[Association of Haemophilus influenzae infection with environmental and climatic factors in Suzhou, China]. / è‹å·žåœ°åŒºæµæ„Ÿå—œè¡€æ†èŒæ„ŸæŸ“ä¸ŽçŽ¯å¢ƒæ°”å€™çš„ç›¸å ³å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory Haemophilus influenzae (HI) infection in children in Suzhou, China and its association with climatic factors and air pollutants. METHODS: The data on air pollutants and climatic factors in Suzhou from January 2016 to December 2019 were collected. Respiratory secretions were collected from 7 940 children with acute respiratory infection who were hospitalized during this period, and bacterial culture results were analyzed for the detection of HI. A stepwise regression analysis was used to investigate the association of HI detection rate with air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3) and climatic factors (monthly mean temperature, monthly mean humidity, monthly total rainfall, monthly total sunshine duration, and monthly mean wind speed). RESULTS: In 2016-2019, the 4-year overall detection rate of HI was 9.26% (735/7 940) among the children in Suzhou. The children aged <1 year and 1-<3 years had a significantly higher HI detection rate than those aged ≥3 years (P<0.01). The detection rate of HI in spring was significantly higher than that in the other three seasons, and the detection rate of HI in autumn was significantly lower than that in the other three seasons (P<0.001). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that PM10 and monthly mean wind speed were independent risk factors for the detection rate of HI: the detection rate of HI was increased by 0.86% for every 10 µg/m3 increase in the concentration of PM10 and was increased by 5.64% for every 1 m/s increase in monthly mean wind speed. Air pollutants and climatic factors had a lag effect on the detection rate of HI. CONCLUSIONS: HI is an important pathogen for acute respiratory infection in children in Suzhou and is prevalent in spring. PM10 and monthly mean wind speed are independent risk factors for the detection rate of HI.

[An epidemiological study on human rhinovirus C in hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the detection rates, epidemical characteristics, and clinical features of human rhinovirus C (HRV-C) in hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in Suzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 1 702 hospitalized children with RTIs from January to December, 2014 were enrolled, and 1 702 nasopharyngeal aspirate samples were collected from all children. RT-PCR was used to measure HRV mRNA, and quantitative real-time PCR combined with high-resolution melting curve was used to measure HRV-C. RESULTS: Of all children, 244 (14.34%) were detected to have HRV infection, among whom 69 (69/244, 28.3%) had HRV-C infection. The rate of mixed infection of HRV-C with other viruses and bacteria was 61% (42/69). HRV-C was detected in each month of the year, and the detection rate of HRV-C in autumn was significantly higher than that in spring, summer, and winter (P<0.05). The children aged 2-5 years had a significantly higher detection rate of HRV-C than those in the other age groups (P<0.05). Compared with HRV-A/B infection, HRV-C infection led to significantly higher proportions of patients with lobar pneumonia and acute exacerbation of asthma (P<0.05), as well as patients with increased neutrophil count and CRP level (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in sex distribution or other clinical manifestations (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HRV-C infection accounts for about 1/3 of HRV infection, with a high incidence rate in autumn. The rate of mixed infection of HRV-C with other viruses and bacteria is high, and children aged 2-5 years have the highest detection rate of HRV-C. Children with HRV-C infection have similar clinical manifestations as those with HRV-A/B infection.

[Association of T lymphocyte subsets and allergens with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection complicated by wheezing in infants and young children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the percentage of T lymphocyte subsets and allergen screening results in infants and young children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection complicated by wheezing. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to measure the percentage of peripheral blood T cell subsets in 354 infants and young children with MP infection complicated by wheezing (MP wheezing group), 336 infants and young children with MP infection but without wheezing (MP non-wheezing group), and 277 children with recurrent wheezing (recurrent wheezing group). Allergen screening was also performed for these children. RESULTS: Both the MP wheezing group and recurrent wheezing group had significantly lower percentages of CD3+ and CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes than the MP non-wheezing group (p<0.05). The MP groups with or without wheezing had a significantly higher percentage of CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes than the recurrent wheezing group (p<0.05). Both the MP wheezing group and recurrent wheezing group had significantly higher percentages of CD3-CD19+ and CD19+CD23+ lymphocytes than the MP non-wheezing group (p<0.05), and the recurrent wheezing group had the highest percentages (p<0.05). The overall positive rate of food allergens was significantly higher than that of inhaled allergens (30.3% vs 14.7%; p<0.05). The positive rates of food and inhaled allergens in the recurrent wheezing group and MP wheezing group were significantly higher than in the MP non-wheezing group (p<0.05), and the recurrent wheezing group had the highest rates. CONCLUSIONS: Imbalance of T lymphocyte subsets and allergic constitution play important roles in the pathogenesis of MP infection complicated by wheezing in infants and young children.

A comparison of honeybee (Apis mellifera) queen, worker and drone larvae by RNA-Seq.

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) have haplodiploid sex determination: males develop from unfertilized eggs and females develop from fertilized ones. The differences in larval food also determine the development of females. Here we compared the total somatic gene expression profiles of 2-day and 4-day-old drone, queen and worker larvae by RNA-Seq. The results from a co-expression network analysis on all expressed genes showed that 2-day-old drone and worker larvae were closer in gene expression profiles than 2-day-old queen larvae. This indicated that for young larvae (2-day-old) environmental factors such as larval diet have a greater effect on gene expression profiles than ploidy or sex determination. Drones had the most distinct gene expression profiles at the 4-day larval stage, suggesting that haploidy, or sex dramatically affects the gene expression of honeybee larvae. Drone larvae showed fewer differences in gene expression profiles at the 2-day and 4-day time points than the worker and queen larval comparisons (598 against 1190 and 1181), suggesting a different pattern of gene expression regulation during the larval development of haploid males compared to diploid females. This study indicates that early in development the queen caste has the most distinct gene expression profile, perhaps reflecting the very rapid growth and morphological specialization of this caste compared to workers and drones. Later in development the haploid male drones have the most distinct gene expression profile, perhaps reflecting the influence of ploidy or sex determination on gene expression.

