Genomic characterization of an emerging Rickettsia barbariae isolated from tick eggs in northwestern China.

The continual emergence of tick-borne rickettsioses has garnered widespread global attention. Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae (Candidatus R. barbariae), which emerged in Italy in 2008, has been detected in humans from northwestern China. However, the lack of Candidatus R. barbariae genome and isolated strains limits the understanding of its biological characteristics and genomic features. Here, we isolated the Rickettsia for the first time from eggs of Rhipicephalus turanicus in northwestern China, and assembled its whole genome after next-generation sequencing, so we modified the proposed name to Rickettsia barbariae (R. barbariae) to conform to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the whole genome revealed that it was most closely related to the pathogenic Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia africae. All virulence factors, present in the pathogenic spotted fever group rickettsiae, were identified in the R. barbariae isolate. These findings highlight the pathogenic potential of R. barbariae and the necessity for enhanced surveillance of the emerging Rickettsia in the human population.

Enhancing the Autonomy of Establishing Indicator Informatization.

Quality indicators are essential for hospital management, clinical decision-making, and patient care. In today's technologically advanced era, it is increasingly critical to derive effective statistical data analysis from intricate datasets. However, the administrative department within our hospital often fails to prioritize information needs due to limited resources. Consequently, the collection of indicator data continues to rely on paper-based operations.To tackle common issues in collecting indicator data, such as incomplete or inaccurate data, time-consuming aggregation and statistical analysis, and a lack of timeliness, we have implemented appropriate Business Intelligence (BI) tools. We provide educational training to empower users to create visual templates for indicators that are tailored to their specific requirements. This approach saves time, reduces data duplication, and minimizes writing errors. It enhances supervisors' understanding of the current situation and future prospects in terms of data analysis and timeliness. Ultimately, this initiative improves healthcare quality and management effectiveness.

Constructing an Automated Quality Control Indicator Dashboard by Linking Cloud-Based Forms with POWER BI.

This paper examines the use of quality control indicator audits in healthcare services to identify potential risk issues and improve the quality of medical care. A multi-stage approach was adopted to establish audit tools. This involved creating a cloud-based assessment form using Microsoft Form, developing Power BI dashboards connected to databases, and creating a mobile application for on-the-go auditing and result retrieval. Mobile application has replaced the need to search for and print audit forms, reducing paper usage. Automated audit results are linked to Power BI dashboards, significantly reducing the time spent on manual documentation and chart analysis, saving an average of 40 minutes per audit indicator. The paper proposes that the dashboard's real-time and automated features assist managers in promptly identifying potential issues and taking necessary intervention and guidance measures. These findings emphasise the significance of quality control indicator audits in enhancing the quality and safety of healthcare services.

Constructing a User-Centric Visual Real-Time Surgical Dashboard.

The existing surgery timetable is very simple, not user-friendly, and has very limited information. This article outlines the creation of a surgical dynamic dashboard for users, using Microsoft Power BI. The dashboard was developed based on in-depth interviews with the surgical team members to determine their requirements. The outcome of dashboard was evaluated by 5-likert scale questionnaire to measure satisfaction of all surgical team members. All team members were very satisfied with the dashboard compared to the existing surgery timetable. In addition, with the function of auto-generated analytic reports through data criteria selection on the dashboard saved time on manually generating reports. This study supports to replace the existing surgery timetable by the user-centric and real time surgical dashboard.

Symbiotic bacteria confer insecticide resistance by metabolizing buprofezin in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål).

Buprofezin, a chitin synthesis inhibitor, is widely used to control several economically important insect crop pests. However, the overuse of buprofezin has led to the evolution of resistance and exposed off-target organisms present in agri-environments to this compound. As many as six different strains of bacteria isolated from these environments have been shown to degrade buprofezin. However, whether insects can acquire these buprofezin-degrading bacteria from soil and enhance their own resistance to buprofezin remains unknown. Here we show that field strains of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, have acquired a symbiotic bacteria, occurring naturally in soil and water, that provides them with resistance to buprofezin. We isolated a symbiotic bacterium, Serratia marcescens (Bup_Serratia), from buprofezin-resistant N. lugens and showed it has the capacity to degrade buprofezin. Buprofezin-susceptible N. lugens inoculated with Bup_Serratia became resistant to buprofezin, while antibiotic-treated N. lugens became susceptible to this insecticide, confirming the important role of Bup_Serratia in resistance. Sequencing of the Bup_Serratia genome identified a suite of candidate genes involved in the degradation of buprofezin, that were upregulated upon exposure to buprofezin. Our findings demonstrate that S. marcescens, an opportunistic pathogen of humans, can metabolize the insecticide buprofezin and form a mutualistic relationship with N. lugens to enhance host resistance to buprofezin. These results provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance and the interactions between bacteria, insects and insecticides in the environment. From an applied perspective they also have implications for the control of highly damaging crop pests.

