related to the process of collateral vessel formation due to intrahepatic lesions and its comorbidity, in addition to providing new ideas for the surgical treatment of end-stage HAE.

A rapid and highly sensitive multiple detection of human adenovirus type 3, type 7 and respiratory syncytial virus by recombinase-aided reverse transcription PCR.

BACKGROUND: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been widely used for many pathogen detection. However, PCR technology still suffers from long detection time and insufficient sensitivity. Recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) is a powerful nucleic acid detection tool with high sensitivity and amplification efficiency, but its complex probes and inability of multiplex detection hinder the further application of this technology. METHODS: In this study, we developed and validated the multiplex reverse transcription recombinase-aided PCR (multiplex RT-RAP) assay for human adenovirus 3 (HADV3), human adenovirus 7 (HADV7), and human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) within 1 h with Human RNaseP protein as a reference gene to monitor the whole process. RESULTS: Using recombinant plasmids, the sensitivity of multiplex RT-RAP for the detection of HADV3, HADV7, and HRSV was 18, 3, and 18 copies per reaction, respectively. The multiplex RT-RAP showed no cross-reactivity with other respiratory viruses, demonstrating its good specificity. A total of 252 clinical specimens were tested by multiplex RT-RAP and the results were found to be consistent with those of corresponding RT-qPCR assays. After testing serial dilutions of selected positive specimens, the detection sensitivity of multiplex RT-RAP was two to eightfold higher than that of corresponding RT-qPCR. CONCLUSION: We conclude the multiplex RT-RAP is a robust, rapid, highly sensitive, and specific assay with the potential to be used in the screening of clinical samples with low viral load.

ERCP management of acute cholangitis caused by rupture of Echinococcus hepaticus into the biliary tract.

Background: Hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE) rupture into the biliary tract, one of the most common and refractory complications, is treated by laparotomy to remove hydatid lesions. The aim of this article was to investigate the role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the treatment of this particular disease. Patients and Methods: This was is a retrospective analysis of 40 patients with HCE ruptured into the biliary tract in our hospital from September 2014 to October 2019. They were divided into two groups, ERCP group (group A, n = 14) and conventional surgery group (group B, n = 26). Group A was treated with ERCP first to control infection and improve the general condition before undergoing laparotomy at an optional stage while group B was treated with laparotomy directly. First, the infection parameters and liver, kidney and coagulation functions of group A patients before and after ERCP were compared to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Second, the intraoperative and post-operative parameters during the laparotomy of group A were compared with group B to evaluate the impact of ERCP treatment on laparotomy. Results and Conclusions: White blood cell, NE%, platelet, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, Total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase (ALT), ALT and Cr in group A significantly improved by ERCP (P < 0.05); during laparotomy, the bleeding amount and hospital stay in group A were better (P < 0.05); moreover, concerning the post-operative complications, the incidence of acute renal failure and coagulation dysfunction in group A was significantly less (P < 0.05). ERCP, which not only quickly and effectively controls infection and improves the patient's systemic condition but also provides good support for subsequent radical surgery, enjoys good prospects for clinical application.

Water quality criteria for lanthanum for freshwater aquatic organisms derived via species sensitivity distributions and interspecies correlation estimation models.

The increasing exploitation and application of rare earth elements (REEs) may induce hazardous risks to freshwater aquatic organisms. Due to the lack of water quality criteria (WQC) and sufficient reliable toxicity data, little information is available on the ecological risk of REEs in surface water. In this study, lanthanum (La) toxicity data were collected from published toxicological studies, and the data quality was assessed using a toxicological data reliability assessment tool. To obtain more toxicity data, Daphnia magna, Cyprinus carpio, and Dania rerio embryos were selected as surrogate species, and an interspecies correlation estimation (ICE) model was used to predict the toxicity of La for untested species. The species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) of La toxicity and WQC were investigated. Differences were observed in the hazardous concentrations for 5% of species (HC5), but no statistically significant differences were noted in the SSD curves between the measured acute toxicity data and the predicted data. For the SSDs constructed from the measured toxicity data, the ICE-predicted toxicity data and all acute data supplemented with the ICE-predicted data, the acute WQC values of La were 88, 1022 and 256 µg/L, respectively. According to the SSD and corresponding HC5 of chronic toxicity data, the chronic WQC was 14 µg/L. The results provide a scientific reference for establishing WQC for freshwater aquatic organisms and ecological risk assessments of REEs.

Long-term postoperative outcomes of Roux-en-Y cholangiojejunostomy in patients with benign biliary stricture.