Multisystem smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome in a Chinese girl: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome (MSMDS) is a rare genetic disease worldwide. The main mutation is the actin alpha 2 (ACTA2) gene p.R179H. In this paper, we report a Chinese MSMDS patient and systematically review the previous literature. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we report a 9.6-month-old Chinese girl who was diagnosed with MSMDS based on her history and symptoms, such as recurrent cough, wheezing, and complications with congenital fixed dilated pupils. Chest high-resolution computed tomography revealed inhomogeneous lung transparency, obvious exudative lesions, and some lung fissures that were markedly thickened. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging excluded bleeding and infarction but showed abnormal signals in the centrum ovale majus and bilateral periventricular regions. Echocardiography only showed patent foramen ovale, and no patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary artery dilatation, or pulmonary hypertension was found. Bronchoscopy indicated moderate bronchial malacia. These examinations in conjunction with the typical eye abnormality suggested a diagnosis of MSMDS, and sequencing of exon 6 of the ACTA2 gene demonstrated the heterozygous mutation c.536G>A, p.R179H. However, her parents' gene analyses were normal. CONCLUSION: MSMDS is a rare genetic disease mainly caused by the mutation of the ACTA2 gene p.R179H. Early genetic diagnosis should be performed for children presenting with congenital fixed dilated pupils and patent ductus arteriosus. During the process of diagnosis and treatment, clinicians should be on high alert for cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary complications.

c.753_754delAG, a novel CFTR mutation found in a Chinese patient with cystic fibrosis: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is rare in Asian populations relative to the Caucasian population. In this paper, we report the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) variation in a family of Chinese CF patients, and systematically review the previous literature. CASE SUMMARY: Here we report a 30-month-old Chinese girl who was diagnosed with CF based on her history and symptoms such as recurrent productive cough, wheezing with repeated infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and parasinusitis. Chest computed tomography (CT) scanning revealed obvious exudative lesions and bilateral bronchiectasis. Liver CT scanning revealed a low-density lesion in the left lobe of the liver. A diagnosis of CF was made based upon CFTR gene tests. The CFTR gene was sequenced using the blood samples of her and her parents and showed a heterozygous novel missense mutation of c.753_754delAG in exon 7. In addition, a heterozygous c.1240 C>T mutation was found in exon 10 of the CFTR. The mutation c.753_754delAG was verified to have been inherited from her mother, and the c.1240 C>T mutation was from her father who was diagnosed with congenital absence of vas deferens. CONCLUSION: A novel mutation of CFTR, c.753_754delAG, was found in a Chinese CF child. c.2909G>A is the most common mutation among Chinese CF patients.

A Maternal Effect on Queen Production in Honeybees.

Influences from the mother on offspring phenotype, known as maternal effects, are an important cause of adaptive phenotypic plasticity [1, 2]. Eusocial insects show dramatic phenotypic plasticity with morphologically distinct reproductive (queen) and worker castes [3, 4]. The dominant paradigm for honeybees (Apis mellifera) is that castes are environmentally rather than genetically determined, with the environment and diet of young larvae causing caste differentiation [5-9]. A role for maternal effects has not been considered, but here we show that egg size also influences queen development. Queens laid significantly bigger eggs in the larger queen cells than in the worker cells. Eggs laid in queen cells (QE), laid in worker cells (WE), and 2-day old larvae from worker cells (2L) were transferred to artificial queen cells to be reared as queens in a standardized environment. Newly emerged adult queens from QE were heavier than those from the other two groups and had more ovarioles, indicating a consequence of egg size for adult queen morphology. Gene expression analyses identified several significantly differentially expressed genes between newly emerged queens from QE and those from the other groups. These included a disproportionate number of genes involved in hormonal signaling, body development, and immune pathways, which are key traits differing between queens and workers. That egg size influences emerging queen morphology and physiology and that queens lay larger eggs in queen cells demonstrate both a maternal effect on the expression of the queen phenotype and a more active role for the queen in gyne production than has been realized previously.

Starving honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae signal pheromonally to worker bees.

Cooperative brood care is diagnostic of animal societies. This is particularly true for the advanced social insects, and the honey bee is the best understood of the insect societies. A brood pheromone signaling the presence of larvae in a bee colony has been characterised and well studied, but here we explored whether honey bee larvae actively signal their food needs pheromonally to workers. We show that starving honey bee larvae signal to workers via increased production of the volatile pheromone E-ß-ocimene. Analysis of volatile pheromones produced by food-deprived and fed larvae with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that starving larvae produced more E-ß-ocimene. Behavioural analyses showed that adding E-ß-ocimene to empty cells increased the number of worker visits to those cells, and similarly adding E-ß-ocimene to larvae increased worker visitation rate to the larvae. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis identified 3 genes in the E-ß-ocimene biosynthetic pathway that were upregulated in larvae following 30 minutes of starvation, and these genes also upregulated in 2-day old larvae compared to 4-day old larvae (2-day old larvae produce the most E-ß-ocimene). This identifies a pheromonal mechanism by which brood can beg for food from workers to influence the allocation of resources within the colony.