[Research progress in quality control of Bufonis Venenum in preparations].

Bufonis Venenum, an animal medicinal material, is widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases and pain induced by rheumatics or malignant tumors. In view of the high activity and high toxicity, it is of great significance to pay attention to the quality control of Bufonis Venenum to ensure the safety and effectiveness of its preparations. China's drug standards involve 102 preparations(474 batch numbers) containing Bufonis Venenum approved for sale, including 14 preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) and 68 preparations in the standards issued by the Ministry of Health Drug Standard of the People's Republic of China. Bufonis Venenum is mostly used in pill and powder preparations in the form of raw powder, with the main functions of clearing heat, removing toxin, relieving swelling and pain, replenishing qi, activating blood, opening orifice, and awakening brain. Except the high level of quality control for Bufonis Venenum in the preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition), the quality control standards of Bufonis Venenum in other preparations are low or even absent. Therefore, it is urgent to conduct research on the improvement of quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum. This study retrieved the reports focusing on the quality evaluation and quality control of the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum from CNKI, PubMed, and Web of Science. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for 64 preparations containing Bufonis Venenum have been reported, mainly including thin-layer chromatography, HPLC fingerprint, and multi-component content determination. The index components mainly involved bufadienolides, such as gamabufalin, arenobufagin, bufotalin, bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin. According to the literature information, this paper suggests that attention should be paid to the correlations between the analysis methods and detection indexes of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and preparations, the monitoring of indole alkaloids, and the content uniformity inspection for further improving the quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum.

The overexpression of cytochrome P450 genes confers buprofezin resistance in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål).

BACKGROUND: Buprofezin, an insect growth regulator, has been widely used to control brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, one of the most destructive pests of rice crops in Asia. The intensive use of this compound has resulted in very high levels of resistance to buprofezin in the field, however, the underpinning mechanisms of resistance have not been fully resolved. RESULTS: Insecticide bioassays using the P450 inhibitor piperonyl butoxide significantly synergized the toxicity of buprofezin in two resistant strains of BPH (BPR and YC2017) compared to a susceptible strain (Sus), suggesting P450s play a role in resistance to this compound. Whole transcriptome profiling identified 1110 genes that were upregulated in the BPR strain compared to the Sus strain, including 13 cytochrome P450 genes, eight esterases and one glutathione S-transferase. Subsequently, qPCR validation revealed that four of the P450 genes, CYP6ER1vA, CYP6CW1, CYP4C77, and CYP439A1 were significantly overexpressed in both the BRP and YC2017 strains compared with the Sus strain. Further functional analyses showed that only suppression of CYP6ER1vA, CYP6CW1, and CYP439A1 gene expression by RNA interference significantly increased the toxicity of buprofezin against BPH. However, only transgenic Drosophila melanogaster expressing CYP6ER1vA and CYP439A1 exhibited significant resistance to buprofezin. Finally, the BPR strain was found to exhibit modest but significant levels of resistance to acetamiprid, dinotefuran and pymetrozine. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide strong evidence that the overexpression of CYP6ER1vA and CYP439A1 contribute to buprofezin resistance in BPH, and that resistance to this compound is associated with low-level resistance to acetamiprid, dinotefuran and pymetrozine. These results advance understanding of the molecular basis of BPH resistance to buprofezin and will inform the development of management strategies for the control of this highly damaging pest. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ixekizumab successfully treated severe pityriasis rubra pilaris after COVID-19 vaccination.

Pityriasis rubra pilaris is an inflammatory dermatologic disorder of unknown cause. We report a 67-year-old man with Pityriasis rubra pilaris might induced by COVID-19 vaccination. The patient developed the lesions after the first dose of vaccine and significantly aggravated after the second dose. He had poor effect and liver function impairment developed after acitretin used, but achieved satisfactory efficacy after replacement to ixekizumab, an interleukin-17A inhibitor.

Comparison of pharmaceutical removal in two membrane bioreactors with/without powdered activated carbon addition.