BACKGROUND: Although there are common postoperative complications, Roux-en-Y cholangiojejunostomy is still broadly used as a standard surgical procedure for patients with biliary stricture. This study aimed to explore long-term risk factors of cholangiojejunostomy in patients with biliary stricture who underwent revisional cholangiojejunostomy. METHODS: Clinical data of 61 patients with biliary stricture undergoing revisional cholangiojejunostomy were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were classified into two groups (patients with traumatic biliary stricture and non-traumatic biliary stricture). Postoperative complications and survival time were successfully followed up. RESULTS: Among the patients, 34 underwent revisional cholangiojejunostomy due to traumatic biliary stricture, and 27 underwent revisional cholangiojejunostomy due to non-traumatic biliary surgery. Although there was no statistical difference in most clinical data between two groups, biliary dilation or not during the first surgery, cholelithiasis or not during the first surgery, long-term complications after first surgery, cholelithiasis or not during the second surgery, identifying abnormalities during the second surgery and long-term complications after second surgery were significantly different. All patients were successfully followed up and average follow-up time for patients with traumatic and non-traumatic biliary stricture was (88.44 ± 35.67) months and (69.48 ± 36.61) months respectively. Survival analysis indicated that there was no statistical difference in overall survival between two groups. Additionally, cox proportional hazard analysis demonstrated that first preoperative bilirubin level, short-term complication after first surgery and identifying abnormalities during the second surgery were independent risk factors that may have significant effects on patients' overall survival and long-term prognosis after cholangiojejunostomy. Among the intraoperative abnormal findings, residual lesions after the first operation had significant effects on the patients overall survival in the earlier stage. Relatively, anastomotic stoma stricture and biliary output loop problems had obvious effects on patients' overall survival at later stages. CONCLUSION: First preoperative bilirubin level, short-term complication after first surgery and abnormal findings during the second surgery were independent risk factors of revisional cholangiojejunostomy, which may affect patients' long-term survival. Therefore, surgeons should minimize incidence of postoperative complications through fully evaluating optimal operative time and standardizing surgical procedures.

Application of hepatic lobe hyperplasia techniques in the treatment of advanced hepatic alveolar echinococcosis: a single-centre experience.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate clinical efficiency and application indications of hepatic lobe hyperplasia techniques for advanced hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) patients. METHODS: A retrospective case series covering 19 advanced hepatic AE patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from September 2014 to December 2021 and undergoing hepatic lobe hyperplasia techniques due to insufficient remnant liver volume were analyzed. Changes of liver function, lesions volume, remnant liver volume, total liver volume before and after operation have been observed. RESULTS: Among the patients, 15 underwent portal vein embolization (PVE). There was no statistical difference in total liver volume and lesions volume before and after PVE (P > 0.05). However, the remnant liver volume was significantly increased after PVE (P < 0.05). The median monthly increase rate in future liver remnant volume (FLRV) after PVE stood at 4.49% (IQR 3.55-7.06). Among the four patients undergoing two-stage hepatectomy (TSH), FLRV was larger than that before the first stage surgery, and the median monthly increase rate in FLRV after it stood at 3.34% (IQR 2.17-4.61). Despite no statistical difference in total bilirubin (TBil), albumin (Alb), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in all patients with PVE, four patients who underwent TSH showed a decrease in ALT, AST and GGT. During the waiting process before the second stage operation, no serious complications occurred in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: For patients suffering from advanced hepatic AE with insufficient FLRV, PVE and TSH are safe and feasible in promoting hepatic lobe hyperplasia.

Insights into the Catalytic Mechanism of a Novel XynA and Structure-Based Engineering for Improving Bifunctional Activities.

Xylan and cellulose are the two major constituents of numerous types of lignocellulose. The bifunctional enzyme that exhibits xylanase/cellulase activity has attracted a great deal of attention in biofuel production. Previously, a thermostable GH10 family enzyme (XynA) from Bacillus sp. KW1 was found to degrade both xylan and cellulose. To improve bifunctional activity on the basis of structure, we first determined the crystal structure of XynA at 2.3 Å. Via molecular docking and activity assays, we revealed that Gln250 and His252 were indispensable to bifunctionality, because they could interact with two conserved catalytic residues, Glu182 and Glu280, while bringing the substrate close to the activity pocket. Then we used a structure-based engineering strategy to improve xylanase/cellulase activity. Although no mutants with increased bifunctional activity were obtained after much screening, we found the answer in the N-terminal 36-amino acid truncation of XynA. The activities of XynA_ΔN36 toward beechwood xylan, wheat arabinoxylan, filter paper, and barley ß-glucan were significantly increased by 0.47-, 0.53-, 2.46-, and 1.04-fold, respectively. Furthermore, upon application, this truncation released more reducing sugars than the wild type in the degradation of pretreated corn stover and sugar cane bagasse. These results showed the detailed molecular mechanism of the GH10 family bifunctional endoxylanase/cellulase. The basis of these catalytic performances and the screened XynA_ΔN36 provide clues for the further use of XynA in industrial applications.