The present study investigates the removal of six selected pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewater in two membrane bioreactors (MBRs) with and without powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition. Two approaches were carried out for obtaining different carbon dosages related to the influent: (1) with a fixed solids retention time (SRT) and varying PAC concentrations; (2) with varying SRTs and a fixed PAC concentration. The results reveal that a PAC dosage related to influent of 21 mg L-1 and SRT of 20 d are optimal. The first approach achieved a better removal performance than the second. The removal of amidotrizoic acid (up to 46%), bezafibrate (>92%) and iopromide (around 85%) were mainly caused by biological process, but were also enhanced by PAC addition. Efficient removal (>95%) of sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and diclofenac were highly dependent on the PAC dosage. However, carbamazepine shows re-metabolization properties during biological processing. Decreasing the SRT as done in the second approach, not only increased the PAC amount, but also decreased the mass of activated sludge and reduced the capability to degrade complex organic matter. Consequently, biodegradability and adsorbability played decisive roles in the removal of each compound.

Effective components and mechanism analysis of anti-platelet aggregation effect of Justicia procumbens L.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Justicia procumbens L. is a traditional Chinese medicine, first recorded in "Shen Nong's Herbal Classic", for the treatment of lumbar pain and fever. As a widely distributed herb, it has also been documented in India, Nepal, and Malaysia. In "Tang Materia Medica", a famous medicinal book of Tang Dynasty in ancient China, it was first used to treat diseases associated with blood stasis. Blood stasis syndrome is closely related to thrombus formation and platelet aggregation. Although some compounds isolated from this plant have anti-platelet aggregation effects, the main chemical components and mechanism of J. procumbens in terms of these effects are little known. AIMS OF THE STUDY: Through in vivo and in vitro experiments, this studsy revealed the characteristic components and action mechanism of anti-platelet aggregation by J. procumbens from an overall perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effective crude extracts of the whole plant were screened via an in vitro anti-platelet aggregation test. After incubating these extracts with apheresis platelets, high affinity compounds were detected by HPLC-MS and regulatory genes were detected using gene chips. The effective components and potential target proteins were analyzed using computational docking technology. Furthermore, the compound with the strongest predicted activity was evaluated in vivo via an anti-thrombotic test. RESULTS: Integrin aⅡbß3, PKCα, PI3Kγ, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 were found to be potential targets. Justicidin B, tuberculatin, chinensinaphthol methyl ether, and neojusticin B were effective compounds that inhibited human platelet aggregation by suppressing Gq-PLC-PKC and Gi-PI3K-MAPK signaling pathways. Among the compounds that bind to platelets, justicidin B showed the strongest virtual binding force. The test of carotid artery thrombosis induced by ferric chloride in SD rats confirmed that justicidin B inhibited thrombus formation. CONCLUSION: Experimental investigation showed that arylnaphthalene lignan aglycones with one methylenedioxy group and two methoxy groups are effective components for anti-platelet aggregation by J. procumbens. These compounds inhibit Gq-PLC-PKC and Gi-PI3K-MAPK signaling pathways by suppressing the expression of genes such as ITGB3, PRKCA, PIK3CG, and MAPK14. These results reflected the characteristics of multi-component and multi-target synergistic treatment of Chinese medicine.

Inheritance and fitness cost of buprofezin resistance in a near-isogenic, field-derived strain and insecticide resistance monitoring of Laodelphax striatellus in China.

BACKGROUND: Laodelphax striatellus is one of the most destructive pests of rice and other cereal crops. Chemical control is still the most efficient way to control this pest, but insecticide resistance always threatens this approach. RESULTS: Monitoring data (2003-2020) showed that Chinese field populations of L. striatellus developed high-level buprofezin resistance within the first four years. This high-level resistance to buprofezin was stable for about ten years and persisted even when buprofezin selection pressure was absent. An established near-isogenic strain (YN-NIS) with 90.8-fold resistance to buprofezin had resistance inheritance of autosomal and incomplete dominance, and the resistance was controlled by multiple genes with no obvious fitness costs (relative fitness of 0.8707). Furthermore, the susceptibility of 29 field populations to another seven insecticides (2014-2020) showed that: (i) low-level resistance to pymetrozine, dinotefuran, sulfoxaflor and thiamethoxam was first detected in 2014 (eight years after introduction), 2016 (three years after), 2017 (four years after) and 2019 (19 years after), respectively, (ii) moderate resistance levels to chlorpyrifos were found for all populations across multiple years, and (iii) no resistance was detected for nitenpyram and triflumezopyrim. CONCLUSION: The fast buprofezin resistance development in L. striatellus would be caused by incomplete dominant resistance with almost no fitness cost in the resistant strain. Nitenpyram and triflumezopyrim showed no resistance and can be used as the main insecticide for the control of L. striatellus. These findings provide key fundamental information for controlling L. striatellus.

Use of deep sequencing to profile small RNAs derived from tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus and hippeastrum chlorotic ringspot orthotospovirus in infected Capsicum annuum.