Helicobacter pylori regulates ILK to influence autophagy through Rac1 and RhoA signaling pathways in gastric epithelial cells.

The ability of Helicobacter pylori to manipulate host autophagy is an important pathogenic mechanism. We found an inverse correlation between the expression of ILK and the autophagy marker protein LC3B in H. pylori-positive human samples, H. pylori-infected mice models and H. pylori-infected GES-1 cell lines. When the ILK-knockdown GES-1 cells were infected by H. pylori, CagA were significantly degraded, autophagosomes accumulation and autolysosomes formation were significantly increased, and LC3B protein levels and ratio of LC3BII to LC3BI were also remarkably upregulated. And chloroquine treatment increased LC3B levels in ILK-knockdown GES-1 cells. The expression levels of both Rac1 and RhoA were downregulated in GES-1 cells after H. pylori infection and were decreased in ILK-knockdown GES-1 cells. The mRNA and protein levels of PAK1, MLC, and LIMK were significantly decreased and cofilin mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased in GES-1 cells treated with the Rac1 inhibitor NSC 23766. The mRNA and protein levels of ROCK1, ROCK2, MLC, and LIMK1 were significantly reduced and cofilin mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased in GES-1 cells treated with the RhoA inhibitor CCG-1423. F-actin was significantly reduced in Rac1- or RhoA-inhibited GES-1 cells. F-actin depolymerization induced autophagosomes accumulation, autolysosomes formation, and the increase of LC3B levels in GES-1 cells. Therefore, these findings revealed that ILK could serve as a novel regulator to affect Rac1/PAK1 and RhoA/ROCKs signaling pathways, thereby influencing H. pylori-induced autophagy.

Abnormally increased DNA methylation in chorionic tissue might play an important role in development of ectopic pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Human Ectopic Pregnancy (hEP) is the second most common cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the first trimester. Without timely detection, EPs can lead to an increased rate of infertility and an elevated risk for future tubal EPs. In addition, most studies in the field focus on the effect of the fallopian tube (maternal factors) and ignore epigenetic changes in genes and proteins of the embryo, which may also cause EPs. Therefore, the present study hypothesized that embryos also play an important role in the development of EP. The study also speculated that DNA methylation is associated with ectopic pregnancy. Consequently, the effects of DNA methylation on the occurrence and development of ectopic pregnancy were investigated. Moreover, genome-wide DNA methylation of chorionic tissue from ectopic and intrauterine pregnancies was detected using Illumina HumanMethylation450 arrays. RESULTS: Forty-three hypermethylated genes involved in the regulation of adhesion as well as gene transcription and translation were identified. Furthermore, the PPI network showed that AMOTL1, SDR42E1, CAMTA1, PIP5K1C, KIAA1614, TSTD1 and DNER may play important roles in the occurrence and development of ectopic pregnancy. In addition, SDR42E1, CAMTA1 and TSTD1 displayed higher levels of methylation in ectopic pregnancy while PIP5K1C and DNER showed low degrees of methylation. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that abnormal increase in methylation may be an early indicator or an inducer of ectopic pregnancy. In addition, AMOTL1, SDR42E1, CAMTA1, PIP5K1C, KIAA1614, TSTD1 and DNER might play important roles in the occurrence and development of ectopic pregnancy. However, the specific molecular mechanisms are still unclear and require further studies.

Ultrasensitive and selective fluorescent sensor for cysteine and application to drug analysis and bioimaging.

A fluorescent sensor based on coumarin-maleimide conjugate was developed for efficient discrimination of Cys from Hcy and GSH in both organic and aqueous solution. Addition of Cys to the non-fluorescent sensor solution in DMF induced bright blue fluorescence and enhanced the fluorescence intensity by 320-fold while other amino acids and biothiols (Gly, Hcy, GSH, Glu, Val, Tyr, Arg, Trp, Lys, His, Leu, Phe, Asp and Met) did not bring about remarked change. The sensor responds to Cys extremely rapidly. If Cys was added to the sensor solution, the fluorescence intensity increased by 170-fold immediately and attained the maximum value in 5 min. A linear relationship was observed between Cys concentration within 2-20 µM and the fluorescence intensity of the sensor solution. The detection limit of the sensor toward Cys is as low as 4.7 nM. The sensor is also effective for specific detection of Cys in aqueous (DMF/H2O = 9:1, v/v) solution. Practical application of the sensor to drug analysis and bioimaging of living Hela cells has been verified. Possible sensing mechanism of the sensor toward Cys has been proposed.