Virus-derived small RNAs are one of the key factors of RNA silencing in plant defence against viruses. We obtained virus-derived small interfering RNA profiles from Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus and Hippeastrum chlorotic ringspot orthotospovirus infected Capsicum annuum XX19 and XY11 by deep sequencing one day after inoculation. The vsiRNAs data were mapped to the TSWV and HCRV genomes, and the results showed that the vsiRNAs measured 19-24 nucleotides in length. Most of the vsiRNAs were mapped to the S segment of the viral genome. For XX19 and XY11 infected with HCRV, the distribution range of vsiRNAs in S RNA was 52.06-55.20%, while for XX19 and XY11 infected with TSWV, the distribution range of vsiRNAs in S RNA was 87.76-89.07%. The first base at the 5' end of the siRNA from TSWV and HCRV was primarily biased towards A, U, or C. Compared with mock-inoculated XX19 and XY11, the expression level of CaRDR1 was upregulated in TSWV- and HCRV-inoculated XX19 and XY11. CaAGO2 and CaAGO5 were upregulated in XY11 against HCRV infection, and CaRDR2 was downregulated in TSWV-infected XY11 and XX19. The profile of HCRV and TSWV vsiRNA verified in this study could be useful for selecting key vsiRNA such as those in disease-resistant varieties by artificially synthesizing amiRNA.

The hepatotoxicity of Polygonum multiflorum: The emerging role of the immune-mediated liver injury.

Herbal and dietary supplements (HDS)-induced liver injury has been a great concern all over the world. Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., a well-known Chinese herbal medicine, is recently drawn increasing attention because of its hepatotoxicity. According to the clinical and experimental studies, P. multiflorum-induced liver injury (PM-DILI) is considered to be immune-mediated idiosyncratic liver injury, but the role of immune response and the underlying mechanisms are not completely elucidated. Previous studies focused on the direct toxicity of PM-DILI by using animal models with intrinsic drug-induced liver injury (DILI). However, most epidemiological and clinical evidence demonstrate that PM-DILI is immune-mediated idiosyncratic liver injury. The aim of this review is to assess current epidemiological, clinical and experimental evidence about the possible role of innate and adaptive immunity in the idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of P. multiflorum. The potential effects of factors associated with immune tolerance, including immune checkpoint molecules and regulatory immune cells on the individual's susceptibility to PM-DILI are also discussed. We conclude by giving our hypothesis of possible immune mechanisms of PM-DILI and providing suggestions for future studies on valuable biomarkers identification and proper immune models establishment.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome: Correlation between hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance and obesity.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex and heterogeneous endocrine disease characterized by clinical or laboratorial hyperandrogenism, oligo-anovulation and metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, excessive weight or obesity, type II diabetes, dyslipidemia and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The most significant clinical manifestation of PCOS is hyperandrogenism. Excess androgen profoundly affects granulosa cell function and follicular development via complex mechanisms that lead to obesity and insulin resistance. Most PCOS patients with hyperandrogenism have steroid secretion defects that result in abnormal folliculogenesis and failed dominant follicle selection. Hyperandrogenism induces obesity, hairy, acne, and androgenetic alopecia. These symptoms can bring great psychological stress to women. Drugs such as combined oral contraceptive pills, metformin, pioglitazone and low-dose spironolactone help improve pregnancy rates by decreasing androgen levels in vivo. Notably, PCOS is heterogeneous, and hyperandrogenism is not the only pathogenic factor. Obesity and insulin resistance aggravate the symptoms of hyperandrogenism, forming a vicious cycle that promotes PCOS development. Although numerous studies have been conducted, the definitive pathogenic mechanisms of PCOS remain uncertain. This review summarizes and discusses previous and recent findings regarding the relationship between hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, obesity and PCOS.

Everolimus plus endocrine vs endocrine therapy in treatment advanced ER+, HER2- breast cancer patients: A meta-analysis.