Double versus single T-tube drainage for frank cysto-biliary communication in patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis: a retrospective cohort study with median 11 years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Partial peri-cystectomy (PPC) is one of the major surgical approaches for hepatic cystic echinococcosis (CE) and has been practiced in most centers worldwide. Cysto-biliary communication (fistula, leakage, rupture) is a problematic issue in CE patients. T-tube is a useful technique in situations where an exploration and decompression are needed for common bile duct (CBD). However, postoperative biliary complications for cystic cavity still remains to be studied in depth. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of CE cases in our single center database from 2007 March to 2012 December was performed. Patients (n = 51) were divided into two cohorts: double T-tube drainage (one at CBD for decompression and one at the fistula for sustaining in cystic cavity, n = 23) group and single T-tube drainage cohort (only one at CBD for decompression, n = 28). Short-/long-term postoperative complications focusing on biliary system was recorded in detail and they were followed-up for median 11 years. RESULTS: Overall biliary complication rates for double and single T-tube drainages were 17.4% vs. 39.3% (P > 0.05). Short-term complications ranged from minor to major leakages, cavity infection and abscess formation, and prevalence was 17.4% vs. 21.4% (P > 0.05) respectively for double and single T-tube groups; most importantly, double T-tube drainage group had obvious advantages regarding long-term complications (P < 0.05), which was biliary stricture needing surgery and it was observed only in single T-tube drainage group. CONCLUSIONS: Double T-tube drainage had better outcomes without procedure-specific postoperative biliary complications than single T-tube drainage. Meanwhile, we recommend long-term follow-up when comparing residual cavity related biliary complications in CE patients as it could happen lately.

Regulation of ß1-integrin in autophagy and apoptosis of gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori infection is an essential factor in the development of human gastric diseases, but its pathogenic mechanism is still unclear. In this work we have showed that, the LC3II levels were increased and ß1-integrin levels were decreased in H. pylori-positive human gastric tissue samples and H. pylori co-cultured GES-1 cells. There was significant upregulation of LC3II levels and downregulation of P62 levels in GES-1 cells after ß1-integrin knockdown co-cultured with H. pylori. This indicated that ß1-integrin downregulation promoted autophagy in GES-1 cells after H. pylori infection. The cell apoptosis rate and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 activities were increased in GES-1 cells pretreated with 3-methyladenine (3-MA ) after H. pylori infection. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in apoptosis of ß1-integrin knockdown GES-1 cells co-cultured with H. pylori; apoptosis was also downregulated in ß1-integrin knockdown- and 3-MA-treated GES-1 cells co-cultured with H. pylori. Correspondingly, PARP and caspase-3 activities were decreased in ß1-integrin knockdown cells co-cultured with H. pylori and ß1-integrin knockdown-3-MA-treated-1 cells with H. pylori infection. Thus, ß1-integrin is a novel autophagy and apoptosis regulator during H. pylori infection. However, inhibition of autophagy did not reverse the decrease in apoptosis caused by downregulation of ß1-integrin.

LuxS/AI-2 Quorum Sensing System in Edwardsiella piscicida Promotes Biofilm Formation and Pathogenicity.

LuxS/AI-2 is an important quorum sensing system which affects the growth, biofilm formation, virulence, and metabolism of bacteria. LuxS is encoded by the luxS gene, but how this gene is associated with a diverse array of physiological activities in Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida) is not known. Here, we constructed an luxS gene mutant strain, the △luxS strain, to identify how LuxS/AI-2 affects pathogenicity. The results showed that LuxS was not found in the luxS gene mutant strain, and this gene deletion decreased E. piscicida growth compared to that of the wild-type strain. Meanwhile, the wild-type strain significantly increased penetration and motility in mucin compared to levels with the △luxS strain. The 50% lethal dose (LD50) of the E. piscicida △luxS strain for zebrafish was significantly higher than that of the wild-type strain, which suggested that the luxS gene deletion could attenuate the strain's virulence. The AI-2 activities of EIB202 were 56-fold higher than those in the △luxS strain, suggesting that the luxS gene promotes AI-2 production. Transcriptome results demonstrated that between cells infected with the △luxS strain and those infected with the wild-type strain 46 genes were significantly differentially regulated, which included 34 upregulated genes and 12 downregulated genes. Among these genes, the largest number were closely related to cell immunity and signaling systems. In addition, the biofilm formation ability of EIB202 was significantly higher than that of the △luxS strain. The supernatant of EIB202 increased the biofilm formation ability of the △luxS strain, which suggested that the luxS gene and its product LuxS enhanced biofilm formation in E. piscicida All results indicate that the LuxS/AI-2 quorum sensing system in E. piscicida promotes its pathogenicity through increasing a diverse array of physiological activities.