The purpose of this review was to compare the efficacy and safety of everolimus plus endocrine therapy with endocrine therapy for hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2 negative advanced breast cancer patients. We comprehensively searched the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Chinese biomedicine literature database, WanFang Data, CNKI, and VIP database for relevant articles. The retrieval time limit is from building the database to July 2018. The computer search was supplemented with a manual search of reference lists for all available review articles. We scanned references of all included studies for additional studies. We included 7 randomized trials involving 1527 patients. Meta-analysis results are as follows: Everolimus plus endocrine therapy group is significantly better than endocrine therapy group in progression-free survival and clinical benefit rate, (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI 0.42-0.55], P < 0.00001) and (risk ratio = 1.9, 95% CI [1.60-2.26], P < 0.00001). But there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in overall response rate and time to definitive deterioration (risk ratio = 4.37, 95% CI [0.79-24.27], P = 0.21) and (HR = 0.74, 95% CI [0.49-1.11], P = 0.15). In terms of safety, the incidence rate in everolimus plus endocrine therapy was higher than that in endocrine therapy group. Most frequently reported adverse events associated with everolimus treatment were stomatitis, rash, fatigue, diarrhea, decreased appetite, cough, dyspnea, and pneumonitis. The incidences of grade 3-4 adverse events were stomatitis, fatigue, diarrhea, pneumonitis, and hyperglycemia. Everolimus increased the efficacy of endocrine therapy in treatment advanced endocrine receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2 negative breast cancer patients, and the safety profile of the combination is acceptable.

Characterization of industrial odor sources in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China.

Samples were collected from six different organized industrial odor sources in Tianjin Binhai New Area, including pharmacy, paint spraying, oil refinery, petrochemical, resin synthesis, and rubber manufacturing. Chemical analysis was conducted to identify and quantify major odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and subsequently, establish source profiles. Olfactory measurement was used to characterize the sensory stimulating intensity of odorous VOCs and express them as odor concentration. The TVOC mass concentrations of these six sources were between 10.9 and 225.3 mg/m3. Toluene was the most abundant component in profiles of both pharmacy and spraying sources with abundances of 79.1 and 94%, respectively. The petrochemical source was characterized by high levels of o,m,p-xylene (more than 60%). Sulfides were identified almost solely in the rubber manufacturing source. High levels of styrene were found in the resin synthesis source, whereas the oil refinery source was dominated by halocarbons. The odor concentration of oil refinery, spraying, rubber manufacturing, and resin synthesis all exceeded the Chinese emission standards for odor pollutants (GB14554-93) during the study period. Based on industrial processing analysis and factor analysis, toluene, m,p-xylene, carbon disulfide, toluene, three types of halogenated hydrocarbons, and styrene were the markers of pharmacy, petrochemical, rubber manufacturing, spraying, oil refinery, and resin synthesis sources, respectively. Production process and factor analysis methods were used to identify the markers of each odor source, which were based on instrument analysis and olfactory measurement.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Zhuxiang chicken (Gallus gallus. domesticus) and its phylogenetic analysis from D-loop region.

Zhuxiang chicken is a valuable chicken breed in the southwest of China. In this study, we firstly obtained the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Zhuxiang chicken using PCR amplification, sequencing and assembling. The total length of the mitochondrial genome was 16,789 bp, based on composition of 30.24% for A, 23.71% for T, 32.54% for C, 13.51% for G, contained a D-loop region (non-coding control region), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and 22 transfer RNA. This research was significant for mtDNA structure and provided phylogenetic analysis of D-loop sequence for carrying out Zhuxiang chicken germplasm resources protection, rational breeding, origin and evolution studies.

[Research advances in immunological pathogenesis of immunoglobulin A vasculitis].

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis is the most common leukocytoclastic small-vessel vasculitis in children and mainly involves the small vessels in the skin, joints, digestive tract, and kidneys. Its pathogenesis is still unclear. Currently, it is believed that environmental factors can cause autoimmune dysfunction and lead to the deposition of IgA-containing immune complexes on the wall of arterioles on the basis of genetic factors. This article reviews the research advances in the role of immune factors in the pathogenesis of IgA vasculitis.

RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the hydroxyacid-oxoacid transhydrogenase gene decreases thiamethoxam resistance in adults of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci.

Bemisia tabaci has developed a high level of resistance to thiamethoxam, a second generation neonicotinoid insecticide that has been widely used to control this pest. In this study, we investigated whether hydroxyacid-oxoacid transhydrogenase (HOT) is involved in resistance to the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam in the whitefly. We cloned the full-length gene that encodes HOT in B. tabaci. Its cDNA contains a 1428-bp open reading frame encoding 475 amino acid residues. Then we evaluated the mRNA expression level of HOT in different developmental stages, and found HOT expression was significantly greater in thiamethoxam resistance adults than in thiamethoxam susceptible adults. Subsequently, seven field populations of B. tabaci adults were sampled, the expression of mRNA level of HOT significant positive correlated with thiamethoxam resistance level. At last, we used a modified gene silencing system to knock-down HOT expression in B. tabaci adults. The results showed that the HOT mRNA levels decreased by 57% and thiamethoxam resistance decreased significantly after 2 days of feeding on a diet containing HOT dsRNA. The results indicated that down-regulation of HOT expression decreases thiamethoxam resistance in B. tabaci adults.